Jour 1189 Blog # 5: Holistic Health Community Heats Up

On February 27, 2009 --- a bitterly cold day --- Anoka Ramsey Community College, offered members of the integrative health community an opportunity to shake off the winter doldrums through its second annual Holistic Therapies: Energizing Body, Mind and Spirit conference.

Chunyi Lin, creator of Spring Forest Qi Gong, delivered the morning keynote speech and led attendees through an afternoon meditation. Attendee Sarah Kirchner had this to say about Mr. Lin and the meditation: “He gave such a good message and was very informative, and the meditation he helped with was awesome.”

Breakout sessions followed the morning keynote speech. Participants could choose four from among eight breakout sessions to attend. I’ve summarized the four I’d chosen.


Annie Heiderscheit Ph. D. MT-BC, FAMI, MFT presented “Music Therapy: Music for Health.” Heiderscheit described some of the techniques and music used when treating people with eating disorders. She played a song chosen by a patient as a part of her therapy that warmed my heart, Superchicks “Stand in the Rain.” I’d always thought of music therapy as just listening to specific types of music; I hadn’t realized the level of involvement a music therapist can have in treating patients.


During the “The Role of the Labyrinth” session, Ellen Schultz discussed various common labyrinth patterns, origins and the use of the labyrinth as a resource for healing. Labyrinths can be used for healing individuals, relationships and communities. According to Schultz, there is no one way or right way to walk a labyrinth. Begin with a question, prayer or intention, and as you walk toward the center, you may receive an answer. To my surprise, my geographic community of Plymouth has a labyrinth, which I hope to visit when it warms up. I already know the question I’ll ask: “How do I become a super-hot blogstar?” Use the Worldwide Labyrinth Locater to find a labyrinth near you.
(Photo by celesteh)


The conference boasted a special guest, Sasha. Sasha is a Samoyed and a therapy dog. During the “Shedding Angels Can be Therapeutic” breakout, her teammate, Dave Kettering, presented the topic of animal assisted therapy (AAT) and how it can be used in the healing process. For example, Kettering and Sasha visit children who are hospitalized. There are a number of different organizations and certification levels for AAT. Kettering and Sasha are Delta Society registered at a Complex level with no restrictions. Because of this team’s special designation, they were able to serve families affected by the 2007 35W bridge collapse. It was heart-warming to hear the difference Kettering and Sasha have made in people’s lives. Some day, I hope to take therapy dog training with Zoey, but I don’t expect we’ll make it to Sasha and Kettering’s level. (Photo of Samoyed by tanakawho)


Colin Snow, founder of Natural Step School of Tai Chi and Qigong, presented “Tai Chi Chuan.” Snow described Tai Chi as “meditation in movement”, stated it has its roots in Daoism, and may have arisen from the need for a non-violent martial arts. As a part of his session, he led participants through some simple Tai Chi movements. This was my last breakout of the day, and a great way to warm up after spending hours mostly chair bound. (Photo by networker)

Though cold and dreary outside, the conference attendees were warmed and energized by a day of learning about holistic therapies. Kirchner summed up her reaction: “I thought that the health conference was very enlightening and insightful. I felt that I obtained more knowledge in different areas.” I hope I’m able to attend next year, though I do hope it’s not so cold!

Jour 1189 Blog # 4: Community Leaders and Residents' Key Issues -- It's the Economy, What Else?

The formal leaders of Plymouth are its mayor, Kelli Slavik, along with a number of council members: Judy Johnson, Kathleen Murdock, Bob Stein, Ginny Black, Tim Bildsoe and Jim Willis, who are indicated on the city of Plymouth’s web site.

I contacted the mayor via email, requesting the key issues on residents’ minds that she was aware of. She responded (thank you so much!) quite late Wednesday night.

Not surprisingly, the economy was the foremost, and essentially, the only issue. Slavik wrote, “The biggest issue on the minds of Plymouth residents is definitely the economy. Residents share the same concerns and issues that are facing our country. Although job losses, loss of retirement funds, state budget deficits and the general downward turn in consumer spending are not local government issues, they do spill over into our city.”

Slavik wrote that property values are down somewhat (about 3%), though that isn’t the sharp drop that some communities are faced with. Along with the decline in property values, foreclosures are up a little. Residents are concerned about the loss in property values. They do not want a tax increase, neither do they want services cut.

There have been some job losses, yet with over 50,000 jobs, the Plymouth community still offers more jobs per capita than Minneapolis or St Paul, according to the information Slavik provided.

One item Slavik mentioned caught me by surprise. The state has cut funding for the local market value homestead credit program. The state requires cities to refund property taxes to homeowners. As the program was set up, the state reimbursed the cities. However, this year the state will not reimburse the cities, yet the cities must still make the refunds for this program. Slavik hoped unfunded mandates are ended. The MN Sun, in a story on the Februray 26, 2009 Minnesota Legislature's nonpartisan hearing reports “…Kelli Slavik asked the state not to pass any more unfunded mandates and to recognize the importance of local control.”

The city is in fairly good shape for 2009, Slavik maintained. Some positions at the city have been cut. This occurred through attrition; no lay offs were needed. Certain capital projects planned for 2009 will be postponed. Core services will be maintained. Wrote Slavik, “All in all Plymouth is in a good position. We have a Aaa bond rating, allowing us to borrow at the lowest rates available, if necessary. The city has very little debt and has been conservative with our spending. We will continue to monitor the economy and the affect that it has on our city.” While searching for information on the significance of an Aaa bond rating, I’ve discovered that is an achievement. A news release published by Prior Lake asserts: “Only six of the 854 cities in Minnesota currently fit in this category. They are Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Edina, Minnetonka, Plymouth and Rochester.” According to the city’s 2009 goals and objectives, the city council plans to maintain this rating.

I’ve joked in the past that I didn’t remember the mayor’s name. But now, given her thoughtful response, and the care she and the council members are taking in shepherding the city through these economic challenges, I will remember Kelli Slavik for a long, long time. At least long enough to vote for her in the next election.