Five years ago the familiar dopamine ping sounded - a conversation was about to be had that would change the shape of our lives as they stood. George opened her Facebook app to see a message sitting in her inbox from a 'Rachel Long'...
“Hi Georgie...I found your details through the Yoga Space and I wondered if you’d be interested in a chat about a potential Wellness Space...”
After three hours of sharing dreams and fears late into the night, an online relationship had ignited. The parents of SOMA had just fallen hard in yogic love!
And here we are…five years on, an abundance of gorgeous people we consider friends & family, a million and twelve emails down, a couple of websites, many long nights battling booking systems, a fine-ass bunch of facilitators and a couple of extra kids just to really spice things up. It’s been tough, financially and emotionally, but SOMA has our hearts in its hands and we want to work towards a beautiful, beneficial and meaningful transformation of our space.
SO…things have been brewing behind the mandala painted walls and we are utterly petrified and delighted to announce we are now the proud owners of 55-57 Kirkgate (we can’t stop stroking the walls!) we have scraped together every penny to purchase the building (including the ground floor) and we have big plans in the making. However we are calling out to the people of Otley and beyond to help us make the next dream become a reality. We are offering rewards out to you lovely contributors, for every donation made we will be storing your info and getting in touch once we are established n stable for you to claim a treat (this can be yoga, coffee, cake…your choice!)
PHASE 1: SOMA
This year we are planning a mighty renovation to transform and expand our beloved yogic home into a more functional community hub.
With your help we hope to create a more accessible, larger studio space that will give us the scope to start up membership schemes and have us stretching out far beyond the parameters of our mats! This will be a full studio reformat; knocking down walls, moving staircases and finally get rid of the downstairs trainspotting toilet. Hand us the sledgehammer! The reno will also
include a brand spanking new, fully accessible toilet with baby changing facilities located downstairs.
We want to build on a more inclusive space, buzzing with warmth and vitality – that continues to offer soul soothing services for all. SOMA is so much more than just a studio, it is vibrant community, a space that believes in connection and growth – supporting people to feel empowered, embodied and loved every step of the way.
But, there’s more...
PHASE 2: YOKE
Cue PHASE 2! SOMA meet YOKE. An all inclusive, arts based, play cafe that will thrive to be a home for creativity and community action.
The space will be a wonderful fusion of healthy food, alternative therapies, music, connection and creative engagement. YOKE will host an interchangeable format that will include -
a modern and chic play space for littles
a smaller space for holistic therapies
cute and quirky cafe vibes from 8am-4pm
calming and cosy therapeutic loveliness by nightfall
funded community workshops & support groups
SOMA & YOKE:
SOMA has been our baby, we’ve always wanted her to grow. To flourish and thrive and keep reaching out to change lives. We know that our studio has been a place for more than just practice. It is also a gathering space for making exchanges, finding conversation and growing relationships. It is a home away from home. We love our current space but when given the opportunity to grow we knew we could finally build something with great intention to hold our community, our family.
YOKE will run as a co-operative cafe, creative and community space. It will function as a CIC (Community interest Company), meaning that, in addition to community being exactly what we are all about, any profits that are made will go back into other community projects or supporting other local charities.
WE NEED YOU:
We are asking our members, friends, families & supporters to kindly donate to our exciting new venture. Each donation will be offered in return for an optional reward: something redeemable at SOMA & YOKE, perhaps a yoga class or kid’s workshop, against a workshop or massage, maybe for a coffee and cake, a play session or a fine ass salad. You choose.
About the funds raised:
Everything always comes at a price and all this is a little too much for us to finance organically. We have already sold one car, reached into the dregs of the savings accounts and exhausted all financial options so we find ourselves here…
So many of you have mentioned the impact that SOMA has had on you and we would love to share a testimonial from the lovely Emma:
"I love Soma! The whole team are lovely, warm and welcoming. I love the barre classes because they're brilliant for both my physical and mental health and it's great to feel my body getting stronger year on year. It's also the community of friends I've made - in every class we work on our bodies and minds alongside lots (and lots) of laughter - all while putting the world to rights. Put simply, George is a gem and a ray of sunshine as our barre teacher.
Soma is more than just my barre and yoga classes - it's a home away from home, and keeps me grounded, surrounded by the loveliest of people. I can't wait to see it expand out further into the community. That real sense of connection is a difficult thing to find; especially in the current climate - where loneliness has risen and social life has become more fractured. It's more important than ever to have authentic third places like Soma for people to feel a real sense of community and belonging."
Where your money will go:
We will be re-purposing, re-using and making as much as we can ourselves as well as upcycling things we already have but we still need help so the funds raised will go towards the purchases of the following items:
Internal works: (knocking down some walls and rebuilding with structural steel, installing a new ceiling, new heating facilities, building a beautiful baby changing facility and accessible toilet, moving and designing a new staircase, new doors and windows, new electrics and wiring, sinks and other plumbing supplies, wall tiles and other décor.
Structural engineering & building associated costs to ensure the space meets all regulations and is safe and secure for all!
A lovely play space: design led, with contemporary Montessori vibes to encourage the wonder of creative play.
Fixtures & Fittings: a beautiful counter, coffee machine, kitchen equipment, tables, chairs, crockery, cutlery, shelving, soft furnishings, artwork, signage etc.
No contribution is too small, we mean that. Every penny will be one little building block to our shared space.
Perhaps you want to get involved – we are calling upon painters, creatives, visionaries, collectors of ceramics or chairs...this is OUR home, let’s build this beauty together.