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What part of my body moves easily? Can I let that part show me my flow? Our beautiful exploration today was met with presence, insight and body intelligence. Grateful to be a part and a witness.
“Flowing is like a river, always moving, always changing. It’s a rhythm of grounding, of finding your center and surrendering to the flow of life.”
~G. Roth
For those of us with complicated relationships with our dads, and for those whose fathers are deceased, this can be a day of ambivalence, activation and apathy. The invitation in our lives is to harness that father energy in the way we provide for ourselves, use tools for thriving and generally get things done. Thanks for a beautiful showing today of brave new students stepping in to embodiment using the energies of each rhythm as a tool.
“Don’t be afraid to show your light. If it ends up being too much for people, tell them to wear sunglasses!”
~G. Roth
How does yes feel in my body? How do I express no? Do I need more time with maybe? I love this concept that having clear boundaries stokes my inner fire. Trusting myself and my higher power to have the answers, I am empowered and enlivened with yeses and nos.
“I choose to live by choice, not by chance,
To be motivated , not manipulated,
To be useful, not used,
To make changes, not excuses,
To excel, not compete.
I choose self-esteem, not self pity.
I choose to listen to my inner voice,
Not to listen to the random opinions of others.”
Author Unknown
Our group of courageous and present movers! Sunday fun-day 🤗
Do not try to save
the whole world
or do anything grandiose.
Instead, create
a clearing
in the dense forest
of your life
and wait there
patiently,
until the song
that is your life
falls into your own cupped hands
and you recognize and greet it.
Only then will you know
how to give yourself to this world
so worthy of rescue.
by Martha Postlethwaite
My first class in mini-workshop style was as much about honoring my path, honing my skills and facing my fears as it was about building community. To my pleasant surprise, the community showed in such a grounded way. So much gratitude!
“Gazing up into the night sky, infinity is darker than dark. Endless space is our only container, infinity is our only boundary. For a moment I focus not on the stars, not on heavenly bodies, not even on black holes, but on space, pure space, the emptiness that has no beginning, middle or end, where form explodes out of nothingness, where big bangs are commonplace and filled with mystery, where getting born again and again is a simple enough matter, no need for holy water or raving evangelists.” Gabrielle Roth
https://www.mixcloud.com/jenellemsmith/serenity/
I encourage myself to remember that being grateful doesn’t mean I have to keep a gratitude jar that counts my blessings. It just means I can reset my thoughts, just like in meditation, and choose instead to gently settle my attention on something positive. We don’t erase the pain — it’s still there — but we can broaden our perspective by opening to our pain and also opening to things other than the suffering we feel. ~Sharon Salzberg
https://www.mixcloud.com/jenellemsmith/grit-and-grace/
Our second wave today, sweat, tears and laughter.
https://www.mixcloud.com/jenellemsmith/coal-to-diamonds/
Movement practice gets all your creative juices flowing. It doesn’t just release your body, but it opens up your heart and empties out your mind, as well. ~Gabrielle Roth
https://www.mixcloud.com/jenellemsmith/falling-leaves/
Gratitude to our parents, grandparents and all our ancestors for this body, this life, this dance.
FOUND
Maybe it’s all utterly meaningless.
Maybe it’s all unutterably meaningful.
If you want to know which,
pay attention to
what it means to be truly human
in a world that half the time
we’re in love with
and half the time
scares the hell out of us…
The unexpected sound of your name on somebody’s lips.
The good dream.
The strange coincidence.
The moment that brings tears to your eyes.
The person who brings life to your life.
Even the smallest events hold the greatest clues.
Frederick Buechner
We all share the wound of fragmentation. And we can all share in the cure of unification. ~Gabrielle Roth
Today was our last Monday in September, marking our first month back to a weekly class. I am so grateful and warmed by the quality of attendance, such beautiful souls coming together and moving authentically. I have received such openings, insight, and release in this practice, and especially so as I hold space for others on a weekly basis. I am faithful that this practice enlivens, enriches and engages us in a profound way. We are more than talking heads, we are more than what we do, we are dynamic beings whose energy can get unstuck by moving through the parts that need to let go.
Be Silent and go into that place where everything is music.
~Rumi
Thank you for showing up for our summer pop-up classes, what a joy it’s been to be back in person with dancers from near and far! Starting September 5 we will be weekly, and with that comes an opportunity to be an important part of our dance community: CREW. We have space for 5 crew members to alternate weeks in exchange for class attendance. Space is also available for creative expression through art installations. Please let me know if this calls to you. It takes a village to create the space, and collaboration is fun (thanks Melissa)!
“Have compassion for everyone you meet,
even if they don't want it. What seems conceit,
bad manners, or cynicism is always a sign
of things no ears have heard, no eyes have seen.
You do not know what wars are going on
down there where the spirit meets the bone.” ~Miller Williams
Coming back from Vejle, Denmark, I’m newly inspired by the 2 weeks of dancing with 60+ souls from 20 different countries. And I’m always grateful to come home! J
“You can be fully in charge of your life only if you can acknowledge the reality of your body, in all its visceral dimensions.” Bessel Van Der Kolk
Even
After
All this time
The Sun never says
To the Earth
“You owe me.”
Look what happens
With a love like that,
It lights the
Whole
Sky.
~Rumi
Dearest Souls,
My heart is so full to see you showing up for yourselves and your community. Thank you! I wanted to share the poetry and quotes here because some of you asked.
