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Mind States
Time for Action:Eco Yoga Studio Works to Save Land and Community
Yoga Swami, a popular, donation-based eco yoga studio located in the heart of Encinitas, CA, has organized an action group to help save the land on which it is built. The action group is committed to assisting the current owner of the land identify a buyer who will preserve the land and the building, allowing Yoga Swami to continue providing a calming and healing sanctuary for the community.
Yoga Swami was created in 2005 upon the ideals of inspiring a different way of being in the world by providing a place of nonexclusive community involvement and consistent practices that inspire sustainability and the preservation of land. Certified by the Green Yoga Association, Yoga Swami is a network of businesses, teachers and individuals who practice non-violence to the earth through business and yoga.
Yoga classes are held inside a yurt, a circular structure that provides beauty, comfort, and durability. With its circular design and spacious interior, the architecture of the yurt encourages both an active yoga practice and quiet contemplation. What makes this space so special is that students practice together in a kula, which is Sanskrit for “community of the heart.” Mats are placed facing the center, symbolic of both the inner center and the coming together of community.
Yoga Swami is supported by an all-volunteer staff which includes its founder, Dawn Singer. Serving more than 500 community members each week, Yoga Swami sits on land that is certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a part of its worldwide network of mini refuges. The certification recognizes the center’s conscientious planning, landscaping and sustainable gardening, which allows wildlife to find quality habitat-food, water, cover and a place to raise their young. Built in the early 1940s, Yoga Swami is an integral part of the heritage and history of Encinitas.
“Yoga Swami’s involvement in providing the community with a safe, spiritual and sustainable place in which to practice yoga has been my life’s mission for the last several years,” said Singer. “While we completely understand the needs of our current owner, who has been extremely supportive of our venture, the action group was formed to help find a new owner who will continue to value our mission and activities. We are calling upon everyone in the community to support this very important cause.”
Singer noted that there are many ways to help “Save This Space,” which is the slogan for the campaign. She explained that “the best possible outcome would be to build a community or co-op of people who come together to purchase the property, allowing the studio to continue its mission of offering donation based yoga in an ecologically friendly environment.”
To help “Save This Space” or to learn more about Yoga Swami, please visit www.yogaswami.com, call 760.944.1166, or stop by 912 South Coast Highway 101, Encinitas, CA 92024.