On Tuesday I heard the news that Sage, my beloved yoga studio, was closing permanently. When I read the message from Marisa, tears immediately came. It was a shock to me and to everyone. It's as if a wild fire came through and has burned the house down.
Fire is unforgiving and consumes everything in its path. Fire also provides the heat and energy that change and transformation requires. Fire can be equally beautiful as it provides the light so that we can see in the dark. It is cleansing and purifying - because what is left in its path is fertile ground.
The "house" of Sage has been home to so many. It has been a refuge. A refuge is considered a place of safety, a place of shelter and protection from external stressors, be it environmental, societal, cultural or economical. A place of refuge offers a unique opportunity to have all the basic needs taken care of, providing the freedom to explore the interior space of the Self, the spiritual heart, without the normal distractions of life. In the space of refuge we can operate less from our ego and more from the heart. Without a doubt, Sage has been a true refuge.
A physical space dedicated to spiritual practices certainly nurtures refuge in an immediate way. It makes it easier to access the heart when coming from work, from being with the kids all day, from the street and traffic, from confrontation with daily life. When I walk into the studio at Sage, I exhale, I let go of everything else outside of me. I am grounded. I feel protected. I am free.
Sage has been a hub of the great wheel of yoga in our community for nearly a decade. I recall sitting with Marisa, Heather Earl, Kendra Womack and Mark Ickes discussing and envisioning a yoga studio and center in Boise. There was nothing like it in Boise at that time. All of us at that table felt the void and the ripe potential for it. Our shared passion for yoga was bursting, and we wanted to create something for the community to represent the diversity of yoga and to provide a safe and welcoming space for yoga. Marisa and Heather took a leap of faith and made it happen. Sage was born. Since, it has grown into a mature banyan tree where new roots drip from it's branches.
Sage is a good representation of the yoga tree of life. Roots as deep and as wide as the limbs above. Diverse expansive branches that express the different pathways that all lead to the same place - self- realization, awakening, consciousness, bliss. Marisa has welcomed all branches, all walks of life, and she has provided a space for teachers to be who they are. To teach authentically. In so doing, students feel welcome to be who they are. This is yoga. A dissolution of the perceived boundaries that reinforce separation. The openness and freedom that Marisa innately planted as a virtue at Sage yields to the unseen mysterious unfolding and continuous evolution of yoga. We are the evolution of yoga. We are not simple observers of yoga, its history, its practices, its philosophy and its future as a separate thing that we "do". We are yoga. Because yoga is personal, as it is universal. Yoga is the observer and observed influenced by one another; and is the weaving, the thread and the tapestry. Marisa, the teachers, the students of Sage have demonstrated this beautifully. With Marisa's arms spread wide, holding the container, Sage organically ran itself because of each teacher, student, check-in staff, therapists came with integrity, dedication and selfless service to some higher good that we all aspire for.
Yoga calls on us in many ways. An advanced practitioner of yoga is acutely aware of her surroundings, is present to what is (whether it is pain or pleasure, difficulty or ease), while holding the pose - seated meditation, warrior, savasana or holding the metaphorical pose of life - while still being able to take a deep breath; and continues to sharpen her sword of discernment that severs truth from untruth. A leader is unafraid to honor truth, has courage to face adversity head on, to pivot to unpredictable change and forge a new path. When the house is on fire, a courageous brave leader runs into the house and does what she can to put the fire out. Sometimes the fire is too wild and big, and it takes the courage of million hearts to standby and witness the blaze, to let go and surrender to that which is beyond human capacity to control.
I believe Marisa has shown this to us in her teachings, her establishment of the space, and creating the opportunities for us all to practice together - classes, workshops, trainings, YogaFort to name a few. And she has done it with such grace and admiration.
The closing of Sage is another great unfortunate loss that we are experiencing as a result of the pandemic. I am sure we will see more in the second half of this year and into 2021. It is heartbreaking and devastating to say the least. It is beyond any control. Like Marisa said, it is impossible to keep a business afloat while being closed. As a small business owner, I too have been struggling for the last three months - opening, closing, opening with 50% less capacity - and managing the stress and anxiety that comes with not knowing when it will end, as debt accrues.
There are many "houses" on fire right now. No one and no system is exempt from this crisis, including yoga. All of us, all systems that we have been operating under are either being dismantled, dissolved, uprooted or exposed. We need to remember that we are all doing the best we can each day as we navigate through the flames and the falling structures. We need to remember the sacred ash that fire leaves in its wake is a rich medium for new life to emerge. Then it will be time to plant the dormant seeds into the ash and compost of 2020. But we have to be patient and wait for the massive amounts of shit to be further broken down into soil. This is the great letting go of everything.
