ECSS 2014 Volunteers & Participants

East Coast Solidarity Summer (ECSS) is a program for youth of South Asian heritage who are passionate about social justice.

Saloni, a Yoga District teacher, is offering tri-weekly donation classes to benefit ECSS.

ECSS Yoga Donation Classes:

• April 17- May 1, 7:00am,  Dupont Street Studio
  • Monday: Sunrise Flow Yoga 1.5-2.5
  • Wednesday: Flow Yoga 1-2
  • Friday: Sunrise Flow Yoga 2
• Sign up here

Learn more about ECSS and why Saloni is dedicated to them.

ECSS Retreat 2014

East Coast Solidarity Summer (ECSS)

East Coast Solidarity Summer, a social justice leadership and empowerment program for youth of South Asian identities. They organize a five day retreat in the summer. It focuses on community-building through engaged, supportive peer learning.

ECSS provides a space for young people to examine local and global systems of injustice. It’s a place where they can access what activism and justice can look like through critical perspectives.

Meet Saloni & Learn Why She Chose ECSS

2019 ECSS Organizers

Learning about South Asian history and my own identity has been empowering, illuminating and humbling. I joined ECSS to deepen my understanding and to help others find a similar sense of empowerment. It’s a place where we come together through critical engagement of our strongly cared about issues.

It provides a unique space for people with connections to South Asia to develop a community, learn about our intertwined histories, and build meaningful solidarity.  The folks in this organization are deeply committed to creating a more just and loving future.

ECSS is 100% community organized and funded. The entire organization’s work is done by volunteers . All funds go towards putting on the retreat and covering costs for participants.

It would be a powerful act of solidarity for Western yoga practitioners to support this kind of empowerment work, given the yoga industry’s complex connection to South Asia.

What to Expect in Saloni’s Class

Saloni- Yoga District Teacher

My classes are challenging but accessible. I offer a meditative flow with options for all experience levels.

Typically a classes starts with a meditation, moves into a warm-up then a playful vinyasa flow. We end with some deeper stretches and a long savasana. Depending on what students request, I’m always willing to make my classes more restorative or more energizing. I tend to offer options for beginners and more experienced practitioners.

We will also work on developing awareness of our breath and bodies. I welcome everyone to my class, especially folks who may have found yoga spaces to be uncomfortable or intimidating in the past.

Please note that the Dupont studio has four flights of stairs leading to the entrance.

Sign up for one of Saloni’s donation class, here.

If you want to support ECSS but can’t make it to one of my classes, here’s how you can donate:

GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/ecss-2019-retreat

PayPal: https://paypal.me/bchandra6

Venmo: @eastcoastsolidaritysummer

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Copyright 2017 American Civil Liberties Union. Originally posted by the ACLU on Facebook

HAPPY PRIDE

• Weekly Donation Class
• Every Tuesday
• Columbia Heights Studio
• 5:15PM – 6:15PM
• Sign Up here

Another June (Pride Month) has come (and nearly gone) in the district. At Yoga District, we are proud to celebrate the diversity of our community–including those who identify as LGBTQ+.

Chad, a Yoga District teacher, has been offering weekly donation classes to benefit The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) — a champion advocacy organization for the LGBTQ+ community.

Copyright 2018 American Civil Liberties Union. Originally posted by the ACLU on Facebook

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

Since 1920, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the rights and liberties guaranteed for all people by the United States Constitution.

What started as a small room full of activists, nearly 100 years ago, quickly evolved into the nation’s premiere civil liberties organization.

The ACLU’s track record of successfully defending and protecting groups that have historically been denied their rights.  

Copyright 2018 American Civil Liberties Union. Originally posted by the ACLU on Facebook

This included but not limited to: people of color, immigrant communities, and those identifying as LGBTQ+.

ACLU has over 2 million members, activists, and supporters nationwide, the ACLU has championed LGBTQ+ rights issues from relationships, to parenting, to nondiscrimination protections and more.

Despite advancements in recent decades, many LGBTQ+ people continue to face discrimination in all parts of their lives.

With this reality in mind, folks at the ACLU work daily to “ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people can live openly without discrimination and enjoy equal rights, personal autonomy, and freedom of expression and association.”

Meet Chad & Learn Why He Chose the ACLU

Chad, Yoga District Teacher

My name is Chad Byron and I am a proud member of DC’s LGBTQ+ community and one of the Studio Instructors at Yoga District. $4.50 per student in attendance of my class is donated to the ACLU. The pricing options are the same as regular classes on our schedule. You receive the  same yoga for the same affordable price, it just goes to a great cause.

My initial motivation for donating to the ACLU was personal.  I’m gay, and I trust the organization to put the funds toward protecting my community. After more research, I realized their work is reaching far more people than just those within LGBTQ+ community. That sealed the deal. They need help to do this work and protect all of our civil liberties.

