October 16th 2020 Newsletter
Final update from the studio.
The SHIZEN Yoga Studio programming is now concluded. The URL address for the studio will move to a new website for SHIZEN Yoga with Dominica Serigano soon. SHIZEN Yoga Studio instructor teaching and contact details are listed above for your reference. A special thank you to my manager Kiyoka Anzai for her attention to detail and excellence in customer service until the very end.
In the Native American Blackfeet Nation tradition, the ember from the home fire would be saved and brought to the next camp site to keep the spirit of the flame burning for spiritual and cultural continuity.
In this spirit I am happy to announce that although SHIZEN Yoga Studio has concluded, the studio interior will remain as is, and open under new ownership from November!
Details about the new studio will be anounced and posted on SNS and facebook pages soon.
Final words from the Executive Director and studio owner.
How can I express my gratitude for your support and my experiences from over 16 years of service to the yoga community? There are simply too many people I wish to thank and too many fond memories to reminisce over. So I have decided to simply share what I have learned through the experience of the past 16 years at SHIZEN Yoga Studio.
1) There is nothing you can't do if you don't let your mind get in your way. So many great dreams are ended simply by the mind putting limitations to them. Opening SHIZEN was something I felt so strongly about I didn't take time to linger on thoughts of why I couldn't but remained focused on what needed to be done and what I could do to make it happen.
2) A corporation can be successful without compromising the yamas and niyamas in business dealings. I measured SHIZEN's success in its honest and fair dealings with all clients, it's ability to contribute to the growth and progress of those participating in its production, and its efforts to give back to the community in ratio to its position and success.
3) True yoga is only sustainable if it is a complete package. Asana itself is not yoga. Access to all 8 limbs for study must be offered and participated in to reap the physical, mental and spiritual harmony that yoga offers. The non asana classes at SHIZEN may not have had the larger appeal and numbers as the asana classes but without them the heart of SHIZEN just would not have beaten.
4) Each individual member is valuable to the whole community. Never underestimate the value of your presence to make a difference. A compassionate word or gesture you make can create a change that blossoms into something profound when you are among people wishing to learn more and who are open to something new. Together we all contribute something unique to the whole.
5) Sometimes something really difficult has to happen in order for change to occur. We get caught in comfort zones of familiarity and reluctant to make difficult decisions that will result in unfamiliar territory. Outside the periphery of our comfort zone is where real growth happens.
6) There is no "us vs them" in yoga. There are a variety of approaches to yoga to meet the variety in types of human beings. We all learn in different ways and are at different stages of our development and revelation. A student will find the approach and the teacher that suits her personality and way of learning. Whichever approach you choose the intended destination is the same, Self knowledge: and the Self we are inquiring about is one and the same for us all.
7) Harmony is our ability to flow with the constant change that is natural in this world. Nothing ever is the same from day to day. and that of course includes SHIZEN. Surfing the currents of change is more productive than swimming against them.
8) To wake each morning anticipating the day ahead is a blessing. To spend the day doing what you are passionate about and what you are skilled in, makes everyday feel like a holiday.
9) Yoga IS the star. Teachers are messengers and a studio is simply the place where the message is conveyed. It is the study and practice of yoga that reveals our true self, and we know we should never take the spotlight away from that.
10) SHIZEN Yoga will always be "Our" studio. Although I may have been executive director of SHIZEN, without the contributions from so many people ; students, instructors, designer, accountant, administration, bookkeeper, manager etc. that put their heartfelt time and effort into its upkeep and production each day, SHIZEN would not have been possible.
I am grateful for each and every one of you who contributed to make SHIZEN Yoga more than just a yoga studio. Together we made a yoga community.
With love and gratitude,
Dominica Serigano
