We’ll keep the yoga pep talk short and get to business.

Move your body.
Do something within your community.

It doesn’t matter if you’re getting your rage out in a FIT class or soothing your nervous system in YIN. It doesn’t matter if your social connection happens in the studio, at brunch, or at a protest.

Movement and connection both speak directly to your ventral vagal nervous system—the part responsible for feelings of safety, regulation, and calm. The version of you that feels calmer and more resourced (or as close to that as you can get) is the version of you that can actually take action.

That’s the version of you that gets things done.

We all have a role to play. Below are some ways to engage. Please share additional resources or ideas—we learn better together.

Use Your Voice With Elected Officials

Contact your Senators and Representatives.
Yes—even if you live in a Democrat-represented area.

There is currently a Senate vote that includes increased funding for ICE. This funding bill has already passed in the House. If the Senate changes the bill, it goes back to the House.

We’re big fans of the 5calls app – it gives you access to contact all of your reps and scripts to use to make things easier.

If you have a Republican Senator:
Appeal to constitutional values—freedom of speech, due process, and limits on federal overreach. This is not a partisan issue. It is a humanitarian and constitutional one.

If your Democratic Senator is voting in alignment with the values you elected them for:
Say thank you—and ask for more.

Suggestions include:

• Calling for impeachment of corrupt administration members

• Encourage they communicate with Republicans to encourage bipartisan resistance

• Showing up publicly—not just as an office with a vote, but as a person with a body and a microphone

• Writing legislation that protects people from ICE overreach and demands transparency around how tax dollars are being spent

Our representatives have power. It matters how fully they use it.

Show Up — In the Ways You Can

Show up physically.
This might mean protesting, striking, sitting in, legal observing, volunteering with larger organizations, or running errands for neighbors who are scared to be in public. Different comfort levels are valid. All of it matters.

Standwithminnesota.com is a great resource for finding ways to support.

LAtaco created a list of organizations to support that work with immigrants.

Here’s a list of Social Justice organizations in California. 

Show up emotionally.
Check in on people you know who are undocumented or have family members with various immigration status. A simple message can mean everything:

“I’ve been thinking about you and hope you and your loved ones are okay. I’m here if you need support.”

Check in on people doing nervous-system-shattering work—protestors, journalists, parents, organizers. Your regulated presence is not small. It’s a resource.

Your yoga practice gives you access to steadiness. That steadiness can be the calm someone else needs.

Manage Your Information Intake

This is a marathon, not a sprint. 

Be intentional about when and how you consume information. Give yourself windows to engage deeply—and then step back to nourish yourself so you can return tomorrow. 

We love what Jeff the Therapist has to say “Your body wasn’t made for this.” and provides us with tips to move stress THROUGH the body, get the energy out.

Look across perspectives so you can meet people where they are. Check facts and sources. Resist spreading misinformation, even when emotions are high. 

If you notice yourself spiraling on your phone:

• FaceTime a friend

• Move your body

• Play Tetris (yes, really—there’s evidence it helps regulate the nervous system after stress)

If your phone has a grip on you, it’s okay to transition within the phone to something more supportive.

Take the Next Available Action

Anxiety loves to convince us there’s nothing we can do. There is always one action available.

You are not failing by taking an hour on your mat.

Sometimes rest is the next action. When you pull farther back on the bow, the arrow flies farther. Be gentle with yourself. We love what Niki Saccareccia had to say here and the quote she shared.

Yoga teaches us a cycle for sustainable change:

• Svadhyaya — reflection

• Tamas (or tapas) — effort, heat, willful action

• Ishvara Pranidhana — be witness to the work

Then we repeat.

We dont want to burn out. We need you well, steady, and resilient.

We don’t practice yoga to create a pocket of peace so we can ignore the world.
We practice yoga to become more functional humans—so we can show up in the world.

Right now, we need you regulated, connected, and clear.
We need your presence, your voice, and your care

The post Yoga Is Not a Passive Practice appeared first on One Down Dog.

