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San Marco Plaza, Lakewood Ranch

8209 Natures Way, Suite 221

Bradenton FL 34202

(941) 373-3955

  

Get Ready for COVID-19

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News about the new deadly coronavirus – recently named COVID-19 – has been everywhere for weeks.

For good reason: there’s no vaccine for it and it’s now spread far beyond the initial outbreak zone in central China. In the United States, we’ve been able to watch the crisis unfold from a safe distance, but our Centers for Disease Control now says it’s just a matter of when, not if, the mysterious virus will arrive in this country.

We don’t know how serious an outbreak might get. The government is on top of the developments, but in the meantime we want YOU to be as prepared as possible.

COVID-19 has been attacking the most vulnerable; older people with underlying health problems. That’s a different paradigm than, for example, the worldwide flu epidemic of 1918 that killed untold numbers of healthy – often young – people because the particular strain of virus caused hyper immune responses in its victims.

Maintaining a strong immune system, one that can respond to attacks, is crucial. Traditional Chinese Medicine has a lot to offer in that respect, as well as potentially in case of infection.

I have started giving patients a simple 3-herb formula named Yu Ping Feng San, which contains a famous Qi booster called Huang Qi. It’s better known to some as Astragalus. Since there’s no way to know when COVID-19 will arrive in significant numbers, it’s a good idea to start taking this formula now.

If the worse happens, at least 2 formulas – Chuan Xin Lian and Qing Qi Hua Tan Wan – can be very effective at treating flu, especially cases involving respiratory infections with various degrees of fever, breathing difficulties, heavy yellow/green mucus, sore joints and muscles and low energy.

Other proactive steps you can take is to eat nutritious food with a lot of vegetables and minimal sugars. In other words, a healthy diet. Citrus fruits are great immune boosters and, personally, I regularly supplement with Vitamin C powder (1000 mg/day).

Exercise and stress management are also crucial to immune system maintenance. Those who meditate will find it easier to control their stress, which diverts critical body resources from our essential functions, but if you don’t, at least minimize your stress by giving yourself a pat on the back every once in awhile and knowing you can’t control everything all the time.

All public health voices seem to be in agreement about the importance of careful personal hygiene. Keep your hands clean, especially after touching surfaces you have no control over, such as door knobs and restaurant tables! You can buy portable hand sanitizers for this, but make sure the alcohol levels – probably isopropyl or ethyl – are at least 60%. I will be making homemade hand sanitizers with a high disinfectant level to carry around with me and offer to clients.

Managing a fool-proof public response is nearly impossible. Just this week, reports came through that health officials taxed with watching over quarantined Americans at two military bases were poorly trained, traveled loosely off-base and didn’t have proper protective clothing. There’s a long way to go and that isn’t the most encouraging start. With confirmed cases rising, including one recently in Sarasota, federal, state and local governments do appear to be ramping up their efforts.

The key is to be prepared!


Josh Zimmer is a Nationally Certified, State Licensed Acupuncture Physician. He graduated from the East West College of Natural Medicine in Sarasota, FL in 2008. Josh is the acupuncturist at Four Pillars, providing natural healing for pain relief and digestive issues. He also treats symptoms of cancer, stroke and neuropathy. Four Pillars is located at 8209 Natures Way, Suite 221, Lakewood Ranch. For more information, call 941-373-3955, email Info@FourPillasFlorida.com or visit FourPillarsFlorida.com

The Benefits of Sports Acupuncture

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The Benefits of Sports Acupuncture

by Josh Zimmer, AP/DOM – Four Pillars Staff Acupuncturist

Back in July, while she was preparing for the World Triathlon Championships on Lake Geneva, Switzerland, Tina Goodman was struggling. A nagging groin injury threw into question her training in the crucial weeks before the event.

She was trying to build confidence, not worry.

Then Goodman, 64, remembered acupuncture. She’d tried the needles years ago for a painful foot neuroma and it had worked. After one session at Four Pillars, she once again found the relief she was looking for.

She suddenly could run again, as well as bike and swim without fear of injury. When the pain did return, she knew acupuncture could get her back on track. A half-dozen sessions later, Goodman was finishing 10th in her age group at the competition, 3rd among all American participants.

“When I injured my groin while running elevation on a treadmill to get ready for the hills in Switzerland, I thought of acupuncture as being the best treatment for me,” she said. “I felt immediate relief but then re-injured it running on sand in a triathlon. I had acupuncture again, which fixed the issue, and another before Switzerland.  I was able to participate in the world’s triathlon and every picture of me has a big smile on my face because I was running without pain.”