“The way out of our cage begins with accepting absolutely everything about ourselves and our lives, by embracing with wakefulness and care our moment-to-moment experience.” ~Tara Brach
Last night, as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—Marvelous error!—
that I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures
~Antonio Machado, translated by Robert Bly
Dear ones,
I’m starting to peek my head out of the earth, where I’ve been working and healing and meditating and praying. My journey through these past couple years has been painful and transformative and I’ve been waiting for the call to return to the dance floor. Spirit has once again demonstrated the amazing abundance in front of me, if I only pay attention!
Dancing in my living room with my dog Lizzy and some amazing worldwide 5Rhythms teachers has been deep medicine. Thank you for your patience, care and concern, I’ve really enjoyed hearing from you on occasion.
I’m bursting with new music, excited about the space near the Orange Circle (can someone say Urth Cafe?) and looking forward to occasional offerings this summer. My intention is a weekly offering (beginning in autumn) on Monday to set good intentions for each week. In the meantime, keep an eye out for pop-up classes.
Calling all hard working people who work weekends, you are the force that keeps the world moving!
Much love, J
Dear friends,
What a week it's been! Like you, I've been constantly processing the information on Corona Virus, and what it means to me and my ability to remain in service to you. For now, I have decided to do the responsible thing and suspend class offerings. I’m inspired daily by my teachers and colleagues in the global village of 5Rhythms® who are connecting through social media and using webinar technology. Since we don’t know how long this state of being will last, some things we can do is breathe, dance at home, and remain vigilant to keep ourselves and our loved ones well.
Having had several siblings with auto-immune issues, I'm feeling especially sensitive to those with compromised immunity. Let's keep ourselves and each other healthy!
I will contact you in case things change, it seems they're changing quite rapidly and we must stay diligent to flatten the curve. For inspiration, 5Rhythms Italy started a hashtag #notouchstillconnected, follow it to remember that we are in this together.
Best,
Jenelle
While we are on hiatus, please dance online with Jonathan Horan and other special guest teachers. Monthly or per class payment options available. Go to:
https://live.5rhythms.com
Our next Laguna Waves class is Wednesday March 11
New pricing and hours: $15 7-8:30pm
Pre-registration now available on 5Rhythms App, download at the App Store or Google Play
Use discount code SHAKE to save $$ for first time App users
Want to make attending class easy, fun and global? Here's why you'll be happy you did.
Easily register and pre-pay for Laguna Waves class
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Don't forget to enter SHAKE for discount code when registering for your first class, your $2 discount offsets the $1.99 cost of the app. To receive reminders, you must click favorite on the event.
Dear Dancers,
Our Summer Solstice celebration, Chakra Journey: A 5Rhythms workshop with Heeraa Sazevich, is just around the corner. While it doesn’t feel like it here in Southern California, we are just a few weeks away from the official start of summer. Memorial weekend, the unofficial start, has often been sluggish in delivering warm weather (though my friends from colder climates might differ in definition). The wonderful thing about this lovely spot near Temecula is the warmth and arid climate of the high desert, the view of sibling peaks, San Gorgonio & San Jacinto. With several hot springs in which to soak, a swimming pool and a dry sauna, Elim is a good place to start summer off right. Our sweet little tribe is forming beautifully and organizing a weekend workshop is a dream come true. I look forward to hosting Heeraa and being in service to this community that has supported me so beautifully.
Love, Jenelle
Dear ones,
This Saturday, I’m heading to New York for my long awaited beginning of 5Rhythms® teacher training (the first of 3 modules). This journey began for me around 2012, inspired by attending 5Rhythms’ founder Gabrielle Roth’s final workshop at Esalen before her passing, this practice that once saved my life became something I hoped to offer others. Through this path, I’ve found strength, tenderness and vulnerability I didn’t know I could embrace in me. As I step into the unknown, finding my edge, I am deeply grateful for the many dances I’ve had the privilege to witness here in my neck of the woods. This collaboration to collect and connect our Orange County tribe is impossible without you dear reader, thank you.
See you in a few weeks, Jenelle
Dancing friends,
When I was a young assistant to Margaret V, a very talented hair stylist who poured her wisdom into my young career, we often drove down to Murrietta Hot Springs to decompress and relax. So when Heeraa told me she may have found a hot spring where we can hold our weekend workshop, I was thrilled. We took a field trip and enjoyed a soak at Elim Hot Springs, just a half hour drive from Temecula. This is a sweet little spot at 3500 feet elevation in the Palomar Mountain range with refrigerators to keep our food, propane grills to cook, shared cottages with air & heat, and best of all a pool and 4 different hot springs in which to soak. There’s also an option to camp, making this place even more affordable than it already is!
Summer time is my favorite season, our first annual Summer Solstice workshop, Chakra Journey with Heeraa Sazevich is dear to my heart and promises to be a meaningful, healing time for our community.
Much love,
Jenelle
Dear Dancing Souls,
Do you want to be a part of the growing OC Tribe in a conscious and committed way? The opportunity to dance at no cost is awaiting, crew is much needed here to grow our tribe. See requirements below and send me a message if you’re interested (volunteering is on a first come/first serve basis).
Arrive half hour early and stay to pack up
Greet students, orient and take payment
Create art installation
Sweep floor
Hold space
The beautiful thing about community is your participation and energy. I’m so grateful for our growth and can only do this WITH YOU!
Much love, Jenelle