I bookmarked this article from July 10 in the Huffington Post, knowing that this was a topic that I wanted to write about. I finally read it today and found it a fitting time to share with all that is happening in the world right now. Marianne Williamson is a spiritual activist, author, and lecturer. I first learned of her from a famous quote that is widely attributed to be written by her for Nelson Mandela’s inauguration, and which I have read at the end of a few of my yoga classes.

Today, I discovered that although it is a passage included in one of her books, it was actually never spoken at Mandela’s inauguration. This year, she also ran (unsuccessfully) for Congress. Marianne is a truth teller and I could not agree more with what she writes.

The Revolution of Consciousness
-Marianne Williamson

“There is a revolution occurring in the world today, but it is not fought with armies and it does not aim to kill. It is a revolution of consciousness.

This revolution is to the 21st century what the Scientific Revolution was to the 20th. The Scientific Revolution revealed objective, discernable laws of external phenomena and applied those laws to the material world. The Consciousness Revolution reveals objective, discernable laws of internal phenomena and applies them to the world as well.

The Scientific Revolution improved the state of humanity in many ways, but it also fostered a worldview neither ultimately helpful nor deeply humane. That worldview is mechanistic and rationalistic, without the slightest bow to the primacy of consciousness. Yet consciousness supplies moral vision and ethical purpose, without which all the science in the world won’t keep us from destroying ourselves or the planet on which we live.

Gone with irony and deep sigh any lingering hope that science will cure all the ills of the world. Certainly science has improved and continues to improve the world in significant, even stunning ways. But despite all its amazing gifts, science cannot give us what we most need now. It cannot save us from ourselves. Science can lead to the cure of a physical ailment, but it is not just a physical ailment that needs healing. Humanity’s core problem is not material but spiritual. It is our insanity — our inhumanity toward each other — from which we need to be delivered, in order to save us from the self-destruction on which we seem so bent.

Science itself is placed at the behest of human purposes. It can be used for good and it can be used for evil. Of itself, it is neutral and thus amoral. It should not therefore be our god. It’s time to end our strict obeisance to its dictates that the laws of the material world are fixed and unalterable, unchanged by the powers of consciousness. The old Newtonian model of world as machine has in fact given way to the realization that the universe is not a big machine, so much as it is, in the words of British physicist James Jeans, “a big thought.” Science itself has begun to recognize the power of the mind, but not so a lot of the world it has mesmerized over the last hundred years.

We need to heal our thinking, in order to heal our world.

The Law of Cause and Effect holds true on every level of reality. Thought is the level of Cause and material manifestation is the level of Effect. Change only on the level of effect is not fundamental change it at all, yet change on the level of cause changes everything. That is why a revolution in consciousness is our greatest hope for the future of the world.

What is the Revolution of Consciousness, in a nutshell? Like all great movements in human history, it is based on a single insight: in this case, that we are not separate from one another. We are not material beings limited to the physical body, but beings of consciousness limited by nothing. Like waves in the ocean or sunbeams to the sun, there is actually nowhere where one of us stops and another one starts. On the level of bodies, we’re all separate of course. But on the level of consciousness, we are one.

What that means, of course, is that what I do to you, I do to myself. That makes the Golden Rule very, very good advice. Do unto others what you would have others do unto you — because they will, or someone else will.

In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one, affects all indirectly.” That understanding is not metaphor or symbol; it’s a description of an ultimate Reality shoved from our awareness by an obsolete scientific worldview. To reclaim that understanding is not blind but visionary. King was not just a movement leader but also a spiritual one, proclaiming that the human condition would not fundamentally change until our hearts were changed. Until that change occurs within us, every time we cut off the head of a monster three more will take its place.

Anything we do to anyone else will ultimately come back at us, whether as individuals or as nations. Once we know that, we cannot un-know it. It changes everything, including our hearts. How can we not change how we see each other, once we realize that we are each other?

In the words of President John F. Kennedy, “Those who make peaceful evolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable.” The revolution of consciousness paves the way for the peaceful evolution of the human race. The alternative to that evolution is catastrophic and impenetrable darkness.

Any species, if its behavior becomes maladaptive for its own survival, either mutates or goes extinct. What arrogance it would be to believe that that applies to every species but our own. In fact, humanity’s behavior is in fact maladaptive for our own survival: we fight too much with too many weapons of mass destruction existing on the planet, and are actively destroying our own habitat. Our choice is clear: we will either mutate or we will die.

