Sunday, November 14, 2010

Double your gift to Grace Minnesota!

Help us access $7000 by raising only $600! AND your gift will be worth DOUBLE due to generous donors matching your donations. Simply click here to make a donation!

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Thursday, September 23, 2010

"Don't you feel it too?" FINALE and Celebration Dinner

Daring dancers, and inner-life explorers! Our final and 27th dance session of the year is today, September 23, 5:00-6:30pm.

SCHEDULE
At 5:00pm do your warm-up, and start dancing at your own pace and place. If you want to start with me, I'll be at Peavey Plaza.
At 6:00pm we dance together along Nicollet Mall anywhere from 3rd to 11th Streets.
At 6:30pm do your cool-down and final sivasana or resting.

Please dress appropriately for rain and cold, and be careful of the slippery surfaces. Maybe bring a towel to dry off. The rain will be a big part of your trepidation and your breaking through. It'll feel very different, but we've done it before in the rain. Stay present, watch out for umbrellas, and be smart out there. Remember, this is your practice, and you can adjust it to suit your needs, and take care.

DINNER
The celebration dinner starts at 7:00pm at Evergreen Restaurant, 2424 Nicollet Ave. S. RSVP at dyfit@graceminnesota.org. Remember to bring $10 cash for dinner and your stories to share! I'll end my session at Peavey Plaza for anyone who wants a ride to dinner.

Practicing happiness, marcus

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

“…love like your heart has never been broken, and dance like no one is watching." -Aurora Greenway

WORKSHOP in SAN JOSE, CA
Marcus leads Don't you feel it too? at the San Jose Biennial--Friday, Sept 17, 5:30-7:30pm
http://01sj.org/2010/attend/workshops/dont-you-feel-it-too-workshop/


DANCE, MINNEAPOLIS

Last 3 chances to experience Don't you feel it too? this season. We invite daring dancers and inner-life explorers. Unexpected freedom, purposeful self-embarrassment, and the practice of dancing our inner lives in public places. Everyone is welcome--artists and non-artists.

Thursday, Sept 16, 5:30-7:30pm. Meet at Peavey Plaza at 5:30pm.
Monday, Sept 20, 5:30-7:30pm. Meet at Peavey Plaza at 5:30pm.
FINALE: Thursday, Sept 23, 5:00-6:30pm. Meet at Peavey Plaza at 5:00pm.
Celebration Dinner-Evergreen Restaurant, 2424 Nicollet, 7pm, $10.

To participate:
  • Bring your portable music player, headphones, and your most beloved music on a playlist.
  • Wear comfortable street-dancing shoes and clothes.
  • Don't bring anything you can't put in your pocket so that you can dance freely. Leave stuff in your car or at home.
  • More instructions are given before you dance. Free. Just show up.

SATURDAY MORNING SPIRITUALITY, ST. PAUL

Saturday 10am-12noon spirituality discussions. We spend quiet and thoughtful Saturday mornings together. We listen to recorded lectures and interviews, and discuss. No preparation is required. NEW LOCATION: MACALESTER COLLEGE. Check back for exact room.

Sept 25: Irish poet John O'Donahue on beauty as a defining aspect of God

Oct 2: Rheumatologist Esther Sternberg on stress, the body, and the mind

Oct 9: New York Times' David Brooks on emotions, the cognitive revolution, and public policy.

Oct 23: Buddhist nun Pema Chodron, Getting Unstuck: Breaking Your Habitual Patterns and Encountering Naked Reality (Part 1 of 3)

Oct 30: Buddhist nun Pema Chodron, Getting Unstuck: Breaking Your Habitual Patterns and Encountering Naked Reality (Part 2 of 3)

Nov 6: Buddhist nun Pema Chodron, Getting Unstuck: Breaking Your Habitual Patterns and Encountering Naked Reality (Part 3 of 3)

Nov 13: Depression and the human soul with Parker Palmer, Anita Barrows, and Andrew Solomon

Nov 20: Technology journalist David Kirkpatrick talks about The Facebook Effect
Practicing happiness,
Marcus Young and Grace MN

Friday, August 6, 2010

Upcoming Summer Activities


NEW TIME for our dance sessions: 5:30-7:30pm. We’re pushing back the time by 30 minutes so more people can attend. Meet at 5:30pm at the same place—Peavey Plaza—every Monday and Thursday.

Mark your calendars! The Don't you feel it too? Nicollet Mall season will end Thursday, September 23. A celebration dinner follows the big dance, just $10 per person. It's a time to share experiences and hear how the practice has advanced. Details forthcoming.

Upcoming Saturday morning 10am-12noon spirituality discussions. We listen together to recorded lectures and interviews, and discuss, so no preparation required. TEMPORARY LOCATION: 209 8th St. E. #410, St. Paul, 55101

Sept 4: Thich Nhat Hanh’s “Teachings on Love”

(Part 2, but we will review Part 1, so everyone can attend)


Sept 11: New York Times’ David Brooks on the emotions, the cognitive revolution, and public policy.

http://www.aifestival.org/audio-video-library.php?menu=3&title=602&action=full_info

For the details of how to participate in any of this, see the previous posting below. Thank you!

