Celeste has been in the science, health and wellness field over twenty-five years. She began as a research chemist with a concentration in genetics and nutritional biochemistry. After working in the medical field, she saw the need to follow a path of proactive wellness and prevention. After receiving her Masters in Health Education, she ventured into the mind/body world receiving training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Yoga. Shortly after, she received the 2003 Wellness in the Workplace Award for a large health system in the state of Virginia. In 2004, Celeste joined SAS Institute, Inc. and continues to be passionate in her position overseeing Wellness and Fitness. She believes curiosity and collaboration bring insight and new ideas which bring out the best in everyone from team members to those who are making healthy lifestyle changes. Believing that the body knows how to heal if given the proper tools, Celeste earned certifications in Aromatherapy and Essential Oils, Classical Chinese Medicine and Homeopathic & Naturopathic Medicine. She earned her Doctor of Naturopathy degree in 2020. Celeste is a published author and practices what she preaches and teaches. She is a nationally recognized Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) and has advanced certificates in Integrative and Functional Nutrition, Genetics and Genomics. She is an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT) with the National Yoga Alliance, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Instructor, Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach (FMCHC) and Certified Yoga Therapist (CYT).
May is the beginning of swim season as beaches, pools, water parks and splash pads begin to open, and people spend more time outdoors. May is also National Water Safety Month. This annual campaign is supported by the Pool & Hot Alliance, the American Red Cross (ARC), the National Drowning
When I first starting writing this blog, I thought that I’d share some information on being strong in a physical way…. building muscle, building bone and the benefits of being fit. Then I started to think differently. The world needs strong women and it has strong women. I have great
Sound has a long history as a healing modality. In ancient Greece there is documentation that it was used for mental health and other cultures such as Tibet and Australia have used sound healing instruments for over 40,000 years. Sound therapy, which it is often called today, uses varied musical instruments
Did you know that 75-90% of visits to a health practitioner are related to stress? We all experience stress and not all stress is bad. Short-term stress helps us be motivated, but when it becomes chronic it can take a toll on our health and our quality of life. In
Nurturing New Habits Do you run on autopilot? Many of us do. Because of this, it might take some effort to build new habits because it is easy to fall into default mode (aka Old Habits). This is certainly the time of year that resolutions and good intentions are born.
Do you make time for rest? I thought I did until I started penciling myself into my own calendar! Many of us live for the weekend believing that we’ll wake up and have time for self-care and rest. For many years, I found myself waking up on Saturdays and launching
As we have changed the clocks to let the morning light shine a little earlier, we now have more darkness in the evening which, in my opinion, is better for the circadian rhythm. Our ancestors, when no electricity existed, rose with the sun and retired by the moon. In today’s
Have you heard of Thai Yoga? It often gets confused with Tai Chi, but Thai Yoga is a modality of healing that is an Ayurvedic (Ancient Indian Medicine) tradition. During the time of Buddha, monks went to Thailand to set up temples and practiced healing arts which consisted of a
This month, at SAS Institute, we are celebrating and providing education on the topic of menopause! Last week, I had the honor of presenting a seminar on movement, especially as it relates to maintaining and building stronger bones. This week, I offered a yoga workshop which was a calm, restorative
Menopause is often looked at as a time of dread, losing femininity and coming face to face with aging. I like to think of it as a time of finding the goddess within. I have personally considered it as a time of self-discovery, feeling comfortable in my own skin, letting
It's easy to feel pulled in too many directions. Living in the Western world and studying mind/body modalities from an Eastern perspective can often feel like a tug of war. The Western culture is often focused on the pursuit of attainment while the East accentuates “letting go.” As I grew
I love the world of science because it’s measurable and can be replicated. I’m also a strong believer in natural remedies because they have been documented for centuries and grow on our beautiful Mother Earth...you just have to know what you’re looking for. While I certainly appreciate pharmaceuticals and believe