The mind does not want to hear this, but the heart rejoices in it. The dictates of science aren’t so sure about it, but the dictates of consciousness are clear. Humanity doesn’t need to make another machine; it needs to make another choice. We need to consider the possibility of another way, another option, another path for the human race to follow…one in which we do not bow before the laws of science, but rather bow before the laws of love. The mind will no longer be our master, but our servant. Science will no longer be a false god, but a truer help. And humanity will evolve, peace at last will come to earth, and war will be no more.”

I find it difficult to look at the photos and read the stories of those who were killed in just this one incident without feeling a strong sense of connection to each one of them. We really are all one.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2697010/Faces-innocent-victims-Melbourne-real-estate-agent-wife-student-leading-AIDS-doctors-confirmed-dead-Flight-MH17-terrorist-attack-killed-298-people-board.html

“Just imagine becoming the way you used to be as a very young child, before you understood the meaning of any word, before opinions took over your mind. The real you is loving, joyful, and free. The real you is just like a flower, just like the wind, just like the ocean, just like the sun.”
-Miguel Angel Ruiz

“A mountain is composed of tiny grains of earth. The ocean is made up of tiny drops of water. Even so, life is but an endless series of little details, actions, speeches, and thoughts. And the consequences whether good or bad of even the least of them are far-reaching.”
Swami Sivananda

I recently came across this very touching story, written by a man named Dave Ursillo, which so powerfully demonstrates that just one simple act of kindness has the potential to change the entire course of someone else’s life for the better. Everything that we do has a ripple effect. The extent of that ripple- in magnitude or distance- is what can’t be known.

“Overcrowded Yoga, Pink Hair and an Ounce of Kindness: A Story”
By Dave Ursillo

Three Thanksgivings ago, I walked into my third ever yoga class–and promptly walked out.

The free community yoga class on that holiday was just too crowded for me. Rather than trying to fit myself in on the floor somewhere–or get stuck in the back hallway or kitchen space–I chalked the effort up to a loss, turned around and quietly snuck out the front door.

But the teacher saw me.

And then she followed me out onto the street.

The pink-haired, tattooed yoga teacher named Debbie invited me back inside.

“We’ll make room for you up front, just come with me.”

I had taken just one class with her the Friday before Thanksgiving. It was the first class that I had ever attended on my own. Debbie made a point to welcome me to class that morning–she even remembered my name that Thanksgiving when she called for my attention out on the street.

I politely resisted. “Oh, that’s okay, I’ll just–”

But Debbie counter-insisted. So I went back inside with her.

And even though I was a bit embarrassed that I had tried to “escape” a few minutes before without anyone noticing, Debbie pulled a few strings with her adoring students and tucked me and my mat up towards the front of the class.
The yoga class was great. I left feeling elated. That Thanksgiving afternoon, all throughout my family’s traditional dinner and the ensuing festivities, I felt like a new human being.

Although the yoga left its mark on my feeling state that day, what did more was being seen by this teacher who called me back when I quietly tried to run away.

Honestly, I don’t know if I would have ever gone back to another yoga class if Debbie hadn’t pulled me back in. I’d like to think that I would try again. But part of me suspects that I might have made excuses. Or said that yoga “wasn’t for me.” Or found some sort of rationale to avoid facing a similar experience: feeling like there’s not enough space for you in a room full of people who you don’t know (and who all seem to be on another level with their yoga).

Whether or not I would have ever gone back to a yoga class, what I knew at that moment on Thanksgiving three years ago was that I liked this pink-haired yoga chick.

I liked that she cared enough for a stranger whom she had only met once to leave her own class and implore him to come back inside from the sidewalk.

I liked that she cared. I loved that she cared when she didn’t have to.

Part of me knew those three Thanksgivings ago that I would be loyal to this human being. She showed me more in the first two days that I met her than many shyer or meeker souls tend to show in a week, a month or a year (this, coming from someone who was himself a much shyer and meeker soul in the past).

Beyond her fun style and yoga prowess, she carried a gusto about her that was kind, unapologetic and steadfast.

The energy of someone like that is infectious.

And I felt loyal to her for that.
A week and a half ago, this story of “how I got hooked on yoga” came full circle.

Not only did I graduate under the tutelage of Debbie after six months of yoga teacher training to become a 200-Hour Certified Yoga Teacher, it was none other than Debbie who invited me to join the staff of my favorite local yoga studio, Laughing Elephant Yoga, in my old hometown of East Greenwich, Rhode Island.

