Community News

Jul 2, 2017

Swimmers take a break at Nellie Martins water aerobics class.

Nellie Martin, 84, has been an enthusiastic and valued volunteer water aerobics instructor at the Kihei community pool since the day it opened 18 years ago, according to her daughter, Shirley Martin and swimmers Maribeth and Jack Klobuchar.

She is a songsmith with a large repertoire of songs that she uses to keep the activities light and fun.

Martin encourages her swimmers to sing, harmonize and joke along with her as she leads them through a full circuit of exercises.

By the end of each class, participants have limbered up, worked their cardiovascular system and strengthened muscles. Elbows, elbows, back, back.

Martin teaches in the shallow pool area three days per week Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. Adults of all ages are welcome. The group size varies from 25 to about 50 during the high season.

An artists representation of Martin, the singing water aerobics instructor.

Men are welcome too there are more than 15 who participate.

Sing or hum along with Nellie its all good, said swimmers Maribeth and Jack Klobuchar. She is a vibrant, zippy lady of 84 years who has boundless energy. Nellie is such a treasure to the Kihei community.

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Songsmith makes water aerobics light and fun | News, Sports, Jobs ... - Maui News

Joy. Just a three letter word that essentially means a feeling of pleasure, happiness or glee. For Jerri Timothy, owner of Fitness World in Price, thats how she would describe her 35-year career in fitness: joyful. But that sentiment was missing for quite some time. Eight months to be exact. Now, after the grand re-opening of the gym, shes finally starting to feel it again.

Joy is my favorite word. Joy. Love it, said Timothy, just days after the re-opening. Im starting to feel human again. Im starting to feel like myself again. Theres that joy again.

An early morning phone call left Timothy devastated on a Saturday in November. A treadmill had sparked up in the middle of the night, catching fire and melting everything around it: fans, light fixtures, an elliptical and treadmill and even clocks.

It blackened everything front to back, top to bottom, said Timothy, explaining that even the bathrooms had soot in the sinks. It was pretty devastating.

Despite the gym building being blackened, Timothy had the aerobics room up and running with classes being held again by Tuesday morning. She has continued to hold dozens of classes per week, but has yet to be able to open the weights and gym building next door, due to waiting on insurance money.

Some money was available through insurance to begin renovations right away. However, after the fire, the building had to meet new regulations in order to keep the hotel running upstairs. With no more insurance money available yet, Timothy had to put a hold on the restoration.

We couldnt let it continue until we know how much insurance is going to take care of, said Timothy. The insurance is the reason why were not open yet we need our insurance to kick in and do right by us to get it going again.

While still holding aerobics and spin classes, Timothy felt like she wasnt doing all she could, not only for herself, but for her fitness family. The gym had memories, but she needed to move forward.

I just felt like I was losing my battle and I wasnt offering as much as I could to the people that were loyal and stayed with me.

She began to look at possible buildings for a new aerobics room and small gym area. I kept looking at the place across the street and it kept looking like it had potential, said Timothy, saying she visited the location three different times.

Although she wanted to move forward, the issue of how to afford a new building, while continuing to pay for the old was still at the forefront.

I just prayed and I said God if this is your will, show me a sign, said Timothy. And a kind gentleman came to my house with a check for $1,000. And I said Theres my sign.

After first looking at the building in February, and not being able to move forward in March, Timothy and her husband Randy finally began work in April and worked all through April and all through May, moving into the new building on June 5. All hours were spent working on the building, with Timothy claiming, We even missed church, sorry God.

The new building features an aerobics room and spin area, as well as a small workout space with almost 100 possible exercises. It also features a personal training studio, which Timothy did not have in the other building.

I love what I do and Im going to do this and Im going to get something going, I dont care what it takes, said Timothy, adamantly. This is my life and Im going to take control. And I prayed about it and it all came together, so now I get to spread that joy again in a new place.

According to Timothy, there will probably not be enough money once the insurance does come through to get the big room going again. However, the plan is to move the workout equipment into the old aerobics studio, and have the gym on one side of the street and the aerobics on the other, in the new building.

