A year in review

There has been a F;)K ton to move through this year and we all have had our parts to play. Our part, now and into 2021, is to ensure we’re supporting the efforts of the frontline workers, public health professionals, and civil rights leaders, as part of our vision & work - which is to provide YOU with options, information, and a supportive community so you can empower yourself to be healthy and cultivate a yoga practice that grows with you! And, to raise our community through health, healing, and learning.

Here are things we did this year, together:

Hosted 7400+ visits to the yoga mat (includes check-ins only)

Pivoted from the traditional in-studio only environment to the inclusion of digital classes, courses, and trainings so we could stay connected while staying safe at home (check out the WXOW clip here)

Created a digital subscription with live Zoom classes and OnDemand classes ranging from 20 - 60 minutes, providing more options and ways to maintain a consistent practice

Hired Jackie and Kayla, our media mavens, to help with the pivoting

Found new ways to gather in-studio while following state and local COVID health & safety guidelines

Adapted our business model & pricing structure to make yoga accessible to a wider audience

Contributed $2000+ towards scholarships

Held a community practice for local womxn and mothers at no-cost

Held a community practice for local BIPOC and LatinX folks at no-cost

Held a virtual 30-day yoga community challenge at no-cost

Continued our business sponsorship of The Center: 7 Rivers LGBTQ and Holmen Business Association

Partnered with the La Crosse School District, La Crosse Public Library, Holmen High School & Middle School to provide yoga for educators, students, and families

Purchased $250+ worth of diapers and wipes for the Parenting Place

Partnered with the Parenting Place to deliver mindfulness kits to 100+ families in Holmen & La Crosse

Donated $200 to New Horizon’s Shelter & Outreach Center

Became more resilient, flexible, grounded, and gracious

Continued to show-up to the yoga mat and do the work!

We certainly have a lot of reasons to pause and celebrate. So, let’s do just that!
(Like, actually get up and dance now!)

Thank you for being on this journey with us. Cheers to 2021 being less of a $h*tshow and another year of growth, together, on and off the yoga mat!

Cultural Appreciation vs Cultural Appropriation

Handmade yoga mat bags by Kim Hammer

The Importance of Cultural Appreciation

by kim hammer

We live in a globally connected world, and news from across the planet is just a tap away. Many of us have an affinity for the art, culture, and spiritual practices of faraway lands, and it is important to develop a true understanding so as not to use cultural symbols and icons insensitively. You may have seen rituals and symbols posted on social media simply to garner likes and views, without regard to their deeper meaning.

Cultural Appropriation

Cultural Appropriation is the act of using another’s culture without a proper understanding, perhaps simply as a fashion statement or to follow popular trends. Appropriation also occurs when a traditional hand-crafted design/technique is digitally copied and mass-produced, without acknowledgement of the original artisan or the traditional technique.

Cultural Appreciation

Cultural Appreciation however, occurs when you seek the stories from other cultures, and aim to open your eyes and ears to the original meaning. In this way, you can avoid disrespecting important cultural images and practices, and develop cross-cultural understanding. By listening, we learn.  And so….here is my story.

I have long been a sewist and maker, designing and creating “art to wear” jackets, vests and accessories after studying textile design at UW-Stout. I also developed a passion for travel as a young adult, and began collecting textiles from my journeys.  Each region I visited has offered its own textile style, from Cowichan Indian knitting on Vancouver Island, to the bright floral embroideries from Hungary. 

In the mid 90s, I travelled to India for the first time, in order to study with the yoga master Sri BKS Iyengar.  From my first foray into the local market, I knew I was there for more than yoga, though I would not know why for several years.  A return trip to India 2 years later was followed by 5 weeks trekking in the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal. (My table is covered by a Nepalese weaving as I write.) Though I was hooked on international travel, it would be another 12 years before I would return to India. From 2009 until COVID hit, I travelled each winter to Asia to source textiles and other hand-crafted wares.

