BRASH
Brash Yoga is the love child of Brandy Berlin and Ashley Stevick. Get it? Brandy + Ashley = Brash. ‘Cause we really are brash. Thoughtfully, purposefully brash.
We were born and raised small town girls living in a patriarchy, and we learned lots of different lessons about how and when to express ourselves. In our own ways, we both rebelled against familial teachings and societal expectations regarding how and what was okay to say.
We are still small town girls — now women — who have gathered years and wisdom (along with our chin hairs), and we have learned that we may not always be able to say exactly what we want. This is a tough one for the willful little girls inside us. We’re doing our best to handle the crunchy challenges of being grown-ass women with grace and acceptance as we move into this next chapter of our humanness. It’s not easy, it’s often messy, and it's worth it.
At some point, we each found yoga. We loved it, learned it, taught it, and then got a little beat up by it. Or rather an iteration of it. We could have completely thrown in the towel, but we didn’t. Instead, we’re right here, doing what we love, learning new ways, and feeling-processing-moving-forgiving-healing our hearts and bodies alongside our buddies. 👬👫👭
For us, yoga means coming together and honoring every aspect of our humanity. We strive to hold space for the comfortable and the uncomfortable within the scope of our expertise (we’re not mental health professionals) and without tone policing.
We believe yoga is much more than a way of moving the body. To us, yoga means union and provides access to the courage of the heart and the wisdom in our bones.
Yoga is a way of getting to know your Self. Capital S Self. Who you really are, not who the world told ya you needed to be. It’s an access point to some powerful truths and bodily autonomy, and we believe if you hang out on your mat long enough, you might find yourself less tolerant of bullshit. And cheers to that! 🥂
‘Cause yoga — union — is not love and light and good vibes only. Yoga acknowledges the light AND the dark — the dichotomies of our humanness. The black, white, and innumerable shades of gray.
This is what we believe yoga means. This is our personal relationship with the practice.
Our yoga does not allow us to look away from the many, multiplying decimations of human dignity present in the world today. It does not allow us to live above or outside our material world by spiritually bypassing or gaslighting human experiences.
Our yoga asks us for more than love and light and thoughts and prayers. It asks us to check our privilege and witness all of it: Pain and joy. Disgust and awe. Hopelessness and deep reverence. True union asks us to be connected to all of it — and then get into action where we can.
We also believe yoga is about creating safe, accessible spaces — especially for those who have not always been safe and/or been denied access for a variety of reasons. 🌈
That’s our flavor of yoga. We don’t come to our mats to get away from the challenges of the world, but to be in community and hold each other close amidst those challenges. ‘Cause together we are better. ✊
