Feb 2026
By Sarah Hodges
Every time I’ve crossed paths with Andrea DeGruchy at Still & Moving Center, I see her smiling brightly, lighting up the whole room. I’ve wondered to myself, what is her secret? She radiates out a steady stream of inner joy. As well as being a mother of two homeschooled children, and a wife to a wonderful husband in the Air Force, Andrea is an avid dancer, fitness and health enthusiast, founder of BeliRaq Dance Fitness, and author.
I ask Andrea how she manages to remain positive amid life’s ups and downs. “It’s been such a journey,” Andrea laughs. Her follow-up reply surprises me.
Andrea confides that she held a lot of anger as a young adult. “I had this fake-it-till-you-make-it approach with happiness back then,” she explains. She hadn’t realized what she really felt until one marriage counseling session as a newlywed in her early 20s, when the counselor pointed out her underlying anger. “Hearing this liberated something in me,” says Andrea. She realized she hadn’t given herself permission to really feel what she was experiencing inside. This acknowledgement offered her a turning point. As someone who balances her analytical ability and creative thinking, combined with her never-give-up attitude, Andrea started digging. She delved into self-help resources, worked with skilled therapists, found books and webinars.
“True change comes from acknowledgement and validation,” Andrea explains. “Acknowledgment brings freedom, validation brings inclusivity and safe space.” By no longer pushing her feelings aside and instead learning to accept them, she found herself on a path toward a more joyful, authentic life. The challenges that arose next tested her immensely, but through them she found great strength.
In 2016, Andrea gave birth to her first child. She loved being a mother, but like many mothers, Andrea faced tough waves of postpartum hardship. For the first time in her life she experienced a heaviness of spirit that she somehow couldn’t just shake off.
Some days she had to lean on every inner tool she had. On a few occasions, she sought the inside of a closet to release the tears and emotions that she could no longer hold in. Pleading with God, she cried, “This is too much.” No answer came.
Andrea persisted. She leaned on her inner work and dedication to being the best coach she could be with her own inner child. Her husband and family offered support. Time helped, and Andrea worked hard to build up her wellness-survival-kit. Eating healthy whole foods, talking to friends, family and professionals about her experience, trying to get some movement and exercise all helped.
Eventually Andrea realized that building up strength as her own inner coach showed her how to better give guidance as a mother. Seeing this effect gave her even more motivation to work through the tough “stuff”.
Then, a few years ago Andrea and her husband moved to Hawai’i for her husband’s job. They crossed over the ocean now with two young sons, ages 2 and 6. Over the course of that first year in Hawai’i, Andrea faced an overload of tasks and responsibilities. She had no recovery time to step away and dance or do the things that helped her recharge. Adding to the challenges, their youngest baby, despite all efforts, wasn’t keeping his weight up. The days were tough. Andrea faced tests at every turn.
Andrea makes sure to gather a few key elements for her personal wellness-survival-kit. One of the most important, she notes, is a community to move with and to feel enriched by.
By early 2024, Andrea felt struck by a call. “I need to dance,” she told her husband. Without hesitation he encouraged her, “Go do it!” he replied. Andrea made it to a dance class and soon after found her way to Still & Moving Center. “I felt myself come alive,” says Andrea. She felt a pulse of joy return inside her. She could move with a community that inspired her, where she felt accepted and encouraged.
Having stepped into her first bellydance class at age 4 with her mother, also an avid dancer, Andrea naturally signed up for Murat’s bellydance class at Still & Moving. After one class, she couldn’t stop smiling. She beamed, grateful to find a space to play and feel like herself again. It didn’t take long before Andrea joined the team as a Bollywood dance substitute teacher. Then another opportunity arose to share one of her great creations: BeliRaq Dance Fitness, a combination of dance and fitness that Andrea had created in 2011.
Mid-2024, Andrea joined the Still & Moving faculty, and took off flying. She loved giving students a space to have fun and be active, expressive, and connected in their bodies. Encouraged by Murat, she continues to explore new elements to evolve BeliRaq into a joy-filled, energizing space.
Last year, Andrea received her Academy of Mindful Movement Instructor Level 1 Certification, which informs her teaching.
Andrea’s other wellness, must-haves: a gratitude practice, healthy eating, and meditation. Her advice: Let’s acknowledge what we’re feeling and validate it instead of keeping it down. Then we can start taking the next steps towards doing something about it, and with persistence we might be surprised where that leads us.
Doris Morisaki, who directed our 2025 Ramayana reenactment, reports: “During our 2025 Diwali performance, Andrea made more costume changes for her many parts in the show than anyone in the history of our Diwali productions!” Andrea is an outstanding contributor to our Still & Moving Center community.
If you’d like a space to smile big, feel alive, and connect through movement, you will love jumping in for a class with Andrea.
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This post is also available in: 日本語 (Japanese)