Virtual First Friday

Carbondale’s First Friday Virtual Celebration
Friday, April 3rd from 6-8 p.m.
via Thunder River Theatre Company’s ThunderStream.

Connect with places you like, hang with friends you love, discover new spots, experience art and culture and, most of all, participate in community. Sponsored by the Carbondale Creative District, TRTC and the Carbondale Chamber.

It will be broadcast on @thunderrivertheatrecompany ‘s Facebook Live as well as their YouTube channel, ThunderStream (link in bio) Thank you kindly to the participants and to our First Friday sponsors @carbondale and @efirstbank

Message from Davi Nikent Center for Human Flourishing

Hello all you amazing Carbondale “Stay at Homers”

I’m Rita Marsh co-founder and board chair of Davi Nikent Center for Human Flourishing

In usual times I would be with fellow board members and volunteers greeting you at the Carbondale Recreation Center with a roomful of complementary practitioners, wellness business entrepreneurs and the fabulous staff members from the Rec Center. We’d be sharing our ideas, tools and wares to support you in living active healthy lives – attaining human flourishing.

Not so this year.

I trust you are all doing well and most of all I trust you are following the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and from Governor Polis and the Colorado Public Health for remaining healthy and vibrant during the period of mandatory stay at home. Garfield County offers daily updates from the Garfield County Emergency Operations Center on their website at https://garfieldcounty.net/. You can subscribe to these daily updates tp be sent to your phone/home computer.

I am confident that if we follow the guidelines and have a compassionate caring attitude for ourselves, our family members and all community members we will see our way through this very challenging situation.

Our organization Davi Nikent Center for Human Flourishing has adapted the Integral Health model developed by Dr Elliott Dacher as a mean to select the programs workshops films seminars we bring to the community fron our home base at Third Street Center. During these “Stay at Home” days we are continuing to offer programs on the internet through ZOOM. Check these out on the Events Calendar on the website and tune in.

The Integral Health model can be used as a guide to maintain a state of optimum health and emotional wellbeing. Essentially the picture on the screen depicts me as a human being with a body, a mind and a spirit. All areas must be cared for attended to create an optimum state of human flourishing.

An area of significance at this time is the physical/biological realm where attention to nutrition – good healthy fresh foods, avoiding processed foods and hydration with water water water avoiding caffeinated beverages and alcohol are foundational. Having the capacity to self regulate food and beverage intake can be especially challenging in high stress situations. Join Dr. Greg Feinsinger on ZOOM Monday evening at 7 pm to learn more about optimum nutrition for this time and beyond. Exercise is essential – as little as a 20 minute walk each day, a hour bike ride and add a stretching movement practice – yoga, tai chi qi gong. Many local teachers are offering on line classes. Check with the Carbondale Recreation Center website. Most of all Get out in the sunshine!

As time Is limited this evening I will emphasize the Psychospiritual segment of the model – over on the upper left. There are 3 lines of development – emotional, conative and cognitive. For more information you can watch recordings of presentations I did on the IH model Tues Mar 31^st and Thurs April 1^st posted on the Events Calendar on the Davi Nikent website. See address at the bottom of this screen.

I leave you with one tool that will support you in creating a space of peace, calm and compassion for your self and for others. This is a practice developed by the folks at Heart Math Institute.

Step 1: Focus your attention in the area of the heart. Imagine your breath is flowing in and out of your heart or chest area, breathing a little slower and deeper than usual.

Suggestion: Inhale 5 seconds, exhale 5 seconds (or whatever rhythm is comfortable.)

Step 2: Make a sincere attempt to experience a regenerative feeling such as appreciation or care for someone or something in your life.

Suggestion: Try to re-experience the feeling you have for someone you love, a pet, a special place, an accomplishment, etc. or focus on a feeling of calm or ease.

Step 3: Extend the feeling of appreciation and compassion out into the world to your family neighbors community members people in the State of Colorado, in the US and around the globe – perhaps send an extra boost of compassionate caring to the people in the health care professions who are on the front lines caring for the thousands who are affected by the virus.

In closing I offer a quote from their global care website of Heart Math Institute:

“Increasing our kindness, compassion and cooperation will soon be realized as highly intelligent efficient street sense not just spiritual disciplines.

The new spiritual is to bring these qualities of the heart to the street in our interactions with each other. Most of us feel we want more harmonious interactions, but we have to step into it with our heart’s intention in order to change old habit imprints.

We can and will eventually do this. It’s who we all are at the core.”

From my heart to yours! Be Well!