Goodman isn’t alone. In the sports world, many professional athletes have embraced the pain relief and motion promotion acupuncture renders. Green Bay Packers star quarterback Aaron Rogers is one. The hall-of-fame-bound passing machine has touted his acupuncturists’ work on an injured hamstring and left calf.

“She’s really helped me a lot,” he told a busy press conference.

According to Packer News, other fans include current and former NFL players Michael Strahan, James Harrison, James Farrior and Marcus Stroud; baseball players A.J. Burnett and Randy Johnson; NBA players Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Grant Hill, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley; and professional golfers Fred Couples and Gary Player.

Professional athletes have access to the best care and their drive to success can generate a willingness to try different modalities. But any active person can tap into acupuncture’s ability to relax and stimulate healthy blood circulation to maintain one’s body and boost performance.

The kinds of injuries sustained while being physically active is endless, although in my experience shoulders, knees and ankles rank high among the most vulnerable. The twisting and weight bearing we ask of these joints is demanding.

Tina’s groin injury was different, although anyone who follows sports knows that it’s also very common.

First, let it be known that while the groin is a sensitive area, it is easily needled at shallow to moderate depth along a depression from the midline of the upper thigh laterally toward the hip. Experience also indicated that piriformis strain in the buttocks often transmits into the groin. Sure enough, palpation revealed significant tightness and pain across that highly engaged muscle, which connects the outer sacrum to the hip ball.

Ultimately, to make sure the groin pain wasn’t being aggravated or caused by a stressed piriformis we started by treating both before narrowing our focus to the groin.

Additional palpation revealed considerable thigh pain along the Iliotibial Band on the outside and the medial muscles on the inside. To promote peak pain relief and performance, later treatments includes acupuncture points in those areas, along with an important energizing point below the knee. The left groin was tight as well. Even though Tina wasn’t experiencing active pain, we performed similar acupuncture on that side for muscular balance.

This kind of hands-on, balanced approach applies to all patients, not just athletes. The results are usually very good.

Not everyone is a peak athlete like Goodman, whose training regimen would exhaust most people half her age – male and female. But there are countless others who play sports for fun and push their bodies more than the average couch potato. The calculus is the same:

Acupuncture can heal your injuries and return you from the sidelines to the playing field.

Josh Zimmer is a Nationally Certified, State Licensed Acupuncture Physician.  He is a 2008 graduate of the East West College of Natural Medicine in Sarasota, FL.  Josh is the acupuncturist at Four Pillars, providing natural healing for pain relief and digestive issues. He also treats symptoms of cancer, stroke and neuropathy. Four Pillars is located at 8209 Natures Way, Suite 221, Lakewood Ranch. For more information, call 941-373-3955, email Info@FourPillasFlorida.com or visit FourPillarsFlorida.com

 

What is Your Definition of Health?

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There’s a firehose of information about health soaking us with different approaches, practices, diets, detoxes, lifestyles plus technologies telling us how to be healthier, technologies that deplete us and others that protect us from the technologies that poison us.  We’re in the midst of a health revolution with billboards demanding our well-being. And the more choices there are the more confusing it can become. What’s right for me? What does my body need? What is in my energy field that needs clearing? What does my liver need…my kidneys….my fascia…..?  .… And the list goes on and on.

The great news is the health revolution ignites a new opportunity for our in-volution: to turn inward and connect to our higher intelligence, our deeper knowing and create a relationship with our bodies, minds, hearts and spirits. One of the benefits of building the relationship is a heightened awareness of when we are in sync with our natural health and when we are veering off course. By developing a practice of communication with the different aspects of our makeup, we can gather valuable information to inform and guide us toward what we need in order to live and sustain a healthy life.


One of the most powerful approaches for in-volution is through a gentle dialogue sparked through questions which open us up to possibilities beyond what we think we already know about ourselves.  Try these inquiries to check into each aspect of your HEALTH and see what each of them has to offer to help guide you in making the appropriate choices for living your life of H-E-A-L-T-H.

Harmony: When I am in balance and harmony what does my life look like? What am I experiencing? How do I feel?

Energy: On a scale of 1 – 5 (where 1 is numb or depleted and 5 is inspired and joyful) where is your energy level? What would be the benefit for taking it up a notch or keeping it where it is now?

Attitude: Our attitude is how we perceive the world. It’s our filter creating our version of reality. Circle the words or phrases that best represent your current attitude towards your health.

