Peace Project Weekend: A Great Success!

Our recent Peace Project Weekend (January 30th and 31st and February 1st) was both a new event for us and a resounding success. What made it a success was the amazing drop-in crowd that showed up and the wonderful volunteers who made the space so welcoming and informative. One of the aspects of living in balance that we at Sattvic Space believe in is gratitude and now is the time fro some well-deserved appreciation.

Where to begin?  Dilip Sarkar led the Ayur-Yoga Therapy class on Saturday  morning and we are always  grateful for the consistent and knowledgeable expertise that he graciously shares with us. The kitchen was busy with Deepti Kumar and William MacDonald getting ready a butternut soup, spiced tea, and Indian Kichadi, which was welcomed by all after the class. Yum!

Terri Lessor led a Peace conversation in the Sun room which had been rendered beautiful and tidy by Ranell Valdez, Maury, and Tom Kuntz who spent hours getting it done. Dr. Topalli’s Chesapeake Ayurveda class loaned us a fascinating and informative power-point presentation about the doshas and Maura Lansing and Priesh Kumar helped with tongue and pulse diagnosis. Swami D from the Soma Matha Spiritual Center in Richmond did pulse diagnosis of doshas with recommendations of herbs  both Saturday and Sunday; his expertise and advice is invaluable as was his devotee, Kevin.

Woven in this delightful weekend  was music, drumming, and dancing which the dynamic and compassionate Charisse Minerva Spencer provided with her talented and energetic cast of skilled performers. Special gratitude for Ana Maria Lugo, yoga teacher, and her family who shared information about essential oils and malas. Her daughter created a mandala for the occasion and she, her brother, and her father were in the sun room most of Saturday to welcome all.

Bernadette Jobs, formerly of the Ayurvedic Institute, New Mexico, who is now with Norfolk Accupuncture, demonstrated her expertise with body work, core synchronicity, and marma points. Her interest in us and her compassion is unfailing. Maury Cooke, co-owner of Sattvic was intensely omnipresent and contributed his usual breath work Ayur-yoga class Sunday morning—Yes, he does do it all!

Last but by no means least, Julia Dorsey-Loomis and family attended and participated in the last of the dances  on Sunday. Julia also loaned us her PEACE placard, and, Volunteer Renee helped in the kitchen during lunch.

We all had a great time and both Martin Luther King  and Ghandi would have loved it!

Mary Johnston, (volunteer)

William is a RYT 200 Yoga Certified and Life-Coach at Sattvic Space. William has over 20+ years as a New York Licensed Clinical Social Worker who specialized in post-traumatic disorders, addiction recovery and marriage counseling. William is trained in Gestalt therapy, psychodrama and healing the inner child. William has also been part of various 12-step recovery communities for over 20 years. His passion is in the integration of Western psychology and 12-step healing modalities with the ancient Eastern forms of healing of yoga, meditation, and Pancha Karma.

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Being an Ayur-Yoga instructor, Maury was introduced to the practice of mantra and meditation over 30 years ago, after the death of his mother. The practice then saved his life after the tragic loss of his son. He has made countless trips to his Ashram in Rishikesh, India to study Ayurvedic healing, meditation and Ayur-yoga. Maury is also the co-founder of Inward Bound Mindfulness Education (iBme). iBme is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of teens, parents, and professionals. Through mindfulness retreats, iBme helps participants cultivate awareness, compassion, and kindness for themselves, others, and the natural world.

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Charisse Minerva has a diversified background that crosses health/healing, science, arts (performance & visual), education, contemplative practices, and community development. With decades of experience she brings them together as Art Therapy. Her classes offer multiple layers of satisfaction; fun, healthy, healing and strength building (physically, musically, artfully, emotionally and spiritually).   Come have a great time growing together.

BS: MCV/VCU

MA: NYU Tisch School of the Arts (Dance Anthropology)

Urban Arts Center (UAC) Director: 15 years

Performance Companies: Dance, Theatre, Music

Mindfulness Teacher/Trainer: All ages & levels

Drummer/ Percussionist

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Carol has been practicing yoga for over 10yrs.  Her first contact with yoga was to improve her athletic performance, and later to release back tightness and also to find peace of mind. She holds a Master’s Degree in Exercise Science, and completed her 200hr Yoga teacher certification from Sivananda International Yoga school, and is currently working on her 500hr Advanced Yoga Teacher under Lisa Asha Rapp.  Carol has 13yrs combined teaching experience as a Physical Education teacher and also Yoga.  She teaches Yoga at TNCC as well as at Sattvic Space. Carol holds a special interest in Integral Yoga for wellness, healing, therapy and improving ones overall quality of life.  Passionate about yoga as a whole, she looks for opportunities to teach yoga as it applies to our daily lives; empowering students to overcome their difficulties through the breath.  She likes to challenge the limitations of the mind through yoga, so that in the end it brings peace, calm & serenity. “Yoga is a way to free the mind”

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Dr. Abha Gupta is an Ayur-Yoga instructor with Sattvic Space.

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Terri is a LifeForce Yoga Level I instructor with over 20 years of experience in mental health and social services.

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Dr.Dilip is one of the foremost experts in Yoga Therapy combining his 45-year experience in Conventional Western Medicine with his extensive knowledge of Integrative Medicine, including Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy. 

