09/01/2020
Dear BHNY Yogis,
Firstly, thank you for your understanding and patience with the time it has taken us to fully assess the situation. Sitting down to write this letter is something we have been struggling with for some time and it is long overdue. In 2014 we decided to open Be Here Now Yoga because we wanted to offer a unique experience, different from anything we had encountered thus far in the yoga community. We knew we could create a space that felt equitable and operated under the mission of LOVE. We believe we were successful in this aim until the Coronavirus pandemic put a halt to so many things. BHNY was never intended as means to generate lots of revenue or support our family; it was opened as a place to share our teachers’ teachings from the respect and devotion of our hearts. The studio’s earnings went to the hardworking staff, the community, and back into the space to maintain its operation. This approach kept the space pure and filled with integrity.
Upon significant reflection, we have come to the realization that operating the studio in the current climate is no longer feasible financially or energetically, and we have decided to close the physical space. We opened it to bring joy to others and ourselves. In the months following the lockdown and restrictions, that joy has begun to fall away. In place of that joy, stress and fear have crept in. The added stress to ensure that those who enter the space do not put themselves or others at risk, and the fear of someone getting sick because they came to Be Here Now. It goes without saying that that would weigh heavily on our hearts. This place was built to help people heal themselves, not to cause them harm. The future of yoga asana and healing - with all the masks, hand sanitizers, heavy chemical disinfectants, and lack of physical touch is simply not where our hearts lie. Therefore, we are choosing not to reopen the space. We have to follow our hearts, and we have to listen to the wisdom that springs forth from that place.
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