DISCOVER HAITI – NOW OPEN WEEKENDS

Join us at Urban Zen for an exhibition and celebration of the inspiration behind Donna’s heart for Haiti. Nomad Two Worlds and Donna Karan continue to support the artisans of Haiti with the new URBAN ZEN NOMAD TWO WORLDS HAITI EXHIBITION. The Urban Zen Center in NYC has become a gallery and temporary showroom to showcase a collection of art, accessories, clothing, and home furnishings designed and produced in Haiti. The exhibition also features the collaborative works of Russell James, Nomad Two Worlds, and Philippe Dodard as well as David Belle’s video “Naturally Haiti”, a behind the scenes look of how the collections were designed as well as gorgeous footage of Haiti and its people. Special thanks to Donna Karan International.

For more information please call 212.414.8520 or email info@urbanzen.org

Help Us Help: Text4Baby

Urban Zen is grateful to Johnson & Johnson and its partner, the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition for launching text4baby, the first free health text messaging service in the U.S. Their goal is to help more pregnant women and new moms get information about their health so they can give their babies the best possible start in life.

Since more than 500,000 babies are born prematurely and an estimated 28,000 children die before their first birthday each year in the U.S., they’re hoping to make a positive impact on some of the factors like health care access, poverty, and negative health behaviors and help people stay healthier.  Text4baby sends 1 to 3 text messages per week that are timed to due dates to more than 323,000 registered people

Parents are receiving messages about prenatal care, labor signs, breastfeeding and crucial newborn information. Here are a few examples of texts parents might receive:

Celebrating the Mothers of our UZIT Program

In celebration of Mother’s Day we wanted to give a love-filled shout-out to the mother’s of our Urban Zen Integrative Therapy Program. In the three years since the launch of the UZIT Program, several of our students have had the incredible experience of learning the benefits of the eastern healing techniques not only for patient care and self-care, but also for maternal care. Caring for the next generation included moms with baby bumps or baby seats, while others learned they would be receiving more than a certificate at the end of their training. These mothers and mothers-to-be were able to use the modalities to care for themselves before, during and after delivery, and the results have been beautiful, as you can see.

The whole Urban Zen team is wishing a very Happy Mother’s Day to our UZIT moms.

May Ambassador – Christy Turlington Burns

In celebration of all mothers everywhere and the advancement of maternal health, we are delighted to honor Christy Turlington Burns as our May Ambassador.

With nearly thirty years at the forefront of the fashion industry, having graced every magazine cover from Vogue to Time, Christy has established a diverse career as a model, writer, entrepreneur, spokesperson, advocate, and filmmaker. Philanthropy and service have long been a part of Christy’s personal and professional mission to make a lasting impact on the world. In 2005, Christy became an advocate for maternal health for both CARE and (RED). In 2010, she completed and debuted her documentary film, NO WOMAN, NO CRY, about the global state of maternal health, at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City and on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) on Mother’s Day 2011. Concurrent with the debut of her documentary, Christy launched Every Mother Counts, an action and mobilization campaign designed to educate and support maternal, newborn and child health.

Brainwave: A refreshing take on the mind, body, spirit connection

Recently we had the opportunity to collaborate with the Rubin Museum for their innovative well-being series Brainwave, which brought people from diverse walks of life together to engage with neuroscientists in one-on-one conversations in order to better understand the workings of our minds. It was an honor for the Urban Zen team to participate in this year’s series which focused on the role memory has played in the past, and the debatable role it plays in our contemporary cut-and-paste culture.

From remembering the past to learning in the present and the role each plays in our future, the function of memory was elegantly examined at The Rubin Museum on April 28th, starting with actress Marilu Henner and her “Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM).”

Only one of twelve documented HSAM cases, Marilu has the ability to remember each day of her past with perfect recall. As she shares in her new book Total Memory Makeover, each of us has the ability to expand our memories, relive them and take the valuable lessons we might have overlooked or subconsciously ignored. The wisdom of emotional growth allows us to look back at our lives with deeper understanding and compassion that can sometimes transform a painful memory to one that’s empowering.