I’mSoYoga Mama & Me + Seniors Chair Yoga

Our Mission

I’m So Yoga is run by a group of like minded people who live in and love Newark as well as yoga. The primary goal is to bring a healthy and enjoyable activity to the area as well as grow a community of friends with a common interest. We create an inclusive space for people to practice yoga from a beginner level to advanced. I’m So Yoga is a Vinyasa (Flow) based studio that includes a variety of teachers with different backgrounds.

Benefits of Yoga

Yoga is proven to reduce anxiety, stress, depression, tension, weight and blood pressure as well as sugar, cholesterol levels, arthritis and muscle tension.  Weather your a beginner or advanced student you’ll enjoy or classes and gain these benefits.  Yoga is a way to increase your feeling of wellness, concentration comes with the practice, flexibility is built over time, you’ll gain control in your body allowing you to move how you’d like.

Founder  

Leslie runs I'm So Yoga she is the owner/operator her goal is to give the community a safe inclusive space to practice yoga regardless of weight, race, sex, gender, ect.  Leslie’s journey began in 2014, after taking yoga classes in Newark she fell in love with yoga. She knew yoga was something she had to pursue. Leslie began seeking information in the yoga industry and came across a yoga workshop at Earth Yoga NYC. She then learned she would need to expand her knowledge of yoga. Fortunately Earth Yoga NYC Yoga Teacher Training was going to begin shortly after that workshop. Leslie then took the 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training course at Earth Yoga NYC. By taking part in the 2015 Yoga Teacher Training she learned there are various styles of yoga, multiple levels and a diversity in  perspective's to teach from. Leslie teaches a Vinyasa Flow mixed level class and is eager to increase her knowledge of yoga.  It was always a plan in her mind to open a Yoga Studio and she did. She enjoys being of service to others, teaching yoga is a great way for her to do so.  Yoga has impacted Leslie in various ways, her memory has improved, she is more flexible, and is now stronger physically and mentally.

Info

 

1186 Raymond Blvd 4th FL
Newark, NJ 07102

imsoyoganewark@gmail.com

Text or Call: 862-236-3376

Help us grow

Here’s how you can help us grow:

Tell a friend or neighbor about us.

Write a positive review.

Donate via Zelle: imsoyoganewark@gmail.com

Volunteer to during our vending events and to give out pamphlets.

April 21st Grand Opening Exhibit

Steve Green’s paintings are visual expressions of his memories growing up during the rise of Hip Hop Culture. His work explores all the elements of the movement and tells stories of his nostalgic journey and experiences of the times he grew up under the influence of Hip Hop Culture. These works reflect the music, style, fashion and  times during the infancy of the very beginnings of Hip Hop and how it informed his process of creativity for the work he produces today.

“When I paint I’m more in tune with the process than anything else. I believe the work creates itself and is divinely inspired. I use diverse mediums and techniques from painting to collage to express my thoughts and visions. I like the idea of using multiple sources to achieve my end and trust that process as it plays out in my work.”

Premier: #SoloDoloTuesdays

#SoloDoloTuesdays is a weekly platform for solo artists and small collectives to showcase their creative talents.

In the process of evaluating acts for feature consideration, the artist and space curator together discuss an agenda for the night that optimizes the artist’s desired objective for the installation.

Streaming video interviews, live performances, art exhibits, screenings, artist development panels with Q&A and more are all possible elements that might make up a #SoloDoloTuesdays night session.

#SoloDoloTuesdays: April Premier Showcase Artists:

April 11th: Mia X https://gofund.me/2a3ed9de

April 25th: GHOST https://gofund.me/590b6834

Presented by: Create And Get Empowered Hosted by: TheArtistRecreatesTheWorld Admission: FREE Donations: Suggested Donor Support: ArtStart + Creative Catalyst

Please support the artist and SoloDoloTuesdays via our unique GoFundMe strategy. Each weekly featured artist will have the option to opt in on receiving donations to help with the costs associated with their art business. We provide a GoFundMe link that the artist is encouraged to share with their own supporters. The donations raised during the campaign will be shared equally between the featured artist and Create And Get Empowered as a way to support the artist as well as the curatorial efforts involved in production of the program.

