Please sign up for these classes with us by phone 360-336-5087×139,email jill(at)skagitfoodcoop.com,or on the sign up sheets by the front registers –so we know you’re coming and can let you know if something goes awry…
Moon and Astrological Gardening
With Diane Johnson
Tuesday May 1 6:30pm Room 309 Free
Some gardeners believe that the moon and the various astrological signs exert a significant influence on the activities of growing plants. Planting,harvesting,spraying,weeding,grafting and general maintenance are also governed by the moon and planets. Join me in these fascinating aspects of our gardening endeavors.
Diane is a certified teacher with degrees from Western Washington University and has taught publicly and privately for many years. Diane has been an avid gardener all over Washington State since her youth.
Intro to Blissborn Birth Hypnotherapy with Kathleen Boehm
Friday May 4 6:30pm Room 309 Free
Learn the secret to profound relaxation that offers no resistance to labor,and how to re-activate it instantly with a simple prompt. Experience the power of visualization.
Kathleen is an R.N. who worked as an L&D,neonatal and postpartum nurse and mother baby educator. She is a certified clinical Hypnotherapist trained in advance hypnotherapy,and Blissborn Educator Her specialty is Childbirth Hypnosis,pain control and helping those with auto-immune problems. She finds Blissborn to be a comprehensive and complete natural childbirth hypnosis class and a totally natural way to enjoy a relaxed,calm birth,with less complication and a shorter labor.
Qi Gong with Matt Van Dyke,L.Ac.
First Saturday of each month (May 5,June 2) 9-10am Room 309 Free
Qi Gong consists of a series of gentle,rhythmic exercises which mirror nature,especially the fluidity of water. These exercises are uniquely suited to relieving stress,boosting the immune system,and increasing the body’s innate healing abilities.
Matt Van Dyke,L.Ac. is an acupuncturist and East Asian Medicine Practitioner. He has been practicing Qi Gong for over a decade and has been teaching since 2007. His Acupuncture practice is called Skagit Valley Acupuncture &Herbs and is located in Mount Vernon.
How Healing Happens;A Community Exploration
With Marianne Shapiro
Saturday May 5 10:30am – 1pm Room 309 free
We will warm up to one another and as a community feel into the nature of healing,from our own experiences;our thoughts,actions,relationships,emotions and or desires. Everyone called to this topic is welcome to attend. This is an exploration into the question,not an answer. We’ll follow a group format,to discuss and engage with the topic from a variety of perspectives. Marianne Shapiro,a skilled and resourceful group facilitator,believes in the complexity and possibilities inherent in group processes. Come and experience our community as we work and play together round this theme of common concern. There will be follow up meetings on the same topic within the next 12 months.
Marianne is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a private therapy practice in the Skagit Co-op building. She has been in practice for over 22 years. For the past 11 years she has been involved in group work and has become a Nationally Certified Trainer,Educator and Practitioner of Group Psychotherapy,Psychodrama and Sociometry (sociometry has to do with group dynamics). She normally facilitates groups and workshops with her husband,Bob Shapiro who is also Certified and very adept in group process as well being a local T’ai Chi and Qi Gong instructor. They live in Bow.
Rag Tags Workshop with Caroline Sumpter
Monday May 7th 6:30pm room 309,Free
You can re-use that beloved old t-shirt,and empty cereal box!!! Learn how to weave and create beautiful and useful items for gifts,keepsakes,or utility,using items from your recycle bin,unwanted clothing,string or twine! This workshop will demonstrate easy methods of weaving on cardboard sheets or boxes,as well as yogurt containers and oatmeal tubes. Participants will weave
a simple trivet or coaster during this hands on session.
Please bring:
A cardboard sheet at least 8”x8”
A piece of salvaged clothe or clothing equivalent to a small t-shirts
44” Sturdy string,twine,or yarn
Caroline Sumpter is a Freelance artist,designer,homeschooling mom and wife,organic gardener living Arlington. She developed her arts and craft business Rag Tags to encourage individual resourcefulness and celebrate creative self -expression. In addition,she designs weaving patterns and kits for the Rag Tags line. www.ragtagsproject.com
This class is suitable for ages 6 and up,6-10 with adult help.
