Street Yoga Newsletter, September 2009

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Greetings

As September settles in around us, we can slow down again to take stock, to appreciate and be grateful, This came our way over the weekend, a timely reminder. Feeling blessed to be doing what we love...

Let yourself be silently drawn by the pull of what you really love. --Rumi

Street Yoga in the Press

Please check out this great story about Street Yoga on National Public Radio by Neda Ulaby, released on August 30.

This comes after great articles on Street Yoga last month in Slate Magazine, and the Washington Post .

A bit older, but still well worth watching is our youtube video.  We are thrilled by our national coverage and national response.

Gratitude

We are so grateful that we have been selected by the Willamette Week to be part of the 2009 Give Guide. We will keep you posted of details in the next couple of weeks.

 

We had a soul-building Street Yoga Training in Portland, OR this last weekend.

A great big thank you to the bhaktishop for donating space for this event and providing us with such a beautiful setting for learning and exploring. Thanks also to OM Tradition Arts for opening your doors to us on Sunday.

Finally, special thanks to Street Yoga trainers Katie Arrants, TJ Wildenborg and Sweethome.

 

Our wonderful Street Yoga volunteer and fabulous yoga teacher, Sweethome,  will be teaching a class at The Yoga Shala on North Williams on Saturdays from 10-11:15 a.m. She will donate 10% of the proceeds to Street Yoga. Thank you Sweethome.

 

Street Yoga participated in the Annual India Festival on August 16, 2009 at Pioneer Courthouse Square. The square was entirely full. Children dressed up in colorful costumes and performed for a supportive crowd, and adults performed a variety of dances, both modern and traditional, singers, sitarists, you name it. The food was excellent.  Thanks to Jaisen and other organizers for letting us have a booth and thanks so much to Suresh, Jade, Andy and Laura for volunteering at it!

 

Thanks also to the folks who took the recent Moving Through Trauma workshop. It was a delightful, enriching time for all.

 

Introduction from our New Volunteer Coordinator

Hello! My name is Jaime Hedlund and I am the new Americorps member and Volunteer Coordinator at Street Yoga.  I have had the wonderful privilege of volunteering and teaching for Street Yoga since 2007.  Sharing yoga with youth in schools, youth in treatment for abuse, and Latina mothers has transformed my personal yoga practice.  It also inspired me to complete a 200-hour teacher training and ongoing yoga therapy training through the Samarya Center in Seattle, WA.  I see yoga as a means of personal and global transformation and feel so happy to be involved in the Street Yoga community, where yoga is available to everyone!  I am very excited to meet and see you all.  I also offer private yoga and yoga therapy sessions through Street Yoga on a sliding scale.  Please contact me if you or someone you know might be interested. (503-232-0362)  jaime@streetyoga.org  Much Peace, Jaime.

Upcoming Workshops and Events

Kids Yoga Exploration Workshop September Workshop Series:  We will have lots of fun with your little yogis (ages 3-6) at our Goodnight Yoga Series on September 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th from 6-7:30 @ Om Tradition Arts, 14 NE 10th Avenue.  Bring your kids in their pjs for yoga followed by a good-night snack and bedtime story.  Parents may stay and watch or drop off if child is 5-6 years old.  Cost is $12 per class or $40 for whole series. Register now by E-mailing Adrienne@streetyoga.org, or call 503-232-0362.  Class income benefits Street Yoga!

 

Street Yoga’s Second Annual Fall into Gratitude Event , Oct, 24 from 4:30 to 7:30pm at  Heartsong Yoga and Wellness Center 3841 SW Hall Blvd. Beaverton, OR 97005 , (503) 644-1865

Join us in celebrating fall and supporting Street Yoga with a 75 minute Vinyasa moonflow to live harp music and  reception (more details coming). Learn about Street Yoga and meet Street Yoga volunteers! The cost is $20 and includes a raffle ticket for a 30 day unlimited membership at Heartsong.  RSVP to adrienne@streetyoga.org or 503-232-0362.

  

The Global Mala, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009;  2-4pm, Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square

Join hundreds of yogis in Portland’s living room for a celebration of yoga, charity and peace in action. Portland’s community of yoga instructors will lead you through 108 sun salutations among friends and Street Yoga volunteer, Sweethome, will represent Street Yoga as one of the teachers. Please bring a mat and a donation for one of Portland’s local yoga outreach programs, Living Yoga .The purpose of the Global Mala is to unite the global yoga community from every continent, school or approach to form a "mala around the earth" through collective practices based upon the sacred cycle of 108, as the yoga world's offering to further the UN International Peace Day. For more information, please visit: lululemon athletica Pearl District.

Please come and represent the Street Yoga community in support of our partner, Living Yoga. Let’s all wear our Street Yoga t-shirts and do yoga together.

Partner Flying Yoga, October Workshop Series October 13, 20, 27; 6-7:30pm @Om Tradition Arts, 14 NE 10th Avenue. 
Come play and learn to fly!  By uniting a community of practitioners, Partner Flying Yoga connects us to our joyful and playful nature.  By stretching, breathing, and playing together we'll cultivate a supportive environment that takes us into the exciting and unique world of flight and partner yoga.  This class will give you the opportunity to experience your body and mind in a brand new way.  No experience or partner needed....just a willingness to play, laugh, and say YES!  Cost is $15 per class or $40 for whole series. Register now by E-mailing Adrienne@streetyoga.org, or call 503-232-0362.  Class income benefits Street Yoga!

