Visit the Integrative Health, Inc. website
Visit the Dream Big Day Camp website
Spring 2008 Newsletter
Spring is finally here! With wide open arms and an overflowing heart, I welcome this change of seasons like I never have before. It is said that with Spring comes birth, re-birth, innocence and purity. Last Spring I might have scoffed at those ideas and seen this time of year simply as the gateway to summer and celebrated by changing out clothes in my closet, cleaning my kitchen cabinets, or cleansing my body through a detox diet.
This Spring, I feel newness all around me. My son, Clay, was born January 15th. It was the single best experience of my life to bring this baby boy in to the world. I cannot begin to explain how my life has changed in all ways big and small. Of course, I am changed in that I have become a mother, and this new privilege has brought to my life the most amazing array of emotions and feelings. Sometimes, just looking at Clay I cannot help but cry tears of joy, hope, fear, pride, gratitude and love all in one micro-second flood of emotions. I feel so blessed to be chosen as Clay's mother. The abundance of happiness and closeness that now encircles our family - my husband, my son, me - is so powerful it is almost cleansing in a way. This spring I feel cleansed of my past, my old self, and free to let go of who I was before I was a mother - selfish at times, clueless, hopeless, even lost. Now, I feel as though I know my true place in the world. I know that being someone's mom has made me a better person.
This Spring brings genuine blessings to my professional life. As I regroup and rejoin the holistic health field after some time away, I feel as though I have found my true passions in both nutrition and yoga as healing arts. I have found the paths that resonate with me most, and I have been blessed to have such amazing opportunities come into my life this Spring. I was unsure about how I could work part-time and balance my responsibilities with caring for Clay - and I have been answered by the Universe with gifts in the form of Dream Big Day Camp, Integrative Health, and my neighborhood yoga studio.
In this newsletter, I wish to share with you what I am working on, where to find me, and how we can continue to work together. There is always something new in the fields of nutrition and yoga as vehicles for health. This Spring, I hope we can deepen our relationship, or start something new together. If you have been unsure of what is "next" in your own journey towards wellness, let's talk. Our human bodies are never done changing, growing, or being "re-born". Spring is a perfect time to witness our openness to new measures of health! Let's tap into that health together!
Namaste.
Spring is about color. The season spreads a visual feast before us in every shade and hue of all the colors in the rainbow. Color is healing. Different colors have different healing properties, but all colors have the ability to make us feel better. We respond to color on an emotional level and spiritual level. Spring colors call us to renew and replenish our souls. In the fresh light of spring, colors are illuminated, greens are iridescent, reds burn, pinks blush, and yellows glow. Even the blue of the sky appears brighter.
I strongly believe that Yoga should be accessible to everyone. I am extremely grateful to be able to participate in and contribute to many community organizations that make yoga available for all. I strive to serve a diverse range of people who may not otherwise have the opportunity to learn about yoga and good health. And, in particular, I love working with children.
This summer, I am honored and privileged to be working with Dream Big Day Camp, serving as their yoga instructor three days per week. Campers aged 4 to 10 will have the opportunity to try yoga poses, learn to utilize their breath, tap into relaxation and more! We will have a lot of fun together!
Dream Big Day Camp is an excellent camp, with a positive and caring mission, that provides a safe and supportive community for kids - a great way for these children to spend their summer!
This spring, I am joining Integrative Health Wellness Center as the Nutrition Therapist and yoga instructor. Located in the Denver Tech Center, Integrative Health provides services emphasizing wellness of the entire person. Using both conventional and alternative medicinal approaches, Integrative Health finds a set of solutions that works for each client's needs. Practitioners specialize in musculosketal disorders, rehabilitation, structural reorganization, mental and emotional stress, and a wide variety of internal syndromes.
Whether you're coming in for a massage or you're seeking alternatives to surgery or medication, you will find that Integrative Health's services are unique and customized to the needs of your body and mind.
Nutrition Therapy appointments can be made with me on Friday mornings starting at 8:00 am. Please call (303) 577-9977 to inquire about pricing and to set up your appointment today.
I look forward to working with you in this beautiful location.
This recipe is bursting with Spring flavors and freshness!
Green peas provide nutrients that are important for maintaining bone health. They are a very good source of vitamin K1, which activates osteocalcin, the major non-collagen protein in bone. Osteocalcin anchors calcium molecules inside of the bone. Therefore, without enough vitamin K1, osteocalcin levels are inadequate and bone mineralization is impaired.
Green peas also serve as a very good source of folic acid and a good source of vitamin B6. These two nutrients help to reduce the buildup of a metabolic byproduct called homocysteine, a dangerous molecule can obstruct collagen cross-linking, resulting in poor bone matrix and osteoporosis. One study showed that postmenopausal women who were not considered deficient in folic acid lowered their homocysteine levels simply by supplementing with folic acid by itself. *
Here's to your health and your taste buds!
*From World's Healthiest Foods
Risotto with spring peas, lemon zest, tarragon and parmesan
2 TBS olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
4 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups shelled fresh spring peas
2 tsp grated fresh lemon zest
1 TBS fresh tarragon, chopped
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cooke, stirring frequently, until the liquid is absorbed.
Stir in the broth, 3/4 cups at a time (waiting until each addition of the broth is absorbed before adding the next), and cook, stirring occasionally. It should take about 25 minutes for all the broth to be absorbed. Remove from the heat and stir in the fresh peas, lemon zest, tarragon, 3/4 cup of Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon into individual bowls and top with the remaining Parmesan. Enjoy!
My son, Clay, and I will be teaching Baby and Me Yoga classes on Thursdays from 10:30 am - 11:30 am at Urban Flow Yoga studio in the Highlands neighborhood. This four week class series begins May 15th and runs through June 5th. The cost is $50 per Mom/Baby; Drop-ins are also welcome!
About the Class: Baby & Me Yoga Class is a beautiful way to bond with your baby, as well as with other new mothers, while stretching, strengthening and toning your body. Special emphasis is placed on breathing and postures which helps mothers to heal post-partum. The environment is open and conducive to caring for your little one, while at the same time providing a healthy and safe place for you, the new mom, to exercise. Babies aged 6 weeks to crawling are welcome.
Preregistration is required for this class. To reserve your space today, please contact Urban Flow Yoga directly: 303.964.3454.
Grateful for You, My Client...
Thank you to all of you who have given your support and love following the birth of my baby. Thanks too for the necessary time off in order to recover and transition into motherhood.
If I haven't already, I will soon be in touch with each of my clients to return to our very important work together.
Private yoga lessons and Nutrition Therapy sessions can be scheduled on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Please contact me to set up time for us to meet again soon - (720) 810-7027.
Contemplate...
A world that empowers all children.Keep up the great work and let your light shine on!
Sara PeternellPersonalized Yoga & Nutrition Services
email: sara@sarapeternell.comphone: 720.810.7027