If you are an artist who is interested in participating, contact us: info@blkboxnwk.com


Gant-Gilbert major update: the time has come!

I just want to to take a few minutes to update everyone who has an interest in The Gant-Gilbert Artist Collective and the commencement of BlkBoxNwk’s programming cycle.

#1 - Creative Catalyst Fund - I would like to thank City of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Arts and Culture Director Fayemi Shakur and all involved in the selection and administration of this grant ($10,000) which is earmarked for arts based programming at BlkBoxNwk.

#2 - We have liftoff! (March 1st) - With all construction, approvals and obstacles that have hindered our ability to activate the space removed from our path. We are announcing that we will be able to begin programming arts and community events as well as provide affordable space rental as soon as March 1st!

Major shout outs to Invest Newark (Marcus Randolph, Roger Johnson, Roy Sutherland, Emily Manz, Reesa Abraham and all)! From my perspective, they worked diligently to address every issue that came about deliberately and with full transparency! They came into a challenging circumstance with a 2 decade dead construction project with outdated plans and managed to nurture its development into a beautiful living space for artists, a space for arts and culture and a worthy memorial to the lives of Jerry Gant and Rodney Gilbert who have contributed so greatly to our community’s culture.

That being said, this space has been a long time coming. To put it in perspective, I had booked an event in the space for 15 months ago (October 2021) that I had to cancel. Not being able to follow through on a booking was a great disappointment as I stand by brand reputation and personal credibility among community partners and clients.

Having faith when it appeared I had no control over the situation was hard to do, but something I had experience with. I had broken my ankle during construction of Coffee Cave and was unable to bare any weight on my foot for 9 months. I was this close to not even opening for business, but by the grace of God remained faithful and got the doors open.

2 Corinthians 12:9
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

As progressive visionaries, to persevere and grind are mandatory modes. Anything worth achieving will involve challenges to be navigated. When it seems like our ability to navigate has been compromised, there might be down times that we go through, but OUR energy and belief is the common denominator that rewards successful outcomes. In MY case, although I was unable to verify commitments, plan and schedule, I WAS able to put an emphasis on structuring how BlkBoxNwk will operate and educate myself on areas that I had little real life exposure to.

On that note, cheers to all involved and keep your eyes open for updates!

Jerry’s Impact & Inspiration

Jerry Gant’s Impact on The Coffee Cave.

Running a business for me meant a combination of things: managing profit margins, expenses, quality control and cultivating a customer base to name a few.

So it’s 2009 and there I was, executing my business model at the Coffee Cave, 45 Halsey St. Our relationship with the arts community was phenomenal.

Most of our food sales took place during community events- and the reviews of the space and menu were overwhelmingly 5 star!

I knew our strong community involvement was good for business, but beyond the financials, Jerry let me know the importance of The Coffee Cave for the community.

After a memorial service at The Coffee Cave that he mc’d, He stressed to me how important my success was for this community. To paraphrase he said “who else out here is allowing free space usage” for the memorial service of a dearly departed member of “our” community.

He noticed something I didn’t. I was in churn mode, focused on scheduling and promoting to get the bills paid. The way I saw it, even allowing for free space use had potential financial benefits as it was a chance to market the space. But beyond the business plan, Jerry prophesied of the higher purpose of what this establishment meant to the community.

I was humbled and realized that Jerry had insight and a message that was from a higher place. So from that point on, all of my bookings had to fit a certain standard that I held myself accountable to according to a higher purpose.

How Jerry Gant inspired BlkBoxNwk @ the Gant-Gilbert Arts Hub.

As an artist, Jerry was his authentic self. Every new day was a new canvass. How he lived his day was a new work.

He was the ultimate multi-disciplinary freestyler…delivering targeted messages through seemingly random artistic expression. He blessed us with his provocative delivery and bluntness. He used his art as his safe space to turn off all filters. It was a place from where he could speak freely without offense taken by who the message was directed towards.

His message is as relevant to our community’s physical and mental health as the gospel is to our spiritual.

His evolved purpose as an artist allowed for spiritual symbiosis between his essence and his use of art to maximize his impact in the community.

Constantly in grind mode, he documented his endeavors through photo, video, etc. as his archived resume that will last as long as there are search engines and storage in the cloud.