And I start teaching tomorrow!

None of us ought to go around doing kind things and expecting that it might come around in a blog post three years later. It’s not about recognition, payoff, or even knowing that an ounce of kindness you shared with someone really did change that someone’s life.

And, in yoga and other healing arts, teachers and leaders are wary to accept praise like this because they’re humble and good people who understand that they are simply guides of students’ own practices. People in positions of power and authority always run the risk of being given credit for a student’s breakthroughs, changes and evolutions when, really, it was the student’s own doing, all along.

But when you carry indiscriminate kindness in your heart and make a practice to stand up for someone, speak up for someone, offer a compliment, give an “I’m here for you” or even chase someone out of the yoga studio and onto the street, you can damn well trust that that showing of love may have a real and lasting effect on the life of the one who receives it.

I’m eternally grateful that Debbie showed me an ounce of her warmth, consideration and kindness nearly three years ago.

It’s ironic how something like a simple and even forgettable moment–a generous but “everyday” act of kindness–can have such a ripple effect in your life. It’s almost unnerving. But it’s also kind of miraculous, and beautiful.

It’s moments like these when you do feel that something bigger in our Universe has got your back, if you dance the dance with Her to receive it.

I’m proud that it was a new friend’s insistence and my “rolling over” to accept it that put me on a path that I never intended to walk–and how much better a man I am for it.
So, thank you, Debbie.

You’re a pretty amazing human being and I’m so grateful to call you a friend.

And, I know that there are dozens more stories like this in our hometown community here in Rhode Island that give you the same thanks for being so kind, for teaching so generously, and for making the space in the room for everyone who walks in.

To you, the reader, I encourage you to spend some time this week reflecting on acts of kindness and generosity that might have put you on a path that you never intended to walk.

I think that it’s important to remember these stories, because they are earnest examples that can really help to motivate our own actions, words and deeds on any given day.

Be abundantly kind and considerate, and forget the result. The Bhagavad Gita says, “Abandon all attachment to the results of action and attain supreme peace.” Make space for people. Hold space for them–whether through listening, understanding, compassion, empathy, a smile or shuffling a few yoga mats around in the studio.

Who knows. Maybe someday you will be someone else’s pink haired yoga teacher who, through simple caring and an extra ounce of effort, helped change the life of a guy who thought it easier to pack his mat and walk away.

Tonight, the super moon made its appearance. I read that the full moon is a time for gratitude, for raising your ability to have, and for receiving what is unfolding in your life. It is a time to focus on beauty and expansion. Today, during my regular walk on the beach, many thoughts about painful events in my past entered my head and each time, I couldn’t stop the flow of tears that coincided with them. But in between these memories, I thought about the things that I am grateful for now, including the presence of my new friend, and kept my eye open to the beauty around me. I usually take a few photos of the beach with my iphone, but today, after finding a rare feather on the beach, which Mariet told me she often turns into pieces of jewelry, I decided to try taking a few pictures of scenes that I don’t normally photograph. For the first time, I discovered how to access the different tonal settings on my camera. Here are a few of the pictures that I took.

This week was a good one for me. I was introduced, by e-mail, to a lovely young woman who resides in the Netherlands, and who shares many of the same interests as I do. Before I had even communicated with her or seen a picture of her, I felt connected to her in my heart. She is extremely open-hearted, giving, artistic, thoughtful, and beautiful! In just this one week, she has provided me with so much inspiration and encouragement to get busy writing and begin my creative journey. She is a full-time photographer, a prolific blogger, artist, reader, and world traveler. I have been longing for this kind of interaction for the longest time! Ever since I have returned home from the PCT, I have been desiring to be part of a writing group or somehow be prodded to write and be held accountable for it. In the past several months, I have spent a lot of time outwardly searching for jobs, but barely anytime exploring what already resides inside of me. In several of my yoga classes that I took during the winter, when I was struggling with so many things, one clear message would return to me: You have everything that you need within you.

I have decided, in large part because of my introduction to Mariet and witnessing the work that she has done, to commit to exploring what I already have to offer inside of myself. It is because of her that I have made a commitment to write as many days as I can. And it is because of her that I am going to start dabbling in more creative experiments. After writing to her only once, she sent me this beautiful artwork that she created for me as encouragement:

I almost couldn’t believe it! This girl is a gem!

Here is Mariet’s blog:
http://www.yourinspirationblog.nl/

(There is a translation button and tons of extraordinarily beautiful photographs and inspiring ideas!)

