Artist Kris grew up in New England and has been painting and drawing since she was very small. In Northern VA she studied with several artists at The Torpedo Factory Art League where she took classes for many years. She has won over 30 awards for her work and been juried into more than 100 shows across the US. Her work includes colorful abstracts, flowers and landscapes. Kris now lives and works in Naples, FL and counts on help from her two cats who want to be involved in everything she does
My name Alvina means many things. It comes from the Latin language meaning “Elf Friend”.
Also “White Lotus Flower”
In India an alvina is a lute, like a guitar.
Alvina can mean “of the vine” like grapes that make fine wine.
I was named after my grandmother since I was the firstborn of an only child Italian American-Heritage man.
That exotic, Latin name wasn’t an easy one to have growing up in rural Connecticut. My mother who was half Italian American and half Canadian French wanted to name me “Rebecca (of Sunnybrook Farm) or “Anastasia”.
I also inherited my grandmother’s nickname which I no longer used once I left home for my second year of college at 17. (I went to UConn Waterbury, CT Branch for 1 yr then to The College of New Rochelle, NY until graduating in 1980 with a Communications Major – mostly photography)
I like that the name Alvina has a certain flavor or essence that relates to lightness, nature, music, wine, beauty, friendship.
My father looked at me once and he said, “You are an Alvina!”
Regarding a flower I love gardening — cultivation– and it has helped me retain my sanity in this changing world. Luckily I have a garden that I can tinker in as much as I like! You might be familiar with the work of Eliot Cowan — Plant Spirit Medicine — and so you know that plants are alight with “fairies” and energy healing which is why we look to it in our medicines and Flower Essences (FES) which help to balance our field.
I suit the name.
My life work has been infused with the energy of healing myself and others – Light comes through me! And, I use music in my work, I make my own oils and I provide a beautiful environment, the soul-affirming Insight Acupressure, consider everyone in the highest personal regard (as Dr Fritz Smith conveyed to me through our Zero Balancing work) and I cultivate lasting connections.
Gratitude to my family, my teachers and to myself!!!
There are several versions of The Women’s Health Protocol Story depending on where you were at the time of its development. There are many perspectives…
How It Started…
A Request in Class
Missy Grace Oleaga and I co-taught a Clinical Acupressure 2: Meridians Class with Susan Grant in Wilmington, North Carolina, in a hospital, which sponsored the program for its nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists and massage therapists. A student came to Missy Grace asking for acupoints applicable for women’s breast health as she was teaching a segment on breast health the next evening at a hospital. The student showed up for her class on women’s breast health and discovered that it was really on Women’s Health. Missy Grace got an intuitive hit that we needed to pursue this request and need.
We all started to make suggestions, “the Spleen acupoints for blood”…and such. I opened the question to the Insight Acupressure Community for input. I wrote to Dr. Aminah Raheem (the originator of Insight Acupressure) , Leah Matalon, Angelique Priscilla and Betsey Baker, senior teachers, and others who gave their ideas of which acupoints would be beneficial to woman’s health.
So, we started with a question. Gathered some data. Arrived with books. A lot of books!!! Yet we didn’t need a one. Not a one. As you will hear.
Travel Ensued
Several months later, Alvina Quatrano, Missy Grace Oleaga and Cathy Miller met one weekend at St. Micheals, MD, a sleepy fishing village on the Chesapeake Bay, Eastern Shore of Maryland near to where Cathy Miller (former President of Insight Acupressure lived. We arrived to a quiet motel situated by the Bay at the turn of spring. The back of the car was piled with texts. Each woman carried her sworn texts on the subject — there were piles of books — no two alike. We thought we’d be hunkered down all weekend delving through those books, pouring through, discovering secrets of the ultimate healing potion for women’s health.
That’s not what happened.
Books!!!
Alvina left her Ocean Grove, N.J. home to pick up Grace in PA on the way to meet Cathy in St Michaels, MD. Grace and Alvina met Cathy and they all trundled their books into the motel room. After the long trip in the car Alvina used the bathroom (“the loo” British friends say, “the head” the sailors say) and when she came out of the bathroom Cathy was on the massage table set up between the beds, surrounded by piles of books and Missy Grace moved around her. “Are you guys???”… and they never stopped.
