Gina Loree Bryan - Embody Grace

Read that again.

It seems relevant and urgent.

What happens to us - individually and collectively - when we have no space for mystery, no time for complexity and struggle, no interest in anything beyond its material utility?

The harbinger in me calls to my fellow humans to tread carefully, to remember the precious needs of the soul, to reclaim the exercises of our humanity: creativity, real connection, the full spectrum of emotions - lest we too become valued only the basis of our 'utility'.

Gil and Katy! Katy and Gil! Oh oh oh!!! If you know me, you know them and you should totally check this out. You will not be disappointed.

"Developing your own Plan to bring Nutritious Movement into Your Life!" In this Live with Gil session (11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern, 7pm UK time, this Sunday, Aug. 18th) I am thrilled to host Katy Bowman, prolific author and profoundly influential movement teacher. Further info and FAQ here: https://www.gilhedley.com/live_with_gil_info We will be discussing the formative ideas shaping her uniquely helpful perspectives on movement and health, as well as how her most recent book can help you to develop your very own "Perfect Movement Plan." Katy is the author of a dozen plus books and has spent her whole career helping people to move better, I can't wait to share her perspective with you and spark your own excitement for reflecting on exactly how you move in your life, and considering your movement potential.

“Live with Gil” sessions are accessible to Explorer members of my site. You can join for just one month non-recurring, or join as a monthly or annual recurring member, cancel anytime! Click this link for all membership info: https://www.gilhedley.com/membership

To Register for the call, simply login to your Explorer membership Library on my site ( https://www.gilhedley.com ), scroll down the page and select the Live with Gil course, and click on Season 4, Episode 8 at the top of the list to find the REGISTER HERE link. Register to receive your call link by email, easy peasy, see you Sunday!

The more I 'look' into this tremendously complex and personal topic, the more I wonder how did it get to be so tremendously complex.

I don't know of too many people who don't wrestle with self-care - who believe they 'suck' at it, who don't have time, energy, motivation; who still get 'sick' and wonder what they did wrong.

Maybe we need a fresh way of looking at this whole self-care thing.

Wanna talk? Join me online this Wednesday, August 14th at 1:00PM eastern time.

Head over to embodygrace.com/drop-in-classes to sign up.

Class will also be recorded.

It's not easy some days (or even many or any days) - feeling gratitude for inhabiting this body, is it?

Our bodily experiences might be achy, limited, frustrated, discouraging - and yet ... our bodies are still miraculous. They keep going, they keep holding, they keep unfolding and revealing timeless intelligence and wisdom.

And they thrive when gifted with gratitude and appreciation.

What small posture, gesture, word, thought can you feelingly express in and for your body this week?

It was a thought that came to me as I took my bra off last night, and vigorously - deliciously - massaged my ribs cage where the strap had been pressing in.

I considered other moves we do to 'undo': brushing down the arms, shaking, vocalizing, swirling the feet, stretching out like a cat on the floor ... all moves to discharge the day, rehydrate the tissue, decompress, expand and yeah ... all that.

How 'bout you?

This is indeed troubling.

And I would add among the strategies to address this, a lot of kids loooove receiving bodywork.

Healthy touch is so important for calming the nervous system, communicating safety, imparting healthy self-regulation ... AND ... many kids are very adept and receptive to giving back healthy touch - feeling empowered, learning healthy co-regulation...

Shocking New Study: 20% of Children Have Chronic Pain Discover the alarming findings on chronic pain in pediatrics, with 20% of children suffering. Learn the causes and treatments to help manage pain in children.

It was 20 years ago this summer that I sat on the floor of the International School of Shiatsu - wide-eyed and open-hearted, feeling the buzz of alignment and purpose, having no clue where this path would lead.

It truly was, from beginning to present, one grace upon another ... each door opening to the next, and more still to be revealed ...

I stand here, seeing the bend in the road ahead while its landscape remains just hidden from view, full of gratitude, a little more wisdom, and a lot more humility... ready to embrace the next twenty years...

That glorious but fleeting moment in spring when everything still seems within your control

Gift certificates for shiatsu are available for the mothers in your life... :)

Here's the linky:
https://app.acuityscheduling.com/catalog.php?owner=13573072

Contemplating the question, what does it mean to 'embody grace'?

On the one hand, we often associate 'grace' with a certain look - a sense of beauty, an elegant form, an ability to maintain an appearance of composure and self-control, even in the face of drama and bad behavior.

English society would seem to epitomize this, as a certain Dowager Countess claims when she says, "The truth is neither here nor there, it's the look of the thing that matters..."

British repression as a high and enviable art form aside, I prefer to think of grace as, '...an outward expression of the inner harmony of the soul', as William Hazlitt quotes.� �

Official definitions of the word grace offer that the root 'grat' (meaning, 'pleasing') plays into many familiar words: Grateful (thankful,
appreciative); gratis (as a favor, without payment); gratification (the state of being pleased); gratuity, (extra money not earned); congratulate (to rejoice together with one who has been honored); gratitude (a expression of appreciation);
gracious (courteous and pleasant); and of course, grace.

All of these variations have to do with thankfulness, favor, pleasing. And in particular, having to do with unearned or un-asked-for favor ... pertaining to both an act and the response.

Even the Chinese character 'grace' that appears in my logo (and on my right wrist) is translated as: "a kind act from above", as in 'The Grace of God'.

This doesn't necessarily have to come from God. It could be a favor paid to you, or help that you received (or gave). Of course, you can decide for yourself whether the grace or favor given to you by a friend is actually a gift from God.��

So, to answer my own question - embodying grace could entail living a life of gratitude, or living with the ease and effortlessness of one who is mindful and appreciative of being buoyed up by the favor of others (or Other).

