Namaste, dear community.

 Jess & April here.

We won’t spend time recounting all the reasons the world feels heavy right now—you already know. But if you’ve been feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or heartbroken lately, please know you’re not alone. We feel it too.

That’s why we keep showing up. We believe one of the most powerful antidotes to despair is community: gathering together, caring for one another, and transforming grief, fear, and anger into meaningful action. There is a quiet kind of alchemy that happens when we move from isolation into connection, from helplessness into service. The path through these times isn’t around them—it’s through them. And we’ll find our way together.

Of course, showing up for ourselves and one another doesn’t always look the same. Our practice has seasons, just as nature does. There are times of intensity and times of rest, periods of deep discipline and periods of simply remembering to return. As the rhythms of summer unfold, many of us find ourselves navigating a different pace.

Summer has a way of shifting our routines. Whether you’re spending more time with your kids, heading out on vacation, or simply saying yes to long days with friends and family, life can feel a little fuller—and a little less structured.

If you’ve noticed it’s been harder to make it to the mat, the meditation cushion, or keep up with your regular sadhana, you’re certainly not alone.

Just a gentle reminder: yoga isn’t only what happens on your mat. The practice comes alive in countless ways—in taking a deep breath before responding, slowing down enough to really notice what’s around you, choosing patience when things don’t go as planned, or fully enjoying a walk, a hike, or a quiet moment in nature.

So if your practice looks a little different this season, that’s okay. Let it meet you where you are. Trust that every moment of presence, awareness, and connection is part of your practice.

We hope you’re finding time to soak up all the beauty summer has to offer.

This past Saturday, we gathered beneath a tree, surrounded by music, snacks, cold drinks, and good company, to assemble 36 essential toiletry kits for the Downtown Women’s Center. It was a simple afternoon, but a beautiful reminder that joy and generosity often arrive hand in hand. These moments of shared purpose, presence, and laughter are precious. They nourish us just as deeply as the work itself.

Community Highlight

Big thanks to the Andersen Family for their incredibly generous donation to our karma yoga day for The Downtown Women's Center. Their contribution allowed us to purchase all the supplies to make these essential kits. One of the things we hope folks take away from participating in our karma yoga days is that each of us have a role to play in creating the world we wish to see. Every action matters---all the different ways people show up for each other work towards a collective future of a more compassionate, peaceful, and humane world.

"Don't let anybody, anybody convince you this is the way the world is and therefore must be. It must be the way it ought to be." - Toni Morrison

Upcoming Events

We're also very excited to share how our sound bath offerings continue to evolve. We've been refining a practice that weaves together sound, breath, and gentle movement into immersive experiences that invite deep rest and inner exploration. These journeys can gently guide us through meditation, dreamlike states, and deep relaxation—spaces where the nervous system softens, creativity awakens, and what has been quietly waiting within us has room to emerge. Sometimes the deepest transformation begins simply by listening.

We'd love for you to join us for our next journey on August 20th at North Ray Yoga. Together we'll explore the thresholds of consciousness through resonant sound, vibration, mantra, and pranayama, and we'll have a few special offerings from one of our favorite local apothecaries to share with you.

Tickets are on sale now for Altered States: A Sound Bath & Journey Into the Thresholds of Consciousness
August 20 | 5:30–6:30 PM
North Ray Yoga (La Brea)

After this gathering, we'll be taking a short pause to travel through Italy—a place that holds a special place in our hearts. One stop we're especially excited about is Grotta Sonora, where extraordinary sound instruments are handcrafted and tuned within ancient Etruscan caves. It feels like a pilgrimage into the living resonance of sound itself, and we hope to bring a little of that magic home to share with you in future experiences.

Until then, thank you for being part of this community. Thank you for showing up—with open hearts, willing hands, and the courage to keep imagining a more gentle, compassionate, and equitable world.

With love, gratitude, and deep respect,

Om shanti, shanti, shanti.

Jess & April