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 spirit of revolution
Street Yoga Happenings March 2011
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Dear Street Yoga Family,
Yoga is about power, the power to know oneself and see beyond the false screens that divide us. Yoga is the power to choose. Yoga is coming into the Light. Yoga is the Revolution I have been longing for. May you find the spirit of Revolution within yourself.... Continue Reading Mark's Letter » |
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Program Update
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by Sweethome Teacup, Volunteer Teacher and Teacher Trainer "Balancing on his toes with his knees together squatting, he called out, "Sweethome, Sweethome, is this a pose?" "Well, yes. Awesome!" I say. "I thought of it in the shower!" he chants out smiling and rolls off the mat and jumps around batting at the air and howling. It is challenge to continually come up with activities that hold the children's interest and keep their focus on the task at hand; yoga in a very broad sense of the word. The connections that occur through sharing these practices, through games and play, are multifaceted and when a child has linked that to his daily life the stability, relating, skill, and breath follow from the game to reality.
continue reading »
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Gratitude
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 CIRCUS YOGA
We were so blessed to have the Circus Yogis come to Portland to exchange resources. Many thanks to The Circus Project & Friendly House for hosting!
CHICAGO! + Yoga Now Chicago + + Global Family Yoga + DONATIONS + Yogi Tails + + Book Outreach by author: Alan Lohner Fail not: a guide to success for teens and young adults + OUR ONGOING SUPPORTERS + The Flawless Foundation + + Give Back Yoga Foundation + + Yoga Pearl + + Yoga Shala NW + .................
jump to gratitude » |
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Upcoming Events
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Yoga Union Donation Class
A special class to benefit
Street Yoga's program at Outside In.
March 19 // 4:30 - 6pm
Yoga Union Community Wellness Center
led by Annie & Todd, founders of Yoga Union
read more »
The People's Yoga ::
St Johns!
 An all day benefit for Street Yoga's programming.
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Street Yoga
Teacher Training
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Upcoming Teacher Trainings:
San Diego · Mar 2011 Portland · Mar 2011 Tucson · April 2011 Seattle · April 2011 Washington, DC · May 2011 Minneapolis, MN · June 2011 Philadelphia, PA · June 2011 New York · July 2011 Boston · Aug 2011 read more » |
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Street Yoga in the News!
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A Nike employee fund grant has awarded $10,000 to a Street Yoga program at schools and organizations in North and Northeast Portland.
read more »
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How You Can Help
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Are you a Drupal whiz? Our web designer could use a few tips on maximizing the potential of the Street Yoga website. Email us!
We are always accepting offers of aid whenever generous souls contact us looking for a way to give back. View our wishlist for more ways to contribute.
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 A Letter From Our Founder
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DEAR FRIENDS,
 On Thursday February 10, 2011, I was working on my computer, fully distracted by events unfurling thousands of miles away in Egypt. The buzz, on Twitter, on Al Jazeera, on translated first person accounts, was that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was going to resign, finally, after 30 years of single-handed rule, after two and a half weeks of increasingly vociferous, but non-violent demonstrations against his autocracy. The feeling I could perceive emanating from Tahrir Square was one of electric anticipation. Then he spoke, vowed, to his "children", to continue his paternalistic -and obviously blind rule- for another day. In the Square, anger, incredulity, and despair mingled with a welling up of deep commitment to see this revolution through to the end.
The next morning I logged on soon after breakfast, checked twitter, and saw the first tricklings of "Mubarak has resigned" flow through. CNN had no news yet, but Al Jazeera was showing the thousands gathered in the Square slowly coming to realize that they had won. They had pushed out the dictator with a non-violence that would have made Gandhi and Martin Luther King proud. Tears welled up in my eyes as the feeling of liberation seeped through my screen and touched my soul.
I have longed for revolution since I was young. I have known since I was a small child that something was not right on this planet. I grew up with nightly doses of first hand accounts of the war in VietNam with copious bloody battles splashed into our kitchen. As I grew older I saw abuse, despair and pain beyond imagining, and i longed for us to over throw it all, and begin living decent, loving lives.
Many of us do, so many in fact that we limp along as a society, but so much more we could achieve if we only...
If we only learned to let go of our Fears.
If we only learned to trust in our Inner Light.
If we only learned that we are not separate individuals, but a species interconnected with all Life.
If we only learned that Compassion and Love were more powerful than anything else in the Universe.
The Street Yoga training manual contains this bit, written years ago: "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. Yoga is not an ideology, not a cure-all, not another message that we expect people to buy into. Yoga is a safe space to look for oneself. Yoga is a place to investigate and to make one's own assessment and choices."
Yoga is about power, the power to know oneself and see beyond the false screens that divide us.
Yoga is the power to choose.
Yoga is coming into the Light.
Yoga is the Revolution I have been longing for.
May you find the spirit of Revolution within yourself.
Blessings,
m
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Program Updates
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 Achieving Balance
BY SWEETHOME TEACUP
Balancing on his toes with his knees together squatting, he called out, "Sweethome, Sweethome, is this a pose?"
"Well, yes. Awesome!" I say.
