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Wednesday Mornings 8:00-9:00 a.m. PST, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EST

Returning to the Body Mind

Returning to the Body Mind is a radio show that revisits the wisdom of the body as the seat of the soul. With so much talk in the media about manifesting and mind over matter we may have forgotten about the importance of the health of our bodies as the foundation for spiritual and personal growth. There is a deep-seated tradition of thinking in the Western world that privileges the mind over the body. Yet even as spiritual beings we inhabit human bodies. The body is truly a temple for our spirit. In order to honor our bodies we need to treat them with optimal respect by properly nourishing them with good hydration, oxygenation, sleep, nutrition, and activities that uplift the soul. On Returning to the Body Mind, radio talk show host Dr. Melissa West will lead you through a series of common sense topics from breathing, hydration, sleep, digestion, and sex as tools not only to optimal health but as a gateway to the soul.

About Dr. Melissa West

Dr. Melissa West is a holistic lifestyle coach and yoga and pilates instructor who helps people surrender to peace in their lives by connecting to and feeding the vital energy in their bodies. Melissa has spent ten years in the health and wellness industry as a yoga and pilates instructor helping adults decrease stress in their lives and improving overall functioning of their bodies from brain longevity to digestion, optimal organ function to healthy weight loss. Melissa learned the importance of a healthy lifestyle as a way to cope with the stress of academia during her studies in a Masters of Arts in Music Criticism and a Ph.D. in Communications and Cultural Studies. Melissa now helps people find peace amidst the turmoil of their anxiety-ridden lives. Lifestyle coaching along with teaching yoga and pilates is a natural extension of the creative expression she learned first through performing music and later through the writing she did for her degrees. Her skills as a scholarly researcher, combined with her experience teaching adults within the university institution adds to the pedagogical skills Melissa brings to talk radio.
 

Radio Show Topics

Listening to your Intuition with psychic Cyndi Tryon
Wednesday August 13, 2008 8:00 – 9:00 a.m PST, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EST.
Intuition is not a gift given to a select few psychics. We all have psychic power within us. Intuition is an inner knowing that can point us in the right direction. We can get in touch with the signs and ways intuition knocks on our door each and every day. Connecting to your inner guidance is an important way to fulfill your mission and life purpose. Intuition can come in many forms from seeing, feeling, knowing and hearing. Join us with guest psychic Cyndi Tyron to learn how to unleash the power of intuition in your life


The Alchemic Woman with author Dr. Ramona Rubio
Wednesday August 20, 2008 8-9am EST
During this radio show, Dr. Ramona Rubio co-author of The Alchemic Woman will show you how to step into your own power by asking questions that matter. These questions will zap your soul into awakening to its potential. You will learn to identify and release the old patterns that keep you in confusion and imprison your natural creative abilities. Dr. Rubio will teach us practical alchemical exercises that we can follow on a daily basis. Dr. Rubio’s passion is to assist women to write their empowered stories and help them take positive actions towards accomplishing their goals.
The Alchemic Woman

Ani-Miracles with Dr. Laurie Moore
Wednesday August 27, 2008 9-9am PST
Animals live from unconditional resources. Spiritual awakening, prosperity, love, joy and gratitude are all unconditional to the animals. Animals do not depend on circumstances because they are busy intending what their moment will be and generating the moment they desire. Animals generate joy, love, peace, prosperity, gratitude and awakening. Dr. Laurie Moore will help us be inspired by the animals to live in the present moment and have a beautiful relationship with our body based on wholeness and wellness.
Dr. Laurie Moore, Ani-Miracles

Thrive with Brendan Brazier
Wednesday September 3, 2008 8-9am PST
Brendan Brazier has authored two of the most valuable nutrition books that I have on my book shelf: Thrive: A Guide to Optimal Health and Performance through Plant-Based Whole Foods and The Thrive Diet: the Whole Foods Way to Losing Weight, Reducing Stress, and Staying Healthy for Life. A huge fan of his work, I am delighted to have expert author and professional athlete on my show. Join us while we talk about stress-reduction through plant-based whole foods, the evolution of sports nutrition and transitioning to a vegan diet for optimal health.
Thrive with Brendan Brazier

Fitness Junky with guest Stephanie Medford
Wednesday September 10, 2008 8-9am PST
Stephanie Medford is the owner of Fitness Junky (a full service fitness boutique offering active and casual wear) and a former Toronto Argonaut dancer. Stephanie is one of Durham’s top dance fitness instructors. In her classes she leads people through a fusion journey of Latin, funk, trance, modern, belly and drums. In this radio show Stephanie will prove to you that getting fit is totally fun!
Stephanie Medford, Fitness Junky

