October 2008 Kula Connection Report

A Community of the Spirit

Rumi

There is a community of the spirit
Join it and feel the
delight of walking in the noisy street,
and being the noise.

Drink all your passion
and be a disgrace!

Close both eyes
to see with the other eye.

Open your hands,
if you want to be held.

Sit down in this circle.

....... Be empty of worrying.
Think of who created thought!

Why do you stay in prison
when the door is wide open!

Move outside the tangle of fear-thinking. Live in silence.

Flow down and down in always
widening rings of being.

We gathered this month at Carol Bowman's beautiful home.

We enjoyed a delicious put luck together as we did some 'go-arounds' sharing what's new and good in our lives, what we are pleased about in our lives, and a question to get to know each other better:
Pick 3 people dead or alive that you would invite to dinner.

After dinner we gathered by the fire place. Each person got some time and attention to think about one of their personal goals and to think about how to invite in more company to achieve those goals from the support of the Kula. We took notes for the person so they had a card to remind them of their intentions.

Katherine shared a brief synopsis of what went well in this past Fall session, what could have gone better, and what direction we are looking toward for the Winter Sessions:

1. How to best serve brand new students to Yoga and Kula Yoga? It wasn't the best set-up to have brand new students mixed with experienced and committed Kula students. Inquiry around starting a beginner's class again in the future.

2. Assuring Katherine has an assistant for each of the Kula offerings she leads. This is not only useful for Katherine's style of leadership but is also a great way to model not doing work/goals alone. And it also goes hand in hand with our emphasis of everyone taking some form of leadership/ownership of the Kula (see notes from the last Kula Connection below)

3. We noticed there were a few "student led classes" coming up this Winter that still need a leader. Katherine will send out an e-mail clearly stating the intention behind this practice and encouraging people to give leadership a try.

4. Discussed how this last Kula survey was helpful, but really not a substitute for the time Katherine devotes to Kula students on the phone, in person and, during after-class discussions.

5. Katherine was very pleased with how Kula students have been generously blending their gifts with the Kula as they are ready. Here is a look at what seva (selfless service) opportunities Kula has been blessed with:

A. Studio Upkeep:

Lindsay Orr brought us back 2 lovely altar cloths and a box of Nag Champa incense from her trip to Argentina.

Wilbur Ince found a bunch of unscented candles in tins and several larger steeple candles from the Axman

B. Kula Communication/Clarity Project:

Lindsay Orr created a wonderful, clear and simple Survey Monkey for us this Fall.

Barry Nienstadt took flyers all around town for the Kula

C. Administration Work on the Kula site

Thank you Wilbur Ince for your on-going contribution of time, energy and expertise for Kula Web site up keep.

D. Kula Accounting

Gini Rengel created several 'Breakeven point charts' for future Kula retreats to make sure our work is sustainable. And a financial breakdown of the last Summer retreat that we learned a lot from.

E. Office supplies:
Gini Rengel has offered to replace Kula's printing cartridge and look into the cost of the photo sensor on the printer.

F. Assisting: Lindsay Orr did an excellent job in assisting Katherine in the Saturday Class.

Thank you to each Kula Peace Project Patron - your financial and time gifts are invaluable and deeply appreciated.

Thank you all for your generous loving support

to your Kula and teacher.

Each of you is significant to the welfare of our community.

And, thank each and every student for giving the most important gift you can give to a community - showing up!

Together, we do make a difference to one another and to the sustainability of what matters most in our lives.

We closed our Kula Connection time with a round of appreciations:
Something you liked about getting together

Thank you Carol for hosting!

"Practicing and Thriving in Kula (a sustainable community)"

• 5:30 Pot Luck - share what's new and good in your life
• 6:10 Clean up
• 6:15 Trading time - connect with your Kula and receive some time and attention
• 6:30 Devakinanda Chant

Devakinanada, Gopala and Govinda are all names of Krishna - an expression of the longing to return to a state of union with love at the source of all things

The Joy of Leadership - Katherine Banbury

Our practicing, nurturing and building community is radical.

The root 'rad' is from the Latin word 'radical' which means a return to the original intent of something

The Kula's mission to practice and apply the teachings of Yoga in the broadest possible application of community is radical in that it is not based in modern society's understanding of self as separate; which is essentially informed by
the Newtonian science model from the 18th century

Kula's model is more closely aligned with the Quantum science model which aligns with and ultimately proves unity consciousness where:

• Nothing exists outside of dynamic relationship
• Process is more important than focusing on completing a goal
• Present moment experience over a pre-planned future
• Deeply understanding the 'and' in '1 and 1 = 2'

Kula's Working Vision

We abide in each living moment, welcoming what is unfolding and dissolving, responding to each experience with integrity by acting from an empowered leadership role and staying connected and in relationship with each other.

Kula Leadership

Leadership - an inherent human characteristic

Macrocosmic Leadership - taking complete responsibility for the conduct of the Universe

Microcosmic Leadership - Deciding to make sure that everything you are in contact with goes well to the best of your ability with plenty of company and support in the process

Leadership contradicts passivity and separatism

Up front Leadership - taking a visible empowered role to apply one's thinking to a particular experience (a class, workshop, mission, issue, gathering of some kind)

Background Leadership - taking an empowered role in the backing of the "Upfront Leader"

Example of Background Leading:
Organizer of an event

1. Assisting the ‘Up front Leader' by strategically thinking and supporting this person with the help of the community.
2. Taking charge of the work at hand by strategizing teamwork, inspiring and supporting team mates, finding and using effective communication techniques and accomplishing the details involved in the particular experience at hand without striving or collapsing.
3. Staying aligned with Kula's vision to live and work in the moment where relationships come before things (ie: accomplishing a task without building closeness with one another is not the goal. Solo functioning is not the goal)

Defining Kula Participation

The Kula invites and inspires each member to participate by blending their gifts with the community as they are ready.

1. Kula patron - a student who regularly participates in Kula's offerings
2. Kula drop-in student - a new student checking out the Kula or a student not able or interested in community building
3. Kula Peace Project Member - An active Kula patron who functions as a community member. Their participation in Kula includes putting some energy into the health and well-being of the community as a whole, in addition to taking Kula's offerings for personal reemergence.

Each person is invited to share in their own leadership:

We always close with appreciations:

What did you like about our gathering tonight?
One word appreciate about the person on your right
One word appreciate about Katherine's leadership
Thank you Lindsay for hosting!