Ruhala Center

As we begin our new 20-21 season, we assure you that our work-study space is safe. 

Germs, bacteria, viruses, and many microorganisms are ubiquitously present everywhere, they are part of our amazing environment of life's diversity. They are co-inhabitants of our home, Earth, and serve many beneficial purposes that we are well aware of. To kill all of these microorganisms is ill-advised. 

It is well known that overuse of antibiotics has caused a worse situation, namely, super bugs who are resistant to common antibiotics. The danger is that antibiotics no longer work in many situations due to over-prescription. Whereas, limited usage, only when absolutely necessary, helps alleviate this danger. Also, supplementing with probiotics when taking antibiotics helps keep the proper balance in the body. Antibiotics do not discriminate between bacteria that are beneficial and bacteria that are harmful. Hence, the problems arise.

We must be aware of the intricate balance of our environment and not do more harm than good as we try to make the environment more safe. A perfectly sterile environment is akin to living in a bubble. The problem is that once you leave the bubble your body is in great risk of getting sick because the bubble did not allow the natural interactions with these environmental microorganisms that trigger immune response and immune reactions that are vital for wellbeing and health. 

The consequences of constant destruction of ALL microorganisms in our spaces will only become tangible in the future - over time the lack of biodiverse balance in our space will make us less healthy and more vulnerable to sickness. Like many ill-health effects, they are slow and accumulative, until the sickness is felt.

Therefore, we clean our space with toxic free cleaners that will not upset the delicate balance of the environment while we clean. We diffuse essential oils in our space that have known benefits when we inhale them. We keep our doors and windows open as much as possible to keep fresh air moving throughout our space. Our vacuums have HEPA filters which assist in productive cleaning. We use Thieves hand sanitizer, and non-toxic disinfecting wipes.  We ask our friends to leave their shoes at the door on shelves and enter our space in socks and bare feet. It is known that shoes track in much from the outdoor environment that is healthier left at the doorstep. 

We focus on the age-old truism that food is thy medicine and medicine is thy food. We teach these principles and encourage our studio friends to investigate and research the nutritional aspects of all foods and the ill-health impacts that can come from prescription drugs which effect nutrition. We simply advocate whole, raw, organic foods as a basic structure to eat by, and to expand from there. 

We have all felt the undesirable effects of not hugging each other as much in the past six months. Hugs are God's gift to us social animals. Hugs lift our spirits, give us connections to others, give us interface with another friend’s germs to make us healthier, and bring vital chemical reactions in our bodies that benefit our healthy functioning. 

We encourage hugs. High-fives, fist bumps, chest bumps, and touching bring us closer to others, create safe spaces and safe relationships, and energize our spirits, especially when doing the vulnerable work of performing. 

Healthy individuals without underlying comorbidities are at higher risk of danger in activities we do every day, like riding in cars, than of CoVid. If healthy people continue to de-socialize with measures that do more harm than good, eventually we will lower the overall health of our community. 

Masks have little scientific evidence (see here, and here) for effectiveness as is claimed in nonsensical media posts. The entire foundation for wearing a mask is for the hygienic effect. In obvious observance of our communities all over the world, no one is wearing the masks hygienically.  What are the consequences of this? Independent research and investigation find that masks often do more harm than good. 

In this time of confusion and caution, we respect those who wear masks as mandated by our governor, and we respect those who cannot medically tolerate a mask, also mandated by our governor. 

We believe in individual choice as the best route to health. The health of our family and our student families is a testament to these principles. It is not by accident that healthy people have no comorbidities, it comes through hard work and maximal effort to do the things everybody knows are healthy-making: Nutrition, Sleep, Exercise, Meditation/Breathing, an Optimistic Attitude, and a Compassionate Heart to name a few. We all get healthier in our work/study space as we examine best practices and continue to grow our knowledge regarding nutrition, dis-ease, physical and spiritual exercising, and the wonderous mental health benefits of the performing arts. 

We hope you will join us in our work that includes finding the healthiest and wisest practices for a vibrant society. 

