HAUM is San Francisco’s New LQBTQ+ Owned Yoga Studio

Just look at that smile! People love HAUM SF!

This article is made possible by the fine folks at HAUM SF.

There is a special magic that happens when body, heart, mind, and spirit are all in alignment. For Danni Pomplun, the owner and founder of HAUM SF, a new LGBTQ+ owned and operated yoga studio in the Mission, this magical alignment seemed to fall into place the second he recognized his calling to serve the Mission District community in a deeper way.

As a thank you to the community, the HAUM Team is doing a GIVEAWAY of a ONE MONTH YOGA MEMBERSHIP to its studio and online! You can enter to win by visiting right here before midnight PST on Thursday, December 7th. We will pick the winner of this membership on December 8th!

Pomplun and his team are also so excited for the official Grand Opening of HAUM the weekend of December 3rd – 5th! HAUM will offer donation-based yoga classes, along with special giveaways and other surprises for everyone who steps through its doors that weekend. You can learn more and sign up to get your spot in yoga classes of all styles with live music at haumsf.com.

Getting stretchy and sweaty

The idea for HAUM SF grew organically from the challenges of 2020 and a desire to build something new that gives back in big ways. “When I first dreamed up HAUM, I only envisioned a small group of students coming to practice masked in my living room,” said owner and founder, Danni Pomplun. “We were still navigating the appropriate size of gatherings, but I was ready to set up shop in my home with all of the proper safety measures. Hence the name!”

During the winter peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Bay Area yoga studios were making the decision to close their doors permanently, including Yoga Tree SF, the largest chain of yoga studios operating in San Francisco. It felt like a big part of the beloved and historic San Francisco yoga scene seemed to be going under, but Pomplun was committed to keeping the lights on for the SF yoga community.

“I saw things going dark on the SF yoga scene and I realized the dream and the community I was holding was too big to fit in my living room,” Pomplun joked. “And then an opportunity for the perfect space presented itself and just like that, we were HAUM.”

Pomplun seized the opportunity to scale up his vision and in July 2021 he acquired the former Yoga to the People space at 16th and Mission Streets. And this studio has big goals to give back to the Mission District. Before they opened their doors, the HAUM Team donated the proceeds made during their “soft opening” weekend earlier this summer to The Mission Neighborhood Resource Center, a nonprofit whose mission focuses on community building, basic human needs, and integrated health in the neighborhood. In addition, HAUM will be hosting an annual event called One Love which raises funds for underserved youth populations. And going one step further, Pomplun and HAUM have also made the conscious decision to create a role on the Team who works on creating partnerships with local nonprofits and businesses.

Haum’s new studio

“Our mission is to fully embrace each member of the community and bring them together with us through intentional practices,” says Yvonne Kingsley, Pomplun’s business partner. The HAUM Team is laser-focused on creating a safe space where anyone can show up to their mat exactly as they are without fear of being judged. The team and the space are built upon the premise that yoga can bring you home to yourself while offering an inclusive and loving community that you are always welcome to be a part of.

“There is a common mindset among the teachers at HAUM,” said Frances Belleza, a HAUM Team teacher. “We all show up to hold space for people as humans. Of course, we teach students the yoga poses, but we offer them so much more! We offer them a safe home mentally and emotionally as much as we do physically.”

An additional step in making sure HAUM is creating change is rethinking the structure of yoga teacher compensation. Teachers at Pomplun’s studio get an above-average base pay, bonuses based on attendance, and the opportunity to have their classes saved in a digital library where teachers could begin to generate income from class replays or on-demand recorded yoga sessions – all extremely important to Pomplun and the HAUM Team as continued commitment to excellence in yoga programming.

HAUM offers a range of class types including Vinyasa, Hatha, Restorative, and Yin. Classes are offered throughout the day every day of the week and students can attend in-person or virtually via the HAUM Live Stream. You can learn more about the studio or book a class by visiting the HAUM website, and we invite you to visit @haum.sf on Instagram to see what we are up to each week.