Gratitude to All ~ from Andrea

This page is a living expression of gratitude. Every person who has ever touched this earth has created the conditions for Root & Rise to be born. The joy. The pain. The effort. The ease. The beauty. The ugly. The interest. The participation. Together, we are the roots that make it possible for this community to rise in Chatsworth, California. I am grateful to be a part of it and to have the privilege of helping bring it into form.

Root & Rise exists because of community. This space was not created alone - it was and continues to be nurtured by the generosity, encouragement, and hard work of so many beautiful souls ~ some who are still with us on the Earth, some who have transitioned and guide us from within, some who know me and some whom I’ve never met, but have touched me by their presence in the world through their stories and work.

To everyone in my life who contributed to our initial start-up GoFundMe campaign, your belief in this dream helped plant the seeds of Root & Rise. Your spirits will always be a part of the foundation of this studio. And to the many others who showed up in countless ways - offering time, skills, advice, shoulders to lean on, and hearts full of encouragement - thank you! Every gesture, big or small, has helped Root & Rise come to life.

Thank you, Elizabeth Shahbazi, Grant Neill, Tischia Bluske, Trisha Vargas, Margaret McCurry Duns, Kayla Owens, Shelby Fogelman, Eric Danneker, Melisa McDonald, Michael Danneker, Diann Danneker, Beverly Hamm, Angela Miller, Justine Reiss, Valari Brainerd, Cari Dawson, Frank Dawson, Angie Mitolo, Michael Anderson, Jennifer Brainerd, Trevor Norton, David Conklin, Eileen Conklin, Donna Joyce, Gary Brainerd, Carol Brainerd, Raylean Fetterman, Judith Krischer, Bridget Hathaway, Evan Norton, Damon Danneker, Luke Danneker, Alaina Danneker, Cole Danneker, Karen Russell, Sara Maun

With deep respect, I honor the teachers and ancient traditions of yoga and other spiritual teachings that guide our experiences today and have made this unique present-day expression possible. I stand upon your shoulders and appreciate all you gave of yourself for the sake of human evolution.

Thank you to my many teachers and mentors over the years.  There are too many to name, but the ones who stand out to me right now are my husband, Damon, my children, Luke, Alaina, and Cole, my two unborn babies, my parents, Gary & Carol Brainerd, my childhood church youth leaders, Kathy Porter and Jeri Viera Dahlke, my childhood dance teacher, Cindy Bone, my ballroom dance teachers at Arthur Murray Sherman Oaks, John Muir High School, Allegheny College, Pacific Oaks College, all the teachers at Highland Hall Waldorf School and within Waldorf Education including Kim John Payne, Parker Palmer and The Center for Courage & Renewal, Kazu Raga, Rodney King, George Floyd, Michelle and Barack Obama, Amy Grant, my childhood choir director, Rebecca Thompson, Eckhart Tolle, Eknath Eswaren, Michael Singer, Justin Michael Williams and the JMW community, my “twin”, Raylean Fetterman, my dear life-long friend, Ashley Payne Laird, my sister, Jennifer Brainerd, my best friends from college, Bev, Bridget, Carrie, Cecilia, Kim, and Tricia, and my dear friend, Kayla Owens, my in-laws, the whole Danneker Family. Thank you to all of you and to those I didn’t name here; I am so grateful to be touched by your existence.    

I acknowledge the Native peoples who cared for the land the studio and my community rests upon, and acknowledge the enslaved peoples whose forced labor built much of the foundation on which our lives unfold today. I stand on many shoulders, and with gratitude, I carry their strength forward in community.

May Root & Rise always be a place where gratitude takes root and community lifts us higher.