Me to We to Here to Be: Yogis in Service at lululemon

Me to We to Here to Be:

Yogis in Service at lululemon

[This is the talk I gave at lululemon conference 10/2015 Vancouver]

Catherine Cook-Cottone
10.2015 lululemon Conference

I am here to talk about yoga.

Yoga:

• A set of tools (asana, breath, and meditation) that lets me be here (hand to heart).
• The yoking of mind, body, and soul- the integration of the self.
• A practice that let’s me be- be aware, present, in my own power, and in my reason for being- my dharma.
• A practice of self-love.

Catherine Cook-Cottone, age 6

It took me a long time to find yoga. Always searching, I wanted to be anywhere else but here. Here was not for me. I was heading somewhere, achieving, figuring out how to be someone, something else- getting there. I was concerned with the constant measure of- no my judgment of- my progress to there. In this stress, I was never enough, not smart enough, loved enough, or pretty enough.  My body was not enough. Since the day I had a sense of it- I thought my body was broken, wrong. Not the right shape or size, too filled with craving. My thinking self fought my body, pushed it to get there- a battle, no surprise, that ended with an eating disorder.

Ruled from the top-down, disembodied, I did okay. I got through school, a masters, a Ph.D., and a job as a professor at a university. Still, I could not rest. You see, I didn’t know that any pursuit of there, without a safe haven here (hand to heart) was what they call the journey of the hungry ghost, an ancient notion of aberrations roaming the universe never able to be satisfied.

A hungry ghost, I kept going. Resigned to a path of empty pursuit, I started researching eating disorders- to get there. I found the works of Dr. Viktor Frankl, a Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of Vienna Medical School.  During World War II, he spent years in concentration camps, including Auschwitz and Dachau. In his book "Man's Search for Meaning" he makes a keen observation. It can be summarized like this,

 “Between stimulus and response there is a space.

In this space lies your power to choose your response.

In your response lies your growth and your freedom.”

In these words, my understanding of the universe was challenged. Where was his there? In the middle the most horrific conditions with no way out, Frankl found meaning, here (hand to heart). It gets better. He called this meaning love, a love that has changed the lives of millions of people.

I wanted to know that space. I wanted the here.

Enter yoga. A student at the university had invited me to her yoga class. I went filled with the notion that yoga was for people who liked their bodies, who had the good kinds of bodies, the bodies that looked right, moved right, and easily fell into calm relaxed states. Yoga was not for people like me.

Curious, I tried Yoga- anyway.  Asana. Sweat. Breath. Presence. In yoga, I was here (hand to heart).

From here, the process began. Each yoga class, each breath, each embodied moment got me a bit closer to settling in and connecting with- maybe even liking- then appreciating- and ultimately loving my own body. You see, I didn’t need to get there to be okay. Being okay could happen right here (hand to heart).

Yoga practice became my home. In yoga and in that space Dr. Frankl described so many years ago, I came to trust and love myself. I could let go of the tight grip on the steering wheel, let the pressure off of the gas pedal, stay, and breathe. Happiness, empowerment, and freedom weren’t in the stressful pursuit of there. In the space between stimulus and response, right here, there is an amazing capacity for love. And that self-love, like yoga, is not something that is gifted from genetics, amazing parents, or a neighborhood. It is a practice.

When you experience the kind of peacefulness and love I have found, you want to share. I became a yoga teacher. I teach at Power Yoga Buffalo and yoga is now central in my research. Through the growth I see in the yogis at our studio, the research findings, and the transformation I know personally, I am reliably and unfailingly moved by the effectiveness of these tools.

It doesn’t end there. When you have a resource this powerful, it becomes an issue of social justice. That is, does everyone have access?

In Buffalo there is great need.

The 4^th most impoverish city in the United States, 26% of Buffalo families live in poverty. The four-year graduation rate in Buffalo City Schools is 55%. Mortality rates in Erie County are higher than the NYS average. The main causes of death are cancer, cardio/vascular disease, homicide, and suicide.

