A healing festival with nine local holistic practitioners offering mini-sessions for guests to sample their services is the idea behind a free outdoor event happening Sunday, July 21.
A similar health and healing fair debuted at the Grand Event Center two years ago.
This month’s outdoor event is titled “Putting Unity Back Into Community,” explained Leslie Reynolds, the organizer of the unique event that starts at 9 a.m. at Odd Fellows Park, 1011 Forest Ave. In the event of inclement weather, the activities will move to the park pavillion.
Reynolds, who operates Awakened Healings, now located downtown at 220 Division St. S. Annex in Northfield, said the event was designed to help those aged 6-90 years old find their inner healer through total mind, body, and spirit integration.
She said the range of healing services will include reiki, tai chi, psychic readings, Thai yoga massage and sound immersion. Tables will be set up so that visitors can walk around and sample 5-to-15-minute mini-sessions. Guests are asked to bring a yoga mat, water, sun protection and bug spray.
“I need to get my hands on people,” said Reynolds, who opened her own healing practice four years ago after first studying for a chiropractic degree before finding her calling with Reiki.
After becoming certified in Reiki seven years ago, Reynolds said that Reiki “totally changed” her life. “With Reiki, I could go deeper into an intuitive psychic meditation and use all my gifts to nurture and embrace another holistically.”
Reiki, an ancient healing method that originated in Japan, theorizes that there is an energy force in and around the body that flows between the practitioner and receiver of the treatment. The word itself means “universal life energy.”
Reynolds said that holistic healers are able to search for deeper causes and offer different care opportunities than those detected and treated by a medical physician. “We’re looking for the root cause,” she explained, the main themes of which include isolation, fear and division in politics, families and relationships. “This area is riddled with holistic healers.”
Traci Williams, whose son died in February 2023, said she came to Reynolds for help in coping with grief and stress.
“Trauma can stay trapped in the body if we don’t somehow let it out,” said Williams. “Healers can facilitate getting into the nervous system and easing the stress. It’s no wonder we call it a dis-ease.”
Helping her clients slow down and learn to talk about their pain and listen to their body is a strategy that Brenda Fletcher uses in her hypnosis sessions. Fletcher, an author, hypnotist, healer and coach explains that she assists her clients by starting where they’re at.
“Pain is the number one thing we get when they walk in the door,” she said. “Pain is our body’s way of telling us we need something to change. Usually, that change occurs through talking and trust and by activating the good feeling chemistry in our brains.”
Fletcher, who lost her husband of 30 years in an accident in July 2013, wrote a book about her journey through grief to everlasting connection titled “A Love Beyond Life.” Her website is: beautifuldayhypnosis.com
Reaching out and helping others is the common bond that brought Reynolds, Williams and Fletcher together to discuss the importance of building nurturing relationships with others through talking, listening and connecting.
“We’re just grateful to be part of this holistic experience,” said Fletcher. “And, to be able to share health and healing with the community,” Williams added.
“I can’t wait to be barefoot all day,” said Reynolds with a laugh.
Just The Facts Putting Unity Back into Community at Odd Fellows Park, 1011 Forest Ave. in Northfield, begins on Sunday, July 21 at 9 a.m. A half-hour meditation lead by Leslie Reynolds starts at 9:30 a.m. Nine healing arts practitioners will be available for mini-sessions until 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. No advance registration is required. 65f733ee-ef87-4b29-af54-073f0b75e737
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