Wellness fair focuses on the holistic approach

Vicky Theris’ brother died Thursday, so Friday’s wellness fair at the Laguna Beach Community & Susi Q Center arrived at an ideal time to help her cope with the loss, she said.

Theris, a Laguna Beach resident in her 60s, sat in a chair with eyes closed as Stacy Pendleton, a therapist using sound healing, hummed while touching Theris’ stomach and then the area around her heart to reduce tension and anxiety.

Pendleton was one of several holistic health professionals who offered a taste of their work during the free Wellspring Health Fair organized by the Laguna Beach Seniors and One Source Wellness. One Source hosts workshops for public agencies and private clients such as schools and residential communities.

Laguna Beach Seniors used to hold an open house as a way to educate visitors about the organization’s programs but decided this year on a different direction to attract new people, Executive Director Nadia Babayi said.

Theris had never sat through a sound-healing session until she met Pendleton, who works at The Chakra Shack in Laguna.

The session involved sounds that correspond to seven energy centers, called chakras, in the body. Chanting different sounds slows the heart rate, decreases stress levels and boosts endorphins to create a sense of balance and well-being, Pendleton said.

Theris likened the chanting to a lullaby.

“It’s very relaxing,” Theris said. “It gives a lot of peace. It created good energy and got the bad energy out.”

At another station, guests rested in chairs and listened to recorded voices while partially blindfolded. The goal was to calm neurotransmitters in the brain and reduce the stress hormone cortisol.

Laguna Beach resident Carol Kelly, 70, sat for eight minutes while Elizabeth Herrera, community relations director for Irvine-based Doctor Designed Wellness, guided her through the process.

The wellness company specializes in helping patients fight migraines, hormone imbalance, insomnia and low energy.

Herrera said the recorded voices help the listener reprogram his or her thoughts and get into a meditative state.

Kelly said the therapy worked.

“It sets your imagination free and it’s relaxing,” she said.

Laguna Beach Seniors officials will evaluate the event and decide if they want to hold it again, Babayi said.

“So far a lot of people are coming in and we’re getting positive feedback,” Babayi said. “People are learning new things.”