What a difference this might make in our daily experience! To live in such a state of trust about one's own well-being provided for, freeing us up to pass those blessings along, as well as celebrate in the favors bestowed onto to others.

Quite the opposite of stress, yes?

Rah-ther!!

Hey friends ...

I'm doing some market research and looking for 5-10 people to interview. Do you have 15 minutes to talk (on Zoom...)?

If you're a spiritual seeker who is wanting to put more of your seeking into practical, embodied application, then I would love to connect and ask you a few questions!

Just comment below to tell me one area in your life where you struggle with embodying your spiritual values, and I'll send you a DM if you fit the profile I'm looking for.

Thank you in advance, and I can't wait to meet a few of you.

Is it?

It seems like our bodies can be very noisy, very loud. Or, is that really our minds? If the Qi follows the Yi (mind), and mind is leading the Qi all over the body (intentionally or otherwise), it could feel quite noisy, quite chaotic indeed.

But, what if we settle the Qi into the hara, into the stillness of the belly, the primordial source of Quiet?

How lovely that could be...

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All through April, schedule a 30-minute standalone, or a 25-minute add-on shiatsu foot massage session for $10 off to move those metatarsals and press those pressure points!

Get those toes ready to twinkle!

Rate is already discounted when you schedule online: http://embodygrace.com/book-now

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We tend not to think about balance until we start losing it.

As I work with folks who are in that category, I'm identifying certain key areas that we would do well to attend to now - whether in our moving and non-moving activities, including exercise (for instance, what is the long term effect of a 'cycling' posture as it relates to the spine, especially the neck, and how might that affect the inner ear, ability to turn the head, etc...?)

I share a few in this by-no-means exhaustive article (along with a few movement tips):

https://www.embodygrace.com/blog/movement-for-balance

I confess to sometimes getting lost in the dark quagmire of perfectionism, unhealthy comparisons, self-importance, judgements as a means of projecting my ugliness 'out there' ... you know, human stuff. I let it all have its voice (in private), because, well, it's MY human stuff, and has a rightful seat at the table, too.

Pretending it isn't there only drives it deeper, colors it darker than it really is.

I'm less afraid of temper tantrums these days (my own, anyway...) - sometimes they yield gold.

And then also, I remember, oh yeah... this.

Time to unfold and blossom like the flower you are!
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Balance is the medicine of Spring and of Libra... Let's clear out the winter clutter, find our balance, open the hips, stretch and expand into the spacious possibilities of Spring ...!
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4 week session starts tomorrow, 3/26 9am EST on Zoom (will be recorded if you can't be there.)
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http://embodygrace.com/classes-events

In this book on productivity, Allen draws from the lessons of martial arts - of cultivating the state of 'mind like water'....
.. where the ripples produced by a pebble tossed into a pond are in perfect proportion to the size and force of the pebble - no more, no less.

I have often said that Qigong is a wonderful practice for developing 'right effort' - how to respond to life's inputs with the appropriate amount of tension and relaxation.

A good place to start: Right now, notice if your shoulders are tense. And if, so, why? What purpose is that serving?
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Wanna do Qigong with me? The next online 4-week series begins March 26th.

https://www.embodygrace.com/classes-events

I love rolling!! (though I don't do it enough...!) It's like giving yourself shiatsu (Okay, well, almost ...)

I found some relief in my sticky, ow-ey left shoulder after rolling into the 'pect pocket' and the subscap. So lovely.

And yeah ... that breast & chest masterclass was truly amaze-balls (as my stepdaughter says...:)

Roll Before You Workout? The Science Says Yes! Rolling tissues before you engage in an exercise or movement practice improves your performance. Rolling excites your sensory system, which increases your m...

Shiatsu isn't quite as well known as 'massage', so naturally, people have questions about what it's like. These words are for you, if you've been curious. And also for you, if you have worked with me but still aren't sure exactly what's happening on my end. :)

https://www.embodygrace.com/blog/what-happens-during-shiatsu-session

Feelin' it? The need to stretch, expand, twist, bend, create, plant, organize, break loose ... (maybe with a little scream?)

Me too.

Let's do it.

https://www.embodygrace.com/classes-events

Gina (that's me!) and Bill (Triscale Massage & Bodywork) at your service - for cozy couples' massage @ The Inn at Twin Linden...!

Had some fun with a word cloud app to describe embodygrace a while back, and just now getting around to posting it.

I've probably accumulated a few more since then.

Should I put it on a t-shirt??

Today.

Starting soon - A 4-week Qigong series, dancing with the Medicine of Winter. Join online:

http://embodygrace.com/classes-events

Chair massage at a Kimberton Whole Foods wellness event in Downingtown. 2008.

January is a great time to try new healthy things!
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One more week to discover the beauty of shiatsu for $30 off the regular 60-minute session rate.
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Shiatsu (Japanese for 'finger pressure') is a beautiful form of bodywork that incorporates finger and palm pressure, stretching, rocking, holding and other subtle but surprisingly powerful approaches to help your body relax and self-regulate.
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Many people new to this work are astonished at how well shiatsu speaks to their bodies.
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Treat yourself to a lovely start to a new year!

http://embodygrace.com/new-client-special

In a recent exploration of nervous system regulation, we were asked to share our 'glimmers' - places, sights, sounds etc that generated an alternative calming response to 'triggers'.
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Standing on tree trunks is not exactly my 'glimmer' place, but that query illuminated the realization that my ideal state was to be 'myself' wherever I was.
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To be the soul of a place.
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What does it mean to you, to be the soul of a place?