The O+ Festival’s health component provides Free Health Services to all participating artists and volunteers.
Public SELF HEALTH SEMINAR with Yoga and Meditation
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC SATURDAY OCT. 8, from 1:30 to 4;30 with presentations from four yoga and meditation teachers some of whom are also licensed psychologists, nutritionists, social workers and counselors as well. Following their presentations, there will be a Q&A session, then smaller group breakout session in yoga or meditation. It is our hope that this event will help educate people in new and health ways to address old issues as well as garner new tools to keep themselves well and balanced in mind, body and spirit.
The seminar will originate in the The Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Building at 300 Wall Street on the corner with John Street. Breakout sessions will take place there, at The Yoga House (57 Crown Street), Mudita Yoga (243 Fair Street), and at 311 Wall Street.
KUNDALINI YOGA AND SOUND HEALING GONG BATHS
There will be three one hour long classes of Kundalini Yoga followed by hour long Sound Healing Gong Baths led by certified instructor Jamie Leigh Reilly on Saturday, 10/8 at 11 am and 7 pm and Sunday 10/9 at 11 am. All will be located in 311 Wall Street. Read more about Jamie and her O+ offerings here.
Read more about our session leaders:
Sondra Loring, E-RYT
Sadhana Center for Yoga
Satya Yoga
Sondra fell in love with yoga while dancing professionally in New York City. She traveled to India to study Ashtanga yoga with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and continued to study Ashtanga in New York City with Eddie Stern and Iyengar yoga with Genevieve Kapuler. She currently studies regularly with senior Iyengar teacher Carrie Owerko. Sondra returned to India to study vedic chanting with M.A. Jayashree and yoga therapy at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram. Her classes are loved for their graceful flow of movement, their quality of devotion, and their sense of community. Sondra opened Sadhana Center for Yoga and Meditation in 2003, and is the co-director with Jessie Lee Montague of Satya Yoga Center in Rhinebeck and Catskill. She co-directs the teacher training programs at both studios.
Cassandra Currie, MS, RYT
For Cassandra Currie, personal and psychological wellness and health is an ongoing process which is ultimately about aligning and integrating the many different aspects of who we are and how we function in the world The way we eat, the way we feel, we move physically and emotionally in the world, and relate to others is interrelated and interdependent. Each of these reflects and affects each other in an undeniable way. Whether I am teaching yoga, or providing nutritional counseling, or offering individual or couples therapy ( or combining all three modalities) my approach emphasizes developing and maintaining congruency in how we see and experience our selves which, I believe, leads to greater balance, joy, and an overall sense of well-being. For instance, as we become more flexible, strong and confident in our bodies through the practice of yoga, we not only begin to gain a greater understanding and consciousness of our bodies but also a greater sense of overall self-awareness — our minds begin to fall in line. A more intuitive approach to our own well-being becomes more accessible. What foods seem right for my body? Which relationships are feeding me and which are draining me and have, more or less, outlived their usefulness? What other behaviors are limiting me or getting in my way? Consistent with the tradition of Ayurveda, my counseling work relies on tuning into the natural intelligence of the body. My intention when working with clients is to help them become reacquainted with their natural state of balance and well-being, not only through proper nutrition but also through making and creating life-style choices and modifications which lead to greater nourishment.
Dr. Linda Loretta, LCSW, MSW
Linda Lauretta, LCSW is a psychotherapist and peacebuilder. She has over 16 years of individual and group counseling experience as well as workshop presentation and facilitation with a specialization in empowerment, self-healing and meditation. She is a council member of the United Religions Initiative – Mid-Hudson Valley and a UN Representative for The Wittenberg Center for Alternative Resources. Linda has also organized and produced several events for International Day of Peace and World Peace and Prayer Day. Her peacebuilding efforts focus on fostering inter-cultural and religious understanding and cooperation through the use of dialogue, music, art and multi-faith presentations. Workshops offered are centered on Lifestyle Management and Self-Improvement.
Susan Manley-Pelosi, LSCW, RYT
Susan Manly teaches Social Work Practice in Group Formation at the Columbia University School of Social Work (CUSSW). She received her M.S.W. from Hunter College School of Social Work in 1992. Ms. Manly has worked with many vulnerable populations including the seriously and persistently mentally ill, adults and children infected and affected by AIDS and the homeless. She is the Director of Mental Health Services at Safe Horizon’s Streetwork Project, working with homeless and street-involved youth. Ms. Manly is a member of Mental Health Professionals in Harm Reduction and the Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups. Susan is a social work educator, a clinician in private practice and a yoga teacher. Susan currently teaches the fundamentals of social work practice at the NYU School of Social Work and yoga at DaytopVillage and the Tivoli Town Hal, both in the Hudson Valleyl. She is grateful to her teachers who have generously passed along their skills and wisdom to her and for the transformative power of yoga in her life.