I can’t thank you enough, Mariet!! My heart is starting to awaken and dance again!

“You don’t measure love in time. You measure love in transformation. Sometimes the longest connections yield very little growth, while the briefest of encounters change everything. The heart doesn’t wear a watch – it’s timeless. It doesn’t care how long you know someone. It doesn’t care if you had a 40 year anniversary if there is no juice in the connection. What the heart cares about is resonance. Resonance that opens it, resonance that enlivens it, resonance that calls it home. And when it finds it, the transformation begins…”
-Jeff Brown

Several weeks ago, I made the decision to remove myself from a situation that was not healthy for me. In the first couple of weeks, instead of feeling a sense of sadness from the loss of contact to someone who I thought was a friend, I walked around with a much greater feeling of freedom than I had felt in awhile. I felt like I had just opened up my life to a whole new set of possibilities that were much better and healthier for me and I felt so much hope. I understood how much I have been yearning for true connection and that my feelings of loneliness and sadness around not feeling this tremendously important part of life has been completely justified. I have begun to understand that having boundaries is a very important part of compassion- for both one’s self as well as for the other person. It became clear to me that enabling unhealthy behavior can only result in an unhappy ending for both parties. While it feels like the person who is acting as an enabler is being endlessly supportive, kind, giving, and loving, this behavior is actually only keeping the other party entrenched in their unhealthy habits, allows no reason for this other person to ever examine his or her own behavior and what effect it has on him or herself or on others, and only aids in the continuation of numbing and running away from this person’s own self. In addition, the enabler will never ever receive what they are longing for- to be treated with respect, to be seen and valued as a real human being, and to be loved in return. They only become depleted and never receive anything back. It became clear to me that it is impossible to have a relationship of any kind with a person who is unwilling to acknowledge their own behavior, who is unwilling to ever apologize, and who holds no accountability. I understood that an addict can never be there for anyone else- that they are owned by their own pain and whatever it is that they are addicted to, and that they can not feel compassion for anyone else because they do not feel compassion for themselves. I also understood that you can not help anyone who does not wish to wake up or be helped themselves. Sometimes, you must let go and love people from afar in order not to be dragged down with them.
I have learned that when you do everything possible to not feel anything painful- to push away, run from, and numb these feelings, you block the ability to feel the more positive emotions as well. And I have learned that when this happens, the only feeling that remains is anger. Lots and lots of anger. I KNOW that the only path to internal freedom and peace is THROUGH the difficult emotions- that you must work through everything that has hurt and blocked you before you find the feelings of joy and peace that are accessible on the other side. I am starting to feel small bits of this freedom here and there and I am understanding that for some of us, these feelings take longer to get to than for others because we have more layers to dig through, more work to do, and more patterns to unlearn.
It has become very clear to me that I want to surround myself with open-hearted people- people who are willing to allow themselves to be seen and who are willing to share who they are, what they know, how they struggle, and what they have learned. I want to be surrounded by people who love to laugh, who are creative, and who are open to possibility- people who are honest and loyal and hold integrity- people who wish to continue to grow, evolve, and expand. I am learning that you become what you consume- in the form of the food you ingest, the company you keep, and the information that you take in on a daily basis. This is a realization that gives me tremendous hope!
I understand that we all have a distinct and special purpose on this earth- a reason for our existence at this particular time- and that depression is simply a disconnection from our own spirit. This purpose is something that has been known to each of us from the time that we were a child, but something that few of us are living out. I want to start living my purpose now. I want to write much more, speak more, and share more. I am learning that I will be supported in my path as I commit to it more strongly- and just as I learned on the PCT, I can’t know how this will happen, but I don’t need to spend my energy worrying about it.

In the coming weeks, I will be writing a lot more about these topics. I am committed to this path and it is now my full intention to step into my life’s purpose. I hope that you will join with me! Thank you for your support!

I recently came across this sweet song and wanted to share. Happy Thursday, everyone!

I have read that yoga’s potential students outnumber yoga’s current students 5 to 1. In 2012, more than 200 million Americans practiced yoga, while more than a million expressed interest in trying it out. I believe in the accuracy of this figure and feel that, without a doubt, every human being on this planet can benefit from this practice- whether it is just placing a conscious awareness on the breath for a period of time, or engaging in a fully physical practice. The issue is how to get these potential practitioners over the barrier of WANTING to try it out, to ACTUALLY doing it. It is very clear to me that the desire to teach yoga and the skills to build a business of teaching yoga are two completely different things. I write the following experience as an example of how such a desire alone can result in failure.

