The Perennial Garden (October 2021 Newsletter)
Summer is at an end, and the flowers at the Park of Roses are in full bloom, just before the point where they keep on trying to bloom and simply over-bloom and shed their petals. But look! There’s a new little bud low down on the stem waiting its turn to bloom, but it may turn too cold by then and the little bud may never get to flower. Close by are other seasonal plants that are just getting ready for their own season of growth. I took this photo last week of the Perennial Garden at the Park of Roses in Northwest Columbus, where we meet for class on weekends. (You should try it. We will continue classes there as long as weather permits and the temperature remains above 55°F.)
The perennial garden is an allegory for our own lives. In constant bloom, in constant motion, so that it appears to be uninterrupted and perpetual. But everything is continually changing depending on the varieties planted. Do you have plants for every season so we can call it a true perennial garden? How do we nurture it, and how well and how often do we tend to it? Do we weed and cultivate it, or let it run wild?
It makes us think! Everything is everything and nothing is nothing. But then, everything is nothing, and nothing is everything. Of course, that means nothing is nothing. When you close your eyes, the garden is gone. Open your eyes, and there it is again. It was there all the time, but it’s changed just a little bit from a moment ago. That is the nature of the everlasting garden! It's always there in the external manifest world, just never exactly the same, but it's never there in the internal landscape of the spirit where it's always the same, season after season of life and life renewed.
At YWB we want to help you think about both external and internal perennial gardens to make them last forever. In Sanskrit अमर्त (amarta/amartya) means perennial, immortal. (There are many other words to describe this state.)
We hope you will consider the many ways to raise your spirit and refresh your body coming up this fall.
Kundalini Meditation workshops
Ayurveda workshops: from sowing the seed to making the it your best thriving garden.
Yoga Nidra meditation workshop
Living right makes for a good life.
Namaste,
sipra
A Tribute to Jeff Kohn
No matter when you were at YWB, you would never have met or heard of Jeff. On the other hand, you've probably taken class with his wife Janet Kohn, either virtually or in the studio. Jeff passed away last night after many years of struggling with pain. Through all his pain, he was always virtually attending classes just off screen, where he lay in bed, always humorous, cheerful and kind. Janet has always been by his side, smiling and optimistic, regularly attending class three times a week. Janet has always been the first to jump in and help out if there was a need at YWB. She represents what YWB is and what it wants to instill in its students - loving, kind, compassionate, positive, disciplined and always happy. (Ask us if you'd to be in touch with her.)
Rest in peace, Jeff.