Sacred Centers with Anodea Judith
Wednesday September 17, 2008 8-9am PST
Anodea Judith is a leading edge thinker, internationally recognized writer, teacher and speaker on evolutionary psychology based on the chakra system, body/mind integration, somatic therapy and the ancient arts of yoga. Her books Wheels of Life, The Sevenfold Journey, and Chakra Balancing have influenced and informed my yoga teaching on a deep and profound level. I am delighted to welcome Anodea Judith – someone who has acted as both a mentor and a teacher to me through her books – on my radio show.
Anodea Judith Sacred Centers

Quick and Easy Vegetarian Cooking with Robin Robertson
Wednesday September 24, 2008 8-9am PST
Robin Robertson is the author of several best-selling vegan cook books includeing: Quick Fix Vegetarian, Vegan Planet, Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker, One-Dish Vegetarian. Robin Robertson helps people choose vegan and vegetarian cooking for reasons of health, environment and compassion. In this show Robin Robertson will teach us how to create fabulous plant-based recipes that can please the most discerning palate.
Robin Robertson Vegan Cookbook Author

Urban Tantra with Barbara Carellas
Wednesday October 1, 2008 8-9am PST
Barbara Carrellas is an author, sex educator, and theater artist. Her most recent books are Urban Tantra and Luxurious Loving. Barbara offers a holistic, metaphysical, practical, humorous, entertaining and gender-fluid approach to conscious sexuality. During this radio show Barbara and I will explore sex and consciousness and the possibilities for healing and expanded consciousness in all forms of sacred practices. This radio show will explore and eclectic mix of sexual and spiritual practices to encourage listeners to expand their capacity for both pleasure and spiritual fulfillment.
Barbara Carellas, Urban Tantra

Soul Shaping with author Jeff Brown
Wednesday October 8, 2008, 8-9am PST
During this radio interview, Jeff Brown will share with us his true story of transformation from a criminal lawyer to a more heartfelt path. Soulshaping is every person’s journey from self-alienation to soul-satisfaction in the heart of modern life. That journey is all about the inner: the inner world, the inner break for freedom from the shackles of shame, fear and misidentification. Soulshaping is a no-nonsense inner travelogue that inspires us to do the real work of excavating and honoring who we really are, before our opportunity passes. This is one of the best books I have ever read. You don’t want to miss this interview.
SoulShaping with Jeff Brown

Psychological Factors affecting Medical Conditions with Susan Scherbak
Wednesday October 15, 2008, 8-9am PST
Susan Scherbak is a social services worker and child and youth worker. She works with people to inspire and affirm their existence, allowing them to experience their own transition into the light. In this radio show Susan will expose the psychological factors affecting medical conditions from stress to psychosomatic disorders. She will also offer us strategies for coping with stress.
Phone: (905) 430-9600
E-mail:susieqscherbak@hotmail.com

Angels with author Hazel Raven
Wednesday October 22, 2008, 8-9am PST
Live from the UK, Hazel Raven is the author of The Angel Bible and The Secrets of Angel Healing. During this radio show we will explore practical exercises, meditations and affirmations you can perform to help you reach out to the angels that surround you for guidance, healing and inspiration. We will also explore how to sense the presence of angels and how to communicate with your guardian angels. You will learn about the 21 archangels who are dedicated to helping us grow emotionally and spiritually.
Hazel Raven

Wake up to your Weight Loss with Alyson Mead
Wednesday October 29, 2008, 8-9am PST
Best selling author asks the question, What if the Buddha went on a diet? She exclaims that diets don’t work citing crash diets, invasive surgeries and other procedures that only reinforce an aggressive and disrespectful approach to our bodies. This radio show will explore how a combination of mediation, follow up exercises and redirecting our internals stories to help us identify emotional problems beneath overeating and help provide motivation for exercise.
Wake Up to Your Weight Loss

Real Happiness with Paul Ferrini
Wednesday November 5, 2008 8-9am PST
Join me with one of my favourite authors, Paul Ferrini, the author of 40 books providing inspiration for the spiritual journey. Genuine happiness is possible for all of us. There is no defect or deficiency in us that prevents us from being happy. However, there are false beliefs that need to be challenged and hurts that need to be healed so that we can open our hearts fully to love and to life. In this powerful radio show, Paul Ferrini will present a roadmap for the healing journey that will show you how you can heal and step into your power and purpose here on planet earth.
Real Happiness with Paul Ferrini

The Forgotten Body with Elissa Cobb
Wednesday November 12, 2008 8-9am PST
Elissa Cobb is the author of The Forgotten Body: A Way of Knowing and Understanding Self and the program director of Pheonix Rising Yoga Therapy. Elissa Cobb reminds us that the best guidance and inspiration come from inside one’s own unique body. This radio show will explore Cobb’s perspective of embodiment clarifying the relationship between body and transformation, and emphasizing the importance of body in integrating physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual energies. Learn how to turn to your own body into a highly intelligent and reliable source of self-knowledge needed to bring about profound change.
Elissa Cobb
 

