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Your Focus Determines Your Reality! Come Focus with Us

7/27/2016

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Ever feel you need a little more focus in your focus? Like you cannot seem to land your gaze to actually see what or who is before you? To see what is going on within you? Like your eyes are darting all over, taking in so much but seeing so little? If you're anything like me, you may run into this with some regularity.  Thank goodness for yoga... a practice, a moving meditation, anchored in intention & "drishti" in sanskrit or in plain ole' english, gaze. 
This week we will ground ourselves in our intention and bring awareness to the focus of our gaze. We will get curious about how easy or how challenging it may be to settle our eyes when we are challenged in our asana practice and in our daily lives. We will see how the quality of the mind is tied to the ability to focus our gaze, our breath. Our practice is our forever laboratory to learn more about the "self" to help us heal, grow & transform into our most whole, authentic self who is essential goodness, completely unstoppable & absolutely an incredible miracle!

Focus defined:
     noun- the center of interest or activity.
     verb- pay particular attention to.

Be sure to join us Wednesday to noun & verb focus in your practice. We will learn tools to bring more intentional focus to your focus day-to-day and then watch your life change before your eyes. As the saying goes... "what you focus on expands", so where do you choose to place focus?

See you soon!

Love, love, love,

Dana
July 27, 2016
***IMPORTANT: WE DO HAVE CHILDCARE this night!!
Who: YOU and friends
What: EmbodyGR free weekly gathering
Where: Social Hall - Fountain Street Church 
When: Wed July 27, 2016- 6:30-8:00pm 
Why: To put more focus in your focus.
Bring: An anchoring symbol of focus (rock, beads, candle, etc)
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Upcoming Events

Mark your calendar, we have some great opportunities for connection and service coming up!

August 21st: Girls Rock GR Showcase- FREE!
When: Sunday, August 21- 4:00-5:00pm 
Where: Wealthy Theater
What: Click HERE for volunteer opportunities! They need help moving gear and providing lunch on a couple days :) OR just go check out the showcase for FREE (donations are appreciated)!

August 5-7: Grand River Rendezvous- FREE!
When: Friday, August 5- Sunday August 7
Where: Boynton's Landing (Jenison), 825 Taylor Street
What: Paddle sections of the Grand River Heritage Water Trail and camp on the river bank for the weekend at the Grand Rapids Rendezvous. The rendezvous is a free event and there will be no fee for camping. Bring your canoe or kayak and take advantage of the opportunity to paddle downstream as far as Grand River Park (3 miles), 68th Street (12 miles) or Harbor Island (28 miles)

August 10: Guest Speaker Brian Keeley
When: Wed. August 10 EmbodyGR Gathering
What: Brian is coming to talk to us about the Red Project and the Walk to End HIV



August 16th: Rain Barrel Workshop
When: Tuesday, Aug 16th, 6:30-7:30 
Where: Rockford Brewing Company- $30
What: Your ticket includes 1 Rain Barrel and instructions All workshops includes everything you need to set up your barrel and take around 45 minutes. 

September 10: Walk to End HIV
When: Saturday, September 10 - 10:00am registration 
Where: Rosa Parks Circle.
What: Join the EmbodyGR team to support those who struggle with HIV/AIDS.

September 10: Tribute on the Grand
When: September 10 @4:00-11:00pm
Where: Ah-Nab-Awen Park
What: FREE event to create a safer, more exciting river experience for everyone. Read more at WMEAC.org: Tribute on the Grand https://wmeac.org/event/tribute-on-the-grand-2/

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It's Time for a Love Revolution! Are You Ready? 

7/18/2016

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I am so proud of us, our city, and the work that is happening in our community to change the world. This past Saturday almost 1,000 of our brothers and sisters in GR gathered in Rosa Parks Circle for the #AmINext rally. And what made this so special was that it was organized by four 16 year olds. At sixteen they are standing up for injustice, hatred, racism, oppression and hope for a better future. Each young person spoke from their hearts even though their voices were shaking, they spoke up and out! 
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I sat with my own 15 year old daughter Grace in awe of the power of young people to create change. I believe Grace too was moved, inspired, and hopeful for her future as a young person in our world. And that made my heart mom-happy. All my parents out there know that is crucial for our kids.

