Tranquil Space Foundation Newsletter – September 2008
Tranquil Space Foundation expands opportunities for girls and women to develop their inner voice through yoga, creativity, and leadership activities.
greetings
the heart of yoga
creativity corner
listening to the leader within
what tsf grantees are saying
connect and support
credits
It’s so nice to be communicating with you all again. I hope you fully savored the summer break between our last newsletter and this one, and are feeling restored and energized as we head into fall. We here at Tranquil Space Foundation (TSF) have had a busy few months, hosting TranquilTeens workshops (including one with the Family Support Center’s S.I.S.T.E.R.S./Hermanas program, a recent TSF grantee), doing some mid-year strategic planning, and gearing up for the second annual TSF fundraising gala, which will take place on Thursday, October 16 from 7-9 pm at the historic Josephine Butler House in Adams Morgan.
The event will feature a performance by Olivia Mancini of the local indie rock band Washington Social Club. Tickets are $30, and are available for purchase on the TSF website, at Tranquil Space Yoga in Dupont Circle, Bethesda, and Arlington, and at the door on the night of the gala.
In connection with this year’s gala, we are pleased to announce the first annual TSF Awards. Do you know a woman in the DC area who goes above and beyond to serve women and girls in one of the following areas?
- Yoga
– Creative Expression
– Leadership Development
If so, we want to hear from you! As you know, TSF is dedicated to using yoga, creativity and leadership training to help women and girls find their inner voice. We are currently preparing to issue the inaugural TSF Awards for exemplary service to women and girls in our areas of focus.
To nominate a local woman for the award, please email us at awards@tranquilspacefoundation.org no later than September 29, 2008, with the following information:
- Your name and contact information
– The nominee’s name and contact information
– Your relationship to the nominee
– A summary of the nominee’s contributions (300 words or less)
Nominations will be reviewed by the TSF steering committee, and winners will be recognized at the October 16 gala. I hope to see many of you there!
If you can’t make it to the gala, but would like to support TSF’s community outreach, please consider making a tax deductible donation. Your generous support will allow us to reach even more deserving young women with our TranquilTeens program. Girls who experience TranquilTeens continue to thank us for introducing them to yoga (especially its relaxing effects), creating space in their lives for creative expression, and opening their eyes to the fact that we are all leaders.
Please share your charitable musings with me. Email kimberly@tranquilspacefoundation.org with thoughts on philanthropy or suggestions of other topics you’d like to see featured in the TSF newsletter.
Tranquil regards,
Kimberly Wilson
President, TSF
By Miri McDonald, TSF volunteer
Open your heart both on and off the mat. Invigorate your giving spirit with this heart opening asana – Setu bandhasana (bridge pose).
What are the benefits?
This pose opens the heart and stretches the chest, shoulders, and upper back. It also strengthens and energizes leg muscles, like the quadriceps and hamstrings. Setu bandhasana increases spine flexibility and stimulates the thyroid.
How do I get into the pose?
– Lie flat on your mat with your arms straight down by your sides, palms facing down.
– Bend your knees and plant your feet on the mat. Bring your heels as close to the bum as possible. Check the distance by seeing if you can reach your heels with your middle finger.
– Inhale and press your feet, arms, and palms actively into the floor and lift the bum off the floor slowly, moving your pelvis up toward the sky. The goal is for the thighs to be parallel with the floor.
– Exhale and shimmy your shoulders under your back, clasp the hands below your bum, and lengthen through the arms to help you stay on the top of your shoulders. This should open the heart more as well.
– Keep your thighs and feet parallel and the legs active.
– Lift your chin away from the chest, toward the sky, but keep the back of the neck long.
– Inhale and exhale here for about 1-2 minutes.
– To come out of the pose, exhale and roll the spine slowly down onto the mat.
By Amanda Hirsch, Chair of the Communications Committee and founder of CREATIVE DC
Summer. The word alone conjures images of fresh lemonade, turquoise swimming pools and bare feet in green grass. Yet thanks to DC’s legendary heat and humidity, how many of us groan and grumble our way through the season, sealing ourselves off in air-conditioned spaces? This year, I decided to treat summer the way I had as a teenager: a chance to slow down, and enjoy a host of sensory experiences, from the shockingly sweet taste of popsicles to watching fireflies emerge at nightfall. And I noticed something funny: I didn’t mind the heat as much as I usually do. In fact, I enjoyed the sensation of the sun on my skin. By embracing the season’s rhythms and offerings, I was able to deepen my enjoyment of it.
Each season offers its own sensual gifts, but it’s up to us to accept and savor them. With fall right around the corner, now’s your chance to reflect on how you’d like to experience the months ahead. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Host a harvest party. Choose recipes featuring seasonal produce, such as butternut squash, sweet potatoes and, of course, apples. Plan a fall-inspired activity, such as making your own holiday wrapping paper using apples you’ve carved into stamps (turn to trusty Google for a how-to).
