This summer, take a break from your normal Wednesday lunch routine to learn the basics of CranioSacral therapy, healthy grilling and yoga.

The Wellness Wednesdays workshop series is back, along with therapeutic massage every Tuesday and Thursday and Reiki on Mondays and Wednesdays.

“Initially, the idea was to offer something nice to our colleagues,” says Susan Villari, director of the Office of Health Education, which sponsors the workshop series from June through August. “It’s just a treat—summer is the time you can take advantage of things.”

New this year is a collaboration with Business Services to make information available on nutrition, environmental issues and sustainability at the University Square Farmer’s Market, held each Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Villari hopes this presence at the Market can tie in to student-related food awareness activities, including lectures and a dinner series. Coincidentally, food figures to be a hot topic for incoming students arriving in September, as the 2007 Penn Reading Project selection is Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” an examination of four meals in terms of both economics and nutrition.

At the June 6 kick-off Wellness event Farm to City Program Director Bob Pierson talked about eating local and understanding the connections between what we eat, where we shop and ecological sustainability.
Also on schedule this summer is a June 13 workshop, “Heart-Muscle-Mind,” from local holistic practitioner Gavin McKay. A June 20 session with Sandi Herman from Penn’s Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center will give useful pointers for those looking to quit smoking. On June 27, there will be a workshop on HIV and sexual health, and on July 11 Dan Johnson from Still Waters Body Work will lead a CranioSacral Therapy session. West Up West Yoga instructor Corina Benner leads a yoga session on July 18, masseuse Iris Bloom runs a session on July 25 and a healthy grilling barbeque rounds out the series on Aug. 1.

All sessions run from noon to 1 p.m. and are free of charge. Locations vary, so check OHE’s web site (www.vpul.upenn/edu/ohe) for details.
Massage therapist Bloom is again offering chair ($20 for 20 minutes) or table massage ($45 for 45 minutes). Sign up for a relaxing session on OHE’s website. You can also opt for Reiki therapy from health educator Sandi Herman. A 30-minute session costs $20 and a 50-minute session costs $30.

For more information on all events, go to: www.vpul.upenn/edu/ohe or call OHE at 215-573-3525.

Originally published May 10, 2007.