When was the last time you took a moment to pause and breathe deeply? And when I say deeply, I mean really deeply. A nice big, fully belly breath, followed by a great big sigh. It’s an incredible way to release stress and replenish energy. Thanks to the Feral Yogi, Grace’s Table and many of our amazing champions got a chance this week to do just that.

On Wednesday night, May 18, we gathered together at Studio D2D to participate in a Yoga session led by the Feral Yogi. For some of us, it was the first yoga session we’d ever been a part of. Others were long-time yogis with lots of experience under their belts. But together, we took time to nourish our bodies and nurture our spirits. We did the important work of looking within ourselves and intentionally reaching out to the people around us.

I left the event feeling relaxed and rejuvenated, but also filled with excitement. Every person in attendance got a chance to learn about the important work of Grace’s Table, and was able to support our mission by simply showing up. The passion in the room was tangible and contagious.

Now, you might be asking yourself, what does yoga have to do with supporting teen moms?

I’ll tell you.

We gathered together.

The teen moms that Grace’s Table serves are experiencing isolation, loneliness, and fear. Most of them do not have a safe place to gather with a loving, supportive community. Grace’s Table offers teen moms that space, which allows them to find hope, support, and a place to call home.

We took time to nourish our bodies and spirits.

Between school, jobs, and raising their kiddos, teen moms often put taking care of themselves at the bottom of a very long to-do list. While it may seem like just one more task, research has shown that moving our bodies is vital to maintaining good mental health (like this article from the Mayo Clinic). Additionally, when we do things that help fill us up spiritually, we are able to pour that out onto the other people in our lives, like our family and friends. Grace’s Table works with the teen moms we serve to explore and learn about how to take care of themselves while also being the best moms to their kiddos (to learn more about how we do this, visit our home page).

We breathed deeply.

During our yoga practice we took time to think about grace, and the ways we have been shown grace in our lives. We breathed in that grace, and then breathed it out to the people around us. At our core, that is what Grace’s Table is all about. We offer teen moms a space where they can be surrounded by grace, where they can breathe it into every part of their lives. The moms are then able to show that same grace to other people, like their kiddos, their families, and their friends. By offering teen moms this space, we can see the effects of grace rippling out into our community.

We would love to have you join us in the future for more fun and impactful events like Nourish and Nurture! You can see what’s coming up next on our events page, and by following us on social media.

Thank you for creating space for teen moms!