Gloucester Yoga News

May 5, 2023 - Let the Good Karma Flow & the Bullets STOP!

Effective June 1st I will teach Thursday Chair Yoga and Saturday Vinyasa virtually from home.  You will no longer need to purchase a membership to tune in virtually.  These two classes are free as a practice of karma yoga.  However, I ask that you keep positive karma flowing and donate to a non-profit entity geared towards ending gun violence. 

I believe the most important Yama (guides for right-living) is Ahimsa.  The word Ahimsa may not have the same recognition as non-harming or non-violence and it is similar to words most of us heard since our youth “thou shalt not kill”.  In addition, Ahimsa also asks that you look at where you can offer more kindness and compassion. 

Living your yoga may be uncomfortable at times (I’m talking emotionally here) but we need to confront life’s wrongs.  I shy away from the news as each time I see the pain and suffering surrounding us my heart breaks a little more.  Knowing that gun violence has become the leading cause of death among Americans under age 18 is unacceptable. 

There are so many worthwhile causes to support that promote non-violence, kindness and compassion.  The organization I have chosen to promote is Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.  My intention is that the money you would have paid to take classes ends up doing some good in pursuit of gun violence prevention. 

Brady United has created a donation link specific to Gloucester Yoga.  In a few weeks the website will be revised to include this link.   You can make donations weekly, monthly, yearly – whatever works for you.  The Brady Center will be able to tell us the total amount given.  They do not share individual gifts for privacy reasons.   

In reality we may never see a violent free society in our lifetime, but while we are here, let’s give it our all and do what we can right here, right now.  Yoga has taught me to live my truth and I will continue to do so. 

Namaste,

Nancy

December 14, 2022 - Vaccination and Mask Policy

Although the COVID-19 virus is still a threat and no one can predict when a new strain might surface, it is under better control since the first cases were identified in America almost 3 years ago.   The COVID-19 community level is presently LOW.  The policy of requiring all instructors and students to be fully vaccinated is hereby rescinded.  Wear a mask or not based on your personal preference, informed by your personal level of risk.

The flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are all highly contagious respiratory infections caused by viruses that threaten all of us.  Please stay home if you are not feeling well.  We are all in this together! 

Since its inception Gloucester Yoga has embraced the concept of bringing health and wellness to this community and in the face of this terrible and persistent pandemic we feel obligated to tighten our policies toward that end. We also feel that taking these steps now may help to prevent a total shut down in the future.

At Gloucester Yoga we respect the concepts of personal choice and body autonomy and we accept that whether to get vaccinated or not is a personal choice. As explained in the yoga sutras, Ahimsa (non-harming) is a paramount tenet in yoga. It is about compassion for all living beings. We feel this revision to our polices upholds Ahimsa and will reduce the likelihood of Gloucester Yoga being part of the problem that we all face as a community.

In an effort to continue offering community access to a yoga practice, we have gone to considerable expense and effort to provide virtual classes to those who would like to continue their practice without vaccination or risking exposure to the disease (there are currently 5 virtual classes each week).

I am grateful that the studio has withstood the pandemic so far. I believe that the reason it has is due to the support we have received from the community and it would be wrong not to treat that same community with the respect it deserves. This policy is intended to serve that purpose.

May you be safe, healthy, and happy!

June 22, 2021

Although yoga encourages dispassion towards life experiences in order to maintain one’s equanimity, there were many stressful moments transitioning to a new way of community yoga ~the ZOOM ROOM~. We were plagued by no internet, poor internet connectivity, and even zoom outages. There were occasions when the instructor looked like a player in the freeze-frame game. Rising above a love/hate relationship that developed with Cox was extremely challenging. But as the tiles popped up, and the swirling fans and fur babies came into sight a sigh of relief and anticipation was felt. Seeing the faces or respective tile of our community, provided a connection through our practice of yoga.

Romper Stomper Bomper Boo... as a dedicated yogi pointed out, joining the zoom room and hearing your name took you back to the day of Romper Room. Participants joined us and some still do from Indiana, South Carolina, Missouri, my niece from Wisconsin, and we even went international with Liz joining from Scotland. We have followed Cheryl to Puerto Rico and she continues to teach from there. Members were ever so patient with these challenges. We all rode the wave to a new way of practicing yoga in front of a video and discovering that yoga can be done without tunes to pave the way; tapping further into our breath or the sounds in our personal surroundings.

Last year In July we opened the studio for about 5 months on a limited basis, then closed. We re-opened last week just as Gloucester Yoga’s five-year anniversary arrives on June 25. There are changes; props available on a limited basis, on-line sales the norm, classes being Zoom only, in-studio only, and concurrent. You’ve heard these words before, “yoga is a personal practice” so choose what is best for you at this time.

Reflecting on what I wrote about the challenges and putting it into perspective, it becomes clear as day that these difficulties were so minor. The coronavirus pandemic has taken way too many people and most of us have been touched personally by such loss. Many people have struggled making ends meet and others have suffered from the effects of isolation. We have emerged from this pandemic enlightened with a better appreciation of the fragility of life and the connection we have to each other and to the universe as a whole.

As we venture out and adjust to physically holding space together, let’s take what we learned during this past year to help ourselves and others together in peace. Continue to share your patience, kindness, compassion and tolerance!

March 17, 2021

Given the rate of vaccination, things look promising and a July 1st studio re-opening is within reach! As we get closer, we'll see what the restrictions are and what makes sense. Stay tuned.

If you have a current punch pass or unlimited pass, your expiration date will be extended by 131 days (that’s how long we will have been closed). Punch passes and unlimited passes may be used for virtual classes as well. If you have a punch pass and would like to use that pass for virtual classes, please email the studio at least two hours in advance.

Remember, the one thing that is certain, impermanence - nothing remains the same. Embrace this time as an opportunity to practice, practice, practice! Thank you for choosing Gloucester Yoga to guide you in your yoga journey.