One of the most attractive communities I’ve been privileged to be part of is the Yoga Sangha.
I had no idea when I started on my yoga path that this community is a human worldwide web. Not long after I completed my 10 week beginners’ course in Spring City, Pennsylvania, I moved to California and looked for my next class. On the move again, to New York this time, and a fresh search for a yoga class.
In Sydney I discovered Satyananda Yoga, Oki Yoga, and finally, Iyengar yoga, but each of those classes were little communities in their own right and some of the people from those days are still in my life.
I was like a planet gravitating to different centres – the Spring Street, Bondi Junction studio of Martyn Jackson, and the Balmain Studio with Michael Hollingworth and Pixie Lillas.
Then it was time for me to gather my own community which revolved around Sydney Yoga Centre. The first location was in the Haymarket, then in Crown St., Surry Hills. Countless students passed through those doors. Some of them got married, had babies, came back when life settled down again. Some of them did yoga teacher training with us and went off and opened up their own schools. Some of the older students, sadly, have passed away.
Simply Yoga in Crows Nest was the last Sydney community I created, and, happily, John Norris has perpetuated it, probably even expanded it.
I never thought I would hear myself say it, but the Internet is a marvellous thing. Over the last few months when I wasn’t well enough to teach, I was still able to fashion an on-line yoga community through writing this “Yoga with Eve Grzybowski” blog.
It’s the sharing that’s important to me. As my physical condition and my well-being continue to improve, I can see the next classes starting to take shape – just in my mind’s eye at the moment – but that’s where all the others began too.