Finding joy ... maybe it's in a dance class, maybe it's in a flower, maybe it's in seeing whales!

 

🐋 I went whale watching this week 🐋

Every now and then in life, if we are lucky, we get to do or experience something that we've wanted to do for a long time. Last week, this 41 year old got to fulfill her inner 7 year-old's bucket list wish and go whale watching in Canada, in the Salish Sea. It was an incredible experience; we saw bald eagles, cormorants, jellyfish, tiny deer on an uninhabited island, wildlife conservation areas, and yes... a family of orcas! Three generations in one family, in fact: a grandmother, the mother, and the children (a 1 year old and a 2 year old among them). And on the 2+ hours back to shore I sat (and danced, as you can see) on the bow of that boat in absolute bliss. (Not many of you know this but I was brought up in a sea town and spent a lot of my childhood on and driving boats, partly for Dublin Bay Rescue, so it was just lovely to get back out on the water; the whales were a bonus!) The point of all this is: I think we all need to seek more joy. And it doesn't have to come from big bucket list experiences - this was a particularly amazing one and I feel immense appreciation for the person who made this happen for me. It can come from stopping to smell that wee flower on your morning walk, meeting up with a friend, or going to see the Barbie movie damnit, or attending dance classes with your besties! Joy is important. It doesn't mean we negate the hard stuff. But it's important to remember bring it alongside for the ride. To whit: 🐋 Danceypants is tonight at 7:15pm Youth Annex, Sebastopol Community Cultural Center Sign up here Danceypants is capped at 20 (and already almost half full as I'm writing this) so please sign up in advance if you can $15 online in advance / $20 cash on the door P.S. If you have been to Danceypants and want to join the Facebook group, here's the link. (You must answer the questions!) ~~~   🐋 expandance in person is next Wednesday July 26th 9am - 10:30am Sign up here in the same place as Danceypants $35 expandance is a small group class for exploration and creativity, and as such is capped at 6 people. This class is also currently half full; I recommend signing up soon if you would like to come! ~~~ Never been to expandance and want a taste from the comfort of your home?   🐋 expandance: the basics is tomorrow morning Tuesday July 18th ONLINE 9am - 10:15am Sign up here $20 THIS CLASS IS FREE for BIPOC and the trans community if needed; please e-mail rachel@expandance.com to request free access if this would help you attend. If you have any questions about any of my offerings, please email me! Here's to more joy... wherever we can find it. xo, Rachel

Register for Danceypants!

Register for IN PERSON expandance

Register for ONLINE expandance

“I did expandance this morning with Rachel Wynne. If you have been thinking about doing this, Do It! I am not a dancer, I don't exercise regularly and I have chronic pain. I loved the unconventional warm up she lead us through and the visualizations with movement. Afterwards, I felt relaxed and energized at the same time. Most notably, I was able to release a considerable amount of tension that I was carrying in my body. I did all of this a short amount of time and in a small space.” - B, California   you don’t have to be a dancer  you don’t have to be “fit” or look a certain way   all you need is zoom and you

Classes for cancer wellness

expandance classes for the cancer community (open to anyone, regardless of where you are being treated or where you are in the world, and also to survivors) are on:

Fridays
10:30am - 12 noon PST
(That's 1:30pm EST / 6:30pm GMT)
FREE and ONLINE

To register, please e-mail our cancer wellness program co-ordinator Sharon Doughty at Sharon.doughty@stjoe.org to get on the list. Other classes are also available free through this program, including Qigong, sound meditations, gentle yoga, patient support groups and art classes. Feel free to forward this to a friend who might benefit from having more community on their journey with cancer.

"Thank you, Rachel, for another wonderful class today. Your classes really help keep me going" - a participant in the cancer wellness classes

June 5th is Bring a Friend for FREE Day at Danceypants!

 

 

Our next Danceypants class will be Monday June 5th

And it's Bring a Friend for FREE Day!

Bring a friend with you who has never been to Danceypants before, and they get in free!

Terms:

* Offer only valid on June 5th 2023

* You must sign up online in advance (so our door person isn't overwhelmed)

* Your friend will register at the door - please arrive with your friend and tell our door person they're with you (like in the movies ''it's ok, she's with me") 

Danceypants

 is most

Mondays 

 

7:15pm - 8:15pm 

 

* We start on time, West County! *

 

Youth Annex Studio

Building to the left of the main Cultural Community Center 

425 Morris St, Sebastopol, CA 95472, USA

 

$15 in advance / $20 on the door (unless you're coming for FREE!) 

 

SIGN UP NOW!

