Friday, January 24, 2025

Hosted by Tender Table and The Portland Yoga Project at PYP DOWNTOWN

Inspired and held deeply by Tricia Hersey’s Rest is Resistance framework, this community rest event is an invitation to reclaim spaciousness, ease, slowness, and care in the face of uncertainty. We will hold softness for each other and create room for idleness and imagination. Our aim will not be to become more productive or focused, but to invite us into a dreamspace of what just futures can be. 

We will open the space with words by Maya Williams, leading us into a writing practice of our own where we can explore all the different ways that this shifting political sphere is taking effect in our lives. Victoria Rutledge will lead us through a restorative yoga practice (long held poses with the support of bolsters, blocks, and blankets) woven together with the sounds of Kafari’s music. 

We’ll end our time together with an optional share circle.

Props for restorative practice will be provided. Wear comfy/cozy clothes, and bring a journal and writing utensil. Bringing favorite blankets/pillows is encouraged!

This event is free.

Please register using the link below to secure your spot. Space is limited.

About Kafari:

‘Kafari’ is the alias of Cincinnati, OH-born, Portland, ME-based pianist, rhythm bones player, beatmaker, and teaching artist Ahmad Muhammad. Kafari’s music synthesizes his love of ambient piano music, spiritual jazz, and experimental hip-hop, inspired by the musical legacies of Dorothy Ashby, J Dilla, Chopin, and the Carolina Chocolate Drops, who in a 2014 performance sparked his interest in the rhythm bones – an Irish percussion instrument popularized in America through blackface minstrelsy which Kafari often distributes and teaches to his audiences.

About Maya:

Maya Williams (ey/they/she) is a spoken word artist and poet who dives fearlessly into themes of grief, suicide, religion, and relationships. With a raw, powerful voice, Maya’s poetry creates space for connection and understanding, inviting audiences to feel deeply and reflect.

Selected as Portland, ME’s seventh poet laureate (2021 - 2024), Maya has published three poetry collections, including Judas & Suicide, a finalist for the New England Book Award, and Refused a Second Date, a finalist for the Maine Literary Award. Ey brings stories to life with boldness and humanity, leaving a lasting impact with every word.