Hold Your Heart
5-week Trauma-Informed Yoga Series
Online or In Studio
Register for whole series or drop-in
Thursdays, 5pm-6:30pm CT
May 11 - June 8, 2023
Led by Erin Vehige | she/her/hers
Founder of PureENV Yoga & Reiki
About this series:
In a world where so much of our worth is wrapped around our productivity and our identity seems to be couched in what we DO or OFFER society, it becomes a radical act to slow down, to stop, to hold and be held by a moment.
There are so many people suffering right now due to many many factors, but it mostly boils down to grief and loss. Healing those parts of us requires stillness and quiet reflection. But when our self-worth seems measured by what we produce, we can forget to get quiet. We forget to hold our hearts with compassion, grace, and ultimately, with love.
This yoga series is designed to offer ourselves the time to reclaim our true Divine worth and allow our hearts to be held and supported. By slowing down, we gain the ability to truly listen to who we are and what we need.
Knowing ourselves more fully allows us to embrace our grief and loss with the love we inherently deserve, softens ourselves to see the beauty that is always already there, and ultimately, allows us to open our hearts to others in need. In holding our own hearts in love, we are more capable of holding love for others.
The end of Mary Oliver’s poem “To Begin With, the Sweet Grass” sums this up more beautifully than I can: “And what do I risk to tell you this, which is all I know?/ Love yourself. Then forget it. Then, love the world.”
Through the series we will explore slow and gentle movement, meditation, breath practices, restorative poses, yoga nidra, and community, knowing that any and all practices are only an invitation. There will be many options to choose from at all times.
Trauma-informed:
“Trauma,” Bessel van der Kolk explains, “is not just an event that took place sometime in the past; it is also the imprint left by that experience on mind, brain, and body.”
As a trauma-Informed yoga (TIY) instructor, I assume that anyone coming to class may have experienced trauma, so I teach in a way that is sensitive to trauma no matter who shows up.
Trauma may feel like a word reserved for extreme experiences, but in truth nearly everyone has experienced some form of trauma in their lives whether big or small, isolated or ongoing. It took me so long to accept that I too am a survivor of trauma and how I show up in the world is a reflection of how I have worked through that—or not.
Knowing this, I am dedicated to creating a brave space that is open and accepting of anyone who steps in the room with me. While I cannot guarantee safety for any one person, I can hold the intention of a space that allows us to connect and support each other in our healing journeys. As a TIY instructor, I present options to help each of us recognize our own trauma-responses and begin to create more body awareness that allows us to be fully present for ourselves. Through invitational language, variations to allow choice, and minimal stimulation (no music, no scents, calming lights, voice management, etc.), I allow space for you to create the experience you need at any given moment.
No previous yoga experience necessary. Please note: This is not yoga therapy. Participants must be at least 15 years of age or older.
Registration
TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE IN THIS SERIES (Limited to 14 participants):
Email Erin at envehige@gmail.com
Send Payment options through
Venmo: @PureENV (friends & family)
Cashapp: $PureENV (friends & family)
PayPal: envehige@gmail.com (friends & family)
Check: PureENV Yoga c/o: Erin Vehige
***Registration is non-refundable, transferable credit for up to 365 days from date of cancellation***
EQUITY PRICING:
Empowered Spaces and PureENV Yoga & Reiki (Erin N. Vehige) value community care. Given the systemic injustice in this world which affects each of us differently, this equity pricing scale acknowledges that our ability to pay for services, and access those services, varies. We offer a self-determined sliding scale based on the ways that your identity grants you access to privilege and to social capital, e.g. race, gender & sexual identity, socio-economic status, educational background, able-bodied-ness, etc.
Sustainer Rate - "I can pay my way" - $100
Supporter Rate - "I can help support my community" - $150
Community Rate - "I can use support from my community" - $50
*Full and Partial Scholarships available
Drop in Rate - $25
(realize, too, that you can pay between these rates, as well)
**Full & Partial scholarships: Empowered Spaces is committed to doing everything possible to make offerings accessible to everyone. To inquire about the Empowered Spaces Equity Scholarship please contact Kelly at kkcaul@yahoo.com
Classes will be recorded (only the instructor) and shared if you must miss any session.
Please arrive 5-10 minutes before the session begins (when possible). Life happens and we all deserve grace. Please do not rush to yoga. PLEASE NOTE: If you are signed up, you are welcome to join the class at any time.
Yoga mats, blocks, blankets, cushions and chairs are provided, but feel free to bring your own.
COVID-19 PROCEDURES
We will follow CDC guidelines when it comes to masking. Currently: Masks are optional. Please stay home if you have symptoms, test positive, or were exposed to someone with COVID-19.
ACCESSIBILITY:
The Empowered Spaces yoga studio is located on the ground floor. There is a 10-car parking lot adjacent to the studio & additional free parking on neighborhood streets. Restroom is wheelchair-accessible and ramp-accessible in the main building. Please reach out to Kelly kkcaul@yahoo.com if there is anything more we can do to make our offerings more accessible. Empowered Spaces is committed to accessibility, and strives to be accessible and inclusive of all abilities and all individuals.
Meet Erin
Erin Vehige, Founder of PureENV yoga, has been teaching yoga since 2014 and specializes in Yoga for All Vinyasa, Restorative Yoga, and Meditation. Erin is also a certified Holy Fire Reiki Master. Her yoga classes are designed for all levels to create an atmosphere of non-judgment exploration of the body, mind, and spirit through movement, a little humor and the universal energy within each of us to be able to gain access to our own inner knowing.
It is Erin’s goal to create an environment that is welcoming and will ease people into a better mind/body connection through movements and stories that resonate with everyday lives. Her classes include options and variations along the way. She will challenge you to move to your edge with the grace and kindness your body deserves.