The fire was devastating, closing down what was Jerri and Randy Timothys livelihood. However, there was positive that came out of it, according to Jerri.

I think Okay God, you made me slow down. Okay, I get it. But you didnt stop me, because you gave me my aerobics and my spin. So I still have that Im thinking the message from heaven was for me and Randy to slow down and live life.

Jerri Timothy is joyful again, after claiming that she wasnt her normal, happy self during her fitness classes throughout the past eight months.

Theres joy in my heart again and Ive loved doing what Im doing for 35 years Ive just done it, not to get rich or famous, but to help people, said Timothy.

Fitness World is now located at 58 W. Main St. in Price. For more information, call 613-SLIM.

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Businesses open, re-open: Fitness World recovers from fire - Price Sun Advocate

General Manager Kurt Kopperud says the store at 1213 NP Ave. N. will be a big asset for the revitalized downtown and surrounding neighborhoods, with its mix of natural and organic foods, much of it locally produced.

"We're filling a need downtown," Kopperud said Sunday, July 2, as he and staff stocked and prepped the store.

The member-owned store is small by modern standardsabout 5,600 square feet of retail space; 8,800 square feet overallbut it offers a full range of meat, produce, dairy and groceries. You can grind your own coffee and peanut butter, grab a seasonal sandwich or smoothie from the deli, or try the salad bar and food buffet. There's even kombucha on tap.

"It will have some unique options you don't have downtown," Kopperud said.

Local farmers and ranchers are glad to have another outlet to sell their products.

Noreen Thomas of Doubting Thomas Farms near Kragnes, Minn., said Monday that her family is supplying whole grain rolled oats, oat groats, flour, rye, buckwheat and mushrooms to Prairie Roots.

"We're pretty excited about it. It's going to be nice to have another home ... for our local products," Thomas said. "For us, it's returning back to a lot of the foods that are really nutritious. It's like your grandparents used to eat."

Nancy Winkler, who with her husband, Mark, run Nosy Josy Buffalo Ranch near Fosston, Minn., is another fan of the buy-local philosophy.

"Everything they're trying to do is a positive thing. Buying from local is really awesome," Winkler said.

Nosy Josy is offering buffalo steaks, brats and ground meat now, and will probably add roasts in the fall and winter, she said.

"Extremely healthy. Most of your nutritional charts will say it's healthier than grilled chicken," Winkler said.

Prairie Roots' normal hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays, Kopperud said

Talks about creating a cooperative began in 2010.

The former Mathison's print shop building, where Prairie Roots is now, was purchased in 2015 by the Kilbourne Group. That same year, Prairie Roots announced it would move into the building.

The co-op rents the first floor and Kilbourne is expected to rent out the second and third floors, Kopperud said.

If Prairie Roots had opened when it was first envisioned, it would have been near the front of the pack in the natural food business.

Now there's plenty of competition: there's longtime downtown retailer Tochi Products, Natural Grocers on 45th Street and 13th Avenue South, and most conventional grocery stores have added natural food sections.

Kopperud is confident that location, product mix, and the cooperative model will ensure Prairie Roots will be competitive.

"We rely on members to sustain our business," Kopperud said. "There are not many places in town you can shop that you own."

Though anyone can shop at the store, the ownership stake lends people "a sense of pride. I think that's really cool," Kopperud said. There is a one-time fee of $300 for a household membership, but there are also smaller payment installment options. Members get some other benefits that nonmembers don't.

Jamie Holding Eagle, a Prairie Roots cashier and customer service representative, said the co-op will give people the opportunity to shop for fresh items daily, like many Europeans.

"I think that's so important, because you can buy more fresh food and eat healthier," she said. "We have the healthiest soil in the world, and this (store) kind of builds on it."

Kopperud said the store is adding more than 30 jobs to the area's economy.

"We have a really passionate and diverse staff," he said. "I'm excited to open it up and see the community interact with our staff and vice versa."

On the west end of the store, near the checkout registers, a community space is available for meetings and classes on cooking and local and organic eating.

On the east side of the building, an older, wooden structure is being renovated into a cidery and taproom, called "Wild Terra Cider and Brewing."

Kopperud said a grand opening for the store will be held a month or two from now, "once we get our legs under us."