So many adults ask me almost on a daily basis, "What can I do?" That is what EmbodyGR is all about- taking care of ourselves, healing, educating, transforming, & finding happiness in daily life, so we are inspired to take action to make the world better! All humans desire to feel better & all humans within them have the need to do good (whether they realize it or not). We can practice yoga & meditation. We work for peace & happiness. We can volunteer & serve. We can attend rallies. We can organize. We can use our voices. We can vote mindfully. We can show kindness to all people. We can acknowledge our shared humanity. We can spread the message of hope, courage and a revolution of love through our daily practices & actions. At EmbodyGR that is our work.. "feel better, do good."

Taking action can be hard and making it a part of our life can be exhausting and at times overwhelming. That is why we gather each week at EmbodyGR. That is why we  surround ourselves with people who care, support us, and work for change. That is why this week at EmbodyGR we will work to move the needle on love as a revolution! Please bring an image (photo, piece of art, poem, jewelry, statute, etc) that is a symbol of love, hope and inspiration for change to you! We will be practicing yoga & meditation, singing, breathing, sweating and uplifting ourselves and our world while being surrounded by our personal images of love, courage, and hope of a better future for ALL. Let us immerse all our senses in positivity we can use as fuel for our daily lives. Together we can do this!

Please bring the friend we all have that says they want to make a difference in the world and they just don't know how. Give them the gift of our community.

See you Wednesday!

Yours in revolutionary love,
Dana

​
Who: YOU and friends
What: EmbodyGR with Dana Christian Lee!
Where: 3rd floor tree house - Fountain Street Church 
When: Wed July 20, 2016- 6:30-8:00pm 
Why: To bring a revolution of LOVE!
Bring: A symbol of hope, courage & change (photo, piece of art, jewelry, small sculpture, etc) to build a puja of inspiration!

Upcoming Events

FREE Training Opportunity! 
July 19th: 
Mental Health First Aid for Adults who work with Youth
When: Tuesday, July 19 | 8:00am - 4:30pm 
Where: Kent ISD on the Beltline
RSVP: [email protected]
What: This course is free. Please bring your own lunch! 

This certification course teaches a 5-step action plan to help a youth who is in the early stages of developing a mental health problem or during a crisis. Taught by certified instructors to small groups of 30 people or fewer.


August 21st: Girls Rock GR Showcase- 
When: Sunday, August 21- 4:00-5:00pm 
Where: Wealthy Theater

 
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"You say you want a revolution, well you know...
We all want to change the world.
You tell me that it's evolution, well, you know...
We all want to change the world.
But when you talk about destruction,
don't you know you can count me out. 
Don't you know it's gonna be alright."

~The Beatles
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Love is Greater Than Fear!

7/11/2016

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What a week! Such a challenging time in our nation watching in horror as senseless killing seems like breaking news on the regular.  It's almost impossible to wrap one's mind around, let alone keep our hearts open, our words kind, our actions peaceful. As a community let us come together this week to do what we do- hold space for each other to do our work, feel all the emotions that are running strongly within us, shift the energy of fear/anger/hatred into a space of love from where we can channel that energy into appropriate actions individually, as a community, & as a global citizen.

We shall uplift the memory of Alton Sterling & Philando Castille as well as the police officers in Dallas, the families who lost loved ones, and the communities that are consumed by racism, brutality, & hatred as well as a dizzying confusion of not knowing "what to do" or how to be. We shall meditate, practice, sing, sweat, cry... together in our struggle and in our joy we stand each week in our circle of care.

If you have a poem, a song, an art piece to share, a personal expression to offer into our gathering of choosing love over fear, please email me! If you have a drum please bring it :)

Alone our struggle is too large to bear; together we can navigate our fears & the darkness to remember the light of love radiates in the heart of each human (even if people forget we will hold space for them until they remember).

All LOVE,
Dana



P.S.- We DO have childcare this week.
 
July 13, 2016
***IMPORTANT: WE DO HAVE CHILDCARE this night!! Click HERE to reserve your child's spot!

