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End of Year Goodness

11/28/2017

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EmbodyGR Tribe!
​

I hope your holiday table was overflowing with yummy food, friends, family with an abundance of thanks & giving! 

This is the final newsletter for 2017! With less than 5 weeks left to our calendar year, I thought it would be helpful to create one less thing you need to read so you can practice your life fully & beautifully during the holiday. Do look for a year in reflection from me at the end of December- it will be a goodie because the 365 days of 2017 were extraordinary!

Here's the calendar & upcoming events through the end of the year. 

Wed, November 29
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6:30-8:00pm FSC Social Hall- Stacy Calcatera guest yoga teacher
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Wed, December 6
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6:30-8:00pm FSC Social Hall- Dana & guest musician Carolyn Koebel
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Wed, December 13
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6:30-8:00pm FSC Social Hall- Dana & guest meditation teacher April Hadley
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Wed, December 20 & 27 - NO EmbodyGR- Intentional Sabbath- Take time to rest, reflect, restore, & refresh over the holidays! Watch facebook for tips on how to pause, use the tools you already possess, & utilize them to enhance your life & light.

Wed. January 3 - 6:30-8:00 FSC Social Hall- EmbodyGR kicks off 2018 with all that glitters & shimmers! Details to come.

***Bring friends with you to our amazing events throughout the remaining weeks of 2017. Offer our community as a gift to those who may have need to feel welcomed & accepted just as they are into our circle of care! It's FREE & allows everyone to a practice & a people that offers priceless benefit. 

Know you are a gift to me, to our community, and to the world. Live each day fully. Love yourself & others fiercely. Laugh generously. Breathe deeply. Meditate. Be present for all your moments. Know you are the beloved.

Shine your light. Share your life with a world that needs you deeply. Until we meet again...Go in peace. 

Namaste,
Dana
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“Rest and be thankful.” 
~ William Wordsworth
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Giving Thanks

11/22/2017

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Dearest tribe,
 
Kenya came to Grand Rapids & I don't think any of us are the same. Their visit touched so many lives through oodles of yoga, beautiful conversations, stories, interviews, songs, drums, stories, food, laughter, & tears... Whether they were with EmbodyGR at City Flats or our Wednesday night gathering, at East Grand Rapids High School on the air & in the gym, interviewing with Shelly Irwin at WGVU, or working with youth at Fountain Street Church, EmbodyGR was able to connect our guests in meaningful ways. It was an honor to not only host three incredible women and get to know them personally; it was a blessing to elevate their work in the world while financially assisting them in spreading the healing practice of yoga across the continent of Africa. Embody & Africa Yoga Project's missions align beautifully- to offer these healing tools to those who might not otherwise have access. It is not enough just to have yoga for us at the local level; it is a gift for the globe!

As the Africa proverb states, "If you want to fast go alone; if you want to go far go together." Indeed, we at EmbodyGR chose together. It has taken a year to bring our friends from AYP to GR, plus the efforts of so many from Embody, our Board of Directors, & members of our greater GR community. Truly it was worth the wait, the work, the sacrifice & the time. Together is better.

Strangers became friends. Kenya became reality, not just a far off place on a map. Love transcended geography, language, socio-economic status, gender, employment status, health or relation- love is the heartbeat that connects. Peace is the thread that binds. "Shine" is a mantra that brightens our spirits, reminds us of our strength and worthiness & lights our path forward. For that & so much more we offer thanks to Margaret Njeri, Victoria Carrey & Sarah Hill of Africa Yoga Project.

We stand with our friends Margaret, Victoria, & Sarah who are now like family. We stand with those who dedicate their efforts to make the world a place infused with love, acceptance, health, peace, equality, opportunity and well being for all people!  We stand for a world where all people have access to yoga in community for that is what has changed us in GR and continues to transform individuals, communities, cities, & countries across the globe.  

This week, as we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving with family & friends, let us reflect with grateful hearts on our time with Africa Yoga Project & for all the blessings we were able to give as well as receive. Gratitude in action changes not only the receiver but also the giver. It reminds us that we are a global family bound together by not only our humanity, but also our shared divinity. 

To each of you I bow humbly and offer thanks. 

