Hi!

I’m so happy you made it to my fundraising page! This year I chose to dedicate my energy by training for the TCS NYC Marathon in November by partnering with Three and a Half Acres Yoga (THAY) where I’ve been volunteering for the past year. It is a very rewarding to volunteer as a yoga teacher with THAY to make classes more accessible in my local community. It affirms the best in humanity to simply sit and breathe together, maybe exploring the mind-body-spirit connection through gentle postures, and creating community through dialogue of how to show up in the world, intentionally. Together we look past what we perceive to separate us and see into the kinship which bonds us through compassion.

My yoga journey started when I was invited to a class by some friends in high school. Experiencing yoga postures seems to have made a lasting impression on me, since I sought out classes to help nourish my mind and body in college and ever since. My yoga teachers inspired me to seek further training and since practicing in NYC I sought out an RYT200 certification by traveling to Peru, and have since bolstered that training with THAY's Trauma-Informed yoga as well as Prema’s Yoga Therapy Essentials and Sound Therapy trainings as well as a Kuli yogi shift at Kula Yoga.

My running journey started much around the same time which I’ve returned to when I need to focus my mind on positive changes through harnessing my personal power. This all culminated in 2019 when I ran my first marathon. Now, on the other side of the Covid-19 pandemic and now stressed by this election season, I decided to return to long-distance running by representing THAY which has already taught me a lot about showing up, even on days I don’t want to, dedicating my efforts to a greater cause, as well as being vulnerable by sharing just how much sharing yoga with LGBTQ+ youth with housing insecurity has come to mean to me.

I know that it can be challenging to be an engaged citizen while supporting our livelihood, and yet, let us consume mindfully, speak intentionally and listen wholeheartedly. We truly depend on each our ability to nurture ourselves and the best in each other. So, I made a guided breathing meditation that you can access in return for any size contribution you are willing to donate when you subscribe. If it’s in your heart, I’d love to share it with you!

Thank you! <3

Aliisa

P.S. You can find the donate here without accessing the meditation