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Prairie Roots Food Co-op opens in Fargo with mix of natural ... - West Fargo Pioneer

The time is ripe for Jeff Bezos to work his business acumen on an area of the US food system thats been slowly growing for years: organic food. And withhis purchase of Whole Foods Market[in June], hell have even more reason to try and convince US farmers to join him.

But theres a problem for Bezos if he wants to make organic food as ubiquitous as an Amazon-branded delivery box. As demand for organic fruits and vegetables has grown, the number of acres used to farm those crops has remained about the same.

For now, the US has relied on importing organic vegetables and fruits from other countries to make up the differencesomething some expertsremain dubious aboutwhen there are instances of imports of so-called organic corn and soy from China, for example, that have been found to be fraudulent.

[Editors note:TheNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalitionreports that organic farming increased in 2015. According to NSAC: A closer look at the2015 Organic Production Surveyreveals that virtually all of the increase of 691,289 acres can be attributed to a single livestock organic operation becoming certified in September 2015. Due to the addition of this large ranch, Alaska shot from up from having around 300 certified organic acres to having nearly 700,000, second only to California in total certified acres.]

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post:Amazons new grocery venture gives Jeff Bezos his greatest challengecreating enough organic food

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Organic crop farming in US slides even as demand for organic food increases - Genetic Literacy Project

To learn more about the new 38th and Brighton store, visit: https://www.naturalgrocers.com/store-location/denver-rino-38th-and-brighton

"Most of Northeast Denver, including RiNo, is a food desert; there simply aren't enough quality food options within walking distance to the community," said Denver City Council President, Albus Brooks. "What makes this even more valuable is that Natural Grocers is a Colorado company that educates the community about health and sustainability."

Natural Grocers provides 100% USDA certified organic produce, 100% free range eggs, 100% pasture-based dairy, naturally raised meats and other high-quality food items at Always AffordableSM prices. The store will also provide free science-based nutrition education classes and a nutritional health coach who will offer free health coaching sessions at the store.

The store will also feature a new concept for the company: "Cottage Wine and Craft Beer," a nook where customers can purchase specialty alcoholic beverages such as craft beer, organic and biodynamic wine and hard cider. This marks the first time in the company's 62 year history that it has sold alcoholic beverages at any store.

The first 100 people in line on opening day will get to spin a prize wheel for a chance to win a variety of gifts, such as NOW supplements, Nova chocolate and Natural Grocers-branded items like cutting boards, cooler bags and coupons to use in the store.

The store will host a free community ice-cream social from 4 to 6 p.m. on July 27.

Grand Opening Celebrations

Opening day activities include:

The new RiNo store will feature a mix of national brands and a selection of locally produced products in a small, neighborhood market environment. The store will also feature a Nutritional Health Coach and offer free nutrition education classes to the public. The store will be open seven days a week.

What to Expect from Natural Grocers

Family-run Natural Grocers was built on the premise that consumers should have access to affordable, high-quality foods and dietary supplements, along with nutrition knowledge to help support their own health.

For more information visit: https://www.naturalgrocers.com/store-location/denver-rino-38th-and-brighton

About Natural Grocers by Vitamin CottageNatural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE: NGVC; NaturalGrocers.com) is a rapidly expanding specialty retailer of organic and natural groceries, body care and dietary supplements. The company offers a flexible, neighborhood-store format, affordable prices and free, science-based nutrition education programs to help customers make informed health and nutrition choices. Founded in Colorado in 1955, Natural Grocers has more than 3,000 employees and operates 140 stores in 19 states.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/natural-grocers-downtown-denver-store-relocates-to-rino-bringing-organic-produce-to-a-food-desert-300483494.html

SOURCE Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc.

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Natural Grocers' Downtown Denver Store Relocates to RiNo Bringing Organic Produce to a Food Desert - PR Newswire (press release)

Can Amazon democratize the Whole Foods experience without sacrificing standards? Its a question analysts ask.

Its tempting to imagine the merger of Amazon and Whole Foods as fodder for a technological experiment: What if you could simply ask Alexa for organic kale and have it delivered by drone in minutes?

