I share the belief of many of my contemporaries that the spiritual crisis pervading all spheres of Western industrial society can be remedied only by a change in our world view. We shall have to shift from the materialistic, dualistic belief that people and their environment are separate, toward a new consciousness of an all-encompassing reality, which embraces the experiencing ego, a reality in which people feel their oneness with animate nature and all of creation.
- Dr. Albert Hoffman
Your Lab Assistants,
Gregg & Angela
We Miss You Detroit! Though plotting and planning is fun we miss seeing so many of you on a regular basis! We are working on some new ways to get Angela's food to you in this interim and will share them when they are ready. We appreciate you all so much and it really does pain us not to be seeing you! Of course, there are many other ways that you can support and get involved with the Lab so let's settle in take a look at the possibilities.
To those of you who just joined us, thank you so much for subscribing! Evolve Detroit! has become a very personal expression of our work & dreams and we are honored to share it with you. When the first edition came out nearly a year ago we thought it'd be fulfilling to ask our readers to set some special time aside, or simply take a break and relax for a moment, to read it through. That tradition stuck, so...
Because this Evolve Detroit! is a little lighter that usual (the one coming is nearly a book!)
we ask that you take a little extra care to relax for this one.
Take a moment and fill up your glass or cup and sit back in your chair a bit. Take a deep breath and let it out completely. Even when it get's to the end, try to let out a little more. Deep relaxation is hidden right between the end of the exhalation and inhalation. If you have time, allow yourself to explore it. Give yourself permission to let go a bit and peruse some of the links we've thrown in here. There's a ton of interesting and positive information out there just waiting to be seen and processed. We invite you to enjoy what we've put together below!
In Memoriam
It seems like so much has happened since the last Evolve Detroit! and though many things can be put to the back burner, Dr. Albert Hoffman's passing on April 29th cannot. Since we created the first flyer for the Renegade Reality Lab a few years back we have included a picture and a quote from Dr. Hoffman on the majority of our output; "The evolution of humankind lies in the alteration of consciousness." We celebrate Dr. Hoffman as the representative of a possible future that was lost somewhere between the "War To End All Wars" and Vietnam. Hoffman's work and life present the possibility of a Reality rendered equally by ecologically aware science and spirituality. We draw inspiration from his unwavering belief that humans have the ability to participate in their own evolution. After 102 years in this space, we can't mourn him, but we will rededicate our work towards the shift in consciousness he encouraged! Thank you, Dr. Hoffman!
Gratitude We strive to live lives that are firmly rooted in gratitude and the expression of that gratitude. We know more than anyone else that it sounds a little hippie at times, but we've found that it changes everything. As always there are many people to thank here. First, we want to thank you all for waiting patiently these last few weeks to hear from us. We also want to thank all of you who have called, emailed and written with support and excitement (sometimes screaming!) over our incredible news. We want to especially thank all of our yoga and vegan/raw class students for attending our classes and keeping us on the map during this transition. To every one of you who have offered to help in one way or another, we are humbled by the grace expressed within your humanity. A special thanks to Shelley and Jim of Play Yoga Magazine for their expression of community-based yoga! We also want to again thank Michael Jackman for his historical piece on Eastern Market in this week's Metrotimes Here You Are (.pdf) insert. It's a fascinating read and we encourage you to take it in. We're beginning to think that Michael is sustainable Detroit's Peter Parker! Um, without the radiation and chemicals, of course. No telling about the outfit though. :) A huge thank you to everyone who has listened to us run on and on about Open Source Software and buildings that emote for the past two weeks. It's all part of the development process we swear! And finally, the biggest amount of thanks goes to those of you who have supported us in any way, even with a kind thought. We wouldn't be here without the community that has tuned in to the Lab. Thank You!
The Lab's Wish List Here's a new feature that will probably soon expand into it's own newsletter! We are getting to that point we we're talking about when we said we would let you know if we need help. Of course, the best way to successfully receive assistance is to know exactly what you need assistance with. There are a few things that have come into focus and we humbly share them below and thank you for taking a moment to consider how you could help us out.
