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YOUR WELLNESS SPA Mind-Body Health 72 DAYSPA | APRIL 2014 the name of religion. To this, Newberg simply questions, "What is different in the brains of these individuals?" Nonetheless, for most people, connection to spiritu- ality does seem to enhance their lives and often, their health. In one of Newberg's studies, subjects engaged in a 12-minute mantra meditation that involved moving their fi ngers along with the sound of the chant. After eight weeks, Newberg detected evidential improvement in these subjects' memory, and changes in their brains' fron- tal lobe. "This was the result of a 12-minute practice," he points out. "Imagine the effect on the brain of a nun who is in religious practice hours and hours a day." MANY PATHS Being part of a faith community may help people abstain from unhealthy behaviors and lead optimistic and produc- tive lives. But many people have grown up in religious faiths that don't hold any personal meaning for them as an adult—hence, they have no current spiritual practice. Others simply have no interest, or consciously reject, the idea of spirituality in their lives. Some might turn to the spiritual realm only when seeking help with their own or a loved one's emotional, mental or physical problems. What wellness practitioners often fi nd, however, is that people are often longing or searching to fi ll what they ex- perience as a "hole" in their lives. Acknowledging this feel- ing sometimes leads them to fi nd a spiritual connection— and a nurturing spa can be the perfect gateway to that connection. "The spa environment can bring people into a return to wholeness," says Nancy Furst (nancyfursthealer .com), a Malibu, California-based spiritual counselor who also sees clients at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa (ojairesort .com) in Ojai, California. "It can be a place where they tap into their own power to recreate their lives." As a spiritual counselor, Furst helps people fi nd their own path. "We are naturally drawn to health and love," she says. "Sometimes I'm just a confi rmation for them." Of course, what is meaningful for one person might not © CHRIS GRAMLY/GETTY dayspamagazine.com/freeinfo • Use FreeInfo #19 Readers' Choice Award Y o u r W e l l n e s s S p a 4 1 4 . i n d d 7 2 Your Wellness Spa 414.indd 72 3 / 7 / 1 4 9 : 5 9 A M 3/7/14 9:59 AM