Shine~
Dana
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Wednesday, November 21, 2017 
***NO child care

What: EmbodyGR Pre-Thanksgiving One HourCommunity Yoga Practice!
When: November 21, 6:30-7:30pm
Where: Social Hall 
Why: Feel better, do good ​
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Upcoming Events

Let's celebrate & DO GOOD!

December

November 1, 2017 

What: World AIDS Day Memorial & Silent Auction
When: Friday, December 1 at 6 - 8pm
Where: Fountain Street Church
Why: The Grand Rapids Red Project will be hosting a Memorial & Silent Auction on World AIDS Day on Friday, December 1st at Fountain Street Church. Doors will open at 5pm for auction registration and bidding. The Memorial Program will begin at6pm.


December 3, 2017 

What: International Holiday Bazaar
When: Sunday, December 3, 10am - 1pm
Where: Fountain Street Church
Why: Finish your shopping and help change the world for the better! Proceeds will benefit women, families, and communities in developing countries. Sponsored by the FSC Social Action Committee. 

December 13, 2017 

What: EmbodyGR & Carolyn Koebel Celebrate Winter Solstice12/13/17
When: Sunday, December 13, 6:30-8pm
Where: Fountain Street Church
"Be a YES!"
~ Baron Baptiste
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Celebrating life with yoga

11/15/2017

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Tribe,
 
Overflowing (still) from Dia De Los Muertos! Celebrating life  & honoring the dead was a blessing to share with each of you. Our altar was ablaze with light & memory honoring our ancestors. Gathering around the table, sharing our hearts, and holding space for our pain, sadness, remembrance & healing was awe inspiring to witness. We danced in the thin places, we breathed celebration & honor, & opened our hearts to the vibrations of sound scape guru Geoff Lamden. So much gratitude to Geoff for selflessly sharing his talents, offering words of vulnerability & truth, and the BEST kombucha ever! Sacred Springs... YUM! 

And then came Africa Yoga Project... well, that's another blog post coming soon! Abounding goodness!!

I am so excited to announce soul sister Peri will be leading Embody this week on November 15! Be sure to come out & share in the goodness! 

With fierce love,
dana

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Next Meeting

Wednesday, November 15, 2017 
***NO child care

What: EmbodyGR Welcomes our beloved Peri Jill! 
When: November 15, 6:30-8:00pm
Where: Social Hall 
Why: Feel better, do good ​

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"As we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence actually liberates others."
​~ Marianne Williamson

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Africa Yoga Project for a VERY Special Event

11/7/2017

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Tribe,
 
You will not want to miss out this week!! Africa Yoga Project is in the house for a special 2 HOUR EVENT! Yoga will be taught by Kenyan Baptiste trained yoga teachers, Margaret Njeri & Victoria Wangari.  We will learn Margaret & Victoria's stories, view a short film, and have the opportunity to ask questions. GR's incredibly talented local musician, Josh Dunnigan, will accompany our yoga practice on the drum. The People Picture Company is generously capturing our event with their gorgeous photography, so get ready to get your smile on! The night will conclude with a potluck & community conversation. Please bring a dish to pass (if you are able ;)

Donations will be accepted to support the work of Africa Yoga Project! If you can, offer them financial support to bring more yoga, love, peace, and wellbeing to our brothers & sisters in Africa. All people are welcome regardless of ability to pay, so please don't stay home if cash is tight. Please come, give if you can financially, with your presence, or both.  Let us live our mantra, "feel better, DO good." 

Won't you help me in welcoming our Kenyan friends with full hearts and a packed house?! Consider bringing a friend or two. We have space for 108 people so show up early to get your spot. PLEASE NOTE TIME CHANGE- 6:00 start time!!!

So excited! See you on the mat.

Love & peace,
dana

Wednesday, November 8, 2017  (Early start!)
***NO child care

What: EmbodyGR Welcomes Africa Yoga Project & local drummer Josh Dunnigan!
When: November 8, 6-8:00pm 

*NOTE THE EARLIER START TIME*
Where: Social Hall 
Why: Support the work of AYP, build global community & have FUN! 

Bring: A dish to pass, a financial contribution, your beautiful self & friends :) Also, merchandise will be for sale, so come prepared.


Because we are a globally connected village,
​we need to remember that our choices are not isolated.
They have a powerful ripple effect, and that ripple is global.” 

~ Linda Fisher Thornton

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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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