 

 

Reminder: NO CLASS MEMORIAL DAY

 

 

November classes

 

Happy Samhain, friends! we're making soup, the veil is thin, come out to dance, you're welcome in

Hi Friend! Summary: 1. Danceypants is every Monday in November 2. expandance open class is on November 9th 3. Cancer community classes continue every Friday 4. There's a free thing at the bottom of this post Thank you to those of you who came to the Danceypants birthday class! We had great fun, and ended it with a game of ''keepy-uppy'' with balloons - which turned out to be quite the cardio workout, what with the added laughing and screaming in delight :P Reminder: There's no Danceypants this Monday, Halloween! 🎃🍂 Blessed Samhain and Dia de Los Meurtos 🧡🍂 Good news though: There's Danceypants in Sebastopol EVERY MONDAY IN NOVEMBER! Sign up here for all 4 weeks at once - even if you end up missing one, you still won't pay any more than if you paid for three at the door. And for my expandance people: Wednesday Nov 9th 9:30-11:00am pacific time on Zoom (That's 5:30pm - 7pm Irish time) ~~~ in the comfort of your own home ~~~ $30 An expandance class to ease our nervous systems, release stress, get back in touch with our boy wisdom and joy and unlock our creative juices. Give this gift to yourself (or a friend!) SIGN UP HERE As always, there's more info on the website Love, Rachel   NOVEMBER 2022 REGISTER for CLASS

So I couldn't have let my birthday month pass without giving you all a gift. Here it is: A 50 minute FREE expandance practice, recorded live just this morning as I was teaching for Providence. In this class we cover:   ✹ Breath work ✹ Moving from different temperatures in the body *** NEW EXERCISE *** ✹ Moving from hands and feet connection (a grounding exercise) ✹ Art ✹ A Dance for someone passed ✹ Restorative ✹ Closing Feel free to forward this e-mail to anyone interested in expandance who would like to try it out before coming to class. This particular class is a good one for anyone ''going through it'' right now. (And also even if you're not). Click here for the class. Reminder: If you are dealing with cancer at the moment, or are a survivor, or you are a caretaker of someone with cancer, we meet every Friday at 10am PST over Zoom to connect and do our expandance practice together. You do not have to be mobile for this class and can listen in from anywhere in the world. These classes are free to the cancer community. To sign up or for more information please e-mail our coordinator Sharon.doughty@stjoe.org

Danceypants in Sebastopol, California

Danceypants is back, baby!

This Monday and most Mondays.

At the Youth Annex

425 Morris St, Sebastopol, CA 95472

7:15pm - 8:15pm 

Come get your groove on in a welcoming, friendly space. As always, we keep all the big windows open, and there's a nice cross breeze :) Please sign up in advance* at expandance.com/classes

See you there!

* Please note: From September onward, payment at the door will be increased to $20. Online advance sales stay the same at $15. 

 

 

Danceypants this Thursday! November 21st

Join us! Please RSVP if you can, it makes things quicker on the night. Thanks!

Danceypants April 18th

Join me for the next Danceypants! Thursday April 18th. 

WHERE: West County Martial Arts (down the hall, in the SoCo Aerial studio at the back)

7231 Healdsburg Avenue, Sebastopol, California

WHEN: Thursday March 14th 2019 7-8pm 

HOW MUCH: $15-$20 sliding scale

For every 3 people who pay $20, we can gift a scholarship to someone in need.

PayPal in advance (up to the day before) to rachel@expandance.com 
OR on the day in cash

*** NO PAYPAL DAY OF PLEASE ***

PARKING: There is free on street parking a block away, and Safeway parking is two blocks away

WHAT TO WEAR: Workout clothes / yoga clothes / sweat pants and sneakers - not jeans! Bring water

INTROVERTS: Scared of showing up to something where there are a bunch of people? ME TOO! That's right, your teacher is an introvert and totally gets it, which is why I aim to create a welcoming environment for everyone. I or my door person will personally welcome you, show you where you can put your stuff, and where the bathroom is, and answer any questions you may have in the moment.

HELP I AM A BEGINNER: No problemo, this class is open to beginners! It's a mixed level class so there may be some things you don't ''get'' right away, so it's just as well I have a ''There Are No Mistakes'' policy! (Partly because I make mistakes too!) It's more important that you're having fun than Getting It Right. Just come ready to sweat a bit :-)

Questions? E-mail me! Rachel@expandance.com

See you soon!

-Rachel

1 spot left for DANCEYPANTS in Sebastopol, CA this week

Hi all,

We have just 1 spot left for DANCEYPANTS this week, and that's because of a cancellation - who wants it? :)


- Rachel

1 spot left for DANCEYPANTS in Sebastopol, CA this week

Hi all,

We have just 1 spot left for DANCEYPANTS this week, and that's because of a cancellation - who wants it? :)


- Rachel