Yoga didn’t have nearly the following it has now when Leslie Glickman opened Yoga Journey in 2013. Or even when her studio in the Wyndham Boca Raton hotel became a city vendor, offering weekly free classes in Sanborn Square.
But by Jan. 1, 2020, more than 2,300 yoga practitioners showed up at her sixth annual Something Big free class and marketplace on New Year’s Day in Mizner Park Amphitheater.
Q: What made you partner with Farmer’s Table in the hotel to do some classes outside?
A: The weather was really nice, and people were still not comfortable practicing inside. I really wanted to do more outdoor yoga. So, I started doing pop-up classes in a park, on a rooftop. We did a backyard on the Intracoastal. But it was hard to find venues and the restaurant doesn’t open until 10 a.m. and my class every Sunday is at 8:30 a.m. Joey at Farmer’s Table was happy to partner with us. They have a nice size patio. A lot of us stay for brunch. I also Zoom it, so I have people online from all over.
Q: Will you continue to do hybrid yoga classes from now on?
A: Everything we offer in the studio is hybrid. Now we have cleaning and sanitizing down to a science, so we’re able to offer a full schedule in person and online. https://yogajourney.com/
Q: Do you know when free classes will resume in Sanborn Square?
A: The city is not ready to talk about group programming.
Q: Any idea when you can resume Something Big in the amphitheater New Year’s Day?
A: We skipped 2021 and will be back for 2022. We already put the request in for the venue and will start to have conversations with our sponsors and vendors.
Q: You have reached out recently beyond your yoga presence. Talk about that.
A: I’ve been focused and more vocal about social justice and it’s important as a community leader to open up a conversation. Once a month all on Zoom we do Conscious Conversations. The next one at noon April 25. A panel of four women talk about being anti-racist and all kinds of topics. We create a forum so we can learn and grow together. There’s a fee, but we don’t turn anyone away.
Lunch and Learn donations go to scholarships for yoga teacher learning. We switched content to the intersection of yoga and social justice. They’re every Friday at 1:15 p.m. on Zoom. I’ve also been asked to participate in a reality show called The Social Movement.
Q: How do people vote for you, Leslie Glickman, in the yoga warrior competition?
A: This is a first-time competition for yoga teachers all over the world. At the end of the contest you get a two-page spread in Yoga Journal magazine and a $10,000 prize. https://iamyogawarrior.com/2021/leslie-glickman There’s free voting daily, but if you want to donate, the money goes to the Veterans Yoga Project. [A different nonprofit than Connected Warriors in Boca.]
By Marci Shatzman
Profile photo by Austen Amaker/Sanborn Square photo by Eric Yagoda
