We always love to visit OOP! when in Providence and now they are in South County too! They are sponsoring a raffle each month here at All That Matter and all you have to do to win a $50 gift card is stop in and fill out a ticket at our front desk (one per month)!!!

check out oop! online

this summer they will be offering children's art class Wednesdays from 9:15- 11 from parents who want to go to yoga...stay tuned!

Mini- Boot Camp
This Saturday March 7th
all proceeds will go to support the Africa Yoga Project.
I am teaching a 3.5 hour Baptiste Bootcamp-style class a week from Saturday at All That Matters. These classes are sweaty, fun, challenging and surprisingly invigorating. Salt Pond Yoga and All That Matters are donating all proceeds from this class to The Africa Yoga Project. Lisa and I are going to East Africa with Baron and other Baptiste Teachers in April to offer a Teacher Training there. It is organized by Baptiste Teacher Paige Elenson, who is the founder of Africa Yoga Project. We will teach Yoga in the slums of Nairobi; we will visit with the Massai families; and we will hold a free 5-day teacher training for local Kenyans. We are all donating our time and expenses. However, a small part of your donation goes towards our local travel in Kenya; the rest directly to the Africa Yoga Project.We hope you will support this effort by attending this Baptiste Bootcamp class. Click here to register
Thanks... Philip Urso

All That Matters "Sampler Day" Raises Food Bank Funds Community Gathers to Increase Wellness, Reduce Hunger

We raised enough to pay for over 2000 meals AGAIN!!!!

Our September 19, 2008 - Sampler Day was such a success that we choose to run in again.

Feb 15, 2009 47 folks joined us and once again we raised enough money for over 2000 meals to be provided by thee Rhode Island Community Food Bank. Stay tuned for the next event this fall.

The festive afternoon offered a taste of their regular programming, combined with the chance to meet instructors and staff, while sampling health services and mini-sessions. The day was attended by nearly fifty people, with sixteen teachers and practitioners volunteering their time and energy. Jessica Mason said "Sampler Day was a huge success! The event was well attended and participants really got a deep sense of the healing and supportive environment that All That Matters is about. It was especially wonderful to be able to give back to the community through the generous donations of all in attendance."
The Food Bank distributes approximately eight million pounds of food to Rhode Islanders in need and one out of every three people fed through the Food Bank is under the age of eighteen. An invaluable resource, the Food Bank relies on volunteers, food donations and events like Sampler Day to provide support and funding.

Have you been curious about what a gong bath is? .... click here for a peek!

New in our multimedia library

• two yoga classes you can listen to,
• 4 great natural foods cookie recipes
• an 8 minute meditation to follow and more....

40 Days to a Personal Revolution will begin again May 2009!

Be Well!

Are you ready for a revolution!? During the 40 day program we commit to doing Yoga and Meditation daily and eating well. This will be the 4th time we are doing it here at ATM and each time it seems to be more powerful. If you would like to check out our last blog click here.

South County Hospital & All That Matters have been working together to offer wellness programing. Click here to see this seasons brochure.

Come check out our visiting Art-o-Mat
For $5.00 you can have an original work of art!
What is an Art-o-mat? Art-o-mat machines are retired cigarette vending machines that have been converted to vend art. There are 82 active machines in various locations throughout the country. What do you get from an Art-o-mat? The experience of pulling the knob alone is quite a thrill, but you also walk away with an original work of art. What an easy way to become an art collector.

Hi Everyone,I wanted to let you all know that this Saturday there was a fire in the Lily room (behind the store). Thanks to Joe Swinski, Jess Metcalf, Beth Champagne and I-- a major disaster was averted.5 fire trucks appeared and the whole building was checked out and all is well now. The firemen think it was a frayed wire that sparked and caught the curtain on fire.Joe ran in and moved the curtain and I followed and was able to stomp the fire out. We are very lucky this happened while we were in the building.There were 40 or more folks in the class in health services and they all graciously waited for things to cool down and returned!I was amazed by how all of our clients and students were so gracious and just waited outside and came back or made adjustments with very little stress.It really speaks highly that we have so much support and that we were all healthy enough to stay calm in the storm.Classes will proceed as normal. I am waiting to hear from the insurance company before repairs begin.
Thanks,
Joan

The Store this month...

Prana’s new fall colors and styles, Enerchi new Capri lengths and fall colors and new All That Matters T’s in white long sleeve and brown tanks….All That Matters water bottles are in now too, as well as some of the newest gifts from the New York International Gift Show. Check out our “Liquid Cardboard” Designs, available in several sizes, and each one offers multiple shapes.

