A tremendous YES
“Our promise is to see everyone as family and friends whom we have not yet met and to treat them as someone we love.”
“The origin of yoga lies not in the physical practice but in the total liberation of the human spirit, an embracing of all that is and a tremendous YES to life. In order to uncover this state of being, which is ever present and exists within us all, one must fearlessly and courageously face the conscious and unconscious past patterning and current thinking that holds you back.”
“You will be challenged, intrigued, exhilarated and opened to all of humanity and what it means to be human. Are you ready?”
When I read the course description for David Vendetti (@dvendetti)’s Yoga Liberation Front teacher training, my first impulse was, “how can I NOT?” And then to ask myself, “Right… but will I?”
My answer was a tremendous YES, and I am grateful, so very grateful.
While we’re on break* for the holidays, I reflect back one nugget of inspiration I’ve gained from each week of this program to date.
Our daily morning meditation practice affords plenty of space for reflection. Seven days/week, 15 weeks and counting, up before the sun with David on Zoom, whose presence in my morning ritual has been one steady thing in a year that’s been anything but steady.
Love is a choice we make, over and over (as beautifully expressed by Valarie Kaur in her revolutionary love Ted Talk ). The choice is not always easy; it asks us to see no stranger. It asks us to love our opponents, by tending to the wound inside them. It asks us to feel all of our emotions. It teaches us that it is not only OK to feel what you feel- it is necessary, and requires bravery (and that we are brave).
Diversity of perspectives helps us avoid the danger of a single story.
Inspiration for discovering what brings each of us a sense of joy and purpose can come from anywhere, as artistically portrayed in He Who Dances on Wood.
“Taking risks can be a prerequisite of change and renewal. But unless we are willing to meet our imperfections with compassion and gratefulness, we will always experience our practice as a source of frustration. Why be grateful for imperfections? Because these apparent weaknesses are in fact gifts, offering us starting points for new learning. Resistance is often rooted in how we define ourselves. Most of us imprison ourselves in ever-contracting definitions of self, which we have set according to past and present experiences and future expectations.” - Lifted from an article on back bending :) which I can’t seem to link. :(
Simply being who you are, fully and authentically, can be an important action. Watch Sonya Rene Taylor’s The Body Is Not An Apology talk/poetry.
When someone comes at you with negative or oppressive energy, soften and redirect. This practice is always stronger and more effective than hardening and becoming combative.
“Everything will be okay as soon as you are okay with everything. And that’s the only time everything will be okay.” - The Untethered Soul, by Michael Singer
“Don’t stop dancing or moving, for anything.” Focus not on a limitation or injury, but lean into the potential of your whole being, and in doing so, you heal your whole being- and in doing so, you (and we) heal the whole (of everything).
On creating safe space: Language matters (be inclusive, + don’t make assumptions, + don’t project your stuff onto others). In this virtual world we’re suddenly living in, it’s more important than ever to extend a gentle hand to others. Asking “how are you?” and then actively, truly listening can be a game-changer.
Dominant culture teaches us that our bodies are problems that need fixing. Befriending our bodies is a step towards dismantling systems of oppression. “It’s simple, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easy.”
“Say YES without fear. Say no without guilt.” Also, Come As you Are.
Finding your ‘why’ asks for self-inquiry: 1. Who do you want to help? 2. What gets you out of bed/ what are you excited about in life? 3. How do you strive to be? 4. What legacy do you want to leave?
“Approach each moment as though you still have everything to learn.”
Fear – there are two kinds (or more). One is the kind we usually think about- experiencing dread, feeling anxious about an uncertain future- which has a place- but we don’t want it to drive us, and usually it diminishes us. The other fear is more about possibility, a risk that can open us to growth, but it’s scary because we can’t know how things will turn out. Ultimately it’s about cultivating and opening up to more wonder (awe) and journeying from the known to the unknown. “FearAwe” or Yirah.
To be sure, I’ve taken away far more than just one thing each week. This list represents but a sliver.
AND, AND, AND, the exposure that I’ve gained to the incredible people who have graced our journey is priceless. Because everything is taught virtually, teachers can and do come from near and far! These amazing individuals have led us in workshops, lectures, practices, collaborative dance, journaling, self-reflection, and immersive experience. They have offered us the gifts of that which they know deeply, and, importantly, the humility to recognize in transparency that which they do not: Amanda Lee, Amanda Wood, Alex Dusterfeld, Annie Hoffman, Annie Johnson, Antonio Aniello, Calia Marshall, Catherine Allen, Courtney Bell, Danny Arguetty, Dr. William Jackson, Erica Nunnally, Georgia Reath, Jacqui Bonwell (forever my Mama Bird- love you, Jacqui), Jae Gustavo, Jen Earls, Joe Gallop, Jonathan Homes, Joseph Welch, Kaia Ra, Kyle Powers, Lauren McKowen, Lauren Haythe, Linda Wells, Magi Pierce, Marlene Boyette, Melissa Alexis, Mike Massey, Miles Borrero, Nikki Viella, Phoenix Soul, Politeia Le, Rachel Smiljanic, Raquel Marra, Saundra Holt, Stacey Schaedler, Susan Goldberg, Todd Erik Skoglund. With many MORE to come (say what???). The wisdom, generosity, and thoughtfulness that each has poured into their teachings is beyond measure.
And have I mentioned David Vendetti? If you know David, you can perhaps begin to imagine the whole heart and depth and love and brilliance and unfaltering commitment and vulnerability that he brings to this offering, day after day after day. And if you don’t know David… oh my…. what are you waiting for??? David is a magnetic force for kind, curious, fierce, loving people — and through this experience, I have had the honor of getting to know many kind, curious, fierce, loving souls who I now call friends.
In case it is not yet obvious, I highly recommend the Yoga Liberation Front Teacher Training to anyone seeking meaningful ways to bring diversity, equity, and inclusion to the field of yoga, or more broadly, to well-being practices. To anyone daring to ask important social justice questions. To anyone teaching, thinking of teaching, or resolutely NOT thinking of teaching but looking to take the worn cliché “I want to deepen my practice” to a shiny new place. To anyone ready for a revolution.
Who might you become if you “say a tremendous YES to life?”
*No break from our morning meditation ritual. If anything, the meditation IS the break. Or at least it’s where I find the space for reflection, processing, integration. Perhaps you wish to join us sometime? Open invitation, yours to which to say no without guilt, or yes without fear.
