July's Theme of the Month

I spent last weekend in Marin County, visiting some friends who I haven’t seen in a while. They are having a baby soon, and I thought It would be a nice time to visit, during the calm before the storm. While I was there, we went to a vegan restaurant called “Cafe Gratitude”. This place was fabulous from top to bottom. The decor was bright and cheerful, with murals of dancing children, affirmations, and penetrating questions “Can you surrender to how beautiful you are?”.
The food was fabulous, I had the “I am Celebrating” ( Raw Chile Relleno with cashew cheese) and the “I am Thriving” (Lentil Soup), and my friend had “I am Plenty Great” (Granola and fruit with cocnut Yogurt) and “I am Wonderful” (watermelon smoothie). Now, I can’t seem to get the hang of ordering at Starbucks, I’m only able to order smalls, mediums, and larges, but at this place, ordering by affirmation seemed totally natural and really, really fun.

The spirit of fun, and adventure was present not only in the design, and the menu (that’s the easy part) it was also alive in the staff. These beautiful people played their part so well, engaging us with joy and humor. They had a question of the week, “what are you proud of?”, and and were thrilled by our answers. That was the tip of the iceberg. I was so blown away, I asked to see the employee training manual (i love training manuals).

They claimed not to have one, and said that simply they just ‘play the game’ and that they have different themes, and different weekly questions, and other practices that keep them really dedicated to showingup for each customer. They also handed me a book, written by the owners, called Sacred Commerce: Business as a Path of Awakening.
I read it the entire way home, and I think it’s brilliant. I was very inspired by it.

It is time that the studio had a theme of the month. I would like us to have a clear focus, i would like us to travel on a shared journey. Imagine having a monthly topic that you could work with, struggle with, and with which you ultimately find clarity, certainty, and peace. Imagine being surrounded by a community that is meditating on the very same thing. Even though our yoga practice is ultimately an inner, personal journey, it will be beautiful to have a central group theme that we can share about, riff off of, and explore together.
I will attempt to make sure that each monthly theme is universal enough so that they will work for everybody, and also that they relate pretty clearly to traditional yoga teachings. I will also offer the theme from two different angles. The first Angle will be broad, sweeping, grandiose, and abstract. It will speak to universal truth, love, and beingness. Some people really relate to this sort of Angle very well. The second Angle will be specific, concrete, and quantitative. It will offer a practice (either on or off mat) that is measurable. One will be able to look back over their day and ask themselves “Did I smile at everyone I met today” (or whatever). There will be another population that this Angle will speak to more. More angles may emerge, but this is good for now.

This Month’s theme will be “Being Open To All That Comes”. We (if you will join me) will practice equanimity, and remaining heart centered in the face of all of the many events and phenomena that arise in the course of our day. We will consider the possibility that all things that arise have the possibility of guiding us towards a more full spiritual experience. We will be more aware of the places where we shut down and check out in the face of our experience. Where are we avoidant? Where do we shut down and simply endure a moment that we have decided is not good enough? Where do we play the martyr, or the victim? Can we be open to the idea that the hand of God is in everything, at all times? Can we surrender to the idea that our life provides us with what we need to go the the next level? And, what feelings come up when we tackle these ideas? This is the grandiose Angle. If you are curious about some traditional precedent for this theme, I would like to point you towards the
Bhagavad Gita.

“When a Man has mastered himself
he is perfectly at ease in cold,
in heat, in pleasure or pain,
in honor or disgrace.”
This is what I hold for you! Perfect Ease!



Our Practical Angle: NO COMPLAINING! We are going to take the month off of complaining. This makes sense right? if we are complaining, certainly we couldn’t be continually opening to the beauty and grace of each moment. This is a chance for us to become more impeccable with our speech, and our intentions. By observing our words, and our patterns of speech, we can start to find ways to create more upliftment, openness, and spacious love on a practical level. This is something that you can inventory, at the end of the day, and get honest with yourself about how you did. This has been a fun practice for Sally and I, catching each other when we slip up. We would be happy to keep an eye out for you too!
Good Luck with all this, and good Sadhana!

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