At One Down Dog, we believe that yoga and mutual aid go hand in hand

Because we’re more than a yoga studio and yoga is more than the poses. One Down Dog is a community hub where all bodies move, all minds find peace, all hearts open and connect, and yoga’s ethical guidelines – The Yamas and The Niyamas – are the foundation of how we show up in our community. In 2024, this caring crew showed up for its members in inspiring and meaningful ways. And because we believe in transparency, let’s dive into the highlights of how your generous donations and our charitable contributions were used to make a difference. 

ODDgives Classes:

Our ODDgives program continued to thrive in 2024, with our teachers hosting donation-based classes to benefit a wide range of nonprofits. Together, we raised $4,587 for organizations working tirelessly for social justice, humanitarian aid, and support for historically marginalized communities.

Where the donations go:

1. World Central Kitchen – WCK is the first to the frontlines, providing fresh meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. 
2. Los Angeles LGBT Center – The Los Angeles LGBT Center pioneered a holistic model of care that’s unparalleled in size and scope by any other LGBTQ+ organization in the world. From housing to legal aid, healthcare to mental health, and even youth aged 18 to seniors aged 98—we offer comprehensive care that’s designed specifically for the queer and trans community.
3. San Francisco AIDS Foundation – San Francisco AIDS Foundation promotes health, wellness, and social justice for communities most impacted by HIV, through sexual health and substance use services, advocacy, and community partnerships.
4. The American Cancer Society – The American Cancer Society is the leading cancer-fighting organization with a vision of ending cancer as we know it – for everyone. They are the only organization working to improve the lives of people with cancer and their families through advocacy, research, and patient support to ensure everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.
5. Hope The Mission – Hope The Mission seeks to prevent, reduce and eliminate poverty, hunger and homelessness. They do this by offering immediate assistance and long-term solutions through services that are grounded in a deep respect for the dignity inherent in each human being.
6. Miry’s List – Miry’s List is a nonprofit organization providing a mechanism for people to directly help new arrival refugee families with the incredible challenge of resettlement in the United States.
7. Downtown Women’s Center Los Angeles – The DWC is the only organization in Los Angeles focused exclusively on serving women and gender diverse individuals experiencing homelessness.

Holiday Donations:

During the holiday season, we brought an extra dose of warmth and generosity to two groups who have been particularly hard hit by recent events and policy changes. Thanks to your incredible support at our annual Christmas Day FLOW for Miry’s List, we raised $1,467! Miry is an ODD student who “accidentally founded" a nonprofit that provides a mechanism for people to directly help new arrival refugee families with the incredible challenge of resettlement in the United States. 

Then, at our first-ever Good Karma Party, we provided the supplies in the amount of $700 and almost 30 of you showed up during the busy holiday season to connect and pack lunches for the residents of Downtown Women’s Center Los Angeles. Consider your karma good! 

For ODD Yogis by ODD Yogis:

We believe that yoga should be accessible to everyone, regardless of financial circumstances. The ODDfund provides financial assistance in paying for classes and/or memberships to students who need it. Mutual aid is our biggest tool for supporting the health of the community. Here’s how you helped your fellow ODDfam in 2024:

1. Provided 2 BIPOC students scholarships to our 200 Hour YTT Program in the amount of $2,975!
2. Beyond our studio walls, we donated 34 memberships to 32 local school and nonprofit fundraisers in the amount of $7,360!

We are SO proud of this community! Thank you, ODDfam, for continuing to help us carry the message of yoga out into the world and put very real actions to our words – building a kinder world, one dollar at a time.

The post One Down Dog Donation Impact Report 2024 appeared first on One Down Dog.

We’re a community hub where bodies move, minds find peace, and hearts connect. In 2023, we were incredibly inspired by the ways our community came together to support each other. Let’s dive into the highlights!

ODDgives Classes:

Our ODDgives program continued to thrive in 2023, with our teachers hosting donation-based classes to benefit a wide range of nonprofits. Together, we raised $5,033 for organizations working tirelessly for social justice, environmental sustainability, and historically marginalized communities.

