Gaia Yoga

Join instructor, Nadia Bubtana for a 90-minute virtual workshop to explore meditation, writing & gentle movement in order to reflect upon our current experience, feel more grounded/embodied and ultimately R E S T O R E. Open to all levels. Donation based - 100% of donations will go to Freedom Community Clinic! @freedomcommunityclinic @yogalunaysol #gaiayogastudio #empoweryoursoul

Balance and breath friends. We are in a massive cultural shift right now. Growing and learning and unlearning together. Connecting back to our physical bodies is a powerful way to bring our minds and spirits into alignment. The work of undoing oppressive systems is a daily practice and one that can only be sustained with intention and care. We love you. Keep going. . . Find Barbara Valencia virtually for a strong Hatha Flow class on Wednesday evenings at 5:30pm. #gaiayogastudio #empoweryoursoul

The United States was not founded on freedom. This country was founded on the enslavement of African peoples and the attempted genocide of Native peoples. The 4th of July symbolizes an ugly, painful, traumatic history that we must heal. This means we must actively dismantle systems of white supremacy and heteropatriarchy. We must do our inner-work to identify where we have been complicit in oppression, where we have internalized oppression, and where we need to heal in order to grow and take bold action. Our collective liberation is dependent on it. Thank you @nicoleacardoza for all you do and for creating the Anti-Racism Daily newsletter. (Link in Nicole's bio to sign up!) #antiracismdaily #empoweryoursoul #gaiayogastudio

Pose of the month: Virabhadrasana III (or Warrior III). This pose is named after the mythological Hindu warrior, Virabhadra. A powerful incarnation of the God Shiva, Virabhadra is depicted with a thousand heads, a thousand arms, and a thousand flaming eyes. He embodies the fierce power required of a warrior. Practicing Virabhadrasana III will enhance your own power by building inner and outer strength, stability, and concentration. . "The right method of doing asanas [yoga poses] brings lightness and an exhilarating feeling in the body as well as in the mind, and a feeling of oneness of body, mind, and soul." ~B.K.S. Iyengar . Practice virtually with Martina on Sunday mornings at 9:30am. #gaiayogastudio #empoweryoursoul

This beautiful print is from creator @harmonywillowstudio, now prominently displayed on the front window of our studio. Thank you for sharing your art and commitment to anti-racism! We are here for it. From the artist: Repost: . .... This print is still available and 100% of the sales will continue to go to the @bailproject until Tuesday Nov 3rd. After the election 25% of the sales will continue to go to The Bail Project. #empoweryoursoul #gaiayogastudio #harmonywillowart #blacklivesmatter #art #antiracism #radicalizeyouryogapractice #defundpolice #yoga #yogarevolution #ahimsa #satya #community #sangha #useyourvoice #lead #change #getuncomfortable #communitycare

Gaia Yoga participated in blacking out on Tuesday as a form of protest. Instead of offering yoga classes to a predominantly white community, we sent everyone a message letting them know WHY classes were canceled and included resources for people to begin (or continue) their anti-racism work. We deleted our own black square on social media because it became clear by mid-morning that the hashtag had been co-opted and there was so much confusion about the purpose behind the b...lack out. The Black Lives Matter hashtag was being used in error, and for a day, critical information found through that hashtag (information about protests, safety, video and photos documenting police brutality) was being drowned out by black squares. We were reminded that there have always been intentional efforts to silence revolutions. There are police infiltrators posing as participants in protests trying to create destruction and distraction away from the organized efforts of Black Lives Matter and other community leaders. Social media is its own strange battlefield and it is important for all of us to be vigilant against the sharing of mis-information. If you posted a black square, and that’s literally the only thing you have done to un-silence yourself, you are missing the point. It is NOT enough. It is not even the bare minimum of trying. We will not sugar coat this work for you. That in and of itself is a form of silencing. This work is WORK. And it is going to last a lifetime. Unearthing your own anti-blackness is not going to make you feel good. And that’s not what we are here to do. We are not here to make you feel good. We are here to help you grow. But more important, we are here to put and END to white supremacy in all of its most covert ways. Silencing is a form of racism and white supremacy. And we will not stand for that here. There are leaders to follow who have dedicated their lives to anti-racism work. If you have not already - start here: @laylafsaad @catriceology @rachel.cargle @blklivesmatter @showingupforracialjustice Image creator: @monicacbright (please support her work and read her wisdom from her own lived experience)

