The Shakti Shine - June 8, 2020
Shakti Love Notes
We are always growing. I love that! And the more I grow, the more I recognize how important it is for us all to share what we're going through-- even (and especially) me.
So these Love Notes are a space for me to share with you each week-- about the studio, my life, how our community is growing.
Things are heating up.
(Not just because it's June in Georgia and what feels like 100% humidity.)
There's a collective heaviness happening in the world right now.
We're tired. Frustrated. Angry. Stir-crazy. Sad. Scared. Passionate. Waking up to. Rubbing up against. Grieving. Uncovering. Reimagining.
I'd venture to say that the emotional toll and trauma of this year-to-date is unparalleled in our lifetime.
AND
There's something incredible unfolding. Something unparalleled in our lifetime.
These last few weeks especially have felt hot, fiery, ACTIVATED.
I've found myself frequently yelling, emoting, thirsty, and fired up. My word of the year - MOXIE - comes to mind (force of character). And most days last week if you were to ask me 'How are you?' my response was 'Feeling activated.'
There's a word in Sanskrit that translates to mean HEAT. That word is Tapas. Heat, fiery, burning, self-discipline. Tapas is the purifying fire.
'Tap' - TO BURN.
Burning purifies. Burning illuminates. Burning destroys, refines, and clarifies.
Collectively, Tapas is ready for us. We are ready for Tapas.
Build an inner fire.
Have you ever had an uncomfortable conversation? Or stood up for something you believed in? Do you remember the warmth of that moment? The sweat? The heat in your belly? The flush in your cheeks?
It's the heat of discomfort that transports us into something new.
Tapas is the stir-craziness of wanting to break all the precautions against COVID-19 that I've so meticulously adhered to.
Tapas is the warmth of shame in my gut when I sit with my own complicity to white supremacy throughout my life.
Tapas is the inner friction of getting on my mat and the activation I find there once I've pulled myself out of bed and into my body.
Tapas is here NOW to transport us into something new.
It's a long road ahead, but the self-discipline of Tapas will take us there, step by step.
So if you feel a fire in your core, keep it up. Know that you're well on your way. It's time for us to burn. It's time to step into the heat and let it change us. It's time to show up. It's time to let our own activation transform us.
Something incredible is unfolding. Something unparalleled in our lifetime.
Get present to the burning of the moment.
There's an inner fire ready to illuminate, purify, refine, and clarify.
Let's build it.
xx
Ruby
Tapas as a practice is spoken to in Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. In yoga we see Tapas spoken to in the Hindi Vedas as well as in Patañjali's Yoga Sūtra, where Tāpas is listed as one of the Niyamas (virtuous practices). Tapas practice often involves solitude, and is a part of monastic practices that are believed to be a means to Moksha (liberation, salvation).
The Weekly Work
This is where we bring yoga off the mat together
Anti-racism work for the week:
1. Journal (thanks to @susannabarkataki):
+ Write your JEDI (Justice / Equity / Diversity / Inclusion) commitments. - What are you committed to?
+ What are your Rituals of Resilience that serve to bolster you & prepare you to stay in the work?
(Emily will cover these prompts in this week's IGTV)
2. Check out this resource guide, put together by our Shakti member AJ Dean ❤️
(They include info on protests, legal, donation, organizations, black-owned businesses, books/podcasts/film, COVID testing & more)
3. Watch this video by @moemotivate about 'How to engage in anti-racism without causing more harm'
(Spoiler alert: Be respectful, take action, hold each other accountable)
4. Support the upholding of accountability for the murder of Breonna Taylor: Take Action Here
Thank you to everyone who showed up on Saturday.
It's so refreshing to see you in person, and we can't wait to do it again this weekend!
June theme w/ the Duality Project:
P R E S E N C E
Presence is really just the simple art of paying kind attention. Presence is non-judgmental. Presence is open. Presence is acceptance.
This workshop includes:
CONNECT:
An overview of the theme
30 written notes of inspiration from Ruby & Kate about this month’s theme
MOVE:
1 movement video w/ Kate
1 movement video w/ Ruby
GROW:
1 guided meditation
12 inquiry questions to take you deeper into the theme week to week
This is serious. It's a lot. AND it's so important.
Thank you for being here so fully.
The time is now to be asking for full transparency from every single business owner, leader, government official, corporation, system, and friend.
WE ARE CLEAR ABOUT WHO SHAKTI IS, WHERE SHAKTI IS HEADED, AND CHOICES AT SHAKTI THAT IMPACT YOU.
We honor and recognize the need for full transparency, and you can find more about how we Connect, Empower & Awaken on Our Values page on our website.
