Black Metal Yoga Workshop
April 7, 2018 from 6-7:30pm at The Yoga Harbor
$20 in advance, $25 drop in
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I recently asked my husband what people who don’t practice yoga think of yoga. He thought about it and said, “That it makes you happy and good looking.” This isn’t necessarily a bad message to be putting out there, but the inverse perception is often that you need to be happy and good looking to participate. And how many of us describe ourselves as happy and good looking?
Alissa is working against this notion. She carries the essential message that yoga will meet you wherever you are. Hungover? Come to her class. Depressed? That’s fine, too. Uncomfortable with who you are? Let’s explore.
Here’s what Alissa has to say about a workshop she facilitates called Black Metal Yoga:
The Yoga Harbor: What word describes you as a yoga teacher?
Alissa: Steady
TYH: When do you feel most connected to yourself?
Alissa: Riding my bike down city streets. Singing along with music I love. Hiking through the redwoods. Floating in the ocean and taking off on a wave.
TYH: When do you feel most connected to your students?
Alissa: The conversations that we have outside of class are one of my favorite parts of teaching yoga.
TYH: Give us the bumper sticker motto of the Black Metal Yogi:
Alissa: Shine a light on dark places.
I think that the core of yoga is to build the resiliency to do difficult things and to tackle parts of the status quo — either internally or environmentally — that cause harm.
TYH: What do you hope to add to the yoga conversation through your contributions?
Alissa: I try to broaden the conversation of yoga to be inclusive of social justice issues, particularly equitable access to wellness resources. We live in a world where it is really difficult for certain populations to get and stay healthy, particularly people without financial resources. As a yoga teacher I feel like it’s my responsibility to talk about this
I also let my experiences with the mental health effects of trauma guide me in my teaching. This is a huge and largely unspoken concern for a lot of people who practice yoga and I strive to increase awareness of and to normalize conversations about mental health in the yoga community.
TYH: What sets your soul on fire?
Alissa: Working to build a world that is more livable for everyone, regardless of the shape of our bodies and the amount of money we have.