We donated to 15 different orgs:

1. Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation – The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation is a non-profit, volunteer-fueled organization dedicated to finding cures for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and improving the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases

2. Tyre Nichols Memorial Fund – The Tyre Nichols Memorial Fund helped cover the cost of mental health services for Tyre Nichol’s parents, their time off from work because they do not have unlimited PTO, and a memorial skate park for Tyre, in honor of his love for skating and sunsets.

3. Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center (SIJCC) – The Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center (SIJCC) is a model for modern Jewish communal life in Los Angeles, redefining what Jewish engagement and expression look like on a personal, interpersonal, and communal level.

4. National Network of Abortion Funds – The National Network of Abortion Funds builds power with members to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access by centering people who have abortions and organizing at the intersections of racial, economic, and reproductive justice.

5. Miry’s List – Miry’s List is a nonprofit organization providing a mechanism for people to directly help new arrival refugee families with the incredible challenge of resettlement in the United States.

6. Ralph Yarl’s GoFundMe – Ralph Yarl’s GoFundMe covers the cost of medical bills and therapy for Ralph Yarl, and any addtional funds will be use for college expenses at Texas A&M, a trip to West Africa, and other expenses

7. ACLU – ACLU has been our nation’s guardian of liberty, working in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country. Whether it’s achieving full equality for LGBT people, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age of widespread government surveillance, ending mass incarceration, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people from government abuse and overreach.

8. Inclusive Action for the City – Inclusive Action for the City is a non-profit, community development financial institution (CDFI) serving Los Angeles County and beyond. Their mission is to serve underinvested communities and build thriving local economies by improving access to transformative capital, and advancing policy through collaborative research and community-driven advocacy.

9. Movember – Movember has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world, challenging the status quo, shaking up men’s health research and transforming the way health services reach and support men.

10. Entertainment Community Fund – The Entertainment Community Funds provide human services nationally for people who work in film, theater, television, music, opera, radio and dance. They’re there for everyone on stage, on camera, and behind the scenes to support a life in the arts.

11. Pacific’o on the Beach Employee Fire Relief—Pacific’o on the Beach Employee Fire Relief is a fundraiser to help the employees of Pacific’o on the Beach who were affected by the wildfires.

12. Pilipino Workers Center (PWC)—The Pilipino Workers Center is a grassroots non-profit that organizes the low-wage and immigrant Pilipinx communities in the United States. It builds collective power to demand better living and working conditions and secure the dignity, safety, and economic stability of the Pilipinx community.

13. Fitness 4 All Bodies – Fitness4AllBodies teaches coaches, gym/studio owners, and people in the fitness industry to better understand how our bodies are connected to systems of oppression, how those systems are reinforced by the fitness industry, and how to develop a social justice lens and apply it to their work.

14. ACLU Drag Defense Fund – The Drag Defense Fund supports the ACLU’s LGBTQ+ rights work at a time when drag performers and the LGBTQ+ community are facing threats across the country. In the face of these threats and censorship, you can fight back with the ACLU for the protection of all our rights.

15. The American Cancer Society – The American Cancer Society is the leading cancer-fighting organization with a vision of ending cancer as we know it, for everyone. We are the only organization working to improve the lives of people with cancer and their families through advocacy, research, and patient support, to ensure everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.

Holiday Donations:

During the holiday season, we brought an extra dose of warmth and generosity. Thanks to your incredible support, we raised $1110 for Miry’s List! Miry is an ODD student who “accidentally founded" a nonprofit that provides a mechanism for people to directly help new arrival refugee families with the incredible challenge of resettlement in the United States.

From ODD’s Community to ODD’s Community:

We believe that yoga should be accessible to everyone, regardless of financial circumstances. The ODD Fund provides financial assistance in paying for classes and/or memberships to students who need it. Mutual aid is our biggest tool for support. Here’s how you helped your fellow ODDFam in 2023:

1. Provided 4 BIPOC students scholarships to our YTT programs in the amount of $4,400 !
2. Help support 48 students in paying for their membership costs!
3. Beyond our studio walls, we donated memberships to 27 local schools and nonprofits in the amount of $5,090!