It’s hard to be safe.

The City of Buffalo is considered one of the most dangerous in the United States. The crime index in Buffalo City is high at 616, compared to the US average of 295 and NYC at 246. That means per 100,000, we average 50 and 60 murders, 150-200 rapes, 1,300 robberies, 1,700 assaults, and 4,000 burglaries. There are thirteen gangs being tracked in the City of Buffalo.

It’s also hard to be healthy.

Despite the growing number of urban gardens, Buffalo is considered a food desert with no grocery stores. Residents are forced to shop at over-price, junk-laden convenient stores.

To be certain, there was no yoga.

Many in the city see no way out of the chronic stress that fills each day. It’s beyond being scared. Surrounded by obstacles and lacking resources, there is a sense of resignation for many. It’s a shutting down of hope. You have a felt sense that things are never going to change. I know that feeling.

At the end of a long home practice, sitting on my mat, mala beads hanging from my hand, I realized- I found here and I can be of service- a Yogi in Service. I have my love of the practice, my skills as a yoga teacher, the university, the members of the yoga studio in which I teach – I can create access to yoga.

Yogis in Service teaches yoga on the East-side of Buffalo. We have our weekly community class on Genesee and Doat and outreaches. The YIS mission is one of social justice. That is, we believe that all people regardless of poverty, race, ethnicity, gender, age, and neighborhood should have access to the tools of yoga. They should have access to that space, the one between stimulus and response, right here, that is filled with love, power, and freedom. You don’t need to get it out there. This is a space that-despite your circumstances- can be found in your practice. In yoga, you build resilience and strength. You learn how to down regulate your nervous system, center yourself, and be in intention- a skill set that that has great consequences in the city.

Through Yogis in Service, Diane has found Frankl’s space- her here.  Emotion is no longer a trigger that ends in more stress and hurt. Yoga has helped her, as it has helped me, stop, refocus, and breathe before acting, allowing her to act in full intention. Her grandchildren, Eric and Daija see her, see me, see us, and embody their practice, learning to think before they act. In that space, in their here, there are dreams of college and contribution. Emma is more confident and Cynthia sees her thought patterns, owns them, and has made an empowering shift from seeing the world through a lens of what she cannot do- toward a vision of what she can. Recovering from a horrible car accident, Alice now teaches us poses. Jeannette finds steadiness. Curtis finds calm in the middle of stress as he works to heal his body from tremendous illness. In Paulette, we see a journey to self–confidence and peace. She’s here to be happy- to dig into the here of life and be happy.

This is the power of yoga, meditation, and sweat- they are the pathway to here- tools for self-regulation, tools of integration, and the tools of self-love. It’s amazing what lies in the space these tools give us. Here we find the very best versions of ourselves, our passions, and our dharma.

lululemon Buffalo has supported me on this path since 2013. They helped my research team raise enough money go to Kenya and study the Africa Yoga Project, yielding the first published research study of the work they are doing, and helping me create the framework for Yogis in Service. With lululemon, I have done workshops, day-long retreats, service classes, and shared yoga with so many here in Buffalo. Inspired by the presentations I saw at the Ambassadors Summit in 2013, I successfully pitched YIS to lululemon Buffalo with a poem. That day, I earned Yogis in Service’s first small metta grant that allowed us to begin the work of becoming an official not-for-profit. With the Here to Be grant, we will be building a new yoga studio for our community class, for Yogis in Service. As I close, I will share the poem that got us the first metta grant...

