“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
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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
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.
Fall is proving to be a busy time for Anahata. Below is a list of upcoming events and opportunities for our Anahata Friends to add some more seva to your day.
- September 4th, please join us in the upper level of Meridian Hill park for a yoga class open to all (and taught by the lovely Emilia) followed by a potluck/picnic for Anahata volunteers and those that are interested in becoming volunteers. It’s a great way to spend some time getting to know like-minded wellness activists + have some time outside doing what we love – moving with breath. More details about our monthly potlucks can be found here: http://www.anahatainternational.org/index.php/news/volunteer-potluck/
- September 12th, Flow will have a table up at this year’s Adams Morgan Day Festival – a crazy time on 18th street with lots of people and opportunity to spread the word about the yoga studio + Flow’s outreach which includes Anahata! I will be there but need a number of volunteers to take 2 hour shifts to help chat with folks as they stop by the table. All help is appreciated :).
Continue reading 'Lending a Hand'»
Events, Fundraising & Outreach, General
| Acupuncture, Adams Morgan Day Festival, Afro-Brazilian dance, afterschool program, Alexis Mitchell, Ana Abram, Angela Cerkevich, Angela Ingram, Borromeo Housing, Dawn Hennessey, DC Global Mala, Elementary School, Emilia Retta, Fall, flow yoga center, Global Mala, homeless women's shelter, International Fellowship Program, Jamie Larson, Layne Morrison, low-income neighborhoods, mental health, Meridian Hill Park, Michell Stanley, N Street Village, Nicole Mires, nutrition, October, Outreach, PTSD, reiki yoga, Riana Ackley, Sarah Walter, Scott Carson, September, seva, summer program, therapy, Troop Retreat, Veterans, Volunteer Opportunities, Wellness Committee, Yoga Nidra
Every week, Anahata Grace will honor our volunteer and staff experiences through a weekly blog. This week, Finding Grace volunteer and dedicated yogini Shawn Parell will selflessly share with us her lifetime commitment to service.
“The fruit of love is service. Prayer in action is love, and love in action is service.” – Mother Teresa
I first learned about Anahata Grace (then just Anahata International) in the winter of 2007-2008. Like many of us at that time, I was inspired—and still am—by the story of a small band of karma yogis dedicated to promoting healing and social change in places that might seem geographically or contextually far away to most. As one among many thousands of non-profit workers in our nation’s capital, an organizer of the DC Global Mala, and a teacher and longtime student of the yogic arts, I resonated with the simple sankalpa, or intention, to share that which has enriched my life so immeasurably with others in need. And I felt an instinct to help.
… Does this sound familiar to you?
Continue reading 'A Genuine Instinct Towards Seva'»
Teacher Guest Blog
| anahata grace, Anahata International, Andrea Gibson, Chitta Vritti, DC Global Mala, Einstein, Eva, Freedom, Intention, Karma, Meditation, Mother Teresa, Our Nation's Capital, Prana, Saha, Sankalpa, Sanskrit, Selfishness, Selfless Service, seva, Social Change
The Stroga community-based donation class is staying strong with its 2nd week starring Shawn Parrell as the May 29th yoga instructor.
What to expect: Shawn’s classes are strong and deeply nurturing, full of humor and heart. Her roots in the Krishnamacharya lineage and mystical poetry infuse the intelligent and progressive patterns of pranic movement she shares today. Expect lighthearted and challenging play, and whatever funky or sacred rhythms fit the mood that day.
More about your teacher: Shawn Parell was introduced to the Ashtanga primary series at 12 years old, and has been a devoted student of yoga ever since. After countless namaskars over the years, Shawn embodies the spirit of practice – she has logged well over 500 hours of teacher training, teaches private and public classes regularly, practices shambhala meditation daily, travels to India every chance she gets, and is ever-deepening in exploration of asana, meditation, and philosophy. Today, Shawn anchors her yogic journey with the Prana Flow global collective, guided by world-renowned teacher Shiva Rea. She works as a communications specialist for the United Nations Foundation, and studies the dialogue between modern psychology and eastern philosophy as a masters student at Naropa University. Shawn is also a catalyst of the annual DC Global Mala, part of a worldwide event that raises awareness and funds for issues such as global warming, fair trade, and equal education opportunities.
Fundraising & Outreach, General
| Ashtanga's Primary Series, DC Global Mala, Eastern Philosophy, Equal Education Opportunities, Fair Trade, Global Warming, India, Krishnamacharya, Modern Psychology, Naropa University, Prana Flow Global Collective, Shambala Meditation, Shawn Parell, Shiva Rea, Teacher Training, United Nations Foundation
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