Yoga Teacher Training for World Changing
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How can we expect to create a balanced, sustainable world for ourselves and future generations if those of us who are creating change are doing so in an unsustainable, imbalanced way?
The super-abridged version:
I believe that we can positively impact the world, but only if we create change from a place of balance. I am building a community of positive change makers "“ Rebel Yogis "“ who are transforming themselves as they transform the world. The first step on this journey is obtaining my basic yoga teacher training this spring, so that I can bring yoga classes and workshops to this community to facilitate our metamorphosis.
The full version:
Fellow change maker,
Our time has come.
For too long we have stood by, mired in the fight, watching as the world heaved in chaos around us. With each passing day we dug in deeper, clenched our teeth and put that much more of ourselves into the effort. As time passed, we found that the struggle was starting to wear on us, to create cracks in our strength, and we considered giving up. And we woke again the next morning with the enormity of our task weighing on us: "If not me, who? If not now, when?" We braced ourselves, took a deep breath, and shouldered our burden anew. We reassured ourselves with the thought that we were making a difference, laying ourselves on the line, giving ourselves up for the greater good.
Because, really. Our fight is important. Imperative, even. The future rests in our hands, and we have this moment, this fleeting opportunity to turn things around, to be the change we wish to see in the world. What could be more important? We are but one small piece of a grander vision and if we have to sacrifice ourselves to make the world a better place, that seems to be a worthy way to have spent this life...
Right?
But sometimes we get this flash of an idea, this glimmer that maybe things don't have to be this way, maybe we don't need to be martyrs for the cause. We hear a voice that raises the question: what if? We start imagining the possibilities, but then our old ways of thinking win out again, and our imagining turns to what will be possible after we win this fight, what could be, if only this one last step could be completed, this last set of conditions could be reached. If only. And we think "“ maybe we'll get there one day, but not yet.
And again I say to you, fellow change maker: our time has come.
What if there is a better way to create the change we wish to see in the world, and what if it's possible right now? What if we can step outside the current system and create a new possibility, a new paradigm?
I believe that the best way for us to bring positive change into the world is to create it within ourselves.
I don't have all the answers, but we each have to start somewhere. I invite you to come along on this journey with me, where we can begin to discover a new way of bringing our positive change to the world by first cultivating it in ourselves. Together, we can find a simpler and more sustainable path to creating positive impact.
Gone are the days of us flinging ourselves upon the pyre of our cause, flaming brightly for but a moment before we are reduced to ash, used and burnt out, unable to continue on our path. What if, rather than burning out, we were able to create a sustainable path to change? Instead of the current revolving door model of change making (where on one end, fresh faced and energetic young dreamers come in the door and systematically turn into the jaded, burned out souls who come out the other side), what if we were able to create an ever-growing ocean of balanced, energized and empowered change makers?
My goal for the Rebel Yogi community is to reach out into the world, empowering thousands of world changers to improve their lives through yoga, while also creating a sustainable life balance as they make their lasting mark on the world.
This is the future that I see, the possibility that I believe in - and I can't do it alone. I believe that, with yoga, we can change the world - and I see the possibility that we can create together by bringing the Rebel Yogi way of life to change makers all over the world. One of the first steps along this path will take place this spring, when I will be completing my basic yoga teacher training at Satchidananda Ashram. Every donation made here on GoFundMe will be applied to my tuition for the teacher training (which includes books, room and board, minus a small scholarship that I received from the Ashram), and will help me toward the goal of bringing a more balanced, sustainable path to change makers.
Thank you for your company along the path, as we create this journey together. The plan as it stands is to bring this vision into being through yoga classes, extended workshop series specifically geared toward the challenges that change makers face (and how yoga can help us find a place of balance in our work), and weekend workshops that delve into specific areas of practice. I will also be writing about the journey and sharing the narrative with you as I learn and grow, starting with my journey to, through, and beyond the Ashram, both through long-form story at the Rebel Yogi website and through smaller tidbits shared on social media. The community starts with you, and our shared journey as we learn how to increase our impact in the world while decreasing the impact on ourselves, and then share those stories with each other.
