Things are booming at Third Root since the New Year, and we continue to get more press and more volunteers. In response to ally organizations and the interests of the community around Third Root, we are working on building more yoga programs for specific communities: Yoga for Re-entry, a program for the formerly incarcerated; Yoga for HIV and AIDS; and Yoga for Veterans! Currently we are building our relationships with these communities and the organizations that serve and represent them, so stay tuned this spring!
In this email:
- Put Third Root in Your 2009 Giving Plan
- Third Root's Herbal Education Program
- Yoga Program Update
- January and February Community Health Workshops
Put Third Root in Your 2009 Giving Plan!
Third Root Community Health Center has been built from small donations and loans from our communities. Although our services are now meeting our costs and paying us a (small) wage, we still have more programs to build, outreach to do, renovations to finish in the basement, and a few other details to seal. We are trying to raise $12,000 by the end of March 2009.
We know that you come to us for healthcare, for classes, and pay for our services. In addition to providing healthcare to you, we are also building a new model of holistic care, trying to prove that everyone can receive this care AND we can simultaneously sustain ourselves as a small business. Race, gender, immigration status, gender identity, ability, age, and so many other factors consistently push communities away from quality care — Third Root strives to address those factors in our very structure! Please consider making a donation of $20-$250 in the coming months to ensure that our doors stay open and we continue to offer you quality care and programs. Go to our website at thirdroot.org and press the “Donate” button or send it to our address at the bottom of this update — thank you greatly!
Third Root’s Herbal Education Program Begins February 21!
Announcing Third Root’s Herbal Education Program! This will be a 12-week introductory herbalism course beginning on February 21. This course will take place Saturdays at Third Root from 3-6pm and costs $600. Scholarships and payment plans are available — just email us at events@thirdroot.org or call us at 718-940-9343.
You will learn about more than 30 local medicinal plants that grow through the cracks in our own streets, which body systems they help and how that system works, how to make medicine from these local medicinal herbs, and how to identify them in the wild. We ask that you be committed to the entire 12-week session and bring an open heart. If you are interested, please attend the Information Session at 3pm on February 7.
About the instructors:
Jacoby Ballard is one of the founders of Third Root Community Health Center in Flatbush, and has been an herbalist for five years after attending the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine. He has taught workshops around Brooklyn and the Northeast for the past few years and is excited to put it into one cohesive program! Jacoby believes in re-learning these ancient traditions of empowering healthcare that we have lost in our communities.
Karen Rose is a mother of three and a certified herbalist in Western Medicine. Karen is charismatic with a passion for teaching herbal medicine. Karen has been teaching herbal medicine since 2003. She combines challenging study with humor and a grand sense of adventure.
Yoga Program Update
New Yoga Class: Yoga for Youth! Every Saturday 12.15-1.15pm, ages 11 to 18 for youth interested in building flexibility, balance, and strength. Beginners are welcome: wear comfortable clothes that can stretch.
Yoga en Español and Yoga Without Limits are frozen until further notice. These are both programs that we are committed to at Third Root, but with low attendance in the last few months have realized that we need to build more relationships with the surrounding Latino community and healthcare providers and community centers that serve differently-abled people. Please look for the return of these classes in the coming months.
You have asked for it: Third Root will soon be offering Prenatal Yoga. So far we have heard from our students that most prenatal classes in Brooklyn are during the day, which makes it difficult for pregnant people who need to work. We want to hear from you when will be the best time for you pregnant ones to have this class: Sundays at 12pm, Sundays at 3pm, or Tuesdays at 5pm? Let us know in the next few weeks; we hope to have this program going by the first week of February.
Upcoming Community Health Workshops in January and February
January 17, 1.30pm
Prevention and Treatment of the Flu with Homeopathy with Erika Simonian
$5-$10
Homeopathy is a holistic system of healing that is incredibly effective in treating acute illnesses such as winter flus, coughs and colds. Remedies are chosen based on a combination of physical, mental and emotional symptoms, with an emphasis on what is unique about each individual case. We’ll discuss how to prescribe homeopathic remedies at home for these typical winter acutes, covering several remedy pictures and learning how to take an acute case in order to find the most specific remedy for each situation. Homeopathic remedies are natural, non-toxic and non-invasive and have been shown to be efficacious in rapidly turning around acute situations.
