I
t may have its roots in India and
Hinduism, but they say that yoga isn’t
religious. Well, now there’s a place in the
USA where you can literally worship this
ancient discipline - and get your groove
on too.
A place for ‘the party and the prayer’, the
Church of Yoga opens this month in an old
renovated church in the Bayou Treme, in the
heart of New Orleans, Louisiana.
It’s the idea of Dana Trixie Flynn, founder
of Laughing Lotus (laughinglotus.com) – the
popular bi-coastal yoga centres in New
York and San Francisco - who is expanding
her vision of bringing yoga to everyone by
opening a self-sustaining, multifunctional yoga
studio and community centre available to all- her church.
The Church of Yoga will offer donation-
based classes, meditation, and outreach, in
an effort to introduce the benefits of yoga to
a new audience. It will also draw on the city’s
rich musical legacy.
Flynn tells OM that she felt a calling to give
back to her community after receiving so
much from yoga through the years.
“I am called,” she says. “My love for New
Orleans has kept me coming back for over 25
years, as long as I have been teaching yoga,
and this past year a funky old church found me
in the 7th Ward and I am called to give back.”
She adds: “Yoga has given me a life beyond
my wildest dreams, it has allowed me to
transform destructive behaviours into sacred
tools for living healthy and happy. It’s given
me my bonus family and a deep sense of
belonging.”
The necessary renovations for the
church were part funded by donations
and crowdfunding from Lotus yogis around
the world.
om spirit
The Bayou Treme neighbourhood is one of
the oldest in New Orleans, famed for its brass
bands. The music of the area is especially well
suited to Flynn’s own musical Lotus Flow yoga.
It’s also an area that was affected by
Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which devastated
large parts of the city. Although there was
some damage from Katrina, the area faced
only moderate flooding, although it remains
an incredibly underserved area even today.
To be able to provide free and donation-
based classes, the Church of Yoga will also
host community events, weddings, yoga
retreats, online classes, musical and gospel
performances, and teacher trainings – as well
as operating the Church Lady Café, serving
vegan Cajun specialties and non-alcoholic
elixir ‘shots’.
“I am excited to share the healing benefits
of a yoga practice right alongside the
celebrated sounds of New Orleans music,”
says Flynn. “It’s a match made in heaven. All
of us will benefit, those near and far. Everyone
will want to come on down to the Church of
Yoga, home to the party and the prayer. Love
is the gospel.”