 Hello tribe of love! We have ourselves one big week ahead. Read thoroughly so you don't miss out on the goodness! This Wednesday, October 26, 6:30-8:00pm we have our weekly gathering in partnership with i Understand ! IMPORTANT- due to overwhelming response we have VENUE CHANGE!!! City Flats Hotel on Monroe, just down the street from Fountain Street, has generously opened their doors to us for our evening to celebrate the healing power of yoga & love! You must register on-line for this free event to secure your spot, a free t-shirt, and an inspired evening! (** There is no child care for this event.) Geoff Lamden will be playing music, the People Picture Company will be taking photos, Vonnie Woodrick, founder of i Understand, will give a brief talk, and your fearless leader Dana (me :) will lead a soulful flow yoga practice accompanied by Geoff. You will leave feeling better, I promise, and inspired to do good! Reserve your space here for EmbodyGR & iUnderstand love heals event: lovehealsyoga.eventbrite.com IMPORTANT CALL FOR HELP! I ask YOU directly... who in your life do you know that struggles with mental well being, would benefit from free yoga, meditation, & service, and could use a community of love & support? BRING THEM WEDNESDAYNIGHT! Don't wait for a better, more convenient time. The only time we have is now and this could be the moment that changes everything for them & you. Depression, anxiety, stress, suicidal ideations don't go away over time if left alone; in isolation they deepen their hold on the individual. Let's be part of the solution. Let us take action for another who may not even know the right action to take in their own lives. Let us stand together in solidarity to support each other & those whose daily lives are a struggle. It is only together we rise! Thanks for your light and love in our community and in our world. IMPORTANT REMINDER! SPECIAL GUEST JOHANNA BEEKMAN FROM PORTLAND, OREGON! Thursday, October 27,6:30-8:30pm is our "Yoga & Sacred Sound" event benefitting EmbodyGR. Tickets are $20 on eventbrite and will also be available at the door. I will be leading a soulful flow and Johanna Beekman, of Portland, Oregeon, will perform songs guaranteed to enter your heart and feed your spirit! Bring a mat, cushion, and anything else that will help you settle in for a soothing, uplifting evening! We will have mats available free of charge if you need. No yoga or singing experience required. It's a come as you are event where all of you is welcome & celebrated! Get tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/evening-of-yoga-and-sacred-song-benefitting-embodygr-tickets-28273775624 So many ways to "feel better, do good." But you gotta choose action! Hope to see you on the mat! All love, Dana  October 26, 2016 ** NO child care Who: YOU and friends What: EmbodyGR & iUnderstand evening w/ special musical guest Geoff Lamden & photos by The People Picture Co. Where: City Flats Hotel, 83 Monroe Center St NW, Grand Rapids When: Wed Oct 26, 2016- 6:30-8:00 Why: To raise awareness about mental health, suicide prevention, and the healing powers of yoga & love. Bring: You + one you love!  October 27, 2016 **NO child care provided Who: YOU and friends What: Special Evening of yoga & sacred sound benefitting EmbodyGR. Dana will lead soulful flow yoga practice & Johanna Beekman, our special guest from Portland, Oregon will lead an evening of a truly inspirational sacred sound experience. Where: Fountain Street Church Social Hall When: Thurs Oct 27, 2016- 6:30-8:30pm Why: To lift your spirit and connect us in love! Bring: You + your beloved! “We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.”
