all about selah ssi: who, why, when, where

Selah Philosophy and Mission:
Selah (pron. see-luh) means to pause and praise. It is about pausing to notice the wonder and beauty of your life, and giving joyful praise for what you observe. Selah is a discipline: pause and praise through joyful times, through heartache, through silence, through every season of life. Selah women encourage and empower one another by joining in community every week to listen, to accept, and to acknowledge each other's beautiful journey to joy. Selah women spark joy for themselves and for each other. We are a village.

Weekly Selah Sessions in St. Simons:
Weekly Selah SSI is a fitness session. We meet every Thursday at 7:30pm at Epworth by the Sea. We also host special events and groups, like our monthly Sunrise Stretch classes on the beach, and occasional running groups for distance runners. There are 3 key elements to every Selah session:

1 - Check in - Before each session, we pause. The leader poses a question or reflection to the group, inviting each participant’s voice into the session. The purpose of the check in is two fold. First, we believe in the value every woman’s voice. When we pause to hear from every individual, we are acknowledging one another’s individuality and great worth. Secondly, we believe in being intentional with our time. Verbalizing our goals, needs, and emotions before we begin promotes purpose. When we speak our truth to ourselves and to the group, we open the gates for encouragement, understanding and love to flow inwardly towards ourselves and outwardly to the women around us. The check in brings us together as a unit, and also recognizes each individual.

2 - Activity - Thursday night Selah sessions are bootcamp style workouts. We jog short distances between exercises and do body weight exercises designed to be modified for all body types and fitness levels. During workouts, we push ourselves to be the best we can be, while offering ourselves and each other encouragement and compassion. There is no judgment and no comparison. We recognize each individual’s unique fitness journey, and we give praise for the bodies we have and the friends who encourage us to be our best selves. 

3 - Moment of Gratitude - To wrap up every Selah session, we praise. We still our bodies and quiet our hearts to reflect in gratitude. Practicing gratitude reminds us of our worth and the gifts that surround us. It promotes self-love and acceptance, releases tension, and prepares us to return home and embrace our lives with grace and appreciation.

A Selah session is a pause - a pause from the busyness of home and work; a pause from roles and responsibilities; a pause from pressures and expectations. We pause to breathe and to offer and receive grace and fellowship and praise.

Selah is a praise - a praise of self for the conscious decision to do something good for our bodies, minds, and hearts; a praise of the women running beside us, acknowledging, encouraging, and loving us towards our best selves; a praise of a God and purpose bigger than ourselves, a God who wants us to live fully and joyfully and in community with one another.

Invitation:
Selah SSI is launching on Thursday, August 18th from 7:30pm-8:15pm. We will meet on the lawn by the water at Epworth by the Sea. Bring a mat or towel and your water bottle.

Join the Selah SSI mailing list for news, updates, and event announcements. You can also find Selah SSI on Facebook.