Join me "“ become a part of the Rebel Yogi community today.
The super-abridged version:
I believe that we can positively impact the world, but only if we create change from a place of balance. I am building a community of positive change makers "“ Rebel Yogis "“ who are transforming themselves as they transform the world. The first step on this journey is obtaining my basic yoga teacher training this spring, so that I can bring yoga classes and workshops to this community to facilitate our metamorphosis.
The full version:
Fellow change maker,
Our time has come.
For too long we have stood by, mired in the fight, watching as the world heaved in chaos around us. With each passing day we dug in deeper, clenched our teeth and put that much more of ourselves into the effort. As time passed, we found that the struggle was starting to wear on us, to create cracks in our strength, and we considered giving up. And we woke again the next morning with the enormity of our task weighing on us: "If not me, who? If not now, when?" We braced ourselves, took a deep breath, and shouldered our burden anew. We reassured ourselves with the thought that we were making a difference, laying ourselves on the line, giving ourselves up for the greater good.
Because, really. Our fight is important. Imperative, even. The future rests in our hands, and we have this moment, this fleeting opportunity to turn things around, to be the change we wish to see in the world. What could be more important? We are but one small piece of a grander vision and if we have to sacrifice ourselves to make the world a better place, that seems to be a worthy way to have spent this life...
Right?
But sometimes we get this flash of an idea, this glimmer that maybe things don't have to be this way, maybe we don't need to be martyrs for the cause. We hear a voice that raises the question: what if? We start imagining the possibilities, but then our old ways of thinking win out again, and our imagining turns to what will be possible after we win this fight, what could be, if only this one last step could be completed, this last set of conditions could be reached. If only. And we think "“ maybe we'll get there one day, but not yet.
And again I say to you, fellow change maker: our time has come.
What if there is a better way to create the change we wish to see in the world, and what if it's possible right now? What if we can step outside the current system and create a new possibility, a new paradigm?
I believe that the best way for us to bring positive change into the world is to create it within ourselves.
I don't have all the answers, but we each have to start somewhere. I invite you to come along on this journey with me, where we can begin to discover a new way of bringing our positive change to the world by first cultivating it in ourselves. Together, we can find a simpler and more sustainable path to creating positive impact.
Gone are the days of us flinging ourselves upon the pyre of our cause, flaming brightly for but a moment before we are reduced to ash, used and burnt out, unable to continue on our path. What if, rather than burning out, we were able to create a sustainable path to change? Instead of the current revolving door model of change making (where on one end, fresh faced and energetic young dreamers come in the door and systematically turn into the jaded, burned out souls who come out the other side), what if we were able to create an ever-growing ocean of balanced, energized and empowered change makers?
My goal for the Rebel Yogi community is to reach out into the world, empowering thousands of world changers to improve their lives through yoga, while also creating a sustainable life balance as they make their lasting mark on the world.
This is the future that I see, the possibility that I believe in - and I can't do it alone. I believe that, with yoga, we can change the world - and I see the possibility that we can create together by bringing the Rebel Yogi way of life to change makers all over the world. One of the first steps along this path will take place this spring, when I will be completing my basic yoga teacher training at Satchidananda Ashram. Every donation made here on GoFundMe will be applied to my tuition for the teacher training (which includes books, room and board, minus a small scholarship that I received from the Ashram), and will help me toward the goal of bringing a more balanced, sustainable path to change makers.
Thank you for your company along the path, as we create this journey together. The plan as it stands is to bring this vision into being through yoga classes, extended workshop series specifically geared toward the challenges that change makers face (and how yoga can help us find a place of balance in our work), and weekend workshops that delve into specific areas of practice. I will also be writing about the journey and sharing the narrative with you as I learn and grow, starting with my journey to, through, and beyond the Ashram, both through long-form story at the Rebel Yogi website and through smaller tidbits shared on social media. The community starts with you, and our shared journey as we learn how to increase our impact in the world while decreasing the impact on ourselves, and then share those stories with each other.
Join me "“ become a part of the Rebel Yogi community today.
Organizer
Jessica Glendinning
Organizer
Portland, OR
