Local yoga studios are banding together to raise money for a yoga instructor and his partner who were brutally beaten by a group of teenagers in what some are calling a hate crime.
According to a reports by Fox 5 WTTG and NBC Washington, on July 22, Michael Joel Hall Jr., 29, and his partner, Michael Roike, were walking home in Eckington when a group of teenagers approached them and without warning began attacking them. Hall suffered a broken jaw and a fractured cheekbone.
DC police said the incident could be a potential hate crime, since the attackers didn’t ask for money or anything else from the couple.
In addition to teaching private sessions, Hall is a yoga instructor at Yoga District, Balance Gym Downtown, Flow Yoga Center, Vida Fitness: Metropole, and Crunch in Friendship Heights. Various studios in Washington have banded together to raise money for Hall’s recovery, since he has no health insurance. The following is a list of benefit events open to the public:
Wednesday, July 25
Yoga District on 14th Street will host a 6:30 PM yoga class for Hall.
Thursday, July 26
Lil Omm’s 7:30 PM flow yoga happy hour class will raise money for Hall.
Cobalt // 30 Degrees is hosting a fundraiser tonight; all proceeds from the door ($3) will go to help Hall.
Friday, July 27
Two classes at Flow Yoga in Logan Circle will donate all proceeds to Hall. Both classes are at 8:15 PM and are an hour and a half.
Balance Gym at Thomas Circle will host a roof top yoga session at 5:30 PM.
All evening classes tonight at Down Dog Yoga will be donation-based.
ExtendYoga in North Bethesda will hold a 5:30 PM class in honor of Hall.
Blue Heron Wellness in Silver Spring will donate proceeds from their 6:15 PM yoga class with Hannah Leatherbury to Hall.
Saturday, July 28
Capitol Hill Yoga will host an open yoga class at 9 AM.
Georgetown Yoga will host an all-level class at 9:15 AM.
Yoga Chai will host an align and flow class at 9:30 AM.
Blue Heron Wellness will host a level one and two yoga class at 9:30 AM and a level one class at 10 AM.
Embrace Yoga will host its rocket yoga class at 11 AM. It will be followed by a meditation and vinyasa class at 1 PM.
Yoga District in Bloomingdale will host a 5 PM class.
Flow Yoga in Leesburg will host a 4 PM vinyasa flow class.
Tranquil Space in Arlington will host a benefit workshop for Hall from 5 to 6:15 PM.
Sunday, July 29
Stroga’s Budokon flow class at 11 AM will raise money for Hall. Another “Flow for a Cause” class will be at 6:30 PM.
Capitol Hill Yoga will host a second class for level-one yoga students at 9 AM.
Embrace Yoga’s owner Faith Hunter will host a 1 PM class.
Ashtanga Yoga Studio DC will host a yoga workshop from 3 to 4:30 PM.
Fuse Pilates owner Mariska Breland will host a 3:30 PM class.
Tranquil Space in Dupont Circle will host a benefit workshop for Hall from 3:30 to 5 PM.
Blue Heron Wellness will host a Pilates class at 9 AM.
Monday, July 30
Yoga District on 14th Street will host a 6:30 PM class for Hall.
Friday, August 3
Little River Yoga in Arlington will host a teen yoga class at 5 PM and a power yoga class at 6:30 PM.
Saturday, August 4
Little River Yoga will host a yoga class at 2 PM.
Sunday, August 5
Results Gym in Capitol Hill will host a yoga class open to members and nonmembers from 2 to 3:15 PM.
Lululemon in Logan Circle will host a 5 PM class in honor of Hall at Meridian Hill Park.
Monday, August 6
Proceeds from Yoga District’s Rocket 2 class at 7:45 PM will go towards the MJH fund.
Happy Soul Yoga in Leesburg will host a class at 3 PM.
All proceeds from the yoga classes Hall usually teaches at Yoga District (Mondays at 7:45 PM and Wednesdays at 6:30 PM) in Bloomingdale will be donated to Hall until he recovers and is back to teaching.
For the entire month of August, all Buddha B Yoga on U Street will raise donations for Hall. In addition, the studio will donate 10 percent of all class-packages in August to the MJH fund.
For more information, visit the Facebook pages created for Hall and his partner: Friends of Michael Joel Hall and Michael Roike and Michael Hall—Yoga Community Donation Class.
Gyms and studios can e-mail wellbeing@washingtonian.com to add a class to this list.