Welcome Dr. Layton!
Dr. Layton a Naturopathic Physcian joins the All That Matters team.

Naturopathic medicine is a system of healing based on the wisdom that the body will heal itself if it is given the support it needs. Naturopaths are trained to recognize and treat all common medical conditions, but focus on prevention and use of alternative treatments. For any medical issue from menstrual pain to fatigue, naturopathic medicine seeks to find and treat the root cause of a person’s illness, in addition to alleviating symptoms. Therapies include detoxification, nutritional supplements, diet modifications, allergy elimination techniques (NAET), herbal medicine and homeopathy

Dr. Layton completed her undergraduate work in Neuroscience and Behavior at Mount Holyoke College in 1999. She earned her doctorate degree in 2006 from Bastyr University, one of only four nationally accredited 4-year schools of naturopathic medicine. After her training, she spent two years working in an integrated clinic in Atlanta, GA along with alternative and conventional doctors. Now back in her native RI, she enjoys working with people of all ages, designing treatments for health issues of all kinds that are based on current scientific evidence as well as ones that are rooted in years of tradition.
She will be seeing patients starting September 08 on Monday and Thursday by appointment.

Mexico, Italy anyone?If you are looking to travel to Mexico or Italy consider traveling with Jeff and Sue. David and I went on the Mexico tour in 2008 and it was wonderful. For more info on traveling tours with Sue Baldassano founder, To Grandmothers House We Go Cooking Tours and instructor at The Natural Gourmet in NYC click here.

Did you see the Providence Journal Front Page Sunday, July 27, 2008?

Here is the article....

Yoga dogs!
Providence Journal Front PageSunday, July 27, 2008
By Bryan RourkeJournal Staff Writer

SOUTH KINGSTOWN — Jack did Downward Facing Dog. He did Cobra. But the pose the four-year-old mixed breed most preferred had no name. Call it Waiting for Belly Rub.
Yesterday, Jack did yoga; half a dozen dogs did. That’s doga, short for dog yoga.
“I was a little skeptical,” said Jennifer DeAngelis, a yoga instructor at the All That Matters studio in the village of Wakefield. “I didn’t really think it would work. No one was more shocked than I was.”
Perhaps the shock’s just settling in with you.
Go ahead. Roll over. Play dead. Bark disbelief if you like.
But doga does exist. And it’s now in Rhode Island. DeAngelis has taken the concept created six years ago in New York, and brought it here; fetched it, if you like.
And a fair number do like it. Last month, the Wakefield doga class drew eight (human/dog) pairs of participants. Yesterday, for the second class, five pairs participated with DeAngelis and her assistant, Little Dog, a seven-year-old mixed breed.
Doga is yoga for people who love dogs.
“It’s two of my favorite things together,” said Barb Tonzi, of Narragansett, who owns three dogs and has practiced yoga for decades. Yesterday, she brought Rocky, her 18-month-old miniature Pinscher, who at home has shown a high receptivity to yoga, just by watching her do it.
“He gets the benefit of my meditation. He turns into a noodle.”
The idea of doga isn’t simply dogs doing yoga, but people performing it with their dogs, and near their dogs. For some people that’s an enticement.
“I never had any interest in yoga,” said Kate Fantoli, of Coventry, who took the doga class with her dog, Jack. “I thought my dog would make it more interesting for me. I thought yoga was too slow.”
Fantoli thought yoga would be beneficial, the breathing, stretching and relaxing. And she thought it would help her dog, too.
“If he does some great poses, that’s great. But it’s about the experience of being with other dogs and having an experience with me.”
The doga dogs walk together. They receive massages from their owners. And they watch their owners do yoga.
Then the people put their dogs in yoga poses.
“I don’t think people will be surprised by doga,” said Lisa Natanson, of South Kingstown, who brought her nine-year-old beagle Daisy. “I think people are so accustomed to fringe things people do with their dogs.”
There are dog wardrobes and dog birthday parties, and all-day doggie events, one of which Natanson attended last summer in Auburn, Mass., for BONES (Beagles Of New England States). Natanson, who is friends with DeAngelis, had given her a gift, a book about doga. DeAngelis, who not only teaches yoga but works as a certified veterinary technician, was intrigued, then invited by Natanson to give a doga class at the annual BONES Beagle Bash.
“I was really amazed how much these dogs settled down as soon as we started the breathing work.”
DeAngelis is no longer amazed.
“We all know that animals can sense our moods. They can sense our anxiety, but they can also sense when we are relaxed, and they feed off that.”
The feeding can go the other way too, according to DeAngelis. People can learn from their dogs, which have a natural disposition for yoga.
“No one lives in the moment more than your dog. There is no past or future. There is only this minute.”
Doga is the creation of Suzi Teitelman, a yoga instructor who formerly lived in New York and now lives and works in Jacksonville, Fla. She developed doga in 2002 a few months after getting a dog, Coali, a cocker spaniel, who she noticed wanted to be close to her every time she did her yoga. So Teitelman started doing yoga with her dog, which came to be called doga, which she estimated is now offered in about 100 locations around the country, and in Europe, too.
“People who did yoga were pretty accepting. People who didn’t do yoga laughed a little bit and weren’t sure why you would involve your dog in yoga.”
The simple answer is the dog doesn’t know it’s yoga. It’s just attention and affection.
“You’re together with your posture and breathing. You have this deep connection because you’re stretching together.”
The stretching involving the dog is limited, and dictated by the dog, whose body language the owners monitor.
“I say, ‘Go slow. Repeat, and go slower,’ ” DeAngelis said. “It’s like teaching them to sit or stay. They don’t get it the first time.”
But dogs are eager to try many times, according to DeAngelis, as long as you’re with them.
“They think you’re playing. I’d be laying out and getting ready to do a pose and get my face licked.”
A dog’s life isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be, according to Karen D’Abrosca, of North Kingstown. So she brought Maggie, her eight-year-old golden retriever to the 90-minute doga class.
“Normally, she stays home. She sleeps. She barks at people who go by the street. Dogs should do cool things, too.”
Naturally this raises the idea of allowing other pets the opportunity to do cool things, too.
“I think there are benefits of yoga, meditation and breath work no matter what species we’re talking about,” DeAngelis says.
So, could there be coga? Cat yoga?
“Cats are something all their own. They don’t like to follow rules. I’m not saying it’s impossible. But I’m saying it would be a challenge.”
Doga will be offered again at 9 a.m. the last Saturday in August and September. Each session is $18. For more information, visit http://www.allthatmatters.com/ or call (401) 782-2126.
brourke@projo.com