He didn’t spend needless time analyzing, diagnosing and seeking perfection. He had become so confident in his purpose that perfection came in translating verbatim what came from his imperfect human soul.

Imperfections were the soul of his art that authenticated his work even more definitively than a fingerprint could.

30 second stencil was a trademark…stealthily in and out on the dilapidated facades of properties of Miles Berger, Art Stern, Hanini, Beit, land hoarders and absentee slumlords and even a tree in Washington Park.

The tree in Washington Park with a stencil of a black man’s face focused in the direction of a now removed statue of Christopher Columbus, representing the conquerors of native ancestral lands on both sides of the Atlantic.


The man’s face on the tree represents scrutiny of the conquering oppressor, that has recently led to his removal. The man on the tree might represent Jerry being commissioned by a higher power to leave an encrypted message that our work lives on beyond our physical presence. A voice for the past and present and visionary of the future!

Our goal at BlkBoxNwk at the Gant-Gilbert Arts Collective is to detoxify our community through the arts.

We aim to provide a platform for the divinely inspired whose work will allow us to share in a vision that agitates us to evolve as opposed to uninspired works that lulls us to complacency.

If your artful purpose is authentic and in alignment with what you just read, then Hit us up on our website’s contact page.

www BlkBoxNwk com

We will soon be installing weekly 1 - 2 person exhibits with artist interviews and discussions hosted by Gary Campbell #TARTW and curated by one of our discipline specific curators including Luisa Pinzon, Jojo Abenaavi, Ngu Asongwed, Kween Moore, Marcy DePina, Dana Holland Josh Milan and Veronica Manning.

We will cover a vast array of disciplines including performance, digital, visual, audio, dance, podcast and more.

Whether or not you are sure this open call fits your calling, We will support you as a community until your output transcends your talent.

#loveART

BlkBoxNwk: Kween Moore, Creative Arts Curator

BlkBoxNwk is pleased to announce that we are collaborating with artist and community builder Kween Moore to curate various creative arts initiatives at BlkBoxNwk.

Kween is founder of Femme Curator Arts, a black woman owned arts production company, as well as Urban Creative Arts Workshops, which specializes in international creative arts programming. Also, as an advisory board member for the Newark Museum of Art and as a City of Newark LGBTQ Commissioner, Kween is exercising and finding her voice to influence progressive change in the arts and in her local community on institutional, social and political levels.

Kween is well known in the Newark arts community as a multi-disciplinary artist with a deep spiritual presence, She has an innate mastery of a free flow style that optimizes spontaneous on the fly creativity. Not just a poet, performer or visual artist, Kween is all things art and she epitomizes the diversity of arts disciplines that @BlkBoxNwk @GantGilbertArtsCollective offers.

Dana Johnson, Special Project Coordinator

BIKBoxNwk is excited to be collaborating with Dana Johnson as Special Project Coordinator to organize bold initiatives on our behalf.

Dana's life has been dedicated to two key passions:

1. Creating music wherever inspiration hits. Dana is a practicing musician, producer, DJ and is co-owner of the Producer's Edge music production school. And...

2. community organizing. He has participated in a wide variety of non profit organizations and political campaigns and has stood behind several successful platforms supporting progressive causes across the country, helping secure positive policy-based steps forward along the way.

Dana's involvement will align with BlkBoxNwk’s desired progressive, outside the box cultural vision that disregards existing institutionalized barriers that might otherwise intimidate and stifle our full creative potential. With Dana's participation, BikBoxNwk endeavors to grow our platform without bounds.

@BlkBoxNwk @GantGilbert

Halashon Sianipar Community Relations Lead

BlkBoxNwk is pleased to announce that Halashon Sianipar will foster efforts to engage BlkBoxNwk with the culturally rich Clinton Hill - South Ward community.

“Hala” is a passionate grass roots organizer and is an avid supporter of neighborhood building through the arts. As a stakeholder in the Clinton Hill community, Halashon has a vested interest in the success of our project for the community.

