"I thought meditation was very important, or it was to me," Read, 95, said last Friday, sitting in the naturally lit, wooden-floored UND Lotus Meditation Center. "I felt a need for it and I didn't want to live in a place that didn't have one. Grand Forks did not have one, and I didn't want to move, so I built one."

The meditation group housed at the center met in the building for the last time in late June. The center is attached to the International Center on University Avenue, a building that is being torn down later this summer as part of a wider effort to cut down the campus footprint and reduce deferred maintenance expenses in older buildings. The cost-saving push comes as UND is absorbing a $32 million cut in its two-year state appropriated budget.

According to university spokesman Peter Johnson, the planned demolition of the International Center was announced to the public in late 2015, but Read says UND never reached out to her directly. She and the meditation group learned their center would be torn down only after reading about it in the Herald in the spring of 2016.

Johnson says UND administration has worked with the group to relocate it on campus but couldn't speak to when the center's users were notified. He wrote in an email that the announcement of the International Center's offline status overlapped with changes in key personnel, namely the exit of campus facilities leader Dave Chakraborty.

Read, a former UND music professor, paid for the construction of the center in 1997 and gave it to the school. She also provided a $10,000 endowment entrusted to the UND Foundation and Alumni Association to cover the center's programming and biannual retreats.

The Herald reported at the time that the center was built for $50,000. By the time it was all said and done, Read says she spent as much as $200,000 getting the place in shape.

She's grateful that the center had 20 good years. But now she wonders what message the closure of her center sends to anyone else considering making a gift to the university. She's also questioning the way things are going on campus, a place she describes as being caught up in a wave of cuts sweeping North Dakota and higher education as a whole.

"It seems like the plans for the university are to cut a lot of things down: Programs, buildings, like we don't need it, we don't need a campus," Read said. "I don't think you can get an education online only. It can be helpful for some facts. But without interaction, the human side of it, I don't think you can get it."

Read is a few years shy of a full century on earth, but she gets around well with the help of a cane. A former UND music professor and a Louisiana native with a trace of accent, she came to the university in 1959 and remained employed there until 1988. She was interested in the role of music in cultures around the world and brought performers to campus to share music from as far as Zimbabwe and as close to home as the Turtle Mountain reservation. Over more than half a century in Grand Forks, she has won numerous accolades, including the Sioux Award, UND's highest honor.

Since its founding, her center has played an interfaith role on campus. Though Read herself has maintained an interest in Buddhism, she said the launch of the Lotus Meditation Center included representatives of all the local religious groups she could find. The center was used frequently as a prayer space by Muslim students and faculty and hosted classes in traditional Chinese practices qigong and tai chi.

The center also held retreats, typically on a twice-a-year basis, where attendees could find a more in-depth experience in meditative practices.

Adjusting to new space

The International Center was identified in a December 2015 public forum as one of a pool of buildings UND would stop using.

UND librarian Janet Rex, a longtime leader the meditation group, wrote in an email that the center's users missed that forum and were "oblivious of these plans to demolish" the building until they read about them in a Herald article. Even then, they weren't sure if the move would affect the meditation center. The group, which operated in some ways like an independent organization, had an unusual placement in the UND hierarchy of things but ultimately answered to Sandra Mitchell, the former UND associate vice president for diversity and inclusion.

Rex said the group consulted first with Mitchell, then eventually with UND Provost Tom DiLorenzo to see if the center could possibly be saved. Read was hopeful it could be separated from the International Center and moved elsewhere to be preserved and, for a brief period, Lotus Meditation Center leaders thought it possible that Read still owned the building itself, opening a chance that it could be relocated to an off-campus site. That proved to not be the case, so the group looked to finding a new home.

Through talks with UND leaders, it came to be decided that the best place for the Lotus Meditation Center would be in UND's Memorial Union or, more specifically, in a remodeled meeting room in the tunnel that connects the union to Swanson Hall.

It was to that room that Rex and a team of UND facilities workers were moving the Lotus Meditation Center's belongings last Friday. The new space, being underground, lacks natural light and is lit with florescent bulbs. Maybe more importantly, it lacks the autonomy of the old space.

