06/12/2020
There are many things I want to express to each of you, but I think I'll start with the easiest:
๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ค ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ.
Thank you for being not just our students, but also our teachers. You have been from the very beginning, each of you, and the joy you brought to our studio cannot be measured.
Seeing you come through the doors each day, watching as your cares drifted away in savasana showed us what we always knew to be true, that yoga is more than just "exercise". The benefits of practice -- physical, emotional, spiritual -- are tangible.
When our doors opened, ๐ฐ๐ ๐ค๐ง๐๐ฐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ฅ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ๐ง'๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐. Most of you know our first owner, ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฐ๐จ๐จ๐, is a very experienced yogi. She often remarked on trying 'every yoga style out there', and while she wasn't dissatisfied, many of those styles seemed to her to be lacking something. So she decided to create a different sort of studio. This place, in her vision, would be like a retreat. Everyone would be welcome, regardless if they had experience in yoga or not. There was a place on the mat at our studio for all.
Little by little, the idea caught on ... and what a wonderful idea it was. Here was ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ญ-๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐, ๐ง๐จ-๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ ๐ that encouraged students to ๐๐ฐ๐๐ค๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐-๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง along with their asanas. To learn the strength of their bodies through the power of their breath. A place to fold into stillness and rest. A practice that embraced everyone.
Little by little, our students came. Some we only saw happily each season; others, joyfully each day. And in all of their amazing diversity, one thing held true: A passion for practice. We knew we'd discovered something special.
We saw it when you came into the lobby, fresh-faced and brimming with the joy of existence. We saw it on the mat, as you moved through each posture, learning new things about your practice and bringing ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ ๐ to shining life. There were no words then that could properly express what we felt as we gently nudged and encouraged and watched you, and even now I struggle to find the right adjectives tell you how it truly felt. ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ด๐๐๐ง๐๐๐. ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. Not the kind of magic we see in movies, but the every-day magic we sometimes forget we're all capable of creating. You reminded us with every breath.
With arms outstretched, we reached joyfully to let our fingers brush the sky ... then folded ourselves humbly into the embrace of the earth. What we shared will be a part of each of us, no matter where we go in the world. It will live in each of us in those heart-shaped spaces in our consciousness. There, we'll gather. We'll see each other smile again.
We close our doors with deepest gratitude for what you, our beloved students, teachers and friends, have shared with us on the mat these past six years. The world is changing, and our love and concern for each of you took us to a place where we felt this to be the best choice we could make.
While ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ข๐จ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ , we want you to know we'll be exploring opportunities to bring our compassionate style of yoga for every body to each of you in the form of smaller, intimate private classes, either in person or online. We're developing plans to do this right now. Once we have everything in place, we'll announce via email, on our website and on social media.
Until then, keep your practice going, even if itโs just a little each day. We hold you with love in our hearts and in our thoughts, joyfully awaiting the time when we will meet on the mat once more.
Namaste
Chuck Burks
with Karol Trejo, Barry Raccio, Margaret Wilcox, Dylan Dray, Martha Richmond, Candace Kentridge-Britton, Cathy Cassetta, Jo Opshal, Luke B. and Patricia White
After 6 amazing years and thousands of vibrant yoga classes, we've made the decision to close our doors and take our journey on a new path. We made this vide...
