photo copyright Lauren Hermele.

“Beauty happens unexpectedly, but it comes out of a practice of attention and humility.  And beauty is always a surprise.  You can’t go expecting beauty.  It comes from tilling those fields.  It comes practicing that practice, staying in that place.  Because it is a deep thing. It is not a superficial thing.  It is not expressive.  It comes out of a tilth.  It comes out of a depth.  It comes out of your grandmother laughing at you from the grave.  It comes out of remembering something far away in the past about a dog.  It is unexpected and coiled up in us.  And those little joints that the artist offers can sometimes invite beauty into the world because they are part of that practice.  They are part of making those little nexus points.  Beauty is a surprise that is latent in the world.  It takes imagination to catalyze it, but it is not something that we can control or demand.  It invites us.”  - sculptor Tom Jay.

July 28, 2012

11:45 am-12:45 

at Laughing River Yoga

$10 suggested donation

all proceeds benefit TJ Donovan for Attorney General

Expect a special guest appearance by TJ.

I support TJ Donovan for Attorney General.  TJ wants to create a system that encourages more equality among citizens.  He has shown thoughtfulness and fairness in his role as State’s Attorney and I expect good things if he becomes the next Attorney General.  He is open minded when it comes to alternative solutions for dealing with crime. This is demonstrated in his support of medical marijuana, work to reduce recidivism rates and commitment to crime prevention.  I am also confident that TJ will help the homeless people in our state, at an all time high, by making access to services easier and cleaning up the beaurocracy that currently delays services to homeless children and adults.  And, TJ does yoga! Join him, me and fellow supporters at our July 28 fundraiser. Learn more about TJ here.

Whether or not you support TJ, I encourage you to get out and VOTE this election season!

The quintessential summer experience, this summer’s seventh annual YogaSurf weekend embodies the alive quality that we work to cultivate in our yoga practice.  One with nature, you will meet the ocean headfirst, practice yoga outdoors, watch the sunrise and eat amazing, healthy food.  You will also learn how to surf or paddleboard in a friendly, non-competitive environment.  Open to all levels.

Schedule:

FRIDAY

7 pm dinner/campfire introductions

SATURDAY

7 am yoga on the beach

9 am breakfast

10:30 am surf lesson/free surfing

12:30 pm lunch/more surfing or beach hanging

4 pm yoga at Yoga on York

7 pm dinner

SUNDAY

6 am sunrise yoga on the beach

8 am breakfast

10 am surf lesson/surfing

12 pm lunch on the beach

1-4 pm free time to surf

ONLY $300!!  Includes food, 2 nights camping at Dixon’s Campground, 3 yoga classes, 2 days board and wetsuit rentals and surf lessons from Liquid Dreams Surf Shop.  To register or for more information contact Emily.

This image brought up a lot of emotion for me.  I am struck by the dignity of the posture within the confines of the bars.  My sister sent me the link just as I was giving thought to our focus for this schedule, the tenant No One is Free Until We Are All Free.  Although it can take a lot of energy to simply care for myself and my family, I gain more energy when I one, practice and two, remember that my practice is not only for me.  I see suffering, and beauty, every day.  Unless I realize my part in both, I remain disconnected from the web that is our shared human experience.  Yoga and meditation in prisons has proven to help with anger management, contentment and more peaceful relations amongst prisoners.  It also acknowledges that every person deserves and can access the tools of yoga in an effort to understand who we are and why we are here.

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.