 Tribe of goodness! It's time to celebrate three years of EmbodyGR on March 1st. Truly I am so excited and proud of the community we have built, the lives that have been transformed, and all the good work we have done to make ourselves, our families, communities, and world a better place for all! I am beyond grateful & humbled to be your fearless leader of our "feel better do good" movement! Won't you join in the celebration?! It won't be the same without YOU! Be sure to sign up on-line for child care, bring a friend, & be ready for one good time - it'll be a happening to be sure! March 1 2017  Who: YOU & all who need a celebration! What: yoga, meditation, community, service Where: Fountain Street Church Social Hall When: Wed. March 1, 2017 @ 6:30-8:00pm Why: To celebrate EmbodyGR's 3rd birthday!  "People of our time are losing the power of celebration. Instead of celebrating we seek to be amused or entertained. Celebration is an active state, an act of expressing reverence or appreciation. To be entertained is a passive state--it is to receive pleasure afforded by an amusing act or a spectacle.... Celebration is a confrontation, giving attention to the transcendent meaning of one's actions." ~ Abraham Joshua Heschel - Joyfully, Dana
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 Beloved community! What do you experience when you hear the word "victory?" How does that land in your body; what do you see in your mind's eye? Take a deep breath, close your eyes, say the word VICTORY aloud or silently, then experience with all your senses what arises. What do you feel? See? Hear? Recall? It is human nature to throw our arms up over our heads in an expression of victory. Studies show that across borders, cultures, and all sports, a universal body language exists. Research by the University of British Columbia studied seeing as well as blind athletes around the world. What they found is an extraordinary innate expression of internal triumph. When an athlete wins they take a classic stance; arms overhead, face toward the sky, mouth wide open. Think about that... some blind athletes who have not ever had the gift of sight have the instinct to rise up after victory. As humans are hardwired to express the emotion of victory in our bodies. We are hardwired to celebrate ourselves as well as other when we win or we witness another's win. When is the last time you threw your arms over your head in victory? To celebrate a success for which YOU worked tirelessly? To spontaneously express the powerful triumphant energy within? Arms waving wildly in the air in witness to something positively powerful happening before you?  For me, two examples come to mind. This past week I experienced my arms in the air repeatedly at my son Wills' basketball games! Spontaneously I jumped up waving my fits each time he hit his signature 3 point shot against the odds with the opponent's hand in his face, time ticking away on the clock. Though his team may not have won either game, the victory for me through the success of my son's dedication & hard work was still sweet. The other took place two years ago. Just look at the banner picture above. Me, in my warrior shirt, with an Embody sign over my head, mouth wide open, gaze to the sky. This was such a sweet success for me & EmbodyGR. It was our first 108 sun salutations fundraising event where a huge community of people came together to practice for two full hours to live our mantra, "feel better do good." We raised not only money, we raised our spirits! Each person who left felt triumphant having completed something very challenging... 108 sun salutations. Though the struggle for many to finish was real, it made savasana (our final pose of rest) that much sweeter. The people, the practice, the challenge, the completion, the gift of the Embody sign from Hannah Rose Graves, all together wrapped up the day in a victorious stance! I could not have been happier or more proud of myself, the practice we love, our EmbodyGR community, and the outpouring of support! Though not all of us are athletes, we all at some point or another have had reason to celebrate victory. And we know how sweet it is. Could you use some more of that energy? Does standing victorious sound like the ticket? If so, be sure to show up this week as we rock our practice to cultivate a triumphant uprising within. See you on mat! Victoriously, Dana  February 22, 2017 **We have child care! Sign up on-line. Who: YOU and friends What: yoga, meditation, community, service Where: Fountain Street Church TREE HOUSE When: Wed. Feb 22, 2017 6:30-8:00pm Why: To stand victorious!  Upcoming Events: February February 25- Women Stand - Service and Self Care Event - Women & Environment When: Saturday, February 25 from 10am - 12 pm Where: The Pyramid Scheme February 26- Girls Rock! Grand Rapids Annual Bowling Fundraiser When: Sunday, February 26 3-6pm Where: The Clique Bowling Center 533 Stocking Ave NW, Grand Rapids What: Bowl your heart out! All proceeds will go to Girls Rock! Grand Rapids (GR!GR), a week-long summer camp that exists to empower girls and women through music. $5 for ages 8+. March March 1- Embody’s 3 year birthday celebration! When: March 1st 6:30-8:00pm Where: FSC social hall March 25- EmbodyGR & GR Drive- yoga & hoops When: March 25th @ 4-4:45pm yoga, hoops @ 7:00 Where: Delta Plex (tickets $12- if you need help it's available) *proceeds graciously donated to EmbodyGR  "Breathe in, mentally utter the word 'Victory' and exhale. You'll find the strength of a hundred angels behind you." ~Yogi Bhajan  Feel free to share your personal moments of victory in the comments below!
