Alaska Holistic -- Dr. Maureen Longworth: Board Certified Holistic and Family Practice

This quote from the bible I never understood as a child and now, as we move to the winter solstice I move to understanding, here between our longest night of the year and the welcoming back of the growing light, at winter solstice. At this time our female receptive side opens to the light entering, expanding to contain it, not absorbing it, but holding it. The darkness right next to the light forms a communion, a blending, a creation of lightness and darkness from the joining of each, our masculine and feminine aspects. In this we will grow to balance, equalizing the dark and light at equinox three months later.

So for now our season is about surrendering to the darkness as an opening to the light. This is the challenge, and sometimes the struggle, as we reach the depths of the dark season. How do we do this? How do we juggle it, and let ourselves stay open and receptive even in the bitterly dark time? One way to move through this season is using the energy of the heart chakra, located in the middle of the energy field, at the lower third of the sternum. The heart chakra helps us blend these opposites of the darkness and light, our female and male aspects, body and mind. So rather than keeping things polar opposites, we can blend to be both, to be whole with all parts of ourselves, containing the darkness and light.

This helps with moods and relationships too. So when we are struck by a polarity that knocks us totally into either head or body, light or dark, if we move to the heart chakra, at the lower third of the sternum, we regain our bearings and can blend both of whatever polarities we are struggling between. When you feel a fight begin between any two things, even something as simple as eat the cake or don’t eat the cake, or whatever, any fight can be transformed by resting the struggle in the heart chakra. The heart chakra acts as a transformer between the positive and negative pushes and pulls of life.

One way to connect with your heart chakra is to move your awareness there at the lower sternum and if you need to touch the area, like gently lay your palm across it. And connect with the feeling of the soft pink color of the rose petal, the pale light pink softness. If you lie your struggle there on your heart chakra with that soft pink atmosphere and just place it there without trying to change it. The heart will do everything else. Just leave it!

To practice, even when you are not struggling between two things, practice moving with that rosy pink softness to the center of your heart chakra. Then pick anything you think is beautiful. It can be a tree, a flower, a candle flame, a painting, your pet, or your child’s eyes, anything you like. And move your awareness back and forth from the beauty before you to the rosy pink soft heart chakra at the lower sternum, back and forth, pausing at each. Then after 5-10 minutes rest your awareness in the heart chakra and just notice how you feel. If you practice every day or a few times a week for 5-15 minutes you will notice a difference in your well being. You will more easily and naturally be able to use your heart on the spot, as the transformer it is already wired to be. By moving with an open heart And by gently placing your struggles and fights there, like your own private altar, where anything can change and move gently without the struggle. It’s a way to give up the fight and live into the answers, moving beyond the struggle.

This time of the depth of darkness is like that. Just before the light re-enters is very special. Be tender with yourself at this extraordinary time. And your heart can lift you up to the light.

Warm wishes, until I see you at Salt Spring Island!
Maureen
Maureen Longworth, M.D.

November 25, 2008

Dear Salt Spring Students and Friends,

When I last was there at SSI I had expected to return by now to teach the next level, but I had a fall in April with some injuries that set me and my travel schedule back a bit. I am able to make travel plans again now, but we’ve missed getting to have our fall class. I wanted to wait and connect with you when I could be definite about my dates, and now I can.

I will return to SSI to teach the Level II class, on Attunement: Finding Your Natural Rhythm for Restoring Vitality - over Friday to Monday March 13, 14, 15 and 16th. In this level we will continue working with the Spleen point that brings in the energy of earth & sunlight to the energy field and immune system and distributes it to five of the seven chakras. We will work with those streams from the Spleen to the chakras. And so the overall effect will be healing to the entire energy field, and rebalancing of the natural rhythm of healing. When the field is in balance there is an attunement, from one cell to the next and from one organ to the whole, which is what makes the body fine-tune its complex machinery, in synch. Once in synch vitality is restored. Energy levels can shift to higher or lower gear as needed, with more personal control and in ones natural rhythm.