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This week is your opportunity for change! Wednesday is Yom Kippur on the Jewish calendar, their highest holy day of the year. It is the culmination of the 10 days of awe beginning with Rosh Hashana. Yom Kippur is a time dedicated to forgiveness, to atone for past wrong doings. and to become new. Our very own Jaron Art Sigel is going to co-teach with me to bring forth an experience that will help you navigate your personal journey of change. Through yoga, meditation, learning, praying/contemplating, singing, dancing, and celebrating, you will have an opportunity to embrace change and become renewed. This will be a gift not only for your body, mind, and spirit but also for the relationships in your days. Though this personal work of change is deeply, powerfully challenging, it is a beautiful opportunity to heal and renew. Unfortunately, many in our world do not have access to these practices, teachings, and experiences we receive freely each and every Wednesday at EmbodyGR. Many of these individuals are our brothers and sisters right here in Grand Rapids living on and around Division Avenue. Due to trauma, chronic mental health & substance abuse issues, tragedy, and unfortunate life circumstances just to name a few, many live life on the street. They often want to change but they feel helpless and alone in their struggle. My personal mission and life's work is to bring yoga & meditation to those who may not have access or the ability to access these healing tools and practices. That is why our outreach programs at Heartside Ministry and HQ are so important in helping those who feel powerless to create positive change and become new.  An amazing human who is also dedicated to this work of walking with the homeless is Tom Gunnels, a local GR man who created "Waiting On Division." Waiting on Division is a long-term documentary project documenting the life and stories of those who have once called, currently call, or will forever call a street named Division home. It is about the friendship and community that abounds within the Heartside district, a community most often overlooked by those that choose to walk by, often choosing to walk on the "other side" of Division. Please join Tom, Jaron & myself on Wednesday to wrestle with & invite change, to cultivate a renewed sense of spirit through forgiveness, and to connect more deeply within ourselves & thus with others. See you on the mat! Big love, dana P.S.!!! Please sign up on Eventbrite for our free community event with iUnderstand on Wednesday, October 26. Signing up will ensure you a place for you and your yoga mat, an i understand t-shirt and healthy refreshments! Click here to sign up.  Upcoming Events October 12, 2016 ***IMPORTANT: WE DO HAVE CHILDCARE. We will gather in the "SOCIAL HALL." Who: YOU and friends What: EmbodyGR free weekly gathering with special guest speaker Tom Gunnels, Waiting on Division Where: Social Hall - Fountain Street Church When: Wed Oct 12, 2016- 6:30-8:00 Why: To raise awareness, education, & action. To feel better do good. Bring: You + one! October 19, 2016 ***IMPORTANT: WE DO HAVE CHILDCARE. We will gather in the "SOCIAL HALL." Who: YOU and friends What: EmbodyGR free weekly gathering with Peri Jill Phillips leading our tribe. Where: Social Hall - Fountain Street Church When: Wed Oct 19, 2016- 6:30-8:00 Why: To feel better do good. Bring: You and yo pal! October October 5- 6:30 EmbodyGR weekly gathering w/ Special Guest What: Tom Gunnels, of Waiting on Division, will share his experiences on Division Ave with the homeless in our city and ways we can become involved to help our brothers & sisters who live in this struggle. Also, our very own Jaron Art Siegel will join us to celebrate Teshuvah through live performance, meditation, and music. October 19- Guest teacher! Peri will lead our weekly gathering while Dana is off learning more skills to lead our community. October 23- GR Feminist Film Festival- FREE Where: Wealthy Theater When: 12:00 pm What:
October 26- EmbodyGR & iUnderstand Special Event Where: Fountain Street social hall When: 6:30-8:00pm FREE Please sign up on eventbrite! Signing up will ensure you a place for you and your yoga mat, an i understand t-shirt and healthy refreshments! Sign up today at.... https://www.eventbrite.com/e/yoga-feel-better-do-good-with-i-understand-tickets-28345592430 October 27- Yoga & Sacred Song Event to benefit EmbodyGR Where: Fountain Street social hall; When: 6:30-8:30pm Tickets: Early bird tickets $15 until Oct 14 Looking ahead to November November 16- Housing First talk by Dr. Sam Tsemberis What: EmbodyGR is encouraged to attend the talk to learn more about housing as a basic right. When: 6-7:00pm Our regular weekly gathering will begin immediately following the talk in the social hall ending at 8:00pm November 18- Waiting On Division Art Exhibition What: Photography by Tom Gunnels @ Where: The Collective Artspace, 40 Division Ave S. Grand Rapids, MI 49506 "I'm brand new
So are you New Everyday Put your hands together and pray" ~ Jaron Art Siegel
Being who I am — a filmmaker — I decided to make a film about Dana’s story. I figured this would help me understand her reasons for starting EmbodyGR while also supporting the Embody GR community by getting the story of its inception out there. And, Dana just generally seemed like a pretty interesting person. I made the film and I was moved by Dana’s passion, tenacity, and desire to turn a lack of access to yoga for herself into access to yoga for all through the vision and mission of EmbodyGR – to feel better and do good. I continued in the community after that. I made another film, capturing the voices of its members, painting a picture of the impact the community has on its members. I had discovered a place to grow and express my self. This was a revelation, but my attendance at EmbodyGR was not regular or consistent at this point. Then I began to struggle in my life – I went through a divorce and I had troubles at work. I was not happy. I was not well. I was not feeling peaceful or at ease. My life was a mess — save for my precious little son. I knew that I needed something to help me do the work I would need to do in order to change the things in my life contributing to my struggles. So, I brought my son with me — EmbodyGR offers free childcare — week after week getting serious about my practice of yoga. I decided that only thing that I could do, the only thing I could truly control was what I did with myself. I figured that if I started to get better then it would become clear to me what I could do to make the world better. I also figured that if I started getter better, then that fact alone would make the world a better place. So, I gave myself over to the practice. And I started to change. Not only did I get better at finding and holding yoga poses, but I learned how to breathe. I found that learning how to breathe was something that balanced me within. As man in American culture, I’ve been conditioned to believe that I am only allowed to be stoic, angry, and sexual. All the emotions that can be experienced below my neck and above my waist are not welcome. But the practice allowed to me experience a breakup of these psychological blockages between my brain and my body. Through every breath, I started to discover that this is where the peace for the world begins — within me and within the brother and sister beside me, grunting and groaning through the same poses. What a remarkable and beautiful thing. As I look at my future in the community, I see myself telling more stories, finding more balance, and finding more peace. I see the world, slowly shifting toward goodness. I see a community offering the breath of light to each other, week after week. Namaste.  Aaron and his son.
