Street Yoga Newsletter, Feb 16, 2006

"Father?" she addressed me with formal mirth, "Why are we here?" Before i could answer, she marvelled that "the stars never stop, ever; they just keep going on and on forever!" For her, an answer wasn't needed. The mere speculation was delicious enough. For me, though, watching myself get older with a much different eye, i do wonder. Why am i here? For me, it's been decades akin to journeying into a labyrinth without the fatal monsters of lore. It's been a meandering in search of clues, and i feel i'm getting closer.

Compassion the substance, and compassionate action, the way. This issue of the newsletter is dedicated to Compassion, and to those on Earth who have delved into its mysteries and put their bodies in motion in hopes of being of service. Please read on for details of some of the works we are doing that perhaps in some small way shine the light on this divine source of love, the compassion that lies within each of us.

"Auch wenn ich wuesste, dass morgen die Welt zugrunde geht, wuerde ich heute noch einen Apfelbaum pflanzen." --Martin Luther ("Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.")

Last month, we began offering our first ever meditation classes. Following on the heels of yoga on Sunday afternoons, the class aims to bring a compact, portable, diverse meditation practice to the youth. Classes include sitting, eating and walking meditations. They also offer the meditation of presence. For example, we made it a goal to honor the youth simply for their presence by offering them organic fruit and snacks, and organic tea, all on ceramic plates and cups. As someone said, kids can get all the grub they want on a paper plate in Portland, but a cup of tea in a solid earthen mug is almost a luxury.

A huge thank you to Carole and Ruby for bringing this wonderful offering to life! If anyone is interested in sharing in this meditation adventure, please don't hesitate to drop us a line anytime.

In the forward to Marshal Rosenberg's seminal book "Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life", Arun Ghandi, granddaughter of Mohanda K. Ghandi, writes: "Nonviolence means allowing the the positive within you to emerge. Be dominated by love, respect, understanding, appreciation, compassion, and concern for others...."

I am angry about something. Let me practice my Nonviolent Communications skills on this one.

Observation - When i see the Catholic Archdiocese and the St. Stephen parish in Portland kicking the Community Transitional School out of their site...

Feeling - ...it makes me very angry.

Need - I need to believe that the church will uphold Christ's teaching and do everything in its power to help the most vulnerable.

Request - I thereby request, with deep conviction, that the Church rescind its eviction notice to the Community Transitional School and work to find a long-term solution that is viable for both the Church and School Communities.

The Community Transitional School is truly amazing, and they could use a hand right now. Their landlord, the Catholic Church, is kicking them out, evicting the homeless children from the most stable place in their lives. I believe it is a move that will deepen the pain that many of these young people feel, and that it is a move that could be avoided if the desire to serve was deeply present in the lives of all concerned.

If you would like to call or write the Archdiocese or St. Stephen parish, click here for contact info.

I added a link to some writings of the young people at CTS on the topic of Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech. One girl wrote:

It's official. Street Yoga's first teacher training is set for the weekend of May 19-21, 2006 in San Francisco. Topics will include Setting up a Program, Working with Different Youth Populations, Creating a Tailored Curriculum, Respecting Boundaries, Surmounting Labels, Facing our Own 'Isms, Compassion vs. Charity, Voice & Non-Violent Communication and other areas. There will be lots of role playing, yoga practice, discussion and dialog. Cost for the 10.5 hour training will be $175.

In you are interested in signing up, please fill out the online application and we will contact you shortly about next steps. Class is limited to those with at least one year prior yoga experience and a strong personal practice.

One of the premises that i hold dear in the world of yoga is that every individual is unique. The prime corralary to this is that each person is equally and deeply valued in the clear eyes of God; i simply try to emulate that Divine Love, in my small imperfect way.

To me, and i am very grateful to Sarahjoy Marsh for articulating this so clearly, Yoga Welcomes Everyone! We in Street Yoga have tried to live up to this, and in our work helping young people get off, or stay off the streets, we have widened our reach to include girls in foster care, abused children, children of homeless families, as well as youth who are currently homeless. Our newest class will extend our offering to sexual and gender minority youth at SMYRC (the Sexual Minority Youth Resource Center) here in Portland.

Gender is a fickle friend. For some it is as clear as a calm, still, sunny afternoon. For others, it is as mutable as dancing spring day teasing with both winter and summer. In our new class, we want to teach yoga in a safe space for these young people. But at the same time, we want to challenge ourselves as teachers to see each person simply as a person, not male or female or queer or undecided or not-telling. Being separated male from female for partner work in a yoga class is difficult for some some people, and we hope through this endeavor to learn where those walls exist in our own practice, borrow some boots from the yogis at Outside In, and (gracefully and gently of course) kick those walls down. We'll keep you posted.

Marshall Rosenberg, whose work is greatly influencing our Wellness Workshop Internship Program, wrote in his book Nonviolent Communication "When we give from the heart, we do so out of a joy that springs forth whenever we willingly enrich another person's life. This kind of giving benefits both the giver and the receiver. The receiver enjoys the gift without worrying about the consequences that accompany gifts given out of fear, guilt, shame, or desire for gain. The giver benefits from the enhanced self-esteem that results when we see our efforts contributing to someone's well-being."

We are seeking homeless youth yoga students to join our first ever Wellness Workshop Internship program. This four week series will offer a chance to deepen their yoga experience while at the same time helping us build our Street Medicine series. All this will be offered in the context of learning and practicing Nonviolent Communication, which we see as the cornerstone of mindfulness for dealing with wellness, self-care and emergency situations on the street. Updates will be coming soon and posted to the website.

To learn more about this program, you can read this Letter of Inquiry for some grant funding, which provides a good overview.

Thank you to all of you for the support you share with all the folks of Street Yoga. It's a blessing to be able to share this work with all of you!

In wandering through the labyrinth, it could rightly be said that i've been looking simply for happiness. Here's a scrap of paper i picked up one dark morning: "If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." --the Dalai Lama

Blessings to you all

Namaste, mark