Lights, Camera, Action! Angela would like to pursue becoming a Food For Life Cooking Instructor through the PCRM's Cancer Project. Part of the application process for this is to send in a 5 minute cooking class video. We have a few web-based video projects in mind as well. These projects would promote the ideas behind the Lab and the profits will help grow our work here in Eastern Market. If you are able to assist in anyway at any level we would really appreciate it. If you have any contact that could assist please consider forwarding this onto them. Though we are vigilant in our local focus video allows for ease of understanding.
Altered StatesWe have worked a floatation tank into the budget for the new Lab. If you're unfamiliar with floatation tanks this may be the link that was meant for you. Our friend Doxie called us up to let us know that Joe Rogan is giving away his old floatation tank and that she'd donate it to us if she won it. We thought that was a sweet and rather community focused gesture! So, with that gesture in mind we humbly ask you all to register for Joe Rogan's newsletter in the hopes that you may be able to donate the tank to the Lab. Of course, if you get excited and want to keep it, we'll understand. But you just have to let us come over on a regular basis until we open the doors of the new Lab! :)
The House Not Made With HandsWe want to talk to anyone and everyone reading this about their experience with, or opinion of, Second Life. We know it looks like an online version of The Sims, but we feel it could be the right modeling environment for our projects. We are creating a core group of developers to render a Virtual Lab. The VLab will be fully interactive and provide for feedback on structural design, equipment, workflow and MOST IMPORTANTLY how to pursue a mixed reality interface between this online information and the community.
Off GridIf you've ever worked with solar, wind, or any other alternative energy tech now would be a great time to get in touch with us. We are also looking for a few structural and architectural engineers to gaze at a few of our designs before we begin sharing them in our presentations.
Highlights This Week Though we've stopped offering lunches the Lab has been full of activity. We've enjoyed meeting after meeting and have been documenting our work like crazy. We are working to connect with various luminaries in the fields of creating sustainable spaces and community kitchens. We are very excited as the Lab will look like nothing Detroit has ever seen. We've been holding out on this Evolve Detroit! as we are in the wings of a major announcement, but we simply missed you all too much to keep silent. In addition to this we need to keep the lights on in what will soon be the Old Lab and a blessed home.
Due to a last minute cancellation we have space in our Mother's Day class this Sunday! If you've waited till the last minute to do something for mom, the universe may have just shifted in your favor. Please call us ASAP if you want to join us. This is a special class where both of our Mom's will join us and there's a bit of extra prep involved. Also, our other classes are filling quickly so please register soon if you would like to join us. Oh yes, please take a look at our Bodywork section for an explanation of Gregg's Guided Imagery sessions.
We also want to highlight these events:
Movie Night At The Lab! Please come out and join us Tuesday, May 13th at 7:30 as we view The End Of Suburbia. This movie was recommended to us by our friend Carla and it greatly influenced the development of the Lab. The movie came out a while back so it hits pretty hard as we see many of it's predictions coming to light. We would love to share and discuss this film with you. Lisa Forzey has secured the movie (Thanks Forzelys'!) and will facilitate our discussion. This event is Free!
so please come out and join us.
The Healing Force Reiki
Circle will be joining us at the Lab this Saturday, May 10th at 3 pm. If you're interested in Reiki please look into joining their meet-up group to meet Reiki enthusiast and learn about this healing art. This event is Free!
Loop @ the Lab! Sunday, May 18th 2 - 4:30 pm. Free, but you must RSVP through Loop! Loop is a collective of area crafters who like to get together and share the love of making. Loop Social Circle is an opportunity to meet like-minded people, craft, and help unite the DIY community in Metro Detroit
Please consider coming by one of the events listed here or help us out by coming to yoga or attending a cooking class. We miss you and would be honored to share our space with you. Again, thank you all so much!
In Health, Joy and Liberation!
~Gregg, Angela & the entire Lab Crew!
Your New Lab Assistants We've been slowly rolling out bios on our Lab Assistants, Melanie Pieknik, Karen LePage, Lisa Forzley and Amy Hajec and her daughter Zoe. We are pleased to say that we'll have many more incredible people to introduce here in the coming months. Today, we are pleased to introduce Amy who many of you may have met in our last few weeks of lunch. Amy and Zoe have brightened up the Lab with their presence and we're very grateful to both of them!