With the loss of the center, Rex said the group has been relegated to the status of any other campus organization trying to schedule time in a public space mainly intended for use by students, who get priority when requesting to use the room. As the meditation group was preparing to transfer its various cushions, benches and other furnishings to their new space, they were confronted with another bump in the roadthe university had initially sought payment from the center to cover the cost of the labor used to move everything into the space under Swanson Hall. The university eventually dropped that request, but Read was adamant that she wouldn't have authorized the payment anyway. The move has marked a challenging time for the center, but both Read and Rex are optimistic it will continue in its new home.

Among themselves, the meditation group is trying to focus on the transition as an example of Buddhist teachings in daily life.

"This gives us a lot to work with," Rex said. "In our practice, there's suffering because of our clinging to things. So this is a very deep exercise in letting go and how life changes every time."

View post:

UND meditation group says its was unaware of demolition plans - Grand Forks Herald

Kate Love of the Open Mind-Open Heart meditation group in Bethesda says that meditation can help reduce stress. Photo contributed

There is the expectation that we need to be available and informed all the time. This expectation wasnt in place 10 years ago. Kate Love

In her dimly lit basement in Great Falls, Mary Beth Kogod sounds a meditation bell that echoes through the room. The 12 people sitting on cushions in a circle around her close their eyes and listen to the gentle sounds of her voice.

If your mind begins to wander, gently guide it back to the sound of my voice, said Kogod, as she leads the group in a mindfulness meditation session.

The practice of meditating to aid with ills running the gamut from stress and anxiety to pain and depression is on the rise. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 18 million people practiced some form of meditation in 2015, and the number of Americans who engage in the practice has doubled over the last 15 years.

We have more smartphones and other electronics that consume us and give us constant access to stressful events we see on the news, said Kate Love, who runs the Open Mind-Open Heart meditation group in Bethesda. There is the expectation that we need to be available and informed all the time. This expectation wasnt in place 10 years ago.

Love says that while scientific research to back up these claims is limited, it is growing. For example, a study funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at NIH shows that mindfulness practices have a positive impact on insomnia.

Meditation usually entails sitting relatively still and quiet, as in Kogods meditation session, and focusing on one thing, such as a sound, an image or ones own breath.

I teach clients concentrative meditation where they focus on one thing, she said. I also teach mindful meditation where people try to cultivate a sense of awareness of what is happening in their body. For example, what thoughts pass through your mind as you sit quietly? What sounds do you hear? What emotions do you feel? The work comes when you notice these sensations and then let them go.

A 2011 study by the Association for Psychological Science showed that meditation can be effective in boosting memory and concentration. Settings for this mind-body practice now range from workplaces to classrooms.

Amber Wilson, a fourth grade teacher, guides her students in mindfulness meditation practices most afternoons during the school year. A lot of my students have difficult home environments which affects their ability to concentrate in school, she said. When I stop them between subjects and let them chill out a little bit, it really makes a difference in their performance, even after just five minutes.

Meditation can also help with addiction treatment, says Warren Schelter, Ph.D., a psychologist with a practice in Alexandria. It can instill a sense of calm and overall wellbeing, he said. Anxiety and depression often go hand-in hand with addiction, which is why a calming meditation practice might be effective for some people.

Schelter underscores the fact that meditation should not replace traditional medicine. I would recommend that anyone experiencing symptoms of mental or physical illness see a medical doctor first, she said. Mediation should work in conjunction with traditional medicine, not in place of it.

Read more:

Wellbeing: Meditation as Medicine - The Connection Newspapers - Virginia Connection Newspapers

Event Date:

09:30 to 12:30

Open your heart to love, on Saturday, July 15, and join Rev. Karen for a half-day retreat at Meditation Mount from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The world needs love, Rev. Karen says, and we are here to be it and express it. The morning will be devoted to inner reflection, wisdom talks, sacred music, and quiet walks on the beautiful grounds. Randee Vasilakos, registered Science of Mind Practitioner, will be available to assist with prayers for personal healing. People of all faiths and traditions, or no tradition, are welcome to attend. We have access to an inexhaustible supply of love, Rev. Karen says. It is our Nature; our true Self. We access that love through silence and in prayerwhether we pray with words, or simply remain in an open meditative state. Join us for a morning devoted to experiencing that Essence. The retreat is by donation; $10 is suggested. Meditation Mount is located at 10340 Reeves Road, Ojai. For more information, contact Rev. Karen at 310-968-8928, or register online at http://www.karenswylie.com.

