Roundtable School of Life Dialog April 2024

An open invitation round table dialogue was held at the School of Life last Saturday asking people to share their thoughts about purpose in life and the direction we are going.   The subject centered around three questions:  

·         What do you think people are looking for?

·         What are you looking for?  

·         How may the School of Life serve?  

Twenty one members of the community held a vibrant discussion covering a range of topics that came up.

Here are themes that emerged:

1.      The School of Life is transitioning between our old ways and the demands and opportunities of the new – much as the whole world is doing at this time. 

2.      Authenticity, fellowship, cultivating an awareness of God and the purpose of life in our classes and study groups and learning how to put the spiritual teachings into practice to transform daily life, are some of the elements that makes the School unique and attractive to those who are seeking. 

3.      Ideas for outreach to grow the community, such as teaching more outside classes and
offering yoga teacher trainings, were offered.  Yet others emphasized the
importance of keeping the focus on quality, not quantity, and favored letting word spread by personal recommendation vs active promotion. We will probably do a mix.

4.      Improving facilities – having a welcoming space, increasing space for more students, parking, etc.

5.       Another interesting discussion that came up was about the self-serve store. Several have expressed admiration for the principle. The preliminary conclusion is that digital payment options will be introduced, but checks and cash will still be accepted and it will remain on the honor system. 

6.      Recognizing that “no change is not sustainable”, we will strive to preserve the authenticity of our spiritual traditions and mission while growing organically by adapting new strategies and opening more to collaborative partnerships.

7.       Another significant topic raised was whether new developments could be sustainable with volunteer help or if paid staff will be necessary. It seems a mix is best. The goal is to allow staff to spend less time on administration and more time on teaching, community building, programs and projects.

8.       Sustainability is key – when staff do not have enough time or resources to keep up, changes may be required that not everyone agrees with.

9.       Love is a verb; it is in giving that we receive. More active involvement by members along
with continued faith and fortitude by staff is needed. Guruji made things happen - we can
too, holding the connection to the Divine above while keeping our feet on the ground.

Special thanks to Martin Ruiz-Beltran for an excellent job moderating the discussion! 

An invitation also went out to come in person for a 20 minute “interview” to share your thoughts on this.  We’re calling it an interview – you interview us on what you’d like to hear about the School of Life and/or tell us what you’d like us to hear, and we interview you on the 3 questions.  😊  If interested, please contact Lakshmi  shantiyoga@schooloflife.org

A note from Lakshmi:  Some years ago I was snooping around on the internet for definitions of the Age of Aquarius.  Many things came up that we can already see taking place and are speeding up as the years progress.  Then this quote struck me:  “The tests and difficulties and pains of this era are symptoms or indications of the entering into a manifestation of the new civilization and culture.” 

Yoga teaches that each one of us is a microcosm of the macrocosm. With this and other dialogues, we are taking the principle of Swadyaya (know thyself) and extending it to the organization of the School of Life in order to secure the foundation with practical and efficient measures while responding to the needs of the  times.

Quoting Guruji: "Planet Earth is a School of Life.” Bringing spirituality into daily life unifies us in consciousness to manifest our stated vision of: Nurturing Divine Love to further the transition to the Kingdom of God to Earth. Thus, as we each do our inner work individually and collectively, replace fears and expectations with gratitude and awe, and poise ourselves to answer the call of the soul, we may experience the true happiness and joy that is our birthright as together we serve
and participate in the unfolding of the new era.