Community

Community is a word that has found its way into my vocabulary more and more over the last three years. It’s a word that I use very often within the Yoga studio to describe the safe space and the group of like-minded individuals who have come together to practice.

In yesterday’s issue of Yogapedia.com there was an article about The Importance of Community in Yoga. The desire to connect with others is a fundamental part of the human experience. Whether we like it or not, we are hard-wired to crave and seek a sense of belonging. However community isn’t something that is limited to the yoga studio.

Two weeks ago I was lucky enough to be present at a birthday party. Now this wasn’t your run of the mill party. It was a celebration for two individuals who were each turning eighty within a couple of days of the party and of each other. The community present that day during this celebration was over-whelming. Neighbours, friends and family members starting entering the hall shortly before 2pm and the flow of people didn’t stop until well after 4pm. The sense of friendship that each person brought with them to this event was genuine and it overflowed. I was quickly included in conversations and stories. I felt that I was part of their community. It was easy and without pretense.

This feeling is my goal.

I will use this sense of community as an example of the level of warmth, welcome and inclusiveness that I hope to provide to each and every person with that feeling I experienced, on their mat or off.

“ For a community to be whole and healthy, it must be based on people’s love and concern for each other.” - Millard Fuller