Amy Hajec Hi my name is Amy Hajec, I'm most often seen with my daughter Zoe. I'm a natural living hippy mama, vegetarian on and off most of my life, and newly vegan. Cooking, nutrition, gardening, recycling, reducing waste, toy making, and sustainable living are my interests. As well as inspirations for Our World Around us home schooling program I'm developing. My goal is to live on a sustainable farm, with family and friends. Here's to the good life!
We've been blessed by a great deal of interest from the media. Though we've not sought this coverage we feel it's a great opportunity to share our vegan and yogic lifestyle with Detroit.
We've also been blessed with many opportunities to share our work with others through our writing in various publications and blogs.
Current Press Coverage:
[04.15.08] Shelley and Jim from Peace, Love and Yoga attended our Spring Vegan Goddess Revival class and wrote an incredible review! We are very grateful!
[04.09.08] Thanks to Michael Jackman for his thoughtful presentation of our work and for postulating our status as "pioneers of our 21st century food frontier" in the Metrotimes.
If you're interested in doing a story about our work at the Lab please email or call 313.316.1411 for more information.
We are available for lectures, workshops and demonstrations on our sustainable yogic vegan and raw food lifestyle. Please be aware that due to demand we are booking our appearances a few months ahead.
Purposeful (Not Random) Acts of Kindness
by Garie Thomas-Bass, Kertia Thomas-Black and Kirtis Thomas III
We now have copies of Garie's book in stock at the Lab for $16 or if you're out of town you can order a copy through Amazon.
If you purchase one here the funds will go straight to Garie without Amazon taking a cut. You'll also save the shipping cost, packaging, cut down on fuel being burnt on ground delivery and take 2 if not more major corporations out of the transaction! Whew! Sounds like a massive revolution in just one simple act doesn't it? I think you get our point! :)
"Even though our book may not be considered politically correct, it is written with the hope that some ideas that used to be called “common sense” will again become the behavior of choice. There is one rule presented for each week of the year. The fifty-two “suggestions” Our hope is that each person will use in his/her life some of these straightforward and easily applied ideas after it is understood why they are important. Truthfully, these rediscovered actions will allow us to live together in society with as little confrontational stress as possible."
Your instructor, Gregg Newsom, has studied and practiced yoga since 1994. In 2004, he began to teach at yoga studios and medical centers across the Metro Detroit area. Though teaching many and varied styles of yoga his personal practice is Ashtanga. In 2006, Gregg traveled to Mysore, India to study with Ashtanga guru Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. His time in India enhanced his connection to the traditional practice of yoga and he strives to share this with all of his students. He's also been blessed to practice and study with Maju Jois, David Life, Sharon Gannon, Tim Miller and R. Sharath Rangaswamy.
Drishti (the point of focus, where the eyes gaze) Meditations on Yoga from Gregg
This we I offer up my work on Lunar Based Pranayama from the inaugural edition of Peace, Love and Yoga Magazine. I want to thank Shelley and Jim for their interest in and support of the Lab. It has been an honor to share some of my observations with Shelley, Jim and many others through our Moon Day Pranayama Sessions. If you have any question about these ideas please consider joining us on a Moon Day.
The studio in the New Lab will offer weekly sessions on pranayama and a host of other techniques that can be used to explore consciousness. A side effect of the transition to a more sustainable lifestyle affords us an opportunity to shift our internal awareness and participate more fully in that transition. We are honored to assist this through our future offerings. We are very excited! :)
Please call if you have any questions about yoga or any of our offerings. ~Gregg
Class Schedule as of April 1st: Our evening and saturday classes are an hour and fifteen minutes long.
Our 7 am classes are an hour long.
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
7 a.m.
7 a.m.
7 a.m.
7 a.m.
10 a.m.
5:30 p.m.
5:30 p.m.
Noon
Teaching at the Lab Our yoga community is growing and we're interested in meeting with yoga instructors to discuss teaching at the Lab. We would love to talk with instructors from all yogic disciplines about the ideas behind community based yoga.
If you have any questions about our yoga practice please call 313.316.1411
Gregg practices an amalgamation of Massage, NLP, Reiki, Shiatsu, Thai-Ayurvedic Massage, Reflexology, Aromatherapy, Sound Therapy & Guided Imagery. Call to schedule your session!
Bodywork Rates:
First time clients: $50 for 60 minutes!
