Namaste Knowhow

Celeb yogis descend on Houston for Texas Yoga Conference

Are you ready to get your yoga on?

This weekend, over 1,000 yogis will descend upon the University of St. Thomas for a three-day yogasm of 72 workshops, live music and good vibes, all part of the second annual Texas Yoga Conference.

"It's a community event that we hope will show that Houston is a mecca for yoga," Jennifer Buergermeister, the director of CuraYoga and the events founder, tells CultureMap. For Buergermeister, the city is a perfect fit for yoga enthusiasts. "We have these amazing medical professionals. Also, Houston really is a diverse, cultural city. Every language on the planet is spoken here. It's the unity among all of these cultures that allies with yoga."

With this sentiment, Buergermeister arranged for a lunch with other yoga leaders in the city over a year ago, from which the first Texas Yoga Conference spawned. "We were in a private room at Miyako, 11 or 12 of us, all sitting in lotus position." Their ideas coalesced into the conference, which now in its second year, has already doubled its capacity.

This year's rendition, held Feb. 25 to 27, is themed "Yoga is for Everybody!" While there will be scores of practice sessions, there's also a focus on fun. Participants will enjoy the talents of a belly dancer, massage therapist and henna artist.

live performances by and MC Yogi on Saturday - full-time yoga teacher and performing artist, combines knowledge of yoga with love for hip hop music for modern mystics, truth seekers and urban yogis, separate ticket is $25

brainchild of long time yoga studio owner and legislative yoga advocate Jennifer Buergermeister from Jennyoga and CuraYoga, partnered with YogaOne Studio's owners, Roger and Albina Rippy to bring conference into second year

"I have been on the board of yoga teachers association. i had this big idea to gather together all of the yoga instructors. i had some ideas, free day of yoga. i really thought we should do the event together. that's really how it happened in miyako sushi, 11 or 12 of else, sitting in lotus position. we thought it would be a grand idea. four studios volunteered the first year to make it happen. curayoga and yogaone managing the conference. it's a community event that we hope to show that houston is a mecca for yoga. i always thought that we have these amazing medical professionals. it's also a meritocracy. houston really is a diverse cultural city. every language of the planet is spoken. if that's not unity in action for a city, i don't know what that is. let's start with a community event.

i had a great idea. we almost had it the first year. so we didn't get him the first year. he's pretty famous in our world of yoga. he's really hip and does some great things. we were excited to have someone that so many people in the yoga community. he and his wife teach a class together.

sean johnson, i was introduced early on last year before the conference and he offered to come on a donation basis. ironically, texas was under the scrutiny of the texas workforce commission. we had a lot of issues for regulation. we're in the process of presenting a bill to change the law. it seems to be a trend. how can we generate more revenue for our state? they're just really amazing performers, show louisiana and texas are amigos.

we have three days this year, 72 presentations versus 37

we're expecting over 1,000 people, for sure.

ust is a beautiful campus. we're taking over. register by going online.

belly dancer, massage therapist, henna

theme "Yoga is for Everybody!"

over 60 presentations with over 20 different styles of yoga being taught for all to enjoy

second annual Texas Yoga Conference

yoga professional from around the world

at Jerabeck Athletic Center, St. Thomas University

Feb. 25 to 27

over 20 different styles of yoga workshops will be taught (over 70 workshops in total) by yoga teachers known worldwide and Texas-based instructors

Houston-based and nationally recognized instructors Robert Boustany, Jennifer Buergermeister, Misha Laird, Julie Byrd, Amy Garratt, Ann Hyde and Catherine Allen

hand-selected based on submitted presentation outline and letter stating intent for participation in the conference

local music artist DJ Sun will spin live during one of asana practices, NYC's DJ Hyfi will spin as well

national imports: Duncan Wong, Sadie Nardini, Sierra Bender, Les Leventhal, Dana Flynn and Yoga Journal's November 2010 cover model and Texas-native, KK Ledford

Sean Johnson and The Wild Lotus Band kick off festivities on Friday night at 5 p.m. with Laughing Lotus yoga class with Dana Plynn and DJ Hyfi, follwed by Sean's concert in the Jarabeck Athletic Center's Scanlan Room

part of a trend that brings mantra music into the mainstream, giving ancient sounds a contemporary voice that transcends the musical, cultural and sectarian boundaries

unspecified

telling stories

Black-owned Houston bookstore opens new home in historic Third Ward space

Kindred Stories bookshore Eldorado Ballroom

Photo by Craig D. Lindsey

Kindred Stories has moved to its new location.

Even though its grand reopening will be held this Saturday, May 17, Third Ward bookstore Kindred Stories has already begun a soft opening at its new location inside the Eldorado Ballroom at 2310 Elgin Street.

Since September 2021, the Black-owned bookstore was located on Stuart St., one of many businesses that came to life thanks to Project Row Houses’ Incubation Program. Last year, the nonprofit informed Kindred and the other business that they had to vacate their premises at the end of this month to allow new businesses to occupy the spaces.

Thankfully, Kindred already had its eye on the Eldorado location, next to neighborhood eatery The Rado Market (which has a collection of cookbooks curated by Kindred). It’s a space previously held by Hogan Brown Gallery, which abruptly closed in December. “I had caught wind that this space might be available,” Kindred founder/owner Terri Hamm tells CultureMap.

Hamm turned the moving process into a fun little event for her and her loyal customers. “Last Tuesday, we invited about 20 of our top community members that, you know, are always in the store and have really supported us all of the year,” she says. “We packed up all the books in the space in an hour and, then, we moved everything in an hour. So it was like the beautiful way to close out that space in the midst of the community that has really supported us throughout three-and-a-half years there. And we spent the last four days kind of unboxing and just getting all set up.”

Hamm says the new location is certainly roomier (around 1200 square feet) than their previous spot, which was only 450 square feet.

“There's more room to just spend time in the store,” she says. “I feel like that's the ideal bookstore experience, when you can go in and really take your time. I feel like in the other space, it was so small, people kind of felt like they were in a rush.”

Although Kindred is open and ready to welcome anyone looking for Black-and-proud literature, Hamm insists they’re only 90 percent done. More light fixtures need to be installed. Plants and furniture have to be brought. They even have custom-made wallpaper that needs to be installed.

“So, we have a few little things that need to happen,” says Hamm, “And, then, I feel like the space will be really, really ready – probably in another six months.”

In the meantime, it’s business as usual. This month’s calendar of events includes various appearances from authors as well as a couple of book clubs. Hamm is looking forward to new bookworms coming in and discovering what Kindred Stories has to offer.

“The bestsellers are selling,” she says, “But I feel like, in this space, people are going to get to discover a lot of under-the-radar titles, just because there's more space to see the books and explore.”

kindred stories eldorado ballroom shopping books bookstores openings