We are SO proud of this community! Thank you, ODDFam for continuing to make One Down Dog more than a yoga studio.

The post 2023 Impact Report appeared first on One Down Dog.

We’re a community, a place to deepen your practice, connect with others, and give back to the larger community. Here are all the ways you helped us do that in 2022!

ODDgives Classes:

ODDgives is a program created to elevate diverse voices and give back to underserved communities. These classes are donation-based classes for a non-profit of the teacher’s choosing, either open to all or affinity-style classes exclusively for students from historically marginalized communities.

Total donations: $3793

For 6 different orgs:

1. National Network of Abortion Funds – The National Network of Abortion Funds builds power with members to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access by centering people who have abortions and organizing at the intersections of racial, economic, and reproductive justice.

2. Somos Familia – Somos Familia builds leadership in our Latinx families and communities to create a culture where people of diverse genders and sexual orientations can thrive.

3. Cooperation Jackson‘s Fund to bring clean water to Jackson, MS – Cooperation Jackson is an emerging vehicle for sustainable community development, economic democracy, and community ownership.

4. Miry’s List – Miry’s List is a nonprofit organization providing a mechanism for people to directly help new arrival refugee families with the incredible challenge of resettlement in the United States.

5. Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center (SIJCC) – The Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center (SIJCC) is a model for modern Jewish communal life in Los Angeles, redefining what Jewish engagement and expression look like on a personal, interpersonal, and communal level.

6. Everytown – Everytown is the largest gun violence prevention organization in America, and their vast work ranges from registering voters to representing survivors of gun violence in court and more.

7. Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders Community Fund – The AAPI Community Fund issues grants to trusted AAPI organizations working to rectify the racial inequalities in our society.

Holiday Donations:

Over the holiday season, you all helped us donate over 50 toys to A Place Called Home‘s holiday toy drive! A Place Called Home’s mission is to inspire, encourage, and support the young people in South Los Angeles to achieve social, emotional, and economic success.

You also helped us donate $850 to Miry’s List! Miry is an ODD student who “accidentally founded" a nonprofit providing a mechanism for people to directly help new arrival refugee families with the incredible challenge of resettlement in the United States.

From ODD’s Community to ODD’s Community:

We never want finances to get in the way of a student’s ability to practice with us! The ODD Fund provides financial assistance in paying for classes and/or memberships to students who need it. Mutual aid is our biggest tool for support. Here’s how you helped your fellow ODD Fam in 2022:

1. Through your donations to the ODD Fund, we were able to give 8 BIPOC students scholarships to our YTT programs in the amount of $9,875 in 2022!

2. The ODD Fund also helped support 56 students in paying for their membership costs!

3. Lastly, we donated over $1000 in yoga gift certificates to local schools and nonprofits for fundraising events in 2022!

We are SO proud of this community! Thank you, ODD Fam for continuing to make One Down Dog more than a yoga studio.

The post 2022 Impact Report appeared first on One Down Dog.

One Down Dog has always been dedicated to community care! Check out our impact page for years of ODD community impact reports and happenings.

Beyond events and fundraisers, we work daily on equity and inclusion: a staff from many walks of life, diverse students in-studio and online from all over the world, pricing options, and class type and time options to meet as many individual’s needs as possible In our shop we have 77% woman-owned, 26% BIPOC owned and 88% small businesses on our shelves. This is all part of dedicating to inclusion beyond fiscal donations and fundraiser classes. In addition, within our studios, we work hard to support small businesses and BIPOC-owned businesses when purchasing supplies.

