Dear friend,

In January of last year the Vancouver Foundation embarked on a process of community consultations to identify priority areas for future funding and support within, among other areas, Metro Vancouver. In their recently published report they were surprised to find that the most compelling concern of the people they spoke with was “isolation, its consequences and the craving for connection” within our community. This was not a small project; hundreds of people, from community leaders to non-profits indicated that they were primarily concerned about a lack of belonging and inclusion.

It shocks me to learn that in a thriving city like Vancouver so many people feel isolated and alone. And yet, in a way, I am not surprised at all, often feeling that way myself. The opportunity to engage with others presents itself constantly but we have come to feel universally alone, strangers in our strange land.  As yogis, this poses an interesting question; how inclusive is our community, or Kula as it’s called in sanskrit? Do we go to yoga class to belong? Do we go out of our way to include a new student or make friends with the person next to us on her mat? Perhaps even more importantly, do we make friends with ourselves on the mat?

In her provocative book All About Love, author bell hooks implores us to understand love as an act, not just a feeling, and to live by this ethic to heal. In the chapter on community she opens with a quote by Parker Palmer: “Community cannot take root in a divided life. Long before community assumes external shape and form, it must be present as a seed in the undivided self: only as we are in communion with ourselves can we find community with others.” We are taught that yoga means “to unify”, to unify mind and body, to unify heart and Spirit, to unify all beings. Yoga begins with the Self and we gradually expand outwards to encompass All.

In a time when we are being called to action in every different direction, do we, can we even, take the time to see how cold our own community has become? As local Dr. Gabor Mate so poignantly writes, “We can be moved by the tragedy of mass starvation on a far continent; after all we have all known physical hunger, if only temporarily…We readily feel for a suffering child, but cannot see the child in the adult who, his soul fragmented and isolated, hustles for survival a few blocks from where we shop or work.” …or do yoga.

How then do we respond to our own community? Who makes up our Kula? I’ve heard Yoga Outreach instructors say they prefer their YO classes to studio ones because they are so real, so human, so connected. The students laugh, talk, decline to do things, and in general do not conform to the form. Every class is an impromptu lesson in humility and relationship. Well, it’s a New Year, and with a New Year comes new intentions. Yoga Outreach is all about change and possibility, and in 2012 we want to build a kula of love, joy, and togetherness, not just by sharing yoga with one another but by sharing our lives, our community.

This is my invitation to you, how would you like to get together?

Warmly,

Delanie Dyck
Executive Director
delanie@yogaoutreach.com

 

Check out this upcoming community event from fellow karma yogis Danielle & Karen at Yoga in Action Vancouver for a chance to dive deeply into sacred activism. Danielle will be joining us in May for the Yoga Outreach Retreat!

Progressive Series in January
Yoga in Action Vancouver
Join Danielle Hoogenboom and Karen Sainas for an Off the Mat, Into the World’s Yoga in Action group that utilizes the power of yoga to ignite personal and social change. We facilitate personal empowerment through leadership trainings, fostering community collaboration, and expanding the sphere of change outward through local and global service projects. Together we will explore what it means to support, empower and evolve into a conscious and action based community of heart centred yogis.

Two series running though the month of January. 4 Tuesdays OR 3 Fridays/Saturdays
Sweet Yoga Bliss: North Vancouver (Tuesdays) OR East Side Yoga Studio: Commercial Drive (Friday night/Saturday afternoon). 21 hour curriculum.
$350
danielle@leadwithlove.ca
http://leadwithlove.ca/yoga-in-action/
https://www.facebook.com/events/275922202445656/?ref=ts

We are thrilled to be featured in this discussion paper from the BC Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health and ProMOTION Plus!
Physical Activity for Marginalised Women in BC : A Discussion Paper

Mark your calendar for the Just Dance! HALLOWEEN Party on October 28! Great LIVE and DJ Global Fusion music will keep you happily dancing! Put your best costume on to spice up the vibe and for a chance to win prizes. Come play in the pumpkin carving cave with more prizes, all in our specially decorated hall.
Live band: Arcane Garden
Just Dance is excited to present Arcane Garden, a live performance that delivers a blend between groove oriented and deep atmospheric ambiance. Think of a highly danceable music blend between Enigma, Delirium and Dead Can Dance! A.G. is a musical collaboration between professional musicians who have previously worked with artists such as Neil Young, Randy Bachman, DOA, etc… They are touring the West Coast to promote the release of their second CD.
DJ Abheeru
Well known as long time resident Just Dance DJ, he will complement the sonic menu of the evening with sizzling Global Fusion beats hailing from around the world. Be prepared to dance to the exotic and hypnotic sounds of Africa, Banghra, Middle-East, ect… all served with deep, modern flavored bass and rhythms!
Donations going to the Yoga Outreach 30 Day Challenge
Net proceeds of that evening will be donated to the Yoga Outreach Challenge which is currently raising $30,000 to identify, develop and deliver healing and life-affirming yoga programs to people who cannot directly access these resources.

