a fundraiser for flood victims

no, this isn't about trying to get the people of new orleans back into their pre-katrina homes; brad pitt's busy taking care of that.

this is about trying to keep liberation yoga financially afloat after flood damage from burst water pipes caused the cancellation of almost half of all their classes. that plus the need to repair and/or replace much of their interior space has severely impacted their bottom line.

if you've ever been fortunate enough to walk through the welcoming front door (or even the back door) of this little gem in the mid-wilshire area, you'll know why there's been such an outpouring of love and support from all of their students.

i received this email from glendene yesterday; i'm going to give her the floor so she can tell you all about the upcoming fundraiser herself (and that pun was totally unintentional):

Dear Friends of Liberation Yoga,

I am very excited to announce that we will be holding a special fundraiser for Liberation Yoga. I got the idea from a friend who threw a similar fundraiser for a teacher who underwent open heart surgery in 2007. The community got together and raised over $4000 to help this person who was unable to work during his two-month recuperation period. It was a beautiful gesture of love from the community to make an offering like this to someone who needed a little extra help in a time of need, and it was so easy to do.

Well, Gary and Christine could use our support too. Many of you are aware that in February a pipe burst in the studio, which caused some major structural damage to the indoor studio floor and walls. Because Liberation had to cancel 50% of their classes for 12 days so the floors could dry, they lost a substantial amount of revenue. I would like to help them recoup some of their lost revenue, and I am humbly asking that the Liberation community to help me in this endeavor.

I have rented a space large enough for literally hundreds of people to gather. Steven Espinosa, Ashley Albrand, and Jessie Diaz-Perez have volunteered their time to teach a two-hour yoga class for our great community. All that is requested of you is to make a minimum contribution of $20, which will go directly to Christine and Gary. Even if you cannot make the event please feel free to make a contribution. Those of you who practice yoga at Liberation know that we are not only supporting a business, but we are supporting a sanctuary. To many of us Liberation is a respite from the crazy city of L.A.

I hope to see you all there, and thank you so much in advance for your generous and loving support.

When: Sunday, April 27, 2008 2:30-4:30pm
Where: Women's Club of Hollywood, 1749 N La Brea Ave, Hollywood
Donation: if you are paying by check, please make the check out to either Christine Burke or Gary McCleery

Please RSVP to Glendene at liberation_community@yahoo.com by April 20, 2008.

Namaste~

and while we're on the subject of the flood damage, here's an update from christine. the fact that she can still inject humor into the situation totally amazes me... but then again, she is an amazing person :)

Greetings!

"Holy $#@*! I have never, in all my years, seen a floor do that! That is UNBELIEVABLE!" ~ the floor specialist who is installing the new floor at Liberation

So in addition to being chosen as the "Best Yoga Studio In LA" for two consecutive years it seems we could win the "Best Warped and Damaged Floor" for 2008!!! And most certainly Liberation Yoga students win the most flexible (of mind!!) and limber of body for spending so much time on that crazy floor! Well, ladies and gentlemen, it is finally in motion - Shiva has struck and the sound of saws and drills and bursting floorboards are like music to our ears. You will all be happy to know that there was nothing scary under there - only air! A lot of hot air!

So in our attempts to not disrupt everyone's schedule too much we are going to practice guerilla yoga for the evening classes. What this means is that we will use the room which is mostly concrete and we will lay a carpet over that and some of the wood too. By doing this we only have to cancel a few of the daytime classes but not the evening for only the next 3-4 days.

Below is the schedule which lists the classes that are happening and says in block letters the classes that are not. Please read carefully. Thank you all immensely for your support and perseverance and please come to class because it's always better to have yoga than not to have yoga!!

MONDAY SCHEDULE
7:00-8:30am Level 1-2 - Lynn Taylor (Garden)
9:00am ASHTANGA CANCELLED // 9:00-10:30am Iyengar - Pagan (Garden)
11:00am-12:30pm - Level 1 - Susan Kaye (Garden)
4:15pm GENTLE RESTORATIVE CANCELLED
5:00-6:30pm All Levels - Sarah Isenberg (Garden)
6:30-8:00pm Level 1 - Cathie Baker (Inside) // 6:30-8:00pm Flow - Ashley Albrand 2-3 (Garden)
8:00-9:30pm All Levels Flow - Alicia Johnson

TUESDAY SCHEDULE
6:30am ARUN IS CANCELLED
9:00-11:00am Ashtanga - Joel Bender (Garden) // 9:30am FLOW CANCELLED
11:00am-12:30pm Level 1 - Jessie Diaz-Perez (Garden)
4:30pm All Levels - Jennifer Long (Garden)
6:30-8:00pm Level 1 - Kathleen Ross-Allee (Inside) // 6:30-8:00pm Flow 2-3 - Christine Burke (Garden)
8:00-9:30pm Level 2 - Erica Kyriakatos (Inside) // 8:30-9:30pm Meditation - Deborah Tull (Garden)

WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE
7:00-8:30am Level 1 - Lynn Taylor (Garden)
9:00-11:00am Ashtanga - Joel Bender (Garden) // 9:30am IYENGAR CANCELLED
11:00am-12:30pm Level 1 - Sarah Hemphill
4:30-6:00pm All Levels - Laurie Searle (Garden)
6:30-8:00pm Gentle Restorative - Jeanne Korn (Inside) // 6:30-8:00pm Flow 2-3 - Ashley Albrand (Garden)
8:00-9:30pm Level 1 - Christine Burke (Garden) // 8:00-9:30pm All Levels Flow - Alicia Johnson (Inside)

THURSDAY SCHEDULE
We hope to be back to normal on Thursday; if not, we will send out an email on Wednesday to update everyone!!