to connec to the article click here

In honor of George Carlin.
This article was given to me once and credited to George Carlin.
Since he passed this week I thought I would share it.

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less. We buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less. These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips,disposable diapers, throwaway morality, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete. Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent. Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind."

There is a new website whyilovesouthcounty.com
They have included a few videos of local business owners and one is of me (Joan)-- to see it click here and go to featured businesses.

She Shines Magazine just did an interview with Rae Ferguson, a yoga & meditation teacher here at ATM who is healing from cancer.

Click here to read.

Chick Meditation
This was sent to me from Effrem, who just graduated from our yoga teacher training.
When my teenage son, Jake, encounter animals I get to see him ease out of his overactive brain and act from his heart. Friday I brought home 1 day old chicks and he stared into the box for an hour.

Congrats to Cathy Cesario

and the 2008 Graduates of Spirit Tree Yoga Teacher Training.

It was an honor to have you all hereIf you would like to see a s very sweet video that Effrem created of the graduation party. Click here.
It was a great group!

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New at All That Matters

Raindrop Therapy

Are you prone to colds and and sinus infections? Do you get headaches on a regular basis? Do you suffer from emotional tension and stress? Are you living with the daily challenges of arthritis? Do you experience chronic neck and back pain? Are you looking to improve your health? Consider investing in a Raindrop Therapy Treatment!

Raindrop Therapy is a powerful technique that boosts your immune system and melts away stress. It incorporates modalities such as Aromatherapy, Vita Flex Reflexology, Traditional Massage, and Hot Stone Massage. This blissful-smelling treatment centers around the relaxing application of high quality Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils to areas of the body, especially along the spine, with the goal of clearing energy centers and bringing back structural and electrical alignment. These essential oils are well known for their anti-septic, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-microbial, anti-parasitic, anti-viral, and antioxidant qualities. They enter into the body's cells within 20 minutes of application and remain there, providing benefits, for up to 10 days. Raindrop Therapy is the perfect solution to seasonal illness and is fantastic when used as a companion therapy to cleansing routines! Make an appointment with Kelly -- your body will thank you!

We won for best RI yoga studio
Thank You!