I had barely finished plucking wayward clothing items, shoes and books off my floor and jamming them into my closet when Jen Casey arrived on my doorstep. A certified feng shui consultant who specializes in green living, Casey had come to assess my tiny studio apartment, and the garden that surrounds it, from a feng shui perspective.

The tattoo-covered young man on my left is afraid of needles. With a genuine seriousness on his inked face, his polite trepidation sends a ripple of laughter around the living room, where nine of us lounge on chairs and couches.

Standing as straight as possible in Dr. Michelle Bean’s chiropractic office at the Santa Cruz Chi Center, I’m surprised to hear the following: my right shoulder slopes lower than my left and my head and neck tilt a bit in the opposite direction.

On a recent layover in Chicago, I found myself standing in the smoothie line at the airport, dazed, jet-lagged, and craving kale. Or anything green. I’d been away from California too long.

I haven’t even known Fred Reiss for a full minute, and I’m running my hands through his hair. To my surprise, it really is “baby soft.” And with a mind of its own, like dandelion fluff drifting atop his six-foot frame. If it wasn’t attached, it would surely float away.

One drink to remember, another to forget. And the next thing you know, you’re waking up on a floor somewhere at 2 p.m., with a crinkled Taco Bell wrapper in your pocket and no recollection of how it or you got there.

On a recent Friday afternoon, I sat inside Luma Yoga in downtown Santa Cruz, waiting for a busload of six to nine-year-olds to arrive from Santa Cruz Montessori school; a field trip to practice mindfulness through yoga.

Chocolate is loaded with flavonoid antioxidants—more than green tea, red wine, or an apple. This justification alone seems to defend the private euphoria of a square (or entire bar) here and there, right?

Chronic inflammation is strongly correlated with a myriad of health problems, from allergies and depression to the three main killers of Western society: cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. It may sound overwhelming, but according to licensed naturopathic doctor Aimee Shunney, there’s a lot we can do about the chronic inflammation problem.