A few months ago, I mentioned that I had been hired by a new studio in a town that was a 30 minute drive from where I live. The girl who was hired to manage the “yoga department” within this personal training studio was a fellow member of my teacher training group and someone who I considered a friend. The opening of this studio continued to be delayed, as construction issues arose. After a long period of waiting without knowing when we were supposed to start teaching, we were told that the studio was to open on the weekend of April 26 and to mark our calendars. Then, we heard nothing more. Since I was scheduled to teach a Sunday afternoon class, I e-mailed my friend, the manager who had sent the e-mail, asking if the studio was indeed open and if I should show up to teach on Sunday. I received no replies to any of my e-mails and had no idea whether I should be planning a class and driving out the next day. I finally texted her and later received a response of, “No!”. The following week, she sent out an e-mail to the four hired teachers, telling us that they were waiting on the flooring for the studio to arrive. It would then take at least a week to install. The construction delays were understandable, but I felt the lack of communication was much less so.
Several weeks later, we were requested to drive out to the studio for an “orientation”. I arrived to find the place to be a construction site! It was immediately clear to me that it was not going to be opening that weekend, which we had been told was the next opening date. At the orientation, the manager informed us that if no students showed up for our class, we would be paid $10 in compensation. This was the first time I was hearing of this policy, which was a bit shocking after expecting to be paid weeks ago. The other teacher at the orientation spoke up and said that no students showing was likely to happen a lot, as he had been in this position many times before. He added that it takes months to build a student base. The manager immediately dismissed his concern and said that there were a lot of people interested in the yoga classes. We were then shown the software for checking in students and accepting payment and were informed that in addition to teaching, we were expected to sign all of our students into class, enroll them in monthly payment programs, swipe their credit cards, and make sure they filled out paperwork and listed their injuries! I knew that this was not a feasible system. This process takes at least several minutes per student, and takes time to learn how to do. In addition, many students arrive late. Most importantly, yoga teachers need a few minutes to collect themselves before they can be expected to get into a space where they can deliver calmness, a sense of holding space for the class, and go over the poses they have planned to teach. They can not be expected to perform two different jobs at one time (especially when not compensated for the additional work!). Things were looking bleaker and bleaker by the minute. After filling out tax forms, we were give a free coupon to pass out to anyone who might be interested in taking a class and were told that we could get more of them. Upon returning home, I noticed the fine print on the coupon… It was only good for one of the classes that the manager was teaching! I almost couldn’t believe it! She had created a schedule of 25 classes per week, 10 of which she would be teaching at the most ideal times. I was given the horrendous time slot of 7:15 on Friday nights (I immediately knew no one would come at that time and suggested it would be better to hold an earlier class, to which she responded that she was teaching then…), as well as Sundays at 4. She also informed me that these would be “meditative yoga” classes and upon reading the description, I learned that they were supposed to be restorative classes, which is the exact opposite of the style of yoga that I teach! At our audition (which was in NH- over an hour’s drive away, we were required to demonstrate that we could teach a ‘power yoga’ sequence, which is actually my strength and natural style). Other classes were instructed to be set to hip-hop and top 40 songs, which I was glad I was not assigned. I believe that instructors should be left to themselves to select the type of music that best goes with their style and have the option to use no music at all. Sometimes, the best practices are ones in which all outside distractions are eliminated and where the student can focus on the sound of his or her own breath.
