O2 Yoga

I have spent the past two days traveling on a refurbished school bus with my sons, Dylan and Deven, our friends the Halldorsons (Facebook.com/the unschoolbus), making a total of 3 adults, 4 kids, and 3 dogs. We are heading to a conference in North Carolina called ARGH. Yes, like the pirates. It stands for autodidactic radical gathering of homeschoolers. Intrigued?

Integrity
It appears on the surface, to some, that my personal and professional lives are quite different. Actually, it is the complete opposite. I believe strongly in integrity. This means that my moral and ethical belief systems are integrated into everything that I do and say. The way I teach yoga, run my business, interact with students and people who work for me, interact with family and friends, and interact with the world at large should be, and I hope are, consistent.

Travel
Traveling both opens and narrows my field of vision. In yoga, we often talk about the importance of pratyahara (sence withdrawal). This seems to imply the shutting down of the senses. I actually think it is the opposite. When I am traveling, my senses are heightened. Not in a overwhelming way, it feels more like a clarity. I am less distracted by minutiae and more tuned in to colors, smells, tastes and experiences as a whole. Opening up myself to new experiences makes me see things more clearly.

Awareness
Of course traveling on a bus makes for heightened awareness of space, resources such as water, fuel, food, comfort, and stuff. When living in a small space with lots of people and animals I become so much more aware of what I and my family really need. I mean really need. I have travelled quite a bit but still bring too much stuff. I still clearly don’t have a handle on the difference between need and want but I will keep in trying.

Reality?
As for ARGH, this is a gathering of families who have decided to spend more time traveling, hanging out with family and friends especially but not exclusively their own kids, and enjoying unstructured time. There will be presentations, talks, activities, games, potlucks, dancing, music and general camping fun. However, at least for us, this is a time to step out of what feels like the only reality.

Clutter
My father would often say to me that I would need to stop having fun and enjoying my life soon in order to be an adult. He spent his whole life waiting to retire and working himself to death. If that is the only reality for an adult than I don’t want to be one. Luckily that is not the only reality. As the buddhists say, there is no true reality, only your perception based on your history. Yoga practice, meditation, and I think traveling are all tools in clearing away all the clutter in your mind and body maybe, hopefully, clearing the view for a new and better reality.

How do I benefit from getting people to take the vegan challenge??? I don’t. So why the hell do it? Because I think that it makes someone’s lot better. Am I hoping to change people’s minds about what it means to be vegan? Damn right, at least in the sense that I really believe in making someone’s life better through this process.
Quite frankly, this is just between you and me, I don’t care whether people have more energy or whatever from eating a vegan diet. I want to make the world less violent and, yes, be partially responsible for decreasing other creature’s suffering. I don’t believe anyone deserves to be treated like an machine regardless of, or especially because they have fur, fins, or feathers. I mean, why participate in something that is so easily avoided?
I know, know, there are many battles to be waged. I agree, this is just my battle. Please, feel free to wage your own. In fact, please, please, wage one. Do something, anything, just don’t do nothing.
Ugggh. God, I sound self righteous. I don’t mean to, it just comes out that way. I am constantly engulfed in process and I have always been this way. Writing both solidifies and blows apart my thoughts. I will say this; I am someone who doesn’t know how to sit and wait. I must act on what I see in front of me. This can be a blessing and a curse but it is who I am. I don’t want to change yet sometimes my brain exhausts me. The world is huge and diverse and scary and violent and loving and full of extraordinary courage and loss. I don’t know if I can or should shift the balance of dark and light. I only know that I can’t help but try…

Practicing out on the roof of our woodworking shop. I love being outside!

In yogic philosophy there is a concept called avidya. In short it refers to mis-perception or lack or clarity. There are four basic categories of avidya, all leading to clouded thought. I like to imagine a foggy window. When you wipe away the accumulated moisture, you can see clearly through it. However, it will fog up pretty quickly again. Yoga practice is said to be one way of clearing away this fog. I know for myself that is definitely true. Sometimes I feel like I can’t see past all of the stuff that is cluttering up my brain. This leaves me no space for any good stuff to get in.

