Do you remember your first Sirsasana? I don’t, but I’ll never forget the first headstand for one of my students last month. “I did it!” she crooned ecstatically, “That was my goal and I did it!” Rising from her counter, Child’s pose, she was still thrilled and glowing.
You won’t typically find headstand in many Anahata Grace classes; if we do any inversion, it would be the safest and most accessible, Viparitakarani (“Legs Up the Wall”). At first, in my class, there wasn’t even a wall, since we were practicing in the middle of a living room. The small group of teenage moms would gather at the house where some of them were living, and while child care went on below, we would push away the furniture and roll out the yoga mats. Occasionally, Savasana (“Corpse Pose”) would end, not with the gentle awakening of fingers and toes, but the gleeful squeals of the children racing up the stairs to jump on their moms.
Continue reading 'A Community Class with Heart'»
Teacher Guest Blog
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anahata grace, Borromeo Housing, C, Child’s pose, Community center, Layne Morrison, Savasana, Sirsasana, Thai Yoga Massage, Viparitakarani, yoga
“Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” - Leonard Cohen’s Anthem
Join Anahata for the month of May as we find our way back into the sun.
Saturday, May 7th is our monthly volunteer potluck. This month’s potluck is back in Malcolm X park! Anahata’s Program Director and lovely teacher, Shawn Parell, will be teaching the community class open to all from 11am to noon. A volunteer meeting will follow from 12 to 12:30pm. Guest speaker, Jill Hall will be joining at 12:30pm to speak about the new ear acupuncture resource created by Nicole Mires and provided to the women at the wellness room. Please join and bring friends!
Continue reading 'May Volunteer Newsletter'»
General
| 3rd anual Vegan Bake Sale, DC Global Mala, Donation classes, flow yoga center, KidPower, Leonard Cohen, Malcolm X Park, May, megan davis, Memorial Day, new ear acupuncture, Nicole Mires, Past Tense, Shawn Parell, Street Yoga, Vinyasa Flow, Volunteer Opportunities
The blog post below was written by an incredible yogi, writer and survivor (+ friend of Anahata), Maragret Westley, who’s story of healing through the arts is inspiring to say the least. If you’d like to learn more about Margaret, you can follow her blog here.
I recently came across a box of photographs in my lawyer’s office. For months, he had been nagging me to stop by the firm, and had even threatened to throw my belongings in the trash. When I read his e-mail, I smiled to myself and immediately replied. I wrote he was too much of a softy to do such a thing and that I would take the trip down town as soon as I could. A few days earlier, the blizzard of 2011 hit. While outside, I was very cautious and did not want to venture far from my apartment in Brooklyn. I knew if Frank were alive, he would tell me to stay inside fearing I may slip on a patch of ice and hurt myself, especially since I only had one “real leg,” and the other was a prosthetic.
Continue reading 'Margaret’s Story'»
Dear Volunteer,
“At this time of the turning point between the dark and light, what is churnning, shedding and breaking through for you?” - Shiva Rea’s Meditation on the Spring Equinox.
Join Anahata for the month of April as we come out of winter caves and face into the blossoming energy of Spring.
- Saturday, April 2nd is our monthly volunteer potluck. In light of the tragedy that occurred at the Lululemon in Bethesda a few weeks ago, we will be joining Faith Hunter’s class on the mall to honor Jayna T. Murray at 10:30 to 11:30am @ the Sylvan Theater (15th and Constitution – details here). Post-class we will all meet at noon @ Penn Quarter Teaism (map) to discuss Anahata and join Dr. Lauren Rubenstein, a clinical psychologist and yoga teacher, as she discusses her new Anahata trauma resource and answers questions you have regarding this topic. Please join and bring friends.
Do you have a topic that you’d like more info on regarding wellness therapeutic services? Please post suggested topics on our facebook page or send us an email.
Continue reading 'April Volunteer Newsletter'»
Poster Girl, an academy-award nominated documentary, tells the story of Robynn Murray, an all-American high-school cheerleader turned “poster girl” for women in combat after her return home from Iraq and ensuing struggle with the debilitating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Shot and directed by first-time filmmaker Sara Nesson, Poster Girl is an emotionally raw documentary that follows Robynn over the course of two years as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and redemption, using art and poetry to redefine her life.
Please join us for the premiere of this inspiring film at the George Mason University Johnson Center Cinema on Wednesday, April 27th, 2011 at 6:30pm. Director Sara Nesson and subject Robynn Murray will appear in person for a post-screening talk. For more details please visit http://www.postergirlthemovie.com/.
Valentine’s day sent some love to the women of DASH, the District Alliance for Safe Housing, Inc., in the opening of the Cornerstone Wellness Room. Brought to you by Anahata Grace and funded by Verizon, services offered in this room will include acupuncture, acupressure, Thai massage, yoga therapy, cooking classes, and other wellness programs for women who have been victims of domestic violence. There to partake in the ribbon cutting ceremony was acupuncturist Nicole Mires, who shares with us a bit from her first day offering what wellness her hands are able to provide.
