Reopen Union Yoga's Studio

My name is Rex. I opened Union Yoga in 2019 because students deserve studios that are honestly committed to inclusiveness, diversity, and trauma sensitivity in their yoga programs.

 

 

 

 

We have since closed our physical location in University Heights as Covid 19 gutted our industry.

 

Today we serve the San Diego community located around University Heights, Hillcrest, and North Park by pivoting to an online streaming service and teaching from the local park, Trolley Barn Park. Before the pandemic, we had 60 members and 4 subsidized students.

 

 

 

 

We now have 14 members and 1 subsidized student.

 

As a result of the pandemic, we have lost 80% of our expected revenue.

 

As temperatures dip and for those who are recovering from trauma, alcoholism, and eating disorders - practicing outdoors in public doesn't always feel safe. If we don't get our community back inside, we will continue to lose our core members and fall short on our mission of accessibility.

 

I believe in the power of our students, friends, and teacher trainees reuniting again after 2 very long and difficult years remote. I believe in those who have seen and felt the impact of our work, our yoga classes, and service that Union Yoga has provided since 2019.

 

 

 

 

I also believe that anyone who is new to our community and our work - that understands that the role wellness plays in one's trauma, addiction, and eating disorder recovery - will show up for us in a big way.

 

So we can continue to serve our community with inclusive and diverse yoga classes, we are asking you to to chime in to our goal, with the mission of securing our next studio location by 2022.

 

Through the next 8 weeks, our goal is to raise $24,000 for the Union Yoga Studio fund. 10.11 - 12.16

 

Deposit for the 1st and last month's rent = $8,000

1st 4 months of rent to build - $16,000

Total: $24,000 in 8 weeks.

 

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**UPDATE** 1.14.2022

Our biggest donor has retracted their $16000 donation. Instead now they are donating $2600. This is still quite the donation, the effect in our fundraising efforts and ability to keep negotiating terms with lessors, this is devastating.

 

The lessors have seen our bank statements to reflect the $22000 in donations and are willing to negotiate further with $10000 more in funds in our bank. Beginning yesterday we actually only have $12600 in the bank. So we need $36000 in the bank in order to move our deal ahead.

 

In order for the lessors we are negotiating with now to feel comfortable leasing to us, we now need to raise $23,400 on TOP of the $8522 we have raised. This is equal to about $32,000

 

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With your help, we can rebuild Union Yoga if we can raise enough money through December to put our deposit down for our new studio to be open for classes, teacher training, and workshops in 2022.

 

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The owners who ran the studio I first practiced yoga in provided a work for trade opportunity for me. Anyone who is an alcoholic knows that it can be near impossible to have the courage, resources, or network base to even know about work for trade opportunities, not to mention they are borderline illegal now.

 

I created a business model that could be truly accessible to the people in our world who struggle - a company that recognizes that none of us are well, unless we are ALL well. I wanted to expand the accessibility to greater than it was, to a practical means for those who struggle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I decided to create a yoga space that lovingly serves students who are in hardship, battling trials with addiction and disordered eating, or want to explore everything yoga offers through a non-appropriated lens. I wrote a yoga teacher training where trauma sensitivity wasn’t just breezed over. I started Union Yoga with 3 promises. As long as our doors are open, we will remain committed to Inclusion, Diversity, and Trauma Sensitivity in everything we do.

 

 

 

 

Union Yoga is a studio with accessibility as a built-in feature, so that students no longer need to belong to a certain socioeconomic status, or be connected with someone within the right circle to receive the yoga they need.

 

Each person that practices with Union Yoga directly funds our mission. We donate a portion of each drop-in visit and monthly membership charge to the Union Yoga Fund, which supports a sliding scale or subsidized membership for students in recovery.