- Celebrate coziness! On a chilly evening or weekend afternoon, make hot apple cider on the stove, and savor the aroma that fills the house. Pour yourself a mug, and curl up under a blanket to read or watch a favorite movie.
- Make a living collage. Choose a space to showcase seasonal items that you gather as fall settles in: particularly striking leaves, a snapshot of late afternoon in your neighborhood park, a scented candle, acorns, and whatever else you encounter. Look at your collection to remind yourself to savor the season’s unique characteristics. (A variation of this: create a journal/scrapbook for each season.)
Have fun, and notice how creatively and mindfully engaging with the season affects your mind, body and spirit.
Got favorite ways to savor winter? Email them to us at creativity@tranquilspace.com, and we’ll feature them in the next issue!
Listening to the Leader Within
by Kimberly Wilson, Director of TSF
When I wrote my first muse for the newsletter on leadership in February, I was in the midst of a four-month course focused on authentic leadership at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. Having completed the program in May, I wanted to share a few lessons that I learned on what it means to be an authentic leader. Everyone can be an authentic leader, whether you’re running an organization, a team, or a household; working for change in your community; or simply aspiring to live by example.
Authentic leaders are people who take fundamental responsibility for themselves and their lives, are completely present in every situation, and are willing to share their aspirations and dreams with others.
The authentic leadership model consists of three components:
- Authentic presence means making sure your authentic self is fully present. Try contemplative practices such as yoga, meditation, and journal writing to develop self-knowledge and to practice being present and authentic. (Thank goodness these practices are already part of my routine, and are part of the TranquilTeens program, as I already had so many new things to try coming out of this program!)
- Skillful communication begins with the assumption that we are fully responsible for all interactions. Awareness of our emotions creates an environment of care and empathy akin to emotional intelligence. My teachers emphasized two important ways to communicate: inquiry and advocacy. Inquiry is a powerful way to invite others to be collaborators. Advocacy is a way to use “I” statements to convey how one perceives a situation and shares facts.
- Effective action is motivated by service and focuses on using compassionate and strategic approaches to change. This final premise of the authentic leadership model is based on servant leadership where the leader seeks to serve first and lead second.
Overall, an authentic leader is motivated to serve, invites feedback and learns from it, promotes open communication, envisions new possibilities, fosters a culture of appreciation, and is committed to self-knowledge. I loved this four-month program—especially its contemplative slant—and hope that we are able to continue affecting authentic leadership through our efforts with Tranquil Space Foundation. We hope that we are helping to shape a new generation of do-gooding, creative, authentic leaders! Namaste.
In our June newsletter, we announced the first three TSF grant recipients who received funds to continue their imaginative and impacting work in the community.
Upon learning of their selection, grantees Girls on the Run of Northern Virginia and The Family Support Center’s S.I.S.T.E.R.S./Hermanas program had this to say -
“Each year Girls on the Run – DC (GOTR-DC) continues to advance its mission of education and preparing girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living through running. Through our program, we have seen many lives changed for the better. The goal of GOTR-DC is to reduce the potential display of at-risk activities among its participants and make a difference in the lives of our girls. We are so pleased to receive this gift from Tranquil Space Foundation since we know you are also passionate about these things…Thank you so much for your support!”
“Thank you again for awarding the S.I.S.T.E.R.S. program this wonderful grant of $650. This grant will be used to fund the initiative we have developed over the past year, called S.I.S.T.E.R.S. Strong and Healthy…the goal of this program is to educate young women on how to develop and live a healthy lifestyle. By awarding us this grant, you are showing support for this important empowerment program for girls and young women in the community. Thank you again for your continued generosity and support of our program.”
Welcome to TSF’s newest charitable gems, volunteers Cecilia Orphan, Ana Ottman, and Takeyah Young. Cecilia, Ana, and Takeyah all bring dynamic professional experience that will help guide TSF’s strategic initiatives. We are most grateful for their eagerness and thoughtful contributions of community leadership.
We are looking for volunteers with experience in programming, communications, and fundraising. We’re also looking for volunteers who specifically want to volunteer at our upcoming October 16 gala. If you’d like to volunteer with TSF long-term or just help at our gala, please email volunteer@tranquilspacefoundation.org for details.
We are looking for organizations that serve adolescent girls who would be interested in doing a TranquilTeens workshop. If you have suggestions, please email partnership@tranquilspacefoundation.org.
Editor-in-Chief
Jackie Leventhal
Layout + Tech
Tim Mooney
Contributors
Kimberly Wilson
Miri McDonald
Amanda Hirsch
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