Unburden yourself and open your heart to living better at an opening fire ceremony at the Sun Valley Wellness Festival from 4-5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 23, at Trail Creek Cabin in Sun Valley.
Traci Ireland, who has traveled to Peru on three different occasions for work with native shamans and has been an active shamanic medicine carrier for the last seven years, will lead the ceremony. The public is invited to join.
If the winds so direct, continue on that path to better health by participating in the festival, which features top national speakers including Dr. Eben Alexander, a neurologist with a life-altering near-death story, renowned Kirtan chanters Heather and Benjy Wertheimer, and Shantala, who will lead call-and-response chanting, dance and meditation.
A wellness exposition, workshops and numerous activities will round out the festival, now in its 16th year.
Passes, which range from $25 to $495, can be purchased at Chapter One Bookstore in Ketchum, Thursday, May 23, or by calling 726-2777.
The people’s doctor
Internationally recognized physician and National Public Radio personality Dr. Zorba Paster is returning to Sun Valley to present “Self-Efficacy—The Missing Link: Finding the balance between Western Medicine and Eastern Thought using the powers of the body, mind and spirit to reach your personal best.”
Dr. Paster is St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation’s featured health and wellness speaker and a part of the Sun Valley Wellness Festival’s roster this year. He will discuss how to harness one’s personal potential to increase longevity and live well. Much of Paster’s work is informed by a lifetime of cross-cultural experiences. A Chicago native, he has traveled and studied extensively in Asia and India, where he volunteered his medical expertise and services for the Tibetan refugee population in northern India’s Himalayas. He is a friend and personal physician to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, having first met him in 1974 when he became interested in Tibetan Buddhism and what it had to offer for health, wellness and happiness.
Currently, he is focused on providing nutritional meals for patients of the Tibetan Delek Hospital. As part of his visit to Sun Valley, Dr. Paster will hold a fundraiser to generate support for his latest mission. The
fundraiser, entitled Give-A-Meal: Helping Feed Needy Patients at the Tibetan Delek Hospital, will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 23, at the SFP Studio in Ketchum. The fundraiser is open to the public. For more information, contact Kristin McMahon at 727-8419.
Local celeb
workshop speakers
Seventeen local practitioners will be leading workshops, classes and lectures during the weekend, covering the subjects of body, mind and spirit.
Among them is Dr. Jody Stanislaw, a naturopath who will address “The Four Pillars of Health … The Secret Formula for Increasing Your Energy and Enjoying Radiant Health.”
Stanislaw received her naturopathic doctorate degree at
Bastyr University and, as a diabetic herself, specializes in diabetes. She uses a whole-person approach, which includes working with the Four Essential Pillars of Health necessary for achieving optimal well-being. She recently authored “Hunger, an Adventurous Journey of Finding Peace Within,” an account of the amazing stories she encountered while working at a holistic health spa in Thailand.
Our future
Children are the best consumers of pleasure around, so why wouldn’t they have a part in a wellness festival?
A Children’s Festival Wellness Pass is only $25 and includes all events from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 25. Parents can accompany for free. All classes are at the Boiler Room at Sun Valley Resort.
Mary Kay Hausladen Foley, coordinator of the Integrative Therapies Program at St. Luke’s Wood River and a longtime physical therapist, will lead “Sharing Healing Touch with Children.” Ryan Redman, executive director of the Flourish Foundation, will lead “Mindful Relaxation for Kids: A key that unlocks the door.” Yoga instructor Phoebe Pilaro will lead a class on yoga for kids and artist and author Kim Howard will lead a mask-making class.
Sun Valley Wellness Festival
When: Memorial Day weekend.
Where: Sun Valley Resort.
How: Individual tickets and passes available. Go to
www.sunvalleywellness.org.