Why Chad Practices Yoga

I practice yoga because it puts me face to face with what’s going on internally. If in a state of fight-or-flight, I am seeing the world through a kaleidoscope, then yoga offers time to hone in the worldview. It reminds me of the abundance in the moment.

What to Expect in Chad’s Class

I enjoy offering a class that presents the poses in a way that offers progression but doesn’t require it.  I weave in some self-care invitations for students like encouraging forgiveness and letting go. Students can expect to get warm, but have a lot of space for introspection.

Chad’s Advice for New Yogis

Thank you for being brave. Every time you show up on your mat you are creating this clean slate for yourself. An opportunity to experience the moments ahead for exactly what they have to offer.

Imagine every moment being abundantly weightless. Ponder this and keep showing up.
Learn more about the ACLU and how you can support their vital work advancing the rights of LGBTQ+ people across the country.

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World Central Kitchen- Chefs for Hawaii

Salute the Sun! 108 Sun Salutations for the Summer Solstice, benefits World Central Kitchen- Chefs for Hawaii.

• Thursday, June 21st
• 14th street studio
• 7:15 to 9:15 pm
• Sign Up here

Learn more about how World Central Kitchen, aids those in Hawaii affected by catastrophic volcanic activity. Also, how Kelsey’s donation class will honor the Summer Solstice.

Aiding Hawaii after the Volcanic Eruptions

The devastating natural disasters on Hawaii evacuated thousands from their homes. Any donation amount can help bring food and water to those affected. On June 21st, Yoga District is holding a donation class to benefit the World Central Kitchen- Chefs for Hawaii.

World Central Kitchen- Culinary Training at Chawama Bakery in Lusaka

World Central Kitchen Mission

World Central Kitchen is nonprofit comprised of a global network of Chefs that empower communities and strengthen economies by combating hunger and poverty.  Projects focus on:

• Health:  provide clean cooking equipment & sanitation training   
• Education:  supports school kitchens’ feeding programs & provide sustainable revenue sources
• Jobs: culinary training to elevate the hospitality workforces’ quality of life (including increase in earnings) & strengthen the local economy
• Social Enterprise:  Develop food ventures to create jobs (provide transferable vocational skills & increase income) to low-income communities

Chefs for Hawaii Project

World Central Kitchen- Chefs for Hawaii

After the disastrous Kilauea Volcano eruption, World Central Kitchen activated an emergency kitchen in Pahoa Hawaii. It serves hundreds of evacuees daily.

Every season, I choose to donate to a different non-profit.  Last season, I aided the relief efforts in Puerto Rico following  devasting hurricanes. My students decided to donate to World Central Kitchen. They are doing exemplary work by engaging communities at the ground level.

Hawaii has been struck by catastrophic volcanic activity.  This includes extreme air pollution from ash fallout. We would like to support the inhabitants of Hawaii.  We selected the Chefs for Hawaii project because it provides good food and clean water to Hawaii’s evacuees. All donations from this class will be based on the students’ discretion and ability to give!

Summer Solstice/Summer Mala

Every season, yoga practitioners around the world gather to practice 108 sun salutations.

My first solstice mala was the summer solstice of last year. The mala is a great practice in endurance and humility.  It also is way to build community.  To bear witness to the changes of the natural world. 108 holds significance in a number of faith practices. For some 108 represents the infinite and nothingness in one entity. Those who practice meditation use mala beads to pray or count their breaths. In our mala practice, we complete 108 sun salutations to welcome each new season.

For me, this practice is a time for meditation and manifestation.  We are acknowledging the sun at each point of it’s seasonal journey. In particular, the summer solstice is the longest day of the year.  This mala celebrates the light and warmth of a DC summer.

After a few salutes, the poses and breath begin to merge into hypnotic movement. I love this practice as a way to cultivate a sense of community.  We breathe with one another and send compassion to each other. The summer solstice is also my birthday! It’s a great way to celebrate another year in life.

Summer Solstice Donation Class

Kelsey

When you arrive, you’ll join a circle of mats around an altar. Gathered will be your fellow students and instructors.

I like to incorporate candles, sage, and tapestries but welcome anything students want to add! Particularly in this season, there are an abundance of flowers or plants available. What I love most about the mala is what students bring forward; either in physical objects, music, or poetry.

We begin with some light warm ups for the body (cat/cow stretches and so on). Before each set of 12 sun salutations, we begin in Tadasana to set an intention for the practice. This intention can remain for all 9 sets or change for each one. Between sets, we give each other space and time to rest.  When we can sit with their intentions, and to drink water. If a teacher wants, anyone is a teacher in our space, they can share some words or thoughts. At the end of practice, we settle the body with some counter stretches: like pigeon, triangle pose, and reclined poses. Then, we ease into an extended savasana! I will be around with essential oils and a brief adjustment. We end the mala with space for mediation… or a dance party! The students decide.