Y- I- S- Yogis in Service

So many yogis want to serve
Teaching yoga to those in need
Alone it's easy to lose your nerve
Dreams die, un-watered seed

Yogis need a tribe, a place to go
A collective of the giving
Soil for dream seeds to grow
 Evolving thinking into living

Yogis in Service- I propose
yogis that meet to dream
To drop their fears, to strike the pose
so they can carpe diem

Goal- equipment to share
Goal- Mats, straps, and blocks
Goal- badass T-shirts to wear
Goal- a web page that rocks

Goal: yoga in schools, for kids in need
Goal: yoga so everyone can grow
Goal: yoga to inspire hearts to lead
Goal: YIS- across Buffalo

Yogis in Service, YIS

Yoga- to unite

Y- I - do
Y- I- love
Y- I- serve
Y- I- be

Be.     

Be the change you want to see in the world.  

Yogis in Service, YIS.      

Here to be.     

Catherine- out.

 

Yogis in Service, 2015

Social Media and Voice

Social Media and Voice

Catherine Cook-Cottone

The Yoga Bag

Social media is, among other things, an excellent channel for OUR voices. Maybe it is my age, but I remember the old days when the media was controlled by a few very powerful people, news outlets, and corporations.

I have watched, and studied outcomes, as the media images of women contributed to problems like eating disorders and objectification of women. This was done without a counter-voice that could be seen and heard by the masses. Please note, not all media is bad or creates risk for things like eating disorders. There are wonderful people and organizations across media. In fact, the effective people in the press in part, preserve our democracy.

AND the past 20 years have given us social media. Through social media, the citizenry- the people- have created major shifts in history using our voices. Lives have been saved. For example, during a horrific earthquake in China, responders were alerted via tweets when cell phone coverage was taken out due to insufficient capacity. Through social media, we get people to pay attention to things they ignore, oppressed people, and issues that matter. 

Social media has a role. I argue-- a powerful role in our culture.

You can play a role.

In term of eating disorders, objectification, and female development- I ask that all of my female friends, colleagues, and sisters in gender- PLEASE POST.

PLEASE POST all of the amazing things you are doing in your lives. Post about how you are making this world a better place, being healthy, and living in connection and love. I want to know when you are promoted, published, and when you take a moment and lovingly SEE your child or friend. I want to know about your challenges and your victories. Together we can tell the world we- women- are SO MUCH MORE that our size, shape, and diets (which- by the way- do not work).

You may not realize it, but your posts are acts of social activism for young girls and women who- without this version of women in the media- would be left to the millions of sexualized, objectified images.

When you post- our young girls can see- what is possible for them. When they see women being in power in their lives- they think, “That could be me.” When they see older women defying age and gender bias- using their voices (through writing books, in acts of social justice, or via acts of love) they have hope.

Yes- when you post- our young girls and adolescents can see more than airbrushed, sexualized images. They can see more than reality shows based solely and completely on appearance and social capital. They can see more than women focusing their entire cognitive and physical capacity on trying to be smaller- not for health reasons- but to conform to unrealistic, unhealthy body standards.

PLEASE POST

Post so they can see. Post so I can see and honor your efforts.

PLEASE POST so the WORLD can see that being a WOMAN is about being up to powerful, wonderful, and beautiful things.

And for those of you who are already posting- thank you!

Catherine

The Centripetal Force of Yoga in my Life

The Centripetal Force of Yoga in my Life

Catherine Cook-Cottone

The Yoga Bag

I have had a big year. Life has been like a giant roundabout, one of those merry-go-rounds they used have in playgrounds.

from http://www.noise-to-signal.com/2006/11/again_with_the_.html

When I was little, we’d run to the roundabout. It was like a race to see who could get to it first. I’d often wait, with one or two others, as the rest of the kids bounded on. The runners, we’d grab one of the metal bars committed to getting it spinning. Walking first, I would move into a run, digging my feet into the dry clay below, breath fast, heart beating. When the roundabout got going faster than I could run, I would grasp the bar with both hands, pushing from my feet I would jump on the roundabout to join the others. Whirling.

Two forces took hold. The first, centrifugal. It whipped us mercilessly to the outside edge. If we were going fast enough, one or two of us kids would fly off- sometimes landing on their feet, sometimes rolling across the clay causing us to stop and see if they were okay. If they weren’t, we took them to their moms. I think this is why, at some point, they decided roundabouts were too dangerous.

