Business Profiles
Special events set for September at the Candleshop Inn
YORK BEACH - When it comes to wellness, the Candleshop Inn, a local holistic bed and breakfast and retreat center overlooking Short Sands Beach, is offering multiple events in the weeks ahead.First, on Sept. 5, the American Holistic Nurses Association will host its fall kickoff meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. at the inn.
The AHNA was founded in 1990 by a group of nurses who saw the need to bring the heart back into nursing. The AHNA is geared toward helping nurses learn to heal themselves, so that they may better serve their patients.
"Learning how to manage our own stress helps us to better focus on our patients needs. Many nurses have learned to use alternative modalities to assist their patients in taking full advantage of modern medicine," said Innkeeper Barbara Sheff, RN, HNC, in her announcement of the upcoming event. "Each patient has his own inner healer and the holistic nurse can help the patient in his journey toward recovery."
Local AHNA networking meetings take place on the first Tuesday of each month and give nurses and other caregivers the opportunity to network and learn from each other.
This first meeting of the fall season will begin with a potluck at 7 p.m. followed by conversation and sharing of stories.
"You do not need to be a nurse to attend our meetings," Sheff said. "They are open to all who share a common interest in learning."
A second event provides a weekend with a similar theme.
Geared specifically toward women, the weekend of Sept. 15 through 17 offers the opportunity to explore aroma, energy and relaxation-based therapies for healing, well-being and creative expression during a Women's Holistic Retreat at the inn.
According to the event's organizers, women, in their typical role as caregivers, must often learn to care for themselves.
Based on holistic nursing principles, participants will learn to create a sacred space and feel the freedom of expression in a gentle, joyful atmosphere.
The event will include the opportunity to experience aromatherapy, participate in yoga, meditation, chanting and drumming to unite body, mind and spirit; and to bring a sense of harmony and balance to your body.
The weekend includes four home-cooked, gourmet meals prepared by Sheff and her staff.
"At the inn, nourishment comes from more than the food we eat," Sheff said in her announcement of the upcoming event. "It comes from the people with whom we surround ourselves, the books that enrich us, the music that soothes us, and the sights, smells and scents that give us pleasure."
The weekend will include chances to walk the beach, listen to the sounds of the ocean and enjoy the natural world. The guides will be Gail Boudin, BS, RN, HNC; Jeanne Goodrich, RN; Pat Kett RN; Joyce Leatherman, RN, HNC, and Babs Vitale, RN, HNC.
Tuition is $135 and includes all workshops, activities, snacks, supplies and one 50-minute private session in a complimentary therapy such as Reiki, integrative imagery or hypnotherapy.
For registration, contact Babs Vitale at (508) 695-3940 or babsvitale@comcast.net, or Gail Boudin at 882-7972.
For information on lodging packages at Candleshop Inn for this event or for information on AHNA meetings, call 363-4087, visit www.candleshopinn.com or e-mail bsheffrn@aol.com.
