I speak about community a lot in my classes, and in these reflections, because it is so important. This past weekend at my son’s wedding, I experienced a community of his friends coming together to excitedly celebrate with a couple who had waited a long time for their wedding day to come, and what a community it was to watch. They were passionate about connecting with each other and giving of themselves to the bride and groom, as well as to each other. Recently, I also saw this sense of community when I became involved with a Kickstarter begun by an assistant manager of the now closed Book Revue in Huntington. After the demise of Book Revue, she wanted to start a new independent bookstore in Huntington but she needed the help of the community, both financial as well as emotional support, to get it started. Last week, she achieved her Kickstarter goal and is on her way to opening the new book store!
I recently read a book in our yoga book club (anyone interested in participating, please let me know) in which the community was a library where all different types of people, old and young, of all nationalities, came together over a reading list (that was the name of the book). Communities come in all flavors and communities form because connection is so important. We all have an impact on each other. It warms my heart to have the community of Absolute Yoga, whether we are in-person in the studio, online, on a phone call, or bumping into each other in another location. There is a community that has formed here because connection is important and we come together for support and strength.
Communities like we have at Absolute Yoga offer peaceful, supportive, cohesive environments for students and teachers alike to relax, renew and restore themselves. Communities foster intimacy and interconnection with one another while building friendships that cultivate compassion and deepen our relationships with one another as well as ourselves. I have observed and experienced these connections at Absolute Yoga over the years and have come to appreciate the tremendous gift that communities offer to each of us and the world at large. We come together for strength and influence. We come together to connect, to unite. That’s what yoga means, from the Sanskrit word “yuj” which means to yoke, to make that connection. Yoga invites us to yoke ourselves not only to each other as we make connection for support and strength, but also to something greater than ourselves. Every person is important to the whole, independent yet dependent on one another for that support, warmth and camaraderie. This something greater is the whole of which we are only a tiny part. This something greater starts with us, becomes a community and connects us to a world that is immeasurably enriched by all our communities. This is a time of year where we customarily come together with our communities, whether they are families or larger groups, to celebrate the holidays. Although this year may be different due to rising nervousness about the new variant, I hope you get to connect with your loved ones and be in community in some way or another during the holidays. And, I hope to see you on your mat in any of our in-studio or online classes this week where you can connect the community of your body, mind and spirit, as well as connect to like-minded practitioners in our Absolute Yoga community.
As always, thank you for reading my musings and Merry Christmas to all who celebrate. Namaste, Leslie