Here are some ways in which we show up:
+ As students - It's how we learn & grow.
First and foremost, we regularly learn from and share the work of specifically Black cis and Trans Women. Some of our teachers include Rachel Ricketts, Rachel Cargle, Jaz Stewart, Tina Strawn, Chrissy King, Mokah Johnson, Mariah Parker, Melissa Toler, Cleo Wade, Tarana Burke, Monique Melton... and more and more and more
Through our partnership with the Duality Project we’ve gotten to host Rachel Cargle in Nashville, Rachel Ricketts here in Athens, Dr. Robyn Henderson Espinoza and Erin Law in a Somatics and Social Healing workshop at getFIT615, as well as other workshops and events.
+ As a team - It's in our bones.
These are excerpts from our team handbook:
Shakti teachers are actively committed to questioning bias, blind spots, and unconscious discrimination through inquiry within and outside of the Shakti team. Shakti teachers commit to acting in allyship for POCs and marginalized communities. We are committed to showing up and stepping into discomfort in order to open the closed doors that house internal bias and discrimination.
We grow by sharing and listening as a contribution to the collective whole. "I am committed to listening when I have the opportunity to listen, and to sharing when I have the opportunity to share- even if it's uncomfortable!"
+ As a business - It's in the core of our values.
These are some of our commitments to Diversity & Inclusion:
WE COMMIT TO DOING THE WORK OF ANTI-RACISM, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION.
WE COMMIT TO INVITING FOLX TO THE PARTY, ASKING THEM TO DANCE, AND GIVING SPACE TO BE FULLY SEEN AND ACKNOWLEDGED.
WE COMMIT TO CONTINUED CONSULTATION AND COLLABORATION WITH POC LEADERS AND BUSINESS-OWNERS LOCALLY AND GLOBALLY IN ORDER TO STAY CONGRUENT WITH OUR VISION FOR SHAKTI TO BE A SAFE SPACE FOR DIVERSITY.
+ As a community - It goes beyond the physical practice.
1. We give to The Get Comfortable Fund, a local non-profit campaign that leverages the data and local expertise to resource the agencies meeting the greatest needs.
2. We offer Shakti Scholarship Support. This is for moments of contraction when you need extra support so that you can ask for and receive the support you need in order to stay in your practice at Shakti.
We acknowledge that many people experience social barriers, privilege is real, and yoga isn’t accessible at the same rate for everyone. We want to live in a world that is moving forward in equality, and so we are on a mission to do better. If there’s something we know for sure it’s that we are better together.
3. WE MAKE THE CHOICE TO UTILIZE PRICING THAT REFLECTS THE VALUE OF OUR SERVICES, IS EQUITABLE IN EVENING THE PLAYING FIELD OF INCOME CLASS, AND INCLUDES THE FLEXIBILITY TO MAKE OUR SERVICES MORE ACCESSIBLE (ESPECIALLY TO MARGINALIZED FOLX, AS NEEDED).
+ As leadership - It's what we're committed to.
WE COMMIT TO INTENTIONAL EMPLOYMENT THAT REFLECTS THE DIVERSITY WE DESIRE TO HOLD SPACE FOR.
We offer specific Black & Non-Black POC scholarships for our teacher trainings in order to provide the support necessary to diversify our staff.
I share these things to ensure you that we are here for this work - it’s not going away. To our core, it’s part of who we are as a business.
I don’t share this to show you all the good stuff we’re doing - because all the 'good stuff' doesn't really mean much until we see systemic change.
I share this to show you that this work never ends and that we are in it with you, for you, and alongside of you.
I share this because we recognize that we are a business where you choose to spend your time, your energy, and your currency, and as our contributors you deserve to know exactly who we are, where we stand and the actions we are taking.
This work is life-long. It’s learning and unlearning. It’s making time for and investing energy in anti-racism. It's messing up and still showing up. Knowing better, and DOING better. Pivoting when we need to. Tearing it all down and starting over when we need to. It’s clear action with a sense of urgency, but not reactionary or rushed. Apologizing and changing our behavior, as a practice.
What we hope to show you and set an example for is that we, the people, should be able to ask for transparency from businesses and receive it… including this one.
We are committed to being a transparent business.
I am committed to being a transparent business owner & human.
If you ever have any questions for us, ask them.
It might take me a few days to respond to your email but I will respond to it.
Thank you for your time, trust, and energy.
I love you.
xx
Ruby
(s/o to Kate Moore for her constant support, presence, willingness to share & collaborate, and for often letting me borrow some words when starting from scratch feels like too much. She gave me the starting point for sharing this with you, and for that I am so grateful. xx)