Seacoast Yoga Community Gathers to Raise Money for (H)EAT!

Yoga teachers and students from the Seacoast area will be joining together for a three hour yoga class called the Yoga Mala. The fourth annual Yoga Mala will be held at The Rivermill at Dover Landing (www.rivermillnh.com) on February 12, 2012, from 9am to noon. All proceeds from the class fees and pledges will be donated to (H)EAT, a part of Seacoast Local, whose aim is to raise money for food and fuel assistance for area families.

Event coordinator Erin Ehlers states, “The Yoga Mala is an incredibly uplifting experience. All shapes, sizes, ages and styles of yoga students attend. A three hour class can be challenging, but we encourage our students to do what they can, and to remember that our reason for gathering is to make sure Seacoast families can eat and stay warm this winter.”

The class consists of meditation, 108 Sun Salutations, and chanting as taught by 19 area yoga teachers. Sara Curry, a participating teacher from Bikram Yoga Portsmouth, says, “It’s amazing to gather this many talented yoga teachers for one class. The energy is incredible.”

Last year, the event raised nearly $9,000 for (H)EAT. “This year, I expect we can exceed that goal, because we are reaching out further and involving more teachers and yoga studios. We’ve created a website and are using facebook,” said Ehlers. “This is the Seacoast’s largest yoga event.”

This year’s Yoga Mala even offers a class for kids. ChildLight Yoga in Dover will be holding two kids’ classes (8:45 to 10:15 and 10:30 to noon) to run during the event. ChildLight Yoga director Lisa Flynn says, “We’re looking forward to having kids participate. This way, parents can do a portion of the Yoga Mala while their kids are a few blocks away doing a fun class of kids’ yoga and activities.” Please contact Lisa Flynn at lisa@childlightyoga.com for more information.

The event is supported by area sponsors, such as The Rivermill at Dover Landing, who donated the space to the event. New England Printing and Copying donated the printing of the posters.

Interested yoga students can register through their studio, or by contacting Erin Ehlers at erin@yogaonthehillkittery.com. The registration fee is $25 dollars, and students are encouraged to collect pledges for their efforts in the class.

Participating studios include: 3 Bridges Yoga, Awakening Grace Yoga, Bikram Yoga Portsmouth, Buddhi Boutique, ChildLight Yoga, Cider Hill Yoga, Empower Yoga Center, Green Lotus Yoga Studio, Mindful Yoga and Massage Studio, Moebius Yoga at the Prana Studio, My Om Whole Fitness, Portsmouth Center for Yoga and the Arts, Portsmouth Yoga Shala, Prasada Yoga Center, Rasamaya Movement Center, Sacred Movement Yoga, Symmetry Yoga, Tracy Jordan, Yoga 4 Classrooms, Yoga East, Yoga on the Hill, and Yoga on York.

For additional information, contact Erin Ehlers at erin@yogaonthehillkittery.com. More information can be found at www.tinyurl.com/yogamala.