I (Alvina) grabbed a pad and pen and started writing but Missy Grace said, “We remember it.” They moved easily from one set of points to another as though spiritually guided. They were spiritually guided. We all tapped into the spiritual guidance, checking in to our experience of how the points felt and adding suggestions along the way. And, before we knew it it was done. The Women’s Health Acupressure Protocol.
Ta-Dah!!
Forty minutes after arriving to St. Michaels, MD for a studious weekend we finished the protocol. We were annoyed, elated, shocked, a little confused, grateful and happy. Now, we had vacation time in this beautiful location, not indoor study time as we had anticipated.
We practiced the protocol to be sure and we were sure.
And Then…
After the weekend, we brought the protocol to our teachers Dr. Aminah Raheem and Susan Grant, the developer of the Clinical Acupressure Program. They tested The Women’s Health Protocol and made decisions about what we gave them.
It was/is a very powerful protocol. Aminah wasn’t ready to let us teach it yet, for a long time. She wasn’t ready to grant the whole community to teach it but we developers could teach it if we wanted. And so we taught The Women’s Health Protocol for many years on our own as a one-day class (8 hours).
Finally, 20 years later Cathy Miller who was by now the President of Insight Acupressure and also the Graphics Designer, was redesigning the Clinical Acupressure Manual, which has 75 protocols in it, asked Dr. Raheem if she could add the Women’s Health Protocol to it. And she said yes!
Currently
Since that original time, Cathy Miller has developed Clinical Acupressure 3: Extraordinary Vessels — Lineage Material and she implements the Master Points for the Chong Mai Meridian to support the original WHP, and so, that sequence is added as an option to the beginning of the protocol. Subsequently, the manual size and style changed, so, several versions of the Women’s Health Protocol exist as it has been explored over the years.
In-Person & Online Classes
Join us as we present the new 3-hour Self-Care Version of the Women’s Health Protocol , created to present on Zoom. We also teach a longer 6 hour version for Insight Acupressure Certified Practitioners to offer for giving to others. The class is also available in person.
Request For Classes Always Considered.
Request A Session
Of course you may request The Women’s Health Protocol from your Practitioner in your next Insight Acupressure Session. Looking forward to seeing you!!!
My experience with the acupressure point IA 23 (LI 18) Receive Support and Rush Out.
Assisting a PA Class In Borrego Springs, CA
I was at my teachers (Dr Aminah Raheem) home in Borrego Springs, California, assisting her in a Process Acupressure Class when I learned the power of acupoints for support and healing in a very dramatic way. Although I already knew that acupoints and acupressure are tremendously healing and powerful — it works!! — I had a dynamic illustration of how it works when I partnered with one of the students for her practice session.
Student Practice
She kindly asked me how she could serve me as she did a client intake with me sitting on the massage table in Dr Raheem’s office which was completely covered with photos and icons of saints from all of creation (talk about being supported). Dr Raheem was also standing in the room observing us. I chose a protocol (I don’t remember which one) which had the beginning acupoint IA 23 (LI 18). When the student touched that acupoint I said that I would prefer if she only held the area of the point with her whole hand as I felt I just needed to feel supported there. The student complied.
Altered States
Immediately, I began to cry but only for a moment. Then, I was coughing, like in The Green Mile movie where the actor takes in people’s badness and illness and then lets it out in a stream of gadflies. That happened for a bit, forcefully extracting something from deep down through my throat. I whipped my glasses off (I couldn’t wear my contacts in the desert dryness). As I moved off the table and commenced into a yoga flow that was from an altered state of consciousness for some minutes. One move after the next seamlessly flowing. And then I stopped. I was in a full Camel Pose when I came out of the altered state and I raised one arm up and asked to help me come to a standing position. Dr Raheem told me to go ahead and rest on the lanai the rest of the morning.
Acupoint Name Relevance
Later Dr Raheem came to me to say “That point name is Receive Support and Rush Out”!!!