  • Concerned or Complacent. 
  • Whatever or Urgent.
  • Low priority or High priority.
  • I’m not OK the way I am or I am the best I can be now.
  • There’s nothing I can do about it or I take responsibility and action for my health.
  • I don’t have the money to spend on my health or There’s always a way to pay for my well-being. 
  • I don’t have enough time to take care of myself or I find the time no matter what.

Listen: How do you listen to yourself? What’s your relationship with listening to yourself? What gets in the way of listening to yourself?  What thoughts attract you and what thoughts repel you? If you were to expand your ability to listen to yourself, what would you have?

Tenderness:  How do you tend to treat yourself (circle all that apply): judging – blaming –  demanding – over-scheduled –  spontaneous –  self-caring – spaciousness –  kind – patient –  self-compassionate –  self-loving.

Heart: Pause for a moment.Take a deep breath. Focus on your heart. Take another deep breath. Ask yourself: if my heart could speak what would it tell me now?

What insights have you gained about your definition of HEALTH? What aspects of HEALTH would you like to experience more of? What is one thing that you could do today to experience more HEALTH in your life?

According to the World Health Organization, health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. In Africa the definition of health is full participation in life. What’s your definition for your health?

Having a trusted practitioner to help navigate and align with the right combination of practices, interventions, modalities and routines for YOUR health is invaluable. At Four Pillars our mission is to provide wellness services, educational experiences, and social activities that foster the four pillars of health: Mind, Body, Spirit, and Social Connection. Our team of highly qualified practitioners, healers and teachers share a passion: to serve humanity to experience and sustain their own health and well-being. Visit us and experience more HEALTH in your life!

Lydia Gracing is a Joyologist with a mission to engage others to be their own joyologist! She is a certified Institute of HeartMath Coach®, Angel Intuitive and Energy Medicine Practitioner. She provides intuitive counseling, education and energy therapies to uplift, inspire and restore health. She offers coaching and training services at Four Pillars. For more information or to schedule a free phone consultation with Lydia, call 941-373-3955, email Info@FourPillarsFlorida.com or visit www.FourPillarsFlorida.com

Lydia Gracing

Acupuncture … Your Next Supplement

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People are always looking for the magic bullet to better health.

It might be a new diet, a bunch of supplements, a magic shake or a workout routine that really makes you sweat. But there are times, frequent enough, when those good-faith efforts don’t yield the amazing results you hoped for.

The body still hurts, the energy remains low and the weight just won’t go away. Sleep hasn’t gotten any better while stress and anxiety are as high as ever.

Putting aside for a moment the nitty-gritty details about diet, exercise and mental/emotional peace that matter to a licensed acupuncturist, the real problem for many people is simple.

Their energy is blocked.

The regulatory functions that govern our health  – blood circulation, hormones, digestion and the nervous system etc… – are being internally mismanaged by the same factors you’re trying to overcome. These pathways, and the energy meridians that are connected to them, just don’t flow.

In situations like these, expand your focus beyond exercise, diet and supplements and spend a little money on acupuncture. There’s nothing better than an acupuncture treatment for unhinging a person’s internal and external forces so they can operate at a higher level. The one you aspire to.

Acupuncture is all about flow. That’s not to say changes in diet, supplements and exercise don’t help. But recognizing the importance of flow in overall mental and physiological function plays into one of acupuncture’s strongest hands: making the mind and body more receptive to healthy changes.

To be fit, for example, a person needs to have a smooth-functioning digestive system to absorb healthier food and lose weight. They need relaxation, stronger blood circulation and sleep for energy and sustained performance.

There’s also a stifling condition many people have that sums up the effect of all the previously mentioned problems.

For lack of a better description, it can be called “feeling heavy.”

Much of the time it’s a byproduct of being overweight, the metabolic residue of a slow digestive system. In Traditional Chinese Medicine we call it dampness. But oddly enough, even trim people can experience a sense of inertia that results from the accumulation of the negative factors previously mentioned. You might call it the blahs.

Consequently, after an acupuncture session many people feel lighter, not just more relaxed and alert.

Give this a try. Continue modifying your diet and supplements. Keep working out. But throw in some acupuncture treatments for general relaxation and energy flow. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Josh Zimmer is a Nationally Certified, State Licensed Acupuncture Physician.  He graduated from the East West College of Natural Medicine in Sarasota, FL in 2008.  Josh is the acupuncturist at Four Pillars, providing natural healing for pain relief and digestive issues. He also treats symptoms of cancer, stroke and neuropathy. Four Pillars is located at 8209 Natures Way, Suite 221, Lakewood Ranch. For more information, call 941-373-3955, email Info@FourPillasFlorida.com or visit FourPillarsFlorida.com

Heart-Chat: An Interview with The Heart

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Heart-Chat: An Interview with The Heart

By Lydia Gracing, Certified HeartMath Coach

The following is a transcript from a recent interview with The Heart conducted by Lydia Gracing, Joyologist and certified Institute of HeartMath® coach.