"I thought of it in the shower!" he chants out smiling and rolls off the mat and jumps around batting at the air and howling. It is challenge to continually come up with activities that hold the childrens' interest and keep their focus on the task at hand; yoga in a very broad sense of the word. The connections that occur through sharing these practices, through games and play, are multifaceted and when a child has linked that to his daily life the stability, relating, skill, and breath follow from the game to reality.
I have been working with these children for 3 months. They are unable to be in the general public school system due to the risk it holds. Their lives have been so challenged by the unstable reality that comes from family upheaval, drugs, abuse, and violence.The wisdom, thoughtfulness, and compassion I have seen expressed by these young people melts my heart.
It takes a lot of creative and spontaneous ingenuity to keep these children undistracted, but as those habit patterns get repeated weekly, such as a moment to stay with the breath, or the sensation of stretching, or the interest in being challenged, I can see their awareness and mindfulness grow. Just those three examples address the challenges faced by this population. Yoga teaches stability and these children have had very unstable upbringings. They have experienced trauma and relate to the world in a state of fight or flight, which is best tamed with the breath. And knowing where you are in time and space is the first step in transforming and empowering yourself.
The most powerful and uplifting moments of my week for the past two years have been the experiences I gain through volunteering for Street Yoga. I am honored to witness these resilient individuals' vulnerability and capability. Yoga creates a safe space where this can happen.
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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.
Circus Yoga came to Portland to share their unique style of Radical Inclusion.
- Thank you to The Circus Project for opening your space to Street Yoga! Friendly House features a fantastic space full of energy!
- The principles that Circus Yoga founds its practice resonates with the ultimate mission of Street Yoga, to end homelessness. We embrace them whole-heartedly and hope to share this practice with all of you!
Chicago Teacher Training
- Thank you Yoga Now Chicago for being such a gracious host for the Street Yoga Teacher Training. Coming to your city fosters so much connection and truly needed service. We look forward to next time!
- Co-sponsor Global Family Yoga provided amazing support as the Chicago Co-Sponsor. Thank you for all the work you do to share yoga with children!
Donations from the Heart
- Yogi Tails sent us 100 yoga mats which will be used to implement our new Yoga Inclusion Project. We are so blessed to be able to share resources with youth who need our help.
- (Fail Not) - A guide for success for teens and young adults.
Donated by Alan Lohner. Alan's outreach to youth and teens struggling at home motivates him to foster sponsorships in the community, spread awareness about Street Yoga around Portland. He is seeking to secure donations to a provide books for our organization to share with the youth at our program sites.
www.threespiritspress.com
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Street Yoga in the News
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Street Yoga Awarded Nike Employee Grant Fund for $10,000 to Support the Yoga Inclusion Project.
The grant will support Street Yoga's work with under-served youth through its Yoga Inclusion Project designed to engage with a diverse community through wellness, yoga and leadership.
We are thrilled that this project will bring youth and staff yoga classes to El Programma Hispano, The Native American Youth and Family Center and Rosemary Anderson High School, as well as provide leadership training to selected youth at each site in an effort to provide health and wellness activities, mindfulness education and community development.
The Nike Employee Grant Fund was established at The Oregon Community Foundation in 2010. Through this fund, Nike employees work with OCF to award grants to local nonprofits.
» read the press release here
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 Did  you catch the Oregonian article featuring Street Yoga volunteer Bibi McGill? Street Yoga's programming hosted by Rosemary Anderson High School was featured in paper and online!
» Read it online at OregonLive.com
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Upcoming Events
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Yoga Union Hosts a Special Donation Yoga Flow
A special class to benefit Street Yoga's programming at Outside In, an amazing organization that works to help homeless youth and other marginalized people move towards improved health and self-sufficiency.
MARCH 19 // 4:30pm Join us after the class to learn more and enjoy light refreshments.
Please call Yoga Union 503-235-YOGA (9642) or email Alice to let us know you are coming!
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The People's Yoga St. Johns
Monday March 14 - Donation Classes all day!
Half of the proceeds will benefit Street Yoga programming.
Join a lovely community of yogis to celebrate a new neighborhood studio featuring a variety of yoga styles and wonderful teachers.
http://www.thepeoplesyoga.org/
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Seattle Street Yoga Gatherings
Every first Thursday 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 Community Classes
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 Community and Donation classes benefit Street Yoga Programming, and are a fun way to give back to the community through your practice!
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 Power Yoga for all levels! 12pm to 1:30 p.m. every Saturday
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 teacher trainings 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!
San Diego · Mar 2011
Portland · Mar 2011
Tucson · April 2011
Seattle · April 2011
Washington, DC · May 2011
Minneapolis, MN · June 2011
Philadelphia, PA · June 2011
New York · July 2011
Boston · Aug 2011
Click here to register and secure your spot »
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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
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Support Street Yoga
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DRINK STREET YOGA TEA!
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 »
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SPORT A STREET YOGA T-SHIRT OR TANK!
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.
We have many colors in many sizes. Read mroe on our website, and you can purchase 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.
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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.
Our website is a growing, evolving space for us to communicate with so many different people. If you would be able to contribute your Drupal experience, email Alice!
Needed:
- Multimedia projector
- 2 Desk chairs
- Shelving built for storage unit
- Office supplies you need to get rid of!
http://streetyoga.org/support/wish-list
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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 the Street Yoga Family!
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Contact Us: www.streetyoga.org 503-232-0362 |
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