Queering Yoga the documentary!

QUEERING YOGA is a documentary about stories of personal transformation and healing through yoga in the Queer/Trans/QTPOC communities from the lens of decolonizing yoga! 

It takes 1 minute to contribute to Queering Yoga!

It'll help us introduce the practice of yoga to countless Trans & Queer people through this powerful documentary about stories of healing and transformation through yoga!

A film like this has never been made before! 

QUEERING YOGA!

QUEERING YOGA explores the intersection of Queer/Trans identities and the burgeoning tradition of yoga. Participants share their stories of transformation and healing through yoga. Queer/Trans filmmakers along with Queer and/or Trans yoga teachers are creating a film by and for our community!

For more information about the crew, participants, and the project check out the QUEERING YOGA website here: www.queeringyoga.com

For exciting press from Gay Essential, Yoga Dork, Wear Your Voice Magazine, and more check out these articles/interviews  about QUEERING YOGA here: http://queeringyoga.com/press/


Queering Yoga participant, Sterling Taylor being filmed amidst the Redwoods during his solo yoga practice for Queering Yoga!

Where are the funds going? 
*Hiring a professional film crew.

*Hiring a Graphic Designer, Web Designer, and Editors.

*Transportation and travel costs that are involved with the film. This includes traveling to where participants live to interview them or flying them out to the Bay Area. There are more participants to interview who live in other parts of the country besides the SF Bay Area
who will be interviewed for the project.

*Food. Keeping the film crew and participants well feed during our long shoot days.

*Equipment rentals/packages. This includes two cameras, lights, and any other media equipment that we need to rent for the film shoots.

Rewards! 

$10
A public shout-out on social media!
A BIG thank you for your support and participation to make QUEERING YOGA happen! 

$20 
An Album by a Trans musician!
Jordan HOPE Miller "Reflect.Progress.Transcend" Rhythmic-Folk, infused with thought provoking lyrical mantras. Released on June 18, 2015.
8 albums left! 

$25 
Digital Download of QUEERING YOGA when the film is finished and has completed its film festival run! 

$75
Get Inked! 
A Stick & Poke tattoo kit locally made in Oakland, CA! 
The kit includes sterile professional vegan tattoo ink, sterile tattoo needles, instructions, and more! You will also receive a digital download of the film when it's finished and has completed its film festival run. 
8 left!!!!

$75
Third Root Yoga in Brooklyn!
A three class yoga card to Third Root in Brooklyn, NY! A heart felt thank you! We appreciate your support!
1 left! 

$100
Holistic Health Consultations!
Holistic Health and Herbal Consultations with participant Jacoby Ballard! Jacoby can consult with anyone as long as they have access to Skype or a phone. A heart felt thank you! We appreciate your support!
5 left! 

$100
Top Surgery Treasure Chest Kit
A healing herbal kit for trans-masculine folks for their top surgery healing process that includes: Trans-Care Zine by participant Jacoby Ballard, Anti-Oxidant Tea, Nourishing Tea, "Feeling' Good, Feelin' Great" Oil, "Scar Be Gone" Oil, "Pain Away" Tincture, "Clean Out the Junk" Liver Cleanse Tincture. Value: $70 Plus, a digital download of the film (when its finished its film festival run), our appreciation, gratitude, and heart-felt thanks!!!
2 left! 

$125
30 day yoga membership!
A gift certificate to a 30 day membership at Barefoot Movement in Downtown Oakland. Value: $85. Participant Ananda Mendoza teaches there! A digital download of the feature documentary (after it's film festival run is completed). A heart felt thank you! We appreciate your support!
1 left! 

$150
5 yoga classes at OM Studios!
A five class card to OM Studios in Monterey, CA where participant Sterling Taylor teaches! www.omoasis.com. A digital download of the feature documentary (after it's film festival run is completed). A heart felt thank you! We appreciate your support!
1 left! 

$150
Private Yoga lesson!
One 60 minute private yoga class either in Monterey at Om Studios or at Left Coast Power Yoga in Oakland with participant Sterling Taylor! Value: $100 Plus, a digital download of the feature documentary (after it's film festival run is completed). A heart felt thank you! We appreciate your support!
1 left!

$200
10 class yoga pass to Namaste!
A 10 yoga class pass to Namaste in Berkeley and Oakland, CA! Value $170. http://ilovenamaste.com Plus, a digital download of the film (when its film festival run is completed), our heartfelt thanks and gratitude!!!
1 left! 