Imagine the scene: a broadcast studio where the host is seated across form her guest, The Heart. Not just any heart, but The Heart who is appearing as a spokesperson of the same heart that we all possess.

Interviewer:  Hello and Welcome. Today we have a very unique guest who many of you know, either consciously or not. Our guest is known around the globe and has an amazing capacity for knowing trillions of people. Our guest goes by many names and today we will call her: The Heart.  Welcome!

The Heart: Thank you. What a joy to be here!

Interviewer: We all know you in one way or another. But can you tell us a little about yourself?

The Heart: Yes, of course!  I’m happy to.

I came into being through the union of cells and I never had to figure out what my purpose was.  I’m generally thought of as a big muscle located left of center in the chest. Even though I’m not the biggest muscle, I have the privilege of doing a lot of work. On average I beat 80 times per minute, that’s 4,800 beats per hour, 115,200 beats per day and more than 42 million per year. So that roughly calculates to over 3 billion beats by age 75.

That’s the mechanical part of me. But there’s more to me than that!

Interviewer: Really? Tell us, what are three things about you that most of us may be surprised to know?

The Heart: Well, I think this is a pretty cool thing about me. I’m the first organ to form when the body is beginning to develop. As a muscular pump, I have the job of circulating blood. Circulation is what propels the vital nutrients to get to the other organs and systems so they can develop.

Secondly, I have a complex nervous system that allows me to communicate with the brain. I have 40,000 neurons that sense, feel and remember. I communicate to the brain through those neurons and through hormones that travel from the heart to the brain.

And third, I am an electrical organ and I send signals that are 40-60 times stronger than the brain. Research has shown that the electromagnetic field carries at least 2.5 watts of power for every beat of the heart and that is broadcast all around us. Like a radio signal, each beat is a wave of energy and carries a frequency. That frequency can be positive, like love or appreciation. And it has a positive effect on others. Or the frequency can be negative, like anger or frustration and it broadcasts off of us and can also be picked up by others.

Interviewer: Why is that important?

The Heart: Because when you feel a certain way, you are radiating that feeling out to the people around you, in the workplace, at home, in the grocery store. Everywhere. With advanced equipment, research has shown that the heart’s magnetic energy is 5,000 times more powerful than the brain and can be measured up to 6 feet away from the body.  So the heart can be seen as a connective organ that not only communicates to the brain but to other people and animals too.

Interviewer: It sounds like you have a lot of jobs. What do you feel best about?

The Heart: I love being in partnership with you. I love when we are in sync. My purpose is fulfilled when we can create harmony and coherence. Every person has the resource and capacity to experience that sweet spot of peace, creativity, clarity of purpose and love. But circumstances often separate us and we get disconnected, which makes me express emotions of sadness, depression or even fear.

Interviewer: How do we develop a relationship with our own heart?

The Heart:  With some very simple and yet deceptively powerful practices you and your heart can develop a relationship. If you want to be able to experience more balance, harmony, peace and love in all aspects of your life, you can with practical practices that were developed by The Institute of HeartMath®. When you learn and use some basic tools you will empower and potentially transform your life.

We’ve all experienced those times of feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, worried or afraid. What if you had a resource at your disposal that could transform those disruptive feelings into a sense of calm and peace? How would your life be enriched? Lydia Gracing is offering a SPECIAL HeartMath program – Building Personal Resilience.

During the 5 week program, you will learn how to access your heart’s intelligence to reduce stress, experience more vitality, increase mental clarity and fulfillment. As a group you will learn practical practices to use in your daily life. The Group program includes:

  • Five 2-hour Group sessions scheduled weekly.
  • A personal HeartMath Guidebook.
  • Learning with a small group of at least 3 and no more than 10 people.

DATES:

February 23, March 2, 9, 16, 23.

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

For more information and to reserve your spot call (941)373-3955

This can also be done in a small group of 3 or more participants by scheduling 5 weekly appointments for the group rate of $444 or $625 one-on-one.


Lydia Gracing is a Joyologist with a mission to engage others to be their own joyologist! She is a certified Institute of HeartMath Coach®, Angel Intuitive and Energy Medicine Practitioner. She provides intuitive counseling, education and energy therapies to uplift, inspire and heal the heart.  To learn more, or to book an appointment or program with Lydia Gracing, contact Four Pillars, call 941-373-3955, email Info@FourPillasFlorida.com or visit www.FourPillarsFlorida.com Located at 8209 Natures Way, Suite 221, Lakewood Ranch.

