Collective Consciousness; Sacred Community
a love letter to you–we are alleyCat
My memories of alleyCat come in flashes: the entry, the carpet in the original Tiger Hotel. Walking in the first time, anxious and trepidatious, then over time, feeling the deep safety of Kathleen’s voice and guidance, soon followed by Ken’s solid teaching and profound wisdom. The studio became familiar, womb-like, my safe home.
More memories–hanging curtains with Ken, steaming them straight as we reoriented the original doorway. White bolsters, sitting in a circle after Deep Rest Yoga on a Sunday in January. Children sitting in quiet awe, watching as I snuffed out our yoga candle. The hush of Saturday morning at the end of Deep Stretch, post-kids yoga, hearing Ken’s voice–followed by the relaxed, joyful breakout of yogis exiting the studio. Watching people become yogis as they returned weekly for Yoga 101 and 102. Teachers beginning, growing, blooming; students starting, growing, blooming. Breathing, feeling, and moving together. Together. To gather. Together.
What makes a yoga community sacred, unique, grounded, and spiritual? From where and what did our community become “alleyCat?” This question has been whirling around my mind these past two weeks. Memories of curtains, drywall, sheetrock, paint, and floor installation pass through my mind. Yet, none of that creates the container of sacred space, only the physical container in which that space dwells. A sacred community is so much more–it’s infused with wisdom, heart, dedication, and love.
Just as the loving wisdom of Swami Kripalu and devotees of the Kripalu Ashram lived in Ken and Kathleen, that dynamic, spiritual community breathed life and love into our sacred community. We created this beautiful sangha together through our collective consciousness and comingled prana.
The resonance, the vibration of every teacher, every student, and every practice from day one at alleyCat Yoga merged to create our sacred sangha. With each breath, each movement, and pause, teachers and students alike contributed and built what IS alleyCat (present tense). A spiritual community does not end; it evolves, changes, moves, transforms, and lives within each of us forever.
My heart is full of the many letters of love and thanks for my leadership and guidance, and I am humbled and grateful. Yet, as you read these words, my love letter to alleyCat is to YOU. I love you; you are alleyCat; we are alleyCat. Every conscious breath I/we take, each mindful pause brings me/us back to the conscious collective that breathed life into our beloved community, and that consciousness lives within us still, deep within our being. It will never end, continually transforming, always returning to Source, bringing us back to the Oneness of all.
Grateful for this time to refuel, regroup, and move slowly, I am processing the loss of alleyCat as I/we knew our sangha. With a loss of any kind, the stages of grief are present —anger, shock, bargaining, and denial. Eventual acceptance comes, though that does not ameliorate the sadness. Slowly I am working through the grief, while within me, the teacher stirs, fueled by the desire to grow, share and evolve again. Be assured that the birth of something new will come, infused with what I carry from our time together.
With deep love and gratitude for the years you have upheld me and one another.
Jai Bhagwan–Victory to the Light of Higher Consciousness.
~Susan
About The Author
Susan Mathis, M.Ed., E-RYT 500, RCYT, YACEP
Susan is deeply committed to the practice of yoga, pranayama, and conscious living. A Professional Level, Kripalu Yoga Teacher, she offers steady guidance, practical knowledge and infuses the deep wisdom of yoga philosophy into her teaching. A lover of the natural world, adventure, and travel, Susan engages with nature through hiking, biking, and scuba diving. She is the owner and director of alleyCat Yoga and Yoga to Grow.