High Street Yoga to Host Biking and Yoga Fundraiser

Three years ago, Barbara Kosciewicz went down to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to participate in an event called, “Yoga on the Steps.”

Kosciewicz, who is the director at High Street Yoga in Pottstown, said that she discovered the event by chance and was interested in participating. She said that Yoga on the Steps is just as it sounds, as participants practice yoga on the famous steps of the Art Museum.

Upon arriving at the event, which celebrated its 10^th anniversary in 2012, she was surprised to see well over 1,000 people participating. Kosciewicz also found that Yoga on the Steps is the signature education and fundraising event for Living Beyond Breast Cancer.

“I was really impacted by it,” Kosciewicz said. “Everyone there was touched by breast cancer in some way.”

According to the Living Beyond Breast Cancer website, the national organization is dedicated to assisting those diagnosed with breast cancer through information and support. The organization also educates family, caregivers, friends and healthcare providers.

As the director of High Street Yoga, Kosciewicz explained that the gentle movements and positions of yoga can benefit those diagnosed with breast cancer.

The following year, due to her experience at Yoga on the Steps, Kosciewicz helped create a Pottstown-based fundraising team for Living Beyond Breast Cancer, calling it “Tri-County for Cure.”

Kosciewicz said that her resolve in supporting the team became strengthened this past summer, although it was under sad circumstances, as her good friend and yoga student passed away from breast cancer.

"She was an amazing part of the community," Kosciewicz said. "It made it personal."

The Tri-County for Cure team is made up of other directors and staff from yoga studios local to the Pottstown region, as well as members from High Street Yoga.

Among the fundraising events Tri-County for Cure organizes throughout the year is the annual Bike Ride and Yoga Fundraiser.

This year’s event, slated for April 20, will feature approximately a 10-mile bike ride along the Schuylkill River Trail in Pottstwon; proceeded by an all-experiences yoga class at High Street Yoga, located at 141 E. High St. in Pottstown.

Kosciewicz said that a member of the Tri-County for Cure team, who works with the Schuylkill River Greenway Association, suggested the idea of including the biking aspect to the event. She explained that the team wanted the unique aspect for the event, as well as utilize the bike rental option the Greenway Association offers to the public to ride along the Schuylkill River Heritage Area trails, which the nonprofit association manages.

Bikes may also be rented at Tri-County Bicycle, where the Bike and Yoga Fundraiser event will start. Participants may also bring their own bicycles to the event. After the ride, the participants will return to Tri-County Bicycle and take the short walk to High Street Yoga, where the yoga portion of the event will take place.

Want to Ride and Yoga with Tri-County Cure?

• Where: Meet in the parking lot of Tri-County Bicycle, located at 256 E. High Street.

• When: April 20, from 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.

• Registration: Registration for this event costs $20 per person in advance. Pre-registration is requested by contacting Barbara Kosciewicz at 484-524-5204 or at barbarakosciewicz@hotmail.com.

A rain date is set for April 21, in which the event will feature hiking along the Schuylkill River Trail, instead of biking, and yoga afterward.

For more information, visit the High Street Yoga Pottstown Patch directory listing.