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

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By Darlene Coleman

It’s the weekend, and I’m driving down the road, listening to the radio as Tina Turner belts out “What’s love got to do with it.”  As I sing along, I realize that we are coming into February, the month of love. The month of roses and chocolates, and candlelit dinners.  The month where some brave souls will drop to one knee and profess their undying devotion to another, all in the name of love.  There are literally thousands of songs, books, and movies written about it. There are numerous dating sites where one can log on in hopes of attaining it.  There are workshops and retreats and even magic spells all designed to help us find the one thing everyone is searching for…love.

With so much access to love, it’s a wonder that anyone could even go a minute without experiencing it, and yet for many, it remains elusive.

Since the beginning of time, people have had the need to feel connected.  A longing for someone or something to reflect back to us, our worthiness, our desirability, someone to tell us we are okay.  It only makes sense then that love must be innate within us all.

So, let’s take a closer look at it.

Initially, there is the kind of love that a parent may have for a child or a child for their parent.  This type of love is typically what’s considered unconditional, even though many times still remains so. How many of us agree to things unwanted to please the parent or child?  From early on we learn not to upset the apple cart if we want to get along and receive love.

Also, there is the love we may feel for our furry friends. This type of love is even more unconditional and many times its easier to love our pets than our partners. For instance, we can easily forgive a pet for peeing on our new rug, but if our partner pees on the carpet of our heart, are we as willing to accept it?

Then, of course, there is romantic love, the kind of love that makes our hearts skip a beat. The sort of sentimentality and emotion that causes Kings to abdicate their thrones. That feeling that causes one to give up virtually everything to have that one person they can possess and claim as their own.  The first time I felt this kind of love, I was in the second grade, his name was Benny.  He approached me at recess and professed his undying love for me, in response I let him take my turn on the merry-go-round.  Sadly after just 2 days, it was over. Benny had fallen in love with someone else, and I was left with a broken heart, the first of many I’m afraid,  but was that really love?

Yes, it was one form of it. While it was simple and innocent, it was the beginnings of that type of heart opening. After all, love must start somewhere, and unless you are born a mystic or Saint, love begins in the lower Chakras, those energy systems designed for procreation.  This type of love is the kind that with the right partner, not only makes you feel all warm and fuzzy but will push our buttons of insecurity and ego and at times drive us crazy.  It is the kind of love that is mostly conditional, and challenges and calls us towards something greater than ourselves.  But what exactly?

As we struggle with the dynamics of personal relationships, we are actually being taught things such as tolerance, forgiveness, harmony, and self-awareness. Even the worst relationships are a gift if we can allow ourselves to learn from them.

But there is something else. Something bigger, something more meaningful.

What if instead of falling in love we were able to rise to it?

Imagine what the world would be like if we were able to recognize that love isn’t just a month, or flowers and chocolates, or possessing another, but is more a state of being, a level of consciousness.  A goal we can aspire to, and with intention and practice, possibly one day achieve.

Love is all of the above. It is around us, everywhere all of the time. It is here and now. Love is in the Sun that rises each day to shine down upon the earth that provides us food and nourishment. It is in the smile from a passing stranger.  It is in helping someone to cross the street or holding the door open. It is in the acceptance and tolerance of others, even if they are different than us. It is in the acceptance of yourself. Love is in the everyday mundane acts of life, and life itself is love. It flourishes in the soil of kindness and compassion. Love is you, and you are it.  Plant the seeds of love wherever you find yourself, and cultivate it if you want to reap an abundant harvest.  It isn’t always easy, but it is what we are here to learn.

So, what’s love got to do with it?

Absolutely everything.

Darlene Coleman, Certified Life Coach and Hypnotherapist specializing in modalities designed to identify and remove emotional blocks while implementing a plan for success. She is available for individual appointments at Four Pillars located at 8209 Natures Way, Suite 221, Lakewood Ranch. For more information, call 941-373-3955, email Info@FourPillasFlorida.com or visit FourPillarsFlorida.com.

Why Do I Feel Stuck? 

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Why Do I Feel Stuck?     

By Shana Rosenthal, Certified Consulting Hypnotist

I hear from my clients so often that they have a feeling that they can’t even explain, it’s sometimes described as an emotional block, feeling stuck or a lack of something. They know they don’t like this feeling, they know that they are not living their best life, they feel something is holding them back but have difficulty articulating exactly what it is, they can just feel it. In fact statistics suggest that only 3 out of 10 people are genuinely happy with their lives.

