Salutations and Namaste, beloved Kupala Community,

Jess and April here.

It's hard to believe we're already closing out the month of June. It felt like it came and went with the breeze. But let's not let our limited—and often inaccurate—perception of time keep us from giving June its due respect. It is such an important month after all.

June invites us to both celebrate and reflect. It reminds us that growth is rarely linear and that transformation—whether personal or collective—often asks us to hold joy and sorrow, remembrance and hope, all at once.

This month, we celebrate the strides made through queer, trans, and Black liberation movements, while continuing to shine a light on the histories of oppression that made those movements necessary in the first place. In doing so, we are reminded that our liberation is deeply interconnected, and that honoring one another's humanity is itself a sacred practice.

“My right to be me is tied with a thousand threads to your right to be you.” – Leslie Feinberg

This spirit of transformation is reflected not only in our communities, but in the rhythms of the natural world.

June is also a time of ancient reverence. With the summer solstice comes the changing of the season from spring to summer: longer, warmer days, abundant sunshine, and more time spent outdoors and in community. It is, indeed, a time for celebration.

Our namesake honors the Slavic river goddess Kupala, once worshipped throughout the Balkans as the bearer of creativity, joy, and community—qualities strikingly similar to those of the Hindu goddess Saraswati. During midsummer festivals, people gathered around food and dancing, dressed in white, adorned themselves with beautiful floral wreaths, and honored the alchemizing and cleansing powers of fire and water by leaping over bonfires before entering nearby rivers.

Though these traditions were later woven into Christian observances, they are still practiced in remarkably similar ways throughout many parts of Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, where April's father's family hailed from. This significant time of year has long been rich with symbolism surrounding change, renewal, and transformation—themes that appear across folk traditions throughout the world.

These same themes are echoed throughout the yogic tradition.

Yoga Darshana, the ancient philosophical system upon which the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are based, is traditionally attributed to Hiranyagarbha, one of the many names of the Vedic solar deity. This solar deity, also known as Savita, is the deity honored through one of the most beloved Vedic prayers: the Gayatri Mantra.

In the Vedic tradition, the summer solstice has long been honored as a time of heightened spiritual potential—a season that encourages us to turn inward as much as outward. While the Sun sustains life in the physical world, it also serves as a powerful symbol of the light of consciousness that yoga teaches is present within every being. By honoring the Sun, we are ultimately honoring that same divine light within ourselves and recognizing its presence throughout all of creation.

Gayatri Mantra

Om Bhur Bhuvah Svah

Tat Savitur Varenyam

Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi

Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat

"We meditate upon the supreme effulgence of the Divine solar awareness. May that radiant light illuminate our minds."

The invitation toward transformation continues. It also becomes deeply personal this month as we celebrate Father's Day.

This can be a somewhat somber day for both of us because we have each lost our dads to cancer. But as practitioners of yoga, we have cultivated a relationship with grief rooted in the understanding that death is simply part of life.

Losing those we love is one of the hardest parts of being human. Yoga doesn't ask us to avoid that grief or move past it too quickly. Instead, it invites us to meet it with openness, trusting that even in our sorrow there is something to learn.

In Loving Memory of Pastor Jon Imme (left) and Jim Sakaluk (right)

The yogic tradition teaches that life is made up of changing experiences—birth and death, joy and sorrow, love and loss. These are all part of samsara, the ever-changing world we share. Beneath those changes, however, yoga reminds us that there is something within us that remains steady: a deeper awareness that is whole, peaceful, and untouched by life's constant unfolding.

When we experience suffering, we are given an opportunity to turn toward that deeper part of ourselves. The ancient sages describe the fullest expression of this journey as samadhi, a profound state of inner peace and unity. While that may feel like a distant destination, the beauty of yoga is that every step along the path matters.

Each day we practice, we have another opportunity to cultivate a little more compassion, humility, and presence. Through tapas—the steady discipline of showing up for ourselves—we slowly begin to clear away the physical, mental, and emotional burdens that life inevitably places upon us.

As we grow in awareness, the practice naturally extends beyond ourselves. The patience we cultivate becomes kindness toward others. The peace we find becomes something we share with our families, our communities, and the wider world. In this way, our individual practice becomes an act of service.

That possibility is what keeps us returning to the practice both on and off our mats. It is also what inspires us to continue sharing these teachings with all of you, in whatever small ways we can.

We hope you've all enjoyed this special month, and we hope to see many of you at one or two of our upcoming events. We'll also be hosting an online Yoga Philosophy Workshop where we'll explore many of these ideas—karma, prakriti, samsara, tapas, samadhi, and more—in greater depth. We'd love to have you join us.

Details and registration are below.

With love, gratitude, and devotion,

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti

Peace to you, peace to your loved ones, and peace to the Earth.

Jess & April

Karma Yoga Days

Our Karma Yoga Days have been so amazing and special spending time with friends serving in community. If you've been doom scrolling a lot lately, put down your phone and come out and serve with us. Sometimes the best prescription for getting through difficult times is being in community and putting your energy into helping others. Here are some highlights from our last two:

Grocery Distribution w/ NourishLA (Nuestros Alimentos) 5/31

Habitat Restoration w/ Friends of the LA River 6/27

Our next Karma Yoga Day is on July 25th and is a special one because it's really more of an excuse to just hang out than anything. We'll be assembling kits of essential toiletries for the community of unhoused women at the Downtown Women's Center. Come bring a blanket and some snacks to share while we prepare these simple but impactful offerings. We'll supply all the materials, just come and partake---art supplies will also be provided so you can include a personalized card with your kits. This event is for all ages, so feel free to bring the dogs, cats, and kids along, too.

Upcoming Events and Workshops