The  four categories of avidya are: fear, needing to be right, prejudice, and wanting without needing. Ever experience any of these? I know that I do. For me, the best part of yoga is knowing that it gives me control over my experiences. It is easy to feel like you are trapped by feeling, or that you have no control or option. It is wonderful to know that yoga is a tool (not the only one, I am sure) that can help clear out all or at least some of the baggage that we carry around with us on a regular basis. Seems like spring is a good time to clear out closets, get rid of stuff we don’t need right? Well, I think the same can be said about the body and mind.

I try to do some form of yoga practice everyday. It doesn’t always work out. It is great when I can get to a class but I also try to practice at home. I find my mind is most clear in the morning. It is almost as if, the further into the day I get, the more stuff I manage to accumulate along the way. If I can even get in a 45 minute practice I feel much clearer and lighter for the rest of the day.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

This is a love note to O2 Yoga Somerville. Since beginning teacher training, I have been pretty much off the schedule in Somerville except for the Friday night intensives. My husband and I worked out a schedule for March and April where I am working Friday-Sunday (teacher training) and then he is down in Cambridge Monday-Thursday working on the new studio. In order to stay focused on my family I needed to come off the schedule during the week.

I have to tell you, it has been really difficult. I miss teaching my regular classes and seeing all of your smiling faces. We just got word from the city of Cambridge that we have been approved to open our new location on Mass Avenue! I am incredibly excited and also, of course, a bit overwhelmed. There is so much to do in the next couple months. That said, I finish up teacher training at the end of April and look forward to get back to teaching in Somerville on Thursday nights (my new time slot!).  I will be teaching a Power and a Basics.

We will also be organizing another work party in Cambridge in the next few weeks so if you are interested in helping out, please let me know!

I received this email from one of the very special students, Tim Darr. Tim and his lovely wife Charlotte have been coming to O2 for years. They have always created a wonderful and warm presence in class. You may not realize this but, we teachers really love it when we can get smiles out of you guys! Sometimes everyone looks so serious. Anyway, Tim and Charlotte came to help paint a few weeks ago. They have also been checking in with me to see how things are progressing, and always offering help.

“Dear Mimi,

Congratulations!! Cambridge is known for it’s very tough zoning board. Again, let me know if there is anything we can do to help you out. You have a lot of hands reaching out to hold you up around here. Lots of people in the studio love you very much. TD”

I have read that 3 times and every time I tear up. Thank you Tim. And thanks to all of you dedicated Somerville students. It means a lot to me! My friends often get on my case about not asking for help. I promise to try to be better at it. There will be plenty of help needed in the coming weeks!

With Love and gratitude, Mimi

Often, I wonder if I am doing enough. Am I working enough? Am I playing enough? Am I spending enough time with my family? Am I practicing enough? I don’t lead a conventional life. Elliott made a joke the other day about the difference between “conventional” produce and “organic”. I would definitely fall into the organic category. Not organic meaning chemical-free although I try; more organic like, letting things happen organically. It is probably easier in some ways to have society tell you how long to work, how long to relax, how much your kids should learn and what they should learn. That is not how I live.

I don’t have hours to keep or a boss to answer to. That said, I still have plenty of work to do. My kids don’t go to school but they have a ton to learn. Living this life is incredibly freeing but also can be incredibly scary. What if I am not doing this right? What if I am not making good choices or spending my time wisely?

The concept of being centered is about the physical body but also the emotional/mental/spiritual state. I need to know what is at the center of my beliefs, what is truly important in order to make good choices. Just writing this makes me feel a bit clearer. I think this is really less about knowing and more about trusting.

I have had many experiences in my life that forced me to have to conserve my energy and really be selective about how and with whom I spent it. I was attacked and almost killed when I was in my 20s. It changed everything about how I saw the world. Many years later, I think that experience among others shapes the way I see my life and chose to spend it, or maybe better said, savor it. It didn’t make me trust less, in fact, it was part of my “recovery” to trust and believe in the good of the world.

Along with an appreciation of time and energy also came a strong sense of fear. Trusting that each day I lead will not include violence is a daily struggle. I have made a choice to not see violence in every situation. If I did, I would be paralyzed by fear and unable to experience my life to the degree that I would like.