Who: YOU and friends
What: EmbodyGR Community Gathering
Where: Social Hall - Fountain Street Church 
When: Wed July 13, 2016- 6:30-8:00pm 
Why: To work with our fear, enhance love for self & others and find an action to take in this world to create change slanted toward love for ALL.

Upcoming Events

July 15th: Kundalini Yoga Sadhana
When: Friday, July 15th @ 6-8am (That's A.M.!)
Where: Overlook docks, Reeds Lake Bvd, East Grand Rapids

What: Kundalini Yoga Sadhana with Susanne Schmidt- FREE

Click HERE for details!

July 16th: Am I Next? (Peaceful Demonstration)
When: Saturday, July 16 noon
Where: Rosa Parks Circle 

What: Everyone is encouraged to join in a peaceful movement to show respect and concern for the victims of the senseless murders of black people and recognize the lives of all minority's through a community demonstration 4Unity.


Click HERE for details!
 
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"The only thing that has always bothered me about revolution, every time I have seen revolutionaries, they have reacted out of hatred for the oppressor. We must do this for the Love of our People. We must never react out of hatred against those who have no sense."
~John Trudell
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Enjoy the Ride with Our Community Partner Spoke Folks

7/9/2016

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Hello tribe!
Here are the details for us to support our July community partners! 

What: Shurm Daddy Rec Ride
When: Sunday, July 10- check in 2:30, yoga w/ Dana @2:45,  ride @ 3:00
Where: Starting @ Spoke Folks 221 Logan St. SE
Why: To raise funds for the Mental Health Foundation.

How to participate: Get on your bike and ride 13 miles w/ 2 stops or 32 miles challenging ride (Halfway point at Lamar Park, we will be in Section C there.)
Volunteers: Arrive at Spoke Folks @2:15 or 4:00 to Lamar Park. 
Ride Finish Celebration: The Spoke Folks 6-6:30

How to Register: $10 registration fee which comes with a t-shirt & water bottle; (limited t-shirt sizes & availability if you register day of) register on-line or at the link below:

https://www.crowdrise.com/sdrr16

** If you don't have a bike and would like to ride, we will try our best to help. Please contact Lori Wilson for more info: [email protected]

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Bring a Friend to Unwind!

7/5/2016

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One month into our precious summer.... what have you been doing to "feel better"? What have you been doing to "do good"?

You can be guaranteed both if you show up tomorrow night! You will hear from Lori Wilson of Shurm Daddy Rec Ride- our July community partners. They are an organization dedicated to raising awareness & reducing stigma around anxiety & depression as well as access to suicide prevention assistance. We all know someone (if not ourselves) who struggle with anxiety & depression. And unfortunately all too many of us know a life that was lost to suicide. Let us come together to practice yoga & meditation, while also learning more about how we can be part of a movement designed to help uplift ourselves as well as those who struggle with mental well being. ​
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I would love it if you could bring a friend who may need safe space to connect, to heal, and to be part of something larger than themselves. We are open, inclusive and embrace all people! Let's share the EmbodyGR LOVE!

And I would love it if you'd send me photos and stories of how you are feeling better and doing good in your daily life! It would be awesome to share your story with others :)

All love,
Dana
​

P.S.- We had a beautiful baby blessing of Rowan Riley-Mitchell last week! Check out the photos of this precious wonder with our community. Way to come together to share our circle of care & love to the youngest among us.
July 6, 2016
***IMPORTANT: WE DO HAVE CHILDCARE this night!! Click HERE to reserve your child's spot!

Who: YOU and friends
What: EmbodyGR & Shurm Daddy Rec Ride
Where: Social Hall - Fountain Street Church 
When: Wed July 6, 2016- 6:30-8:00pm 
Why: To learn more about our community partners for July & find ways to "Do good!"

Upcoming Event - Save the Date!

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    ​“The EmbodyGR community embraces and supports, says ‘yes you can’ when the noisy inner voice says, ‘no you can’t’ – Kari Wilson, Community Member

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Our Mission

Embody is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to positively impacting global health and well-being for all people. We provide access to physical and mental wellness education for all regardless of race, identity, orientation, creed, abledness, or ability to pay. Using the healing tools of yoga and mindfulness, and through providing meaningful volunteer and service opportunities, we help people regain agency over their own well-being. Our FREE weekly programs 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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