Beyond Karma Queen

I didn't know what to expect at the Health Freedom Expo, and, believe me, I was not disappointed. The exhibit hall was jam-packed with crystals and negative ions and oceans of lotions and essential oils. The salespeople were sincere and low key and always gracious when I said, "Thanks but no thanks." I had some scrumptious gazpacho from Leaf Organics and then went up to the gorgeous atrium of the Long Beach Convention Center and practiced a little of my own version of mindfulness meditation as I leafed through the swag bag I got after paying the $15.00 admission fee.

The speakers offered a little more substance than the salespeople down in the exhibit hall. I had wanted to see sustainable lifestyle guru John Robbins, but he had to cancel, so I sat in on Catie Wyman's lecture instead. Wyman suffers from a rare blood disease and began to study nutrition as a way to help her and her son attain good health despite their disease. She found that many supplements intended to enhance vitamin and mineral, especially calcium, levels in the body can actually have harmful effects instead. She advocates designing your diet to include vegetables and fruits high in mineral content rather than taking synthetic supplements. She sells organic greens supplements and her book The Truth about Calcium, gives details on finding the cure in the kitchen.

My favorite speaker was Vaishali, who calls herself the spiritual wild child and handed out bumper stickers with "Beyond Karma Queen" printed on them. Draped in purple velvet and dripping with purple jewelry, she even sported purple nail polish and lavendar lipstick. This woman knows what she likes! In fact, she was just demonstrating her philosophy, based on works by Emanuel Swedenborg, which she boiled down to "You are what you love, and you love what you give your attention to." She encouraged the audience to laugh and have fun even as she explained some serious concepts about releasing toxic thoughts and feelings even as you release digestive waste. She's written two books, You are What You Love and Wisdom Rising as well as a "playbook" to explain her thoughts on living a full and rewarding life.

Get Healthy! Get Pedalling! Get Downtown Next Weekend!

Ever in the forefront of Long Beach trends, I’m thrilled to report that two cutting edge events will be taking place in downtown Long Beach from April 3rd to April 5th.

First, the freebie: The First Annual Long Beach Bike Festival (Okay, I added the First Annual part.) will take to the streets starting Friday afternoon, April 3 around First Street in the East Village. There will be food and a beer garden sponsored by Wokcano, but frankly, I’m more interested in the booths, especially anyone with information about Bike Long Beach, a plan to make our humble hometown the most bike friendly city in the nation. Now that’s far flung proposition that I’d be proud to support. On Saturday all kinds of races are scheduled as well as fixed gear bike demonstrations and a CYCLESTYLE Fashion Show. The festivities will stretch into the night (After parties? Yes! After parties!), so be sure your bike light has a fresh power source.

And if you have any energy left after the Bike Festival, the Health Freedom Expo, which costs $15 a day, will be held at the Long Beach Convention Center from Friday, April 3 to Sunday, April 5. I’m planning to combine Bike Festival and Health Freedom Expo all in one crazy mixed-up but healthful Saturday. Yes, there are some wacky programs like “How Hot Are Your Breasts?” but there are other intriguing ones. On the top of my list is “Detoxify Your Life, Body, and Emotions” by Vaishali. I’ve heard her radio program and I like her nurturing holistic approach when she responds to her callers’ questions. Here’s hoping there’s tons of free swag in the exhibit hall.