Come out and find ways to feel your best
If the only time you think about your health is when injury or illness forces you to, it’s time to re-examine your approach to personal wellness. True health care is about much more than fighting off the flu or re-setting a broken bone. It’s about tapping into self-care therapies, and developing daily healthy living practices, to help prevent those illnesses and injuries before they occur.
Taking care of your whole self—mind, body, and spirit—on a daily basis is what a holistic approach to health care is all about. But while you may be familiar with the term “holistic”, navigating the multitude of care options available can be intimating.
Enter Chattanooga’s first Holistic Fall Festival, the perfect opportunity to explore the many holistic therapies available and discover which one may be most beneficial for you. Organizers Meagan Stone, LMT (Meagan Stone Massage Therapy) and Cypris Birkel (Cypris Bodywork & Wellness) say their goal for the festival is to have you come away feeling empowered to act as your own wellness advocate.
Expect an educational, hands-on, and fun learning experience. You will have the opportunity to explore the holistic health options available here in Chattanooga; you can also talk with practitioners and professionals to discover which treatments, therapies, or products may be most beneficial for your unique concerns. The best part is, it’s free! And it’s happening this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Crabtree Farms.
Many of the practitioners will be offering mini-treatments so you can experience and learn about products and therapies that may be new or unfamiliar—things like sound therapy, ONDAMED Biofeedback therapy, and craniosacral and gentle touch therapies. The festival will also include 20-minute seminar sessions covering various topics promoting healthy living practices.
Demonstrations kick off at 1 p.m. with Dr. Dave Aitken of Tonal Spine, who says, “I will be explaining the unique and exquisite way that Network Care can help you to discover and unwind your spine, helping you to transform years of stress physiology and experience strength and vitality.”
Other topics include Diet Fads Busted by Suzanne Bozzone of My True Health Journey, a Q&A session with Happy Hemp Farmacy on CBD oils, and a health and wellness clinic on how a plant-based diet can be used to prevent and manage chronic pain.
There will be food and beer for purchase so plan to stay awhile and peruse the booths selling things like CBD oil, essential oils, herbal tea blends, and even reusable diapers!
More than simply selling their items, vendors will be on hand to help educate you about the health benefits of their products. For example, Tiffany Malapanes, Teaologist and owner of Positiffitea, an organic herbal tea blending company in Chattanooga, explained how “herbal teas have a wide range of healing properties, and the process of making and drinking tea is also very meditative and healing for the mind.”
In addition to engaging your mind, you can also engage your body by participating in one of two yoga classes offered during the festival: Yoga For Mindfulness with Suzanne Dulin, and a collaborative Sound Healing and Restorative Yoga class hosted by Robin Burk, MLT CMP of Purple Sky Healing Arts, Cypris Birkel of Cypris Bodywork & Wellness, and Suzanne Sabourin of La Luna Alchemy.
“This session will help participants restore balance and find equilibrium while taking a sensory sound journey supported by restorative yoga poses and gentle bodywork,” explains Burk. The yoga classes do require advanced tickets and space is limited.
Festival tickets, though not required, may be purchased (free) on Eventbrite and more information is available on the Facebook event page for Chattanooga’s Holistic Fall Festival.
“Our bodies have the natural ability to heal on their own when given the right tools. Many of those tools will be right at your fingertips in one location for this event,” says Danielle Killeffer, RD, LDN, CGP, owner of Nutrapothica.
As Dr. David Aitken said, “come and see what is possible—your future self will thank you!”