Community
In Buddhism the ‘Three Jewels,’ or cornerstones, for a Buddhist are the Buddha, the Dharma (teachings of the Buddha), and the Sangha (the community that follows the Buddha). Originally the Sangha was the monastic community who lived the teachings, preserved the scriptures and taught the wider community, however over time the Sangha grew to include all those who follow the Buddhist path.
Our Mysore room is a space for awareness, understanding and compassion. This shared intention supports us as we drop beneath the layers of our “personality” into silent communion with our innermost self. This is where transformation happens. Ours is a solitary practice that we do together. It is deeply private yet uniquely intimate. As we breathe and move in our communal space we become part of each other’s daily lives. Whether we share a conversation over porridge, a smile in the changing rooms, or no words at all, our energy is in constant exchange. Each day that we show up on our mat for ourselves, by default we are showing up for each other. The knock-on effect is that we begin to look forward to coming to practice because of each other.
In my own practice community has been invaluable. Knowing that my fellow yogis are in the yoga room, breathing, moving, looking inward - together - inspires me to get onto my mat on days that I might struggle. During my practice when I find myself feeling negative, critical, pre-occupied by own desires or delusions, I remind myself of those practicing around me and shift my focus toward cultivating the positive, loving energy that I would wish them to receive from me. This attitude reminds me that the practice is bigger than me, it gets me out of my head, and who knows, perhaps the person next to me gets to have a nicer practice because they put their mat down next to mine!
The essence of a successful sangha is awareness, understanding, acceptance, harmony and loving kindness - remembering that we are an eco-system where each of us impacts the other and together we create a whole. My responsibility as facilitator of this space is to be there consistently, 6 days a week. If I am not consistent how can the community be? If I do not do my practice how can others be inspired to do theirs? Each day begins with my own personal practice before extending outward into the practice of teaching. It is a grounding baseline that feeds into all areas of my life. It is not always easy but it is always enriching.
We have a growing Mysore community at Mission in Shoreditch. Watching people and their practices grow and change is a continual source of inspiration and learning. It is a circle. For those of you who are part of our community – thankyou! For those of you yet to join us - we look forward to welcoming you. x