Create the most unique Tweets mentioning the hashtag #reachoutchallenge this week  (October 7-October 15 at midnight) for a chance to win either:

$150 gift certficate to Fab clothing

or $150 in Aveda products from Gliss Salon

How to enter:

1) Follow @yogaoutreach on Twitter
2) Create unique Tweets (ie., no retweeting) promoting the Reachout Challenge by using the hashtag #reachoutchallenge

Rules:

No purchase is necessary to win.
You must be 18 or over to enter.
Winner has the most unique (i.e., different)  tweets promoting the Reachout Challenge featuring #reachoutchallenge hashtag
The winner will be announced on Twitter Monday October 17. We will contact the winner for mailing address.
Prizes are non-transferable. Cash value of gift certificate $0.

Yoga Outreach 2011 Annual Report

 

Innovative Toronto advertising agency john st has donated a commercial to Yoga Outreach! Hosted on our very own youtube channel the commercial was designed as a call to action for a new fundraising event the Reach Out for Yoga Outreach Challenge. You can view the commercial HERE and visit the Challenge page HERE

Yoga Outreach would like to say Thank You for all of the time and effort that the John St team put into making this happen, we are so excited about it!

 

Kevin is a volunteer with Yoga Outreach. He has offered his services at Riverview Hospital since June 2005 and teaches a one hour class once a week to the varied clientele. He says because he never knows who he will teach “it helps to be flexible and VERY spontaneous when teaching”.

“Teaching at Riverview sometimes presents interesting and unexpected challenges. Often people just want to share their “story” with you. These “stories” can be very emotional and deeply personal. I find the best approach is to ask the client to share their thoughts with you after class – partly to keep the flow in class going but also to give them privacy as they discuss their thoughts with you. I remind them I’m not a therapist but often I can empathize with their experiences from a yoga viewpoint. One client spoke recently of the difficulties in her life and her appreciation that we were able to create a “sacred space” in our yoga class that made her feel safe. She continued that she would like to create her own “sacred space” when she leaves the institution. We talked about how each of us can do this and how important it is for everyone to create spaces in their life that replenish and nourish us. Keeping an “open ear” allows one to connect a bit more with the clients adding another important and positive experience as the students struggle towards a more healthy life. Also, as teachers we have to try to find the strengths of our class, encourage them with those positive things they can do, and then take them into new territory. A staff member once said “I’m not that flexible so I’ve never tried Yoga but it feels really good” I replied that this is a common misconception – that one is too inflexible to do Yoga! Obviously, that’s the perfect thing for the student to try. This particular staff member played a lot of soccer so he had incredibly strong legs and was delighted to be able to do the standing poses with little effort. He was so relaxed at the end of the class that he fell asleep in Savasana [relaxation pose]!

Although I am not privy to the details of each client, I think a short word on medication should be mentioned here. Having seen the affects of meds in my own job at a group home I feel that meds are absolutely effective in helping people function on a more or less successful level. At the same time, they are powerful drugs and make it difficult for some to concentrate, to listen or to be still. The most effective tools as a Yoga teacher in these circumstances are patience and empathy. A gentle class with simple poses seems to be the best type of Yoga for these clients. My approach is just to encourage the individuals to do the best they can each time they come. It’s a difficult subject – sometimes people appear to have such a reaction that the best thing they can do is to relax in Savasana for the entire class. I say, “If that’s what you need to do, go right ahead!” They are often quite refreshed after that.

As a Yoga teacher, I try to just be present for them and not have any expectations. This also applies when the clients have obvious difficulty concentrating – I just keep encouraging them o listen, be as quiet as they can and try to be attentive. I had one woman who talked almost the whole class but I gently reminded her to try to stay focused and quiet – gradually she appeared to relax and was able to stop for several minutes. I later saw her after several weeks and she reminded me that she was able to be quiet for a while in that class and how big an accomplishment that was for her! The more I work with this group (and in my day job) I try to focus on what benefits they may feel “in the moment” as so many are medicated and out of touch with this present moment. That’s my focus at least – long term goals are great but for me it’s a day to day type of teaching. I often ask my clients what they would like to learn, how they’re feeling (i.e. energetic or tired) etc. It’s very gratifying to be able to bring yoga to people who might never had access to it and see the deep sense of relaxation over the course of a class. As I mentioned, introducing some sacredness (with chanting, OMs and meditation) to their time at Riverview is very encouraging. And, just introducing the clients to the many aspects of Yoga is great.”

Here’s what some of Kevin’s clients have to say about the class:

‘Yoga makes me feel relaxed.’

‘I was really tired when I came to class but I feel better now!’

‘I was afraid to try yoga but I’m glad I came today!’

‘I thought Yoga was weird but it’s just stretching! I liked it.’

Thanks so much to the folks at Just Dance for raising over $500 for Yoga Outreach with 2 amazing events in June! Just Dance is a nonprofit dance event that donates proceeds to local charities and nonprofit organizations.

To find out more about Just Dance, visit www.justdance.ca