We're Returning Home!

"What lies ahead? Reimagining the world. Only that." -Arundhati Roy

Hi dear friends and community!

 

We are so thrilled to share with you that our physical space (re)opening date has come fully into focus, and that we will begin to offer regular, in-person classes on Saturday, October 23rd with some special preview events in the days leading up.

 

We've got lots of updates for you - scroll down for our TLDR (too long, don't read) version and an invite to our "home warming" sidewalk party on October 21st!

“Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next.

 

We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks and dead ideas, our dead rivers and smoky skies behind us. Or we can walk through lightly, with little luggage, ready to imagine another world. And ready to fight for it.” - Arundhati Roy

As we move toward this big, heart-filled emergence into the world, in a once familiar but also very new way, we recognize and feel the truth that this pandemic is not over. That although we are now ready to make the choice to hold in-person, indoors classes for the first time since March 2020, this still will not be a safe option for many, and for those who choose to come practice with us in our space, it will look very different from our indoor collective yoga practices pre-pandemic. 

 

Since its inception, the BYMC has been a place of learning and relationships first and foremost. As we continue to grieve so much loss, and rejoice in the unparalleled feeling of gathering in community together, we will hold Arundhati Roy’s words close and learn together about what it means to move through this stage of the pandemic as a portal. 

 

As we, Zeyah and Tara, step into the stewardship of this Center, in deep collaboration with our teachers, and you, our community, we commit to continuing this Center’s legacy of moving courageously toward change, growth, and a reimagining of our relationships - with each other, with institutions, with the earth, and with our own bodies and selves (and Selves).

 

The yogic concept of contained opening or boundaried expansion has been a grounding thread in our personal lives and approach to the Center as we face endless possibilities for how to move forward. We often ask ourselves - how can we be courageous in opening to new ways of being, for the benefit of the collective, while also honoring the natural rhythms of the earth and our bodies, especially when that means slowing down, getting still, and tuning in. What modifications, structures, and propping-up is needed to sustain the possibility of being in healthy community and practice together?  Does this resonate for you, dear community? How are you managing the balance of opening and containment in your lives? We want to hear what this is like for you, so that we may learn together, and so that the offerings of our Center can serve and center you. If you’d like to explore this concept in an embodied way, Tara recommends Zeyah’s April 2020 class in the Pre-Recorded Library.

 

We reached out a couple of months ago to hear from you - thank you for all of your responses! If you haven’t had a chance, please tell us more about how we can best serve you. This is part of what makes our community so beautiful: the real call and response relationships that have been the foundation of this Center for the past 15 years. Based on your feedback, we decided to open up in-person classes in a contained way. The container is built from everything you all shared, aligned with CDC recommendations and local public health guidelines. 

 

For now, this means limited in-person class sizes, requiring vaccination, and using masks at all times when we are inside together; it means an upgraded HVAC system and thorough cleaning protocols. And just like we do in our yoga asana practice, where we approach each posture with curiosity about the modifications and props needed for any particular day, we find ourselves approaching this opening similarly. We will be in continual relationship with the structure needed to keep our opening sustainable and we will be in touch as changes are made. This is a living, growing, breathing process that we get to unfold into together.  

In-Person Classes Start October 23rd!

Many of us have come to love the accessibility of online classes and many of us long to be in person again. So we figured we would do both!

 

All in-person classes will also be livestreamed for folks who aren’t at the studio. We have set up an awesome video and sound system so that no matter how you are participating you can hear and see well! While this format officially starts on October 23rd, keep an eye out for pop-up classes at the studio before then - like the Full Moon practice that Tara is teaching on the 20th (see below!). 

You're Invited!

Let's celebrate - music by DJ Anjali and guided mediation and chanting with Ceci! 

Special In-Person Fundraiser Class

Full Moon Practice with Tara

Wednesday, October 20th, 6pm, In-Person & Livestreamed

 

 

Join us for our inaugural class in our old/new, (re)opened studio. We'll move and breathe together in celebration of this new phase for our Center and all that is coming to completion in your life and in our collective, as well as release what is ready to be let go of in order to make way for this next lunar cycle.

 

This class will help raise funds to cover start-up opening costs for our BIPOC, South Asian, and Queer-owned Center. No prior experience with yoga necessary - all are welcome, from seasoned practitioners to folks who are new to yoga.  

Register

Love practicing with the moon? We got you!

 

We are developing a regularly scheduled, moon-inspired, class series. Check back periodically with our online schedule and social media posts for updates!

 

Upcoming Workshop with Ali Wesley

Interactions with the Breath

Meets for 5 Fridays, 10/22 - 11/19, 6:00pm - 7:30pm, Livestream

Discover an unencumbered breath with rich imagery and movement practices.

 

Get 15% off when you register before 10/14 with code: 15INTERACTIONS

 
Register

 

New Classes & Fall Schedule

The fall schedule is largely shaped by your feedback - here are some highlights!

BIPOC-only Yoga

 

Warmly welcome Jasmine Springs to our teaching team!

 

She will be guiding the weekly BIPOC-only yoga class on Sundays from 1:00pm - 2:00pm.

 

Check out her heartfelt article on the importance of BIPOC-only classes. 

Sunday Morning Practice

 

We know and love Sahar for her delicious nighttime yin classes that cary us into sweet slumber. Now we get to wake up to her skillful guidance too! 

 

Rise and shine with Sahar on Sunday mornings, 9:00am - 10:00am, Yoga 1/2.

Did you say 6pm!?

 

You asked for it and we delivered! We even sweetened the deal by making it a level 2 (the highest requested class on the survey)! 

 

Join Ceci's Yoga 2 practice on Monday evenings from 6:00pm - 7:15pm

Restore & Renew

 

We've added a second restorative class in addition to Jeannie's long standing Sunday evening practice.

 

Join Tara's Gentle Yoga: Restore and Renew practice on Thursdays from 7:00pm - 8:15pm  

Thank you for bearing with us through the challenging technical waters of our new website and scheduling software. If you’re still having issues logging in, please read the FAQ section of our website and reach out to us if you have trouble. We are here to help! connect@thebymc.com

We appreciate you for letting us support you in your practice and for your continued support of the Center. With loads of love,

Tara, Zeyah, and the BYMC family.

2500 Southeast 26th Avenue, Portland, OR, USA

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