Mothers Day Essential Oil Gifts
With Michelle Mahler
Tuesday May 8 6:30pm Co-op Room 310 Free
Learn about essential oils in this hands-on class,while making organic aromasprays,bath salts and therapy oils for yourself,your friends or family! Each student will receive notes,recipes and Michelle’s expert help making a healing product to take home. Give the gift of your own craftiness and loving intentions this year for mother’s day! Free class (Supply fee of $5-15 per gift)
Transforming Stress through Heartmath and Kundalini Yoga
With Ann Taylor
Tuesday May 8 6:30pm Co-op Room 309 Free
This workshop is ideal for people who need to manage stress,and ideal for people who have health issues resulting from prolonged stress. “People under stress are 95% more likely to have multiple lifestyle risk factors”(University of Michigan 2006).
As a licensed 1:1 HeartMath Provider and a certified Kundalini yoga instructor,Ann provides scientifically based tools and technologies that help people get stress and stress-induced depression under control through self-mastery.
Participants will learn how learn simple and effective tools real-time that they can practice any time.
Founder,Dr. Anne Taylor (Harkirat Kaur),is a certified Kundalini Yoga instructor,as taught by Yogi Bhajan. Anne practices and teaches Kundalini Yoga because it is the yoga of awareness and the key to expanding your higher consciousness. Kundalini Yoga provides an accelerated path to healing and raised consciousness. The benefits are immediately available and accrue over time.
Dr. Anne Taylor’s current work resulted from an alchemical process combining her experience as a)clinical chemist b) former Senior Director of Research and Development at Spacelabs Medical,and c)academic research as a mythologist (emphasis on depth psychology),d) licensed 1:1 HeartMath® Provider,and e) KRI certified Kundalini Yoga Teacher. Anne specializes in the psyche-somatic connection of the heart and brain and the technology of Kundalini Yoga as applied consciousness.
Dr. Taylor holds a B.S. in Medical Biology from S.U.N.Y. and a Ph.D. in Mythological Studies with emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. She is a member of the 3HO Global Foundation,a global community of living yoga,the Seattle Jung Society,and the IAYT (International Association of Yoga Therapists).
Bicycle Commuting 101
With Bicycle Alliance instructor Liz McNett Crowl
Tuesday May 15th 12 noon May Co-op Room 309 Free
Get ready for National Bike to Work Day on May 18! This short course on bicycle commuting shares tips and techniques on how to incorporate cycling into your daily routine with confidence.
Liz McNett Crowl is a League of American Bicyclists certified bicycling instructor and Skagit
Healthy Communities Coordinator at Skagit Valley Hospital.
La Leche League
Wednesday May 16 10-12noon Co-op Room 309 Free
LLL is a breastfeeding support and information group that aims to help pregnant and nursing mothers and their families achieve a positive breastfeeding relationship. 10:00 am,third Wednesday in room 309. Free,older children and partners welcome. www.llli.org
Ask the Organizer with Rhonda McNett
Wednesday May 16th 6:30pm Co-op Room 309 Free
Have you ever thought it takes some sort of magic to get and stay organized? Not so! There is a process and you can create the habits that will make it happen! Ask a Professional Organizing Consultant about your biggest and most troubling questions regarding the “stuff” in your life:paper,clothes,kitchen items,garage?? We’ll tackle as much as we can,for as long as you’re interested. Let Rhonda McNett,Sensible Organizing Strategies,www.sosbyrhonda.com,help you learn how to find the peace and harmony that are hiding in your home or office.
Reiki Share with Jelan
Sunday May 20 2 pm Room 310 6:30pm Free
Reiki Shares are a gathering to give and receive Reiki Treatments. They are a time of sharing,learning and healing that is brought to the table by each person regardless of the individual experience. They are a great way for the curious to experience Energy healing and for the seasoned healers to practice and offer their gifts to others. Reiki shares are offered free of charge.
Improv Comedy with Sheila Goldsmith
Monday May 21 7pm Co-op Room 309 Free
Come engage with some of the crew from Improv Playworks for an evening of fun and creative thinking. Fueled by energy,and using the creative process,participants bring storytelling and narrative to life. Led by Sheila Goldsmith,founder and director of Improv Playworks,you’ll develop self-confidence and have a good time through games,small group activities,and demonstrations.
