Black Lives Matter

Dear Yoga Family,

When Jenny and I rebranded Thrive four years ago, we made it our mission to create a peaceful, healthy world by helping you thrive in every area of your mind, body, and spirit. Our number one commitment was to provide a safe, friendly, supportive environment—so that you feel at home in our studio.

Yoga practice has the power to create inner transformation, which helps us wake up to who we really are, and see others and the world more clearly. This inner growth process is lifelong. We are twenty years into our own practice, and it sometimes feels like we are just getting started! 

Enter 2020. A worldwide pandemic. An economy shut down. Waves of worldwide protests against racism and abuse of power. All in addition to the everyday stresses we experience as parents, as neighbors, as business owners and employees, and as human beings in a modern world.

And yet.

Out of disaster and tragedy is also the potential for massive transformation, to re-think the world and how we contribute to making it a better, safer, healthier place for all. 

This may sound lofty, but the potential is real. 

We’ve asked ourselves often—“How can our small yoga community change the world?”—and the one answer that keeps surfacing is “one pose, one person at a time.” We don’t have all the answers, nor do we have a complete understanding of the massive problems our country faces. But some things we do know.

• We know we love this yoga community. 

• We know we are committed to continuously looking inward to examine our biases and worldviews. 

• We know we are committed to fostering a community that has zero tolerance for racism and abuse of power.

• We know the transformative power of connection—with our minds, within our bodies, with each other—when we open our hearts and perspectives to something new and needed.

We believe with the power of inner work, combined with the magic of a truly supportive community, we can all make a profound difference in the lives of those around us, and in the wider world.

"Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."  ~ Maya Angelou

With love and solidarity,

Ian & Jenny

PS

Stay tuned for our next community event on the weekend of June 20th. We are hosting an outdoor yoga class on the Detroit Riverfront in West Riverfront Park. Due to current gathering restrictions, this class may be limited to the first 100 people who pre-register, however that is subject to change. This event is a donation-based class with 100% of proceeds supporting the Coleman A Young Foundation.