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| Fall Into Gratitude
Street Yoga Happenings, Sept 2010
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In This Issue
· A Note from Mark Lilly, Street Yoga Founder and President
· Introducing our new Volunteer Coordinator
· Program Updates · Upcoming Workshops and Events · Gratitude · Support Street Yoga |
 | A Note from Mark Lilly, Street Yoga founder and president
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| | Dear friends,
Yoga Service is going global. Rather, Yoga Service is global. Eight years ago when i started Street Yoga, there were a dozen or two yoga classes being held every week at a few locations in a handful of cities. Now it's thousands of classes every week in cities and villages the world over. The scope of yoga service has expanded, too. It's showing up in hundreds of small ways throughout the full 24 hours, for yoga is service, service to oneself, one's family and one's community. Yoga's ability to help bodies, minds and souls heal and stay well has inspired thousands of yoga activists to show up, for rape survivors in Kenya, ex-child soldiers in Columbia, orphans in South Africa, Mexico, Ukraine, Thailand and throughout North America, in Native people's communities, refugee communities, immigrant communities... with youth and elders alike.
In the first version of our Street Yoga manual written half a decade ago, we wrote: "Yoga with vulnerable people is a revolutionary act (heck, yoga with anyone is revolutionary!). Yoga itself is a revolutionary act that encourages people to know themselves rather than be manipulated by others." As we're entering this third wave of yoga service, where it is becoming "normalized"
-- in hospitals, schools, recovery centers, shelters and homes, we do well to remember that there is much more at stake than the well-being of any one individual -myself included. The well-being of our whole species is up in the air, and given our powerful nature, the well-being of every other species is inter-connected with ours.
It's a great time for yoga. May you practice and share it well.
Blessings,
m
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| Meet Brianna Jonak, our new Volunteer Coordinator
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| | Hello Street Yoga!
I'm so excited to be taking on the position
of Volunteer Coordinator for Street Yoga. I've been to a few of your
meetings and events in the last year and it has touched me so deeply to
see and hear the great dedication of heart you give to the community
through Street Yoga. I will try to serve you in this same capacity of
heartfulness, clear communication, and organization. I look forward to
being in communication and meeting all of you!
Peace,
Brianna Jonak
About Brianna:
Brianna Jonak is a
lover of life in all its manifestations. Her mission is to be
heartfully present in every moment. This is what led her to her
journeys in yoga and meditation. She has studied Tibetan Buddhism,
Integral Yoga at Auroville, India, Sharing the Presence in Findhorn,
Scotland, and Vipassana training in Italy. She is currently completing
a Master's degree in Process Oriented Psychology.
She has had experience working with children of all ages in a
teaching role, and has recently been working with adults with mental
health and substance abuse challenges. She has been teaching
meditation at Stumptown Yoga since last December. She aims to inspire
students to find their own inner guidance. Her core
belief is that embracing all our thoughts, emotions, and sensations in
a compassionate way will bring us to holistic connection with the
present moment.
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| Program Updates |
| | Street Yoga at Albertina Kerr
by Sweethome
My volunteering opportunity at Albertina Kerr is a very eye opening experience. I work with an ever changing small group of kids that I see two or three times at the most before they move on into a, hopefully, more stable and safe home situation.
The center is a lock-down facility which inevitably brings a sense of powerlessness to the individual, though empowering these kids is the goal. It is a place that provides safety and retreat from life threatening situations. There is reason for constant surveillance and all doors are locked. The specifics are rarely shared with me, and I don't know if they endangered someone's life or their life was endangered. It does not matter. My perspective is one of offering with no expectations.
Much of the time when these children feel their body at all, they interpret it as pain. And they don't hesitate to scream at the top of their lungs. Their attention is scattered and twenty minutes is an extremely challenging length of time to focus. And for them to place their attention on their body, they seem to avoid it at all costs. Some would rather be placed in a padded cell than listen to the stories their bodies have to tell.
Ironically when I introduce sitting quietly and breathing together, feeling the breath we share, their moods and personas soften into a very quiet space. And I can see the nurturing seeds planting themselves in their hearts.
~Sweethome
Sweethome is a Street Yoga trainer and teacher. She studied yoga with the founders of Jivamukti Yoga and received her teaching certificate at the Samadhi Yoga Center in Seattle. She is also a generous supporter of Street Yoga, donating a portion of fees she receives from classes she leads at Yoga Shala to our program. |
| | Street Yoga in the News ...
From Stephanie Toby, Director of Street Yoga operations in Seattle
An article in the Seattle Times last week has a great photo of Street Yoga teacher Mary Kay Bisignano-Vadino's leading a class at partnering site YMCA/West Seattle High's summer bridge program!