2021 IMPACT REPORT:

Over 150 students received help with memberships with the ODDfund

Over $1000 raised for the ODDfund with our yearly raffle

Over 6 students in YTT received partial scholarships

Black History Month Fundraisers:

$120 – NATIONAL BAIL FUND FLOW fundraiser with Marietta

$200 – AUTISTIC PEOPLE OF COLOR fundraiser FLOW with Cerrissa

$225 – BLK Temple for a FLOW fundraiser with Essence

$398 – ODD’s BIPOC Student Scholarship FLOW fundraiser with Courtney

$100 – Loveland Foundation fundraiser meditation with Logan Browning

March and April’s Community Activations:

$255  raised for AAPI organizations via 2 affinity classes – one for students identifying as biracial or multicultural with Cindy and one exclusively for those who identify as Asian with Bianca

Added: FLOW EN ESPAÑOL with Sergio online

Launched: postnatal support group & fundraiser 

Spring and Summer’s Community Efforts:

$1,234 – Project Mumbai ( $673 raised, $500 ODD matched)

$25 – Body Neutrality for for About Face with Bobbi

$75 – Somos Familia Valle – 3 pride events at ODD.

Fall and Winter’s Fundraisers and Donations:

5 class packs donated to –

Nela Community

Camp Conrad Chinnock

Finish the Ride/Finish the Run

$200 – Thanksgiving Fundraiser FLOW to Protect Thacker Pass with The People Of Red Mountain

$25 – Miry’s List each month. A student’s non profit welcoming refugees into the United States.

There is so much this community does that is immeasurable. We do the work and stay out of the results. Should you have an idea for an event we can host, or a group that needs support, please let us know. One Down Dog loves to be a home to your personal activism.

The post 2021 Impact Report appeared first on One Down Dog.

Find A Friend!

Need somebody to volunteer with? Join our One Down Dog community Facebook Group and share which activities you’d like to have a friend to go with!

JUNE 2021 CALLS TO ACTION

Volunteer With Pride – all month long!

It’s always fun to go volunteer with your community. Check out LA PRIDE’S calendar of group volunteer activities HERE

African American Fire Fighter Museum

June 8 & June 17, 2021 10am – 1pm

Make and drop off hygiene kits! Minimum amount of care kits you’ll make is 10. Claim your spot HERE

Koreatown Coalition Homelessness Count 

June 10, 2021 7pm – 10pm

An entirely volunteer team to count our neighbors experiencing homelessness in K town. You will need to attend a one hour training on ZOOM prior to the count. Find your time for the training and sign up HERE

Tie Dye and Pride (Rainbow Hike in July)

June 12, 2021 1-5pm @ One Down Dog Echo Park

One Down Dog’s BUY AND DYE tie dye event for PRIDE. Come grab a white One Down Dog shirt or bring your own to make your rainbow dreams come true. Small groups, masked, and outside. We’ll meet back up later in July for a PRIDE hike in Griffith and a donation yoga class on the hill to raise money for LGBTQ+ org of the teacher’s choosing. 10% will be donated to an LGBTQ+ org, to be announced. Sign up here and stay tuned for that colorful hiking date fundraiser in July! (Pride goes all summer!)

Yoga For The LGBTQIA+ Community –

Tuesday the 15th @ 7:30pm PT

A yoga class led by the LGBTQIA+ Community for the LGBTQIA+ Community. This is a $5 donation class on ZOOM with Joana Allis, one of the many LGBTQIA+ teachers at One Down Dog. We respectfully ask allies to sit this one out. There are tie dye events and hikes open to everyone. All proceeds will be donated to an org of the teacher’s choosing. Cant afford the class? Email hello@onedowndog.com and we will get you in. Sign up HERE for the class in the online schedule.

NELA Food and Baby Supplies Drive

June 19th, 2021

Food Drive plus clothes and goods for babies especially diapers! If you cant drop it off on the 19th you can drop it off earlier – find details HERE.

PRIDE Sober Party & Fundraiser

June 26, 2021 11am – 3pm

The AT Center is putting on a pride party for the LGBTQ+ sober community. Dancing, burgers, good time. Proceeds go to the AT Center putting on free fitness and health classes for the LGBTQ+ community. Sign up HERE – no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

The Chai Mommas

Google Doc of ways to help with COVID crisis in India. Click HERE

LA River Clean Up June & July

Near all of our studios – they have lots of opportunities to show up and clean up! Check it out HERE

SELAH

Regular volunteer opportunities throughout the week, each week, helping our unhoused neighbors with a range of things like food, showers, clothes, and even helping them get stimulus checks! Limited spots – sign up HERE

The post Los Angeles Social Justice and Volunteer Opportunities 2021 appeared first on One Down Dog.

