Blog Post
blog
New Virtual Yoga Classes & Gift Culture
- By Steven York
- •
- 12 May, 2020
- •
I've decided to continue offering Mindful Yoga with Steven into the foreseeable future. As you may know, I've been teaching Mindful Yoga with Steven through #IAmOswegoFit for the last two years. I am committed to offering this class for as long as it is needed.
As this semester comes to a close, and we find ourselves still in the grasp of this pandemic. Through the tragedy and fear, we're faced with some new opportunities.
Teaching virtually, while never the same as in-person and face-to-face, expands our ability to practice together virtually, anytime, anywhere. So this is a great opportunity for us to examine how many classes are offered and when.
Many of you know me for my Mindfulness classes, but what you may not know is before I ever formulated Mindful Yoga with Steven, I taught Vinyasa Flow, and I am quite fond of a high energy strength and balance building Yang Practice, also prior to the pandemic, I traveled regularly to teach Workshops and Master Classes on Mindfulness, Mindful Creativity & Performance (ActingMindful.ly) and Breath-work, I had even planned to co-host my first retreat in Bali later this year, a project that will have to wait for another season.
Faced with these new challenged I've be forced to adapt to online classes and for those of you that have been joining use each Friday... it's gone pretty well! I feel it's really important to hold live classes rather than prerecorded content (even if the product is a little less polished) to allow time and space for us to practice together, and for me to offer suggestions and answer questions while we build a community and socialize together. I plan to continue using Zoom (new link to come) and dig a little deeper into cleaner multi-camera switching so you can see more when you need a little more guidance, and I plan on mixing it up with the music tracks to provide a little more variety in that ambient sound for those of you that enjoy it. If there's an interest, I may even develop some binaural tracks and other therapeutic soundscapes for us to experiment with.
On a final note (and this is VERY important)
I've decided to offer all of these classes on a modified Pay-What-You-Can or Pay-it-Forward model.
Starting this week I'll be posting the new yoga class schedule on my website where you can sign up to attend classes and, if you're able, make a financial gift. The financial gift you make to me, is entirely up to you even if it's $1 or nothing at all. I know what these classes are worth, I'm totally comfortable charging $10-15 a class, I know other instructors offer subscriptions and pre-purchased "class packs" for their businesses and I routinely charge $125+ / person for my workshops and master classes, but I want to do something different.
Even before the pandemic I was conceptualizing something more aligned with my values. A structure that encourages a Gift Culture rather than Transactional Capitalist Commodification. Now that the pandemic hit, I think it's even more important. So I'm putting my faith in you and the community we're building. I hope you'll go on this journey with me. The revenue from classes and workshops make up a substantial part of my livelihood, but I want you to have the experience of my classes, as my gift to you, no mater what you can afford to pay, and if you're able, I would be honored to receive a gift from you in any amount you can make.
Teaching virtually, while never the same as in-person and face-to-face, expands our ability to practice together virtually, anytime, anywhere. So this is a great opportunity for us to examine how many classes are offered and when.
Many of you know me for my Mindfulness classes, but what you may not know is before I ever formulated Mindful Yoga with Steven, I taught Vinyasa Flow, and I am quite fond of a high energy strength and balance building Yang Practice, also prior to the pandemic, I traveled regularly to teach Workshops and Master Classes on Mindfulness, Mindful Creativity & Performance (ActingMindful.ly) and Breath-work, I had even planned to co-host my first retreat in Bali later this year, a project that will have to wait for another season.
Faced with these new challenged I've be forced to adapt to online classes and for those of you that have been joining use each Friday... it's gone pretty well! I feel it's really important to hold live classes rather than prerecorded content (even if the product is a little less polished) to allow time and space for us to practice together, and for me to offer suggestions and answer questions while we build a community and socialize together. I plan to continue using Zoom (new link to come) and dig a little deeper into cleaner multi-camera switching so you can see more when you need a little more guidance, and I plan on mixing it up with the music tracks to provide a little more variety in that ambient sound for those of you that enjoy it. If there's an interest, I may even develop some binaural tracks and other therapeutic soundscapes for us to experiment with.
On a final note (and this is VERY important)
I've decided to offer all of these classes on a modified Pay-What-You-Can or Pay-it-Forward model.
