ch-ch-ch-ch-changes! (part deux)

SOOOO many things are in flux right now. I am trying to be just as flux-y and let things develop. But sometimes, decisions must be made, people must be pursued for assistance and answers, and you have to set boundaries and timelines and abide by them. And for me, all of that is very hard to manage without frustration. On Monday I was feeling really foggy about things and a little aimless. I wasn't sure what I needed to be doing, just that I needed to do SOMEthing.

FOR EXAMPLE: I have discovered that starting a non-profit is much harder than it seems! Apparently such things as LLC, Non-stock, Budget, Boards, By-Laws, and all of that really matter. I have consulted legal folks and now have more questions than answers!

On a positive note, our space is coming together nicely. Our floors have been done, and our offices set up. We're having a garage sale on October 16 to help raise funds for us to buy equipment for yoga classes. My partner Jay is hosting an event on November 6. We're planning a holiday open house event. We already have a few folks interested in renting space for events (which will help me to offset the operating costs of the building). Our website is still under development and our logo is done. Once we have both the web site and some printed materials I will be able to market our services to other organizations that need yoga.

My schedule has changed as well! I have two current classes coming to an end this week. So on a regular basis I'll have more free time to take classes, rest, plan, study, and help market. For a long time I have felt that teaching 12-14 classes a week was too much for me. Perhaps some people are able to do it well, but my personality and temperament seem to lend themselves to fewer classes with more intention. So now, with privates it'll be more like 8 or 9 a week. Still a lot, but way more manageable. My focus is changing a bit too. My classes are becoming less about perfect alignment and more about connecting movement, breath and spirit. I know this is sort of a "no duh!" statement about Flow Yoga, but coming from the training I received and its emphasis on alignment, the more I teach the less I think that exact placement in postures is a universal thing. We just don't have the time in a 60 minute class to discuss every nuance of a pose. I enjoy teaching flows one time through slowly, emphasizing some safety tips, but then letting people enjoy the movement more on their own and letting them repeat sequences several times to achieve a more meditative quality. Fewer poses, more intention and awareness. Ha, it just struck me that I need to apply some of that wisdom to my professional and personal approach to my OWN life!

Here's a quote from Judith Lasater that really struck me this week and I think speaks well to a person in my situation: "Discipline has less to do with accomplishment and more to do with intention and with commitment."

Namaste.

ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

I am not normally a person who gets into debates on Facebook (or in the 'real world' for that matter, ha), but lately I have been finding myself getting rather ruffled up by negativity, generalizations, bigotry, and general nastiness around me. I find that when this sort of reaction arises in me it's usually got more to do with what I have going on inside than whatever idiocy is being presented.

For example... a friend who is Atheist posted something about God being a bigot that has caused all the human misery since the beginning of time (or something to that effect). I countered that human ego has caused more misery than anything else and continues to do so... it causes us to post things like this, to respond, to hold more tightly to our beliefs, and the cycle continues. It's frustrating.

I think lately I am feeling a shift in what I am comfortable with... time was, any mention of God would ruffle me, just in and of itself. And now, my definition of God is so different than it was because I have allowed it to change over time, that I feel myself defending, whether internally or outwardly, people who do have faith as much as those who choose not to have faith. It's the religion that gets me. It seems like religion was devised to help people answer their questions and make logical sense of a belief in God, but to me, that's not necessary! I don't need to think that someone who practices this or that rite has any more place in the universe than another. That's just ego talking (which sort of supports my first point).

On other fronts, changes are happening. I am working on cleaning and renovating a space that was owned by my grandparents until my grandmother's death in June (and now belongs to my cousins and me). We'll use the space to stage events for Project Yoga Richmond, which is a little stalled right now in the organizational stage (legal stuff which just needs to be sorted out and papers filed) but our logo is almost done. Soon the website will follow and our first major scheduled event will be on Saturday, November 6. My partner Jay is holding a monthly Biorhythms class which is a fusion of live music and yoga, and our site will be the home of the next one. We'll also stage outdoor "Guerilla Yoga" down at VCU and other places to raise awareness of our group. There's a lot of other things going on, but I am going to keep some to myself :).....

Namaste and enjoy your Sunday!

Wednesday

It's already been an eventful week. At home, after getting our new shed installed, we spent most of the holiday weekend organizing it and then tearing down the remaining old shed. We also dismantled our gardening beds (I finally accept that I am not a vegetable gardener!) and spread out the dirt (I also accept that I am horrible at raking, as evidenced by the massive blister on my hand that resulted from my having a poor grip on the rake).

This morning I attended to lots of odds and ends and am just about ready to have beautiful oak laminate flooring installed in the space that will be occupied by Project Yoga Richmond (that will be our name, I'm sure now!) What's great about the space is that we'll have the potential for a smoothie bar area complete with refrigerator and blenders and coffee and tea service. Also, a room for meetings and smaller private yoga sessions, as well as several small office spaces that could be rented out. There is also a bathroom with a shower!

We still have some cosmetic and structural things to do for the building, get some signage and our actual license to operate and all of that. I'm really excited about all of it. More later, and certainly photos to follow.

Classes have been very lightly attended of late... I think folks are either very busy or are not spending money on yoga. It's sad that people have to make such sacrifices when really, during times of stress and busy-ness, yoga is just what's needed. Rolf says that in AA when you are having especially high difficulty staying sober, people often say, "I'm staying close to the program" meaning, adhering even more closely to that which is keeping you steady. I find that yoga is my "program," so when I need it the most, it's there for me.

Wishing you steadiness today!