The oldest living yoga teacher in the world, in Central Park.  Courtesy of Robert Sturman.

Mark Utter is a man with autism who uses facilitated communication to express his true thoughts.  Misunderstood for years, he and Emily Anderson are using facilitated communication to create a poignant and witty film that reveals Mark’s unique observations of our world which have been trapped in his head for a long time.

Please read the following interview from Seven Days: An Interview With Mark Utter via Facilitated Communication

SEVEN DAYS: Do you remember the first time you realized you wanted to express yourself but couldn’t? 
MARK UTTER: I remember knowing I could think in a way that the people in my life assumed I could not.

SD: What was that like? 
MU: It was weird. They insisted I was stupid. It also gave me some freedom from normal life that many of you jabberers would have loved.

SD: When you were growing up, how were you treated by your peers and classmates? 
MU: I was treated with respect by the others who were different. People who were normal were always happy with my outward presentation of jolliness.

SD: Were you ever institutionalized or sent away from home? 
MU: No, I have always lived with my mother who has been treating me like a little boy all these years. I love her dearly.

SD: When you first started facilitated communication, what was the first thing you wanted to say, and to whom? 
MU: I wanted to tell my story so I guess I was waiting for Emily to be ready to have another FC friendship.

SD: Once you began FC, was your family surprised by all that was going on inside your head? 
MU: I think it is hard for people to adjust their ways of thinking toward the ones in their care.

SD: Do you typically remember your dreams at night? 
MU: Yes.

SD: What are you like in your dreams? 
MU: I can talk with everyone but I don’t use spoken words and they don’t either.

SD: What’s your favorite place to be? 
MU: Currently it’s right next to Emily because there I have developed the voice I need to address the people who are working on this project with us.

SD: What’s your favorite activity when you have nothing else to do? 
MU: I like to wander around in my mind which is quite an elaborate place.

SD: Have you ever been in love? 
MU: Yes, I love life and feel there is much room for people to expand to allow it to fill the holes in their hearts.

EMILY ANDERSON: Do you think you will ever be in a relationship? 
MU: No.

EA: Is that OK? 
MU: Yes, my life was meant for other pursuits.

SD: You seem like such a happy person all the time, despite your disability. How do you stay so upbeat? 
MU: First, I don’t think of myself as disabled, which gives me a stronger foundation than those who have fallen into that trap. I am happy because, like Abraham Lincoln, I know “You are only as happy as you allow yourself to be.”

SD: If you could accomplish one thing by the end of your life that would make you feel happy, what would it be? 
MU: I want to make sure that Emily is celebrated for believing in people who are different. I also hope that the barriers between people melt. I will assist that big goal with world tours of [this] movie and talks about communication.

SD: Anything else you want to say that I didn’t ask about? 
MU: Folks, we need money to make this possible; please attend our fundraisers or donate to our Kickstarter campaign.

photo by Matt Thorsen

This could be an amazing film but needs money to make it possible.  Another interview with Mark, below:

Audience (A) -How do you communicate best?
Mark (M) -We want to address that in our next movie.

A- Do you have lots of projects planned?
M- Yes.

A- You deal with our world in your movie. What can we learn about yours?
Pascal- There is just one world.
M- We are in the same world but the limitations I have had make me have access to different ways of understanding things.

A- What is the way you work best in the world?
M-Thank you, Russ. Yes, I work best communicating with energy. It is what guides our hearts.

A- Do you think we live too quickly?
M- I think the world moves too fast but each person can slow down. When Emily started meditating our work got better.

In this video Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, leader of Shambhala, teaches that meditation practice trains us to use our minds in a positive and useful way.

Catch me teaching Wednesday morning 9-10:30 am at 15 Poker Hill Rd. in Underhill on April 25, May 9, and May 23, alternating with Jivamukti teacher and mistress of the chant Fletcher Boote.  After that the class will move to the magnificent Greenmont Farms barn and Fletcher Boote will take over Wednesday mornings for the summer.  I will still be around to sub and plan to teach the class through the month of July while Fletcher is away.

]]> http://www.emilygarrettyoga.com/2012/03/07/pura-vida-2/feed/ 0 http://www.emilygarrettyoga.com/2012/02/20/emily-to-teach-yin-yoga-at-wanderlust-vt/ http://www.emilygarrettyoga.com/2012/02/20/emily-to-teach-yin-yoga-at-wanderlust-vt/#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:03:53 +0000 admin http://www.emilygarrettyoga.com/?p=2228

The Wanderlust VT Festival, three days of yoga and music at Stratton Mountain in Bondville, VT, is a guaranteed good time.  I will be teaching Yin yoga and enjoying the opportunity to study with amazing yoga teachers from all over, as well as soak up the music and positive vibes.  Check me out on the official Wanderlust website.  Hope to see you there!

I appreciate the following teaching from Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel…”We will never find confidence in identity. Identity makes us awkward – it takes away our agility. We can’t be joyful and responsive…there is and will always be something to hold together or to project out into the world: “the maverick”, “the intelligent one”, “the victim.” We don’t have a clear relationship with the world when we cling to identity…it’s like walking in a room full of people and having that anxiety of not knowing where to sit. When we are not clinging to identity we can sit anywhere. We can sit on a throne if that is what serves, and we can sit on the ground if that serves the situation. We are flexible. No problems.”-Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel

My friend Maia from julia warr on Vimeo.

Shot in Fire Island, New York, this film (4min. 23 sec) captures the secrets of eternal youth as Maia Helles, a Russian ballet dancer turns 95 but still remains resolutely independent, healthy and as fit as a forty year old. Made by Julia Warr, artist and film maker met Maia on a plane 4 years ago and became utterly convinced by the benefits of her daily exercise routine, which Maia perfected, together with her Mother, over 60 years ago, long before exercise classes were ever invented. (2011)