It’s time to check in

“All energy is constant. As the conditions change, the manifestation of the energy changes.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Dear Global Breath Family,

When Global Breath Studio opened its doors over 10 years ago, my intention was to create a space where everyone would feel at home. A place where you could practice and learn, while supporting others on their authentic path toward wellbeing. I never imagined that it would become such a large community of practitioners, and how many interesting and unique experiences we would have along the way.

At the start of 2020 things were really thriving. But then COVID happened :( As a result of the pandemic we had to move out of our downtown location. We continued virtually and in the park, and intended to open a physical space again as a home for our community. We were very fortunate to be able to buy a building in the Lakewood neighborhood, which we renovated with the physical and financial help of all of you.

We had high hopes that we could recreate some of the magic of our previous space, while being more inclusive and accessible. Unfortunately, things did not work out the way we imagined. Attendance has not been sufficient to make ends meet, and we had many expensive hurdles to overcome in the space. Every month Lindsey & I have to use our own resources (which are minimal) to keep the doors open. After a year of going further and further into the red, we have decided that it’s time to let go. We are actively looking for either a tenant or buyer for the building. In the meantime we will stay open, offering classes and workshops and community events. This process might take weeks, it might take months. So please keep coming to class, keep showing up for yourself and each other.

I want to note that even though (unfortunately) money has been the driving factor in this decision, there are also other (more personal) factors that are part of the complexity of our situation. Lindsey will talk more about that below.

I’d like to take this opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to all of you for coming to classes, attending events and fundraisers, volunteering your time to renovate the building, extending community loans so we could open our doors, and enriching our lives with your presence. And an extra special big ‘thank you’ to Aubrey for all of her tireless support and time and energy in being there with us and for us every step of the way.

We don’t know yet what the future will hold. Global Breath might manifest in a different form. As Thich Nhat Hanh says, a cloud never dies. As the conditions change, the manifestation changes. The cloud becomes the rain, and the rain becomes the river.

In gratitude,

Bart.

Hello Global Breath Family,

Lindsey here. I sat down to write to you all and a wave of sadness came over me. Global Breath started as a “yoga studio” but has become so much more than that. It has been a place to call home for so many, including myself. It has offered an opportunity to deepen our relationships with ourselves and each other, something we all need more now than ever. 

Even through the sadness, I celebrate the growth of this community. We have learned a lot over the years. We have explored a deeper understanding of the complex system of Yoga. We have centered the teachings of Yoga’s original Black and Brown teachers. Bart and I have worked to reckon with our white privilege (which is ongoing and never-ending) and learned how as two white business owners, teachers, and practitioners, we have a responsibility: to educate people that come through the door, to challenge the status quo, and not perpetuate the toxic “business of yoga” that prioritizes full classes, whiteness, thinness, able-bodiedness and cool yoga pants, over the human experience. Don’t get me wrong, I do love some cool yoga pants :) but Yoga teaches us that humans are complicated, interconnected, spiritual beings - and coming from that perspective, I could really care less about my pants (or anyone else’s pants for that matter).

With this new awareness, we have been struggling with the reality that we have to charge money so people can access this practice. One’s wellness and good health, whether that be mental, physical, emotional or spiritual, is a basic human right. Unfortunately, we live in a capitalist society so the only way we found around this was to become a non-profit. Another goal we had with the non-profit idea was to decenter ourselves and have a more diverse group of folks in charge and making decisions (and being paid for it). 

However, after learning more about the lengthy non-profit application process and all that it requires to maintain it, we realized this was a huge undertaking that we just don’t have the resources for. We’ve been working other jobs to bring in income and have realized this is no longer a healthy or sustainable situation for us, and it really hasn’t been for some time now. Postpartum and the demands of parenthood hit me/us harder than I could have imagined and I am still working on getting back on my feet. 

I share all of this in the spirit of transparency and realness, because it’s not just about the money. That’s a huge piece, of course, but there are so many other factors that brought us here. Perhaps some of my sadness is because this dream of creating an inclusive and equitable space was not fully realized. But similar to what Bart shared, I don’t see this as an ending. It’s an evolution of sorts. I’m just not sure where the path goes from here. 

If you made it this far, thank you for reading. Thank you for coming along on this journey with us and with each other - whether you just took one class or came every week to meditation. This community is strong and resilient and I know a lotus will grow from this mud, as it always does. 

Yoga is a practice of self and collective liberation, of connecting to something bigger than ourselves and realizing our true nature. This is hard work. It’s not pretty or glamorous and it has nothing to do with whether or not one can do a headstand. Regardless of what happens with Global Breath, the physical space, etc. - I hope we all take away from this experience the fact that everyone has the right to have access to a practice of personal growth and liberation, and to thrive in that. If some of us are left behind or excluded, then it is all of our jobs to change that. To do our own work with persistence and Tapas (fervor) and to make sure others are able to do the same, as a bare minimum. It doesn’t stop here for me. I will continue to devote my time and energy to this mission and I believe that will be a life long journey for me. And if that isn’t a practice of Yoga, I don’t know what is. 

We will keep you posted as we know more. In the meantime, I hope to see you at the space and that you continue on your path of self refinement and prioritizing collective liberation, whatever that looks like for you.

With love and gratitude,

Lindsey