| While we aim to cultivate a sense of gratitude on a daily basis, it doesn’t hurt that we receive an annual reminder, just to reemphasize the importance of such a practice. Thanksgiving allows us to refocus our attention on that which makes our lives worth living, on the every day wonders we encounter by simply being present and living fully in each and every breath we take.So tomorrow, remember to take the time and bring awareness to that which you are most thankful for and, in doing so, don’t forget the reason why you are overflowing with gratitude – because you are you. As Walt Whitman notes: “O I could sing such grandeurs and glories about you! You have not known what you are – you have slumber’d upon yourself all your life.” |
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We hope to see you tomorrow at Megan Davis’ Thanksgiving Day workshop where as a community we can take pause to give thanks.
Warm oms,
Team Grace |
Please join Anahata Grace guest teacher Sierra Weaver for this Saturday’s Flow Yoga Center community meditation class. Let this Fall begin with restoration and self-nurturing through a mindful connection with our bodies – it all starts November 13th at 9:30 am.
Already thinking about Thanksgiving? We are too, as it’s just around the corner.
Yoga teaches us to be grateful for the present moment and unveils the primary principle of the universe, sri (abundance). So what better way to practice gratitude than for a Thanksgiving day workshop? Please join Megan Davis just for 2 hours this Thanksgiving day. The experience will entail 60 minutes of vinyasa and pranayama and 30 minutes of restorative poses followed by a 30 minute yoga nidra practice. All proceeds will go toward our mission here at Anahata Grace.
And don’t foget this Saturday’s community meditation/Anahata Grace donation class. This week Manisha Tare will honor us with her guidance through this practice at Flow Yoga Center at 9:30 am.
Hard to believe that November is around the corner, but as we start to think about this year’s Halloween costume, please take a moment to check out our November volunteer opportunities. We run because of your generous support of time and commitment to our mission.
Saturday, November 6th is our monthly potluck in the park! This month, the lovely Shawn Parell will be teaching the yoga class starting at 11am on the upper level of Meridian Hill Park. The class is open to anyone who would like to start their day with some flowing yoga under the trees, then stay for a special meeting lead by Michell Stanley focused on Anahata’s Wellness Room in a domestic violence shelter in NE DC. She will have details about the schedule, volunteer opportunities and answer questions you may have. Please join and bring friends – more details can be found here.Volunteer opportunities: if you’d like to learn more about one of the opportunities below, please email findinggraceyoga@gmail.com.
Continue reading 'November Volunteer Opportunities with Anahata Grace'»
DC Local Projects, Events, General
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Angela Cerkevich, Arlington, Boston Trauma Center, certified yoga teachers, Flow, flow yoga center, Georgetown Lululemon, Hala Khouri, KidPower, Manisha Tare, Meridian Hill Park, N Street Village, November Volunteer Opportunities, Off the Mat and Into the World's Leadership Training, Ricky Tran, Seane Corne, Suzanne Sterling, trainings, VA
Anahata is changing the face of it’s Flow Yoga Center donation class. This time around, the hour will be infused with restoritive and therapeutic moving meditation with a focus on scanning one’s body while allowing the mind to simply be observant. This will all take place in the stillness and silence of honoring one’s own personal meditation.
This weekly donation class benefits our non-profit which allows us to continue to provide yoga and wellness services to vulnerable populations in DC and abroad in post-conflict countries. We couldn’t do it without your support, so please join Joline McGoldrick this Saturday, October 22nd at 9:30 a.m. in honor of your personal yogic travels and those whom we aim to serve.
To kick off the change in season and the unexpected that’s left in 2010, yoga lover, activist, andnew DC resident Laura Randeles speaks to the beauty of being present within the unknown.
Lately, I have been inspired by the unknown. Making best friends with the unknown has been a wonderful blessing in my life since moving to DC last year. There are many days when I’m unsure of where my next job assignment will be, how long it will last, whether it will have a stable salary, or if there will even be another assignment. My wonderful meditation teacher, who survives off donation-based classes and workshops, calls this living by the “wisdom of uncertainty.” I think in the beginning of being confronted by Mr. Unknown there was less wisdom and more, um…freaking out, but over the last 6 months a welcoming shift of acceptance and peace has occurred and I couldn’t be more grateful.
