Beginning Again at Yoga Sanctuary

Dear YS Community,

It is an honor to write you my first newsletter as the new Owner of Yoga Sanctuary! Even as I complete my first week, I find myself asking, “Did I really just buy a business in the midst of a pandemic?” The answer, of course, is yes. I did do that. And the reason, of course, is because I cannot imagine our community without this place—this real life sanctuary that supports and sustains and transforms.

And as this community has nourished me, I also wish to support those whose lived experiences are vastly different than my own. This is why we are committed to evaluating our current culture and creating policy shifts that will create a more welcome space for the BIPOC and LGBTQ communities.

But before getting into my vision for Yoga Sanctuary, let me share a snapshot of my story...

Most people at Yoga Sanctuary know me as a musician. (I am in high demand for the communal Om’s at the beginning and end of yoga class.) For the last twelve years, I pursued a career in choral conducting and classical voice.

I recently completed my doctorate in choral conducting at the University of North Texas, where I conducted two phenomenal student ensembles and served as assistant conductor for the Dallas Symphony Chorus. I directed the choral programs at Mount Holyoke then Williams College, and sang professionally with Handel + Haydn Society (Boston), True Concord Voices (Tucson), and the Desert Chorale (Santa Fe). This list of credentials is a regurgitation of the bio I have used for many years, and I must admit it feels both strange and necessary to shift away from this way of describing myself.

Throughout my music career, I’ve also maintained a devoted yoga practice. Yoga has been in my life since college, a quieter love than music, but really the thing that has kept me going, nourished me, held the harder moments, and given me the courage to be vulnerable. Much of my work as a conductor and singer has been enriched by my yoga practice. And certainly my ability to sustain and persevere through difficulty has been entirely due to yoga. As someone who spends a lot of time in her cognitive brain, I have found great healing in the space that yoga provides to breath and move. Yoga has helped me to embrace the entire human experience.

I have been a member of Yoga Sanctuary since 2011. I love the light-filled space, the intelligent and loving instruction, and the consistent community. In 2012 I took a meditation class with Amy Reed (now Aarabi), which sparked a contemplative practice that continues today. I took the 200-hour YTT in 2015 with Sara Rose Page and Lisa Leizman, during which I learned about the storytelling and themes at the root of the YS experience. One of the stories that strikes deep is Hanuman’s leap across the Indian Ocean. Through the teachers at Yoga Sanctuary, I learned that we are every character in the story, and I knew there must be a reason I identified so deeply with Hanuman.

It feels like a natural unfolding that I am moving into this role as Yoga Sanctuary’s next owner. The skills I developed as a conductor and teacher—organization, facilitation, long-term planning, empathy, listening, holding space—are incredibly translatable to owning a business, especially a yoga studio. And, I hope that I can incorporate some of my creative gifts into our community over time. Just like Hanuman, I am leaping into a new chapter, and I have complete faith that both the tenacity of my music career and the nourishment of my yoga practice will carry me. I am indebted to Sara Rose for her belief in me, and to my partner, Jonathan, whose skills as a manager, entrepreneur, and excel spreadsheet master, will support our studio beautifully.

Jen, Jonathan, and I are working diligently to transform our online platforms for our Begin Again Campaign this September.

Be on the lookout for new class and workshop offerings, as well as pre-recorded content on a user-friendly platform you can access anywhere, anytime.

We also welcome your ideas on how we can evolve Yoga Sanctuary into an even more equitable space. We have already made progress with our prenatal offerings, which are gender-inclusive; and we are committed to anti-racism and decolonization work, both in the culture of our studio and the consequent policies and business practices that shape our community.

As Michelle Cassandra Johnson writes in her book Skill in Action: Radicalizing Your Yoga Practice to Create a Just World,

“None of this is easy and we have to do it anyway.”

We promise to share more details about the Begin Again Campaign very soon. For now, keep enjoying our amazing teachers as they lead beautiful classes from their homes. (The small studio may make an appearance in some of our afternoon classes, so be on the lookout!) You are also invited to a Zoom Meet & Greet with Jonathan and me on Monday, August 10, 5–6 pm. I am so grateful for the continued support of Yoga Sanctuary members, and I look forward to welcoming new members to our community. We hope to be here to support you for a long time.


Seva - in selfless service,

Lindsay

Sign up now for the

Meet & Greet with

Jonathan & Lindsay!

Monday, August 10, 5-6pm
over Zoom