Patty Thomas Shutt, Psy.D.In DBT Skills Group, the turtle serves as a role model of skillful living. The turtle moves slowly, methodically, and purposefully toward a goal or destination. It is highly sensitive to dangers and will retreat inwards to a safe place until the coast is clear (and no longer than necessary). When the turtle gets turned upside down it will use all its wisdom, strength, and will to right itself and it never gives up! It is flexible and can adapt to environments and intuitively moves in and out of the water in a way that sustains life. The turtle is physically shaped to allow things to roll off its back and uses the hard shell to protect from predators and harmful elements. The age-old tale of the tortoise

and the hare reminds us that slow and steady wins the race! We humans still think that faster is better and rush toward our goals and desires, when nature's ancient wisdom has been teaching us over and over to slow down. Committing to the life of a turtle starts with setting an intention to slow down. Often this requires us to wake up a few minutes early so we can start the day off with enough time and when you feel yourself picking up speed, pause…take a deep breath and recommit. Do not trust me that slowing down can offer you all that is listed above- try it because the proof is in doing it. Turtle on…..

Massage = Medicine?YES! Find out what it can do for you!

March-April 2013

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New at The Sacred Treehouse:"Re-Treat" yourself! Enjoy a private mini-retreat with a few close friends at The Sacred Treehouse. Select from massage, yoga, meditation, spa lunch and more. We will custom design a unique and personal package just for you!

Oasis News

Therapeutic Oasis of the Palm Beaches (561) 278-6033 Page 1

Christie Caggiani, RD, LD/NLiving with an eating disorder has been likened to surviving in a prison cell, feeling cut off from a meaningful life and devoid of power, despite the belief that holding onto it will increase control. So much energy is spent on staying in that jail, as the eating disorder works to further berate its prisoner. However, the more critical and judgmental the prisoner’s voice, the more the cycle spirals. It’s long been said that negative reinforcement is a poor motivator, and nowhere is that more true than in the recovery process. Research has brought to light that individuals with eating disorders exhibit lower levels of self-forgiveness, when compared to those without disordered eating. By stepping back and realizing that the function of the eating disorder was actually an attempt to feel better, to fix something, to find peace…only then can individuals begin to embrace compassion and forgiveness. Forgiving yourself and others for what’s been done or not done does not mean ignoring, but rather releasing yourself from the judgment and shame that burdens you and keeps you stuck. My wish for you is that you can forgive, and that in doing so you can move beyond the negative voice and truly reach your meaningful life, free from the prison of ED.

Therapeutic Oasis of the Palm Beaches ☯ 250 Royal Court, Delray Beach, FL 33444M

Forgive Your Way to FreedomTurtling

Nicole Friedman, Psy.D.Body image is defined according to how we think and feel about our bodies. However, one’s body image can be negatively affected by our thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and the rules and messages that were handed down to us. With a positive and healthy body image, women feel comfortable in their bodies and do not have a distorted perception of their shape and size. Women with positive body image define themselves from within; they are thankful for their bodies and relish in the amazing things their bodies do for them. They don’t measure their self worth by the size of their clothing, and do not allow a scale to determine the outcome of the day. Women with positive body image recognize that their body was designed just for them and that everyone is unique and beautiful in their own way. These women have let go of media and social influences, and do not engage in "fat talk.” They embrace their imperfections and accept their God-given genetics. These women know that quality people come in all shapes and sizes, and they end hopeless relationships based on food, weight, and appearance. Women with positive body images are kind to themselves and embrace their flaws. These women talk to their bodies like they talk to their best friend - with gratitude.With that said, I challenge each of you, in honor of Eating Disorder Awareness Month, to write down one positive body affirmation each day, and place it in a jar. Every time you begin to struggle with body image, dig into the jar and pull out an affirmation, reminding yourself that you are so much more than your body!

Beauty Is a State of Mind (Not a State of Body)

What are the benefits of slowing down?

·• Decrease in stress, mistakes, and energy loss

·• Increase in awareness, productivity, and vitality

·• Improved relationships

·• Improved health

·• Living an authentic life!

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.

~Lewis B. Smedes

Original artwork by Dale B

Therapeutic 561.278.6033

March/April 2013

Pre-registration suggested for all activities. Call 561.278.6033 for details.