Continue reading here:

Mid-Month Devotional Retreat at Meditation Mount - Santa Barbara Edhat

A new water aerobics program at Jacksonvilles Buckner Park pool has proven so popular this summer, city officials have given the green light to expand it from one to two days a week.

And assistant city manager Patty Crenshaw couldnt be more thrilled.

I knew it would be something the community would welcome, but I am really surprised at how it has embraced the program, she said, adding she was pleased by the response. When you offer something like this, you hope thats what theyre really wanting.

Already working with the American Red Cross to offer swim lessons and water safety classes, city leaders felt water aerobics might be a good way to round out its offerings this year.

Part of it was motivated by hiring Tonya (city recreation director Tonya Foluke), who had the talent and the training to be able to teach the class, Crenshaw said, noting the program began in June. The folks taking the class loved it so much, they asked if we could hold it two days a week.

The new class is definitely a popular one, Foluke agreed.

We held it from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, and weve had 17 inquiries for more classes from that first session, she said, describing classes as real laid back.

According to http://www.phase-iv.net - a website operated by the Phase IV Health & Performance Center, which is dedicated to improving the health and lifestyle of people of all ages - benefits of water exercise include: high calorie burning during and after workouts; renewal of energy levels; stress/tension relief; lowered risk of stress-related injuries due to buoyancy of water; and higher workout intensity due to water resistance.

You dont need any special equipment, the site notes, adding that water exercise is not restricted by outside temperatures.

And, Foluke said, its good for people who have joint problems, who may be recovering from any type of surgery - the water softens the impact (of the workout).

Cost of the program is $40 per month or $10 per class, with two classes offered from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, beginning July 4. They will be offered throughout the month of July, with plans to extend through the month of August.

Meanwhile, water safety/swimming classes for all ages also resume on July 4, and will be held as a two-week session, with a second session slated to begin July 18. Classes will be held Tuesday through Friday, beginning at 8 a.m., 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Cost is $40 per child per session; families enrolling more than one child receive a slight discount, at $30 assessed per child.

Courses, which are part of the American Red Cross swimming and water safety program, include Parent and Aquatics (for parents and children ages six months to three years); Preschool Aquatics (children ages 4-5); Learn-to-Swim (ages 6-12); and Adult Swim, for those ages 13 and older.

While swim lessons have been offered in the past in partnership with the YMCA, last year the department was scrambling to get the program into place, and ended up training its team of lifeguards through Red Cross.

I was very impressed with their water safety course - (lifeguards) have to pass a swimming test, a written test, have the ability to teach and must receive 50 hours of instruction, Crenshaw said, adding instructors began receiving training on June 19.

We had to wait for (several lifeguards) to finish school, so next year, we hope to stagger certifications so that every year, well be training someone for two-year certification, she said.

In doing so, the city will have top-trained instructors to oversee what Crenshaw calls a top-quality facility.

Were wanting to grow our aquatic program, because we have a quality pool, she said. We want to offer citizens inexpensive programs that have value (as well as provide opportunities for enjoyment).

We definitely want to implement programs that will help folks get into the pool, into Lake Jacksonville, and be safe while doing so, Foluke added.

Crenshaw agreed. If we can teach even the little guys about safety around water - if this helps to save one life - whatever the city spends on these programs is worth it, she said.

Those interested in lessons or water aerobics are invited to sign up during classes at Buckner Park pool, located at 119 Newbern St.

They also can visit the City of Jacksonville website, http://www.jacksonville-texas.com, or contact Tonya Foluke at 281-330-7568 to learn more.

See more here:

Water aerobics program creating huge splash at city pool this summer - Jacksonville Daily Progress

Five different gymnastics disciplines of artistic, rhythmic, trampoline, acrobatic and aerobics will all be showcased for the second successive European Games in Minsk in 2019, it has been confirmed.

Members of the European Union of Gymnastics (UEG) ruling Executive Committee voted in favour of participation in the Belarus capital with exactly the same programme as in Baku in 2015.

As well as the three Olympic disciplines of men and women's artistic, rhythmic and trampoline, this was considered particularly innovative at the inaugural 2015 event because it also included the non-Olympic aerobic and acrobatic ones on the same programme for the first time.