Recent Shows

xxxxx 8/6/08  xxxxx   Yoga Off the Mat with guest Kelly La Sha   Kelly La Sha is the author of the book Liquid Mirror. Liquid mirror is a term she coined to describe the way she perceives energy through a shamanic perpetualz state. Her book is a study of the natural operating principles of our essence in the realm of the soul. In this radio show she will be talking to us about taking our yoga off the mat and living it in our lives.  Kelly La Sha, Liquid Mirror xxxxx 7/30/08  xxxxx   Anxiety with my yoga teacher Tama Soble We live in stressful times, and we literally embody the experience of our lives. Many of us hold habituated patterns of tension. These patterns become hardwired into our nervous systems after years of repetitive triggering of the startle reflex, or the fight or flight response. Our systems are flooded over and over again with adrenalin and we get into a cycle of over reacting physically and eventually emotionally and psychologically to stressful situations. Join us for a radio show where special guest Tama Soble will explain the ways that yoga and meditation can help us to manage chronic stress. Tama Soble began practicing yoga with Esther Myers and Monica Voss in 1984, and is a graduate of the Esther Myers Yoga Studio Teacher Training Program. She earned an interdisciplinary BFA in dance and theatre from York University, and has trained in Body-Mind Centering, contact improvisation and various other movement techniques. As a professional dancer and choreographer, Tama had the opportunity to tour and teach across Canada, in the United States, in Mexico and New Zealand. Tama's background in movement is a rich source of inspiration for her teaching. She finds the interplay between imagery, breath and the physical experience of the asanas particularly powerful in deepening the mind/body connection. Tama teaches classes, teacher training, advanced teacher seminars, and offers retreats in Ontario and Costa Rica. She co-owns and directs Esther Myers Yoga Studio with Monica Voss. xxxxx 7/23/08  xxxxx   Yoga with guest Sheree Nicholson Yoga is an amazing tool that can put you more in touch with your body. It allows you to come back to yourself. In our fast paced life we often override our body with work, television, caffeine, food, alcohol etc. No longer is it okay to work ourselves to death, ignore our bodies and shove fast food in our mouths. Yoga is a way to get in touch with what is really going on in our bodies rather than drowning the warning signs from our bodies with unhealthy habits. Sheree is a certified yoga teacher who has been practicing yoga for ten years. She is the owner of Live with Spirit, one of the yoga studios where Melissa teaches yoga. Sheree believes in yoga as a tool to create a connection between the mind body and soul, ultimately creating a peaceful existence within ourselves. Yoga is a way that we can honor ourselves by taking time to slow down and do things that are right for us. xxxxx 7/16/08  xxxxx   Energy Psychotherapy with guest Michelle Doucette Energy psychotherapy acknowledges the interconnection between the body, mind, heart, soul and spirit. Energy psychotherapy works on the premise that certain circumstances and events in our lives can interfere with the well being of our body. These circumstances and events can create emotional triggers, physical reactions and spiritual disconnect. In energy psychotherapy the client and practitioner articulate in words the cause of the client’s distress and clear the blockage from the body. Michelle Doucette is a shiatsu practitioner and energy psychotherapy therapist. Her private practice of 19 years integrates body-centered transpersonal energy psychotherapy, Shiatsu, Therapeutic Touch and Kripalu Holistic Bodywork. xxxxx 7/9/08  xxxxx   The Benefits of a Vegan Diet with cook book author Dreena Burton Did you know that the consumption of animal fats and proteins has been linked to heart disease, colon and lung cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, kidney disease, hypertension, and obesity? During this show we will talk about healthy cooking with a vegan diet . Join us with expert guest Dreena Burton, best-selling author of The Everyday Vegan, Vive le Vegan and Eat, Drink and be Vegan to learn the many benefits of a vegan diet. Dreena is an expert on whole grains, legumes, healthy oils and hemp food. As a Mother of two she has created countless recipes, which require little preparation and stove top time. Dreena makes vegan eating delicious and accessible. Learn about using more whole grains, legumes and how to work with ingredients like tempeh, nuts and seeds. We will also talk about baking with whole flours, using unrefined sugars and less oil. You won’t want to miss this show! xxxxx 7/2/08  xxxxx   Positive Psychology with guest Gayle Scroggs Positive psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on improving the mental functioning of human beings above that of normal mental health. The field of positive psychology has shown that happy people are healthier, make more money, live longer, have better relationships and are more resilient than unhappy people. In this show we will discuss positive psychology techniques that can improve your mental and physical health from gratitude journals, working from your strengths, pillars of a balanced life, stories of you at your best, circles of social support and active constructive responding. Join positive psychology coach Dr. Melissa West, with her positive psychology coach Dr. Gayle Scroggs for a show about being happier! Gayle is an international coach living in exotic Argentina who has helped hundreds of individuals recognize their inner gifts, achieve important goals and realize their professional and personal dreams. 