Beginning Meditation Mondays 10:00 - 11:00 am

Radical Acceptance6-Week Book Study begins March 5th

Tuesdays 2:00 - 3:00 pm

Gentle YogaMonday & Wednesday 2:00 - 3:00 pm

Tuesday (Women Only) 6:00 - 7:00 pm

Vinyasa YogaMonday & Wednesday 8:30 - 9:30 am

Friday 9:30 - 11:00 am

Easy to Love - Difficult to Discipline 4-Week Parent Book Club

Begins April 4Thursdays 1:00 - 2:00 pm

Weathering Life's Storms for Parents Mini-workshop

Friday, April 12th, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Just for Kids:

Youth YogaSaturdays 10:00 am (Ages 9 & up)

Spring Break Mini-RetreatFriday March 22 & Monday March 25

9:00 am - 1:00 pm (Ages 7-9)2:00 pm - 6:00 pm (Ages 10-12)

Creative ExpressionsSelect Saturdays starts March 2

Ages 10 and upYouth Cooking & Mindful Eating-$40

Expressive Art- $50

Creative Flow: Yoga & ArtMondays 4:30 - 6:30 pm

Youth: Grades 1-5Teen: Grades 6 & Up

$30 per session

For additional offerings and more details call 561.278.6033 or visit

www.SacredTreehouse.org

Oasis News March-April 2013 Page 2

O asis

Angela Ahmadi, Massage TherapistExperts estimate that 80 percent to 90 percent of disease is stress-related. Did you know that massage and bodywork can reduce that frightening number by helping us remember what it means to relax? The physical changes massage brings to your body can have a positive effect in many areas

of your life. Besides increasing relaxation and decreasing anxiety, massage lowers blood pressure, increases circulation, improves injury recovery, encourages deep sleep, and increases concentration. It reduces fatigue and gives you more energy to handle stressful situations. Massage is a perfect elixir for good health, but it can also provide an integration of body and mind. By producing a meditative state or heightened awareness of the present moment, massage can provide emotional and spiritual balance, bringing with it true relaxation and peace.The incredible benefits of massage are doubly powerful if taken in regular "doses." Researchers from the Touch Research Institute (TRI) at the University of Miami, found that recipients of massage can benefit even in small doses (15 minutes of chair massage or a half-hour table session). They also note that receiving bodywork two to three times a week is even more beneficial. While this may not be feasible, it's nice to know that this "medicine" only gets better with frequency. Try it for yourself!Angela Ahmadi provides therapeutic massage services at The Sacred Treehouse. Call 561.278.6033 to schedule an appointment.

Massage: The Perfect Elixir

People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.

- Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

Caroline Wybar, Yoga InstructorOne of my favorite interpretations of the word yoga is that offered by T.K.V. Desikachar: "to attain what was previously unattainable."  He writes, "The starting point for this thought is that there is something today that we are unable to do; when we find the means for bringing that desire into action, that step is yoga."  As we begin 2013, with fresh resolve and bright dreams for the year ahead, it seems fitting to consider yoga as a process by which we realize change.People had been telling me to do yoga for years.  I remember trying a class in my mid-twenties, but I am naturally very inflexible and I found the classes to be difficult and intimidating.  I was discouraged because there was so much that I could not do.  It wasn't until New Years a few years ago that my journey with yoga really began.  At that time, I needed relief from a gnawing sense of fear that was keeping me from doing the things in life that I wanted to do.  A few blocks from my house, I noticed a peach-colored building with the word "YOGA" printed in big block letters across the window.  On a whim, I decided to stop in.  I signed up for a beginner's class, and even though much of it felt awkward to me, I noticed how good I felt at the end.  And so I went back.  And I kept going back.  Yoga touched me at a moment in my life when I was ready to be set free.  In those first six months of practicing, it felt like I was being rewired from the inside out.  As it turns out, that feeling wasn't far from fact.  Yoga works directly on our nervous system.  The feeling of peace that I felt at the end of class lasted only a few seconds at first, but eventually it grew until it became the center around which I organize myself.  Yoga allowed me for the first

time as an adult to truly come home to my body. Whatever change you may be seeking in your life, whatever your hopes for the year to come, I invite you to explore the dynamic adventure of yoga.  With the emphasis placed on listening one's own body and allowing change to occur according to its own intrinsic logic, yoga classes at the Sacred Treehouse provide students with a uniquely supportive atmopshere in which to roll out their mats!

A Yoga Story

The Oasis Team:

Top Row: Anni Johnston, LMHC;

Patty Thomas Shutt, Psy.D.; Caroline Wybar

Bottom: Angela Ahmadi; Nicole Friedman, Psy.D.;

Clara Bossie, LMFT; Jestine Alonso; Stephanie

Burstein; Christie Caggiani, RD

New!