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Feb 2026<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n By Sarah Hodges<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Every time I\u2019ve crossed paths with Andrea DeGruchy at Still & Moving Center, I see her smiling brightly, lighting up the whole room. I\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n I ask Andrea how she manages to remain positive amid life\u2019s ups and downs. \u201cIt\u2019s been such a journey,\u201d Andrea laughs. Her follow-up reply surprises me. <\/p>\n Andrea confides that she held a lot of anger as a young adult. \u201cI had this fake-it-till-you-make-it approach with happiness back then,\u201d she explains. She hadn\u2019t 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. \u201cHearing this liberated something in me,\u201d says Andrea. She realized she hadn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n \u201cTrue change comes from acknowledgement and validation,\u201d Andrea explains. \u201cAcknowledgment brings freedom, validation brings inclusivity and safe space.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019t just shake off. 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.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cstuff\u201d.<\/p>\n Then, a few years ago Andrea and her husband moved to Hawai\u2019i for her husband\u2019s job. They crossed over the ocean now with two young sons, ages 2 and 6. Over the course of that first year in Hawai\u2019i, 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\u2019t keeping his weight up. The days were tough. Andrea faced tests at every turn.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n By early 2024, Andrea felt struck by a call. \u201cI need to dance,\u201d she told her husband. Without hesitation he encouraged her, \u201cGo do it!\u201d he replied. Andrea made it to a dance class and soon after found her way to Still & Moving Center. \u201cI felt myself come alive,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n Having stepped into her first bellydance class at age 4 with her mother, also an avid dancer, Andrea naturally signed up for Murat\u2019s bellydance class at Still & Moving. After one class, she couldn\u2019t stop smiling. She beamed, grateful to find a space to play and feel like herself again. It didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Last year, Andrea received her Academy of Mindful Movement Instructor Level 1 Certification, which informs her teaching.<\/p>\n Andrea\u2019s other wellness, must-haves: a gratitude practice, healthy eating, and meditation. Her advice: Let\u2019s acknowledge what we\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n Doris Morisaki, who directed our 2025 Ramayana reenactment, reports: \u201cDuring 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!\u201d Andrea is an outstanding contributor to our Still & Moving Center community.<\/p>\n If you\u2019d like a space to smile big, feel alive, and connect through movement, you will love jumping in for a class with Andrea.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/stillandmovingcenter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/andrea-book.png” title_text=”andrea book” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”61%” custom_margin=”0px||50px||false|false” 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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, \u201cThis is too much.\u201d No answer came.<\/p>\nGet the Still & Moving App<\/h2>\n