Time for Insight or Your Chakras

WHEN the unanswered e-mail messages are well into double digits, you can no longer tell the difference between the kids' and the dog's toys, and twice-weekly yoga classes barely make a dent, it may be time to escape to a wellness festival.

Skip to next paragraph Todd Patrick

A medicinal herb walk at the Snowmass Wellness Experience.

These multiday events typically combine presentations by alternative-health gurus like Deepak Chopra and Dean Ornish with fitness and motivational workshops and exhibit areas where you can get a massage, stock up on herbal remedies or get your chakras balanced. Some even offer continuing education credits for medical professionals.

The newest twist is the mountain resort wellness festival, where, in addition to participating in the indoor sessions, participants can sign up for cycling clinics or outdoor yoga, or just take a short hike during lunch - all in an inspiring setting dominated by mountain peaks.

"We totally gave ourselves over to the experience," said Sidnie Shaffer, 55, a development officer for the Wilderness Society in Seattle who has attended the annual four-day Teton Wellness Festival in Jackson, Wyo. "My husband and I have really busy lives, and we don't have a lot of reflective time." A talk by Wayne Dyer left them "spellbound," Ms. Shaffer said, and a session on ayurvedic medicine changed the way they cook.

Geri and John Herbert of Dallas make sure they're at their home in Idaho each spring in time for the Sun Valley Wellness Festival, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in May. (Mr. Herbert presented his research on group dream work at one year's festival.) "It provides a way to look at your life," said Ms. Herbert, 59. "What parts do I like? What do I want to get rid of?"

Participants can usually practice being selective as they ponder a festival's schedule. Typically the offerings are extensive, ranging from presentations on superfoods and sleep disorders to classes in holistic hula-hooping and ecstatic dance. Trying to cram in too many may just exacerbate the stress you're trying to leave behind. "I've learned to pick a couple of things a day," Ms. Herbert said. "I want peace and serenity. I don't want to be a gerbil on a treadmill."

Sessions like the one on "vibrational well-being" at this year's coming Teton festival may seem as if Sedona has moved to the mountains. But Marcia Craighead, executive director of the Teton Wellness Institute, said festivals like hers seek workshop leaders and speakers who are balanced in Western tradition and alternative views, and who can back up their claims with research. "There's less of the woo-woo," Ms. Craighead said. "We really want it to be usable information."

A practical approach to holistic health infuses Mammoth Life and Wellness at the base of Mammoth Mountain ski area in California, with speakers like the fitness and nutrition expert Dr. Pamela Peeke and workshops on stress-free living and healthy cooking. "We're the real person's wellness festival," said Pam Murphy, a senior vice president at the resort. The festival capitalizes on its mountain location with naturalist-guided hikes and cycling clinics. "Mountain biking is one of the greatest stress reducers in the world," Ms. Murphy said. "You have to focus on your bike, not on the last phone call."

The Snowmass Wellness Experience, in Snowmass Village, Colo., has the most extensive list of alfresco activities. In addition to guided bike rides and a medicinal herb walk, they include yoga and meditation sessions under a large tent near the base of a ski run and a Wellness Expo on the pedestrian mall. "The view from the yoga tent is just amazing," said Josh Behrman, the event director. "It's quite spiritual for the teachers as well as the students."

Great views aren't the only attraction for the people who run the workshops. They also get audiences that are relaxed, focused and eager for information. At Snowmass, Dr. Barry Bittman, a neurologist who has researched the correlation between music and healing, will lead a hands-on workshop with musical instruments, a format his usual lectures preclude. Dr. Bittman noted that more in-depth presentations allow participants to "experientially discover new insights that they can then take back to their own realms."

Of course, the social aspect of being among so many like-minded wellness seekers can't be discounted. "It's really easy to just strike up a conversation; and go away feeling a part of humanity," Ms. Herbert said. "I'm hooked."

MORE INFORMATION

SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.

What: Snowmass Wellness Experience, www

.snowmasswellness.com; basic passes 5 for a day and 0 for the weekend.

When: Aug. 17 to 19.

Mammoth Lakes, Calif.

What: Mammoth Life and Wellness, www

.mammothmountain.com; passes to 5.

When: Aug. 24 to 26.

JACKSON, WYO.

What: Teton Wellness Festival, www.tetonwellness.org; passes to 5.

When: Oct. 12 to 15.

SUN VALLEY, IDAHO

What: Sun Valley Wellness Festival, www

.sunvalleywellness.org.

When: May 23 to 26, 2008.

More Topics:
Seattle WA Massage Therapy Seattle Washington Massage Therapy Seattle ...
Seattle Sunshine Services provides relaxation with Seattle Massage, Seattle ... we specialize in Seattle Massage Therapy and also Seattle Corporate Massages. ...

Massage Seattle at Seattle Massage Clinic - Madison Valley Massage ...
Our seattle massage clinic is located in Seattle, WA and offers massage in Seattle. ... or company picnic, our Seattle massage therapists have the capabilities to ...

Cortiva Institute - Brenneke School of Massage in Seattle, Massage ...
Welcome to the Cortiva Institute - Brenneke School of Massage in Seattle Washington. We prepare our students for successful careers in clinics, hospitals, spas and ...

Dreamclinic Massage Seattle - The Trusted Place for Massage Therapy in ...
... Seattle - The Trusted Place for Massage Therapy in Seattle offering Swedish ... Check out our job opening for an outstanding Massage Therapist ...

Cortiva Institute, Massage Seattle Service, Massage Seattle Therapist ...
Welcome to the Cortiva Institute - Massage Therapy School in Seattle. ... Cortiva's Seattle massage clinics are staffed with passionate professionals and ...