Continue reading 'Loving the Unknown'»
This week, yoga teacher, musician and writer Holly Meyers blogs about living yoga in everyday life, and the impact of taking your practice off the mat and into the world around you.
“Trauma is a fact of life. So is resilience.” – Hala Khouri, Off The Mat Into The World Co-Creator
In 1993, I was emotionally, physically and spiritually bottoming out – again. In my 28 years of life, I’d experienced enough unaddressed trauma to leave me without possibility for healing or growth. I’d “lost my way,” my life was a mess and I felt empty inside.
A friend suggested yoga, and I’ve been “on the mat” ever since.
At first, my practice was selfish. Yoga’s initial “ahhh” brought immense relief and I started to feel better. Then came the intense transformation from being guided by teachers who embraced and passed on yoga’s comprehensive design for living. Self-examination and change are not always gentle processes. Surrendering, I fell back into the arms of supportive yogis and others devoted to healing. Years down the line, teachers started to suggest carrying the benefits of yoga into the world. Having gained so much from this precious practice, I knew I wanted to give back however possible. The seeds of Seva (selfless service) were planted.
Today, I try to take yoga off the mat and into my everyday world, every day of my life.
Continue reading 'Yoga in Action: Off the Mat Into the World'»
DC Local Projects, Teacher Guest Blog
| Chakra Asana, Claire Williams, Facebook, Hala Khouri, Healing, Holly Meyers, Kerri Kelly, Off The Mat Into The World, Om Shanti, OMT, Seane Corn, Suzanne Sterling, The Urban Yoga Den, Wordpress, yoga, Yoga In Action
As the DC Global Mala swiftly approaches, spiritual pioneer Jonathan Foust speaks to the meaning of the Dharma talks he offers our community and a bit about what we can expect during our time with him on Sunday, September 26th.
As a long term yogi and at one time President of
Kripalu Center, the largest yoga center in North America, I get asked interesting questions. Two in particular stand out – One was from a fashion magazine looking for a reaction to the fact that a famous designer had just come out with a $300 bag to carry a yoga mat. I knew what kind of response the writer was looking for, but just didn’t have it in me. “I think it’s great!,” I responded. “If a $300 yoga bag helps inspires someone to engage into and deepen their practice I’m all for it. Anyone who begins a transformational practice like yoga will benefit in ways that can’t be measured.” The second question I’m often asked is, “This yoga and meditation thing. Don’t you think that’s awfully self-indulgent?” This question always leads to an amazing paradox. Perhaps we are indulging the self, but all practices lead to a deep inquiry into what that ‘self’ actually is. Inevitably, those who engage into the practice of yoga and meditation become more aware of how inter-connected they are with others. They become more sensitive to the 10,000 joys and the 10,000 sorrows we collectively share on this human journey.
Thanks to all of you who donated to Anahata’s troop retreat for veterans returning home, we have been able to put together an incredible retreat which is happening this weekend.
The warriors will spend the weekend nestled in a rustic retreat in the rolling hills of western Virginia surrounded by farmland and forest. They will have opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, camping and free massage therapy. Yoga and meditation classes will be provided daily and organic nutritious meals will be a time for coming together and sharing. *Soldiers who attend the retreat will be warriors who have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) and other war-related injuries.
This retreat will include trauma-sensitive yoga and yoga nidra which are two yoga-based methods currently being used by clinicians and the U.S. military to facilitate healing from war related illnesses. The practices will be lead by founder of There and Back Again, Sue Lynch, navy psychiatrist, Frances Stewart, yoga therapist Angela Cerkevich and marine fitness instructor Andrea Lucie, who specializes in integrating mindfulness practices into the Army and Navy/Marine Corps mental health community.
A big thanks to the incredible Anahata community that has made this possible.
warm oms, Team Grace
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