If you've been to the studio, you know: we welcome and respect all people of all colors and backgrounds. We are firmly anti-hate, anti-racism, anti-injustice and anti-harm.

Which is why I'm writing, to add Home's voice to the sea of voices who've just starting chiming in, because it's better late than never:

Black lives matter. They have always mattered. For too long, they have been treated as if they don't.

And that's why it needs saying now. Over and over until someday it hopefully won't need saying anymore because it will just be something everybody understands.

We know that no email, no post on social media, no sign we put in our window can "fix" the atrocities inflicted on human beings because of racism.

Demonstrating our support is important, but on its own cannot stop the terrible injustices which are still going on today.

We understand that action is needed. One of the first actions we need to take is to begin intentionally engaging in respectful, open-minded conversations about the issues of social justice and race. 

Talking to each other is the place to start. We're committed to having those important talks.

IN FACT... keep your eyes peeled for a super special event coming SOON that is all about just that...!

Some resources for now:
If you don't know a lot about race issues yet, it's time to start learning. We're so lucky to live in a time when resources are EVERYwhere. Here are just a few:

• All kinds of anti-racism links & reading material here.
• We really love this TEDTalk here.
• Watch "13th" - bring tissues.
• Here's a list of black-owned businesses in Portland.
• One of your yogi neighbors runs this awesome org right here!

What does this have to do with yoga?

Stay in your lane, right? We are.

We started a business because we know that business leadership is the most important leadership of our time, and we wanted to make a difference.

We chose to build our business on Bikram Yoga because we know that not only can ALL people practice and benefit from Bikram Yoga, but this yoga has the power to bring people together like nothing else around.

Yoga means "union," and we are all about super-sizing the amount of unity in the world. 

Our work in the hot room (and in our online classes) gets us closer to this end. 

You can now expect to see us putting our yoga into action "off the mat" even more from here on out. We're so excited for you to join us on this journey.

If you have any ideas about ways that Home can be of service in the cause of racial equity, please reply to this email or reach out to us by phone at (503)505-9805.

Booking online is now required for all in-studio classes. Check out these quick tutorials we made on how to do it:

First, the GOOD news:

Some guidance was finally released last week by the Governor about reopening yoga studios! We're really excited as our industry was the LAST to receive these guidelines of all the industries included in the first phase of our state's reopening. We have been waiting with baited breath to know what our reopening could look like.

And now we know.
(...Kinda!)

Let’s back up a bit though:

Oregon is reopening for business in a “phased” plan, where restrictions are lifted slowly and carefully so as to avoid disaster. The details of this plan tend to be more conservative than the Federal guidelines for reopening.

(We think slowly and carefully is a good way to go!)

Oregon is giving certain counties permission to open before others, based on many factors involving their preparedness and how much COVID they’re dealing with.

31 of the 36 counties in Oregon have now been approved to begin Phase 1 of reopening, which began on Friday, May 15. Multnomah County is not one of them, which is to be expected because of our population. We expect to probably be the last county to open.

Multnomah County officials have said that reopening the Portland metro area is at least several weeks away, and possibly more. 

So that’s the sad news.
(... Kinda!)

Look. We’re in the business of helping people save their own lives.

So while we KNOW you miss the hot room (and we miss you!) we'll be in no rush to reopen, until it seems reasonably safe to do so. This means, even when we are allowed to reopen, we might not open right away. Your safety and the safety of our team are our highest priority.

Ya can't get to radiant health and wellbeing if ya don't feel safe!

There is so much we still don’t know about what reopening will look like. But yogis have been asking, and we hate to leave you hanging. 

Here are a few things we do know at this time:

1. No showers for a while (thems the rules.) But we will have… funky (not the smelly kind of funky) robes & kimonos for purchase, to put on your sweaty self!
2. Limited class sizes. (We gotta.) Classes will be capped and spaces will be marked to promote physical distancing. For those of you who have kept your memberships active during this time, you will get 1st dibs on spots. We are deeply grateful for your support, and we plan to show it!
3. Online yoga WILL continue. So if you are sick, at risk, or just can’t get into an in-person, we’ve got ya covered.

All right.
What was the “bad news”?

No bad news. 

We’re here.

We’re alive.

Our community is alive and we are getting through this together. We are going to come back to our studio, and we’re going to do it as safely as we can.

Meanwhile, we get to do yoga online together!

If you have any questions this email didn't answer, please check out the Closure FAQ on our website. We’ll update it whenever we get new info.

And of course keep following us on social media and in your email (drag us over to your inbox!) so you don’t miss out on any Home-coming (hint hint) 🕺🕺 plans...!!

Until we meet again: wash your hands, hug on your loved ones, and keep living your days in a way you can be proud of. We'll see each other again in all our sweaty in-person glory, sooner than it feels like.

Hey everyone, it's Stacy and I'm thrilled to be writing this post. I appreciate the little pockets of "creative outlet" I can find in this whole new normal we're living in.

Let me share a little about myself so you can catch my perspective. I'm a wife, a mom of 3 kids, we have a bunch of little animals at our house (7 chicks, a dog, and a bunny! - and yes, you can come to our urban petting zoo when this is all over!)

We are one of the families impacted by the astounding lay-off statistics which happened to account for 95% of our family's income. We have 2 school aged children and are navigating distance learning for the long haul, our other child is in the medically vulnerable population, and we're just doing our best to live life and be happy and make this whole crazy thing work. ​

We need to realize that the benefits of practicing at home, an imperfect practice in a less-than-ideal environment, win out by far over the consequences of not practicing at all.

And here's the good news: it's a practice. This is quite possibly the only time we will be forced to practice peace, balance, and yoga in a world that looks like this, in a home space that exists like this, and in a mindset that feels like this.

I for one am optimistic for my future self - that I will have learned so much during this time in a way that I never would have before. I mean, can you even imagine how good my savasana will be when we get back into the hot room after all this practice with my kids jumping all over me? Ha!

So here's to you, and me, and all of us. Making an attempt for joy in our life, through the practice (and grace!) of peace, balance, and yoga.

See you at Home!

Always,
Stacy

1. Alleviate anxiety. Studies have shown that practicing yoga can reduce anxiety and lower your levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Check out this blog post for the story of one student who has stopped taking anxiety meds since starting her yoga practice! 
2. Decrease depression. There is a large body of research finding yoga to be an effective intervention for the treatment of depression. Bikram Yoga specifically has been found beneficial in improving depression and several other mental health symptoms.
3. Sleep better. Studies have found practices like yoga and meditation have positive effects on melatonin and helps alleviate common causes of sleep problems like stress and anxiety. This is super relevant right now because many of us need better Zs! According to a PiplSay poll, 31% of Americans say they’re sleeping less due to coronavirus-related anxiety. And you know it's hard to be your best self when you're tired.
4. Reduce inflammation. You've probably heard a lot about the popular physical benefits of yoga: flexibility, strength and balance. Of course, there are other activities you can do to keep your muscles strong, your joints healthy, and even be able to stand on one foot. Hatha yoga (practice of physical yoga postures) is unique in that it improves the function of every single system of your body, from the bones to the skin. One of the main ways hatha yoga helps all your organs function better is by helping to reduce inflammation, which researchers are finding more and more to be the root of all kinds of trouble. Know what increases inflammation? Chronic stress and anxiety. Lack of sleep and lack of movement. Poor nutrition.

There is no time like today to start creating benefits like these for your mind and body. And thanks to technology, accessing yoga instruction from the comfort of your home is easy. There are many options out there, many levels and many styles.

Home Hot Yoga's online classes are open to everyone, no experience necessary. Heat is not even necessary (though it helps!)