Body Movement and Nature

Since childhood I have been drawn to creatively moving my body through space, especially where there was music. I trained in dance for many years and loved the experience of challenging myself to refine coordination, balance, strength and at times unbridled energy. Although I still fantasize about being a backup dancer for Janet Jackson when I grow up….I have come to terms with my talent limitations! But the intrinsic joy I received from the discipline and physical challenges of dance never left me. Later in life, that internal fire transmutated into a passion for exercise and pushing my body beyond my perceived limitations once again.

In addition to dance, some of my fondest early memories always seem to involve being outside, feeling the warm sun on my skin, smelling the crisp sweet air and creating adventures outdoors wherever I was. Water skiing, snow skiing, skating, cave exploring, hiking and swimming ignited my internal energies. I could never get enough of splashing around in the pools, lakes or ocean. Like many of us, adulthood brought about a hectic pace and overwhelming responsibilities. But I continued to be drawn to nature and the outdoors, where I discovered an inner stillness and ease of life’s burdens. My adoration and deep appreciation for the breath-taking beauty of Charleston’s beaches, rivers, marshes and natural park vistas grows each and ever day. I am so incredibly grateful to call this gorgeous historic town my home. I still feel like someone needs to pinch me…do I really live only 8 miles from the ocean and get to call the beach my office??? Cool. Dreams really do come true!

Our bodies were designed to move. Join me in this DANCE WITH LIFE!!!

Deanna Meilan
Nationally Certified Personal Trainer, The National Academy of Sports Medicine
Bachelor of Science Degree, The Pennsylvania State University
Student of Life and Continuing Education
Nutrition Enthusiast/ Whole Nutrition Coach
Mindful Living Coach
Self Study in Neuroscience, Bio-chemical re-balancing, Nutrient therapies, Quantum Physics, Metaphysics and Elevated Consciousness

MISSION STATEMENT

Our mission and my personal passion is to bring an acute awareness to the Lowcountry that HEALTH and FITNESS MUST be a priority in all of our lives. With health care costs off the charts and preventable degenerative diseases like Cancer, Heart Disease and Stroke responsible for 80% of annual American deaths, the time for action is now! Even more alarming is the recent data that suggests our children are the ones paying the price for our poor choices. So much that their unhealthy American lifestyles will render, for the first time in history, a generation that is not expected to outlive their parents!

*Still need more evidence that consistent exercise, healthy eating and mindful living are necessary?*

Add into the unhealthy mix of inactive lives and nutrient deficient diets, the additional stress of the sinking economy, people desperate just to survive and it paints a pretty bleak picture of contemporary American existence.

My goal is to bring people back to the basics. We need to simplify our lives by remembering our interconnectedness with each other and all living creatures, clean up our empty-calorie-processed diets and return to the intrinsic pleasure of being outdoors in Nature moving our miraculous bodies through space in a way that is joyful and challenging. It’s really quite basic. These changes promote personal growth that will leave you with a renewed sense of alive-ness and a deep sense of well being. We have the most beautiful environment all around us that we are lucky enough to call home!! If I have anything to do with it, people everywhere will soon be shifting their focus away from an ideal, unrealistic body image conceptualization of health and beauty, to a remembering our Nature focused lifestyle that results in authentic joy and an inner beauty radiating out into the world. That’s gotta be a good first step. Don’t ya think?