Who has your back? #Reflections

Creating and being a member of a yoga tribe has been a deep desire and longing of mine since I started practicing yoga in the early 90’s in NYC. I was searching for a home base. I went to yoga conferences to try to meet the teacher that would inspire this kind of community I was longing for in my own life. In visiting other communities, I always felt something was missing. When I met John Friend and started participating in the Anusara Yoga tribe in 1998, I started to feel a sense of home – mostly around my fellow members and around the gatherings of teachers and students. A group of the early Anusara teachers would gather at the Ashram in upstate NY and in Utah at a retreat center called Inner Harmony. These gatherings connected us so deeply. As Anusara grew and changed, this original feeling started to shift and change. Suddenly there was more competition and a hierarchy forming. Exclusivity and separation started to infiltrate the community. Fast forward to 2017 and our most recent Anusara Yoga Gathering in Italy this month. The dynamics of the group has changed! The hierarchy is now gone, and all teachers are now honored and respected.

Every voice is unique and contributes to the whole.The entire paradigm of our school has transformed. Everyone at the gathering felt a sense of connectivity and unity awareness.

What’s happening right now? I continue to find opportunities to create a tribe in my life around my classes, retreats and teacher training programs with Rudrani Farbman at the World Yoga Center (I have been actively involved here since 2004). My latest project has been focused on creating a tribe around my new passion – Yoga Health Coaching! I created a program called The Body Evolves. I have had 59 people enrolled in these courses over the past 3 years.We meet once a week for 10 weeks, and members are transforming their health and well-being in astounding ways. Participants in this program are losing 20-30 pounds, sleeping soundly through the night for the first time in decades, having great energy throughout the day, maintaining healthy weight without effort, feeling less anxious and more centered, clearing chronic digestive issues and feeling more positive and vibrant in their lives. The next course is enrolling for Fall 2017, so make sure you reserve your spot today! All of these tribes (Anusara Yoga, The Body Evolves, the World Yoga Center), are building a sense of community. If you are longing for a community of like-minded individuals who are interested in connecting for a higher purpose to support each other on our journey toward awakening to our highest potential and provide encouragement to live life fully and to bring more light to this world we live in, these tribes are the place for you to do all of this! After my accident, people from all of these communities came forward to support me and hold me through the painful and scary recovery. I didn’t know when I would be able to get back to work, or begin to take care of myself. I had volunteers showing up with meals, helping me to get to the doctor’s appointments, running errands, and helping me to see that they had MY back!! If you feel like no one has your back, come and join this community. So, what does it take? Jumping in. Join us on a retreat, come to yoga class,  join the next Body Evolves course, participate. Your presence makes a difference to the community. Everyone is important. Come if you need support or can lend support.

What next steps can you take? The Summer Retreat is July 12-16 at the beautiful Dai Bosatsu Zendo in the Catskills. This monastery sits on a gorgeous spring fed lake. We swim every day, do 2 yoga classes a day, and eat fresh organic food prepared by the monks grown in their gardens and in local farms. The retreat also gives you a break from the internet. Come off the grid and reconnect to your own sweet essence while enjoying this amazing community.

I am offering a discount on this retreat ONLY until June 20th. Call me at 917-822-1120 or email at [email protected]. $780 for shared accommodations, 3 meals a day and a blissful connection to your heart.

The next Body Evolves is now enrolling for Fall 2017. Our teacher training starts October of 2017. Fall retreat  with Tiffany Wood and myself is Thanksgiving weekend at Kripalu – Friday -Sunday November 24-26.

Come and join the tribe. We have your Back!