Join Us June 19 - June 23 for Service Week in support of the LGBTQ Center of Durham.

On Wednesday June 21st, celebrate the Summer Solstice with Energize in Rest and Play Mindful Movement and Yoga. The 90 minute class is hosted by the entire Dogwood Team. Sign up In Person at the Parlour or Online!
Service week will conclude on June 23rd with Friday Evening Yin at 6:15pm In Person at the Shala or Online.

Written by Aviva Tulasi

June is Pride month, a time to honor the presence and unseen history of the LGBTQ+ community. It is a time to celebrate individuality without reservation. Often Pride is summarized with the affirmation Love is Love🌈.

But Love is Love is not just about the freedom to choose who you want to be in a romantic relationship with. It is to embrace self-love so you have the freedom to express your identity. It is the love of accepting others as they truly are. It is recognizing that there is more love than hate in the world. When we embrace the full spectrum of humanity, we are upholding our dharma.

Dharma is sometimes simplified as meaning duty. It is the ability to choose to do what is to be done and avoid what should not be done. Dharma is choosing what is proper over what is not proper so that you uphold the natural order of life. Dharma is not a mandate. Dharma is that which supports others. It is the pleasure due to harmony when you help another person or you alleviate their discomfort. This is the meaning of dharma to make the world a better place.

When we think of dharma, it is easy to imagine actions that we do for our loved ones that make their lives better. But it is much harder to hold onto the same peace when our own belief system is challenged. When a differing view point is expressed, we may react. For example, we might belittle the other person or distance ourselves, or show indifference. Real growth comes from analyzing the reaction and exploring its nature. Yoga is a tool that helps in this process. Yoga gives us opportunities to practice pausing and noticing. This helps respond rather than react to challenging situations. When we look closely at our thoughts, we gain understanding of what we are holding internally. Yoga helps us find a calmer space internally allowing ourselves to be aligned with dharma and do what should be done.

When we don’t stand up for dharma, it is noticed and it settles into the hearts and minds of all who are impacted. In the most vulnerable of the LGBTQ+ community, the pain of discrimination and lack of acceptance runs deep. Alok Vaid-Menon writes in Beyond the Gender Binary Book, “There is a shocking disconnect between the way the government and the media speak about gender non-conforming people and the reality of our lives.” “Gender non-conformity is seen as something immature, something we have to grow out of to become adults.”

Trans children across the US are interpreting the prescience of the current political landscape as State sponsored hatred and discrimination. Recently a trans child asked me, “How can you stand for the Pledge of Allegiance? Do you support bullying?” Our youth have no control over the laws that impact them, yet the messages sent will have long lasting impacts on their mental health and how they view themselves.

Even if the violence is not directed at a LGBTQ+ youth, they feel the impact of all the serious violence, assault, and violence-induced injury that is directed towards their identity. In 2022, NPR reported findings from the Trevor Project that nearly half of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in 2021. Among trans populations, prevalence estimates for attempted suicide range from 10% to 44%, much higher than the estimated 4.6% among the general U.S. population. The barriers facing the LGBTQ+ infiltrate all components of life. Tansgender people are over four times more likely than cisgender people to experience violent victimization, including rape, sexual assault, and aggravated or simple assault according to according to a new study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. A Duke study found that trans people are at greater risk of mortality at nearly every age compared with their non-trans counterparts. The study suggests that coping with adversity—such as the sustained cognitive and emotional engagement required to persevere in the face of discrimination— might be the cause individuals to postpone and ignore healthcare due to stigma resulting in early morbidity and mortality

When we stand up for dharma, we nourish those who are suffering and uplift our community. We become role models and teach all youth that they are valued and loved. We become the source spreading loving kindness. Aligning our thoughts and actions to dharma opens our hearts and minds to the collective good making society better for all.

Everyone has their own experience. The same is true for the LGBTQ+ experience. It is diverse and people have their own stories to tell. This Pride lets uphold dharma and embrace all identities. The world needs to be reminded that LGBTQ+ individuals are people and deserve the same rights as everyone else. We can start by learning more and opening ourselves to the experiences that LGBTQ+ people face.

Alok reminds the world of the beautiful message from Thich Nhat Hanh, “We cannot create happiness in a place where there is no suffering, just as we cannot grow lotuses without mud. Happiness and peace are born from transforming suffering and pain. If there was no mud, how could a lotus grow? Lotuses cannot grow on marble.”

When we approach Pride with a sense of Dharma, we uphold Dogwood’s chosen mantra:

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

English Translation: “May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.”

Dogwood’s chosen mantra affirms our mission and our DE&I statement. “Dogwood Studios is committed to learning and growing! We strive for everyone to feel respected and supported, to be treated equally, and to be celebrated for who they are. We are very excited about our ongoing endeavor to make Dogwood Studios a refuge and beacon of compassionate practice by including diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I).”

We look forward to coming together to support and uplift each other June 19 - June 23 for Service Week in support of the LGBTQ Center of Durham.

Your participation in a group yoga class during the week will help is a reflection of Dogwood Studio’s DE&I statement. Please consider using the sliding scale to donate money to support their work to make sure all folks have the resources necessary to live full, joyful lives.
Feel free to increase your impact by using the sliding scale to donate money to support the work of the LGBTQ Center of Durham
Learn more about LGBTQ Center of Durham at: https://www.lgbtqcenterofdurham.org/

If you have questions, reach out to us at info@dogwoodstudioyoga.com. We are here to help.

Aviva Tulasi strives to be an ally. She is a cis-gender female who is a step-mother of two beautiful teenagers. Her grandmother was the only person in her family to “survive” the Holocaust. Her yoga practice has helped her navigate through the world and start to heal from her generational trauma and her complex childhood trauma. She wants to see a world where hatred has no place so that future generations can thrive and be themselves without fear.

SAM Sather, founder of Dogwood Studios, is a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT) and an Insight Yoga Institute (IYI) endorsed teacher. She individualizes the yoga practice with appropriate modifications for participants’ unique bodies and medical histories with a focus on finding calm and improving health. She offers several live, online and in person yoga classes as well as private sessions so you can focus on your needs one-on-one.