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seeds of intention
Street Yoga Happenings, January 2011
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We've almost reached our $20K goal!
Thank you to all those who participated in December Giving, you helped raise $18,000 for youth around the U.S. who need it most.
What does this mean??
We can now expand our services in Portland and throughout Oregon. We can train more teachers for needed classrooms across the US.
However, we are still $2,000 short of our target.
Help us reach our goal with a donation today!
Donate now » |
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In This Issue.........................
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| A Note from Mark Lilly, Street Yoga founder and president
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| | Dear Friends,
As the light slowly begins to return here in the North, the postal mail seed catalogs begin to amble across the threshold. They hold glimpses of colors absent from the gray winter all around us. They promise bounty that's only imaginable in the cold and dark days: lurid vermilion tomatoes, refulgent indigo blueberries promising to share sun and sweetness with a simple bite. We plant those fore-thoughts deep inside to warm us until the light fully returns come springtime.
The beauty of this time is that we can easily find ourselves empty,
cleansed, ready for something new. In Street Yoga, we often work
backwards from savasana with each different class. High energy teenagers
will need a much different path to restfulness than will young unslept
moms in shelter. But the beauty of bringing every Street Yoga student to
the total respite of corpse pose is that we give each of them a chance
to cleanse and start over. We ourselves practice yoga because it allows
us to release, renew, restore and grow stronger. To share that with
young people whose short histories are filled with nightmares and
poverty and abuse is to gift them with the possibility of seeing
themselves anew. "You are not the abuse which happened to you," we
remind them over and over again. "You are a unique and special being
facing challenges that only the most courageous can even begin to
confront. You are Strength itself."
In the Five Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, he writes: "Nothing others do
is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own
reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and
actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering."
That's a hard sell to someone who has been violated by another person,
but in this season of shedding, when we can help even one student remove
her garment of shame and grief for a brief span at the end of class,
when we can help her know that the seeds she plants within become who
she is becoming, she has a chance to engender the most wonderful stories
for herself. She has the chance to know Joy and Thanksgiving both.
It's how we at Street Yoga try to live, each exhale a new letting go;
each in-breath a cultivation of deep rooted Love that is the Source and
the Destination both. We are living our own yoga, and creating a better
world inside ourselves every time we show up.
Thanks for helping us help out.
Blessings,
m
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|  Program Updates |
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Resolve and Resolution
By Diane Chaplin
My first class back was January 3rd, and my theme was resolve and resolution. We talked about what those words meant, and during short meditations at beginning and ending of class, I encouraged them to imagine what it would feel like to decide to change one thing about themselves. Not to tell anyone or talk about it, but just to imagine how they would feel if they were able to resolve to make change from the inside. I used the word resolve as the catch-word for paying attention during poses: resolve to hold this pose, resolve to stretch your arm out far, etc. The rather sober silence at the end of class made me feel like at least some of them really were thinking.
Then today our class was about control - how only we can control ourselves, and how we are the only thing we can control. That was a good word to bring into asana, and we did a lot of balancing and other things that require extra control. Then during shavasana I told a story (synopsis: Cherokee tells his grandson that 2 wolves are fighting inside him: good wolf and bad wolf. Grandson asks which wolf will win. Answer: the wolf that gets fed wins.) Then I asked them what the story meant, and we talked about how what you do on the inside, what you feed or control, determines how you are. That it's your choice to be mean or nice, generous or stingy, etc. And one kid says, "what if you can't make the choice?" And I realized that he meant that things happen to him that he can't control, probably bad things, unhappy things. I was so impressed that he felt safe enough to ask the question. Not one kid laughed. I responded that those things are not him, those are the wolves outside and that he needs to continue to feed the good wolf inside himself, no matter what else is happening outside.
It's so hard for some of these kids. Some are just barely getting through in school; some are obese; some act out. And I love every one of them. I felt so honored to have the opportunity to maybe affect these kids' lives, even just a little.
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| Upcoming Events
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 Super Hero Yoga
January 22, 2011 at Sellwood Yoga
Bring your super self and your little super hero to have a class with Wonder Woman, Laura Atkinson, a Street Yoga Volunteer!
1:30pm - 3pm. Light refreshments provided! Costumes encouraged!
$8 - $18 donation and all proceeds benefit programming at Harry's Mother.
Community Circus Yoga!
Thursday Feb. 24 6-7:15pm at Friendly House Circus Yoga will lead a small demonstration/workshop
Community Meeting will follow nearby! Stay tuned for details.
Also, Circus Yoga has generously offered a group rate to Street Yoga volunteers at their Feb 18-20 Seattle Training.