Mother Nature gives us everything we need. I have heard that statement more than once, especially as a naturopath. We just need to pay attention. When I needed a little calm in my life decades ago, I remember taking walks near my house and seeing passion flowers growing in the
The spring is a time of rebirth and renewal. The birds are singing, plants are emerging from the ground and flowers are blooming in their brightness. For me, I feel better when I'm immersed in nature. What’s even better is bringing nature inside. In honor of Earth Month, I
Exercise...what a wonderful practice of self-care that can alter energy, relieve stress, provide a sense of well-being and many other health benefits. Have you ever wondered if exercising at a certain time of day is more beneficial? You’re not the only one. This question has been floating around since I’ve
What if there was an easy way to assist sprains, strains, pain, joint stiffness and even sleep? There IS and it’s PEMF therapy which stands for pulsed electromagnetic field. What is PEMF? It’s been around for over a century and provides a complementary way to heal and help the body
Self-care is something we should all do on a daily basis. It's good for the body, mind and spirit. While we have a plethora of breathing and meditation audios in our SAS RFC gallery, apps are great too. In this article, I’m sharing six free meditation apps that can assist
Many of us feel stressed at times. We may have a large to-do list, varied personal or professional tasks and so on. While short-term stress serves a purpose to get things done, a sense of overwhelm is a red flag that we are reaching our emotional capacity. As we recognize
In our last article, Flower Power - Exploring Flower Essences, you learned about floral essences and how these liquid petal potions contain the bioenergetic imprint of the flower’s chi or life force. They work with the emotions of the body as noted by cultures throughout the centuries and can enhance
I can vividly remember the way flowers made me feel when I was a child. There was something magical about a plant that emerged from the ground, reaching for the light to finally bloom into pops of color. I feel the same way today and want to share what I've
As the new year unfolds so do new resolutions. While these are helpful, I invite you to consider a new way to look at cultivating what you really want this year! Let’s begin with a simple question. What gets you out of bed every day? I'm not referring to an alarm
As we come to the end of the year when gift giving is popular, there is nothing kinder than making something special for family, friends and loved ones. It’s a double win because many products on the shelves today contain chemicals or harmful substances that our bodies are unfamiliar with
As we approach the winter season along with all the other happenings in the world, boosting immunity is important and accessible to everyone. In the lens of Traditional Chinese Medicine, qi (pronounced chi), assists the body in fighting off pathogens and building immunity. While many have heard and perhaps experienced
I'm not sure when it started, but I've had this lifelong situation that began small, I'm sure, and then grew! While I've encouraged it to become a friend, some days it is not. You may ask who or what this friend is. It's a little thing called perfectionism. It can
I’m a Leo and love the sun and the sea! There is something magical about the ocean breeze, the sand between my toes and the glistening sun on the ocean waves as they easily flow in and out in a rhythmic, calm manner. I imagine the seaweed beneath the water’s
I’ve worked with expectant moms for a quarter century. I can spot a new mom-to-be from a mile away. There is a lot of wonderment with new mommies. They have lots of questions and are unsure if they are doing everything right, fear what they identify as shortcomings and put
The nervous system! What an amazing and complex superhighway within us all! While we may not think of what’s going on underneath the surface, this system delivers information to and throughout the brain and is composed of the brain, brainstem, cranial nerves, spinal nerves, spinal cord and the enteric nerves.
I had heard of oil pulling before starting naturopathy school but as we dove into the world of oral health, I became fascinated with incorporating ancestral methods into modern life. We learned about the history, how it promotes a clean mouth (which is the entry system to our gut) and
Red light therapy (RLT) is pretty amazing! Although it may seem like a new technology in recent years due to more mainstream articles, it’s not. I’ve been using it for a couple of years and have found it beneficial on many levels. Over 25 years ago astronauts discovered that red
Sleep...we all require it. While some say they don't need lots or they don't have time for it, I challenge them to reconsider. Sleep, quality sleep that is, is critical for optimal health. It allows the body to recover and repair, helps boost immunity as well as memory filing and