In acrobatics, gymnasts work together and perform routines consisting of acrobatic moves and dance and tumbling, while in aerobics, they perform continuously complex and high-intensity movement patterns to music.

There was no mention after the meeting, however, of any discussions towards incorporating another event such as parkour.

Parkour or obstacle course sprint, has been pioneered as the newest gymnastics discipline with an eye to eventual Olympic inclusion.

There has been fierce opposition from the grassroots parkour community, who claim the International Gymnastics Federation are trying to "hijack" the event, while there are also fears elsewhere that the ambitions of aerobics and acrobatics may be sidelined.

All five events are expected to be held within the 15,000 capacity Minsk Arena.

Competition is expected to take place from June 21 to 30 in 2019.

Holon in Israel was also awarded the 2019 European Championships in acrobatic gymnastics between October 21 and 27 during the Executive Committee meeting at their Lausanne headquarters.

The 2020 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships were also awarded to Kiev in Ukraine from May 22 to 24.

The next meeting of the UEGs Executive Committee is scheduled to take place on September 8 and 9 in the Swiss city.

The rest is here:

Acrobatic and aerobic gymnastics to return to European Games ... - Insidethegames.biz

Makana Aerobics and Fitness Club (MAFC) held its second annual aerobics marathon recently. The program was well attended by aerobics clubs from districts including Alfred Nzo, Joe Gqabi, Buffalo City Metro, Chris Hani, O.R Tambo district and Amatole District. One aerobics club travelled from Bloemfontein to take part.

Sarah Baartman District was represented by Makana Aerobics and Fitness club (MAFC).

The Health and Fitness program started with a 5km fun run with the assistance of Makana Traffic officers who escorted the athletes. The fun run was followed by the eight hour aerobics marathon.

The days programme was jointly assisted by Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Makana Municipality, Coca- Cola Company, Metropolitan Insurance Company, Pick n Pay Supermarket and other local businesses including Mfana Ndini Braai place, Nyama Rama Butchery, taxi industry.

The aerobics marathon (comprising five Hi-lo, Cater Box, Step Aerobics, Functional and Team),attracted 86 people, with 10 finishers in the fun run.

The event was well attended and MAFC think it served the purpose for which it was intended. We hope that next year when the event of this nature takes it will attract more enthusiasts than it did, said organiser Luzuko Mampofu.

Athletes seen during the eight hour aerobics marathon. Photo: Supplied

Some of athletes in the recent fun and sport. Photo: Supplied.

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Eight hours of aerobics - Grocott's Mail - Grocott's Mail Online

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Relaxation makes good on its name with a carefully curated station of mellow music. Listen to this station for a mix of genres that all share a chilled-out vibe.

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Relaxation Music - Listen to Relaxation - Free on Pandora ...

July 06, 2017

Can exposure to relaxing music help in the recovery of patients with heart failure?That is the question Dr Samia Toukhsati, Cardiology Research Fellow at Austin Health, is asking as part of an Australian Academy of Science AustraliaIndia EMCR Fellowship.

Heart failure is a major global public health problem. Up to 60% of patients do not adhere to their prescribed medication, partly due to perceived side effects.

Dr Toukhsatis research aims to reduce the risks associated with poor medication adherence in Indian heart failure patients, through music therapy. The trial builds on recent evidence of a positive effect of music exposure in Indian cardiovascular disease patients. Her co-investigators in the trial are Dr Abraham S Babu and Dr Padmakumar R from Indias Manipal University and Kasturba Medical College and Hospital.

Dr Toukhsati is one of four Australian scientists selected by the Academy from a competitive field of applicants to conduct research in 2017 at some of Indias leading research institutions.

The other Fellowship recipients are:

Academy President, Professor Andrew Holmes, said that the Fellowships are an important component of Australias engagement with global scientific enterprise and serve to strengthen existing ties between researchers in Australia and India, the worlds second-most populous country and an emerging scientific superpower.

These Fellowships support high-performing Australian researchers to work with leading Indian scientists at major institutions. They facilitate greater collaboration between our two countries on science, technology and innovation,said Professor Holmes.

Australian early- and mid-career researchers are invited to apply now for the 201819 AustraliaIndia Strategic Research Fund (AISRF) Early- and Mid-Career Researcher (EMCR) Fellowships.