We regularly offer community actions around Los Angeles and reflect on what work we did in the month past. In yoga, this cycle of action and reflection is called Kriya Yoga – the third step is surrender. We do the work and stay out of the results. This is the yoga of action and change. We return to tapas, svadhyaya, and ishvara pranidhana again and again – the heat of action, the will to change, the self study, and witness to the work we’ve done – whether it’s time to return to work in the same way, a new way, or find the serenity to accept the things we cannot change. (sound familiar?)

Find A Friend!

Need somebody to volunteer with? Join our One Down Dog community Facebook Group and share which activities you’d like to have a friend to go with!

JUNE 2021 CALLS TO ACTION:

Tie Dye and Pride (Rainbow Hike in July)

WHEN: June 12th, 2021 1-5pm (Reserve your time slot)

WHERE: One Down Dog Echo Park

PROCEEDS: 10% of proceeds will be donated to an LGBTQ+ org, TBA

One Down Dog’s BUY AND DYE tie-dye event for PRIDE hosted by Megan. 10% will be donated to an LGBTQ+ org, to be announced. Come grab a white One Down Dog shirt or bring your own to make your rainbow dreams come true. Small groups, masked, and outside. We’ll meet back up later in July for a PRIDE hike led by Dylan and a donation yoga class outside to raise money for LGBTQ+ org of the teacher’s choosing. All proceeds donated for the community hike and class. Sign up and stay tuned for that colorful hiking date fundraiser in July! (Pride goes all summer!)

TIE DYE FOR PRIDE SIGN UP >>

LGBTQIA+ Affinity Class with Joana

WHEN: June 15th, 2021 @ 7:30pm (Pacific Time)

WHERE: Online with One Down Dog

PROCEEDS: $5 donations go to LGBTQIA+ org, TBA

This is an online donation FLOW class exclusively for the LGBTQIA+ community. We respectfully ask allies to sit out! No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Donations will be given to an org of the teacher’s choosing, to be announced soon.

AFFINITY CLASS SIGN UP >>

MAY’S COMMUNITY EFFORTS:

KICK COVID’S BUTT INDIA!

This fundraiser was a BUTT class with Nikita, a corporate client matched their class rate, and a $500 match from ODD! We raised $1175 for Project Mumbai – A local organization helping to fight COVID in India.

Body Neutrality Class with Bobbi

Toxic positivity has got to go. How about a little neutrality in order to appreciate our bodies for what they offer. This affinity class was open to those who wanted to explore a little more gratitude for what their bodies do rather than what they look like.

This donation affinity class raised $35 for About Face – Programs that helps teen girls and youth learn how social media and other media affect them… and what they can do about it!

Honoring Mother’s Day with Hallie

It’s not always a wonderful holiday. For some of us – we still haven’t seen our parents in a long time. For other’s it was a family reunion. However Mother’s Day showed up for you – Hallie held space.

Check back at the start of each month to see what is planned and what we have achieved with your help!

Want a recap of 2020’s fundraising efforts? – Check it out HERE >>

Stay tuned later this month for a full recap and report card of what you’ve achieved so far in 2021. Soon you’ll be able to source these regular social justice actions on our website so you can always keep active and keep in touch.

The post ODD Community Impact May & June appeared first on One Down Dog.

Your efforts resulted in:

Whether it’s retail with a cause, FLOW for a cause, or the oodles of venmo donations – your efforts have made a BIG difference.

$25.17 – Keep A Breast – (Proceeds from Nipple Mafia T-shirts)

$90.27 – LGBTQ center LA (Proceeds from Rainbow T-shirts)

$520.00 + $400 ODD match – Black Women’s Health Imperative

$1218 raised by you + $625 match from ODD + $1,000 from Manduka for – BLK TEMPLE

$110 – LA Action Bail Fund

$680 + $500 ODD match – Marsha P Johnson Institute

$965 + $675 ODD match – Movement For Black Lives

$438 + $300 ODD match – Project Q

$966.00  – Transgender Law Center ($466 from our PRIDE themed story telling event. PLUS a student matched our donation an additional $500)

$175 – Southern Poverty Law Center

$870 – Armenia Fund INC

From ODD’s Community to ODD’s Community:

Your donations this year have not only kept us afloat with studios to come back to but also kept people practicing and growing their yoga practice. Mutual aid is our biggest tool for support. Here’s where you gave yoga or where yoga was given away in challenges!

