UNITY HOLISTIC
WELLNESS CENTER
For further information, or to register for a workshop, contact:
UNITY HOLISTIC WELLNESS CENTER
5124 Departure Drive
Raleigh, NC 27616
Telephone: (984) 304-3238
unityholisticwellnesscenter@gmail.com
www.unityholisticwellnesscenter.org

“Unity Holistic Wellness Center was not created as a program for seniors,” says its founder, Rev. Ellen Barron (who prefers to be called Ellen). “Its founding principle is that health is—must be—about body, mind, and spirit, a concept that applies to us all, whatever our age. However, I believe that the programs and experiences offered through the Center can be especially valuable for those whose lives are challenged by the issues and ailments associated with age.
“I would argue,” she says, “that the answer to all life’s challenges is in this idea of wholeness. And the opportunities offered at the Center are intended to help people understand the connections between mind, body, and spirit and to acquire the skills they need to realize their own power in achieving whole health. When we’re balanced in this way, we are able to function at our highest potential in all areas of our life.”
Special Challenges That Come With Age
JUNE CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
Workshops and classes are held at the Unity Church of Raleigh, 5124 Departure Drive, 27616, and may be attended in person or remotely. Saturday workshops run for two hours, beginning at 10:00 am; you may pre-register on-line by 8:00 a.m. on the day of the workshop or register on-site at 9:30 a.m. on the day of the workshop. Yoga classes are held Wednesdays. Tai Chi classes are held Monday and Thursday mornings and Monday evenings. VibeUp! Workshops (Gentle Yoga, Meditation and Sound Healing) are held monthly; check www.unityholisticwellnesscenter.org for dates and times.
CLASSES & DISCUSSION GROUPS
MONDAY MORNINGS: 10:00-11:30 am
(June 5, 12, 19, 26)
Morning Tai Chi Class
Presenter: Carolyn Bard, Tai Chi Instructor
MONDAY EVENINGS: 6:30-8:00 pm
(June 5, 12, 19, 26)
Evening Tai Chi Class
Presenter: De Mott, Tai Chi Instructor
TUESDAYS: 12:00-1:00 pm
(June 6, 13, 20, 27)
Heart-Centered Living Discussion Group:
Presenter: Ellen Barron, MDiv, Licensed Unity
Instructor/Certified Spiritual Educator/Coach
WEDNESDAY MORNINGS: 10:00-11:00 am
(June 7, 14, 21, & 28)
Morning Yoga Class:
Presenter: Stacey Paige, Yoga Instructor/Spiritual Coach
THURSDAY MORNINGS: 10:00-11:30 am
(June 8, 15, 22 & 29)
Morning Tai Chi Class:
Presenter: Carolyn Bard, Tai Chi Instructor
SUNDAY: 3:00-5:00 pm
(June 25)
(in-person only)
VibeUP! Gentle Yoga, Meditation, Sound Bath
Presenter: Stacey Paige, Yoga Instructor/Spiritual Coach
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28:
6:00-8:30 pm (in-person only)
Virtual Tai Chi Workshop with Kevin Werre
Special rate: $25 per person
Students familiar with teachings from Tai Chi Master Moy Lin Shin lineage will greatly benefit from this event!
SATURDAY WORKSHOPS
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
JUNE 3
Develop Your Intuition and Tarot Skills
Presenter: Jackie Gardner, Reiki Master Teacher & Spiritual Mentor
JUNE 24
Aging Gracefully: How to Age Well in Mind-Body-Spirit (Part 1)
Various presenters
JULY 8
Aging Gracefully: How to Age Well in Mind-Body-Spirit (Part 2)
Various presenters
“While not unique to the elderly,” observes Ellen, “there are many problems that are more common as we age, including chronic health conditions, pain, loss of hearing, memory decline, and decreased stamina and mobility. And when faced with such problems, it’s easy to lose that sense of wholeness – especially if we have an illness or difficulty that focuses on just one aspect.
“Chronic pain, for example, is often addressed simply as a physical problem—losing sight of the fact that it takes a heavy emotional toll. And the limitations it imposes—on mobility or the ability to engage in activities that offer joy or companionship—are not only stressful, but often result in isolation or depression.”
Developing Whole Health Skills
“Entire industries are devoted to helping us develop skills for physical health,” notes Ellen. “But jogging and dietary changes alone don’t help us achieve whole health. Emotional and mental stresses affect us physiologically; pain and hormonal imbalances affect us mentally and spiritually. We need the skills to manage these connections.
“Which is what Unity Holistic Wellness Center is all about,” she explains. “Our goal is to empower participants—through affordable, interactive workshops and classes—to develop the skills for healthy, whole living.”
Self-Awareness, Community, Self-Care
“Reflected in everything we do at Unity Holistic Wellness Center,” explains Ellen, “is the belief that whole health—at all stages of life—begins with self-awareness and requires self-care. And we are strengthened in this process by community.”
Self-awareness is the ability to understand your own mind, body, and spirit and how they connect, she explains. It could be awareness of the messages you’ve been giving yourself that interfere with your health. It could be awareness of how your thoughts and emotions are affecting your body. It could be awareness of how your body is affecting your thinking and feeling.”
Although self-awareness is the foundation for health, Ellen argues that it’s not enough. “You have to create a strategic practice of being healthy. That’s what our workshops provide. One common method is to quiet the mind through meditation. Reiki and energy healing workshops help us tap into the greater life force behind healing. Yoga, too, is multi-faceted. Movement can be a bridge, like the breath, to quiet the mind and connect it and the body to inner stillness.
“Other workshops explore the intricate energy system embodied in the seven chakras. When we bring these chakras into balance, we feel calm, supported, and at home in the world. Yoga, meditation, sound healing, and aromatherapy can all contribute to achieving that balance.
“What all of these workshops have in common is that they take us out of the activity—the ‘busy-ness’—of the mind and help us move to an open and balanced space, where healing can occur.”
And they offer one more essential component of whole health, notes Ellen: “and that is community. Classes and workshops bring people together, out of isolation, supported by the understanding that they are not alone. We all share the desire—in fact, the need—to connect spiritually and with others, to be connected in ways where we can experience love and support.
“Regaining our health, returning to ‘normal,’ means re-connecting. When we are in touch not only with ourselves but our relationships, we open a space for this connection that we all need, for love.”