Sandpoint Library hosts second installment of monthly ‘Natural Connections’ program

By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff

Despite its 5,000-year history and continued prevalence in India and Tibet, Ayurveda is still relatively obscure to many in the global West. Ayurvedic wellness counselor Yvonne Heitz hopes to introduce The Science of Life to area residents with a presentation Saturday, Sept. 23 at the Sandpoint Branch of the East Bonner County Library.

Part of the “Natural Connections” program, which kicked off in August, Heitz’s free presentation is open to the public and begins at 10 a.m., when she’ll provide attendees with an overview of Ayurveda and explain how the ancient practice informs daily rhythms and diet that can have positive effects on mental and physical health.

“Ayurveda is a reflection of nature itself; it’s kind of an analogy that helps us understand how nature works,” Heitz told the Reader. “We’re all a part of  nature, so we all follow these same rules that we see in nature around us.”

An example, according to Heitz, is simply being attuned to the seasonal changes and how they affect the body. 

The East Bonner County Library District’s Sandpoint branch. Photo by Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey.

“If we look at the seasons, they’re cyclical as well; they correspond with different energies in nature,” she said, noting that during the early spring when rains fall and ice melts, “it kind of turns into mud and that mud is stagnating. You can feel kind of sluggish.”

Likewise, in the fall, things are dying or preparing for winter sleep — the weather is often windy and variable, leading many people to feel scattered and more dried out.

“Those ideas apply to many different cycles — they apply to our food, they apply to our environment around us, they apply to our digestion,” Heitz said.

To counteract these seasonal effects, Ayurvedic practices counsel to consume foods with the opposite qualities: during the sluggish transition from winter to spring, avoid heavy, dense food and drink; with the mercurial nature of fall, the diet should be heavier, more grounding and with heating qualities, incorporating more oils and spices. 

For her Sept. 23 presentation, Heitz will specifically focus on digestion — what many might take for granted, she said Ayurveda teaches is one of the essential elements of finding balance in both mind and body.

“Ayurveda gives you the tools to start recognizing imbalance at the digestive level before it goes to these other systems,” she said.

Heitz came to Ayurveda through her own health challenges, beginning in her early 20s when she suffered from osteoarthritis in both knees. Unhappy with the drugs she was being offered, Heitz explored alternatives and found Ayurveda, which “resonated with me at such a deep level.”

In 2002, she enrolled in the California College of Ayurveda and continued her studies under teachers and practitioners from both India and the U.S. As the years went on, and her kids grew up, she deepened her education with further studies at the Kerala Ayurveda Academy. She ran a practice in Sandpoint for a few years, but took a break to do some teaching. Finding that she was continually repeating the same rudimentary principles, Heitz decided she’d best serve her community by making her knowledge available by participating in the Natural Connections program at the library.

“I want to get the understanding out there that it’s another system,” she said. “I would just love to see people get healthier and happier. When we feel better, we tend to be happier people.”

In addition to her general lecture — which will include the “three stages of digestion” — Heitz will also provide attendees with a range of recipes designed using Ayurvedic principles. 

“Even if you don’t have money, you can learn how to use the stuff in your kitchen to help yourself,” she said.

Finally, the first 25 participants will be invited to experience the digestive effects of the “six tastes” with a lunch provided by Sandpoint Curry.

Following Heitz’s presentation will be a hands-on exploration of various seed-saving and cleaning techniques with Library Seed and Garden Coordinator Anna Hebard at 1 p.m. — in which participants will be given seeds to take home for next year’s garden — and at 2 p.m. a library garden cleaning session during which attendees will learn how to prepare their gardens for winter, maintain garden tools and see how their own garden cleanup can be used for composting.

Joyce Jowdy, who runs community engagement and adult programming for the EBCL District, said she has a slate of presentations planned for October, but is still looking for ideas for programming in November.

“I want people who have areas of expertise to come to me and say, ‘Hey, is there a way we can bring this to the community and collaborate on these things?” she said. “It can be intellectual, academic, or physical, historical — whatever.”

For more information, visit ebonnerlibrary.org/events and click on Saturday, Sept. 23 in the calendar.