They provide up to $40,500 for Australian researchers to travel to India and work with leading researchers at major Indian science and technology organisations for a period of between three and nine months.Applications close11 September 2017.

More about the fellowships

Excerpt from:

Young Australian researchers collaborate with emerging scientific superpower - Australian Academy of Science

This Job Made Me Fat! 10 Tips to Manage Your Workplace Stress

PSST, between you and me, have you gained weight since you started working?

I did. It happened when I worked as a fulltime nurse many years ago. I gained 20 pounds, but fortunately I found ways to get rid of the weight. I blamed my weight gain from the chronic stress I was experiencing. Back then, I had to work different shifts with varying work schedules. I developed crazy eating habits. The busier and more overwhelmed I got, the less healthy I ate at work and the more I ate at home. Emotional hunger took over and I ate comfort food to help me feel better about myself and how I did at work. The bottom line, the more I had on my plate at work, the wider my waist line got!

What is emotional hunger? In a nutshell, its eating to comfort the suffering that is experienced within. Unlike physical hunger where the stomach is empty, emotional hunger feeds the feelings of stress or emptiness inside. Regardless of the distress, comfort food or drinks are used to nurse and ease the discomfort. Job stress can lead to weight gain. In fact, research has shown that workplace stress is linked to unhealthy lifestyle habits that lead to smoking, obesity, and lack of exercise.

As a staff nurse, I had no eating pattern because of the nature of my job. I worked day and evening shifts. I worked every other weekend and some holidays. My work shifts ranged from eight to sixteen hours depending on the week. When I worked, I had little time to eat or enjoy my meal. I was constantly on the go and in demand. I found solace in the fact that I could always get a decent meal and snack when I got home no matter how late it was. The heavier I got, the more I took comfort in hiding my growing weight by wearing loose fitting and unstructured scrubs.

Workplace stress is real and escalating. Job demands are high in all industries, not just health care. According to a survey that Career Builder, did amongst 3,031 workers ages 18 and over, 2 out of 5 workers have gained weigh in their current job due to stress. Lets be real, there will be days when we have to shorten our breaks or eat on the run to get a big project done but that doesnt have to be the way to operate all the time.

10 Simple Ways to Manage Weight from Stress

Although stress levels are up, there are many techniques that we can use to help us feel good and look good at work.

Here are 10 simple ways to manage your weight despite workplace stress.

1. Drink the recommended 8-10 glasses of water a day. Hydration is important for our brain and body. Water increases the performance of our brain. Have a water bottle with you in the office.

2. Jot down your big and small wins during the day. This will make you feel good about yourself. This will help you focus on the good things that youve done during the day.

3. Pack your food the night before and plan on high protein snacks. Protein bars and nuts work really well to curb the appetite. Pack more for busy days.

4. Walk as much as you can at work. Take the stairs and park far away from your building. Ask a colleague to be your lunchtime walking buddy.

5. Listen to relaxing music or music that enhances attention at work. This will help keep your stress at bay and make you more productive.

6. Put chewing gum in your mouth instead of high calorie or fattening food. Chewing gum helps with focus.

7. Notice the triggers that make you upset and stressed at work. The more you recognize them the better you can avoid them or prepare yourself ahead of time.

8. Sleep. The more sleep, the merrier you will be. If you can, try taking a 10minute power nap from time to time.

9. Talk with a close friend and vent. Dont let your stress eat away at you. Find someone you can trust.

10. Eat your meals. Although there might be days when a meal is a handful of nuts and a bag of carrots, be grateful and acknowledge them as your meal so that you dont feel deprived and feel you can eat extra portions later on the day.

I hope these suggestions help you keep your cool and your weight under control in the midst of your busy days at work. To learn more about how you or your team can manage your stress, contact me at http://www.HealthandHappinessSpecialist.com to learn how I can help you. Heres to your health, happiness, and success!

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Excerpt from:

This Job Made Me Fat! - HuffPost

ABINGDON, Va. A new health spa on Main Street in Abingdon offers clients the same healing properties trusted by people centuries ago.

Salt of the Earth is a recreation of salt rooms or caves that exist naturally throughout the world. The modern healing rooms are popping up across the country with spas similar to the Abingdon business no closer than Asheville, North Carolina, according to owner Tonya Page.

Inhaling salt is very beneficial for people who suffer from allergies, asthma, colds, bronchitis and sinus conditions, she said.