$1000
Lunch with the Director!
Lunch with Producer/Director, Ewan Duarte! You will hear EXCITING stories about the production process and entire creative process to create Queering Yoga!!!! A digital download of the feature documentary (after it's film festival run is completed). A heart felt thank you! We appreciate your support!

$5000
Producer credit in the film
You will receive a Producer credit in the film! A digital download of the feature documentary (after it's film festival run is completed). Lunch with Producer/Director Ewan Duarte. A heart felt thank you! We appreciate your support!

About Producer/Director, Ewan Duarte
Ewan Duarte is a professional writer, artist, educator, and award-winning independent filmmaker based in Oakland, CA. Ewan holds his MFA in Cinema from San Francisco State University. Ewan has had an avid yoga and meditation practice for over 13 years. His prior films, Spiral Transition (2010) and Change Over Time(2013) have won awards and screened in more than 140 film festivals worldwide such as Frameline, BFI London LGBT Film Festival, DC Shorts Film Festival, Rhode Island International Film Festival, Oslo LGBT Film Festival, Melbourne Queer Film Festival, Gender DocuFilm Festival in Roma, Hamburg International Queer Film Festival, Polari Film Festival in Austin, TX, and many more! His articles have been published in LILIPOH Magazine, Original Plumbing Magazine, IndieWIRE, Huffington Post, and the forthcoming anthology, Manifest: Transitional Wisdom on Male Privilege. You can check out his website here: www.ewanduarteproductions.com


Director's Statement  
Below is an excerpt that I wrote in the Director's Statement about Queering Yoga. It's on the Queering Yoga film homepage.

www.queeringyoga.com

"The ancient, Indian origins of yoga are honored and appreciated by the filmmakers and participants of Queering Yoga. Queering Yoga is the continuation of that ancient practice into the hearts and lives of Queer, Trans, Allies, and POC living in the Western world.

As a white (Eastern European Jew, a quarter Mexican, and a quarter German), Queer/Trans individual living in the U.S., I have questioned my purpose in the Queer yoga movement through my own meditations; I've confided in trusted healers, and I offer my intention for this project: To serve in the highest interest of all."

I would also like to add that Yoga was brought to America by Indians (from India) for the purpose of elevating the consciousness of Americans and to teach them about yoga. The teachings were brought here so that people in the West could learn the tools and skills of this ancient Spiritual practice and utilize them for personal growth, healing, and transformation. Yoga did not only remain encapsulated in India. 

The Spirit of Yoga is alive in America, helping people to elevate and awaken to a true and kinder state of consciousness. 
The intentions of Queering Yoga are to continue this message and to spread the teachings of yoga through stories of healing and transformation through the practice of yoga from all of the participants in this film. This is expressed through a Queer/Trans perspective. Another intention of the film is to introduce the practice of yoga to countless Queer, Trans, POC, and Allies in the West! To create and nurture inclusive, safe spaces to practice yoga in community! 

Another aim of this project is to show participants who decolonize their yoga practices individually, as a community, and as yoga teachers who are mindful, aware, and honor the Ancient Indian origins of yoga with respect, reverence, and with historical consciousness. 

Half of the participants in Queering Yoga identify as QTPOC. There are QTPOC crew members as well as QTPOC individuals who are on the Community Advisory Board. Queering Yoga is still in the production and crowdfund phases. I'm still interviewing participants for the project and South Asian voices will be included in the film as well as on the Community Advisory Board. To make this happen, I need your support! To continue interviewing participants and filming them for the project, we need to raise more money through our crowdfund campaign to complete production. 

An inspiring documentary that I would like to recommend is AWAKE: The Life Of Yogananda. Yogananda had a spiritual calling to leave India and come to America to teach about yoga as well as other spiritual teachings. I highly recommend this documentary. 

http://www.awaketheyoganandamovie.com

Thank you,

Ewan Duarte


From R to L. Producer/Director Ewan Duarte, Director of Photography Avery Hudson, and PA Pablo Vivas on set for QUEERING YOGA amidst the Redwoods. 


Participant Sterling Taylor practicing yoga and 1st A.C. Gwen Park working behind the camera. 


From L to R. Producer/Director Ewan Duarte, Participant Richelle Donigan, and Director of Photography Avery Hudson. 


From L to R. Producer/Director Ewan Duarte, Participant Jacoby Ballard, and Director of Photography Avery Hudson.