Issues&ideas Student bashes ‘magic therapy Langara College Continuing Studies Program accused of teaching baseless holistic practices = By DANICA WALKER former Langara College student is taking a moral stand against the school for its “magic” therapy courses offered by the Continuing Studies depart- ment. Brian Lynchehaun, who had considered taking holistic health classes at Langara in 2014, nixed his plans because he said Langara offer courses that are not scientifi- cally proven. Instead he studied philosophy, mathematics and sciences. Lynchehaun says that he no lon- ger puts Langara on his resume because he does not “want to be as- sociated” with Langara's question- able academic choices. “They are claiming to teach you how to heal people and (the prac- tices) do not work,” Lynchehaun said. “There's a real possibility of helping people in new ways.” — KATHRYN BROWNING, CONTINUING STUDIES PROJECT COORDINATOR The Health and Human Sci- ences Department offers classes on holistic approaches to healthcare such as integrative energy healing, aromatherapy and, until recently, craniosacral therapy, which ended with the instructor's departure. The college isn't ruling out craniosacral therapy courses in the future. Kathryn Browning, Continuing Studies Project Coordinator and graduate of the Integrative Energy Healing Program, has worked as a nurse and a midwife. Browning said she sees where the limitations and needs for change are, but “there’s a real possibility of helping peo- ple in new ways and Continuing Studies has been a great home for this program.” BRIAN However, Dale LYNCHEHAUN Beyerstein, a re- FORMERLANGARA tired professor STUDENT of history of sci- ence and ethics at Langara is skeptical in a 2009 article in The Globe and Mail. “There is not a single peer-re- viewed controlled study backing up any of the treatments taught in that program, and it is an embar- rassment to Langara," Beyerstein said at the time. More than 70 per cent of Ca- nadians regularly use complemen- tary and alternative healthcare therapies, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Mayuko 'Coko' Nakashima, an integrated healing practitioner who has studied and taught all over the world, said holistic therapy is “a more long-term solution to chronic pain than what is offered in con- ventional medicine.” EDITORCASS LUCKE | Sandi Melody leads her Yoga-Sing class in a warm up. PHOTO BY BECCA CLARKSON OCT. 12,2017 | THE VOICE 7 Overall health balanced by harmonizing practices Singing and yoga merge for enhanced vocal performance By BECCA CLARKSON ingers and yogis harmonize in a new program led by Sandi Melody of Harmony House Music School in Vancouver where body awareness and performance are combined. Melody has been a voice, pi- ano and performance specialist since 1993, but only began teach- ing yoga this past summer. While earning her Yoga Teacher Train- ing Certificate at Langara College, Melody recognized that both yoga and singing rely on a knowledge of subtle body movements and energy. “Anything that you pursue, whether yoga or singing, it’s about refining and deepening,” Melody said. “It doesn't matter what art form it is because in the end it's all meditation, it's about getting to that centre.” "It's not about entertainment, it's about singing for your health." — SANDI MELODY, CREATOR OF HARMONY HOUSE MUSIC SCHOOL Yoga-Sing classes began on Sept. 8 and run every Friday at 10:30 a.m. at the Labyrinth in St.Paul’s Angli- can Church on Jervis Street. Due to its time-slot, classes have become popular among Vancouver's retired community and those who do not work a nine-to-five job. Classes begin with 45 minutes of yoga followed by 45 minutes of singing. The program will run for six consecutive weeks, but Melody hopes to offer evening and weekend classes in the future. “Songs with long phrases achieve the same effect as breathing ex- ercises in yoga. In other words, through song we can exercise a certain control over mental states,” Bjérn Vickhoff, Musicologist for the University of Gothenburg, Sweden said in a 2014 study. Donna Kurtz has practiced yoga for twenty years but only incorpo- rated singing after joining Yoga- sing. Kurtz said laughter and play in classes make the program appro- priate for all ages. “The feeling of singing is more important than how you sound,” said Kurtz. “There’s a tenderness that gets tapped into during class and it’s a really safe place to just let ” 0. "In our western civilization we have this idea that only the gifted people can sing, and if you are not born with talent you should not do it," Melody said. "It's not about en- tertainment, it’s about singing for your health." Approaching animal healing with hollistic practices Reiki performed the same way on animals and humans By NICK VALKA A healing technique based on the transfer of energy called Reiki has been gaining pop- ularity all over Vancouver, but why should it stop with humans? Reiki is being practiced on pets the same way it is practiced on hu- mans, and can be practiced in person or over a distance. The practitioner “channels healing energy through [their] hands to the animal through a light touch either directly on the body or from a distance,” as ex- plained by Ingrid King, a Reiki prac- titioner based in Northern Virginia. Sessions typically last 15 to 30 minutes with the end goal of balanc- ing a pet’s energy to relax them and make them less susceptible to sick- ness. Some people like Hakam Bhullar, a 42 year veterinarian at Atlas Ani- mal Hospital, are skeptical of the ef- fectiveness of Reiki. "lve had a lot of interactions with clients [who] have been taken advantage of,” Bhullar said. “Some- thing has happened to their pet, they try distance Reiki, they're charged (and believe everything) will be fine, but here I am, knowing that the dog is dying of cancer and he can not make it.” Kelly Kiss is a Reiki practitioner based on Salt Spring Island who said Reiki can be performed on al- most anything. “Your animals will be naturally drawn to it, you can do Reiki on your plants, on your food,” Kiss said. “We can send distance reiki to the other side of the world. So you don't need to be touching your animals, it’s just energy,” Kiss said. Kiss said she honours everyone's belief system, but suggests they try it themselves before making any con- clusions. Willow Mainprize, a pet Reiki practitioner based in North Vancou- ver, admits that she understands the skepticism surrounding the practice. “Reiki is never a sub- stitute for western medicine or veterinary ~~ oe ” . : VF medicine,” Mainprize said. “If anything, we're there in a supportive and complementary nature. I just think it’s really important for people to remain open, and embrace and try new things.” ‘There are currently three practitioners of Reiki in South Vancouver. Willow Mainprize dem- onstrates Reiki on her dog at her home studio in North Vancouver. PHOTO BY NICK VALKA