Erika Simonian is a classical homeopath with a private practice in Manhattan. She is a graduate of the School of Homeopathy, NY and her post-graduate study includes clinic work in India with Rajan Sankaran’s Bombay School. For more information, visit her website at ny-homeopathy.com.
January 31, 1.30pm
Fighting Fatigue with Summer Kriegshauser
$10-$20
A 1 1/2 hour workshop giving information about how to rid yourself of fatigue. Summer will discuss some causes of fatigue, from stress to unhealthy diet, and how everyone can make adjustments using diet and lifestyle and fight the fatigue that is found in their daily lives.
Summer Kriegshauser is a chef and nutrition coach that specializes in healthy, whole, organic food and the power of food and natural remedies to heal the body and bring it back into balance. She cooks for people who are fatigued, giving them a diet that will assist their personal needs, and she coaches people via phone who fight fatigue regularly.
February 7, 1.30pm
Build your Immune System Naturally with Karen Rose, local herbalist
You can prevent the flu and other ailments! This workshop will cover the use of herbs, how the immune system works, and which herbs benefit the immune system. Come learn how to take care of yourself and your loved ones this winter season!
Karen Rose is a mother of three and a certified herbalist in Western Medicine. Karen is charismatic with a passion for teaching herbal medicine. Karen has been teaching herbal medicine since 2003. She combines challenging study with humor and a grand sense of adventure.
February 14, 1.30pm
Partner Yoga! with Ambyr and Rebecca, Third Root Yoga Instructors
$25 for two, $15 for one
Take some time to have fun and unwind this Valentine’s Day. Bring a partner with you — or find one at the workshop! Stretch as a team, and find your inner strength together. The first half of the workshop will include a warm-up, deep breathing, and some partner yoga poses. The second half will be an introduction to thai yoga massage, allowing time for each partner to give and receive a massage. Thai yoga therapy is a great way to release tension in the legs, hips, and lower back, and is done with loose-fitting yoga-type clothing on the floor. Please wear long yoga pants to the workshop.
Ambyr D’Amato received her 500-hour Advanced Teacher’s Certification from Atmananda Yoga in New York City. Ambyr is an Anatomy for Yoga teacher and also teaches Prenatal Yoga and Thai Yoga Therapy. She credits yoga and healthy lifestyle as the primary method for successfully losing over one hundred pounds. She inspires her students to understand that a safe, fun, and vigorous Vinyasa flow is part of a healthy practice for most body types. A composer, singer, and songwriter, Ambyr holds a degree in performance arts from American Musical and Dramatic Academy.
February 21, 1.30 pm
Leisure Awareness with Joel Jules, Third Root Yoga Instructor
$10-$20
This is an interactive workshop where participants are given a chance to explore the different ways that they use leisure/recreational activities for overall wellness. Discussion is made on how different cultures perceive leisure participation and the effect it has on the culture and its individuals. Hand outs will be given, and participants will share how they are involved with leisure participation in these five areas: physical, social, cognitive, emotional, and spiritual.
Joel Jules has had an M.A. in leisure awareness and therapeutic recreation. He has conducted this workshop with the mental health community, seniors, differently-abled people, and social services.
Thank you once again for all of your support in a myriad of ways. So many people have helped us build this place, from dozens of volunteers to those who have given small loans and gifts. Thank you — you are part of Third Root.
Much love to our Beloved Community,
Angela, Green, Jacoby, Ji-Hye, John, Julia, and Romina
Third Root Community Health Center Practitioners and Cooperative Members
380 Marlborough Rd, Brooklyn, NY 11218
Q Train to Cortelyou Rd.
718-940-9343
www.thirdroot.org
P.S. To our Loose Leaves blog readers: If you want to receive these updates via email, drop a line to jacoby@thirdroot.org and ask to be added to our mailing list.