Peace, Love & Miracles,

The Ruhala Team

The  Ruhala Center is dedicated to health and safety and has been operating  for decades in a safe and effective manner that assures health and  assists in helping performers achieve robust health through practicing  the performing arts and receiving high quality education and  instruction. 

Due  to the Covid pandemic, new challenges are present, and we follow the  mandated orders from the state which they say mitigate spread and keep  people safer. 

Currently,  we have no employees, and we are operating a bare bones skeleton of our  usual programing. Our classes are extremely small and therefore make  mitigating spread simpler. Our business has suffered a 70% loss of  students upon opening after being shut down for months. We ask for your  support in following the mandates so that our business is not  jeopardized. We are doing our best to stay open and hope we can make it  through this economic hardship. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. 

We do ask that each student and family take responsibility for their actions. 

STAY AT HOME IF YOU ARE NOT WELL OR HAVE A TEMPERATURE HIGHER THAN NORMAL. 

Please  take your temperature before coming to class. If you have a temperature  above normal, please stay at home. If you are not feeling well, please  stay at home. 

WEAR A MASK UPON ENTERING THE BUILDING AND IN CLASS. 

If  you are unable to wear a mask due to one of the state exceptions,  please let us know and you will be exempt from this requirement. See  exceptions below:

Subject: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/0,9753,7-406-98178_98455-547899--,00.html

a.  A person responsible for a business, store, office, government office,  school, organized event, or other operation, or an agent of such person,  may not assume that someone who enters the facility without a face mask  falls within one of the exceptions specified in section 8 of this  order, including the exception for individuals who cannot medically  tolerate a face mask. An individual’s verbal representation that they  are not wearing a face mask because they fall within a specified  exception, however, may be accepted.

Exceptions to face mask requirements. Although a face mask is strongly encouraged even for individuals not  required to wear one (except for children under the age of 2), the  requirement to wear a face mask in gatherings as required by this order  does not apply to individuals who:

a.  Are younger than 5 years old, outside of child-care organization  setting (which are subject to requirements set out in section 7(e));

b. Cannot medically tolerate a face mask;

c. Are eating or drinking while seated at a food service establishment or at a private residence;

d. Are exercising outdoors and able to consistently maintain 6 feet of distance from others;

e. Are swimming;

f. Are receiving a medical service for which removal of the face mask is necessary;

g. Are asked to temporarily remove a face mask for identification purposes;

h.  Are communicating with someone who is deaf, deafblind, or hard of  hearing and whose ability to see the mouth is essential to  communication;

i. Are actively  engaged in a public safety role, including but not limited to law  enforcement, firefighters, or emergency medical personnel, and where  wearing a face mask would seriously interfere in the performance of  their public safety responsibilities;

j. Are at a polling place for purposes of voting in an election;

k. Are engaging in a religious service; or

l. Are giving a speech for broadcast or to an audience, provided that the audience is at least 6 feet away from the speaker.

Please remember to follow the instructions of the Ingham County Health Department posted at our front door. 

Peace, Love and Miracles, Truth and Freedom

The Ruhala Center

 Owner and Artistic Director Mark Ruhala writes about many subjects from  theatre to child development, to quantum physic and science to wasteful  and inept government policies, and much more. Always presenting  thought-provoking pieces that ask us to question. First and foremost,  Mr. Ruhala believes everything must be questioned, even his teachings,  as he suggests to his students. Mr. Ruhala earned his Master of Arts  degree by synthesizing theatre with epigenetics, neurology, positive  psychology based on Abraham Maslow's work, and quantum physics. Holism  is his passion. Making connections to everything is his desire - to  glimpse how interrelated all is in our reality. More than any philosophy  to follow, Ruhala feels the most pragmatic and realistic base of living  emerges from mystery. All is a mystery. The fundamental questions of  life are a mystery. By staying in the mystery, remaining inclusive of  all, asking questions, challenging current paradigms, and feeling the  interconnectedness of Life brings compassion and intelligence. Browse  the blogs below and read on. . .