What a Difference a Day Makes
by Sussanna Czeranko, ND

When you feel tired and there’s no more juice in the tank to carry you through the day, what do you do? If reaching for a cookie or candy bar is your solution, well, let me share a secret. There are so many healthier ways to improve our energy and vitality! For starters, sugar snacks not only add calories, but are also often devoid of any nutritional benefits. Sugar becomes this awful addictive response to fatigue. We eat a little and then we are eating a lot. The fatigue persists. Time to switch strategies.

How about a day at the spa? All over the world, people flock to the healing waters of spas. The very word “spa” itself derives from Latin and means “salus per aquam” or “health from water.” Turkish hammams, Finnish saunas, Russian banyas, Japanese hot spring spas, and Hungarian mineral baths all view spas not only as a venue for treating illness, but also preventing future ailments. European spas are excellent at reducing stress, detoxifying the body, and restoring balance. At a traditional spa, you can find therapies that have been used for centuries to rejuvenate and heal body and soul. But wait, there’s more. If you add to the universal healing power of water, earth, art, and music, you’ve chosen the path to wellness. 

At a natural therapies health spa such as Manitou Waters Naturopathic Spa, you can enjoy remarkable water along with earth therapies that relieve stress and pull years off your shoulders and face. All in a day! Oh, there are pampering and lovely indulgences such as immersing yourself in a seaweed or a peat bath, or perhaps experiencing a full body steam and a sitz bath to de-stress and re-align with healthy energy. There are so many different kinds of spa treatments available, customized for each person. Once you have experienced a day at the spa, you will certainly be back. Included in the various spa packages are gluten-free, organic vegetarian meals, herbal energizing drinks, and new food preparation demos. This summer, imagine, dream big, and go for it. But don’t just stop there.

Maybe you want to rejuvenate your spirit and mind too? You’re listening to your muse by making a painting! What an opportunity to be guided by accomplished Saskatchewan artist Darrell Baschak, for example. His paintings have been sold around the world and with good reason.Check out his website 
darrellbaschakartworks.ca. Darrell belongs in a class of his own. He loves Mother Nature and her gifts of beauty and variety. His paintings speak to serenity, spiritual awakening, and simplicity. He embodies the qualities of patience so essential to seeing and feeling the textures of the land and its living beings, plants and animals alike. Over many years, he has mastered the paint brush to capture this majesty. Join him at Manitou.

Painting from Nature is a day structured with spa treatments in the morning, followed with a delicious gluten-free, organic vegetarian lunch. In the afternoon, the creative process of painting nature is spread out before you. Creativity is so often overlooked as not today’s priority. Yet, without creativity, there is a sense of longing and loss, a dulling sameness. When we create something of beauty with our own hands, there arises in us a titillating fulfillment. What feeds our canvas is nature, coupled with a growing awareness of what we have living inside of us. Our senses, our hands, and the beauty of art instill wonder and awe; we awaken to our soul’s yearning to be present in the world. The act of creating is such a timeless delight where we get lost in colour, texture, light, and form. And when the art piece is finished, it is as if someone else had created it. Or perhaps, the painting was conjured from a deep place inside of our soul needing to be expressed and come to life. Life without art is life without the serenity of beauty. Life is Art! Life is also music.

Nietzsche once said, “Life without music would be a mistake,” and so if you love and breathe music, imagine spending a day with Bruce Rawling. Bruce is a minstrel, a songwriter, a performer extraordinaire. His gentle spirit will guide you through lyric-writing, melody, and form, and move with you in fearlessly writing your own songs. His Soundscapes workshop this summer is not to be missed. 

The Grande Finale of the summer in Manitou Beach is the 2nd Annual Skye’s the Limit Fashion Show featuring costume designer Dianne Beckett. She will be showcasing the most enchanting and unique clothing found in Saskatchewan. Dianne’s work has “dare and divine” written all over it. She blends and repurposes unusual fabrics and designs to create something that has never been imagined before. Coupled with her one-of-a-kind clothing will be hats made by me, a naturopath by day and a felter anytime. My hats are inspired by dreams and fantasy and make a perfect topping for Dianne’s clothing. There will even be an auction to raise money for an outdoor school for children. And more music of course!

Come to Manitou Waters Naturopathic Spa this summer and experience an indelible day. There is so much more to life than routine and comfort zones. Shed that fatigue and boredom. Open up to being creative this summer, and then in the winter ahead, when you look at that beautiful painting that you painted this summer, you will be filled with sunshine. 

Sussanna Czeranko, ND, is a licensed naturopathic doctor practicing in Manitou Beach, SK. She has been conducting detox cleanses with patients for the past 30 years, and includes clinical nutritional counselling in her practice. She is the founder of Manitou Waters Healing Arts, specializing in traditional naturopathic therapies including spa treatments. Also a certified Buteyko Breathing Educator, she is the author of the 12-volume series The Hevert Collection, published by NUNM PRESS in Portland, Oregon. She has written over 150 articles in professional journals on natural medicine topics. For more details and upcoming events, see the display ad on page 11 of the 28.2 July/August issue of the WHOLifE Journal.