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WCSU announces spring 2019 wellness lectures, workshops

DANBURY, CONN. — The Western Connecticut State University Institute for Holistic Health Studies (IHHS) will present a number of lectures and workshops that focus on physical, mental and spiritual health and wellness in the coming months. The holistic and integrative health programs will be free and open to the public.

Two evening guest lectures will be at 7 p.m. in Room 127 of White Hall on the WCSU Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury.

  • Thursday, Feb. 26: “Integrative Medicine for Better Pain Management” presented by Mitchell Prywes, MD, medical director of The Center for Pain Rehabilitation, an integrative medicine practice in Danbury.
  • Tuesday, March 26: “Ayurveda an Art of Healthy Living” presented by Dr. (Vaidya) Jaya Daptardar, Ayurvedic physician, CEO and founder of Active Ayurveda and Yoga LLC. Daptardar concentrates on prevention and wellness, women’s health, nutrition, weight and lifestyle management, and the healing of arthritis, asthma, allergies, acne, digestion issues, chronic pain, mental health, stress-related illness, addiction and Ayurvedic therapies like Shirodhara, Nasya and more.

Additional IHHS events include the following Wellness Wednesday Workshops, which are free and open to the public at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays in Room 127 of White Hall on the WCSU Midtown campus:

  • Wednesday, Feb. 6: “Thoughts Shape Our Words and Actions,” presented by Cicely Greaves, owner and operator of REGARD. Greaves practices daily meditation and is a Reiki Master.
  • Wednesday, Feb. 27: “Healthy Habits, Healthy Eating” with Stravros Mastrogiannis, personal trainer and health coach, and owner of Live Your Way Thin in Danbury.
  • Wednesday, March 27: “Environmental Health Where You Call Home” presented by WCSU alumna, Holistic Lifestyle and Ecotherapy Coach Marcia Kendall. She is the host of “Sunday Soulstice” at 11 a.m. on WXCI, the campus radio station.

The ongoing Mudra meditation series will continue at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month in Room 103 of Warner Hall on the WCSU Midtown campus. The 2019 dates for this series are: Feb. 12, March 12, April 9, May 14, June 11, July 9, Aug. 13, Sept. 10, Oct. 8, Nov. 12 and Dec. 10. 

The Fourth Annual Health, Fitness and Wellness Fair at WCSU will be from noon to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in the Bill Williams Gym in Berkshire Hall on the WCSU Midtown campus. A popular annual event, the fair features local holistic practitioners and health-related organizations demonstrating their areas of expertise, often with free samples.

IHHS Director Christel Autuori planned the spring semester slate of events.

Autuori said, “The holistic and integrative approach to health and wellness is multifaceted and multidimensional. The word holistic relates to the whole person — body, mind and spirit — and encompasses many aspects and factors relating to health. The integrative approach blends the best of our conventional Western medical practices with the best of the non-Western (the alternative or complementary) healing modalities. The holistic and integrative approach to health, therefore, addresses the whole person and utilizes and delivers the best of Western medicine combined with the best of the non-Western modalities and practices: the best of both worlds intertwined in unified treatment plan.”

The IHHS is housed within the Department of Health Promotion and Exercise Sciences (HPX) at WCSU. It encourages the community to explore different aspects of holistic and integrative health through programming and instruction while promoting conventional healing and various traditional, modern and alternative practices.

For more information, contact Autuori at autuoric@wcsu.edu or the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.

 

Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.