December 2 – Sangha (Tribe)
Where have you discovered community in 2011? What are the defining characteristics and essential qualities of your tribe?
x"Simply being with other people who are also seekers and who are involved in the same quest you are is very meaningful." ~Dan Wakefieldv
I'm grateful for the growing, laughing community of Guatemalan and expat yogis and yoginis who come to my yoga classes and retreats here in Guatemala. I'm grateful for my colleagues at school; when you teach eighth grade, you need a strong network of supportive, sane adults around you and I'm lucky to have that. I'm grateful for my wonderful family and network of cherished friends, old and new.
Lastly, I'm grateful for my Yoga as Muse TRIBE. Being a writer can be lonely. Writing is innately a sole proprietorship. So it's refreshing and rewarding to connect with such a likeminded, forward-thinking, change-making community of creatives.I first met Jeffrey Davis when he gave a workshop on yoga and writing at Dharma Yoga in Austin in 2006. Over the years, I've attended his retreats and benefited from his steadfast, compassionate coaching and creative guidance as I navigated various writing projects. This year, I participated in his Yoga as Muse (YAM) Facilitator Training from May through October -- along with four fellow tribe mates.In his book, The Element, Sir Ken Robinson posits that “finding the right tribe can be essential to finding your Element,” and points out that tribes enable an artist to become her true self, because they “allow her to feel her most natural… affirm her talents… inspire her, influence her, and drive her to be her best." Back in my previous professional life, I felt the painful opposite end of this spectrum, when I was among a tribe of advertising creatives and felt totally suffocated and uninspired by that work. These days, I feel validated, appreciated and motivated when surrounded by my fellow writers and teachers.Versatility, confidence, authenticity are the three virtues cultivated by YAM. Practice helps bring them out more and more each time. Sharing our writing with each other in the tribe enhances each writer’s versatility and confidence.
Lastly, I'm grateful for my Yoga as Muse TRIBE. Being a writer can be lonely. Writing is innately a sole proprietorship. So it's refreshing and rewarding to connect with such a likeminded, forward-thinking, change-making community of creatives.I first met Jeffrey Davis when he gave a workshop on yoga and writing at Dharma Yoga in Austin in 2006. Over the years, I've attended his retreats and benefited from his steadfast, compassionate coaching and creative guidance as I navigated various writing projects. This year, I participated in his Yoga as Muse (YAM) Facilitator Training from May through October -- along with four fellow tribe mates.In his book, The Element, Sir Ken Robinson posits that “finding the right tribe can be essential to finding your Element,” and points out that tribes enable an artist to become her true self, because they “allow her to feel her most natural… affirm her talents… inspire her, influence her, and drive her to be her best." Back in my previous professional life, I felt the painful opposite end of this spectrum, when I was among a tribe of advertising creatives and felt totally suffocated and uninspired by that work. These days, I feel validated, appreciated and motivated when surrounded by my fellow writers and teachers.Versatility, confidence, authenticity are the three virtues cultivated by YAM. Practice helps bring them out more and more each time. Sharing our writing with each other in the tribe enhances each writer’s versatility and confidence.