Got your attention? We all knew this day would come. Yoga online, books on tape, wifi access everywhere you go...and now yoga studios online? What?
I can't really poo-poo it as I use one of these online yoga platforms to enhance my daily practice at home. And I love the variety of teachers because they have been teaching for decades...and they come up with some pretty fun stuff I can then teach my students! But what this has caused me to do is stop and really think about this digital concept. It could be the future of a lot of things. Just as the traditional church is in, a lot of regards, dying from the physical buildings and space...the practice of a lot of "traditions" could be shifting. But what does that really look like?
The first thing that comes to mind is it's just continuing this concept of virtual and non-relationship building. The reason traditions existed was because it was something a community of people did together. They knew every Sunday they would go to their place of worship and hear a message and have lunch afterwards. They knew they had specific days on the calendar for celebrations. They had rites of passage ~ rituals ~ where they could come together and celebrate life, aging and even death.
Even though the world is shifting and our belief systems are changing of what is God or a higher power, we cannot loose the connection of community. Digital spaces allow us to express ourselves, but they also allow us to hide. To never have to interact with other humans and to seclude ourselves. Growth happens in private, but it also happens with support systems and the broader collective. Without our communities we will fail as a society and a human race. We cannot do this alone.
So...why on earth am I writing about this? Because this year I am, more than I've ever been, committed to my community. To help build it, nurture it and grow it. Just as there is space in a city for multiple yoga studios, there is space for physical locations for yoga and online spaces. Even if you practice primarily at home, please find time to find a studio near to you that helps you build community. It's a tradition we should never loose site of. Because community teaches us, builds us up and gives us a place to learn more about this beautiful journey called life. Join us anytime at our beautiful community of Buka Yoga. Even if it's once a month. You're still as welcome as anyone who comes many times a month. We all belong and we all make up the community.
~Namaste~
Brooke