Have a wonderful day!  January was a month of meeting our brothers and sisters from Division Avenue exactly where they are most comfortable- drinking coffee and making art in the studio. First thing every Monday morning it’s coffee & conversation. My approach is simple: join in with coffee and a smile while offering a ‘hello & good morning’, a ‘nice to see you’, all while looking into their eyes. It is my intention to have them feel seen, validated, and hopefully a little better from our human interaction. If I am fortunate to make a connection, I actively listen and learn people’s names & stories. Over coffee, I sat with a man named Keith who welcomed me into his story. He described his on-going pursuit to secure a permanent housing solution while continually “getting the runaround.” When I asked him to join us for our yoga & meditation session he replied, “Once I get my housing figured out. I have to sit here and wait to meet with the people who can help me every day until I have somewhere safe to sleep.” He finished our chat saying he’d like to try yoga because his “body hurts” and he needs “productive activities to fill up my day.”  Heartside Ministry is an oasis from the streets for the neighbors on Division Avenue and the art studio their haven. It provides calm from the storm of their lives, a place to self-express emotions on paper or canvas, through sculpture, fiber arts or tooling leather. The neighbors can sell their art in the studio which brings some income along with a sense of pride and a boost of spirit! In this beautifully, creative space I make new friends each week. They proudly show me their crafts while often sharing a bit of their hearts. A pillar of the art studio, “Fuzzy Jane,” works busily at her cat paintings. In detail she relates her actual cats’ personalities with light shining through her eyes! I ask her if she’d be interested in trying something new. She looks at me sideways with hands on her hips asking, “like what?” Yoga is my response. Head thrown back she laughs and says, “I can’t stand up. I use a wheelchair.” My enthusiastic reply was, “We do yoga from a chair. We breathe, stretch our arms, sing and share stories- all seated.” A warm smile with a “well, okay then” was the golden answer!
Timothy, a regular, came into yoga more to talk than to stretch or sing. He trusted me with his personal as well as family story filled with addiction, loss, poor choices and blame. Timothy’s nephew just arrived in Grand Rapids hauling his family’s history with him as well his string of unfortunate choices leading to severe alcohol and gambling habits. Timothy, who is in recovery himself, said he is working to get his nephew clean while helping him to find the Lord and some yoga. I felt honored to have yoga included on that healing list! He even offered to get music together for the following weeks to draw other people into our space. We are hopeful the music will offer an additional element of calm, safety, and focus. Coffee, art, conversation, yoga, & music… tools to change lives! I’ll take it!  Tribe of awesomeness~ Join our very own Peri Phillips as she leads our weekly gathering on February 8. We will gather as a tribe dedicated to continually making our daily lives happier & healthier so we can make the world better for all in our own unique way. Come practice yoga, meditation, song & service. Answer the call to showing up, doing the work, and being community. Hold space for me on February 8 and I will see you again on February 15! Until then be well! Shine your light, share your life. Go in peace. Namaste. Big love, dana February 8 & 15, 2017 **We have child care! Sign up on-line. Who: YOU and friends What: Yoga, meditation & service Where: Fountain Street Church Social Hall When: Wed. Feb 8, 2017- 6:30-8:00pm Why: To gather into the power of collective! “I believe in the power of love, and planting positive thought seeds into the collective consciousness.” ― Jay Woodman
  This month at HQ brought many discussions about new beginnings: new jobs, new housing, new POTUS. Many of the HQ youth that I have formed relationships with landed jobs this month and were extremely excited about working and financial freedom. Some had acquired housing which you can imagine their excitement and relief. Some applied for the new WELL HOUSE youth house, and I was incredibly tickled to see first hand the work of my husband Travis (Well House employee) and what this will mean for some of these young adults. Safety, opportunity, community and so much more.
I want to spotlight one young gentleman in particular this month as he has been incredibly inspirational and has made huge strides. Malik ended 2016 with many obstacles, but he has truly persevered. He has practiced mediation and pranayama with me almost every week, shared his stories and passions, opened up about his struggles and severed relationships, and expressed beautiful optimism for his future.I invited him to come to EmbodyGR after a conversation we had about friendship and community and he agreed to come! He has now been to two gatherings and I am overcome by watching him dive right in! Seeing that was a confirmation of how powerful this work really is! I am so proud of him and his courage to try something new and practice self care. Which I have come to understand is truly a luxury for so many do not have the opportunity to experience. I look forward to the coming month and working with these amazing young women and men. Love, Peri |
Community Quote“The EmbodyGR community embraces and supports, says ‘yes you can’ when the noisy inner voice says, ‘no you can’t’ – Kari Wilson, Community Member Archives
August 2020
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Our MissionEmbody is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to providing access to physical and mental wellness education for all people. We offer the healing tools of yoga and mindfulness, and create meaningful volunteer & service opportunities, to help people regain agency over their own well-being. Our FREE weekly gatherings and events empower individuals to become healthier, happier, and make the world better in their own way. We are dedicated to improving the quality of people’s daily lives so they can “feel better do good."
Copyright (c) 2020 Embody, 501 (c) 3, all rights reserved.
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