‘Tis the Season for Thanks & Giving
Community and connection heal.
And in yoga, Karmic Yoga is the act of giving back to others and to your community in some way - because what benefits the whole, benefits the individual. The phrase “it takes a village” couldn’t be truer. Community and connection heal because it reminds us that no one is alone in this life. We are all trying to navigate as best we can and no one is immune to needing help and support from time to time.
That’s why Sol Luna Yoga is passionate about creating community and collaborating with other small businesses, organizations, and individuals right here within our community. We strive to be part of the solution, to build a community of safety, support, and inclusion.
That being said, as I’m sure you’ve heard by now… the week of Thanksgiving, Sol Luna Yoga is holding a special week of classes! And it is all centered around gathering as a community and creating connection and support for one another.
Here’s what it’ll look like…
Thursday: Gratitude Practice
The gratitude practice is just that - a time to remember what you’re grateful for, not only during this time of year, but all year!
For some the holidays can be enjoyable, filled with tradition and time spent with loved ones. For others, the holidays don’t quite offer the same peace and enjoyment. Sometimes holidays can act as a reminder of loss and grief, or general turmoil within families. While ignoring your emotions and your experience is never the answer, remembering what you’re grateful for can simply remind you that even when there’s a negative experience, there is always the opposite as well. Acknowledging gratitude allows your body’s parasympathetic nervous system to calm and move out of fight-flight-freeze. This shift means your body’s production of cortisol and adrenaline decreases while in this state, which means you move more into your body and into self awareness. This alone can be beneficial for anyone experiencing grief, loss, and heartache.
We encourage you to practice some self soothing and self care and come join us for this beautiful practice, centered around whatever you need to soothe your body, mind, and spirit this holiday season.
Friday: Share the Light - Yoga for Charity Practice
Friday is a two hour practice focused on the light within each of us. Jen and Alyssa will guide you through meditation, breathwork, and visualization, moving into a gentle asana practice, and ending the practice with a delicious savasana and grounding exercise.
What’s even more special about this practice is that all of your donations will go towards two organizations in town: CASA - Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, and Klamath Advocacy Center.
CASA
Directly from the CASA website:
“A CASA is another set of eyes and ears for the court. CASA volunteers investigate, interview and report on all aspects of a child's dependency case and life. From helping siblings find permanent homes together, to helping a child access needed services, to uncovering information that helps reunite a loving family, volunteer advocates make an incredible difference to the lives of abused and neglected children. Our goal is to ensure a child has a safe permanent home as quickly as possible. CASA's primary responsibility is to advocate for the ‘best interests’ of the child.”
It is not an exaggeration when you hear children are our future. They are the future generations, the community creators and preservers. And more than that, they are innocent bystanders of it all. Children deserve our protection, our attention, and our love. They deserve a rallying force around them who only seek their best interest for healthy growth and development.
As of June 2022, just under 400,000 children were in foster care in the United States, with just above 600,000 children served by the foster care system. The good news to these daunting numbers is between the years of 2017 to now, this number continues to decrease with each year. And it continues to decrease with your help, as a community. CASA depends on community donations and volunteers to be able to provide children in the community with the safety and protection they deserve.
We all search for a way to make a difference in a world that seems so big. Here’s a definitive way you can make a big difference. Check out their website now to learn more about how to become a volunteer or how to make a donation.
Directly from the Klamath Advocacy Center website:
“At Klamath Advocacy Center, we strive to ensure that every person has the basic human right to live in safety. We work to provide access to safety for all people affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and stalking. As advocates, our goal is to support our clients in each of their unique journeys. We’re proud to have been serving people affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and stalking in Klamath County for over 30 years.”
As human beings, we all have inherent rights.
We all have the right to safety.
We all have the right to freedom.
We all have the right of expression.
We all have the right to work and education.
Regardless of sex, race, nationality, ethnicity, gender, age, language, beliefs, or religion.
What affects the individual, affects the whole.
If one person is being exploited, taken advantage of, mistreated, and we all sit by idly, we are silently condoning this mistreatment. And make no mistake, this can happen to anyone.
Here are some common myths about human trafficking from the Klamath Advocacy Center, and their corresponding truths:
Myth: Human trafficking is the same as smuggling, and occurs in big cities.
Fact: Human Trafficking is an exploitation based crime, it does not require movement or crossing of borders. Human trafficking can occur anywhere, even within families.
Myth: Only women and children experience trafficking.
Fact: Trafficking does not discriminate by age, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Traffickers prey on those who are vulnerable, promising a better life. People may be more highly at risk if they have a history of abuse or sexual violence, poverty, unemployment, or homelessness.
Myth: Victims are kidnapped, held against their will, using physical restraint or bondage- it is always a violent crime.
Fact: Traffickers will recruit people they know- survivors have been trafficked by family members and intimate partners. Traffickers will often use psychological means of control: Fear, trauma, addiction, and lack of options can prevent a victim from leaving a trafficker. Victims may be manipulated into believing they are in love with their traffickers. Traffickers use many subtle methods, including:
– Isolating them from friends or family, monitoring contact with others.
– Confiscating documents or other identifications
– Threatening to shame or out them to friends or family
– The promise of a better life, family, or job opportunity.
Visit Klamath Advocacy Center’s website to learn more about ways you can help, either through volunteering or donations and be part of the overarching message that mistreatment in all its forms is not acceptable.
We all deserve better.
So let’s do better. Together.
Saturday: Small Business Saturday
We’ll be holding a few different classes that day that are “give what you can” donation based.
Help support your local yoga studio, Sol Luna Yoga!
We encourage you to bring a friend… or two and enjoy a unique yoga practice that will surely help you unwind right after the holiday festivities of the week.
We will hold a class at 9 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM. Classes will be roughly 45 minutes each.
Come join us! The more, the merrier!