#BlkBoxNwk
#Gant-GilbertArtsCollective

Email inquiries to: inbox@blkboxnwk.con

BlkBoxNwk Collaborates with Ngu Asongwed

We’re definitely keeping it funky with the addition of 6IXTY7EVEN brand owner Ngu Asongwed as Digital Arts Curator @BlkBoxNwk @GantGilbertArtsCollective.

Ngu is a professional digital artist and venue manager. He has made a huge behind the scenes impact on Newark, NJ with his relentless promotion of our sub-cultures. Ngu has played a major role in shaping our underground movement that is now relevant internationally on a global platform. Venues that Ngu owned, managed or curated such as The Kanek, The Metropolitan, Life Lab and The CAGE are legendary in the Jersey Club, Afro-punk and skateboard sub-cultures and are proven incubators for performers, networking and entrepreneurship. Those downtown Newark spaces set a whole vibe that continues today and lends to the monetization to artistic visionaries and contributors to those movements.

This is a great day for BlkBoxNwk as we remain true to our pursuit of authentic non-processed artistic expression. We aim to continue to strive to expand the global parameters in which our artists can achieve.

Digital Media Artists:

To exhibit your work in our space,

Submit 1 page pdf with social media links.

email to: inbox@blkboxnwk.com

subject: digital arts

BlkBoxNwk To Collaborate with Abenaavi Arts

BlkBoxNwk is excited to announce its collaboration with Abenaavi Arts’ director Jojo Abenaavi who will be enhancing our platform in dual roles as Virtual Experience Coordinator and Cultural Dance Curator.

As Virtual Experience Coordinator, Jojo, a Microsoft Solution Architect by trade, will install and manage our online art gallery. So, with your phone or laptop, you can view live and archived streams of gallery exhibits and performances and even take a virtual stroll through the space, click on an artist's work and support the artist and those involved in curating the exhibit by purchasing merchandise, prints or original pieces on display @BlkBoxNwk @Gant-GilbertArtsCollective.

Jojo will also help shape our artistic vision as BlkBoxNwk’s Cultural Dance Curator, with an emphasis on the African diaspora including Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latinx, Afro-Brazilian and the African-American cultural experiences..

It is reassuring to be working on such important pieces with Jojo. A true professional, her spirit is outstanding and her presence is engaging. I look forward to witnessing the progression of her collaboration @BlkBoxNwk and the impact it will have on our Arts community.

Cultural Dancers and Musicians:

Submit 1 page pdf with media links to:

jojo.abenaavi.wright@abenaavi.com

cc: inbox@blkboxnwk.com

Ribbon-Cutting Video (credit: Gary Campbell)

Thanks to Gary Campbell for documenting the historic ribbon cutting event of the Gant-Gilbert Arts Collective and congratulations to all involved!

A lesson JG taught me was DOCUMENT YOUR WORK! (Pics, Video, etc)

This is the service that Gary has done on behalf of the Newark arts scene with The Artist Re-creates The World series and his work for Newark TV. His archives are proof that you have been a relevant contributor!

Well done Gary!

BlkBoxNwk is proud to announce that Gary will be leading the effort of documenting the progression of the performance space at 505 Clinton Ave. and probing the artist thought process so that wisdom may be shared with the community. So look out for Monday night visual and performance artist showcases through our team of accomplished curators.

In the meantime, check out the speeches, interviews and performances in the Vid link below:

Ribbon Cutting for the GGAC

BlkBoxNwk
in

We have been waiting patiently (and at times impatiently) for this day to come.

It is an honor to be chosen as the performance space programmer for this beautiful space. BlkBoxNwk is totally different from what we’ve done in the past at The Coffee Cave and The CAGE. We support only authentic artistic expression of pioneers and torch carriers who endeavor to elevate their creative status. We are a sub-culture incubator. Elevating local movements globally.

2D Model

Working on this project has been an extensive process. I have spent countless hours reflecting on the past to put a viable refined plan forward. In spite of the effort made putting things together, I have come to realize that there is an incredible energizing factor generated when we pursue our passions. So when you can spend 18 hours straight in front of your laptop creating (with barely a food or bathroom break), and that 18 hours feels like 18 minutes -and you are STILL ready to do more, then we are doing what we should be doing in life. We are here to support the efforts of every artist, dj, performer and creative so that they might be able to do the work that allows for maximizing their energizing factor!