Last year I read a long awaited study published by the National Institutes of Health and the National Heart Lung Blood Institute – it read… “although women are learning more about heart disease they are still not taking it seriously.”
It seemed that although women know they need to take care of their hearts, they still feel a psychological disconnect; That is, until something happens.
My goal was to help women know that their thinking, matters when it comes to investing in themselves.
The Heart Spa Project
1. To demonstrate HOW our hearts function during times of high emotion and stress
2. To show HOW certain thinking and emotion affects our hearts
3. To provide cognitive tools and show how to integrate these into daily life
4. To fit the format of the program to the way women learn
Ok…it’s not the typical spa and we didn’t wear fluffy white robes, but the women were pampered – body and mind. They learned about other womens struggles with heart issues, enjoyed heart-healthy hours d’ oeuvres, wine, pomegranate seltzer and spa treatments!
The program included chair yoga, information about how their heart and brain communicate and cognitive tools that can be used every day to help take the stress off their hearts.
I joined in with the Red Bag of Courage, an education and advocacy program sponsored by WomenHeart, The National Coalition of Women With Heart Disease, who gladly provided all printed material and gift bags for the women. These were filled to the brim with gifts from area sponsors who also shared this mission.
Heart Spa – Columbia was held at City Art Gallery in the Vista, Columbia,South Carolina on February 24, 2010.
Heart Spa – Florence was held at the Florence Country Club in Florence South Carolina on March 25, 2010.
Over 150 women attended both events.
Please let me know if I can answer any question you might have about the Heart Spa.