 

Clackamas Service Center: Wellness Fair Tuesday, Ocbtoher 6th, 10am - 4pm

The Clackamas Service Center provides services to people experiencing emergency or crisis situations. Recipients include the homeless, the disabled, seniors, low-income families, single parents and others. They provide clothing, groceries, community meals and household items to those in need. They also have on-site medical services, dental services and information on other locations that offer assistance. Every year they put on a Wellness Fair and once again, they have invited Street Yoga to help out. We will have volunteers throughout the day doing yoga, foot soaks and serving tea.

 

Street Yoga Teacher Trainings

We offer a weekend teachers' training for community members interested in learning how yoga serves vulnerable young people and their families, not only homeless youth, but 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.

The training is open to experienced yoga teachers as well as those with little to no experience with 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 offer 14 hours of CEU's for Social Workers and Yoga Teachers for this training. 

* Boston, MA, Sep 11-13 Sign up now

* Toronto, ON, Oct 16-18, Sign up now.

* Seattle, WA November 7-9, Sign up now.

* New York City, NY January 15-17, 2010, Sign up now.

* Washington, DC, February 26-28, Sign up coming soon.

* Philadelphia, May 21-23; Sign up coming soon.

Advanced Teacher Training

This new training will be in Portland, OR on December 4,5,6. It is geared towards people who have taken our core teacher training or have significant experience teaching yoga and working in a social service context (though they don't have to have been at the same time). 

Learn about:

* the physiological and psychological characteristics of trauma on the body and mind

* how yoga and mindfulness can heal in the wake of trauma

* communication techniques to contain and defuse conflict and better advocate for yourself and those in your care.

* best practices for teaching yoga to specific populations, focusing on addiction recovery, abuse survivors, homeless youth, young moms, kids in detention, and more.

Call to Service. Join our Street Yoga Board of Directors 

Do you love yoga and believe in its power to transform lives? Do you feel a call to serve kids and families living on the edge? We are looking for leaders to serve on the Street Yoga Board of Directors, especially individuals with key competencies in strategic planning, fund-raising, accounting, risk management, human resources and marketing. If you're interested please conact Adrienne Boxer at 503.232.0362 or email her at adrienne@streetyoga.org

In return, we offer you the opportunity to contribute to a great organization, professional development and good times with other committed, wonderful individuals. As Street Yoga has grown over the years, so too has our need for amazing people to help us stay solid, balanced and healthy. To learn more, check out our Board Member Job Description, our Board Member Application, Street Yoga Bylaws and our Legal Rights and Responsiblities Document. All documents are available in .pdf upon request.

Focus on a Street Yoga Site

Street Yoga has served clients of the  Family Sexual Abuse Treatment (FSAT) Program of Morrison Child and Family Services for the last 5 years. Recently we were incredibly touched to receive a beautiful thank you note from Morrison Staff. Here are some of their comments:

• Dear Street Yoga, thank you for your support to the FSAT program. The children we serve benefit from what you bring in so many ways, from meeting safe and supportive adults in the community to learning how connected their minds and bodies are. Thank you.
• Street Yoga Folks, I think you rock. I don't have the words to express my gratitude for how much you have contributed to FSAT and helping so many boys and girls impacted by sexual abuse. What you do is incredibly important and valuable. Thank you.
• Street Yoga, I have had the honor to work with your program a number of times at FSAT and am in awe of you! Yoga is such a benefit for our kids and Street Yoga is such a great fit with FSAT. Thanks.
• SY, thank you so much for partnering with the FSAT program. Body work is essential to the healing process. It helps our kids heal holistically.  Thank you for providing safe and supportive guidance.
• Just Yesterday a teen's mom said her daughter really loved the Yoga part of her FSAT group and how it contributed to her healing. Thank you.
• Dear Street Yoga, your skills and compassion are such a great benefit for our kids' healing. thank you for your dedication to our program and the emotional growth of our children. Your positive energy has a significant impact on the lives of many.
• Dear Street Yoga, We looked at some pictures recently of our kids after a series of yoga and remarked that they all looked to be in a state of bliss. Thank you for bringing that experience to their brains and important lives. 

Twitter and Facebook

Street Yoga has a new web assitant, so look for many more web updates on Twitter and Facebook. To follow us on Twitter click here. And for our Facebook page click here to join. This is a great way to stay updated on Street Yoga events and trainings and to stay in touch with the Street Yoga community.

Street Yoga Apparel For Sale

We have a beautiful new t-shirt design that features Street Yoga's take on Ganesh. The theme of the t-shirts is Triumph. We have all colors and sizes - you can check them out here. All proceeds benefit Street Yoga.

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 click here. 

We are much in need of a new filing cabinet.  If you have one that you can part with, please let us know! 

Namaste

As we feel the gradual approach of fall, we remain committed to sharing this work, and deepening our own humble sense of gratitude.

many smiles,

the Folks at Street Yoga