Salt Spring Centre of Yoga News

COVID-19 Update

Message to the Community from the Dharma Sara Board Members:

UPDATED: July 20, 2020

Dear community,

We are urgently asking for your financial help immediately: without significant donations, the Centre may not be solvent next year. The details of our request, including our fundraising ask, are below.

The DS board has been doing its best to support society members, Centre staff, residents and volunteers, and the larger community as we navigate this challenging time. All of the actions and decisions over these last few months have been firmly rooted in our values and mission.

We have decided not to re-open the Salt Spring Centre of Yoga for programs in 2020. It is not financially viable for us to reopen with physical distancing measures and reduced capacity.

This means that all in-person residential programs at the Centre will be cancelled this year.

Our onsite residential  programs and rentals are our primary source of income; without these, maintaining the significant fixed operating costs for the Centre, with severely limited reserves, is not feasible. 

We need your help now

Immediate Fundraising Goal: $300,000

Together, we will evolve to address our community’s needs. Your support is essential to the DSS Society’s plan to weather this storm and re-open the center.

DSSS board members are very concerned with the financial situation at the Centre during this time. If you can, please consider donating today. We need your help now more than ever. You can make a one-time donation or choose to become a patron by making a monthly donation.

We recognize that there is a need for a strategic fundraising effort that can be sustained over the short and long term. Anyone who has fundraising skills and is interested in offering or providing connections to help with this effort are encouraged to contact us ASAP.

Whether or not you are in a position to donate, we are grateful for the love and energy that you offer and the resilience of our community.

Our plan from now until March 2021

We will continue to offer online programs and day use rentals throughout this time so please keep your eye out for updates and share events on social media and spread the word where you can. We hope to see you at our Virtual Annual Community Yoga Retreat, July 31st to August 2nd!  Also, please check out our ongoing public offerings.

We aim to re-open by March 2021 and are using this time of program closure to develop both online and in-person programming for our new season, including the well-anticipated launch of YTT-300. We are currently working on streamlining our office and software processes in addition to regular administration, maintenance and farm!

We intend to create a business plan and fundraising plan with the help of professionals in these fields. This will be essential in carrying out our overall Strategic Plan we have been working on over 2019 and early 2020.

Please know that the DS mission to spread the teachings of Baba Hari Dass and to create an environment for the attainment of peace remains constant. It is our intention to turn the unique challenges ahead into transformative opportunities to fulfill our mission.

How to Stay Connected

The Salt Spring Centre of Yoga is moving the following offerings online to better connect with you.

Follow us on social media, on Facebook and Instagram

Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter

Become a member of the Dharma Sara Satsang Society: Membership cost is $26.25 ($25 + GST) per calendar year, January to December.

Thank You

We would like to thank you for your patience and understanding as we all navigate this evolving situation. We’ll be proceeding with plans that prioritize health, safety and care – especially for the most vulnerable members of our community. It feels more important now than ever for us to take care of each other.