this is life in austin & aspen

I don’t normally write about things super-far in advance, but you might want to plan to be in Houston for this one. The First Annual BreatheCure Conference comes to Rice University Recreation and Wellness Center October 29.

The event supports the illness-to-wellness community with educational classes and lectures for participants of all ages and fitness levels to use as a means of enrichment and healing. It’s a FUNdamental day of bringing like-minded folks together in a place of healing harmony. My university is awesome.

Founded in 2007, Breathe the Cure®, is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to bringing educational awareness to the general public about the benefits of breathing techniques, meditation, and yoga. Much of the focus is on cancer survival and recovery through these practices. The conference is also donating twenty percent of all proceeds from the conference to Pink Ribbons Project, a Houston-based nonprofit that saves lives and improves the quality of life for those touched by breast cancer. A list of the 2011 presenters is here.

Keynote Speaker Award-winning investigative food journalist Barry Estabrook, author ofTomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit, explains how tomatoes have gotten to their current tasteless, nutrient-deficient state and how we can fix the problems. Grown out of season to supply distant markets, dependent on a witch’s brew of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, and produced under some of the most abusive labor conditions in this country, the modern agribusiness tomato is a “poster child” for many of the ills facing our industrialized food system.

The 2011 BreatheCure Conference is a collaboration between Breathe the Cure® founder, yoga professional and legislative yoga advocate Jennifer Buergermeister fromJennyoga/CuraYoga and the Texas Yoga Conference, who partnered with Amy Garratt and Julie Byrd, co-founders and Yoga Studies Directors of Balance Your Body Yoga as well as BYB Pink Ribbon Recuperative Yoga. Of the first annual BTC Conference, Jennifer states, “We believe that change comes from a healthy mind, body and planet. This year’s conference supports integrative medicine, deep breathing techniques and mindfulness as a healthy lifestyle and a tool that helps alleviate many symptoms of disease.”

Registration for the 2011 BreatheCure Conference is $175 for the general public and $150 for students, teachers, and seniors. To register, visit btcconference.com/register or call 713-839-9642. Students of Rice University, UH, Baylor or UST can get a 50% discount if they enroll via email to info@breathecure.org.

The BTC Conference will be held at Rice University Recreation and Wellness Center, Saturday, October 29, 2011. Doors will open at Rice University’s Gibbs Recreation and Wellness Center on Saturday at 8:30a with the first session beginning at 9. Event ends at 8p. Performance by the Houston Ballet at 7p Saturday night to end the event with a Pink Aware Splash!

2011 BTC Conference Sponsors include: Breathe the Cure, Texas Yoga Association, Texas Yoga Conference, Balance Your Body Yoga, Jennyoga/CuraYoga, YogaOne Studios, Wisdom & Co., New Living, Luke’s Locker, OneYoga USA, Pink Ribbon Recuperative Yoga Training, 002 Magazine, Kingwood Yoga and Wellness Center, Yoga 4 Kids, Expedition Balance, Origin. Magazine, JCC Houston, Yoginos: Yoga for Youth, Ligmincha Texas Institute, Yoganonymous, Luna Bar, Body Dynamics, The Motherhood Center, Ekam Yoga, Mind Body & Soul, Sedona Tea Blends, Pure Rain, PerfectMind Yoga, and Aerobifit.