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    Queer Yoga Offers Safe Space to Practice

    “Welcome to Queer Yoga… here we give space to identify in the ways that are meaningful to us, both as we practice and as we move among one another before and after class. Thanks for being part of our safer space.”

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    So opens each class at Queer Yoga, celebrating its sixth year of providing safe, affordable, and non-judgmental yoga in Columbus. Queer Yoga classes are only $6 and held every Tuesday night at 7:30 the It Looks Like It’s Open (ILLIO) art gallery at 13 East Tulane.

    “Just being queer in the world can be traumatizing, so being in a space where you hear that your body is OK and you are OK can be tremendous. We try to infuse that into all our yoga classes,” said Zach Reau, a charter member of Queer Behavior and facilitator of the Queer Yoga classes.

    Columbus has been a progressive city for the LGBT population before and since landmarks such as Out on Main, but there was a time when things seemed dim, “The Open Book store had closed. A gay coffee shop, Coffee Table, had just closed, and we were looking for something,” says Reau.

    Various ideas for bringing people together were tossed around, and someone said, “What about yoga?”

    Queer Yoga classes have been a great way to introduce people to yoga and each other.

    “We welcome everyone,” says Reau. “The entire practice is devoted to breaking barriers to acceptance of oneself and others. Our goal is to bring likeminded people together so that we can know one another and communicate through of ties we build.”

    “We do our safe(r) space speech at the start of every class, so that everyone is on the same page,” he says. “It is about accepting your body and celebrating that. It gives the class a focus that this is a time to thank yourself for your practice and love yourself as you are. Also, at the beginning of class, we close our eyes and give people the space to opt out of any adjustments.”

    Yoga instructor Kelly Klein (a PhD student in dance at OSU) expertly lead a nice mix of relaxing neck and shoulder stretches combined with some intense ab-building core work when I attended her classes recently. She said that it was very rewarding to teach at Queer Yoga.

    “There are always new students, and that is especially fun,” says Klein. This year, long-time teacher Lauren Strawn will also lead classes. Both Strawn and Klein are certified yoga instructors.

    Queer Yoga has a home at It Looks Like It’s Open (ILLIO), an art gallery and community center in Clintonville.

    “It Looks Like It’s Open is perfect for yoga,” says Seth Josephson, a  board member for ILLIO. The nice white walls and wooden floors are a good background for yoga, and it comfortably fits over 16 people. ILLIO is an artist’s cooperative, so they have some very interesting bathroom art, and there is also puppet storage for Open Creatures next door.

    Queer Yoga has props and loans mats for free. They also keep their classes very affordable. The current price is $6. Again, with Queer Yoga’s mission to be accessible, even with their low price, Reau notes that “we have never turned anyone away for lack of money.”

    Funds raised from the Queer Yoga classes not only pay the expenses of the program but also aid other projects.

    “One of our original members tragically suffered a traumatic brain injury and didn’t have health insurance, so we donated proceeds to help pay the medical bills,” says Reau.

    Many Queer Yoga members also participate in events like the LULAC Rainbow Council and Columbus Urban Pride, which build bridges to the community and deepen understanding about what a queer experience is. One event is similar to the Moth Radio Hour heard locally on WOSU. Called “Teatime“, it is a quarterly storytelling event that gives participants an opportunity to open up about queer experiences in front of a live, supportive audience.

    Some people question the need for separate yoga programs for the LGBT community and there are many opinions circulating. Certainly any yoga studio manager or teacher I have asked over the past few months said that they welcome everyone, including LGBT students, into their classes and hope that they feel at home in their studios. Aside from the conventional studios, openly gay partners, Dan and Jake, recently graduated Yoga On High’s teacher training program and have started yoga-for-men program called Embodymen Yoga. I can see the need for that safer space that Queer Yoga offers, and I am very glad that Columbus and It Looks Like It’s Open provide a place for Queer Yoga. $6 Tuesdays at 7:30 at 13 East Tulane Rd, Columbus, OH 43202.

    For more information, visit Queer Yoga’s page on Facebook.

    Columbus Underground is celebrating healthy living habits to help you kick off the new year right! Check out all of our Health & Wellness 2016 articles by CLICKING HERE.

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    Nancy Alkire
    Nancy Alkire
    Nancy Alkire has practiced yoga off and on since WOSU broadcast Lilias, Yoga and You in the 1970’s. She has attended classes with Charlotte Bell, Bryan Kest and Kino MacGregor. Since turning 50, she has become much more interested in fitness and often calls on the expertise of athletic trainer, Jennifer Schiff, and Daniel Snider (almost a) PhD in physical therapy. “I am open to polite suggestions for other yoga or fitness experiences. I love documenting and sharing.” Get in touch with her by email.
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