The all-natural, holistic business is attracting clients from as far away as Greeneville, Tennessee.

A couple of years ago, I had a respiratory illness, so Im doing this as a preventive measure, said Karen Sorber, an Abingdon resident who was enjoying a salt therapy session. Its made a huge difference. I get a monthly membership when I come twice each week.

She traveled to Asheville for the salt therapy before the Abingdon business opened in June.

Salt therapy is proving to be a new lure for people who want to improve their health.

I think this town is catching up with other cool little towns in the country because more people are eating farm-fresh foods and going in for whats natural. Salt therapy just goes along with that. I guess you could say Salt of the Earth is getting back to the basics. Were going back to the basics with essential oils, herbs and salt that God put on Earth for us, said Page.

According to the business owner, salt therapy has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that clear toxins in the lungs and skin.

A 45-minute session is equivalent to several days at the beach, she said.

Salt therapy sessions begin at $22.50 for seniors, $15 for children, ages 4 to 17, and $25 for adults. Clients visit once to a few times each week, depending on their needs.

Salt therapy, also called halotherapy, supposedly originated centuries ago. According to Pages research, halotherapy more recently can be traced back to the mid-1800s, when a doctor in Eastern Europe discovered that salt mine workers had healthy respiratory systems, free from lung diseases suffered by those who didnt work in the mines.

The doctor concluded that the natural sodium chloride contained in the air in salt mines helped reduce inflammation in the lungs.

Therapy takes place in a climate-controlled room with a halogenerator machine that disperses a fine aerosol mist of high-grade sodium chloride particles and negative ions into the air.

Our bodies are constantly bombarded by positive ions from the use of cell phones, computers, microwaves, televisions and other electronics. Salt therapy provides negative ions to restore balance, said Page.

Dimly lit therapy rooms have comfortable chairs and relaxing music. Bare feet sink into a floor covered with 2,500 pounds of Himalayan pink salt from Pakistan. Himalayan pink salt bricks cover the walls for dcor and therapeutic purposes.

Its also good for headaches. The first week I opened, a client tried out the salt therapy and left saying her migraine was gone after suffering from it all day, she said.

Another client told me his son slept through the night without coughing after just one salt therapy. A client came in and told me she had been to urgent care for an ear ache. After salt therapy, she couldnt believe how her pain was completely gone.

Page was attracted to salt therapy after a sinus infection nearly landed her in the hospital for surgery a year ago. After she tried salt therapy at a spa in Asheville, she was sold on the holistic treatment.

One session made me feel the best I had felt in months. I knew Id be fine if I could use this treatment more often.

At 53, Page, was looking for a new career. She found and renovated a vacant building in town in March and opened the business three months later.

I think we needed a facility like this here in Abingdon. I dont know anyone who doesnt suffer with sinuses and allergies around here.

In addition to salt therapy, Page incorporated treatments with infrared therapy and red light therapy, both offering the healing power of wavelengths of light.

She said infrared energy increases circulation, reduces inflammation and promotes healing when delivered to injury sites and other painful areas.

Sorber, who visited the business last week, also received an infrared treatment.

I threw my back out lifting something heavy. Four ibuprofen pills didnt touch the pain. I took an infrared therapy, and there is no sign of it now. Im a big believer.

According to Page, red light therapy is a skin care treatment that speeds healing of conditions including acne, rosacea and sun spots. It fades scars and stretch marks, assists in boosting collagen, adds moisture to the skin and can stimulate hair growth over time.

Page is such a believer in the positive benefits of salt therapy, she sells salt products for home use, such as Himalayan salt blocks that can be used as cooking surfaces.

The flavor is amazing. You use so much less salt on your food, she said.

In addition, her business has salt lamps that help improve indoor air quality.

Page also enjoys the benefits of essential oils, many of which she stocks at her business. The oils are concentrated essences derived from different parts of plants. Many of the oils promote relaxation while others have anti-inflammatory properties.

To learn more about Salt of the Earth, visit the Facebook page or call (276) 477-4101 for reservations.

Carolyn R. Wilson is a freelance writer in Glade Spring, Virginia. Contact her at news@washconews.com.

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New salt spa in Abingdon offers a natural way to fight colds and allergies - Bristol Herald Courier (press release) (blog)