Coming Out

Today Sea Change Yoga officially "came out." Not in the sense of coming out of the closet, but more in the sense of coming of age. Sort of like debutantes. Today we made our official debut in front of the yoga community.

Yoga Fest is the one yoga event of the year when all of the Portland area yogis come together for a weekend of classes and music and fun. All of my beloved teachers and all of the people who I practice next to all year long-they are there- to celebrate this community and this practice. This was our first public appearance and we sweated the details. We planned. We strategized. We bought flowers and party favors. I planned my outfit and wore the edgy/cute leggings. I wanted to look good- but not too good- not intimidating but approachable. Ego ego ego.

People dropped by our booth and we had some really intense conversations. We talked about how yoga heals all of us all of the time. We talked about addiction and recovery and personal redemption. We cried- at least I did- and some of the people who stopped by our table did too. We hugged. A lot. It was a day of deep connection for me. With myself. With my community. With my dreams. It seems so many of us share the same dream. And we all believe that yoga heals.

Sometimes you have a dream that follows you into of your waking hours. That is what this dream is like for me. It follows me and it opens opportunities to serve at every turn. It leads me to others who share a similar vision.

The name "Sea Change" is from Shakespeare- The Tempest. I won't give you the quote from Arielle here, but rather my interpretation. In this passage, Shakespeare is referring to a change that comes after suffering. What sea-change means to me is a transformation after terrible suffering. That is what we hope to accomplish. A transformation for people who have suffered from trauma. An embodied way of being that can lead to emotional regulation and the chance for a new start in life.

There is a lot of suffering out there- addiction, incarceration, homelessness and so much more. We hope to offer trauma informed yoga practices and meditation as a means to a sea-change for those people who have suffered from trauma and are in need of tools to help them transform and heal. Follow us as we follow this North Star.

Namaste-

Diana