Experience your radiant true self at Tiger Lily Yoga, the new studio coming soon to the Rainer Valley, dedicated to helping practitioners of all ages, abilities and backgrounds rejuvenate their entire being: body, mind and soul.

Tiger Lily Yoga is located between Columbia City and Mt. Baker, a mere four miles from downtown Seattle. The Rainier Valley is well known for being one of Seattle's most diversified areas of town, and growth is booming. With more than 50 languages spoken here it is a dazzling melting pot of varried cultures, traditions, and communities, and perhaps the brightest and most diverse area in the city. However, when it comes to yoga classes, there are not many options available. And now we will finally have a yoga studio that caters to us as a community, a place where all walks of life are honored, where yoga is accessible and inclusive. 

We are creating a venue where people typically left out of the yoga industry have a space to feel comfortable practicing yoga and attending classes. Everyone who wants to relax, meditate, rejuvenate, to bring forth their inner shininess will be welcomed here.

My name is Emily Iverson and my dream is to create a yoga studio that meets the needs of our diverse community in Columbia City, Mt. Baker, and the surrounding neighborhoods. Having been a resident here for ten years, it's time for me to make yoga more accessible to everyone in my community.

Tiger Lily Yoga will be starting a scholarship fund for LGBTQ youth and Foster kids as part of our mission of fostering a more inclusive, diverse community. Why these groups?

Well first, I'm gay, and even though I grew up in a family that supported me I have many friends that grew up with ridicule and shame, and even disowning, from their family. I was also a Big Sister for over two years and my Little Sister was a foster kid. That's when I first heard about Tree House and I thought it was amazing. 

I cannot imagine casting out a child because they're gay, bi, queer, trans, or in any other way not the "norm." This is certainly starting to change, and at Tiger Lily, we're making it our mission to be part of that change. 

Tiger Lily is a multi-faceted studio that will make yoga comfortable and accessible to individulas typically left out of the yoga loop and will cater to the unique needs of the individuals who walk through our doors. We will have our bread and butter classes like toasty Power Vinyasa Flow but we also cater to the following demographics:

• LGBTQ Yogis
• Yogis of color
• Elder Yogis
• Yogis with a lil extra badunk-a-dunk
• Mommy Yogis with little ones in tow
• Yogi Families

In addition to regular asana classes (physical practice of yoga), we offer training in other yogic practices like chanting (calming practice), pranayama (breathing practice), meditation (mental practice), Ayurveda (Indian medicine), and seasonal workshops.

The Tiger Lily Yoga Studio will be located right at the intersection of Genessee and Rainier Ave S, between Mt. Baker, Seward Park and Columbia City. 

Group Health, a non-profit health care system cooperative, is near the studio and Emily is working on partnering with them so Tiger Lily can provide yoga classes for Group Health patients.

Aside from being one of the only gay-owned yoga studios in Seattle, Tiger Lily Yoga will also be one of few yoga studios in southeast Seattle. 

Tiger Lily's classes match the practice to the individual rather than forcing the individual's form into a specific pose or shape. In this way students will gain strength, flexibility, and deeper body awareness while honoring their particular physical form.

I have been teaching yoga for in Seattle for nine years and my community and students are excited for the new place I am building.

I am a former ballerina and life long student of movement. I have been practicing yoga for more than 18 years, and I have a varied teaching background ranging from the Ashtanga primary series to Yoga Therapy, to the more subtle practices of yoga like Samkhya philosophy study, chanting, pranayama, and seated meditation. 

I trained to become a teacher at Samadhi Yoga in 2005-6 and I am a National Yoga Alliance certified yoga teacher. I completed two intensive training courses in Chennai, India with A.G., Indra, and Ganesh Mohan in 2006 and 2008, and in Chicago in 2010. In 2011, I went back to college to complete my BA, majoring in Movement Therapy and Dance.

I'm a certified Pilates teacher and use that training to compliment my yoga classes. 

Studying Traditional Medicine ways of native people worldwide is another passion of mine. I studied for two years with Sundust Oracle Institue and am currently studying Elemental Medicine at Red Crow Sings in Seattle.

Last April my wife, Daphne, and I were married at the Mt. Baker Club House. Her mother, Margaret Mullins, is an internationally known Mother and Baby Ayurvedic Specialist and we look forward to having her teach workshops at Tiger Lily. 

Next to my strong conviction that asana practice makes our lives better, my deeper objectives lie in the realm of the spiritual and philosophical: How do we get through life in the best possible way? How do we heal the past, savor the present, and lay the foundation for a future that inspires us? These are the questions driving Tiger Lily Yoga. 

We're so close to making the Tiger Lily Yoga vision a reality, but in order to take those last few steps, we need some help, and that's where this crowdfunding campaign—and your support—come in!

The total funding that we need for Tiger Lily Yoga is $15,000. The money will mostly go toward construction expenses, with $10,000 used for putting in bamboo floors and the rest going toward other in-building and equipment.

Our goal is to open our doors to our customers around April 2015! In order to make that happen, we need this crowdfundng campaign to be a success. Here's a quick peek at how you can help us out, and the awesome rewards you'll get as a thank you for your support: 

Please note, all classes can be purchased towards a scholarship fund for Seattle foster kids and LGBTQ youth.

Attend a single yoga class in our newly opened studio.

Attend six yoga classes in our newly opened studio.

Attend twelve yoga classes in our newly opened studio. Plus, you get a customized t-shirt with our         Tiger Lily logo!

$300 gets you 36 single classes or 3 months unlimited yoga membership. Plus, you get a customized t-shirt with our Tiger Lily logo!

$550 gets you 70 single classes or 6 months unlimited yoga membership. Plus, you get a customized t-shirt with our Tiger Lily logo!

Just $1000 buys you 130 single classes or 1 year unlimited yoga membership. Plus, you get a customized t-shirt with our Tiger Lily logo!

Can be redeemed for 1100 single classes or a lifetime unlimited membership. Plus, you get a customized t-shirt with our Tiger Lily logo!

OR

Donate Classes to scholarship fund which will be named after you with a plaque in our studio.