I had a great time yesterday. Anticipation on my way to the house… worrying if the women would like me, if they’d like the treatments, and if we could really make a difference here. I worked as a behavioral health counselor while I was in grad school, but that experience was years ago and miles away, and not a very positive one. I wondered if the women would look at me as a privileged middle class white girl with no experience of need or pain. I wondered if they would accept their treatments without me telling them “you can trust me, because I’ve seen the bottom”. I shuffled through these thoughts and insecurities and then I realized with a pang that my ego was running away with me. This isn’t about me. This isn’t about me being able to tell my friends and family, with my chin held high, that I was doing something selfless for someone else. This isn’t about my experience or my ego or my expensive shoes. I’m a conduit. The treatment works. The healing is in them, as they have probably already figured out. I’m just a conduit, and whatever I think I might be able to add to their healing is stubble and hay, burned away by their own curative fire.
Continue reading 'Room to Heal'»
DC Local Projects, Teacher Guest Blog
| acupressure, Acupuncture, anahata grace, cooking classes, Cornerstone Wellness Room, District Alliance for Safe Housing, Domestic Violence, Inc. (DASH), Nicole Mires, reiki, Ribbon cutting ceremony, Thai massage, Valentine's day, Verizon, yoga therapy
The inmates of William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility breathe life into the mission of Anahta Grace by demonstrating, yet again, the impact mindfulness makes on the soul.
Vipassana meditation is an offering made to those inhabiting this end of the line prison as an alternative to the daily grind of a life sentence. Vipassana simply means “seeing things as they are,” an offer that some would rather forget. This particular correctional facility, named after an officer killed at the prison, is reserved for the worst of the worst who have committed the ultimate egregious crimes. Some have chosen to try and regain some sort of balance back in their lives as an attempt to reconcile the horrible things they have done.
Continue reading 'Seeing Things As They Are, At The-End-Of-The-Line Prison'»
General
| An Unlikely Escape, anahata grace, At End-Of-The Line Prison, Balance, Correctional facility, Crime, Inmates, Meditation, Mindfulness, Mission, NPR, Officer, Peace, Prison, Silent meditation, Soul, Vipassana, William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility
Are you interested in becoming a part of Team Grace? Below is the text from this month’s volunteer newsletter which you can receive by signing up here.
“Everything that we see is a shadow cast by what we don’t see.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Join Anahata for the month of February and beyond as we examine what we don’t see through somatic connections.
- Saturday, February 5th is our monthly volunteer potluck! The topic for this month is Trauma and Yoga. With this nip in the air, we have found a winter home for our meetings (1113 Rhode Island Ave NW 20005). The yoga class (11am to noon) is open to anyone who would like to start their day with some flowing yoga, then stay for an Anahata meeting (noon to 1pm). This month, join Dr. Lauren Rubenstein, a clinical psychologist and yoga teacher, as she discusses her new Anahata trauma resource and answers questions you have regarding this topic. Please join and bring friends – more details can be found here.
Do you have a topic that you’d like more info on regarding wellness therapeutic services? Please post suggested topics on our facebook page or send us an email at findinggraceyoga@gmail.com.
Continue reading 'Feb Volunteer Newsletter'»
Sick of the same old new year’s scene and the feeling you wake up with the morning after? Connect with the intention of new beginnings and community in this sacred and celebratory evening.
Purify through a vigorous asana practice, release through deep yoga nidra, and reconnect with your spirit through sacred silence – come ring in the New Year with Jivamutki.
Celebrate and Elevate
New Year’s Eve 2010 with Agi Glowacki and Justin Blazejewski
Date: Fri 12/31/2010
Time: 9:00 PM – Midnight
Flow Yoga Center, Washington DC
Purify through a vigorous asana practice, release through deep yoga nidra, and reconnect with your spirit through sacred silence.
9-10:30pm – Special Jivamukti class with Agi Glowacki
10:30-11:30pm – Yoga Nidra practice with Justin Blazejewski
11:30-midnight – Mauna (sacred silence), with traditional Puja ceremony and meditation
Midnight – Sparkling cider toast!
REGISTER HERE.
Proceeds from this event will benefit the important work that Anahata Grace is doing in bring healing to soldiers. Specifically the money will go towards the next “Troop Retreat” for veterans where, at no cost to the veterans, a team of trauma therapists spend 3 days helping them heal from the trauma experienced in war.
DC Local Projects, Events, Fundraising & Outreach
| Agi Glowacki, anahata grace, Asana Practice, Celebrate, Community, flow yoga center, Jivamukti NYE, Justin Blazejewski, Mauna, Meditation, Puja, Sacred Silence, Troop Retreat, Washington DC, Yoga Nidra
It finally feels like winter and along with that comes the Anahata December volunteer opportunities and events. Grab some tea, and take a look at what’s happening in our world and let us know if you can join.
Continue reading 'Dec Volunteer Opportunities'»
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