But in the days since the tech giant announced it was buying the grocery store chain, experts in the food industry have begun to speculate about the cultural implications of the sale, and what a merger of Amazons customer-centric ethos with Whole Foods high-minded approach to food might look like.

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Grocery stores have generally lagged behind other retailers when it comes to innovation, said David VanAmburg, managing director for the American Customer Satisfaction Index. But if the Whole Foods side of our shopping and consumer experience can be made as timely and as efficient and satisfying as what the Internet has done for the rest of our retail shopping experience, he said, culturally it could be huge.

Long before we see drones taking off from Whole Foods rooftops, however, were likely to see the expansion of Amazons Prime memberships, VanAmburg said, enabling people who pay the $99 annual fee to get access to in-store coupons, deals, and better prices at Whole Foods than nonmembers.

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And while that might not seem much different from a traditional supermarket loyalty program, the distinction comes from Amazons deep understanding of shoppers habits. After all, this is the company that just incorporated its Alexa artificial intelligence technology into its fridge-friendly Dash Wand device, allowing you to both speak and scan barcodes to update your grocery list.

Amazon dominates the Web in online sales, but getting information about our in-store purchases has always been beyond its reach. Now, if Amazon knows that you bought eggs and peanut butter from the physical store, it could ping you when it suspects youre about to run out. And if youre too busy to get to the store? Theyll happily replenish your pantry with a delivery from Amazon Fresh, the companys existing grocery delivery and pickup service.

(Whether those deliveries would come from Whole Foods or other sources remains to be seen.)

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It has that sort of cool and creepiness factor, VanAmburg said, and it forces us to wonder: How much do we want to let [Amazon] know about us for the sake of convenience?

Doug Rauch believes were willing to let companies know quite a bit. The former president of Trader Joes, who now runs the Daily Table grocery store in Dorchester, said that Amazons maniacally customer-focused culture has already changed our shopping habits, in part because the companys data collection benefits the consumer, such as with the related items and customers also bought suggestions online.

With personalized digital insights, Rauch said, the treasure hunt aspect of grocery store shopping, or the ability to lure customers into making impulse purchases, can begin much earlier, with e-mails about new products available in-store or online. There might be a whole new relationship created with the customer and their food that may not have been crafted so easily or quickly, he said.

One possibility? A hybrid Whole Foods/Amazon store model might make picking out sundries far less cumbersome (particularly if you dread weaving a cart up and down the aisles). Shoppers have been hesitant to buy perishable items online, but Rauch envisions a system in which they pick out dry goods in advance think boxes of Hamburger Helper or tuna fish cans and then show up at the store to select meats, dairy items, fruit, and vegetables. At the check-out, the tuna and other such items are prepackaged and waiting.

The question that has been asked widely among industry insiders is whether Amazons approach to pricing will bring down Whole Foods sky-high receipts. After all, Whole Foods is the store that the public loves to shop at but hates to pay for. So can Amazon democratize the Whole Foods experience without sacrificing their standards?

Early signs say yes. And no.

William Masters, an economics professor at Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, said that the core values Whole Foods promotes like its focus on high-quality natural and organic products, environmental stewardship and healthy eating, and its relationships with suppliers might take a hit.

Chef Alice Waters published an open letter saying I sure hope you double down on the agenda and scale up the practices that we associate with Whole Foods, Masters said. My guess would be in an effort to reach scale, which is Amazons calling card, that they would do precisely the opposite.

Instead, he expects to see a broader range of products in stores that may not be local, organic, or sustainable. That would help bring down prices, as would the behind-the-scenes mechanisms that Amazon employs in its supply chain, like warehouse automation and buying in bulk. Another component that would help cut the prices consumers pay? Amazons ability to manipulate prices depending on circumstances: upselling for home delivery, for example, or trimming costs when a shopper places a recurring grocery order.

There is proof that as part of its effort to take on Walmart, Amazon has begun to focus on targeting a demographic with far less spending power than a typical Whole Foods shopper. Shortly before news of the Whole Foods deal broke, the company announced it was creating a low-cost Prime membership for $5.99 a month for people who use government food-assistance programs.