Starting this week I'll be posting the new yoga class schedule on my website where you can sign up to attend classes and, if you're able, make a financial gift. The financial gift you make to me, is entirely up to you even if it's $1 or nothing at all. I know what these classes are worth, I'm totally comfortable charging $10-15 a class, I know other instructors offer subscriptions and pre-purchased "class packs" for their businesses and I routinely charge $125+ / person for my workshops and master classes, but I want to do something different.
Even before the pandemic I was conceptualizing something more aligned with my values. A structure that encourages a Gift Culture rather than Transactional Capitalist Commodification. Now that the pandemic hit, I think it's even more important. So I'm putting my faith in you and the community we're building. I hope you'll go on this journey with me. The revenue from classes and workshops make up a substantial part of my livelihood, but I want you to have the experience of my classes, as my gift to you, no mater what you can afford to pay, and if you're able, I would be honored to receive a gift from you in any amount you can make.
Last month I was teaching a Mindfulness for the Actor workshop in Brooklyn and had a little free time, so I jumped on the train to Manhattan and took a drop-in class at Lucid Body House on Lexington Ave.
...Ummm...WOW!
While there I got the rare treat of meeting founder of the method herself Fay Simpson! After the class I sat down with her her and discussed her unique Chakra based acting method, and its parallels with ActingMindful.ly
Completely genuinely, if I lived in the city I might abandon ActingMindful.ly to pursue teaching Lucid Body with Fay. It really is THAT GOOD. Honestly, I would LIVE at Lucid Body House if they let me... I don't need much, just give me a spot by the yoga mats to curl up each night. 😉
Enjoy!
Stream or download below.
Run-time: 26 mins 17 secs
...Ummm...WOW!
While there I got the rare treat of meeting founder of the method herself Fay Simpson! After the class I sat down with her her and discussed her unique Chakra based acting method, and its parallels with ActingMindful.ly
Completely genuinely, if I lived in the city I might abandon ActingMindful.ly to pursue teaching Lucid Body with Fay. It really is THAT GOOD. Honestly, I would LIVE at Lucid Body House if they let me... I don't need much, just give me a spot by the yoga mats to curl up each night. 😉
Enjoy!
Stream or download below.
Run-time: 26 mins 17 secs
After the Chinese Communist takeover of Tibet in 1959, all but a dozen of Tibet's 6,500 monasteries, were destroyed or closed, with most of the monks being either killed or imprisoned. Approximately 250 of theDrepung Loselingmonks managed to escape. They were accepted as refugees in India, where eventually they built a replica "Drepung Loseling in Exile" monastery in Karnataka State, southeast of Bombay. Today it is home to more than 3,000 monks.
Here they work to preserve their ancient traditions. One way they do so is through The Mystical Arts of Tibet touring show which features mystic music, dance or, in our case, visual art through the creation of sand mandalas or sand paintings. Taking five days to complete, the elaborate mandala is "painted" by laying down millions of grains of sand to create the traditional design.
While the monks were in residence the Venerable Gonsa Rinpoche and monk Beri Palden facilitated workshops and dialogues and even honored a Mindfulness for the Actor instructor with a private interview. In this podcast we talk about, art, emotion, relationships, performance, fame, mindfulness and so much more!
Stream or download below.
Run-time 1 hr 6 mins 52 secs
Here they work to preserve their ancient traditions. One way they do so is through The Mystical Arts of Tibet touring show which features mystic music, dance or, in our case, visual art through the creation of sand mandalas or sand paintings. Taking five days to complete, the elaborate mandala is "painted" by laying down millions of grains of sand to create the traditional design.
While the monks were in residence the Venerable Gonsa Rinpoche and monk Beri Palden facilitated workshops and dialogues and even honored a Mindfulness for the Actor instructor with a private interview. In this podcast we talk about, art, emotion, relationships, performance, fame, mindfulness and so much more!
Stream or download below.
Run-time 1 hr 6 mins 52 secs
I've just returned from Louisville and I realized I forgot to mention how the Default Mode Network (DMN) can be a POSITIVE tool for planning, and self critique, not just a pathway to depression, negativity and anxiety.
Stream or download below.
Run-time 21 min 39 secs.
Stream or download below.
Run-time 21 min 39 secs.
Giving up social media, deleting your facebook account, facebook leaks, cutting the cord and why.