Identifying the feeling is the first step but doing something about it is where the magic happens, however all too often the “doing something” is the hardest part. Seeking help means they have to admit to someone else there is a problem in the first place, and like it or not, ego can get in the way. I guarantee once that is overcome, life begins to turn around. We are all human, not one of us is perfect, and no they are not crazy knowing there is something holding them back without necessarily knowing exactly what it is.

Why We Get Stuck

Can you identify with this feeling? Let me explain what is going on; your current feeling states, moods and levels of stress are formed by emotional responses and subsequent chemical reactions to specific events in your life. These events and chemical reactions are stored in your cellular, physical and emotional memories, and when something in the present day looks or feels similar to the old event, you react again as if you have encountered the original event. When this happens you enter a naturally occurring hypnotic state which keeps you stuck, frozen, unable to move forward. This is the feeling that is so familiar to you and many others and the reason why you can’t just talk yourself out of this rut.

Your subconscious mind is just like a computer, it has endless capacity and is responsible for storing every event and feeling you attached to that event based on how you perceived your surroundings at that moment in time. When you remember those events, you relive the same feelings you attached to them at the time, which creates the “stuckness” – but here’s the secret; memories are not real, they are just recordings from the past.  Your subconscious mind does not know the difference between reality and imagination which is why the feelings come flooding back as if you were actually reliving the event, your subconscious mind moves into protection mode by preventing you from moving forward, which creates the feelings of being stuck or being emotionally blocked. So what can you do about it?

How Can I Get Unstuck?

What if you could re-write the memory (or recording) and detach from the emotions and feelings related to it? Imagine for a moment how that would positively affect your life. You really do have the power to release yourself from the burdens of your past, which will free you from whatever is holding you back. Hypnosis allows communication with the subconscious, which enables a skilled Hypnotist to guide you to reframe that recording, resulting in a release of the feelings and emotions attached to it and voilà that stuck feeling disappears, you are left feeling like you have nothing standing in your way to truly live your life without limits.

Hypnosis can significantly impact the direction and quality of your life. If you would like to become more focused, make progress, enjoy a greater feeling of self-worth, feel more relaxed around others and authentically feel great from the inside out then, Hypnosis really is for you.

Don’t hesitate, get in touch to have your questions answered, or better still, book an appointment and start the process to get unstuck!

Shana Rosenthal is a Certified Consulting Hypnotist, Neuro Linguistic Practitioner, Emotional Freedom Technique Practitioner and is Stress Management Certified and runs her clinic at Four Pillars, guiding her clients to make profound improvements in their lives. She teaches powerful tools that enable the recipient to overcome their issues, enabling self-empowerment, control and ultimately relief. Four Pillars is located at 8209 Natures Way, Suite 221, Lakewood Ranch. For more information, call 941-373-3955, email Info@FourPillasFlorida.com or visit FourPillarsFlorida.com.

Finding Balance

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Finding Balance:

Stress can be defined as “the brain’s response to any demand” according to the National Institute of Mental Health.  When people face demands-physical or emotional- the brain releases chemicals and hormones to help the body deal with those demands.  This response can be helpful, but if prolonged, it can begin to affect a person’s health and well-being.

Many people think their day-to-day stress has nothing to do with them physically, that stress and physical health are separate entities when they really aren’t.  When we feel stressed, physically or mentally, it begins to affect our bodies.  We become caught up in our limbic brains, which puts us in constant fight-or-flight mode.

As part of the fight or flight response, heart rate and blood pressure increase.  People develop a heightened awareness of their surroundings, and they become anxious.  These changes occur to prepare the body to react in a dangerous situation, but if left untreated for a long period, as in response to chronic stress, they can eventually lead to panic.

Often people start to associate panic with the situation they were in when it occurred.  For example, they’re in Walmart when suddenly they start to have a panic attack.  Now, they are afraid to go to Walmart.  They’re afraid there’s going to be a catastrophe, and they’re not going to be able to survive it.

Then, more negative or inaccurate thinking begins, and their condition spirals from there.  They begin to deteriorate physically.  Many of my patients will come to me after they have been to the emergency room with heart palpitations, sweating and other symptoms, thinking they’re having a heart attack.

When the heart symptoms they experience are not cardiac events, it becomes apparent their symptoms are manifestations of the stress and panic they feel.  I address these issues using several proven approaches.

For one, I help clients challenge their inaccurate thoughts.  They might think if they don’t get a hundred things done in a day, the day is going to end in a catastrophe.  This is an example of an inaccurate thought.  The fact that they’re running a few minutes late is not the end of the world.