I guess it all comes down to balance. Balance between work and play, concentration and unfocused energy, fear and great joy. There just isn’t a perfect recipe. I will say that spending time with my family and friends, being outdoors, writing about, teaching, and practicing yoga, traveling, cooking vegan food, and reading good books all center and ground me in the present moment. Being in the present moment feels less chaotic and less scary. It is when I slip into the past or anticipate the future that the fear creeps in. It will be a life long struggle for me to find this balance, however, I have made a commitment to myself that I will not give in to fear and doubt. And so, I get back on my mat, breath in, breath out and do it again, again, and again.

www.huffingtonpost.com/stewart-j-lawrence/anusara-yoga-scandal_b_1272471.html

Okay, here we go again. What does this scandal have to do with practicing yoga? Everything and nothing. What this really has to do with is abuse of power. I have always believed that my job as a teacher is to empower others with knowledge not to tell them how and what to feel. Many people are looking for someone to tell them what to do and unfortunately that makes them vulnerable to people who are willing and able to take advantage of them.

The yoga industry is no different than the fitness industry, or the coffee industry, or the clothing industry. There are always going to be people who are unethical and others who hold high standards. It is up to the consumer of these “products” to think for themselves, make educated decisions and be responsible for them. I am more than happy to talk about my idea of ethical business practices but I am even happier to show that I actually do what I say. It is easy for yoga people to talk the talk but really, at the end of the day, integrity is key. Integrating moral and ethical beliefs with action is absolutely necessary. Yoga does not make me a moral or ethical person, but for me, teaching yoga is an extension of what I believe.

I am deeply grateful to be surrounded with so many thoughtful, ethical, and interesting people who make me think and challenge me to be better. In a strange sort of way, these “scandals” only make me feel more committed to holding myself to higher standards and to strive for more in my business and my relationships. Peace, Mimi

Been back for 10 days and have hit the ground running. Or at least my mind has. Before we left for our trip, there were a lot of things up in the air with the new space in Cambridge. My husband, Steven, is the mastermind behind all the beautiful design work in each of our locations. This one is massive and filled with great details, unusual twists and turns, levels, little stairways, and windows everywhere. It is huge as are our plans for it. In a nutshell, we are in over our heads but that is okay.

Up until a couple weeks ago, we were working on a plan for the downstairs that was much more complicated than we felt we could take on given we only had 3 more months to do it. We have simplified the plan in some ways but taken on more responsibilities with others. We are also working on the assumption that we will get the green light from the city of Cambridge. We have applied for what is called “parking relief” and won’t hear back until late March. We can do a certain amount of build out now but can’t risk anything major until we get the permit. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty to do, and my husband, my sons, and his trusty assistant, Dan, have been demoing, hauling, and hammering away. Tons of work and we don’t have heat yet so it has been pretty damn cold too.

People have frequently asked me, “Are you excited about the new space?” My answer is often the same, “Yes, I am excited, and terrified, and completely overwhelmed.” I know that this project is worthy; it encompasses much of what I feel is important: yoga, vegan food, supporting retail companies with strong social and environmental ethics, and energy and body work. That said, I feel completely intimidated by all the different moving parts.

I have often given this advice to myself and others: If you trust your instincts and act on them, you won’t regret the outcome, even if it doesn’t work out the way you expected. However, if your instincts tell you to do something but you don’t listen, the possibility of regret for a long time if not the rest of one’s life is high. This is an opportunity that my family and I really want to take on even though it feels huge and sometimes crazy. I don’t feel that I know everything. In fact, when if comes to this project, I am really in need of lots of help. The good part is that I have had many wonderful folks offer to help in many different ways. The thing is, this project is not about profit (ha! if anything we are stretching our finances to the max), it is about creating a space where the O2 community can grow, thrive, and maybe most importantly, create change through the interactions that occur, the relationships made, and the consciousness raised. I know, I am an idealist.
If you want to get involved in any way, shape, or form, don’t hesitate to let me know. There is plenty to do in the coming months and we are truly enjoying the community that is already emerging. Calling all the dreamers out there! Mimi@o2yoga.com

You may say that I am a dreamer, but I I’m not the only one….John Lennon

We just finished up our eleventh trip to Maya Tulum. Many said it was the best retreat ever! Anne, Katherine, and I co-taught and we had a blast. The weather was amazing, food was fantastic, yoga was excellent, and the group of yogis and yoginis was truly wonderful.

Here is a list of some of what people had to say about what made this retreat so special. Thank you Anne and Katherine for a fantastic yoga week. Thank you everyone who came for a memorable week of yoga and friendship in Mexico.

