This past Saturday, I was delighted to attend Seren-i-Tea in the Square, the free spiritual event organized by Intent.com with Sokenbicha Tea, held in San Francisco’s Union Square. Our lovely Mallika Chopra led a meditation, and then one of my favorite yoga teachers, Stephanie Snyder, took us through a simple yoga series.
I’ll admit that prior to the event, I had my doubts. I’ve never been interested in practicing my spiritual pursuits outdoors in a large, public forum. I frankly found the two concepts contradictory: turning inwards for my yoga and meditation, while being forced to confront the outer world of traffic, weather, and random spectators.
I was lured in by the participation of Intent.com’s founder, Mallika Chopra, and the fabulous Yumi Sakugawa, as well as Stephanie Snyder. And I’ll admit: the goodie bag filled with Sokenbicha tea and yoga mat, Manduka towel, and Whole Foods gift certificate definitely did not hurt when it came to motivating my butt to downtown SF on a lazy Saturday afternoon.
However, I was pleasantly surprised as I watched my judgment fall away the moment I sat down on my mat in the middle of the square. Luckily, it was a gorgeous day: the sun shone warmly on my face during meditation, with a light breeze to cool me off during the yoga practice. But best of all was my sense of participating in a much larger community than I usually do… At yoga, I connect with the same people week after week, with an occasional newcomer. At Seren-i-Tea in the Square, I ran into dozens of people from all walks of life – -older, in wheelchairs, new to yoga – -all eager to connect with their higher selves, all seeking peace and calm in the midst of their chaotic daily lives. I wanted nothing more than to support them by being there.
Finally, I enjoyed the event more than I thought I would because I felt the impact of our meditation and yoga on passersby. I saw how practicing my spirituality in such a public forum could have an instantaneous, real-world impact, perhaps even more powerful than my writing for this blog or the Huffington Post. Why? Because online, you read my words, and hopefully they inspire you. But out there in the real world, you might actually see all of us smile, hear us breathe in unison – inhale/exhale – and even sense, through emotional contagion, our serenity. That, I realized, might motivate people to give meditation and yoga a try after many years of wondering what the fuss is all about – more effectively than any amount of blogging or video sharing. It’s hard to deny when it’s there in front of you, and you have a visceral experience of it.
So if you weren’t able to make it out to Union Square on Saturday, I hope you’ll consider taking opportunities to participate in such events in your home communities. Or heck, you could even create an event of your own! Help us spread the joy and peace that we’ve all tapped into at some point in our lives with the world at large. It’s so important.
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