34 economist suntribune etcetera thursday nov 18 1999 enthusiasts seek inner peace from page 32 we can help for more information abou asthma call association this message brought to you as a community service of the x economist sun stouffvile tribune herring was first introduced to circle dance when she attended a spirituality conference several years ago her first dance was with 200 women i was profoundly moved i said im home this feels like home she said i felt like i had been there before like this was something my body was meant to do after that herring began attending circle dances in toronto and now facili tates circle dances there and in markham its not important to be skilled at dance because the dance is not for the benefit of an audience thats the beauty of it herring stressed pointing out that many people feel secure in die circle i when they can express themselves with out fear of being judged 7 h i dont do anything i just dance when we talk about meditation its more of an emptying of the mind she said the steps are just complicated enough that we have to focus on them dance is the gentlest way to bring you m lhurs 18 d nov 191 iat visit o call for de corner of iiwy 7 and ihccovao rd islliilliiil 1111111 f3js- 1 11 ii it a tiki a wmmm hsssps new years eve musichy 6ps jos rock roll phisdj r full dinner appetizers dessert 100 per couple caribbean trtp for two lots lots of prizes v fbontmisj nob20lh count blues mm wl avbcstenwy 94492i into me moment it frees your mind and because youre holding hands you dont have to worry about where you are when you close your eyes and the circle is very close you can just let it move you she explained some of the dance steps move to the left and the right to represent the tree of life with its central trunk and branches sprouting in both directions other dances incorporate a spiraling move to represent moving into v the conscious and back out again a can dle flowers or a statue may be placed in the circles centre to keep the dancers focused and may represent a christian god or central spiritual being for some when she dances herring said she feels a connection with the earth and becomes more aware of her place in the universe and in the life cycle between birth and death a lot come for the relaxation the stress release some really have to push themselves to make the time she said but you get energized bythe circlei nurtured by the circle touching other people is important because you get what you heed emotionally one former circle dance member who was suffering from cancer used the dance for healing herring said ruth cosburn was looking for some thing to provide relief from stress when she turned to yoga about 20 years ago she is now a yoga instructor with the millenia studio in newmarket yoga focuses on exercises proper breathing techniques and positive thinking and meditation- to create a union between body mind and spirit and a balance between positive arid neg ative energies when i first started people had a lot of misconceptions they thought it was like a cult or a religion now people are looking for alternatives for coping with everyday pressures in life cosburn said- i had always been an active person but it had always been work work work i was very driven yoga stopped me frpni trying to be so perfect from dri ving myself it gives you an outlet where you can just be aside from relieving stress cosburn noted yoga can boost ones circulation through proper breathing techniques and can increase flexibility through stretching exercises and various pos tures it can also help the central nervous system relieve migraines and headaches and aid digestion meditation a process by which a person learns to shut off the thinking mind and begin feeling can be heronigratebarn dintoiheatre presents hilarious a sensational british comedy ftrunsin theeamidf clip save sun p 38 i s ruy 3 tickets get 4 free dinner snow from incl taxes e forreservationsdall 9054728085 2885 altonard whitcvale wwwherongatecom jbs you get energized by the cirule nurtured by the circle touching other people is important because you get what you need emotionally likened to exercise for the mind accord ing to cesan dornellas levine a richmond hillbased meditation instructor we know if we exercise our bodies our bodies will get stronger and service us better the mind also requires exer cise to improve flexibility focus and the ability to relax and get quiet she said people do it to have more energy be healthier think more efficiently enjoy life more be relaxed and more aware of their inner selves levine often incorporates brain wave biofeedback into her meditation class es so her clients can see how their brain waves change during the journey to a meditative state fast beta brain waves are signs of a busy anguished mind she explained through guided imagery mental exeiv cises relaxation and body movement techniques levine shows clients how to slow down beta activity and produce slower calmer alpha and theta brain waves for instance while were thinking the back of our tongues move so one popular technique is to close your eyes arid imagine youre relaxing your tongue all the way to the back so that it feels like ifs floating in the mouth thats a favourite for reducing the busy mind it makes you focus on the present theres not a whole bunch of worrying about the future or dwelling on the past levine said- once brain activity has slowed one might experience imagery sounds or textures rather man words- arid sense perception imagination intuition arid inspiration are increased and once the techniques are learned you can use them whenever you need them throughout the day levine recommends 15 minutes of meditation a day but points out even five minutes can help it gives you a greater sense of well- being throughout the day if s amazing how just a minute of meditation can make you go from being totally freaked out about what your boss said to being able to go back and deal with the situa tion she said stress affects the health so you may not get sick as often because youre deal- ing with problems before they make you sick v levine was even able to give birth to her children at home without the use of painkillers my ability to be able to focus arid nipt get panicky allowed me to have a beautiful experience she said becauseyou get in touch more with your creativity it allows you tdtransform your experiences with sharp pain i imagined a sense of opening like flow ers opening debra harris a writer arid graphic artist in newmarket uses meditation to overcome her fear of flying and to boost her creativity whenever she suffers writers block harris closes her eyes and imagines shes raising and lowering her hand try ing to keep her breathing in tune with that motion to slow her breathing caliri her nerves arid deal with anxietypro ducing situations such as flying she learned the technique from levine i had a fear of flying all my lifeand i wanted to conquer it after taking the meditation course i was to fly to florida for the first time i wasnt worked up in advance and experiencing anxiety on the plane she said i have ho problem flying anymore i just needed sorhething to get rile over thehump when harris suffers writers block shell also turn to nieditatiori shell try to visualize herself feeling relaxed and pictures the story done tosatisfaction she also meditates to help her calm down when shes angry however harris warns meditation skills improve with practice and begin ners may initially feel theyre not accbrn- pfishmg anything for more information on circle dances call herring at 905 4793293 sessions are held in toronto on saturday mornings and the first wednesday and third monday of the month and in markham on thefirst monday of the month to register for yoga with cosburn call 9058300915 to learn meditation techniques call levine at 416 7073396 veterans welcome visitors if youre interested in memorabilia from second world war or talking to vet erans who went through it mark sunday on yourcalendar w t thats theday the markham district veterans association will host an open house at the mdva hall at 7 washington st in celebration of the groups 50th anniversary the mdva doors will open to the public at 1 pm in addition to gerrnan artifacts uniforms of the day a remark- able7model a north adantic convey patrol vessel arid other items on display ii i second world war and korean war vet erans will be on hand to give a personal perspective v at 4 prh there will be a buffet the barbershop chorus suburbanaires will entertain though out the afternoon admission is free a umitedriurnbef of 20 tickets is also- available for a buffet dinrierdarice sarday night starting at 8 prii meriibership m the markharn district veterans association is riot restricted to former military personnel it is open to any adults interested in the aims of the mdva for information call 905 2943159 iv 1 mi 5 i i