Over $10,000 raised for our ODD Student Fund and BIPOC YTT Scholarship.

85 people received help for their memberships due to your donations to the ODDfund.

4 women received help from the BIPOC Yoga Teacher Training Scholarship.

3 people won 30 days of online yoga from various challenges (#OneDownDogDaysOfSumme, BE A FRIEND, BRING A FRIEND, Heat Sh*t Up)

2 people won a year of on demand from our raffle.

1 person won a year online, on demand, and in person from our raffle.

One Down Dog’s Regular or Independent Donations:

Here are the places we give either one time donations or monthly donations to. Each of these hold a place in our hearts from Miry a student who “accidentally founded" a non profit to help refugee families settle in the USA to JFLA who is responsible for the grant that helped us start One Down Dog years ago. We recommend picking any org that means something to you and donate a little each month!

$1205.60 – Miry’s List. ($350 from our annual Xmas day class)

$200 – BLM

$220 – AWARELA

$485 – NAACP

$1,500.00  – SIJCC

$1824.28 – JFLA

$300 – LA Food Bank

$25 – 5GYRES.ORG

$20 – World Central Kitchen

$100 – Youth In Distress In Israel

Total donations outside of ODD in 2020 = over $14,000

We are SO proud of this community. May this list be an inspiration for all the things we can do in the year ahead!

The post 2020 Impact Report: Fundraising appeared first on One Down Dog.

View original interview at BeyondYoga.com >>

WHY THE NIPPLE MAFIA? 

After a review in 2016 called out that our studio used the word “nipple” without the ick factor, we felt it was important to address why it is we feel you should be able to use the word “nipple” freely.

So, some of our ODD teachers shared their reasons it’s important this month and every month to talk about your nipples!

1. THE WORD NIPPLE IS MORE SPECIFIC THAN THE WORD “CHEST”

“It is a very specific cue that makes a lot more sense than ‘left chest.’ Honestly, I think if we are taking our shirts off in class we should be able to cue nipples without a lot of drama.” -Molly O’Neill

2. NIPPLE IS A BODY PART, EASY AS THAT

“As long as no one is saying ‘blossom your anus to the sky’ I feel like it’s fine. Personally, I’d rather be part of getting rid of the sexuality and shyness of these parts we all have. We’re in the body business. We all have nipples and butts, just like we have toes and shoulders.” -Caitlin Randolph

3. NIPPLES GIVE LIFE AND THAT IS SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL

“In all seriousness, I’m really grateful to have a safe and supportive place where breastfeeding in public never seems scary cause a little nipple ain’t no thang.” -Jennifer Jordan

4. THE WORD MIGHT MAKE YOU LAUGH AND THAT’S OKAY—LIFE SHOULDN’T BE TAKEN SO SERIOUSLY

“Anytime I hear “nipple” in class, I get tingly and giggly because using the word “nipple” in public is awesome. Maybe we take it one step further, areola? Too much?” -Arielle MillerAs an inclusive and welcoming studio, we’re turning this review around and partnering with non-profit Keep A Breast to help raise awareness around breast cancer prevention, which includes learning how to give yourself breast and chest exams. Buy one of our Nipple Mafia shirts online (a percentage of the proceeds go to Keep A Breast) and/or attend our donation flow for Fit 4 Prevention (a campaign run by Keep A Breast) on October 29th, 7:30 to 8:30 at One Down Dog in Echo Park.

The post Featured on Beyond Yoga: The Story Behind Our Nipple Mafia Campaign appeared first on One Down Dog.

The post Impact Report 2017 appeared first on One Down Dog.