The studio finally opened on the Tuesday after Memorial Day. They announced the opening Monday night on Facebook. They had five yoga classes scheduled for this opening day. As I was lying in savasana during my Monday night yoga class, I thought about how ridiculous that kind of scheduling was! It takes time to build a clientele. Students need a reason to change their schedules and try out a class at a new place and they then need to be given a reason to continue coming back. People also need advance notice to schedule their activities. By this time, I had agreed to teach a basics class on Tuesdays at 7:15. We were also asked to come in for a second orientation that day! It quickly became apparent that no students were showing up for any of the yoga classes that day. I asked if I could stop by for the orientation on my way into Boston that Thursday, as it was obvious no students were going to show up. I was told, no, that I needed to be there until at least 7:30. Because no one showed up to the managers class at 6pm, she asked if I could arrive early for the second orientation so that she didn’t have to wait around. I arrived to find a giant padlock on the studio door and thought it was locked! The manager and the owner were sitting inside and I expected them to let me in. When they did not, I realized the door was open. If I were a client, the giant padlock would suggest to me that the place was locked! There was also no sign informing anyone that yoga classes were being offered at this place. I was shown the yoga studio, which was supposed to have a “beautiful” bamboo floor. Instead, it had a black rubber floor! Cement steps in the room led to a back door exit. There was nothing nice looking about the room. They had a few yoga blocks and straps piled on the floor, but no blankets or bolsters like one would expect to find in a studio- and especially one that offers restorative yoga (which I was supposed to teach!). The personal trainer manager plopped a piece of paper next to me and asked me to fill it out when I had time. After the yoga manager left, I took a look at the piece of paper and read that it was a “non-compete” form explaining that we were not allowed to teach yoga of any kind within that town and that if we were let go from our position, we would be banned from teaching anywhere in that town for a period of one year. I didn’t like the sound of that. If an opportunity to teach a private client came up, I would not be allowed to teach them? I decided that I did not feel comfortable signing this form and took it home to ask the manager (my supposed former friend) about later.
A little while after I returned home, I received a text. “Did you take the non-compete form with you?!” I said that I did and that I wanted to ask her about it first. I thought about the instructors in Boston who teach at several different studios in the same town. She replied that it was standard practice within the fitness industry and that if I wasn’t okay with it, they would be unable to keep me on the staff. She told me that I had until the following night to respond with my answer. The next day, she left a voicemail that began, “This is (so and so) from Fitness Within. (Really?) And that I was to call her back to discuss the non-compete form. I went for a walk on the beach and thought about whether it was worth it to stay with this place considering they were doing nothing to help us get students (my suggestion to offer the free classes to all instructors’ classes was immediately shot down), that we would be paid $10 per class if no one showed up after spending an hour to prepare for class, an hour to drive there, my own gas money, and the time waiting to see if anyone showed up. In addition, I was missing out on the opportunity to take my own favorite yoga classes at that time. I thought about whether this was all worth it even if I got paid the $30 they were offering to pay me when students did show up. My conclusion was no. Still, I wrote her back and said that I would sign the non-compete form and bring it in on Friday. That evening, I received another e-mail asking if I had received her voicemail that morning and that I was to call her between the hours of 10:30- 1:30 the following day or I was no longer a member of the Fitness Within staff. I stared at the e-mail. She wanted to get rid of me! Since I had already decided that none of this was worth it to me, I realized that all I had to do was not call her back within those hours, and it would all be over with.
Amusingly, the e-mail from her arrived in my inbox at 1:38 pm, informing me that since I did not return her call during her specified hours, that she had no choice but to remove me from the staff. It’s funny that she always took several days to return my e-mails when I wasn’t sure if I was expected to show up to teach, but this time had no problem responding within minutes of her own devised deadline!
I later learned that the other hired instructor who expressed concern over the lack of students in the first few months had 4,000 hours of teaching experience! I wondered why anyone with that much experience would agree to be paid so little! It took only two days for him to be released from the schedule, as well, just as I expected. The schedule was changed from 25 to 19 classes per week, and over the next several weeks, no students continued to show up. Now, only 6 weeks later, there are 8 classes per week listed on the schedule, and it has come to my attention that this manger of the yoga department is no longer holding that position and is looking to be hired to teach at other studios. She has also burned her former bridge with me.