If we are the lucky ones who have the time to practice, we keep up with the practice - wherever we can - so that we can stay mentally and emotionally afloat. That sense of refuge we felt at Sage, we can cultivate in our own little spaces, in our homes, with our family, children, partners, friends, and even more so in our hearts. I will carry forward the many gifts I received from Sage and from Marisa to be transmuted into whatever or wherever yoga takes me, while asking, what wants to be regenerated and birthed from this experience?
Words cannot express how much gratitude I have for Marisa and the Sage community. Thank you to every student who came, whom I had the privilege to share that beautiful space with. I am who I am today because of all you.
Fire is unforgiving and consumes everything in its path. Fire also provides the heat and energy that change and transformation requires. Fire can be equally beautiful as it provides the light so that we can see in the dark. It is cleansing and purifying - because what is left in its path is fertile ground.
The "house" of Sage has been home to so many. It has been a refuge. A refuge is considered a place of safety, a place of shelter and protection from external stressors, be it environmental, societal, cultural or economical. A place of refuge offers a unique opportunity to have all the basic needs taken care of, providing the freedom to explore the interior space of the Self, the spiritual heart, without the normal distractions of life. In the space of refuge we can operate less from our ego and more from the heart. Without a doubt, Sage has been a true refuge.
Sage has been a hub of the great wheel of yoga in our community for nearly a decade. I recall sitting with Marisa, Heather Earl, Kendra Womack and Mark Ickes discussing and envisioning a yoga studio and center in Boise. There was nothing like it in Boise at that time. All of us at that table felt the void and the ripe potential for it. Our shared passion for yoga was bursting, and we wanted to create something for the community to represent the diversity of yoga and to provide a safe and welcoming space for yoga. Marisa and Heather took a leap of faith and made it happen. Sage was born. Since, it has grown into a mature banyan tree where new roots drip from it's branches.
Yoga calls on us in many ways. An advanced practitioner of yoga is acutely aware of her surroundings, is present to what is (whether it is pain or pleasure, difficulty or ease), while holding the pose - seated meditation, warrior, savasana or holding the metaphorical pose of life - while still being able to take a deep breath; and continues to sharpen her sword of discernment that severs truth from untruth. A leader is unafraid to honor truth, has courage to face adversity head on, to pivot to unpredictable change and forge a new path. When the house is on fire, a courageous brave leader runs into the house and does what she can to put the fire out. Sometimes the fire is too wild and big, and it takes the courage of million hearts to standby and witness the blaze, to let go and surrender to that which is beyond human capacity to control.
I believe Marisa has shown this to us in her teachings, her establishment of the space, and creating the opportunities for us all to practice together - classes, workshops, trainings, YogaFort to name a few. And she has done it with such grace and admiration.
The closing of Sage is another great unfortunate loss that we are experiencing as a result of the pandemic. I am sure we will see more in the second half of this year and into 2021. It is heartbreaking and devastating to say the least. It is beyond any control. Like Marisa said, it is impossible to keep a business afloat while being closed. As a small business owner, I too have been struggling for the last three months - opening, closing, opening with 50% less capacity - and managing the stress and anxiety that comes with not knowing when it will end, as debt accrues.
There are many "houses" on fire right now. No one and no system is exempt from this crisis, including yoga. All of us, all systems that we have been operating under are either being dismantled, dissolved, uprooted or exposed. We need to remember that we are all doing the best we can each day as we navigate through the flames and the falling structures. We need to remember the sacred ash that fire leaves in its wake is a rich medium for new life to emerge. Then it will be time to plant the dormant seeds into the ash and compost of 2020. But we have to be patient and wait for the massive amounts of shit to be further broken down into soil. This is the great letting go of everything.
If we are the lucky ones who have the time to practice, we keep up with the practice - wherever we can - so that we can stay mentally and emotionally afloat. That sense of refuge we felt at Sage, we can cultivate in our own little spaces, in our homes, with our family, children, partners, friends, and even more so in our hearts. I will carry forward the many gifts I received from Sage and from Marisa to be transmuted into whatever or wherever yoga takes me, while asking, what wants to be regenerated and birthed from this experience?
Words cannot express how much gratitude I have for Marisa and the Sage community. Thank you to every student who came, whom I had the privilege to share that beautiful space with. I am who I am today because of all you.