Some, like John Foraker, president of the organic food company Annies Inc., suggested this could solve the problem offood deserts by allowing healthy food to reach a much wider audience, and at lower prices.

When you combine [Amazons] delivery infrastructure with Whole Foods 450+ stores and organic food supply chain, you enable the delivery of natural and organic foods to most places in the US in a matter of an hour or two, he wrote in the days following the announcement.

And it makes financial sense, said Jason Chung, a senior research scholar at NYUs Sports and Society program, who points out that Whole Foods decision to open in lower-income neighborhoods in Harlem, N.Y., and New Orleans was met with enthusiasm from analysts. They have a business model, and I think they have the logistics expertise. They also have a business imperative to do so.

But farmers remain skeptical that such measures wont cut into their own margins.

Dave Chapman, an organic farmer in New Hampshire who sells his tomatoes at Whole Foods, worries that Amazon will drag down the companys principles in pursuit of lower prices.

My concern is that rather than using brilliant innovation to figure out the needs people have, they might fall into the trap of competing with Walmart, he said. It reduces the quality so you can reduce the price.

Over time, the biggest impact may be in the way Amazon gradually shifts the way shoppers feel about patronizing Whole Foods. Perhaps offering better service, lower prices, or a mission that offers greater access to a wider swath of the public will create a different emotional response in customers, as opposed to the knee-jerk guilt or exasperated sticker shock that many experience at the register.

In short, can Amazon help us to hate ourselves a bit less when we fill up our reusable bags at the checkout?

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Amazon, Whole Foods merger could change food shopping - The Boston Globe

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Chicago is undergoing a foodie revolution. From passing the nations largest soda tax to exploring new and intriguing options for local food, the Windy City is making leaps and bounds to become a beacon of sustainability.

Dont believe us? Here are sevenfantastic initiatives the Windy City has undertaken to further the transition to great, sustainable food.

Just west of Chicago in the prairie town of Rochelle, IL, indoor tomato grower MightyVine has restored acres of farmland that had been damaged by a developer. The growers use Dutch technology comprising a special diffused glass and radiated heat to grow tomatoes 365 days a year. The super-local tomatoes are delivered to stores just a few hours away in Chicago as soon as theyve been picked.

Sustainability is particularly important to MightyVine farmers, who have managed to provide a 90 percent water savings over field-grown tomatoes, not to mention reduced pesticide use as compared to most conventional growers.

You cant get more local than the organic produce grown on the 3,500-square-foot organic rooftop garden at Homestead on the Roof. Executive Chef Scott Shulman has his pick of herbs, chilies, tomatoes, peas, and more to concoct his versatile, seasonal menu, which is served on the 85-seat patio that sits right next to the rooftop garden, which also features two vertical hanging gardens, and dozens of planter boxes.

When Daisies opened last month, Chef Joe Frillman realized his dream of combining his passion for handmade pasta and locally sourced crops, almost all of which come from Frillmans brothers farm in nearby Prairie View, IL. But Frillman is taking the old trope of locally sourced ingredients to the next level, with the goal of rolling out an in-house fermentation program, too.

Daisies is also making strides in recycling cooking oil: used cooking oil is donated to be recycled for biodiesel, and the resulting profits are donated to charity.

Member-supported non-profit Slow Food Chicago is one of the largest chapters of Slow Food USA, with more than 500 members. Its myriad projects include the preSERVE Garden, a project created in 2010 in cooperation with the North Lawndale Greening Committee, the Chicago Honey Co-Op, and NeighborSpace.

In 2013, the city lot harvested more than 430 pounds of food from 31 different crops, and the gardencontinues to grow today.

Founded in 2011, the Urban Canopy comprises an indoor growing space and a two-acre community farm in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago. But more than mere growers, the Canopy members see themselves as educators and advocates for the urban food movement.

Founder Alex Poltoraks vision began while working with Chicago Public Schools as an Education Pioneer Fellow. After exploring how nutrition affects children in school, he was inspired to create the project to utilize idle urban spaces to attack this problem at the community level.Through volunteer availabilities, a Compost Club, and a CSA, the group endeavors to make farming as easy as possible on as many unused spaces as possible.

