#thirdroot

Favorite thing(s) about Third Root? I really feel like I'm part of a community. I come here because I have relationships with the people here -- they're warm and friendly. I've been to other places where they do acupuncture in groups but the big difference here is that they have a door and a waiting area. So I can sit in the waiting area and talk to Katherine and have a conversation. Julia or Makeba comes out and we talk about the latest cause or movie. We have a chance to get to know each other. I come here because I want to see Julia and everybody. That's really the biggest thing -- I feel like I'm a part of a family.It's so gay friendly here. I had no idea -- it was just a nice coincidence. But I notice people in the neighborhood and how everybody comes in and it feels like we're very welcomed here by the neighbors. It's a community center.I love to walk around this neighborhood and look at the old mansions. It's old fashioned Brooklyn. The houses are bigger here than where I grew up. Sometimes I'll get a bite to eat, I'll sit out in the sun and enjoy. I love that the Q is just 2 or 3 minute walk."          

What are you up to in your life? I do volunteer work with men and women who are in recovery from alcoholism and  addiction. I've been able to stay away from alcohol and street drugs for 22 years. I've gotten a lot from the sober community, and I want to give back.I'm feel up for it, I love hiking and camping. I really love being in the outdoors -- in the mountains. Some people like the beach, I like the mountains. I like to go camping at gay campgrounds.

How can other Third Rooters connect with or learn more about you? I'm on facebook

Tell us your Third Root story!

Third Root means so much to me. It's a place to call home, it's a place to meet friends, it's a place to ask hard questions and it's a place to find peace. It's an honor every week to walk into queer/trans yoga and feel so loved, accepted and seen (and, of course, it's a great yoga class!) I'm always amazed at the range of programs offered by Third Root for a variety of communities. I love how Third Root gets spruced up every year for the street fairs on Cortelyou Road, opening its doors wide for its neighbors and friends. I LOVE Third Root because it's just so easy to. I love the friends I've made, the classes I've taken, the workshops I've attended, the groups I've met. And for all the classes I've missed and people I haven't met, it's just nice to know that Third Root is there for all sorts of people who are looking for their place here in Brooklyn.

What are you up to in your life?

When I'm not at Third Root as a yoga student, I get to volunteer as a cleaner on Monday mornings at 6:30 a.m.! I like to write songs on my guitar, run (I am training for a marathon) and I like to spend time with friends! I love friendship and at parties I like to ask "What brings you joy?" rather than "What do you do?"

How can other Third Rooters connect with or learn more about you?

www.instagram.com/emmettjoon

Bonus Question! What's a favorite trick you use to stay healthy?

Tell us your Third Root story!

when i first went to third root, i remember feeling so much abundance - both in terms of our neighborhood, that we had a place like this to go to, and in terms of myself - that a place like this was actually accessible to me, too!  it was new, it was nice, and it was for everyone. it wasn't a place just for white people who wanted yoga - it really was for everyone, and it reflected our neighborhood's diversity and--for most of us--our working class background. you could go and just chill. people could just stop in. from the beginning, Third Root felt like the big fountain of love that was so desperately needed along cortelyou, especially after vox pop had been forced to close. it filled those empty shoes and now it feels like the neighborhood's heart. there's always someone to talk to at Third Root - someone friendly, kind, and you have the best conversations and make great connections. i randomly met a person who had lived in my old neighborhood in detroit.  i've also met a neighbor who's lived here for almost as long as i have for the very first time!  the world really shrinks -- and expands -- when you step through the door.

What are you up to in your life?

I’m a poet -- i love writing, reading, dreaming. i perform spoken word poetry whenever i can.

for a living, i am a do-er of odd jobs, as well as a kidsitter / caretaker / personal and photography assistant. i also just started teaching a student conversational greek! : )

my dream is to be able to buy myself my own place one day – oh, and be free of my student loan debt!

Bonus Question! What's a favorite trick you use to stay healthy?

i suffer from copd (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) - so chronic bronchitis, asthma, emphysema, bullae, chronic pneumonia, frequent hospitalizations, etc.  it's not fun, and so my number one trick is PREVENTION -- eating right, doing yoga, getting acupuncture / acupressure and massage at Third Root, having social time with friends, exercising regularly, meditating, resting well, journaling, talking to friends during tough or stressful times, etc.  If I start feeling "sick" or "stuffed up" or "a tickle in my throat" (usually that's how it starts - a dry, scratchy throat which leads to a sore throat that drains into my lungs. so at the mere hint of feeling sick, i go into SUPER prevention mode.  here's what i start doing ASAP:

-drink tons of fluids - water, tea with honey (and sometimes a bit o' bourbon or whiskey if i'm having trouble sleeping), water with freshly squeezed lemon juice, chai, and hot soups (with garlic, ginger, lemongrass,and other herbs). bone broth is great.

-i strictly limit my sugar / dairy / white flour consumption, and consume absolutely NO caffeine.

-sleepSleepSLEEP as much as possible.

-meditate and RELAX as much as possible

-take hot, steamy showers and do my shower yoga

-gargle with lukewarm salt water often

-tell folks i'm not feeling well, and ask friends and loved ones to check in on me

-if i can get a massage, that always helps to relax me and boost my immune system