I tell students come do one salute or all 108!  Breath with us no matter how many salutes you complete! We need the support.

Come celebrate my 25th birthday with me. I cannot wait to start the summer with Yoga District!

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LivelyHoods

LivelyHoods Unwind Yoga Flow 1-2

• Monday, February 26
• 14th Street Studio
• 8:05 to 9:20 pm

To sign up for the class, visit this link.

LivelyHoods aids Kenyan area women and youth.

Read on for why Hanna is dedicated to LivelyHoods and Yoga.

Why Donate to LivelyHoods?

LivelyHoods trains and employs disadvantaged youth and women in urban areas around Kenya to earn a sustainable income. 

It’s highly trained sales agents bring health, economic, and social benefits to low-income households. They sell clean energy products (such as clean-burning cookstoves) in their communities. These products save time and money while also preventing toxic emissions that can be fatal especially to young children.

Click here to learn more about LivelyHoods or to donate.

LivelyHoods

What LivelyHoods Means to Hanna

Hanna is currently a fellow with San-Francisco based nonprofit Mama Hope. Find out more about Mama Hope here

Her fellowship is based on sustainable development through smaller community based organizations and it pairs each fellow with an organization.

Hanna and LivelyHoods share a vision of a community where women and youth are employed, happy, and healthy.

What Yoga Taught Hanna?

Yoga has been an incredible part of my life. The strengthening aspect of yoga along with patience, vulnerability, and intention on and off the mat.

Vulnerability has really been an aspect of yoga that has been transformational to my life and relationships. Cultivating tenderness and vulnerability is incredibly difficult in our world.  I now lean into the discomfort and recognize it’s not the end of the world.

Why Practice Yoga?

Yoga is a completely different kind of workout for my body.

I am challenged to try new things and find a new sense of stillness. I love the workout that yoga provides, and to share that with other yogis is a wonderful experience.

Why Try Yoga?

Don’t overthink it!  Yoga could be viewed as intense but non-judgement is one of its core principles.

I hope that newcomers know that it’s a very open and caring community. Get on the mat and do what feels right. Don’t worry about what others are doing around you.

I love sharing yoga with new people. It’s incredibe to recognize the power and badassery in yogis.

Chaturanga- Yoga Journal

Yoga Pose that Most Represents Hanna’s Life

I would say a chaturanga. A chaturanga has a lot of moving parts: physical movement, the quieting of your mind, and breathing.

Chaturanga helps strengthens your core and find your center, something I am attempting at this point in my life.

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Yoga District’s donation class, Salute the Sun! 108 Sun Salutations for the Winter Solstice, benefits United for Puerto Rico initiative.

Please read on to learn more about how United for Puerto aids those affected by Hurricane Irma and María along with how the class will honor the Winter Solstice.

 This holiday season you may be searching for ways to help individuals outside of your community.

The natural disasters of Hurricane Irma and María, displaced many people from their homes with no end in sight. Any donation amount can help bring a little joy to those affected. On December 21st, Yoga District is holding a donation class to benefit the United for Puerto Rico initiative.

Yoga District’s donation class, Salute the Sun! 108 Sun Salutations for the Winter Solstice, will be offered on the longest night of the year, Thursday, December 21st. The class will take place from 7 to 9 pm at the 14th street studio.

United for Puerto Rico gives 100% of their proceeds to the victims to help those affected by Hurricane Irma and María. 

As of December 1st, United for Puerto Rico granted $1,918,662 to nine nonprofit organizations that will provide relief to those most affected. To read more about the grant allocation, click here.

The winter solstice is known as a time for inner reflection.

The donation class will begin with a brief warm-up (don’t worry, you won’t have to do 108 sun salutations) and then finish with restorative poses and an extended savasana. The restorative poses and extended savasana provide your body and mind with the opportunity to slow down during the busy holiday season.

The reflection during this time helps foster growth. Whether you attend the class or not, cherish this time and remember to:

• Focus inward
• Meditate
• Slow Down
• Let go of what doesn’t serve you anymore as we head into the new year

To sign up for the class, visit this link. If you can’t make it to the class and would still like to donate to United for Puerto Rico, you can make online donations via their website.

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One of our wonderful Yoga District instructors Kendall is a founding member of the William & Mary chapter of Camp Kesem.

Camp Kesem is a national organization that offers a free week-long summer camp to support children through and beyond a parent’s cancer.

Kendall is donating all of the proceeds from her November Yoga District classes to kick-off Camp Kesem’s fundraising season.

Read below for Kendall’s class schedule and why she is so dedicated to Camp Kesem.

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