6/25/08  xxxxx   Women’s Sexual Health with expert guest Sex Therapist Dianne Cassidy Are you too exasperated, exhausted, and dissatisfied to enjoy a healthy sex life? Do you long for love, passion, closeness, empathy, respect, mutual caring, pleasure, a sense of renewed energy, connectedness to your partner and most importantly yourself. In this radio show we will attempt to redefine and shift negative beliefs about women's sexuality and so-called low libido using the best of Eastern and Western philosophy. Diane Cassidy is a sex therapist who has worked as a psychotherapist for the past twenty-six years. She is the owner of Sacred Quest: A Spiritual Pathway to your Authentic Self, a unique book, gift and resources store that provides products and services on topics related to health, wellbeing, personal and spiritual growth.   xxxxx 6/18/08  xxxxx   The Spine with guest Dr. Sarah Strano Dr. Sarah Strano BA, BPHE (Hons), DC is a family wellness Chiropractor and clinic director. She is a wellness advocate and health promoter, with a special interest and her mission is to help as many people as possible reach their optimal health potential and abundant vitality through gentle, natural and holistic chiropractic care. Dr. Sarah's approach to health and wellness incorporates a full-spine, whole person approach. In this show Dr. Sarah Strano will enlighten us about the spine - the central nervous system and master control system of the body. She will explain the ways that the nervous system coordinates the respiratory, digestive, muscular, and immune systems. She will also clarify how information from both the internal and external environment travels through the spine to get to the brain, just as the information and decisions made in the brain go through the spine to effect certain outcomes. Join us for an exciting show in which Sarah will help us to improve the health of our spines and improve overall energy flow in our bodies. xxxxx 6/11/08  xxxxx   The Seven Channels of Elimination with holistic nutritionist Vilma Laurito Are you interested in detoxification? Join Melissa’s expert guest Vilma Laurito and learn about the about the seven channels of elimination. Knowing these seven channels of elimination can be key to the best possible health. In this show, Vilma will teach you how to keep each of the seven channels of elimination functioning optimally. Join us and bring your questions to find out how to keep the lungs, liver, lymphatic system, blood, skin, colon, and kidneys at their prime and say goodbye to toxic substances forever!   xxxxx 6/4/08  xxxxx   Connecting Our Internal and External Environments with expert guest Andy James Andy James is an acknowledged Master of the “internal” sciences and an advocate of integrating both the “external” and “internal” worlds. He is a Co-director of The Forge Institute’s “Global Spiritual Citizenship” initiative. In this exciting and informative show Andy James will help to synthesize the internal and external environments which affect our well being. Environmentalists, economists, health practitioners, politicians and other specialists are now telling us that many “issues” in the “external” world are interconnected. Spiritual teachers and leaders, alternative health practitioners, mind-body teachers and more are telling us in their own ways that the various aspects of our “internal” world are interconnected – body, energy, emotions, mind and spirit. Confused? Andy will help tie it all together! xxxxx 5/28/08  xxxxx   CranioSacral Therapy with Martez Schembre-Diskey Craniosacral work is a holistic healing practice which uses extremely light finger pressure to optimize a movement pattern within the body which is known as the "cranial wave." Craniosacral therapy is especially known for releasing painful or restricted conditions anywhere in the body. Craniosacral therapy helps the client access their own wisdom and therefore empowers the client to deal successfully with many different life situations. Craniosacral therapy can be useful in uncovering the emotional trauma underneath the pain in the body. Through a process of somatic emotional release, the client can release the trauma and thus relieve pain and improve the overall functioning of the body. Martez Schembre-Diskey is a craniosacral therapist and owner of Hands on Heath Care a wellness center in Whitby Ontario dedicated to providing excellent health care for over fifteen years. xxxxx 5/21/08  xxxxx   Vegetarian Cooking Harmony Dawn Style with guest Nicola (author of The Dao of Harmony Dawn Cooking) Join us for an exciting hour with hilarious vegetarian chef, Nicola Lawrence. Nicola Lawrence is the owner and vegetarian chef at Harmony Dawn retreat center in Southern Ontario. Nicola will explain how to create harmonious balance in your vegetarian cooking. Her passion for creating yin-yang balance in food is contagious. Nicola will help us explore the practice of macrobiotic, organic, vegetarian cooking to create a yin-yang balance in the body. In Nicola’s own words, “Selecting more balanced foods helps to promote physical and mental vitality, equilibrium and positive outlook. It also reduces craving, which is a sign of imbalance”