Yoga, purpose and community

Yoga is one of the great happening things of our time. From New York City to surfer’s in Australia, more and more people are doing it. Of course yoga is as old as the mountains (pun intended) and ancient Tibetans and has been promoted as far back as the oldest books on the planet, the Vedanta, (or did yoga promote those cultures?). I’m talking the buzz that popularised, mainstream yoga has become.

For the past two decades I have been teaching anything from one or two and up to 15 classes per week, virtualy without a break. Some workshops were for experts, most classes were for beginners, and class sizes ranged from 8 – 80… bait like the ages of the students :-)) I have tried this, that and the other (yoga wise), learned from the best, probably messed up at least a little, but generaly have never been as amped about sharing what I know and love about yoga as I am of late…. the past year or so!

Friday and Saturday classes were full-up full. There was this strong buzz, the sessions felt focussed, and like fun.  After Friday class we had three 7 year olds from our cottage school (they’re on school holiday and we are encouraging them to be entrepreneurs) selling naturally sweetened, home-made organic lemon juice that they squeezed and presented. A millstone, they unwittingly earned their first money from a real business. The day was crispy winter, the sea salty, the sun warm.People were hearty, it all felt good. This is the great sense of community and individualism that, apart from the ocean, brought me to Muizenberg four years ago.

Friday class marked another milestone. Bianca from Tin Cup Travels completed the first week of her self-imposed 30 day (!) yoga challenge. If you attend a class over the next three weeks, you are bound to see her :-), she has 3 weeks left. (She is pictured below with the 1/4 sign, chatting to regular Friday morning class dude Riaan). In total that is six classes per week, for four weeks = 24+ classes .  Actually, as July has five weeks it will be more like 30 classes in the month. Follow her blog. We are celebrating with champagne after class on July 31. Please put that in your diaries so long!

Saturday after class I went to my usual spiritual group meeting, where our main focus is positive change in society, beginning with inner change. That was on my way to teach at a special kirtan concert, which my session was a warm-up for. About 15 people were on the floor, and some 30 onlookers and attendees on chairs participated.

Even though only a handful of the sizeable crowd that attended the main event came to the yoga class, the organisers thought it was a great idea to begin the music proceedings with it, and I agree. While teaching this group of people, even more mixed bag than my own studio’s mixed bag classes – I felt so pleased with the very much a rainbow nation demographic. I felt that is possible that so many people may someday soon do yoga that the world will actually turn into a better place for many more than is currently the case.

Utopian sentiment? Perhaps. At the same time, I’m open to it, and real want to share that enthusiasm. Nothing wrong with a bit of optimism! After all, yoga is now presented in all walks of life. There is even an annual international yoga day now. Mindfulness practice is sweeping into businesses globally, top sports stars, celebrities, the girl next door and her stepmother, and father, just about everyone is now doing some kind of yoga now, or at least know what yoga is (well, kind of). I truly feel that everyone can manage to do a bit of yoga, every day, that it is possible.

After this weekend I feel even more blessed than usual to have gotten so deeply ingrained into yoga, at a relatively young age. Yoga has shown me, and continuous to show me, how positive change is possible, within myself, and others. Yoga provides communities and its individuals with idividual purpose and the spirit of community at the same time. That is a pretty awesome, inspiring and instructive, service.

Yours, in yoga
Johann,
Johann Kotze Music & Yoga,
Muizenberg, Cape Town
14 July 2015