Dr. Sarkar’s passion for yoga and the Ayurvedic healing modalities came after suffering a near fatal heart attack. Dr. Sarkar was an Associate Professor of Surgery at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia, and Chairman of the Department of Surgery and Chief of Staff at Portsmouth General Hospital. He is a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner who is passionate about the integration of Yoga Therapy, Mind/Body Connection, Ayurvedic Wellness, Integrative Nutrition, and Integrative Medicine.
He currently is President, Board of Directors, American Heart Association, Hampton Roads, Virginia; Chairman, School of Integrative Medicine, Taksha University, Hampton, Virginia; President, Board of Directors, International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT).

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Sue began practicing yoga in 2001 as a way to stretch and relieve stress.  After developing a regular practice, Sue noticed great improvement with back pain.  In order to share the healing effects of yoga with others, she decided to become a yoga teacher.  Since her certification as a yoga instructor, Sue has been teaching Hatha, Vinyasa, and Yin style classes.

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Jerusha, received her certification as a Holistic Health Practioner from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and American Association of Drugless Practioners. She is a registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance and a certified Reiki, Neuromuscular Massage Therapist and Integrative Nutrition Specialist. She has training in Art Therapy, Pastoral Care and is currently studying for her PhD in Holistic Health and Integrative Nutrition. 

Jerusha is a believer in the philosphy of Buddha, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” and Jesus, “What you do for the least of them; you do for me also.” With each student/client she uses a combination of different modalities to treat the whole person; not just symptoms or ailments. Jerusha’s in-depth training in spirituality, mindfulness meditation, Neuro-Linguistic (belief) repatterning and Yoga Therapeutics are a rare combination of healing modalaties to create a wholeheartedly blessed person; living an exuberantly passionate, authentic life.

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Nada

TJ Williams (Nada) lives in the D.C. Area. She is a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner – Dhanvanatari Ayurveda, Norfolk, VA,. She also has completed: Advanced Clinical Internship – Ayuskama Ayurveda Institute, Rishikesh, India and Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor – Kerala Ayurveda Academy, Fremont, CA. She is currently enrolled in Ayurvedic Wellness Practitioner – Kerala Ayurveda Academy, Fremont, CA (Pending – Feb 2017). Nada is the founding Director of Y.O.G.A. – Your Organization for Global Ayurveda, A Non-Profit Organization for the unification of Ayuvredic practices globally.

Nada is also a Musician/Composer, Spiritual Enthusiast, Vedic Chanter, Ordained Clergy ( Vaidyacharya) with the Church of Spiritual Humanism.

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Neve has been a yoga practitioner off and on since 2003. After several car accidents, it became apparent to her that she would be practicing yoga the rest of her life in order to self-heal daily. She received her RYT 200 teaching certificate in Hatha alignment-based yoga at Health Advantage Yoga Center in 2012. Neve has studied many different styles of yoga under various senior teachers. She is drawn to Ayurveda and Tantra as they teach all of life is sacred. With 14 years of teaching experience in various physically related activities, Neve enjoys guiding her students along the yoga path of self-discovery. Her classes tend to be more playful in nature yet with an element of reverence for the Divine.

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After spending 25 years dedicating her life to corporate America in varied fields such as banking & finance, information technology and business development; Denise made the switch to her lifelong passion of helping others take a leadership role in their health. Denise is trained to focus on preventive healthcare with a specific focus on diet and lifestyle utilizing the principals of Ayurveda in a way that is practical and easy to comprehend.  She also provides a variety of body therapies designed to correct imbalances and promote harmony of the mind and body.  Her desire is to take the principals of Ayurveda back to corporate America to provide modern ways of implementing this ancient science for coping with modern day stresses and health challenges. 

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Aruna currently offers Hatha and Yin Yoga. She completed her yoga teacher training at Chesapeake Hot Yoga on June 5, 2006, Yin Yoga training in March, 2012 and her 500 RYT course in Multi Style Yoga in March 2012.

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Mary/Archa came to Sattvic Space after graduating from Vijaya Stallings class in Ayurveda. She then went on to complete an Associates degree in Ayurveda in 2015. As a citizen of Portsmouth where she was raised, she is thrilled to have a yoga and Ayurvedic center near her home. Mary is a retired nurse and counselor and has been a volunteer with Sattvic since its conception in 2013. She met Maury Cook in 2008 when they completed 200-hour yoga training in Norfolk. She has been active with Maury teaching Pranayama practice and volunteers to help with Ayurvedic treatments and decorating the Space with flowers from her mother’s garden.

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Carolina began practicing Yoga in 2013 at Shanti Yoga Shala in New Orleans after battling chronic illness for over a decade. After two years of steady practice and tremendous improvement to her health, she felt a strong desire to better understand Yoga and began practicing Ashtanga Yoga and immediately knew it was what I had been searching for.  In May 2016  she moved to Louisville, KY and continued practicing Ashtanga and Hatha Yoga at Yoga East and graduated in April of 2017 from Yoga East 200 hour teacher training program. She is knowledgeable in Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy and interested in how both can help people suffering from illness or chronic pain.

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Alfred, our Art Director, has been drawing since he could pick up a pencil. By elementary school, he was accepted into Old Donation School for the Gifted. In the Marine Corps during war-time deployments, he completed several mixed media murals in remembrance of fellow Marines who sacrificed their lives. Alfred completed his degree in Graphics Design and specializes in original hand-drawn, computer-enhanced designs. As a published artist, he is known for detailed illustrations found in several books. But his true passion is fine art, including acrylics as well as pen and ink. He also enjoys teaching art to kids of all ages, and spends his time managing, renovating, and beautifying Sattvic Space.

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