It is clear to me that a sense of togetherness and community is of utmost importance in any endeavor. Forming connective bonds and a sense of teamwork leads to a blending of ideas and suggestions that will result in decisions based on the higher good, rather than on one person’s identity with a position of authority and power. People need to feel heard and valued and when they don’t, they tend to either fight back or withdraw, which never leads to a good outcome.
The lack of advertising was also a huge contributor to the quick failure of this enterprise. From the moment she advertised the openings for instructors at this place, I asked how they were advertising for it. She didn’t seem to have any ideas. At the first orientation, the mother of the young personal trainer behind the opening of this place (presumably backing the place financially) proudly stated that they had included a coupon for a months worth of classes in the “ValuePak” that comes in the mail. (You mean the thing that everyone immediately throws out?!) The only advertising that they were doing was listing the next days yoga schedule on their Facebook page the night before.

Ultimately, I lost nothing and only freed myself up to once again be able to attend level 2/3 classes with this man! (A much happier situation for me!)

(That is, if I want to sit in traffic for an hour and 45 minutes to get there! Ah life…)

http://www.michellemarchildon.com/why-yoga-is-a-broke-a-business/

Even before I started teaching yoga, I felt a great sense of sadness that yoga teachers get paid so little and have to teach up to 30 classes per week to survive. It just doesn’t make any sense. They are doing some of the most necessary work in this world- giving themselves completely to their students and playing out the roles of healers, physical therapists, fitness instructors, cheerleaders, spiritual guides, sources of inspiration, and on and on. Most of them commute from one part of town to another all day long, are completely exhausted, and can’t find time to take class themselves. They don’t receive any benefits (no health insurance of any kind), receive no vacation or sick time, lose money when either of those occur as well as every time classes are not held due to a holiday, and they have to pay for liability insurance out of their own pocket. It mystifies me that people who work jobs in one location spend many of their daily hours on the internet, chatting with co-workers, running out to do errands or hang out in coffee shops, and sitting around eating (often) free food, all while making more money per hour than a yoga teacher and are guaranteed a monthly paycheck that not only covers their living expenses, but allows them to save for vacations, eat out, etc. And, in a lot of positions (such as my former lab position), it is easy to argue that the impact these employees have on their local environments does not come anywhere close to the work of a yoga teacher. One of the reasons that I most love teaching yoga is because I get to directly witness the effects of my class on my students. Many of them tell me, “I feel so relaxed!”, “I don’t feel stressed anymore!”, “I feel great!”, or “I did something that I didn’t even know I could do!” at the end of class. The work itself is much more satisfying to me then spending all of my days in a sterile building, moving drops of liquid from one tube to another, with the eventual goal of getting a paper published. And I know that the benefits of practicing will only keep increasing and spreading to the people who interact with those who learn to create more space within themselves, who pause before they respond, who become more compassionate with one other, and more solid within themselves.
However, because yoga teachers get paid so little, the only way for them to survive is by offering retreats and additional trainings in addition to their regular classes. These trainings attract the dedicated students who have witnessed the change in their own lives from the practice of yoga and who see themselves teaching others. The problem is, there are so many students who are now certified instructors from all of these trainings (with more and more getting certified every month) that cities are over-saturated with instructors and there are no teaching jobs to be found. Now, people are clamoring to own the right to teach yoga to every company in the city (and then parcel out a minimal amount to the teachers who are actually teaching the classes)!
My teacher, David, who recently won the “Best of Boston” award (twice) for the best yoga teacher in Boston admitted in class on Sunday, that he has been avoiding doing forward folding postures, which are very introverted and introspective poses, in his own practice recently, because for him, they mean that he has to face all of the struggles that he has had to overcome to get to where he is today- the owner of the largest yoga studio in Boston with thirty teachers on the payroll, eight bodyworkers, and 50 work study students, not knowing if he will be able to keep this all going on a month to month basis. He said that when he looks out, he sees all of the bright, shiny people that make up this community that he has built, but when he is forced to go inside of himself, he faces all of the fear and adversity that lies behind it.
Again, I feel stunned and saddened by this fact. In every class that I take from him, I see how much good he is putting out into the world- positively affecting the way people live their everyday lives. He puts his entire heart and soul into what he does, and he offers the world something unique and something that is very much needed. His 200 hour teacher training was one of the most transformational experiences of my entire life.
Why is this world we live in so out of balance? Why are the people who are doing the most affecting work not able to survive while countless others are getting rich from greed and dishonest practices?
Something has to start changing. We need to start giving back to and supporting the people who positively affect our lives and make sure that they can fully take care of themselves so that they can continue to provide this important, life changing work.

My experience of applying to teach yoga at various fitness studios over the past few months has given me a lot to think about in terms of the pressure our culture and fitness industry is placing on people to look a certain way and how much extra work they need to be doing to achieve this certain look. I find the phrase ‘beach ready” to be quite striking. It suggests that there is a certain standard of appearance that must be met before it is acceptable for one to appear in a bathing suit in public and sends the message that unless you obtain this standard of perfection, you should feel embarrassed about being seen. I’m not surprised that I wasn’t hired to teach at this particular pilates and barre studio, as I feel that what I teach in a yoga class is sending the exact opposite message- that you are perfect and worthy exactly as you are. Teaching yoga is not about being a drill sergeant. It is about providing a space for people to find a sense of quiet and stillness- to go inside and start listening to what their body has to tell them. It is about self-exploration, self-transformation, and ultimately self-acceptance. It provides as much physical and mental challenge as the practitioner wants, but only when the student is ready and only when they, themselves, WANT to go there. It teaches you to stop competing with others and with yourself and to stop the process of comparing, which only results in a feeling of lack. And it allows space to let go of the things that are holding you back- things that are only weighing you down and keeping you from fulfilling your potential. Yoga builds strength, flexibility, balance, and perhaps most importantly, a sense of calm and internal peace. This state of calmness balances out the body’s hormonal system. In this space, the body can start to care for itself. I believe that sending the message that you must do this and this and this to achieve some type of standard that may not even be obtainable for your own particular body only results in adding more stress to one’s life and tells you that you need to be something other than you are.

