Sunday, March 20, 2022

Sea Change Yoga's 4th Annual Yogathon fundraiser is an opportunity for people from across Maine and the globe to come together to relax, breathe, and care for ourselves and our community, all in support of the organization’s mission to bring the healing power of yoga and meditation to historically marginalized Maine communities.

Yogathon 2022 will took place on Sunday, March 20, and featured:

  • Virtual sessions of guided yoga, meditation, breath, and relaxation practices that are all accessible to everyone, from first timers to experienced yogis. Check out the complete 2022 program below!

  • Renowned teachers and presenters from Maine and beyond.

  • Presentations from experts exploring how trauma changes us and how we can take our yoga off the mat to advocate for social justice.

  • Session recordings for participants to rewatch after the event!

  • Opportunities to win incredible prizes by fundraising for Sea Change Yoga!

On March 20,
build Resilience in Community

Our goal is to raise $50,000 at Yogathon 2022. Join us!

Meet Our Yogathon 2022 Teachers & Presenters

 

Jacoby Ballard

(he/ they) Jacoby Ballard is a social justice educator and yoga teacher based in Salt Lake City, Utah known for his playfulness, heart-opening, and commitment to change from the inside out. He leads workshops and trainings around the country on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and consults on DEI for yoga and meditation organizations. He is the author of A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditations for Liberation, released in 2021. In 2008, Jacoby co-founded Third Root Community Health Center in Brooklyn, to work at the nexus of healing and social justice. He has taught in number settings including schools, hospitals, a maximum security prison, a recovery center, a cancer center, LGBT centers, and yoga studios. Jacoby received Yoga Journal’s Game Changer Award in 2014 and Good Karma Award in 2016, and an award by Reclamation Ventures in 2021.

 
 

Katie Beane

(she/her) Katie Beane began practicing yoga and meditation while caring for her terminally ill mother. She found a new kind of peace on her mat during a chaotic and painful time, and has made her practice a powerful touchstone in her life. Katie is committed to social justice, and spends much of her time dedicated to anti-bias and anti-racism education, and DEIA efforts as the Program Manager for Mindbridge's Implicit Bias Project. She values the role yoga and mindfulness play in helping people see and speak the truth, and how an understanding of neurobiology helps us develop the resilience needed to authentically engage in any of life's challenges, especially social justice and human rights work. 

Katie brings a deep respect for bodies of ALL shapes, sizes, and abilities to her teaching, and firmly believes that EVERY body can practice and benefit from yoga. She is passionate about making yoga accessible to ALL and to offering each student she encounters the opportunity to experience a greater sense of ease and alignment—physically, emotionally, and energetically. Katie incorporates breath, Reiki, mindfulness, equity and justice, and her sense of humor into each class.

 
 

Arabella Pérez, DSW, MSW, LCSW

(she/ella/her) Arabella is a Clinical Faculty Member and Trauma Informed Certificate Coordinator at the University of New England. Originally from New Jersey, Arabella is a licensed clinical social worker and therapist of 24 years. She is a native Spanish speaker and daughter of parents from Cuba and Puerto Rico. Previously, Ms. Perez was a system of care director from 2005-2015, leading three Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grants for the state of Maine. She is a certified cultural competency trainer and has presented and provided consultation extensively, both locally and nationally, on Trauma Systems Change, Organizational Healing and Resiliency, Cultural and Linguistic Competency issues, and Youth-Adult Partnerships. Arabella has practiced yoga for 30 years and is also a certified instructor interested in the benefits of yoga for the treatment of trauma.

 
 

Rebecca Johanna Stephans

(she/ her) Rebecca Johanna Stephans is a Kripalu Certified Yoga Teacher with 28 years of teaching experience.  Her path of self-employment in the healing arts began at an organic farming apprenticeship in Aroostook County in 1985.  This journey has been wondrous – from massage therapy to yoga to partner yoga to officiating weddings, creating memorial services, and guiding folks into skillful communications.  Rebecca embraces Yoga as her personal spiritual practice with particular focus on mindfulness, fitness, care of the earth, and kindness. In class, Rebecca offers the holistic, eightfold path of yoga with the intention of helping students access their natural capacity for strength, wisdom, resilience, and joy.


 
 

Alexis Santos

(he/ him) Alexis Santos has been in the field of meditation and mindfulness since 2001 and was ordained as a Buddhist monk from 2003 - 2005. Alexis completed the Spirit Rock/IMS teacher training program with Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein and others. He is co-founder of Open Door Meditation Community in Portland, Maine with Susa Talan where he continues to guest teach. You can learn more about Alexis on his website: alexissantos.io.

 
 

Susa Talan

(she/her) Susa Talan has been studying and practicing Insight Meditation since 2006 and ordained temporarily as a Buddhist nun in 2010. She is co-founder of Open Door Meditation Community in Portland, Maine with Alexis Santos where she continues to guest teach. Susa offers one-on-one mentoring as well as workshops on mindfulness and meditation in a variety of settings. She is also a writer, artist and illustrator: susatalan.com.

 

REGISTER TODAY!

Your participation in this day of togetherness and rejuvenation will support Sea Change Yoga’s mission and enable us to teach 500 trauma-informed yoga classes to our neighbors who otherwise wouldn’t have access to these healing tools.

Yogathon 2022 Virtual Program

 

– 9:00 am –
Welcome to Yogathon 2022!

