Team Hot Bird’s Top Hits
When we threw open the doors to Haus of Phoenix, we never could have imagined the family waiting for us on the other side.
And like family, we’ve grown and evolved over the last two years. We’ve experienced highs (hosting our very first in-person retreat), and lows (losing our beloved chef de cuisine and queen of chaos, Ashi the Destoyer). However, throughout it all, we’ve navigated the ebbs and flows of life together.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for the support you have shown Haus, our team, and especially, each other.
On the eve of our second birthday, it only felt right to stop and reflect on the last two years. So, without further ado, here’s a quick recap on our Team’s favorite classes and a few memories that have stayed with us.
We look forward to creating more memories together.
Cheers to Year #3,
Team Hot Bird
Click on the thumbnails to explore our Team’s favorites 💜
KATHRYN (AKA: MAMA HOT BIRD)
KATHRYN’S FAVORITE CLASS:
I’m going to have to agree with Tess: picking ONE favorite class out of all the different offerings at Haus of Phoenix? Rude. However, I SHALL. And I’m going with our Phoenix Friend Indu Arora’s: Include All, Exclude None Theory and Meditation. I could listen to Indu talk all day, everyday, and this class will prove why: she breaks down the origin behind ‘aum’ with colorful storytelling and historical context that blew my mind. Every class with her encourages me to stay curious, learn more, and lead with an open heart. She is pure beauty; pure yoga.
KATHRYN’S FAVORITE MOMENT/MEMORY:
If you’ve practiced with me long enough (or realistically, even a few times), you know that my cues can be — how do I put this — creative. I managed to compare everyone to camels when I was teaching a class for our Haus of Phoenix retreat in Charleston. And no, not camel like the backbend, just camels. To this day, I’m pretty sure the comparison made NO sense, but we laughed, and figured that was that. The following day I led the group through a full moon ritual, setting up animal spirit cards in a way that allowed all of us to contribute toward the final card I selected: THE CAMEL. Immediate chills. I knew in that moment, more than ever, that this Haus/coven/family was powerful beyond my understanding.
TESS (AKA MIGHTY PEACOCK)
TESS’ FAVORITE CLASS:
So, in other words, pick my favorite child out of 500 replay-children?! That feels impossible. And a little rude. But I digress.
To no surprise, the first two that came to mind were Hungry Phoenix recipes: Elote Pasta and Pineapple Red Curry (aka: Van Curry; if you know, you know). Those recipes began my “learning-to-cook” journey, and bonus: THEY’RE FREAKIN’ DELCIOUS. However, for my all-time fav, I gotta go with The Inky Phoenix Presents: The Comfort Book. The combination of books and yoga was a combo I didn’t know I was missing before Haus came along. This class in particular hits the KB trifecta: move, laugh, and cry. You’ll move through a pasta sequence (yes, there’s a pasta sequence), you’ll laugh while punching capitalism in the face (you read that right), and you’ll cry listening to Kathryn recite quotes that feel like warm hugs (you’ll see what I mean). Go get your comfort on, fam.
TESS’ FAVORITE MOMENT/MEMORY:
On January 2nd, Kathryn guided us through a “Wishing Well” meditation, and it holds a special place in my heart. During the meditation, KB had us visualize each other — standing in a circle around a wishing well. With ease, I could see all of you so clearly, as if you were standing right before me. But more than anything, I remember feeling the fierce love that radiated around us. Tears ran down my cheeks with gratitude.
Not even a week later, we hosted our first in-person Haus of Phoenix retreat, and this visualization became reality. During that weekend, I sat in a circle under the full moon surrounded by members of this Haus. Love radiated around the room (and throughout the whole weekend), and I finally got to say out loud, in person, to those right before me, just how grateful I am.
Wishes do come true.
STEPHEN (AKA PAPA HOT BIRD)
STEPHEN’S FAVORITE CLASS:
I have super fond memories of our very first Professor Phoenix discussion, where we had the joy of being joined by our dear friend Jessamyn Stanley. Not knowing what way the session would unfold, I thought that we’d have a little chat, get to learn more about Jessamyn and her new book Yoke, but what unfolded across the hour together was much more — did I underestimate the power of Haus or what?! We gathered from across the globe to discuss addressing your fears, self doubt, and the challenges of untangling ourselves from capitalism, while realizing that we’re all very much a part of that system whether we like it or not. I think this first Professor Phoenix get-together was the moment I truly realized that Haus was going to be so much more than just our time on the mat.
STEPHEN’S FAVORITE MOMENT/MEMORY:
Friendships: Zooms with Kathryn and Tess quickly became a weekly ritual after Haus was established. Despite never having actually met either of these goddesses in person, glorious friendships were immediately born. Our meetings are a weekly check-in on life, planning the months ahead for Haus, and generally putting the world to right. They always start with a hiiiiiieeeeeee, we always collaborate and listen to each others’ ideas, and laughter is ALWAYS guaranteed. As a small but mighty team of three, we always have the same instinct to carefully consider how Haus sits within the world and our community.
Community: Helping to start a business from the ground up can be A LOT. I will be the first to admit I got slightly lost in the buzz of launching new websites, designing branding, creating content for social media, and planning emails… amidst the flurry of activities, it can be hard to see the forest from the trees. You never really know if what you’re putting out in the world is going to land: Will people like it? Are we going to pull to this off? That’s when we launched our Discord group… and within twenty-four hours we had people from all across the world who were connecting and introducing themselves to absolute strangers, all within the common landscape of this magical Haus — that is the moment it clicked with me that all the late nights and collective worry was worthwhile. That elusive forest was in full view.
