Sonic Flow Yoga
April 2 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Class Description
Embrace. Uplift. Empower.
These are the themes for World Autism Awareness Day 2025, an international observance dedicated to celebrating the unique perspectives and talents that people with autism bring to their communities. It’s also the theme of a unique yoga and live music collaboration between two Chicago parents who have kids on the autism spectrum.
Join longtime yoga teacher, Maria Rosner, and DJ Josh Young, aka Yehme2, in a sonic symphony of movement, breath, and music. This uptempo flow class will amplify and awaken your awareness, connecting you to the collective consciousness of everyone else in the room, not unlike the feeling you get at a concert.
“The light and divinity that resides in me honors and acknowledges the light and divinity in you.”
Let’s put that Namaste attitude into practice!
This event is a fundraiser for the Chicago chapter of Autism Speaks.
Suggested minimum donation to participate is $25, payable once you register. (You will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to access the fundraising page.)
In addition to helping Autism Speaks create an inclusive world for all individuals with autism throughout their lifespan, all donations will also support Maria’s team in walking/running/biking in Autism Speaks’ Empower Summit and Challenge 25 in downtown Chicago.
In a pivotal moment for the autism community, Autism Speaks is hosting their flagship Empower Summit and Challenge in 5 major cities nationwide, including Chicago! This ground-breaking two-day event is dedicated to advancing knowledge, inspiring action, and uniting the autism community in a fearless resolve towards meaningful change.
Learn more about Autism Speaks Empower Summit and Challenge 25 here.
Date
World Autism Awareness Day. Wednesday, April 2nd.
Time/Schedule
6:15 pm Doors open
6:30 pm Class begins
7:30 pm Class ends
7:45 pm Refreshments and Q&A*
8:45 pm Doors close
* Maria and Josh will provide a Q&A on their experience raising kids on the autism spectrum and the importance of early autism screening. A representative from Autism Speaks will also be present to speak about the Summit after class. Snacks, refreshments, and cupcakes from Unique Sweets, a nonprofit that employs people with autism and other disabilities, will be provided.
What to Bring
Bring your own yoga mat…some will be available to borrow.
Location
We The People Fitness Studio:
1229 N. North Branch St, Chicago, IL 60642
Your Hosts
Maria Rosner
When Maria Rosner isn’t on her mat or teaching yoga, she’s likely at a concert or dancing at a music festival. She knows firsthand about the potency of the live music experience, how it brings people together and dissolves the differences that divide human beings. Maria discovered yoga 25 years ago, when she was in the midst of raising a young son with autism. The effects on her health and wellbeing were so profoundly positive that she made it her vocation to teach.
Josh Young
Josh Young has spent the last 20 years as a touring musician. As half of the due Flosstradamus, and later as Yehme2, he helped bridge the gap between music from the streets of Chicago and electronic music. Along his travels, he picked up a yoga mat and dedicated hours in hotel rooms, airports, tour buses, anywhere he could, to his practice. He is starting Yoga Teacher Training this Spring and is excited to see where this experience takes him.
A Note From Maria:
Hi friends! Ever since my son was diagnosed with autism, raising autism awareness has been incredibly important to me. With Autism Awareness Month approaching, I’m raising funds for Autism Speaks, and it would mean the world to me if you would join me in class or make a donation to my fundraiser. Together, we can help support the autism community and challenge people’s perception of disability to make this world a kinder, more inclusive one.
When my son was diagnosed with autism at age four, the Americans with Disabilities Act had only recently been signed into law and the rate of autism prevalence was about 1 in 15,000. Which meant that autism awareness was relatively unknown and support services were scarce. Back then, Autism Speaks was a small organization called the National Alliance for Autism Research, founded by parents like me who wanted answers about this complicated and confusing neurodevelopmental disorder.
Thanks to the information and resources provided by organizations like Autism Speaks, I was able to advocate for my son and help him reach his potential. Thirty years later, Dylan is living independently in Las Vegas, runs his own business, and has become a powerful voice for autism awareness in his community.
Today, the prevalence rate of autism has soared to 1 in 36 children, and parents are still struggling to find answers and support services. It’s only through the dedicated support of people like us that Autism Speaks can continue their vital mission work. Each year, the Autism Speaks Autism Response Team makes direct contact with tens of thousands of individuals looking for advice or guidance and more than one million people access their free nationwide autism services and resources. They continue to partner and support research to improve the lives of people with autism by investing in science that will allow more personalized treatments and therapies. You can find out even more about where your fundraising dollars go at autismspeaks.org/our-work.
In a world where people are often perceived based on their limitations rather than their potential, where labels supercede personhood, I ask that you challenge your own perceptions of “disability.”
Please join me by donating to help me reach my fundraising goal. Together, we have the power to enhance the lives of people with autism and make a meaningful difference. Thanks so much for your support!
Xoxo Maria