In addition to challenging their thinking, I help patients stabilize their health with diet and exercise.  Studies show that sugar makes anxiety worse, so eliminating high sugar processed foods from their diet often helps greatly.

I also help patients understand that they need emotional balance, physical health and spiritual awareness.  That’s simply time they take when they’re not on the phone or the computer, and they’re just quiet and still and present.  Often, I have patients do some type of meditation or sit outside and look at the sky or appreciate the music they are listening to.  This can take them from the sympathetic nervous system into the parasympathetic, which is where they feel relaxed, calm and at peace.

Counseling can be an effective tool in combating the effects of stress.  If people are wiling to do the work, stress is something that can be greatly improved in a short amount of time.  It is something I have tremendous success with in very few sessions.

 

*Denise Schonwald is a registered nurse as well as a licensed mental health counselor practicing at Four Pillars located at 8209 Natures Way, Suite 221, Lakewood Ranch. For more information, call 941-373-3955, email Info@FourPillasFlorida.com or visit www.fourpillarsflorida.com/counseling

Four Pillars Expands Its Wellness Services

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Four Pillars Expands Its Wellness Services

From conception 3 years ago, Cheri Christiansen – Owner of Four Pillars – dreamed of creating a team of wellness experts to provide support and guidance in helping the community through any obstacle, decision or loss and achieve a more harmonious, happy, and successful life. She has carefully selected some of the areas most respected specialists who possess a wealth of experience, education, useful tools and techniques and is overjoyed to introduce them.

Shana Rosenthal, Certified Consulting Hypnotist

Shana Rosenthal qualified as a Clinical & Medical Hypnotherapist and Psychotherapist in the UK following her Psychology Degree at The Middlesex University in London. She now uses her training, experience and knowledge as a Certified Consulting Hypnotist within the Code of Ethics of the National Guild of Hypnotists here in Florida. Other Modalities that she practices and is Certified in are Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Emotional Freedom Technique (Meridian Tapping).

She specializes in helping her clients make profound improvements in their lives by helping them overcome all kinds of emotional issues, blocks, fears and habits.

Shana teaches powerful tools that enable people to recognize symptoms and ultimately guide them through the correct steps to alleviate the initial indicators, cope with, manage and remain focused so that they will lead a better more contented future. Shana has had amazing success for 10 years working with people who want to conquer their worries and fears, remove their habits and improve their self-control and confidence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lydia Gracing, Certified HeartMath Coach®

Lydia Gracing is a Joyologist with a mission to engage others to be their own joyologist! She is a certified Institute of HeartMath Coach®, Angel Intuitive and Energy Medicine Practitioner, as well as a certified Practitioner of Appreciative Inquiry from the Corporation for Positive Change. Serving as a heart-centered guide, she provides intuitive counseling, education and energy therapies. Her customized services help her clients connect with their true essence – what’s most important to them and transform their lives to be in more alignment with who they really are.  Clients find that when they learn how to remove the blocks that separate them from experiencing more fulfillment and joy, they are better equipped to respond to challenges and live their authentic life.

Her soul’s purpose is to uplift, inspire and help individuals reconnect with their birthright of joy, creativity, and fulfillment.  She helps people who want to:

  • consistently experience peace – relief – clarity of purpose – fulfillment and Joy.
  • break free from the cesspool of stress to experience vivacious vitality.
  • take responsibility and be empowered to transform themselves.

Lydia has over 30 years in the field of personal and organizational transformation. She is an expert in translating large initiatives into practical learning solutions and high impact organization development processes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Darlene Coleman, Certified Life Coach and Hypnotherapist

Darlene Coleman is a certified Life Coach, Professional Speaker, and Instructor specializing in modalities designed to identify and remove emotional blocks while implementing a plan for success.

Her extensive studies in coaching and holistic healing incorporates techniques which are designed to recognize and correct dysfunctional, life-inhibiting patterns as well as address cycles of illness, feelings of fear, confusion, and anxiety in order to gain the increased self-awareness and understanding that can lead to greater health, wholeness, and feeling truly connected with ourselves and others.

