Street Yoga Newsletter, May 17, 2006

How do you explain to a young girl of 15 who has never been loved, whose body has been used by countless adults for their violent pleasure, whose entire belongings fit into a ripped plastic garbage bag --that she is the most valuable, unique, precious person on earth? How do you convey to her that no one is more dear to God than she, that no one is more deserving of love than she, that no one has any more right to hope than she does?

Maybe it's simple. You show up and you smile, with a heart filled only with a longing for a safe world for her to grow up in, for a multitude of small moments of happiness to carry her through the struggles. Maybe with every sinew of your soul you let her know that she truly isn't alone in this lifetime. You show up and you smile, and no matter how she can take it, you stay true to your breath and you try again, and you simply do your best to be fully present every moment, in each encounter, with nothing guiding you but the deepest love you can muster.

We are moving forward with some new programs, taking a step or two backwards to try to make some current endeavors more stable. There is such a huge demand for yoga for young people, in treatment centers, drop-in centers, boys and girls clubs, residential shelters, detention centers, group homes, schools, after-school programs. We've been approached by them all.

We're taking some time this summer to assess where we are as an organization, and map out plans to be more and more effectively of service; we'll keep you posted.

I'm blessed to be on the receiving end of so many dear emails; at times, they bring tears to my eyes, the connection this work seems to inspire in many of you. Thank you for your sincerity all of you who've ever written us.

I wanted to share one letter with you b/c it resonated so much with the yoga we share with our young students. Bethany Wexler wrote:

"You asked me to think about how yogal helped my "self-esteem" when I took it as a young teenager. I think that one of the hardest things about becomming an adult is coming to terms with the dichotomy of mind and body and realizing how connected they really are. As a teenager my body was doing all sorts of crazy and unexpected things and it was very easy to become angry at it. I think that all young people have issues with their bodies. When they look in the mirror, they feel that the body they see is not who "they really are". Being able to view my muscles, bones, hair, face as something that is part of me and can help, hurt, make me happy or make me sad is something that yoga helped me through a time when I felt like my body was betraying me. I think that yoga was also helpful for me to realize that I can feel happiness in the present. I can feel powerful by doing a posture. I can use my mind to control my muscles. I can use my muscles to control my mind. Yoga teaches you to focus within: How are you feeling at this moment? How does thinking about your future, school or job affect how your back or shoulders feel? Can you be in your body without judging it?"

Yes! Thank you Bethany.

"In NVC [non-violent communication], we consider praise and compliments a violent form of communication... because it is using language as a manipulation that destroys the beauty of sincere gratitude. So in NVC we show people to make sure that before you open your mouth to get clear that the purpose is not to manipulate a person by rewarding them. Your only purpose is to celebrate. To celebrate the life that has been enriched by what the other person has contributed to you."

excerpted from a piece by Marshall Rosenberg, founder of the discipline of Non-Violent Communication, from Yoga Times...

In that spirit, please help me celebrate my first Spa Day!

Please know that i am a novice at skin-care, facials, salt scrubs, soaks and the like. Something in my psychic constitution has given me little time to appreciate the simple luxuries of caring for myself this way. So given my advanced ignorance, i prepped hard for my turn to host Spa Day. That came last week. Kathleen and i made it to White Shield, loaded down with foot washing basins, essential oils, epsom salts, foot cream, juice, snacks and music. We set the girls up on their ragtag couches, drew lukewarm water from a shower, heated it in a 1980's microwave, and filled their basins to the top. They chose the oil, and they kicked back and chatted and enjoyed an afternoon of wellness, smiles and relaxation.

I can truly say it was one of my favorite Street Yoga days ever. To offer something so fundamental as hope and satisfaction is a profound gift to the soul. The smiles were sincere, the glow lingered into the next week, and one hopes, the memory and feeling will last a lifetime. I know it will for me.

The San Francisco Teacher Training is in two days and should be a very solid weekend. A number of dedicated and loving people have signed up, and we will share, build community, practice together and sow seeds of healing with yoga.

This training is full, but please check back to the website for future update about upcoming trainings.

A huge shout out to Kate, Rosey and all the folks at the It's Yoga Kids Studio for their super-generous hosting and support for our training this weekend. Heartfelt gratitude to you!

Street Yoga was fortunate to be able to provide some material that was chosen for the current issue of Yoga Therapy in Action . The cover article and accompanying pictures describe what it's like to teach yoga to homeless youth. We'll have a link to the article up shortly.

Remember this project, from the last newsletter. What a bust!! We created this over the top, way too detailed, un-asked for program, and no one signed up. We took the hit, looked inside, and realized that the youth love yoga b/c for a homeless youth who is "on" nearly 24/7, 60 minutes of yoga is an oasis of rest, healing and safety.

Out of that experience, we have focused our Wellness Workshop efforts on simply being of service and building up on the core of our yoga work. We'll be offering a skin care workshop, and mother-infant care workshop, and they will be rejuvenating at the same time as being informative. More on this as it unfurls.

The other day i was teaching a group of teen-age girls, and one came to class wearing those sheer, pantyhose-material fairy wings you wear on your back. I complimented her on the pair and told her we have a set of green ones at home. In an instant, all the girls were super-animated, telling me their favorite fairy wing colors; they asked if i had any Care Bears or other unwanted stuffed animals; if i had any ruby slippers or other totems of many a young childhood. And these were the same girls who give themselves tatoos with razors and ballpoint pens, who talk tough and fight when they have to. These were the girls, some of whom, never had a childhood of fairy wings and princesses.

Rumor has it they sell fairy wings at the Dollar Store. I must confess, i'll be dipping into petty cash and stocking up on enough pairs to go around. And who knows, maybe then, we'll really get some lift in our tree pose?

It's been a while since we had a chance to publish a newsletter. For all your blessings and kind thoughts this past three months, we all thank you!

Namaste,mark