Stress Control

`Oh no' to `aha!'

by Nina Willdorf

Loretta Laroche, who goes by the nickname "Queen of Stress," claims that dealing with freakouts can lead to spiritual satisfaction. In a course called "Life Is Not a Stress Rehearsal, But You Can Make It a Stress Reversal," she teaches her students that turning an "oh no" into an "aha!" is the "critical first step." Eh?

Laroche, author of Relax -- You May Only Have a Few Minutes Left, is one of 17 alternative-health and spiritual experts who are plying their trade at the "Renewing Body & Soul" conference, a weekend-long holistic hoedown aimed at "rejuvenating mind, body, and spirit." The event, presented by New Age Publishing, will take place September 8 through 10 at Boston's Park Plaza hotel.

Over the course of three days, attendees who fork over $319 will have the opportunity to try some Pilates, listen to keynote speaker Deepak Chopra discuss "infinite intelligence" and synchronicity, and pick up some drums.

"Body & Soul" has been traveling the national circuit for the past six years, but organizers figured that even the conference itself could use a makeover. In the past, people who swarmed to the event were hungry for any and all holistic information. But this year's version will be a "deeper experience," promises Maryellen Madaio, New Age's events director. From Friday's opening ceremonies to Monday's optional post-conference intensive sessions, the two-hour mini-courses will be less of the "101 version" and more practical than ethereal, she says.

But the question remains, how much Zen and ohmm are Beantown residents really up for? Isn't that, well, more of a West Coast or an East Village thing?

No way, says Cheryl Richardson, the author of Life Makeovers who will also address the conference. In fact, Richardson says, "the fact that it's not as predominant [here] makes it something that people are more interested in." Four hundred people have already registered for the weekend's event, which has a limit of 500; Madaio takes that to be a good sign.

Registration for the conference or individual seminars, which range in price from $79 to $119, is possible on the day they take place as well as in advance.