WCSU opens new wellness suite and meditation garden

DANBURY, CONN. — Western Connecticut State University will hold the grand opening of its new campus Wellness Suite and Meditation Garden on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony and opening will be from 4 to 6 p.m. in Berkshire Hall Room 119 on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. The workshop and the new center are sponsored by the Health Promotion and Exercises Sciences Department and the Institute for Holistic Health Studies at WCSU.

The new space has been transformed into an oasis of peace and serenity promoting health of the body, mind and spirit. A common room provides space for small workshops, guided meditation and yoga. There are also three treatment rooms used for individual Reiki, massage, nutrition counseling or health coaching appointments. The sense of peace and tranquility extends to the outdoors in the meditation garden next to Berkshire Hall.

The new director of the Institute for Holistic Health Studies at WCSU, Christel Autuori, began her dental career as a chairside dental assistant. A graduate of Forsyth School for Dental Hygienists and the University of Bridgeport, she earned a master’s degree in Integrative Health and Healing and is a certified Integrative Health Coach, trained at Duke Integrative. She is a registered yoga teacher, a certified AcuYoga instructor, and a certified Holistic Stress Management Instructor, and holds active dental hygiene licenses in Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts.

“I have been passionate about the holistic and integrative approach to health and healing for several years and am completely enjoying my focus here on campus,” said Autuori. “With the new Wellness Center and Meditation Garden, we have a physical space in which to provide educational opportunities not only for the campus community, but the community at large. The healing power of nature is powerful medicine in itself. Take a moment to enjoy the natural beauty and experience the healing that Mother Nature can provide.”

Autuori teaches yoga and maintains a private health coaching and stress management practice in Ridgefield. An active volunteer with the Connecticut Mission of Mercy, she has developed and implemented programs of dental and community health education in rural Honduras with the humanitarian organization, Cape CARES.

The Institute for Holistic Health Studies at WCSU will offer workshops that are open to the public at no cost. The next workshop, “Mind Body Practices,” will be Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Room 102 of Warner Hall on the Midtown campus. Virginia De Siena, an integrative health coach and certified mind-body practitioner, will discuss her practices.

To RSVP for the grand opening, contact Autuori at autuoric@wcsu.edu by Nov. 9; for more information, contact the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England’s best small private universities.