And that does not come easily... there is a price. We must be brave and act. We must face the struggle, the challenge, the darkness. Healing and transformation do not come from avoidance but by walking through the fire. As CG Jung says, "There is no coming to consciousness without pain. People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own Soul. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious." As the seasons change, as we change, grow & struggle, transformation and healing is possible. Many people do not know this kind of healing at EmbodyGR is available; every week with no monetary charge. This makes the dark days tolerable, makes the work possible. Life is too difficult to do alone. EmbodyGR is here for you. The cost is in showing up. The cost is doing the work. The cost is knowing life is worth living. Many do not feel loved or like they belong. There is deep suffering in our communities, among our families, friends, and even many of us at EmbodyGR who wrestle depression, anxiety, stress, PTSD, loneliness, isolation. Please share the message of our community far and wide! Bring your friends, share this with your neighbors & coworkers, tell your personal story of healing and transformation. We at EmbodyGR want to be part of the solution. Our October community partner, iUnderstand, is a local nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating the darkness and stigma around suicide & depression. iUnderstand is for living in peace and understanding associated with losing a loved one by suicide or those suffering with a mental illness. They along with us at EmbodyGR believe love heals. Join us this week to hear guest speaker Emily Underwood of iUnderstand as she tell us more about the power of their work in our community and ways we can #DoGood!  Mark your calendars for our big event with iUnderstand on Wednesday, October 26 from 6:30-8:00pm. Our communities will come together for yoga, meditation, education, action and celebration of the life we live & share. We will have special musicians, a presentation, and food! May October bless you, may the power of the black moon bring you peace & tranquility, & may EmbodyGR be place of love and belonging for you to come home to yourself! New moon blessings, Dana
Upcoming Events October October 5- 6:30 EmbodyGR weekly gathering w/ Special Guest What: Tom Gunnels, of Waiting on Division, will share his experiences on Division Ave with the homeless in our city and ways we can become involved to help our brothers & sisters who live in this struggle. Also, our very own Jaron Art Siegel will join us to celebrate Teshuvah through live performance, meditation, and music. October 19- Guest teacher! Peri will lead our weekly gathering while Dana is off learning more skills to lead our community. October 23- GR Feminist Film Festival- FREE Where: Wealthy Theater When: 12:00 pm What:
October 26- EmbodyGR & iUnderstand Special Event Where: Fountain Street social hall When: 6:30-8:00pm FREE October 27- Yoga & Sacred Song Event to benefit EmbodyGR Where: Fountain Street social hall; When: 6:30-8:30pm Tickets: Early bird tickets $15 until Oct 14 Looking ahead to November November 16- Housing First talk by Dr. Sam Tsemberis What: EmbodyGR is encouraged to attend the talk to learn more about housing as a basic right. When: 6-7:00pm Our regular weekly gathering will begin immediately following the talk in the social hall ending at 8:00pm November 18- Waiting On Division Art Exhibition What: Photography by Tom Gunnels @ Where: The Collective Artspace, 40 Division Ave S. Grand Rapids, MI 49506 |
“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
January 2021
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Our MissionEmbody 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.
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