Featured Articles from Issue 56
When Juana Mancera graduated from the University of Michigan in December 2025, she decided that if she was going to face the daily grind, she might as well be the one choosing the beans. Sick of working for other people, sick of climbing a corporate ladder, Mancera opened Kultura, a mobile coffee-music pop-up, or as she explained it, “coffee, culture, and speakers on wheels.” The hottest thing in town isn’t just the caffeine, it’s the electric blue cart and the heavy bass vibrating through the steam of your new favorite cuppa joe. Meet the coffee experience that’s treating the local caffeine scene less like a transaction and more like a pop-up party.
Before the calendar changes, before the jackets disappear, before adults agree that winter is finally over, kids start pointing things out. The light looks different. The sidewalk feels warmer. The air smells like wet dirt, not cold metal. Something has shifted, even if no one can quite name it yet. In Ann Arbor and surrounding areas, spring reveals itself in small, almost secret ways—and those clues teach kids something important about the world and about themselves.
Mindy Eisenberg founded Yoga Moves MS, a nonprofit adaptive yoga organization, over 20 years ago, providing free classes to those impacted by multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and other neuromuscular disorders. Her inspiration? Growing up with a mother with multiple sclerosis who spent the better part of twenty-seven years in bed paired with a profound belief in the healing impact of a regular yoga practice.
It’s easy to believe we are protected, loved, and supported by the divine when life is going well. But what about when we are treading in troubled waters and the tides threaten to sweep us out to sea? Thrashing in the waves, struggling to stay above water, sucked into the deep, our breath catching in our lungs— and the darkness finally overtakes us. That’s a different story. So, how do we keep the faith even when we feel abandoned?
There was a clear absence in Southeast Michigan for a Buddhist perspective on death and dying. Most large metropolitan areas in the West, by which I mean Europe and North and South America, offer Buddhist hospice services, both medical and nonmedical. At this point, Gentle Ground Hospice and Grief Support is nonmedical. We are also non-denominational. Secondly, our team has the experience and passion to help fill this void. Besides Buddhists, we cater to atheists, agnostics, Christian curious, anyone really. By the way, we will never try to convert anyone.
A few years ago, early on my path toward healing, I had a therapist who told me that the body often acts out our subconscious drives and desires, and that if we watch what our body does, we can unlock fresh understandings of what we believe, what we want, and what’s holding us back—the unhelpful patterns, the edges we’re avoiding, the cages we’ve unwittingly locked ourselves in.
Persistent daily pain is a diagnosis that has unfortunately increased over the past decade in this country. Sometimes the source is known, but oftentimes, the etiology remains a mystery. As physicians, we wondered why some patients skate through life with very little pain and why others find themselves reaching for the Advil every day.
More from Issue 56
Before the calendar changes, before the jackets disappear, before adults agree that winter is finally over, kids start pointing things out. The light looks different. The sidewalk feels warmer. The air smells like wet dirt, not cold metal. Something has shifted, even if no one can quite name it yet. In Ann Arbor and surrounding areas, spring reveals itself in small, almost secret ways—and those clues teach kids something important about the world and about themselves.
Unless we spend time exploring the underlying causes of our stress, ultimately nothing will change. A yoga practice can help us do just that. One of the gifts of yoga is that it helps us cultivate greater self-awareness. By getting on your yoga mat, you are taking time to slow down, be mindful, and see what you can learn about your body. With ongoing practice, you are better able to listen to your body and give it what it needs on a daily basis.
In the early 2000s, co-owners Marcia Stroko, Patricia Barrett, and Sharon Stroko were inspired by cultural anthropologist Angeles Arrien to create a place where guests could focus on self-development. In a January 2006 guest book entry, guest F. Rowe shared, “Thank you for having such a wonderful atmosphere in your home inn and surroundings,” thereby recognizing that Rustic Gate is not only a space for visitors, but also a family home
The U.S. Department of Energy states that, “enough energy from the sun hits the earth every hour to power the planet for an entire year. There are obvious advantages to solar PV technology. It produces clean energy. It has no emissions, no moving parts, it doesn’t make any noise, and it doesn’t need water or fossil fuels to produce power. And it can be located right where the power is needed, in the middle of nowhere, or it can be tied into the power grid.”
Triana tackles answers to your burning questions, like how can I release a past-life vow that is blocking abundance in this lifetime? What’s the most effective technique to integrate my shadow after an intense ritual? How can I infuse my cooking with intentional energy, so every meal becomes a spell?
Perimenopause brings fluctuating hormones, irregular periods, hot flashes, brain fog, and fatigue—often called the "second puberty." Discover what's happening in your body and explore natural, non-medical ways to find relief through nervous system support, nourishment, blood sugar balance, rest, and radical self-care. No one-size-fits-all—personalized steps to reclaim energy and peace.