It is fine for newcomers to join us even if they have no experience with energy healing, and were not at the last class. As always, the energy goes where it is needed. So whatever you are dealing with or working on in your healing process you can benefit from this level. I will also teach several meditations over the four days. If you are unable to be there for the four days, you can register and pay for partial attendance prorated by the day. There will be reduced registration fees for pre-registration with a deposit by January 30; and a super discount for payment in full by January 30th.

Rajani in Salt Spring is helping coordinate the class there locally and will collect deposits and fees (250-537-9537), or you can send them to me here in Juneau, or fax or call your credit card information and registration forms to me here to my confidential office phone/ fax. (907) 523-9355. Do not email your credit card information but you can reply to let me know of your interest by email, and please do. You can even complete the registration on email and then all you have to do is mail the check or fax the credit card info. However you decide to register I would like to hear from you soon. So please reply to this with your plans. I ask for your help in letting others know about it and inviting them to join. Please send this on to them and tell them about it, so they can take advantage of the early registration discount.

I will offer individual sessions between Thursday, March 12 and Sunday, March 15 so when you register let me or Rajani know if you are interested in scheduling. You can even pay now with your class registration and there is a discount for students. You will be contacted with the appointment date/time so specify any limitations or preferences for daytime March 12 or eves March 12-16. Students will be given first priority. If you know others interested in sessions we will make every effort to schedule them on a space available basis.

The class size will determine where we hold the class so please let me know right away if you are interested in joining us or not. The size may be limited so please register as soon as possible to reserve your space. You don’t have to wait for January.

I look forward to working with you again, and being at your beautiful Salt Spring Island. All the best to you for the holiday season, and join me with a meditation on the Saturday after the December full moon, December 13, 12:30 PM Juneau time. I will be connecting with you, and if you are here in Juneau you can join us here.
~Maureen
Maureen Longworth, M.D.

Attunement Class 2009 SSI March 13, 14, 15, 16 price schedule options:

1) Super Early Bird Discount *Payment in full for all 4 days by January 30 special discount - $400 for all 4 days. Offer only for full payment for 4 days at $400 by January 30*

2) Advance Registration by January 30 with $110 deposit: $440 for 4 days total, with $330 remaining after $110 deposit or $110 per day with $110 deposit by January 30 (partial attendance will be on space available basis and reserve right to cancel your registration and return your money if class fills and there is not space for partial attendees)

3) After January 30 with $150 deposit $480 for four days total, with $330 remaining after $150 deposit or $120 per day (if only one day attendance then $120 deposit is adequate)

4) Individual hour session with Maureen $120 or discount price of $100 for students

Complete the registration form that follows clarifying your payment method and mail or fax to:

Alaska Holistic Family Medicine 119 Seward Street, Suite 17 Juneau, AK 99801 USA Phone/FAX: 907-523-9355 or Phone Office Cell 907-723-9351

Be sure to include a phone number so I can reach you as needed while processing your billing/registration. If you made a deposit at the time of the last class let me know if I should use that now toward this class and if so send the additional amount to make up the difference to total. Call or email me with any questions or special circumstances. Special payment plans considered with monthly installments beginning before the class, so contact me right away with special needs or trades.
~All the best, Maureen

October 12, 2008

Dear students and friends,

This is a reminder about my upcoming November Juneau class, Transformation. I invite you to join us and to tell others about the class, five days over two weekends, Nov 1, 2 and Nov 14, 15, 16; 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM all days. You can download a flyer here.

Your advance registration deposit is due by Friday, October 24, so if you would like to register, you can call or use the registration form and mail it with your $100 deposit. You can give me credit card numbers over the phone, but not on email or web site. I offer payment plans when needed.

This self-balancing energy healing class will focus on opening the area of freedom in the chest, between the guilt points in the neck and the lower pelvic structures, and is healing for the whole body and all the vital organs. With this opening a blend is created between the dark and light, our female and male aspects, mind and body, that leads to deeper self-healing, on all levels. I will teach and we will practice together meditations and self-healing exercises for balancing the energy field, including specific ones for healing the birth process and creative aspects related to sexuality, relationships and the dying process.