– 9:10 am –
PRACTICE: Seated Yoga for Every Body - Really! with Rebecca Johanna Stephans
We will explore breathing practices, yoga flows for flexibility, yoga shapes for strength, and hand shapes for meditation - all seated in a chair. Each series will begin with gentle variations and add vigor for those seeking a more physical challenge. This class is for those who are not able to get on the floor, those who struggle with standing poses, teachers who want to make yoga accessible to more students, and skeptics who don’t believe that a full, challenging yoga practice is possible in a chair.

Props needed: Comfortable clothes that allow you to move and breathe with ease, a chair without arms that is comfortable and supports you in sitting with an elongating spine. You may want to pad a wooden chair with blankets.

LEARN: Resiliency & Self Compassion: The Science & the Skills with Arabella Pérez
In this workshop, we will review the brain science behind compassion and resiliency. We will discuss the difference between empathy and compassion and how to cultivate mindfulness, as well as identify barriers and skills for success. This workshop will include various demonstrations and engage different parts of our brains, all with the goal of fostering resiliency and gaining a better understanding of self compassion. Participants will walk away with concrete tools and concepts to continue exploring as we all cope with chronic stress and isolation amid the ongoing pandemic.

– 10:10 am – BREAK

– 10:20 am –
PRACTICE: Release, Reconnect, & Remember with Katie Beane
In a world that glorifies 'busy', where multitasking is a must, and we fracture ourselves to "get things done," slow down and really meet yourself on your mat. Join Katie for a gentle and joyous flow--like a little homecoming for your body, mind, and breath.

Every bit of you is invited to release tension, stress, and the stories that keep you from your peace. Through mindful movement, intentional breath, and guided meditation, call yourself home, reconnect, and remember your wholeness.

– 11:35 am – BREAK

– 11:45 am –
PRACTICE & LEARN: Mindfulness Meditation for the Mind & Heart with Alexis Santos & Susa Talan
Join Maine-based meditation teachers Alexis Santos and Susa Talan for a 60-minute mindfulness meditation session with periods of guidance, silence and discussion. You can sit, stand, lie down or walk - all positions work! No experience necessary, all levels welcome. No problem if you have a racing mind, an anxious heart, or a body that's uncomfortable or you haven't checked in with for a while. We'll explore what's possible when we pause, pay attention and meet our experience with kind awareness.

LEARN: Creating Communities of Care: Yoga & Social Justice with Jacoby Ballard
Based on Jacoby's book, A Queer Dharma, this talk will examine the intersections of yoga and social justice based on the Yamas, or yogic ethics, the very first practice of yoga. Jacoby insists on yoga as a way of life, not something that you show up on your mat to perform, and the yamas as a guide for simple and profound decisions in your life. Drawing from his chapter on yoga and capitalism, Jacoby illustrates how capitalism and yoga are philosophically opposed but economically intertwined. Drawing on his chapter on lovingkindness, Jacoby will explore revolutionary self love as integral to the survival of targeted communities, and developing lovekindness from the inside out toward communities you are not a part of as essential to being an ally and creating a better world for all beings.

– 12:45 pm –
Community Closing

 

Fundraising for Yogathon 2022

Yogathon participants can go above and beyond to support Sea Change Yoga by fundraising for Yogathon 2022. Learn about fundraising for Yogathon and find how-to resources on our Yogathon Fundraising page.

Frequently Asked Questions

 

  • Every dollar you raise helps bring the evidence-based practices of trauma-informed yoga and meditation to people in Maine’s correctional facilities, substance use disorder recovery centers, schools, transitional group housing, and more.

  • In alignment with our belief that Yoga is for Every Body, we have established a sliding scale entry fee for Yogathon 2022. We ask that you choose a level which feels generous to you:
    Supporter Rate - $150 - Supports Community
    Sustainer Rate - $75 - Pays for you
    Community Rate - $35 - Discounted

  • In 2022, Yogathon will offer some concurrent sessions of yoga practices and workshops, so you won't be able to participate in every session live. However, all Yogathon sessions will be recorded and links to the recorded sessions will be sent to all Yogathon participants after the event for future use.

  • We’re glad you asked! Although fundraising is not a requirement for participation in Yogathon 2022, we can’t meet our $50,000 fundraising goal without your help! Please consider creating your peer-to-peer fundraising page and asking your network to raise funds for Sea Change Yoga’s critical work. You can learn more about how to fundraise on our Yogathon Fundraising page. Thanks!

  • In 2022, fundraising is not a requirement for participation in Yogathon, but becoming a fundraiser increases the impact of the event and helps us reach our $50,000 goal!

  • In 2022, we have switched registration and peer-to-peer fundraising platforms to Qgiv. Unfortunately this means that anyone who participated in previous Yogathon events will need to create a new account when registering and fundraising for Yogathon 2022. Thank you for your understanding as we adopt better tools as they become available!

  • Looking to make a donation from your business to Sea Change Yoga and get the attention of Yogathon audiences? Learn more about becoming a Yogathon sponsor by perusing our 2022 Sponsorship Information.

    If you’re ready to sign on, contact Sea Change Yoga Executive Director Elise Boyson at elise@seachangeyoga.org.

Thank You to Our Yogathon Sponsors

 
 

Interested in Becoming a Yogathon 2022 Sponsor?

Learn more about Yogathon 2022 sponsorship by perusing our 2022 Sponsorship Information. If you’re ready to sign on, contact Sea Change Yoga Executive Director Elise Boyson at elise@seachangeyoga.org.