When we were spinning, I became the second force. The centripetal force. This is the force that pulls you back to center. I would shuffle my feet to the middle of the roundabout, the world spiraling around me. As I saw others slipping away, I would grab hands, arms, or bodies and pull them back to safety.

I would pull them back to center.

Yes. Life, this year, has been a giant roundabout. So many good and horrible things have been the force behind the feet running, digging into the clay, and getting the roundabout spinning.

I have had the honor of presenting on a panel a Kripalu as a yoga researcher. I gave the commencement speech at Amherst Central High School, an honest-to-God, bucket-list dream. I spoke at the American Psychological Association on a positive body image panel with women I have admired from afar for years. I taught yoga on the lawn of the White House at the White House Easter Egg Roll with yogis I have only read about in magazines. Bucket-list? Yes. I could barely breathe all day. I turned 50 and started a not-for-profit, Yogis in Service (YIS; http://yogisinservice.org) and was granted $15,000 from lululemon to build a yoga studio for YIS. Yep. More bucket-list dreams.

And my mom died.

Suddenly, I realized that for longer than I could stand, I had been on that roundabout barely holding myself together. I felt like the kid whose feet fell off and were dragging, shins scraping, outer thigh hitting the metal rim. I was the kid who was afraid to let go, knowing that if she does, she will hit the hard clay earth and tumble, maybe break.

I could only hold on as tight as I could. I could not feel. I could not cry. I was afraid my tears would loosen my grip. They would be party to my fall. Where was that girl? The one who shuffles herself to the middle and pulls those who are falling back to center. Where was she when I needed her most?

I found her on my yoga mat.

Through all of the centrifugal life forces, the good, the bad, and the horrifically devastating, the “I” that has grown out of years of yoga practice saw me struggling. I didn’t know she, my yoga, saw me. But she did. On my yoga mat, we caught eyes and at that moment, at that very moment, for the first time- in a long time- I believed that I might be okay. I believed that I might be able to loosen my grip and not get hurt.

As she held my eyes, yoga reached out her steady, centered hand. Our fingers touched. She reached more. I couldn’t. The other forces were pulling too hard. Our hands interlocked. I reached out my other hand and we grasped hands to forearms. I was going to be okay. My yoga, she pulled me to the center, a massive centripetal force, and held me. I exhaled. My shoulders softened. I cried.

Somewhere in a deeply grounded warrior one, I felt the roundabout slow. I moved into warrior three, my hands at my heart, in prayer. I held there, curiously noticing that I could stand on my one, earthy foot and feel strong. Slowly, I moved into warrior one, hands still at prayer.

I was in our back room. It is a beautiful room my husband built from the form of an old Florida room. It is square, lovingly detailed with intricately carved wood edging around the ceiling and a handcrafted fireplace. I had closed the French doors so the fire could create a heat to soften my practice. The air was warm and still in this room. In my warrior one, eyes closed, hands at my heart, I felt something. I can only describe it like a gentle breeze moving through and by me. Startled, I opened my eyes and looked around. Nothing. Nothing? Mom.

The Back Room, 2015

Yoga, you pulled me to center and stopped the roundabout. Then, you took me to my mom. You knew that sometimes, us kids, we need exactly that. You are my centripetal force. The gift that pulls me back to center. Before I even knew you, you were in me, embodied by the little me that made sure no one fell of the ride. Not on our watch, right yoga? Thank you for always being there. Because Lord knows, I need you.

