How to Create a Community Yoga Group...

Over a year into our Coffee and Yoga community yoga endeavour and here is the short form of our journey so far... with a few suggestions.

Realize your city yoga community is clique-ish, difficult to get into if you're a) not a yoga teacher or b) not "in" at a specific studio and wish deeply for an open all inclusive yoga community group.

Have a flash of genius lightening in your brain that *YOU*, the non-studio specific, kinda yoga jaded and decidedly not vying to be a yoga instructor yogini are the person to finally break through your city's long history of anti-yoga community.

Bravely (ok naively) march your little bum over to every single studio (especially after repeated emails and phone calls result in non-committal responses or even plain out ignoring) with a huge hopeful smile pasted to your face. 

Keep that smile on your face even after you realize studio owners really aren't interested after they realize it won't benefit their studio directly.

Lose all hope and deflate completely.

Find *ONE* amazing yoga instructor (Helen Fong!) who will support and triumph your idea to her utmost ability.

Create a twitter account with her prompting for that very purpose. Against all logic, become enamoured with twitter (coffeeandyoga !).

Make a website that you really have a hard time keeping up. One blog really is quite a bit of work, let alone two!

"Flash mob" smaller local studios as the "Coffee and Yoga Crew". (Upcoming studio hop coming up!)

Invite all who attend Coffee and Yoga to "Friend Yoga" sessions at your apartment... then worry that everyone won't fit... then worry about cats and clean like a crazy person before they arrive, then have an awesome Friend Yoga experience where everything just works out. Realize that you are anal and crazy.

After a few somewhat successful meets, have a renewed sense of gun-ho and attempt emailing studios again.

March over with new posters and beautiful speals and a huge yogic smile (yes it was yogic, as in epic-yoga style).

Keep that smile pasted to your face when it is apparent yet again that local studios just aren't into coffee, especially when combined with yoga.

Become absolutely and utterly amazed by what fantastic and supportive friends that you have and how they trudge through snow and rain to be there at each and every Coffee and Yoga meeting.

Make a few new friends who you value dearly through the group.

 
Let go of all expectations on "how many people will show up" and enjoy your hang out time with friends.

(Make sure you remember to book the space at the coffee shop though, or you'll end up stuck all squished downstairs annoying the poor baristas... Also, having a sign is a really good idea).

Look forward to the insightful, honest and non-fouffy yoga discussions that can take place with a group of non-yoga obsessed.

Decide that Coffee and Yoga has remained true to what you wanted it to be all along: A place for all and any yogi(ni)s to meet and chat in an open, honest and supportive environment. Without pretentiousness or studio-specific agenda. Just a bunch of Yogi(ni)s chatting about yoga, sipping coffee/tea and enjoying being Present.

Blessings!


Article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com