With headlines in the past few weeks like: Is this the End of the NY Yoga Studio? (NY Times);
and Bay Area Yoga Tree Studios Go Into ‘Hibernation’ for Foreseeable Future (SF Chronicle)
I have received messages from our community worried for Davannayoga’s future as a center for community gathering (sangha*), and teachings.
While it is the intention to re-open in the late Fall at davannayoga at a limited capacity for classes, and for Sam Cress’ Yin Certification Course,
It is important to remember some key points:
- Yoga is who we are, not where we practice, or who we do it with.
- Yogi’s are resilient. The practices make us so.
- Yogi’s are flexible and patient.
- Yogi’s are creative, we get online and practice in our living rooms. We can practice breathing in a forest, on a rooftop, or on the beach as well as in our favorite yoga shala.
- There are many ways to practice “yoga” – union with our higher self.
- We know how to transform. In fact that’s why we come to yoga practice.
Is yoga done in a place? Or is it how we live, connect and communicate?
I believe to favor the latter.
Keep on practicing every day on and off of the mat.
Support your teachers in their online classes and if they’re not teaching, reach out to them anyway with a quick greeting. This will really make their day, and yours!
In the bigger cities in the United States, the state protocol is making it impossible to re-open the yoga studios. For example in San Francisco, they are only allowed to have 10% of the normal amount of students in the class to comply with the cities protocol for yoga studios. If you don’t own the yoga studio space, you could never afford to re-open to only 10% capacity and still pay your teachers, staff, services and rent. Never. Currently in Puerto Vallarta, we can open to 50% capacity, but it’s a fluid situation, and we won’t re-open unless it is safe to do so.
I have been receiving messages from our community wondering if it’s safe to return to Puerto Vallarta in the Winter. We believe this is a personal and individual decision. David and I are keeping our eye on World Health Organization daily charts and news from this organization specifically for Mexico. We are also following Jalisco’s “traffic light” system updates as well as taking into account the US govt. travel advisory issued by the US consulate.
Thank you all for the support you have shown for my online classes and courses and, wow, the community vibe we have created online, has been spectacular! Read the reviews on our Teachable Page about the Online Yoga Teacher Trainings. If you’ve been hesitant to take an online yoga training, the comments from our graduated teachers will make you a believer that online training has many benefits.
We all hope to be serving you soon again in the near future inside the yoga shala of davannayoga with the big doors and windows open and a beautiful breeze coming through the shala. That’s our hope.
But we’re flexible and resilient and we appreciate that you are too.
*“In yoga it’s called sangha, community, that idea that we’re here obviously to improve our health and wellness but also to learn from one another. It’s like a little therapy too.”
Lidia Valdez, SF Manager of Yoga Tree/Yoga Works
“We just have to put aside our preferences right now. No, it’s not ideal for me to teach to a camera instead of leading live students in my yoga shala. But it’s not really about me right now. It’s about the community taking care of each other in this time and being open to doing something differently.”
Anna Laurita