Hi, it's Agni!
July means it's time for another quarterly report on our little yoga project!
I always have to start by putting credit where it's due - our Members, especially our Benefactor Members Danielle, Pam, and BIll.
For those of us who like to take yoga classes, Membership is an incredible way to save a lot of money (with our regular classes and Events).
But what you might not realize -- although I do say it an awful lot! -- is that by being a Member, and especially by keeping Membership active all year round -- you provide stability to the project.
With stability, comes possibility. Look at the incredible special events we had this quarter! We had a breath and stress-reduction workshop, we removed hundreds of pounds of garbage from our reservoir, we hosted Indigenous knowledges (and shared dinner), we met and helped get work done at an animal sanctuary here in Grays Harbor, and we swapped plants!
All in addition to all our hours of yoga, tea and fellowship.
Let's dive into some numbers:
2026 2nd Quarter Summation (previous quarter in parentheses):
Yoga Classes Completed: 98.2% (down 2% from last quarter)
Average Class Size: 3.7 (down 1.4)
Total Student Class Registrations: 209 (down 91)
Total Classes Held: 57 (down 2)
Student Class Hours: 222.8 (down 65.3)
Those numbers are down quarter to quarter, but compared to this same time last year:
Yoga Classes Completed: up 2%; 2025's 2nd quarter was 96.28%
Average Class Size: up .5
Total Student Class Registrations: up 46
Total Classes Held: up 6
Student Class Hours: up 56.3
So while we were less active than the Jan-Mar window, we're practicing together more this year than we did last year.
Special Events:
We've had several special events this quarter! Members, this is all down to you. Your support, especially Benefactors and Supporters, provides stability so we can put the time into organizing, social media posts, et cetera. Even simple events take a lot of time to put together. Thank you for doing your part to provide that time.
Prāṇāyāma Class - April 5
Community Clean Up @ 9th Ave - Apr 25
Good Neighbors Dinner with the Shoalwater Bay Tribe - May 3
Shanti's Heart Sanctuary - May 30th
Plant Swap - Jun 28th
Ancient yoga texts talk a lot about restraint
I've been studying the history of yoga - in a masters class, and reading texts in Sanskrit - for two years now. Western culture has done a fantastic job exploring and filling out the āsana part of yoga - that is, the physical poses. But oftentimes gets merged into fitness culture, and this idea of pushing your body to make the same body shape as the instructor (or yoga influencer, or whatever shape is in your mind).
Yoga has held a principle of restraint for over a thousand years - before even the first reference to a physical pose. If you want to understand yoga, you must also practice holding back. Pushing yourself to conform to do the more extreme or harder poses is an example of striving, and sometimes an example of non-acceptance.
People are very social. In general, in āsana classes, students do what the instructor does. One thing I've been thinking about, is inviting students up to the top of class with me and we can trade "easier" and "harder" versions of the poses, so that students can more clearly ascertain which pose is right for them.
One more thing: restraint is not the same as restriction. Restriction will feel pinched, tense. Restriction often exists while we compare ourselves to others.
Restraint, on the other hand feels powerful. Restraint is a delicate balance of humility and power. Restraint puts us in community - not competition.
And finally; thank you.
Thank you so much for coming to class, for telling your friends and neighbors, and for bringing yourself into our community to practice together. I am so pleased at how well things are going.
See you soon!