Community Workshop
Seattle, WA · Friday, February 18, 2011 · 6:00-8:00pm
The Samarya Center
$25/adult, $10/kid ages 7 and up
(Workshop included if taking the CY Level One Immersion)
Ring One ImmersionSeattle, WA · Friday - Sunday, February 18-20, 2011
A weekend workshop to experience:
connection · play & creativity · partnering · circus skills · yogic awareness
tuition & manual $240
A couple of us from the Street Yoga office are already signed up, so email alice@streetyoga.org for information!
Seattle Street Yoga Gatherings
Every first Tuesday of the month, we are building community, sharing questions and best practices, and receiving ongoing training from experts in our community.
Email Stephanie with questions or for more information on upcoming meet ups.
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| Ongoing Donation classes benefitting Street Yoga
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Santosha Yoga
Beginning Vinyasa class at 10:30 a.m. Saturdays.
All proceeds from this class benefit Street Yoga.
4876 NW Bethany Blvd, Suite L4
http://www.santoshaforeverybody.com/
Yoga Bhoga Classical Hatha class for adventurous yogis from noon to 1:30 p.m. Saturdays.
10% of all class proceeds benefit Street Yoga.
1028 SE Water Ave #265 http://yogabhoga.com/ .........................................
If you would like to host a donation class at your location, and be featured on the Street Yoga website as well as monthly newsletters,
Please contact rachel@streetyoga.org.
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| Upcoming Street Yoga Teacher Trainings
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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 that stem 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. Sign up now!
Chicago, IL February 25-27, 2011 San Diego, CA March 11-12, 2011 Portland, OR March 25-27, 2011 Tuscon, AZ April 15-17, 2011
Hey NYC! We will be returning to New York as soon as possible!! Thank you so much for your support this year, and we can't wait to see you next week!
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Stay tuned for future Street Yoga Teacher Trainings in your region!Email Jaime for further information about Street Yoga Programs and Training.jaime@streetyoga.org |
| Gratitude! We've got a lot of it ... |
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So many wonderful individuals, organizations, and businesses support Street Yoga. We are continually filled with gratitude for their generous support.
Thank you to all who gave during out December give campaign. We are humbled and deeply grateful for your support of our programming and every youth we serve.
By opening your hearts to support Street Yoga's programming and organization, you have helped spread healing support to a child in need.
 Thank you Bikram Yoga LES in New York City for hosting our New Year's Eve Fundraiser! What an amazing success. Two people won a scholarship to the New York Teacher Training Jan 14-16!
We thank Campbell Salgado Studio for the amazing photography whose work is all over our website! We are filled with so much gratitude every time we see the peaceful faces of the Street Yoga kids.
We are so excited to host Circus Yoga in Portland! A big heartfelt Thank you to the amazing Circus Yogis for offering a workshop for our volunteers. Save the Date: Feb 24
 A very special Thank you to Gary and Diana Hedlund for their generous donation of a laptop and desktop computer to our office!
If you are interested in contributing to the Street Yoga Office, click here to view our Wish List!
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| Street Yoga in the News!
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 Street Yoga Wants to Help You Change Lives
As someone who has been through the training, I can fully attest to its life-changing potential. It provides a solid education in selfless service, social realism, and humility. My dedication to the practice and teaching of yoga flourished and continues to as a result of this training, and the ongoing work of Street Yoga is a constant inspiration.
by Street Yoga volunteer,
Melanie Jane Parker Read More on ElephantJournal.com »
International Journal of Yoga Therapy
Yoga Therapy in Practice: Healing Sexual Abuse with Yoga by Mark Lilly and Jaime Hedlund."This article outlines the rationale and best practices for helping young people recover from the trauma of sexual abuse using integrative and therapeutic Yoga practices."
» Click here to read it on our website! |
| 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!
We also have the GIVE T-shirts available. This is the shirt with the heart with wings, they come in hot pink and light green for women and dark blue for men!
Click here to check it out!
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 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 donate here, and choose your level of donation!
Monthly pledging from your credit card is now available. Consider joining this month at our "Tree Level" for just $9 per month.
Thank you, many smiles and blessings to you all! Namaste. |
| Street Yoga Wish List
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| | Giving with Grace
Street Yoga operates largely due to the generosity of volunteers and Street Yoga supporters like you. And like any operation, we are in need of a few items to support our growing Street Yoga team.
Needed:
- Multimedia projector
- 2 Desk chairs
- 1 Standing lamp
- Broom
- Dustpan
- Shelving built for storage unit
- Office supplies you need to get rid of!
http://streetyoga.org/support/wish-list
Every donation is tax deductible! Please contact Alice if you have a donation, and for information. alice@streetyoga.org
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| Connect with Street Yoga!
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Contact Information
www.streetyoga.org
503-232-0362 |
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