Hello community,
I hope you are well, healthy and resourced. I hope even in physical distance you can feel the energetic experience of love, connection and togetherness with your community. I hope whether your life is slower or busier right now, you can take a moment’s pause to feel the warmth of sunshine on your skin, take in the incredible beauty of a dahlia or watch the fledgling birds learn to fly and forage.
I have been on sabbatical from Rainier Beach Yoga for 3 months now, which has meant taking a break from all RBY activities while continuing to work individually with yoga therapy clients. I am enjoying the spaciousness, quiet and inward focus. Historically, I have been a person who likes variety and is constantly on the go. This is one of the reasons I loved my work so much; I taught classes, did yoga therapy, offered workshops, mentored teachers, and on and on.
However, during these last few months on sabbatical, I have realized that I had been scattered, living in urgency and chaos. Engaging with clients through individual yoga therapy has helped me feel focused, intentional, present and therefore more effective in service. For the first time, I am single-pointed in my work and I want to maintain this focus and direct my energy with intention. There may come a time in the future when I am called to teach group classes again, but for now I am grateful for the opportunity, and privilege, to pull in, focus and center.
It is for this reason that I have decided to close Rainier Beach Yoga permanently. I will continue to work with people individually through my yoga therapy practice, Seed Yoga Therapy, and private yoga.
I am incredibly grateful for every single being who came to an offering at RBY these last 5 years. It has been an honor to hold space for you, to do deep and beautiful work together, to meet neighbors, to see friendships shape, to bring in inspiring and powerful teachers to Seattle and to cultivate resilience in the face of challenges. Thank you for all you brought to me, to the studio, to the community, to the world. You are a blessing and I am so glad our paths crossed.
We will have one last group class outside (with masks) on Saturday, September 5 from 11-12:30 at Be’er Sheva Park (full details below.) I’d love to see you there!
Lastly, here are some folks doing great work in our community (and beyond) you can engage to sustain your practice:
Local Teachers:
- RW Alves, teacher at Rainier Beach Yoga, will still be offering online classes. You can sign up for their newsletter here
- Lizz Johnson, teacher at Rainier Beach Yoga, will still be offering Trans/Enby Yoga online
- Genevieve Hicks offers a BIPOC meditation through Mindfulness Community of Puget Sound.
- Abiola Akanni teaches Trap Vinyasa as well as other group classes
- Claudette Evans teaches group classes and Sanskrit workshops
- Shuja De’Peace teaches group classes
- Marcie Leek teaches group classes for plus-sized women and Moving Through Grief classes
- Judy Blair is offering space for white women, gender-expansive, nonbinary, and other gender fluid folks to gather and work through ways of experiencing and perpetuating racism
- Holistic Resistance has several racial justice offerings
- 8 Limbs Yoga offers Yoga for BIPOC
Other teachers from around the country:
- Rev. angel Kyodo williams is teaching online
- Lama Rod Owens is teaching on Facebook and Instagram
- Michelle Johnson has several offerings (including BIPOC events) and weekly classes
- Jacoby Ballard is teaching weekly yoga classes (including 2 Queer and Trans classes/week)
- Hala Khouri is teaching weekly trauma-informed yoga classes
- Nonnormative Body Club is a list of anti-oppressive virtual fitness resources created by People of Color, trans, fat, and disabled trainers
With unending gratitude and love,
Laura