“The quality of instruction has been amazing! I don’t think I could ever do a non-yoga vacation after this.”

“Indulging my social side among a dazzling collection of intriguing individuals and my more reflective side in this land of ancient beauty and natural wonders.”

“I most appreciate unscheduled, extended time with friends, great yoga, great food, and daily jumps into the ocean.”

“Fresh fruit every meal of the day!”

“The unique, crazy, funny, friendly, O2 Yoga community!”

Check out our Facebook page in the next couple days for photos of the trip.

O2 Yoga 2012 Retreat, Maya Tulum Mexico

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard, or read, what yoga is and what is not from obviously biased sources. You probably have seen the latest article on Yoga that was written in the NY Times recently. Karen and Julie both sent me this link. I have a feeling that at least one of them was hoping that I would write something about it and they were right. The article is called, How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body.
Hmm, I wonder what the bias might be on this one. I can say so many things about this starting with the photos of the people looking like idiots but that is truly not what gets me riled up. What bothers me the most about this article is, okay, I am having trouble singling out just one thing. I am going to make a list.

1. The fear mongering. Don’t we already have enough fear in our lives being shoved down our throat by the media?
2. The constant referral to what yoga is and what it is not, and the irony of those statements.
3. The reference to experts.
4. The photos of the authors doing postures like shoulder stand with their head turned side-ways that the article says can be dangerous.
5. The perpetuation of the idea that people need experts and the media to tell them what is good and bad.

I am not protective of the Yoga industry. And I do believe it is a business like any other. I also believe yoga is a tool that helps many people find their way through this incredibly over-stimulating, dis-empowering world. I am not yoga. Yoga is not me. I am going to say something incredibly corny. Yoga can be used for good or evil. Like any belief system it can be manipulated by it’s users for all kinds of uses.

I read this article yesterday morning. I then read the comments and, although I felt that I had a bit more to say on the subject, was not compelled to write about it. It continued to marinate in my brain though. Later on, I met with a good friend of mine who works at the retreat center where we are staying. We talked about a lot of things and she told me a story that has gotten me out of bed and writing at 5:30am. There is a yoga teacher who comes here frequently. He brings in huge groups and therefore a ton of money. Over the years, I have heard countless stories about how abusive he is to the staff, how dismissive he is to his own, and how manipulative he is to his students. I have always known it but this story pushed me over the edge. Three weeks before he came down here last spring, he demanded that they have their usual bonfire on the beach. The staff tried to tell him, well actually, they speak through one of his staff, he never speaks directly to anyone here, that May and June are when the sea turtles lay their eggs on the beach. If you know anything about this process, you would know that any light will draw the baby turtles in the wrong direction, away from the water. Anyway, he bypassed the retreat staff and went straight to the owner. Guess who won, not the sea turtles. There was a bonfire on the beach in May and then again in June.

I am feeling absolutely sick over this. Not because I am a yoga teacher, but because I am someone who believes in right action. I feel buried under a mountain of injustices in which I have little to fight back with. I guess this idea of what yoga is and what is not is completely missing the point. My question is, how do I navigate through this world and not get knocked off course by these people who are either following the money, following the person who is following the money, or following the herd because it is safer?

My friend who works here said to me, “we like to say Mimi equals yoga, this other guy does not equal yoga.” That is lovely to hear but is it really true? Apparently, we both equal yoga. What I don’t get is, why do so many follow this guy, I mean like thousands of people? Quite frankly, I don’t want to be followed. I want to inspire others to follow their own path, to do what they believe is right and to make the world better. Right now, I am feeling a bit out numbered or out-gunned might be a better way of putting it.

I am trying to think of a way to tie this all up but I just can’t. the Buddhists say it is important to learn how to sit with discomfort, dukkha, not try to change it. I guess that is just where I am at, sitting in the middle of paradise and discomfort at the same time.

This time last year, my family and I were waiting anxiously at the border to cross into Mexico. It was intense but so worth it. I am heading back down to Mexico to run our annual retreat but also to connect with many friends that we made on our trip last year. I can tell you that we will be in heaven. I may or may not take time to post while we are away but I want to wish you all a wonderful January. I will be back teaching the beginning of February. With love and light, Mimi