Winds of Change. 

Dearest Sangha,

With life, comes change.  We have some changes to share with you. Starting July 1, the Burning Spirits Yoga and Yoga Punx PDX calendars and programs are merging.  What does this mean?  Memberships will now work for all classes from both programs. Vinyasa, Yin, Meditation, Ashtanga….all of them.  We are excited about this merger and to share increased offerings and classes with our community. You will start to see some Ashtanga classes on the Yoga Punx PDX calendar this week, as we transition. 

With this, comes a change in our membership tiered pricing. As costs increase-including rent, we have made the difficult decision to change how we can provide our offerings in the future, with our mission to offer low-cost yoga for the people. For those of you who practice in the BSY Ashtanga program, you see a different pricing option.  These new memberships will now work for ALL classes on the calendar. 

New Tiered Pricing:

$70 per month unlimited- Sustainer

$80 per month unlimited-Supporter

$100 per month unlimited- Amplifier

We are now offering 5 and 10 class packs and one-week unlimited.

Drop in Classes will now be a minimum of $13 donation on up.

If you are currently on one of the older memberships or scholarships they will remain active through June/July and will not renew in July.  You can then restart a new membership and a tier of your choosing. If you are in need of assistance we will continue to offer financial assistance at new rates. Our scholarship passes will move to $40 per month-  if you are in need of financial assistance you can apply here: https://www.yogapunxpdx.com/scholarships

Our partner Trini Foundation, offers low cost scholarships for the Mysore Ashtanga Program for those in recovery from substance use disorders and for families affected by SUD- they require 3 days per week committed practice…if you are interested in applying - use this link-
https://www.trinifoundation.org/trini-programs/

We know change is hard, including pricing changes—with our limited resources we want to continue our mission now and into the future. As long as the community supports us, we will be here. 

Last bit of news, our founder, Sandee Lawless is moving back home to San Francisco for new life opportunities and to be closer to family. She will be here  in Portland teaching on weekends and will be offering many pay what you can weekend workshops this summer as fundraisers to help our community…stay tuned. 

With deep appreciation,

The YP/BSY Crew

“We acknowledge the land on which we sit and occupy as residents of Multnomah County. The Portland Metro area rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes who made their homes along the Columbia River creating both permanent communities and summer encampments to harvest and use the plentiful natural resources of the area.”

Chelsea DeLoney (she/her)

We also acknowledge the history of the Metro area as a destination site for the Indian Relocation Act of 1956, which coerced many Native people to leave their homes on tribal land and assimilate into dominant culture. Because of this history, this area is home to the 9th largest urban Indian population in the US. We honor the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and this occupied land. This acknowledgement is just a first step in contributing to more awareness of Native Peoples and their resilience. I encourage you to think beyond this land acknowledgement, to how you and your work contribute to the uplift and empowerment of indigenous communities. Chi-Miigwetch.”

- Alix Sanchez, 2019

We acknowledge the African people who were culturally and ethnically members of the Senegambia region, also known as modern day Senegal, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, and West-Central Africans , such as Angola, Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon. In addition we acknowledge those taken from Liberia, Togo, Benin, Western Nigeria, and the Bight of Biafra, parts of which are modern day Eastern Nigeria and Cameroon. We acknowledge every African community impacted by the transatlantic slave trade. Through torture and forced labor, these Africans built the United States and several European empires. “[Of] the twelve million Africans violently kidnapped and trafficked, ten and a half million survived the transport to the Americas…”

- Haslam, 2019

These Africans endured centuries of torture, oppression, and murder (both systemic and direct) for the sake of European wealth. The devastating impacts of these atrocities exist today in the genetic trauma their descendants still endure. We acknowledge and deeply mourn the millions of lives lost on slave ships, in lynchings, during perilous attempts at freedom, and the families torn apart. We honor the strength, endurance, resilience, and perseverance of Africans and their Black descendants who not only survived, but left legacies who exist among us today. The Taubira Law and the Durban Declaration in 2001 declared the UNESCO slave trade an international crime. This declaration is supported by the United Nations, recognizing that “slavery and the slave trade are crimes against humanity.” We encourage you not only to honor, mourn, and marvel at the Africans’ resilience and role in your existence, but ask that you also encourage and empower the African-American/Black community.

Chelsea DeLoney (she/her)

Thank You GIVE BACK YOGA Foundation and GAIAM for your very generous gift of yoga mats for our programs.These mats will help the journey of healing and transformation. We are deeply grateful.

Thank you LuLu Lemon’s HERE TO BE Foundation. Your generous grants have provided full yoga teacher training scholarships for QTBIPOC students and people in recovery….so they can continue to be this change. We are deeply grateful for your continued support and belief in our work.

KEEP IT SACRED….NEVER WATERED DOWN