During the past dozen years, I devoted myself to studying textiles particularly from India and Indonesia, and developed a great love of embroideries from Kutch, block-printing from Jaipur, and ikat weavings from Indonesia. Each year, I traveled to India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and/or Nepal, for textiles, handicrafts, yoga, and to lead cultural travel tours. I took textile design workshops in the USA and abroad, and opened a fair-trade-inspired shop to support the artisans I met. I also acquired several beautiful lengths of vintage cloth from my mentor, Marion Nelson, who passed away 3 years ago. 

When COVID hit earlier this year and travel ceased, I returned to my early love of sewing, making more than 150 masks. I then grew inspired to “marry” my love of yoga and textiles, creating yoga mat bags exclusively for Palm and Pine which feature 3-5 complimentary fabrics from a variety of countries. Using vintage embroideries from Rajasthan, India, sarongs from Bali, and indigo shibori which I personally dyed, each bag is truly one of a kind. I also sewed a collection of masks, available at both Palm and Pine studios, each with one or more hand-crafted fabrics (dyed by myself, or woven/printed/dyed by other artisans). 

My intention is to inspire an appreciation for hand-crafted beauty and culture during this time without global travel. Each bag is labeled with my tag “SUTRA”, which translates as the “thread that binds it together” and is a nod to the Yoga Sutras, pithy aphorisms of truth from the yogic tradition. SUTRA also represents the way in which fabric is linked to culture. Each product description includes the countries of origin and a story regarding one or more of the fabrics/embroideries in that bag. Each layer of understanding offers a greater opportunity for respect for each individual and their culture, and more harmony in the world. 

TREASURE the past, TEND to the present, and TRANSFORM the future.

Your Vote is Your Voice

“To only get away from the things that confront us, without actually processing those emotions and moving through them, is dissociation. To enjoy the sanctuary of the yoga practice without acknowledging the world around us, is denial.” - Hala Khour

In it’s essence, Yoga is the practice, science and system of connection and liberation. Through sustained practice we begin to awaken to the interconnected nature of our breath, mind, and body, as well as the world around us. Yoga is meant to be lived, a light that sustains our health and guides us in right action + decisions that positively impact our relationships, the world now, and the world for future generations. If we turn away from the part we can and do play within the systems and structures that dictate how society operates, we disempower ourselves and others.

Reminder, we are not separate from the cultures that have shaped us. To get closer to universal truth, study your own biases in order to widen your perspective and see what you have not been seeing. Educate yourself on the issues and policies that matter most to you. Your VOTE is your voice.

To appreciate the roots of Yoga is to see that justice, liberation, health and happiness for all is at the heart of this practice and the aim is for our thoughts, words, and actions to contribute to this in some way.

For those in Wisconsin, for the most up-to-date voter information visit https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/

SOCIAL JUSTICE + YOGA

PALM + PINE is committed to being a welcoming community to learn, heal, grow and shine in. With this in mind, with respect and humility, we acknowledge the South Asian and African roots of where Yoga came from and our responsibility to continue studying the culture and history as essential to our sharing of the teachings.

To truly be in commUNITY with our fellow human beings, we are committed to continuing the work to detox ourselves of harm, learn and unlearn systems of oppression and actively participate in creating a world that is more equitable and just. We have taken the following steps below and hope that you will join us in doing this work, understanding that for many of us this is just the beginning.

• Our fundraisers and company have donated to the 40AcresandaMule, Minneapolis Legal Rights Center, La Crosse County Health Department, The Parenting Place, YWCA

• Engage our team and community in conversations around biases, aggression, race, appropriation and privilege. 

• Provide financial support to participate in trainings on topics mentioned above.

• Generate a scholarship fund for BIPOC, LatinX and LGTBQ and other marginalized populations in order to contribute towards a world that is more equitable, just and inclusive. If you’d like to contribute to this fund, send us an email.

Other organizations you can follow and support:

• Anti-Racism Daily Newsletter by Nicole Cardoza

• Black Yoga Teachers Alliance

• Black Yoga Magazine 

• Melanin Yoga Project

• Prison Yoga Project

• OmTown Yogis

• Diversity Training for Yoga Teachers

• Off the Mat, Into the World