I am offering a reduced fee of $495 for the 5-day class with registration and $100 deposit by October 24, $550 for pre-registration after October 24. Daily rate at time of class is $120 a day. For those unable to do both weekends I will prorate the discounted fee when you pre-register.

Please call me if you have special needs or just to register at 907-523-9355.

Please drop me a note if you would like to decline on this class but are interested in keeping in touch. If you would like a flyer with graphics to post or share let me know.

All the best to you,
Maureen Longworth, M.D.

September 2008

Dear Students, Colleagues, and Friends,

After taking an impromptu sabbatical from teaching for the summer, I am now lining up my Fall, Winter and Spring teaching schedule beginning here in Juneau.

First I am offering an Equinox celebration class in Juneau. I will teach meditations and energy healing exercises you can use as our light diminishes, to hold your own Light and revitalize your energy. One of the meditations is a Tibetan-Cherokee tribute to all the gifts of the universe, so beautifully manifest here in Alaska.

In Energy Medicine we view the light and dark as an ongoing overall balancing challenge, related to the basic polarity of being spiritual and human, a blend of female and male; and with that we are constantly working at this balance within ourselves and in relation to others and the universe, leading to deep transformation and personal development. My intention is to hold half-day to full day classes monthly to periodically as often as possible coinciding with the weekend of or following the full moon. Over the winter this series will focus on light and dark balance, and assist us in getting through our darker seasons.

The class is also an opportunity to visit my new office, in Suite 18, next to my old office, still in the Valentine Building.

Equinox Class~Balancing Darkness & Light
Learn meditations & ways to balance your energy
Hold your Light, even in our darker seasons
Sunday, Sept 21, 1:30-5:30
$60 (credit cards accepted)
119 Seward St, Suite 18
Email alaskaholistic@gci.net or call/fax 907-5BE-WELL Registration/info

I will travel to Sitka by invitation of the University of Alaska Southeast to teach at the Care of the Elders Conference September 26 & 27. You can get more information and register at www.uas.alaska.edu/sitka/coed/conferences/elderly.html Nursing and other CEU’s are available.

After that my next Juneau class in the Principles of Healing- Energy Balancing Medicine series is also open to both beginners and past students. Honoring the economic crisis, our fuel shortage, and the likely need for everyone to work as many days as possible this winter I have decided to stretch the class over two non-consecutive weekends, rather than do it as a five-day intensive as I had originally thought. Let me know how these new dates work for you.

IV: Transformation~Surrendering to Birth, Death, Sexuality
9:30-5:30 Nov 1, 2, 14, 15, 16
119 Seward Street, Suite 18
$495 for five days with advance registration; or $120 per day
Cash, Credit Cards, Check
Food & beverages included
Ph/Fax: 907-5BE-WELL or email alaskaholistic@gci.net to register or for info

Beginning the first weekend of November, Sat. & Sun Nov. 1&2, and completion over the full-moon weekend Friday to Sunday, November 14, 15, 16; through meditations and specific energy balancing exercises we will explore these edges including our birth, death, sexuality, all vital life passages. In moving to the depth of our experience, blending our darkness and light, our female and male there is deep healing and blending of spirit with the physical, bridging and enriching our human dimension. The class is helpful for male and female pelvic issues/diseases, menopause, PMS, fertility, mood swings, thought control, emotional control, anger, sleep disorders, finding calm, family issues, liver and digestive issues/diseases, male and female sexuality and relationship issues healing now and our deep past.

As always, all are welcome to my classes and groups. No experience is necessary. Please invite anyone you know who might be interested. The registration form follows.

I will be in touch again shortly about my plans for classes outside of Alaska. I continue to offer individual consultations by appointment.

Best wishes for this season,
Maureen
Maureen Longworth, M.D. Alaska Holistic Family Medicine, 119 Seward St, Juneau, AK

February 2, 2008

Dear Students, Colleagues and Friends,

Thank you for your warm welcome to Salt Spring Island last month. Several Alaskans and a Texan joined us, and we all found it a lovely location for these sacred teachings and healing work. For those interested in visiting Salt Spring Island from the US it is close to Seattle and reachable by ferry via Victoria and other routes. Or, you can fly into Victoria or Vancouver and then take a ferry or a small plane to the Island, where the weather is milder and sunnier than in Seattle or Vancouver.