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| Upcoming Events |
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October 9 is BOLLYWOOD IN THE PEARL!Don't miss our third annual Fall Into Gratitude Celebration
 Get your tickets now for Street Yoga's third annual Fall into Gratitude event, Bollywood in the Pearl, will be hosted at Yoga Pearl (925 NW Davis St).
From 6 - 7pm, Tiffany Cruikshank will lead a yoga class accompanied by live music provided by DJ Anjali and the Incredible Kid. From 7 - 8pm, groove to live music on the dance floor, with music and dance lessons provided by DJ Anjali and The Incredible Kid. From 8-10pm, enjoy a silent auction, and bid on great items from Pearl businesses. Food provided by Prasad, wine by Ardiri, cocktails, and music. Learn who's already made donations for our auction in our "Gratitude" section below.
Tickets are $40 and include all activities, great food and live entertainment. You can purchase at Yoga Pearl, or purchase your tickets securely via PayPal.
Bollywood In The Pearl Prasad Menu
Beverages:
Sparkling Iced Ginger Tea
Hot Alberta Street Chai with Coconut Milk and Honey
Appetizers:
Toasted Spiced Chickpeas
Honey Roasted Mixed Nuts
Zucchini Hummus (raw) with Sliced Cucumbers
Main:
Tandor Vegetable Skewers with Raita
Chholar Dal with Coconut Jasmine Rice
Indian Spiced Delicata Squash with Freshly Stewed Applesauce
Dessert:
Raw-inspired dessert created by Rawdacious
Coconut mousse with chocolate truffles |
| Upcoming Street Yoga Teacher Trainings
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Street Yoga's newest group of teachers are all smiles during our August training weekend at Yoga Shala in Portland.
We offer monthly weekend teachers' training in cities across the country for community members interested in learning how yoga serves vulnerable young people and their families, not only homeless youth, but also young people who are faced with challenges stemming from overcoming the pain of sexual and physical abuse, homelessness, mental illness or familial substance addiction and other traumas.
Trainings are open to experienced yoga teachers as well as those new to yoga. In the past we've had massage therapists, nurses, social workers, teachers and many others join us for a weekend of connection, learning and soul-building.
We now offer CEUs through the Yoga Alliance and the National Association of Social Workers for the SY Training.
Please note that the San Diego training has been canceled. If you are in Southern California, please check out the L.A. training in October. The revised training schedule for 2010 is:
· Seattle, WA Nov 12-14, 2010 Sign up now.
· New York City, NY January 14-16, 2011 Sign up now.· Chicago, IL February 25-27, 2011 Sign up now. |
| Gratitude! |
| | So many wonderful individuals, organizations, and businesses have
supported Street Yoga this year; we are continually filled with
gratitude for their generous support.
· YoYo Yogi celebrated its grand opening August 14 with a benefit for Street Yoga and the ongoing SY class they're sponsoring at Trillium Family Services. · A big "Thank you!" to the Flawless Foundation for sponsoring two
Street Yoga programs this year: Pioneer Special School, which covers
weekly classes for staff class and weekly classes for one therapeutic
classroom, and ChristieCare. · Many donations have already arrived for our silent auction at Bollywood in the Pearl ... We're excited to have up for bid items from Pearl businesses including Li-Ning, Title Nine, Seres, Pearl Animal Hospital, Oblation Paper, Healing Massage, Kiné Fischler Acupuncture, Mandala/Uma Tupper LMT, Ten-01, Whole Foods, One-Stop Sustainability Shop, and one year of unlimited yoga at Yoga Pearl! We hope you'll join us Oct. 9. |
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| Support Street Yoga
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Drink Street Yoga Tea!
If you haven't tried our new tea, you definitely should, as it is now available for purchase, and it is fantastic. Street Yoga
Tea is a sweet, refreshing hibiscus blend that calms and clarifies. Hibiscus, the red flower sacred to Ganesh, contains vitamin C and is
beneficial to meditation. Street Yoga
tea also has calming chamomile, rosemary for concentration, peppermint,
cardamom and cinnamon for digestion, lemongrass for its antioxidant
properties, and stevia and licorice for taste. This tea is beneficial
and safe for all, including children. To purchase our tea, click here.
 Sport a Street Yoga T-shirt!
Why not kick back, relax and sip that tea in one of our great t-shirts, a new design featuring Street Yoga's take on Ganesh. The theme of the t-shirt is Triumph - in women's sizes, we have light pink, light teal and gray tanks, as well as light green Ts (shown left), and in men's sizes we have light blue and army green - you can purchase them here. Look fabulous and support Street Yoga all at the same time!
Donating to Street Yoga
We
deeply appreciate your support. Any contributions you can make will
help us help the youth, one breath at a time. If you want to donate
directly, please go to our website and click on the "Donate" button.
Thank you, many smiles and blessings to you all! Namaste.
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Contact Information
www.streetyoga.org
503-232-0362
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