Namaste,

Catherine Cook-Cottone

The Yoga Bag

The birth story of Yogis in Service (YIS): Light shines because we have all carried the torch

The birth story of Yogis in Service (YIS):

Light shines because we have all carried the torch

I don't know if you know the whole story- but the sparks for Yogis In Service (YIS) began through the kindling of spirits and because of the warmth of hearts. The first spark was lit at the meeting of two powerful individuals, community builders, and bright minds. In early 2013, Gary Steeves, Pastor at the Lutheran Resurrection Church (on the intersection of Genesee and Doat Streets on the East-side of Buffalo) connected with Susan Fain, co-owner of Power Yoga Buffalo. When they started talking and creating, the torch was lit. Moments like these are what are known as the sparks of creation. 

The spark became the flame on the torch, as words became actions. The earliest efforts involved working to train teachers from the East-side so that they could teach yoga in their own community. There were many obstacles from transportation to working out the best times to meet. I have learned that with anything new and great there are always obstacles. These barriers did not extinguish the fire. No. It meant that other ways had to be found. Susan and Gary persisted and it was decided that offering yoga for the kids at the summer camp would be a good way to create access to yoga on the East-side. The torch remained.

Alexis Asquith, a Power Yoga Buffalo teacher, dove in feet first and volunteered to help with day camp for the entire 6 weeks, for the entire day camp schedule. Alexis became the passionate holder of the torch. She was the central teacher for the yoga at day camp. A schedule was created and yoga teachers taught the 40 day campers yoga two times a week for 6 weeks. Susan Fain, myself, as well as others including students from the University of Buffalo, in the Counseling, School and Educational Psychology Program as well as students from the School of Social Work helped and the torch burned brightly lighting up the hearts of the day campers and opening eyes to the stress reducing, physical health promoting effects of yoga.

It so happened that this was this same summer (2013) that a group of yogis from Power Yoga Buffalo were going to Kenya to study the effects of the Africa Yoga Project. I led the research team that included students from my research team at UB (Jessalyn Klein and Carla Giambrone), a psychiatrist and yogi (Dr. Nan Herron), a psychologist and yogi (Dr. Jerry Cottone) and Power Yoga Buffalo teachers (Susan Fain, Steven Procknal, and Brooke Easton). The trip was amazing! What this team saw and learned was further inspiration to make a difference here in Buffalo.  While we were in Africa, Alexis and the other volunteers were tending the torch in Buffalo.

When the research team got back from Africa (July 2013) Susan Fain created the Saturday Community Class framework at the Resurrection Church Community Center modeled after what we learned in Africa. Saturday mornings at 10:00 AM a team of teachers provided a free community yoga class followed by a community meal. Susan Fain, Cole Baily, Alexis Asquith, and Casey Sotland (and a lot of other PYB yogis volunteering and assisting) led classes and provided meals through April 2014. They also created an amazing holiday season with gifts and food for the growing class of East-side Yogis. The torch was held high and burning brightly!

In April of 2014, Power Yoga Buffalo added an additional studio in Elmwood Village signaling that it was time to pass the torch. Once the PYB Elmwood studio opened, a small group of UB Occupational Therapy (OT) students who were taking the Yoga for Health and Healing course and a Service Course through their UB, OT program carried the torch until Summer. The Yoga for Health and Healing course is part of a larger certificate in Mindful Counseling for Wellness and Engagement offered at UB (see http://gse.buffalo.edu/cert-completion/counseling). These were the very first students to bring service learning directly to yoga on the East Side. Dr. Mary Matteliano (clinical professor at UB and a PYB yogi) supervised these students (see her page here- https://sphhp.buffalo.edu/rehabilitation-science/faculty-and-staff/faculty-directory/mmatte.html). Dr. Matteliano and the OT students now carried the torch. Graduation day came. It was time for the OT students to hand off the torch. (Note, Dr. Matteliano still supervises OT students as they support YIS to date!). 

This is the VERY COOL part of the story. You see, just when there was a very big chance the torch would go dark, a small group of East-side yogis picked up the torch. Inspired by all the work PYB (Susan, Casey, Cole, Alexis, and others) and the students from UB had done as well as Facebook support from Alexis Asquith (she had moved to California), Diane Rose and a small group of East-side yogis like Eric and Daija, kept going and practicing yoga every Saturday. I have seen the sign-in book. They kept it up. The torch was held.