Sheila Goldsmith,co-founder of the Upfront Theatre and a veteran of San Francisco Bay Area’s Theatre Sports. She is also the founder and director of Improv Playworks a school for theatre improv in Bellingham,WA. She is the primary improv instructor at Improv Playworks and the facilitator of outreach programs and classes for local schools,businesses and other organizations. For more information about Improv Playworks,visit www.improvplayworks.com.
Vermicomposting with Callie Martin
Tuesday May 22 6:30pm Room 309 Free
Worm your way into Composting!
Compost builds good soil structure. It is also a giant step toward recycling wastes,conserving precious energy reserves,and regaining control of our food supplies. Why throw food peelings and yard clippings into the garbage when you can harvest their nutrients by turning them into soil enriching compost? Learn how easy it is to compost your food scraps by harnessing the work of worms in our upcoming vermicomposting class. Class participants will learn the basics of worm bin design,care and feeding. Those interested can purchase supplies on a materials list and build their own indoor worm bin as part of the class. Give us your email address when you register and we’ll email you the supplies list.
Callie Martin is the Waste Reduction Community Education/Outreach Specialist for Skagit County. She is a lifelong practitioner of healthy soils and organic gardening.
She brings lots of enthusiasm to her work as a composting educator.
Foot Reflexology
With Sandy Melina,Master Reflexologist
Thursday May 24 6:30pm Room 309 Free
Do your feet hurt? Are you stressed out? Reflexology is a natural therapy of applying pressure to the feet that stimulates specific reflex areas of the feet. Those areas are believed to correspond to different parts of the body.
Because your feet are so rich with nerve endings,the application of reflexology can bring about a deep tranquil relaxation,helping to break up blockages,increase energy flow,and encourages the body’s own natural healing power.
Reflexology can also assist in conditions such as stress,headaches,constipation,back pain,sinus congestion,etc.
In class,you will learn how to work on your own feet. Or bring a friend and work on each other. Please bring a towel and some Reflexology is a wonderful gift to give to a friend or loved one.
Sandy Melina is a Master Reflexologist at Vera Wellness Center in downtown Mt. Vernon.
Hormone Health and Building Better Bones –
Balancing Acts from Menarche to Menopause
With Karl Mincin,nutritionist
Tuesday May 29 6:30pm Co-op Room 309 Free
While diet plays an increasingly prominent role in female hormone levels,and the liver greatly
influences the body’s processing of hormones,it is herbal therapy which delivers the most
satisfying long-term results. Identifying,individualizing,and properly using the right herbs,foods
and natural remedies will be the focus of this course. Appropriate for all ages,life-stages,and
female conditions. Bone is a living tissue that requires 28 different nutrients in proper proportion. Calcium alone cannot,and is not,building better bones. Americans consume more calcium than do those in other countries,yet nowhere is the rate of osteoporosis higher than here in America. More calcium,lots of dairy products,even medication,and screenings are not helping. Could the unbalanced mineral ratios of milk and dairy products actually be contributing to osteoporosis and other bone disorders? What other mineral balancing acts are most relevant in your own case?
Jump Start Your Energy This Summer
With Carol Roberge Raw Food Chef and Holistic Health Coach
Wednesday May 30 6:30pm Co-op Room 309
Member $5 / General Public $10
Learn how to replace those “energy zappers”with foods that nourish and support your body. We will talk about smoothies,sprouting,how to make power packed energy bars and I’ll provide tips for take along snacks that prevent the midday energy lows. Come and taste new ways of incorporating more fresh “uncooked”foods into your diet. Your body will so love you for this!
EBB:Grains with Co-op Staffers
Thursday May 31 6:30pm Co-op Room 309 Free
Oat Cakes,Grand Grains Seasonal Salad,Honey Couscous Salad and Pecorino and Pepper Polenta…Just a sampling of good grains and how to use them in your kitchen,breaking down what a whole grain and what it isn’t. This is a one in a series of 4 Eating Better on a Budget programs including:Bean,Green,Grains and Protein. Join a few of our knowledgeable staff for this fun and informative class.