World Support and Healing
That afternoon was supposed to be my turn receiving a treatment from Dr Raheem as a demo in front of the class. Since I had had such a dynamically transformative session in the morning she gave me the option to have the session or not. I said that I would like to have the session but only if it was gentle. And so she invited me to the table for my session with her. As I was relaxing on the table and she was working around me I had a vision of yellow flowers in a field. It felt as though angels were surrounding all of us and we were being blessed with all love and beauty. Everyone felt it and the room turned golden. It filled with a golden light. We all experienced it.
And that’s how I came to understand that being a support can lend support and healing and bring beauty and love to all. Also, that we don’t have to hold on to any poor feelings or experiences — we can let them go and be well and loved.
Dear Friend, Wishing you the best in this new year! Below and attached is my Chair Yoga schedule. It looks like the Monday class is full. Please let me know if you would like to come to the Tuesday Zoom class or the Wednesday in-person class. Feel free to call or email if you have any questions. Jeanie 413-230-1518, jean.erlbaum@verizon.net.
CHAIR YOGA WINTER CLASSES
MONDAYS 1 – 2 pm from Jan. 15 to Feb. 12 and then Feb. 26 to March 25 at the Nina Iser Cultural Center, 4720 Pine Ridge Rd., Naples. There is a reduced cost for Women’s Cultural Alliance members of $45.00 for each five week session/ $55 for non-members.
TUESDAYS on Zoom 11am – 12 pm, Jan. 9 – Feb. 13 and then Feb. 27- April 2. Each 6 week session costs $45 and includes a video of each week’s class.
WEDNESDAYS 1 – 2 pm from Jan. 17 to Feb 14 and then Feb. 21 to March 27 (skipping March 13) at the Fleischmann Community Center, 1600 Fleischmann Blvd, Naples (near the Coastland Mall and the Naples Zoo). Each 5 week session costs $55.
CALL or EMAIL Jean for INFORMATION:jean.erlbaum@verizon.net, 413-230-1518. PRE-REGISTRATION is required. Class size is limited. To reserve a spot, please send a check made out to Jean Erlbaum, 8022 Players Cove Dr. #202, Naples, FL, 34113. Chair yoga videos are available upon request when missing class.
CHAIR YOGA is a great program for anyone who wants a gentle practice of stretching and centering. Beginners and experienced yogis are welcome. We will do flexibility and strengthening exercises that can alleviate sore joints, tight muscles, and symptoms of arthritis, all done on or next to a chair. The class is suitable for people of all abilities, including those with joint replacement and those in wheelchairs. (For folks for whom it is best to remain seated throughout the class, alternative poses are offered to the standing balance poses we do next to the chair.) We will end the class with calming yogic breath and a relaxing meditation.
JEAN ERLBAUM, MS, has studied yoga and meditation since 1967 and is a Certified 500 Hour Experienced Yoga Alliance Teacher. Jean is schooled in several styles of yoga, meditation, and stress reduction. Her specialty is Yoga for Seniors and she is certified in Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga. Her book, Sit with Less Pain: Gentle Yoga for Meditators, was published in 2014 by Wisdom Publications.
I have had the privilege of knowing Alvina for 13 years, and I can wholeheartedly attest to her incredible healing abilities. Our journey began when she worked with my 1-yr old son post open-heart surgery, and her nurturing presence brought a sense of comfort and peace to both my son and me.
Alvina seamlessly transitioned from being a practitioner to a cherished friend and mentor, and her work has been profoundly grounding and soothing. Her extensive knowledge across various modalities is a testament to her dedication and expertise.
If you are looking for a way to improve your well-being, I highly recommend making an appointment with Alvina. Her compassionate approach and deep understanding of healing will undoubtedly leave you feeling better than ever. Thank you, Alvina, for being a guiding light on our healing journey.
Cynthia Sharpe, Naples FL
Note From Alvina:
Due to Cynthia’s diligent parenting and her educational background as a teacher she was well equipped to pursue the needed talents a mother of a down syndrome child would need to create success for her child. Thus, Cynthia has become a healer in her own right, integrating many modalities including biofeedback, meditation & play therapy. CynChronisity.com
She and her husband Doug sponsor a yearly non-profit Art Show for varied abilities contestants at the Naples Botanical Garden. It really is beautiful to be able to offer the backdrop of Nature with the natural gifts of the participants. It’s a natural high for everyone who participates.
