MANY RIVERS IS PERMANENTLY CLOSED
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"There is very little difference between burying and planting. For often, we need to put dead things to rest, so that new life can grow. And further, the thing put to rest--whether it be a loved one, a dream, or a false way of seeing--becomes the fertilizer for the life about to form. "
-Mark Nepo
Dearest Many River Community,
We are entering the final month of a truly unprecedented year. Back on March 13th, Many Rivers closed its doors to begin the shelter-in-place mandate, not realizing what a long stretch of closure we were beginning. Fast forward 9 months and we are all still living in this greatly altered reality, staying home and abiding by the wisdom of least possible exposure.
Several of us who teach at Many Rivers or lead groups have transitioned successfully to Zoom classes, but it has been untenable for us to continue to provide the variety of classes in the whole studio model that we formerly had been. Through this drawn out process, and the inability to continue to provide our services, the business of Many Rivers has made the difficult decision to close.
Many Rivers began around Winter Solstice in 2012. We have learned and grown continuously since that time ~ creating a healthy, loving space for our community. Our mission "to strengthen community and promote individual resilience through compassionate and high quality instruction in practices of yoga, meditation, dharma and healing arts," has been successful. Our vision, "to create a more peaceful, integrated culture from the inside out," though also successful, in truth is really a life's work!
What remains is that the mission and vision of Many Rivers continues to live in all of our hearts. The beautiful little Cedar Cabin, now sitting empty like an un-struck bell, will retain the name Many Rivers. And although the future is unclear to those of us who have been stewarding the space, we are all certain that we want to continue our commitments to community engagement is some form. Please read below to find out how to continue to work with individual teachers and groups.
For myself, it has been a privilege to work together with our owner group, Kayla, Kenton, Asia, Debi and Trish and our bookkeeper, Olympia. I'm still grateful to Kenton for his original vision for the building.
It has been a delight to work with the amazing and earnest teachers who have never stopped coming our way, and it's been a total joy to serve the community and see people always emerge from our space with something that allows them to key more meaningfully into their life...
I invite you to receive this message not as news of an ending per se, but more as news of a transition. I feel that the hardest task of 2020 has been letting go of expectations for how things are and how they should be. When we surrender those notions, we open ourselves to what may newly need to form.
So, as we enter these darkest days of winter, keep a candle lit, cherish those around you, stay safe and please receive our deepest thanks. You will continue to be able to communicate with us individually or at manyriversalaska@gmail.com.
With Sincere Blessings,
Anna
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A Message From Asia...
2020 has been a year of twists and turns. I feel whiplash around the losses, closures, cancelled plans, isolation and distance. I also feel flashes of gratitude for what persists, especially in the beauty of this land. How do we maneuver dis-ease? My guidebook for the past many years has been The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo. A wise poet who survived a traumatic childhood as well as brain cancer offers wisdom drawn from nature’s methods of resilience. What can trees, rivers, waves and beaches teach us? Earth offers endless examples of adaptation. Beaches soften their edges in storms. Trees remind us how to stay balanced and grounded, by bending to the wind but not grasping. Rivers teach us that by allowing feeling to flow without judgement can we align to our natural course and direction. My dear friend and neighbor, the writer, Eva Saulitis gave it to me so that we could connect through daily meditations when her cancer took her far across the country for treatment. For six years she journeyed steadily forward toward a peaceful death. It was terrifying for part of this journey but once she accepted it, grace encircled her. She supported an immense amount of life and growth in herself and others. She helped me see that by practicing letting go of things with grace we find strength and resilience. It’s a practice.
Asia is offering ongoing classes on Zoom.
Contact: asiabraulia@icloud.com, or call or text 907.299.1492
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Anna's Kundalini Yoga Classes continue on Zoom
The whole world is changing. Social justice movements are born of higher consciousness. There is a lot of space even for yoga practice to evolve itself as a seat of empowerment! I am open to these changes while honoring how effective our starting place is. We all need tools to stay healthy and sane as well as good camaraderie on the tough journey of human-ness.
I will continue to teach weekly classes in Kundalini Yoga on Zoom in 2021. I welcome long time students, those who have been away, and those who are completely new to the practice. Please join me! We all need practice and community right now.
Please contact kundaliniyoganorth@gmail.com for yoga schedule and instructions for joining.
A Message from Kayla...
Dear Friends, Teachers, Students, and Co-creators,
Thank you for all your support and contributions to Many Rivers over the years. I will cherish our time together in the space, and I am grateful for all I have learned with you. I hope you are well and can find ways to keep deepening your practice.
May everyone have a safe, healthy and happy winter.
Sincerely,
Kayla Bloom
To be in touch:
MountainBloomZ@gmail.com
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A message from Debi and Joe...
Floating Leaf Meditation Community
Continues to meet weekly on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.
If you’d like to be included in the weekly reminder please email Joe Spaeder at jjspaeder@earthlink.net.
We find this a very encouraging support to personal practice, with guided meditation, dharma sharing, check-in, and video teachings. We’ve also hosted live zoom teachings with deeply established contemporary teachers.
Floating Leaf is open to anyone interested in meditation. No experience is necessary.
Find calm within when surrounded by a blizzard of swirling change.
A message from Trish..
One of my favorite books is ‘Children of the Earth Remember’. I appreciate how the author illustrates so beautifully how Mother Earth is communicating with us all the time, in countless ways. All we have to do is tune in and listen, the remembering available to us is ever-deepening. This is the area of my life where I have always found sanctuary. So I want to share a small glimpse of my experience of this with you around trees...
I went camping up in Denali this fall and was absolutely amazed by the trees! So many layers here, but the obvious one is how they root so deep in the earth and hold steady in all extremes. I have never in my life found a more profound teacher of grounding and presence.
And then there are the fall colors! Not only do the trees model for us a deep resilience and adaptability, but they celebrate it with an outrageously glorious display of color before they let go.
And so It feels appropriate to share this in these times and in this final Many River’s newsletter as our LLC team let’s go into a different season. I want to thank you all for the extraordinary gifts and experiences of these past years, they will remain deeply cherished even as they compost into deepening wisdoms and layers.
Much Love, joy and many blessings to each of you,
Trish
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