In response to students wanting to complete the Level One classes, I will return and repeat the Root of Healing and Balancing the Tides over Friday, February 29 to Monday, March 3. I will also offer individual sessions in the evenings and on Tuesday, March 4 and can schedule you now in advance.

Although these two classes combine as a unit comprising the first level of Energy Self-Balancing, either class or even one day of a class can be taken independently. You receive discounts for early registration and for taking both classes if you register by February 16. Please contact Evelyne locally at 250-653-2067 or at manitas66@yahoo.com or you can contact me directly at alaskaholistic@gci.net or by cell at 907-723-9351. Either way if you have not had a reply please contact both of us so we can be sure technology is not interfering with our connection, as I do not always receive emails and cell phone coverage while traveling including at SSI.

The Root of Healing, February 29 and March 1st is a comprehensive course covering the Chakras, or Energy Organs, and how the Chakra system overlaps our understanding of anatomy, physiology and specifically how to use the chakras for your own medical diseases and health. You will learn self-balancing techniques for every part of your body, head to toe, and for every physical organ in the body. You will learn techniques for balancing moods and your thinking process to integrate your entire energy field and bring overall healing for all your chakras, wherever the energy transformation is needed.

In Balancing the Tides on March 2 and 3rd you will learn how to work with three major energy streams. The Liver Stream is the only horizontal stream and releases the Solar Plexus and intersects with all the other streams in the Energy Field. So it can be used for healing anything. It is particularly beneficial for the immune system, blood cells, spleen, pancreas, diabetes and carbohydrate metabolism, pelvic release and any birth and family traumas, creativity, fertility, pregnancy health, pelvic health, the liver, lungs, circulation through the chest, the heart and blood pressure, emotional expression and control; depression and anxiety; pain control, deep emotions including anger, fear, insecurity. The Positive Stream correlates with the Parasympathetic Nervous System, and our automatic instinctual behaviors and relates to hunger, thirst, sex drive, bladder control, colon control, orgasm, heart rate, respiratory rate, sleep cylces, and other aspects of our natural rhythm. The Negative Stream correlates with the Sympathetic Nervous System and our adrenalin mediated fight or flight response and therefore controls anxiety, wakefulness, concentration and natural rhythm.

Together these two classes give you a number of ways you can work on balancing your energy field in every aspect of your body, mind and spirit. Since energy healing goes where it is needed, any class or self-balancing energy healing can really bring you to a different position with your personal healing. All classes are fine for beginners and for experienced clinicians. All classes also include meditation instruction.

This Summer or Fall I will return to SSI to teach Level Two on Vitality. In this five day class you will learn ways to connect the energy of sunlight through the spleen and immune system with your chakras for refueling the vitality of the energy field and balancing your natural rhythm. Let me know now if you prefer either Late summer or Fall dates.

I always offer an early registration discount and your early commitment helps me plan my location to fit the size of the group and also to organize my travel. I appreciate your referrals both for my classes and individual sessions, and the early registration discount applies for new students too. If there are too few students pre-registered two weeks before a class cancellation of the class, or moving to a smaller location will be considered. So even if you are considering registering later, or requesting a special payment over time option, I appreciate your commitment now with your registration so I can count you in on the location size.

I would like to hear from you and have your early registration and payment by February 16 to finalize plans. The class will be at the Lyons Club Hall from 10 AM to 6 PM with a generous break at some point each afternoon. I hope you can make arrangements to join us for both classes and receive an additional discount with early registration. A single day rate is also available. All of the information is on the course flyer.

I will offer two free introductory sessions on Thursday, February 28, at Mahon Hall in SSI. All are welcome with no RSVP necessary Noon to 2 PM and again 6 - 8 PM. Please tell your friends and colleagues.

Thank you again for your support and warm welcome to Salt Spring Island. I look forward to an ongoing commitment working with you there.

Maureen Longworth, M.D.
www.alaskaholistic.com
907-723-9351