The Legacy of Desert Song Healing Arts Center
It’s the end of an era. Desert Song Healing Arts Center, a treasured Phoenix institution for over 38 years, has closed its doors.
Mary Beth and Vince Markus have dedicated their lives to the creation, and re-creation, of this first-in-the-Valley yoga studio and to the extensive, enduring community of the heart formed around it. It’s been a labor of love. That’s really what the teachings of yoga are all about.
The spirit of the place is palpable. Great care and consideration in the creation of both a beautiful and healing environment fostered a felt-sense of the meaningful, transformational Work taking place.
Mary Beth and Vince decided to sell the 20th Street and Osborn studio last summer. They, as well as the rest of us, began to slowly let go of the building, a lovingly and painstakingly refurbished 1940’s electrical workers union hall. We began to wonder what it would be like without the vibrant, once-immaculately-tended grounds, gardens and huge old mesquite trees. (Thank you, Vince!) While the cell phone photos are not fancy, that still-palpable spirit is captured in the video images taken before my sabbatical last fall. The building was sold in December 2020.
The spirit was present in the last temporary space that included a small kitchen, bathroom, a couple of massage/treatment rooms and a Zoom Room. Zoom = the online technology that has allowed classes and workshops to continue throughout the last unprecedented year-and-a-half.
An oasis in the desert, Desert Song has been a respite for thousands offering countless classes, workshops, trainings, bodywork and many healing modalities for nearly four decades.
I am forever grateful to the place, the purpose and most of all, the people. Oh, the people! Exercisers. Dreamers. Seekers. The most lovely, big-hearted, wonderfully-flawed people. Many truly committed to the gritty, roll-up-your-sleeves Work of ongoing self-exploration and personal growth. Everything shifts through the unconditional lens of self-awareness and self-compassion. The individual and collective impact on the community and beyond, will reverberate for years.
The teachers: Home-grown with years of dedicated practice, polished by Desert Song’s well-respected yoga teacher training program. Gifts and skills honed through a commitment to studentship and thousands of hours of continuing education. A loyal, passionate bunch ensuring the lineage of meaningful and relevant teachings. I am fortunate to be part of this dynamic group for almost 18 years. Lifelong friendships, colleagues and students are precious gifts.
Much love and gratitude to you, Mary Beth and Vince, for your many years of steady, committed service. Blessings for your sabbatical. May the spaciousness allow you to enjoy and be nurtured by the practices you have taught others.
Namaste,
Ann