30 minutes $50.00
60 minutes $80.00
90 minutes $100.00
5 hour cards are available for $300. A $100 savings!
We received a brilliant question the other day, "What is Guided Imagery?"
Here's Gregg's reply: "Guided Imagery is a meditation technique that I employ, in both group and private sessions. I'm an NLP practitioner and use words and language to assist people in re framing their experiences and thought patters. In a guided imagery session, after a brief interview to establish our focus and fill in some details, you'll settle into relax as we walk through some scenarios that may reveal insights or new perspectives on that focus. It's a very deep therapeutic technique that can be passive, with you listening as I guide you through these scenarios, or interactive, where we'll talk back and forth and guide the session together."
We offer Guided Imagery sessions at the bodywork rates posted above.
Yes! The first time client rate applies.
Angela's classes are about much more than just food preparation - meet like minded people, share great food, information and resources! We will prepare a four-course meal from start to finish, and then sit down together to enjoy the fruits of our labor! Unless otherwise noted the cost is $60 per class. To register please send an email or call 313.316.1411 and leave a voicemail. Angela is also available for private classes and classes geared towards specific dietary concerns. More Details
Vegan Backyard BBQ - May 17th, 4 - 8 pm $60 - 4 seats left, register today!
Memorial Day weekend is fast approaching and you need a delicious vegan dish to take to your gathering! Don't be afraid to go to that BBQ! Take one of the mouth-watering dishes you learn how to make in this fun and informative class, and turn your family and friends on to the pleasures and benefits of being vegan!! We guarantee you'll even wow the meat-eaters!
Raw Mexican Fiesta! - May 31st, 4 - 8 pm $60 - 3 seats left, register today!
Join us at the Lab to explore the world of Mexican the RAW way!! Bring your appetite as Angela will show you how easy it is to create an amazing Mexican Fiesta that will leave you fully charged and satisfied without the use of any cheese, flour, or meat!
Vegan Italian - June 28th, 4 - 8 pm $60 - 2 seats left, register today!
Went vegan and pretty much gave up the idea of ever eating creamy, cheesy Italian food again? Well, it doesn't have to be that way! Amazingly close to their dairy-laden counterparts, Angela will show you how to prepare a full vegan Italian meal that will blow you away! Mama Mia! Come with your appetites!
Sunday Raw Brunch - June 29, 11 - 3 pm - Just Added!
Brunch, that magical blend of breakfast and lunch, is one of our favorite times to conduct "experiments." Our research in this otherwise extremely limited territory for raw vegans has provided encouraging findings that we just have to share! Angela will present incredible egg and dairy substitutes, mock meats, breads, sweet treats, and preparation tips that will forever change your raw vegan kitchen experience.
Our classes fill quickly, please call and register ASAP. Please note that we are now asking for payment in full 5 days prior to the class. Thank you so much!
If you would like to be added to a waiting list for these classes please email and let us know. On occasion we do have cancellations.
Private Cooking Classes! Here's a new way to share the Lab with your friends, family and co-workers. One of our main objectives is to assist people in the transition to a healthy and cruelty-free vegan diet. In order to extend our classes to more people we are asking for your assistance and giving you a bit of a kick-back. All you need to do is bring together 7 other people for a class, arrange a day and time with us, and you'll attend the class for free! You'll also have the opportunity to assist Angela in planning the menu and to spend extra time in the kitchen prepping with us. Please be aware that we'll be scheduling these classes a month or two ahead of time so start planning your class asap!
Construction Yes, I-75 is down to 2 lanes between 94 and 375. You can still get to us, but please allow for a bit of extra time. I-75 is closed near the Ambassador Bridge so it's rough for people to get to us from the south too! Before wasting gas please check the Metro Detroit Traffic Map! Due to the construction we are encouraging everyone to program our number. 313.316.1411 If you get stuck in traffic please call and we will assist and possibly hold the doors open for you if you're late. Possibly! :)
1434 Gratiot Avenue #1, Detroit MI 48207
NOTE: Our entrance is behind our building NOT on Gratiot!
We use google maps for directions, they're much better at it than we are. If you need assistance please email or call 313.316.1411. The Lab entrance is well marked and located off the cobble stone service drive behind our building on Gratiot. Please pay attention to parking signs and meters if you elect to park on Gratiot or behind the building.
