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Links to Go Fund Me at the bottom of the page.

““Mutual aid” is one term used to describe collective coordination to meet each other’s needs, usually stemming from an awareness that the systems we have in place are not going to meet them. Those systems, in fact, have often created the crisis, or are making things worse. We see examples of mutual aid in every single social movement, whether it’s people raising money for workers on strike, setting up a car pooling system during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, putting drinking water in the desert for migrants crossing the border, training each other in emergency medicine because ambulance response time in poor neighborhoods is too slow, raising money to pay for abortions for those who can’t afford them, or coordinating letter-writing to prisoners. These are mutual aid projects. They directly meet people’s survival needs and are based on a shared understanding that the conditions in which we are made to live are unjust.

There is nothing new about mutual aid — people have worked together to survive for all of human history. But capitalism and colonialism created structures that have disrupted how people have historically connected with each other and shared everything they needed to survive. As people were forced into systems of wage labor and private property, and wealth became increasingly concentrated, our ways of caring for each other have become more and more tenuous.

Today, many of us live in the most atomized societies in human history, which makes our lives less secure and undermines our ability to organize together to change unjust conditions on a large scale. We are put in competition with each other for survival, and we are forced to rely on hostile systems — like health care systems designed around profit, not keeping people healthy, or food and transportation systems that pollute the Earth and poison people — for the things we need. More and more people report that they have no one they can confide in. This means many of us do not get help with mental health, drug use, family violence or abuse until the police or courts are involved, which tends to escalate rather than resolve harm.

In this context of social isolation and forced dependency on hostile systems, mutual aid — where we choose to help each other out, share things, and put time and resources into caring for the most vulnerable — is a radical act.” Mutual Aid by David Spade

GoFundMe for this local “bikes for community program”
Evanston resident Mike Moyer fixes donated bikes and distributes them to community members along with a new lock and helmet. Check your garage to see if you have an old bike to donate. The ideal donation is a medium-sized mountain bike that is durable and can take a beating.
To donate a bike to this project, contact Mike Moyer at MikesBikesEvanston@gmail.com.

GoFundMe for Wesley Tenants fighting to stay in Evanston

GoFundMe for Chiara’s Surgery and Recovery

Support Evanston Community Fridges

You can also support the fridges by donating food, shopping for food with donated funds, and/or cleaning the fridges. See the website for details.

The anticipation for Part 2 of our beloved Bridgerton reaches a fever pitch. Should the wait render you fraught with nerves, fear not, for a most enticing offer has been crafted with you in mind. It promises to soothe your spirits and bestow a reprieve from the tedious ticking of the clock.

Permit oneself the indulgence of a half-hour’s repose, ensconced in the tender embrace of warmth, serenaded by the dulcet tones of tranquility, and beguiled by the gentle waft of aromatic delights. All the while, the world shall hold its breath, and its demands shall wait, for you are beholden to none during this fleeting escape into bliss. [This treatment is a 30-minute acupuncture and vibrational sound treatment focused on relaxation and stress relief.] continue reading »

Through May 31st, you can receive a 17-minute vibrational sound therapy session for only $17*. Experience the bliss that one of my clients described as “a bubble bath for the mind”.

Therapeutic grade singing bowls are placed directly on and/or around the body and used as a focal point for your attention. The powerful vibration and soothing ambient tones induce a deep restful state. You will remain fully clothed and typically lie face up or down on a table. The bowls may be accompanied by a chorus of cicadas, but we cannot guarantee their participation.

What happens in a Vibrational Sound Relaxation Therapy session? 

Therapeutic grade singing bowls are placed directly on and/or around the body and used as a focal point for your attention. The powerful vibration and soothing ambient tones induce a deep restful state. You will remain fully clothed and typically lie face up or down on a table. Your practitioner will indicate the location the bowls will be placed prior to the start of the session. The soothing and gentle sessions may last for 25 or 50 minutes. For beginners, we recommend the longer sessions. Acupuncture clients may elect a 15-minute vibrational sound relaxation therapy add-on to their treatment.

During and after a session, mind chatter is calmed, muscles relax, cortisol levels fall, and heart and breathing rates slow. The session activates the parasympathetic nervous system to bring the body into a state conducive to healing itself. A vibrational sound relaxation therapy session brings on similar brain states to yoga, tai chi, qi gong and meditation.

Vibrational sound relaxation therapy enhances the healing effects of acupuncture. One of my best acupuncture experiences had singing bowls integrated into the treatment, and some of my clients have had the same experience.

What are the benefits? 

Vibrational sound relaxation therapy with singing bowls is primarily for deeper relaxation. Some secondary benefits may include:

• Reduced anxiety
• Lowered stress levels
• Improved sleep
• Strengthened immune system
• Improved digestion
• Increased blood flow
• Improved concentration and mood
• Increased energy
• Lessened pain
• Enhanced creativity
• Improved athletic performance and recovery.

What Our Clients are Saying

“I feel so grounded and in such harmony with everything. One of the best therapeutic experiences I have had.”

“I feel giddy.”

“I was transported to another space.”

“It’s a bubble bath for your mind!”

How does Vibrational Sound Relaxation Therapy work?

The body is made up of 70 percent water; therefore, the vibrations can penetrate deeply into the muscles and tissues, as well as on a cellular level. Once the body begins to relax, respiratory and heart rate slow down and blood pressure lowers. The long resonant harmonic tones of the bowls allow the brain to enter alpha and even delta and theta brainwave states through entrainment. The vibrations and low, mellow tones activate the parasympathetic nervous system.

Contraindications for Sound Relaxation Therapy

On the body treatments are not recommended for clients who are pregnant, have an acute illness, or metastatic cancer. If you are unsure whether you can receive vibrational sound therapy, contact us at 815.814.1319 to discuss or reach out to your physician. You can explain vibrational sound relaxation therapy to your physician as an on-the-body relaxation technique that uses singing bowls as a subtle vibration and sound instrument that is rung directly on the body. The gentle sounds and vibrations help activate the parasympathetic nervous system.

One of my favorite holiday traditions is delivering cookies to neighbors.

Join me for the third annual Cookies for Community! Let’s fill the Evanston Community Fridges with baking ingredients so our neighbors can create their own holiday memories – baking with their families.  continue reading »