Friday, June 18, 2010

Grace Minnesota Summer Activities at Art of This


A NEW ART, A NEW SPIRITUALITY!
Grace Minnesota is offering a whole bunch of great activities this summer, all in the name of a new art, a new spirituality! Are you ready?

  1. It's our third year of "Don't you feel it too?"--freeing our spirit through dancing our inner lives in public places. Crazy, huh? Open to everyone, regular Monday and Thursday sessions start June 21, 5-7pm on Nicollet Mall. To find out more, see below.
  2. We're also offering free yoga classes led by the inspiring Helena Raghubir of the Center for Happiness. Classes on select Monday and Thursday mornings will be at Art of This Gallery as part of the Open Summer program. Again, more details below.
  3. We'll hold 10 Saturday morning spirituality discussions based on recorded lectures or MPR Speaking of Faith podcasts that we listen to together. Open to everyone, sessions are Saturdays, 10am to 12 noon. More details below.
If you're interested in any of this, just show up. If you have questions, send email to dyfit@graceminnesota.org.

Art of This Gallery is located at 3506 Nicollet Ave, Mpls 55408.

Yoga is 5000 years old. "Don't you feel it too?" is just 3 years old. Help us create it. Thank you!

With practiced happiness,
Marcus Young and Grace MN

Now, the details...

1. DON'T YOU FEEL IT TOO? DANCE SESSIONS

For daring dancers and inner-life explorers! "Don't you feel it too?" is the practice of freeing our spirit through dancing our inner lives in public places. A courageous and joyful act of purposeful self-embarrassment, the work is also mind-body study, gentle social protest, participatory public art, and physical exercise. An aspiring spiritual technology, it's free, and everyone is welcome to come for one or more sessions.

Sessions are every Monday and Thursday, 5-7pm, starting June 21 and going through the summer. Meet at Peavy Plaza on Nicollet Mall at 5pm. For up-to-date information, follow us on Facebook

To participate:
  • Bring your portable music player, headphones, and your most beloved music on a playlist.
  • Wear comfortable street-dancing shoes and maybe sunscreen.
  • Don't bring anything you can't put in your pocket so that you can dance freely. We discourage backpacks. Leave stuff in your car or at home. Bring a donation if you want. We appreciate it!

2. FREE YOGA CLASSES

We are learning some basics in Kundalini Yoga, and you are invited to join us for one or more classes. We're using this opportunity to understand how an established spiritual practice can inform our developing practice of "Don't you feel it too?" Thank you Helena Raghubir, our teacher, and Art of This Gallery for the Open Summer residency program.

Yoga classes are 9.45am - 11.00am at Art of This Gallery, 3506 Nicollet Ave, Mpls 55408 on these dates: Monday, June 21; Monday, July 5; Thursday, July 22; Thursday, Aug 5; and Thursday, Aug 19.

To participate:
  • Please dress for movement and bring a yoga mat, an extra mat if you have one to share, water, and optional items for relaxation like a pillow and blanket.
  • The tradition of yoga encompasses the concept of "when you come empty-handed, you leave empty-handed." To receive the most out of a yoga class, the student is asked to find something to give. Since we are not assessing a formal fee for this class, we suggest that you consider giving a free-will donation. This could be a monetary donation to the teacher, a donation to the charity of your choice in any amount, or an offering such as fruit, flowers from your garden, or incense to the teacher or to other students. Your donation could also be giving your time as a volunteer to the cause of your choice. It is suggested that you make this donation as feels best to you within a week of receiving the class.
Helena Raghubir has been practicing yoga and studying holistic healing since 1993. She is a certified Kundalini Yoga Professional Teacher Trainer, Level III Sat Nam Rasayan Practitioner, Neurolinguistic Psychology Practitioner, Reiki Master Usui and Karuna, CMT, and Reflexologist. She is the director of the Center for Happiness.

3. DISCUSSIONS ABOUT SPIRITUALITY AND DON'T YOU FEEL IT TOO?

Let's talk about spirituality...after we listen to people who really know the stuff. Some examples of what we'll listen to include recorded lectures by Pema Chodren and Speaking of Faith radio interviews on topics of play, beauty, science, social activism, etc. One hour of listening together, then one hour of talking together. We'll also explore how these ideas connect to our developing practice "Don't you feel it too?"

Every Saturday, 10am - 12 noon, from June 26 to August 28. Everyone is welcome. Bring a cushion or mat if you have one. Upcoming Saturday morning spirituality discussions at Art of This gallery will be these topics:

Aug 7: Thich Nhat Hanh’s “Teachings on Love”

Aug 14: Sherwin Nuland, former surgeon discusses the human spirit as an evolutionary accomplishment of the brain
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2009/biologyofthespirit/

Aug 21: Rachel Naomi Remen, the art of listening, and the difference between curing and healing
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2010/listening-generously/


For questions about any of the above, contact: dyfit@graceminnesota.org.