An unused mezzanine spaceof Chicago OHare Airports G terminal has been transformed into the worlds first aeroponic gardenby Future Growing LLC. The garden, made up of a series of vertical PVC towers where herbs, greens, and tomatoes are grown, uses a mere five percent of the water normally used for farming.

The produce grown in the airportis used by local chefs, including Wolfgang Puck, who runs a restaurant in the airport.

Marty Travis is a seventh-generation Illinois farmer. As his farming community fellvictim to Big Ag, Travisdecided to do something about it. He created Spence Farm, a 160-acre beacon of biodiversity where he grows a variety of ancient grains and heirloom fruits and vegetables and raises heritage breed livestock, nearly all of which is sold locally to chefs in Chicago. His story of preserving the history and practice of small sustainable family farming in is told in the film Sustainable Food.

Related on Organic AuthorityThis Technology is Successfully Predicting Foodborne Illness Outbreaks in Chicago (and Maybe Your Town Soon) But What About All the Deep Dish Pizza? Rahm Emanuel Wants Chicagoans to go Vegan Vancouvers Sustainable Food Scene is Totally Killing It

Emily Monaco is an American food and culture writer based in Paris. She loves uncovering the stories behind ingredients and exposing the face of our food system, so that consumers can make educated choices. Her work has been published in the Wall Street Journal, Vice Munchies, and Serious Eats.

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7 Ways Chicago is Becoming the New Beacon of the Sustainable Food Movement - Organic Authority

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Ashutosh Maharaj: Followers win fight to keep guru in freezer BBC News The heavily-guarded 100-acre ashram in Punjab where the guru has been kept is just one sign of his vast financial assets. Mr Jha has accused the guru's disciples of retaining his body as a ploy to keep control of his wealth. Shortly after his death in ... Indian court allows guru's disciples to continue preserving his body in freezerThe Guardian Hindu Disciples Put Dead Guru In Freezer, Because He's Just MeditatingThe Daily Caller HC allows preservation of Ashutosh Maharaj's body in deep freezer ...NYOOOZ all 21 news articles »

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Ashutosh Maharaj: Followers win fight to keep guru in freezer - BBC News

On Saturday, July 8, join meditation master Tom G. OBrien as you put mind and moonlight over matter in a guided full moon meditation on East Beach. Designed for newcomers and meditation experts alike, the non-dogmatic, hour-long session is open to anyone seeking to enjoy the therapeutic and practical benefits of meditation, with the added scenic and sonic bonus of gently crashing waves lit by themoon.

Tiki torches will light the way to the meditation location, where OBrien will commence the hour with a set of concise instructions and breathing exercises. Arrive a few minutes early, warmly dressed and with a blanket, towel, yoga mat, or beach/lawn chair to sit on, and let the universe, as OBrien might say, do therest.

Started in 2012, OBriens full moon sessions have provided hundreds of Santa Barbarans with an hour of peace along the beach. A Santa Barbara native, OBrien is happy to share the wisdom he has gained from a practice that has taken him far and wide. As founder of Rupa Meditation its name refers to a soft, sacred blue light often seen by meditators behind closed eyes he has served young teens and adults, prisoners andpensioners.

He first encountered meditation around the age of 28 while living in New York and finding work as a perspiring actor. Uncertain where his life was headed, caught on a carousel of decreasingly satisfying work and relationships, he reached a turning point when, seeking answers in various philosophical texts, he found some resonance in the hundreds-year-old teachings of Zen masters. I was like, I need to find a teacher with a capital T, someone who has crossed over to the other side in terms of their human experience, he said. He sought out various meditation groups in New York and stumbled across a little flyer in a Jewish deli for a non-denominational class. I owe my spiritual awakening to a knish, hejoked.

Since having a profound spiritual awakening, OBrien has meditated almost daily. Ive meditated 98 percent of my days on this planet, he said. Hes felt far more creative, far more energetic, and hes thinking a lotclearer.