From http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2012/bbc-olympic-torch-relay/

This winter (2014-2015), when I dropped by the church to see if Yogis in Service was possible- Gary Steeves (pastor) showed me the yoga sign-in book. Despite my fears, the torch had never dimmed. There it was- as evidenced by the weeks and weeks of sign-in pages-  the torch was still burning and ready to grow.

It was at that moment that I knew creating YIS was the right thing to do.

I am writing this because I think sometimes we wonder if we make a difference. You wonder if the time that you carried the torch, the times when you showed up in the snow of December or the deep chill of January, the days you were there and no one else was, the Facebook messages of support, the reaching out, the kind words, the knowing in your heart- all of that- you, me, we all wonder if our efforts matter- I think- truth be told- we wonder if we matter.

Well- we do! You do!

Today, the torch burns brighter than ever!

This torch is now held help up by Yogis from all over Buffalo, across studios, from programs at the UB, and professionals like the amazing lawyers at https://www.linkedin.com/company/purrington-moody-weil who helped us get our 501c3- specifically- Dominka Tanianis, Esq. and Mark Fanton, Esq., like the powerful list of supporters- like Richard Amiko, Steve and Kathleen Boyd, Hope Commerford, Jamie Pearsen, Danny and Nancy Irwin, Sheri Curry, Lindsay Travers, Melissa Abrams, Marissa Bland, Sarah Panzica, Susan Fain, Hannah Duke, Marta Schoenle, Molly Muffoletto, Gary Steeves, Ingram Micro, and lululemon Waldern-Galleria- see more here http://yogisinservice.org/support-yis/yis-supporters/ and the wonderful YIS board of directors Lindsay Kirsch (also amazing web and t-shirt designer), Steve Procknal, Wendy Guyker (Treasurer), Allison Flammer, Mary Carney, and Jerry Cottone- see more here http://yogisinservice.org/about-yis/board-of-directors/ , and our creative teachers here- http://yogisinservice.org/about-yis/yis-teachers/ and more- like Diane Rose, Eric H. and Daija. 

The Saturday Community Class continues at 10:00- 11:15 AM every Saturday followed by a healthy snack. We are teaching yoga at summer camp just like the early years. We have outreaches in the spring and fall for East-side kids in after school- see http://yogisinservice.org/projects/ for a description of our projects.

For perhaps the best view- see our video on our home page http://yogisinservice.org  (Thanks Lindsay Travers for video development). You will see exactly what I am talking about!

We shine because you shine. YIS is here because of all of those who showed up and kept showing up. YIS is here because of all of the torch bearers past and present. YIS is so very, very grateful. 

So help us carry the YIS torch or find the fire that lights up your heart. 

Importantly, know that what you do makes a difference. You matter. 

Namaste,

Catherine Cook-Cottone

The Yoga Bag

Find Out More about Yogis in Service (YIS)

Find Out More about Yogis in Service (YIS)

Yogis in Service began with a wish: A wish that everyone—all shapes, sizes, skin tones, and in all neighborhoods—could have access to yoga. With a deep inhale and an exhale, we headed out to make our wish come true—for us, for you, and for Buffalo.

Yogis in Service is a community group that supports yogis who are bringing yoga to their communities. At Yogis in Service we pride ourselves in the daily contribution to individual and community wellbeing. We believe that by sharing yoga we can increase the health and opportunity of each individual in the community.

Yogis in Service meet one Sunday a month to listen, problem solve. dream, and create community empowering goals. The rest of the time, we are out in our communities- schools, hospitals, universities, churches, and treatment centers- teaching and assisting yoga.

- See more at: http://yogisinservice.org/about-yis/#sthash.np4zxbcj.dpuf


We are raising money for our new yoga studio on Genessee and Doat in the Resurrection Village Community Center our Goal is $5,000

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