Contributed by Julie Brannon, Employee Support Services Manager
I recently attended a tour of my former workplace, the Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) in Seattle, with a group of guests from out of town who had come to see the Lighthouse. As the tour was ending, the Orientation and Training Center program leader whispered to me, “Julie, we’ve been providing yoga classes here for about a year, and the students love it!” My mind started spinning and I asked her for the yoga instructors’ contact information.
The first instructor I contacted informed me that she lived too far from the Lighthouse, however, she connected me with another instructor involved with the classes at DSB, Bonnie Taschler. Bonnie was more than excited at the prospect of starting what is called a Dahn Yoga class at Seattle Lighthouse.
The next step to beginning Yoga classes at Seattle Lighthouse was talking to various departments, particularly Human Resources since the class pertained to health and safety. Tara Gray, Health and Safety Coordinator, Dana Van Dussen, Human Resources Director, and I put our heads together on the details of the class, such as the kind of yoga to be taught and waiver forms.
Next, we needed to get interested persons from the Lighthouse to participate in the class. Bonnie stated she could have a maximum student load of 12 participants. Former Orientation and Training Center student Deno Sanchez was ready and willing to share his enjoyment and benefits from the program, so his enthusiasm assisted with giving positive input to prospective students from among Lighthouse employees.
Dino Sanchez, who participated in the Dahn Yoga class while attending the OTC shares “that this particular style of yoga focuses on positive energy. I noticed in both myself and my classmates that during and after the class we felt really good and had more energy. After a time we all noticed that our confidence level had increased. I always looked forward to the next class!”
The class is slated to begin as a three month pilot, beginning the first Wednesday in December, and continuing once a week for those three months to see how well it progresses and to evaluate if employees want it to continue.
Stay tuned for more input as the class progresses!