We are blacking out tomorrow in solidarity. Classes canceled. We love you. #blackouttuesday #blacklivesmatter

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Now is not the time to hide in your comfort. Now is the time to rise up and rage and rally and protest and scream and cry and shake if you need to. Gaia Yoga stands in solidarity with protesters on the front lines fighting for justice and is calling on white and non-black POC to unpack our learned anti-blackness. This practice (Yoga) is calling us to ACT. NOW. Take your blinders off, get very uncomfortable, and add your name to the revolution. #blacklivesm...atter #saytheirnames #dismantlewhitesupremacy FOLLOW AND SUPPORT: @catriceology @rachel.cargle @laylafsaad @bexlife @shishi.rose @nowhitesaviors @blklivesmatter @shaunking @leemerrittesq @ckyourprivilege PAY FOR WHAT YOU LEARN DONATE TO FUNDS TO BAIL OUT PROTESTERS DONATE TO FUNDS TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZERS DONATE TO LEGAL FUNDS JOIN THE FRONT LINES IF YOU CAN USE YOUR VOICE - END YOUR SILENCE!! . . . . #empoweryoursoul #gaiayogastudio #bayarea #racialjustice #rage #riseup #justiceforgeorgefloyd #justiceforahmaud #justiceforbreonnataylor #thisisyoga #socialactivism #socialjustice

For the mamas: We LOVE you! Honoring mamas everywhere this weekend. Honoring the mamas who have lost children and the children who have lost mamas. Honoring undocumented mamas who have fled war and persecution to keep their families safe. Honoring mamas who are incarcerated awaiting cash bail in hopes of being reunited with family. Honoring the care givers, the first responders, the healers, and the mamas leading their communities. Honoring the home schooling mamas working full time jobs. Honoring the mamas in this community who show up and practice so that they can offer stability and resilience in their homes when life is most challenging. You INSPIRE us. #mothersday2020 #empoweryoursoul #gaiayogastudio

Yesterday we shared our GoFundMe with the Gaia Yoga community through emails and social shares. What happened in less than 24 hours is truly a testament of how, when we come together - we are STRONG. In less than 24 hours, this community has raised enough money for Gaia Yoga to pay rent in May. We are hopeful that with continued generosity from you all, we will arrive on the other side of this pandemic in a financially secure position to re-open our doors. $5, $10, $20 - no ...amount is too small! #GivingTuesdayNow Thank you, thank you, thank you. From the bottom of our hearts. With Love, Gaia Yoga PS. Other ways to support Gaia Yoga: 1. Take classes!! We have virtual classes running 7 days/week and are offering discounted pricing at $14/class. 2. Buy a gift card for friends and family! 3. Stock up on class packs for future use! Consider buying at full price if you can. <3 Go to: www.gaiayogastudio.com https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-gaia-yoga-pay-rent

Tomorrow is our 3rd monthly SEVA Saturday where we will be pooling our resources to support those in our community who are unsheltered through SOS! Richmond (Safe Organized Spaces). . COVID19 has us on alert. But our neighbors who are unsheltered at freeways, train tracks, creeks and streets have no place to shelter at-home. They have no basic amenities like a sink or toilet. No masks & gloves. Sometimes little recourse for physical distancing. . Here's the great news: the St...ate of CA has agreed to provide Richmond with 10 portable toilets and hand washing stations, and SOS! Is charged with making this happen! They have applied to several funding sources to employ encampment residents who will steward these portables and the land and public health resources for people living precariously in encampments. . SOS! Richmond is currently fundraising to provide for case management services that do not exist for almost all of unsheltered people in West County. Their goal is to hire a part-time Navigator to help with personal life planning and to facilitate access to safety net, stabilizing, and sustaining resources. . Collectively, the Gaia Yoga community has donated $755 that is already at work to help hire this community-driven Navigator. . If you are joining classes with Kip tomorrow, you will have the opportunity to continue making a difference and directly support funding the Navigator role through SOS! Richmond. . Donations can me made through Venmo to: SOS_Richmond . Sending love to you all! Let’s keep supporting each other in all the big and small ways. #empoweryoursoul #gaiayogastudio @ Gaia Yoga See more

Every day is an opportunity to reach for someone or something new. Sometimes that someone is yourself, and sometimes it's each other. We love you all and are so thankful to be able to stay connected while we are physically apart. #empoweryoursoul #gaiayogastudio