And hes gone on to share the benefits with others especially in prisons, such as the California Mens Colony in San Luis Obispo and numerous state prisons in New York. Ive seen dozens of men whose lives have been completely transformed after regular meditation practice, OBrien said of the inmates hes instructed. Theyre back with their families, raising their children, paying taxes, being functioning members of society for the first time in their life, hesaid.

OBrien emphasized the practical benefits of meditation, citing a Harvard neuroscience study that showed frontal lobe growth after just eight weeks of meditation. Meditation improves your brain, slows your heart rate, and offers freedom from the tyranny of our own thoughts. Where we are the witness of our mind, we are not being swept away by our thoughts, OBriensaid.

The Full Moon Meditation Workshop takes place on Saturday, July 8, at 8 p.m. East Beach. RSVP to rupameditation@gmail.com.

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Meditate Under the Moon at East Beach - Santa Barbara Independent

Rep. Tim Ryan believes meditating not only helps him navigate through tumultuous political waters but that it can be useful for the country in these uncertain times.

There's no better place to ... practice embracing uncertainty than in the United States Congress, Ryan told ABCs Dan Harris during an interview for his 10% Happier podcast. Especially now nobody has a clue of what direction well go in.

Ryan, D-Ohio, sat down with Harris and meditation teacher Jeff Warren during Harris' and Warrens cross-country meditation road trip shortly after President Trumps inauguration. The interview is the featured 10% Happier podcast episode posted today.

Ryan has been in the spotlight recently for being among the Democrats who have made a push to oust Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as House minority leader. Ryan himself launched a failed challenge to unseat Pelosi for the position last November.

When asked in January if he thought his meditation practice could help him work better with Republicans and then newly-elected President Trump, Ryan said absolutely.

I dont have to like him, I dont have to go drink beer with him, I dont have to play golf with him, Ryan said at the time. But if he has something thats going to help my constituents, I hope I can ratchet me own stuff down to be able to do that. I mean, its my obligation to be able to do that.

Subscribe and listen to the "10% Happier" podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, TuneIn, on ABC Radio podcasts and under the "Listen" tab on the ABC News app.

Ryan has been hosting meditation sessions for members of Congress and their staffs for years, bringing in a variety of different teachers, from practitioners who work with veterans to Deepak Chopra. The sessions are bipartisan, and the congressman said people from both sides of the aisle have joined.

I had a bunch of people grab me just this year saying, I think we need to start coming to your thing, Ryan said. People dont even know what to call it but they know its stress reduction stuff and more and more people are looking to be a part of it.

Ryan said he has heard from others on Capitol Hill that finding the time to meditate is a challenge.

Its hard with the demands you fly in right before votes and you stack your schedule with meetings and then you fly out as soon as you can, so carving out the time and really make it a priority is tough for people, Ryan said. Thats what I think the staff [participation] is really important because you can still work your way into an office where someone is starting to want to change the dynamics of the office.

The congressman knows the exhaustion of the job all too well. By 2008, he was in his third term and after spending the election cycle campaigning and fundraising for candidates through his swing state, Ryan said, I was almost out.

It wasnt burnout I was just like, Ive got to do something, he said.

He went on a five-day retreat with Jon Kabat-Zinn, a renowned meditation teacher who focuses on secular mindfulness meditation without religious overtones. Sitting for hours in silence on retreat, Ryan said he started to feel the benefits from meditation.

It was just like, this is unbelievable,' you can start really seeing your thoughts, he said. And then you become aware of why you have high blood pressure. I keep thinking these negative thoughts over and over and over again and you wonder why youre stressed out [over] stuff thats years gone by or hasnt even happened.

Ryan is now an eighth-term congressman representing Ohios 13th District, and his experiences with meditation led him to write A Mindful Nation, in which he talked about areas of government in which mindfulness could be helpful.

In May, Ryan co-sponsored a bill aimed at providing funding for reducing teacher stress, and previously he sponsored a bill to increase holistic-medicine assistance for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Ryan said he tries to explain to others that even though meditation gets a reputation for being a liberal, new-age practice, there are conservative values embodied in it.

Its about taking care of yourself, he said. Its about understanding yourself. Its about making you healthier.

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Rep. Tim Ryan says meditation not only reduces his stress, it may ... - ABC News