I’ve lived in this type of state for the majority of my life. It’s not an enjoyable place to be. I can always find things that I don’t like about my appearance. I’ve tried no carb diets for weeks at a time in the past in order to lose my excess fat and found it not only to be a miserable experience, but an extremely unsustainable place to be. If you are forcing yourself to do anything, you will not be able to maintain it. And not only will you go back to your former ways, you will likely over-compensate for what you were denying yourself. Now you’ve only managed to double your self-hatred. You not only hate the way that you look, but you failed at what you sought to do.

After the winter I had, in which I did NO walking, and in which the only movement I did was yoga, I am surprised at how my body looks. And for the first time in my life, I feel satisfied with it. At the oldest age I’ve ever been, I finally feel free to lie on the beach in a bikini. Am I the thinnest I’ve ever been? No. I enjoy chocolate and ice cream and scones and coffee too much. They make me feel happy. But because I am not restricting myself from the foods I enjoy, my body is able to stay at a sustainable weight and I still fit into my small clothes. I realized that even if I lost all of my excess fat, I will still be able to come up with a long list of the things I don’t like about my body. (My ribs stick out, I look like a boy, etc. etc). And what good is that doing for me? I will NEVER ever be in a state of “perfection”. That simply doesn’t exist. So instead, why not appreciate everything that I do like about myself in this very moment?

Yoga builds whole body strength, but I believe it is the effect of the calming hormones that do the most to keep the body in a state of homeostasis. I definitively know from my life experiences that weight loss or maintenance is not a matter of “calories in, calories out”. Hormones play a huge role in this regulation. And when you learn to start appreciating all that your body does for you, and learn to start accepting yourself as you are, you stop the warring with yourself and the need to try to be something that you are not, which only serves to ramp up stress, self-hatred, and hormones that actually keep fat on. Who wants to be around someone that hates themselves and who is waiting for the day they look a certain way (which probably will never come) to feel happy?

I am not a fan of these contraptions that count your “steps” and your calories. And I really don’t like how people are encouraged to post their results on social media so they can be compared with the results of their friends. So you set a goal for yourself and don’t achieve it, or see that your friends outdid you. Now what? You’re only going to feel bad about yourself. And what is the point of that? That feeling is going to prevent you from enjoying life and it is going to create a feeling of distance and separation from those around you. Can you actually go to the beach and enjoy the feeling of the sun and the sound of the waves if you are worried that you don’t look good enough? And who exactly do you think you don’t look good enough for? Anyone who truly loves you loves you for who you ARE- not because of the way you look. They love you for the things you do, for your open heart and laughter, for the way you are there for them when they need you. This notion of needing to obtain a certain kind of standard of looking like an air-brushed, photoshopped model is preventing people from living and enjoying the present moment (which quickly turns into an entire lifetime).

A little while ago, I saw a posting from the owner of the barre and pilates studio that urged her clients to take as many different types of classes as possible in order to achieve the best results: “cardio, core, strength, barre burn, weights, circles, bands, intervals, flow, intensity, aerobic and anaerobic”. My head was spinning just reading that! Who needs that kind of pressure in a world where we are extremely over-taxed as it is?! I found it interesting that she ended up hiring another yoga instructor about a month later, billed the classes as “restorative power yoga” (which makes absolutely no sense, as those two things are the exact opposite of one another) and then saw that after a couple of weeks, yoga was completely eliminated from the schedule.

I think that if we can just start learning to slow down, to do less, and to start listening to our own internal needs, we will start gravitating to a more naturally healthy place for ourselves. We will start to do things that we enjoy and that make us feel good. We will live in a more sustainable way. And if we start appreciating who we are now, we will end up positively influencing the people we interact with. I believe that having compassion and acceptance for ourselves is what will create the most positive change in the world. Compassion spreads. No one connects with “perfection”. Perfection doesn’t exist in the first place. We connect with openness, vulnerability, sharing, and understanding. We connect with “real”. We connect with love.