As they have done on the first Friday of each month for nearly seven years, a group of holistic health practitioners and friends met on May 1 at Charlie’s Restaurant in Vernon to share information and connect with other practitioners.

Seated around the table were many people with one thing in common: a shared interest in health and wellness, specifically holistic health. The networking group began when Jon Roe and Debby Hannah Bailey wanted to have a place to gather to share information about their area of wellness practice.

Roe, founder of Conscious CT, an online resource for anyone with an interest in spirituality, metaphysics, holistic health and the environment, said the group is open to anyone wishing to attend and get to know fellow practitioners . “It’s a chance to tap into the wisdom and experience of the group,” Roe said. “Part of being holistic is the philosophy that there is enough for everyone ; we don’t need to compete, and by helping others, we help ourselves.”

The gatherings – part networking, part social – draw practitioners from all over the north central part of Connecticut . The format is informal, leaving plenty of time to talk and catch up. After about an hour, the group comes together and listens as each person introduces themselves and briefly describes their work and anything of interest that is going on. Business cards and flyers are passed around.

One long-time member is Marie Menut , a registered nurse from East Hartford who specializes in vibrational healing using Tibetan bowls. Her work was experienced firsthand by fellow member Beverly Titus, of South Windsor . Titus recalled, “After a routine check-up X-ray showed some suspicious spots on my lungs, my doctor was concerned and ordered a follow-up Xray in two months.” Titus discussed the situation with Menut at the networking breakfast and set up an appointment. She had four treatments where she lay on a BioMat while Menut positioned various bowls around her body. Menut activated the vibrations of the bowls while Titus lay under warm blankets and relaxed. “The follow-up X-rays showed no evidence of what was seen previously,” Menut said.

With the Internet dominating the way people communicate, the need to connect face-to-face has increased “It is constructive and supportive, and we have fun,” said Charlie Edgarton, a Vernon resident, master carpenter and intuitive astrologer. “We are simply a group of people with like minds and hearts. As a network, we can refer to each other if there is a modality which some client feels is more appropriate for whatever issue is presenting.”

In addition to meeting new people and making friends, the meetings are a place to spread the word of new interesting finds. Jyll Kashmann, a writer and artist from West Hartford, brought a book that can change the way we think – because according to the author , Jack Pransky, “our thinking is our life.” The book, entitled “Somebody Should Have Told Us,” is not telling anyone what to do, but simply pointing the reader in the right direction and that everything we are looking for is already inside. “The concept [of the book] is so simple, basic and yet mostly unrealized because we were never taught it,” Kashmann said.

According to Roe, “We get a psychological boost from spending time together and breaking bread. Tapping into the community at least once a month is nourishing and reassuring.” The nature of holistic healing is just knowing that there are options other than surgery or prescriptions. “Treating the whole person, mind, body and spirit, is critical if we are to bring people into balance and health,” said Catherine Ewing-Rinker of Spirit Matters in Ellington. Ewing-Rinker described the approach holistic practitioners take as not treating a set of symptoms, but as treating the whole person.

Although most people knew each other, Janine Baryza-Ly , a psychic medium and energy healer from West Hartford, came for the first time to learn about service work in the community . Baryza-Ly explained that once you realize the limitless options for experiencing life, the first thing you want to do is share it with others.

There are many ways to take care of your body, and, in Jocelyne Colombe’s words, one motto for the network could be, “The help from brain-focused society to a heart-centered living.”

Over the years, ideas discussed over breakfast have given birth to such projects as the Greater Vernon Holistic Healthfest, The Alliance For Holistic Living and the Conscious CT Web site, as well as nurturing and encouraging many fledgling holistic businesses.

To find out more about holistic living and to subscribe to an e-mail newsletter , visit the Web site www.consciousct. org.