Specializing in Hypnosis, Reiki, Emotional Freedom Technique, (EFT), Neuro- Linquistics and Neuro-Feedback, Darlene offers 2 locations in Sarasota FL, as well as supporting clients around the country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Denise Schonwald, RN, LMHC 

In her 25 years working as a registered nurse (RN) in the intensive care unit (ICU), Denise Schonwald cared for patients who were often in dire circumstances. She saw the patients and their families struggling with stress, anxiety, fear, and many other intense emotions.  Affected by this challenging environment, Denise learned various techniques to support mental and emotional well-being, along with taking care of the physical needs of a patient. Her success in finding balance in treating the whole person led her to her calling as a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC). By integrating mental health and physical health into a cohesive treatment plan, Denise provides a more holistic approach to her patients. These synergistic treatment methodologies support client healing more effectively than traditional counseling.

Denise has expertise in helping clients through a variety of struggles, including marital strife, adolescent behavior issues, familial relationship issues, childhood trauma, anxiety, depression and more. To assist in her method, she draws upon sometimes unconventional sources, including Max, a certified therapy dog, who is especially helpful with working with children, adolescents, and traumatized women. Understanding the connection between the mind, body and spirit, Denise helps clients to explore each avenue, to achieve their own optimum level of health and wellness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whether you are seeking hypnosis, coaching, or counseling Four Pillars has a well-trained, caring, and competent resource available to help.  Free consultations are available to determine which provider is best for you. Four Pillars is located at 8209 Natures Way, Suite 221, Lakewood Ranch. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 941-373-3955, email Info@FourPillasFlorida.com or visit FourPillarsFlorida.com.

Chakra Yoga

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Chakra Yoga by Christine Davenport, RYT 500

Four Pillars Yoga and Wellness is pleased to offer Chakra Yoga on Thursday evenings. This exciting, new class – an addition to schedule the of yoga and fitness offerings at Four Pillars — is the latest example the spa’s commitment to expanding creative healthy opportunities for the community.  Chakra Yoga, an approach to studying the Chakras by learning during a yoga class, combines fascinating information with poses and meditation.  In the beautiful studio at San Marco Plaza, students are immersed in a complete sensory experience.  Inhaling blends of essential oils, to balance and align one of the seven chakra centers, listening to carefully chosen music and poetry, learning about the history and relevance of each chakra while engaging in a practice of yoga poses specifically selected to target the physical and emotional territory of each center.

Chakras have a rich history in Eastern cultures. The Sanskrit term can be translated in English to wheel. The seven invisible, energetic dimensions are illustrated as round, spinning disks of energy that span the spectrum of a rainbow. Contemporary interest in this ancient knowledge has expanded across the globe.  Anodea Judith, a Western expert on Chakras and author of Chakra Yoga, describes the Chakras as a “Rainbow bridge that forms the architecture of the soul.” She teaches that yoga practice is a remarkable and effective way to explore the inner workings of one’s nature.

Each chakra represents a spiritual life lesson. Discovering the personal natures of our chakras can lead to a more in-depth understanding of our personal and spiritual power. This insight helps us learn how to overcome obstacles, let go of emotional blockages and walk a path towards higher consciousness. A Root Chakra themed class offers students an opportunity to explore feelings of safety, security and connection to the earth.  An exploration of the Throat Chakra might lead to discoveries of obstacles to speaking personal truth or an aversion to listening deeply to others and awaken a desire to pay attention to how one communicates with others.

Yoga means union. Chakra yoga unites consciousness and movement to explore a dynamic understanding of the self. The yoga mat is an experiment station for life outside the studio. Because the energies of the Chakra System influence our experience of daily life in profound and authentic ways, it is particularly fascinating to learn to work with and through them in yoga practice. Ancient Tantric yogis understood that the path to a more profound and unified experience of life we must effect change from within — never ceasing to pursue our higher selves.

Join Christine Davenport, RYT 500 and the Four Pillars Staff on Thursday 5:30 to 6:30 pm for a step by step study of your chakras your personal “Rainbow Bridge.”

Christine also generously leads a FREE Oncology Yoga class each week on Thursdays from 4:00 to 5:00 pm that combines breath work with yoga postures that are carefully chosen to support the physical and emotional needs of cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers.

Christine is a graduate of Heartwood Yoga and Retreat Center in Bradenton, where she completed her 500-hour yoga​ certification. In 2016, Christine completed her 200-hour teacher training at Lotus Garden School of Yoga in New Milford, CT.​ Certified to teach Chair Yoga, Yin Yoga, Senior Yoga, and Trauma Sensitive classes, Christine has a special interest in teaching beginners and seniors. ​Her Gentle Yoga Class is Tuesday mornings at 10:45.  Four Pillars Yoga & Fitness is located at 8209 Natures Way, Suite 203, Lakewood Ranch. For more information, call 941-373-3955, email Info@FourPillasFlorida.com or visit FourPillarsFlorida.com/yoga