october = happy 10 years tranquil space

“The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn, the bird waits in the egg, and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities.” – James Allen

Tranquil space is turning 10: Happy birthday to the beloved Tranquil Space community

Wow, it’s been an amazing past decade. I recall this exact time ten years ago. The leaves were changing, my spirit was longing for community, and I had recently completed my first teacher training. As I put up fliers around the neighborhood and a small classified ad under “instruction” in the City Paper, I had dreams of creating a haven for yogis to grow on and off the yoga mat. And here we are ten years later in a sacred space on 17th street with two sister studios in Bethesda and Arlington, and a non-profit focused on expanding our do-gooding efforts. None of this would be possible without the support of our talented team and devoted yogis.

The journey has been sprinkled with numerous challenges that I can now look back on with a sense of wonder – how did we get through that one? For those of you who don’t date back too far, let me enlighten you with some funny not-so-tranquil tales. I giggle most over our days at the church on 16th street. We had no air conditioning and no screens to keep the hungry mosquitoes out of the studio. To combat the issue we had mosquito repellent at the sign in desk for yogis to lather on pre-practice. Then we had kids in the alley throwing rocks into the studio while we were sun saluting. Oh, and we can’t forget hearing “here comes the bride” pound away on the piano while indulging in savasana. another vivid memory is showing up to have a day of classes when the church administrator had rented our space to hundreds of Ethiopians eating large legs of meat. The icing on the challenge cake was the 5-month delay in moving from the church to our P street location thanks to oodles of bureaucracy. We put in a bathroom, removed a bathroom, put it in again, and had to turn a bathtub into a mop sink that was used for storage during our 5-year tenure in that location. Ah, the memories!

The beauty of reflecting over the past decade is that I now laugh at the drama (it beats crying - although I went through that phase, too), am stronger because of the challenges, and am truly grateful for all the lessons learned. Yoga is about finding your edge and moving beyond your comfort zone. I'm happy to say that has happened almost daily since 1999! Earlier this year I put together a tranquility timeline outlining a significant portion of these ten years. It’s insightful to note highlights as a reminder that dreams ARE seedlings of realities. As we celebrate our tenth year of bringing tranquility to Washingtonians, I encourage you, too, to reflect on your dreams. What acorn lies within? Life continues to move at a speedy pace and there is no time like the present to reflect on what you want to see unfold for you.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support as students, teachers, front desk helpers, cleaners, teaching assistants, managers, spa indulgers, tea sippers, and boutique shoppers. None of this would have been possible without you. and our celebration of 10 years won’t be the same without your presence. Please join us on Friday, October 30 from 7-9pm at our 17th location for our 10-year birthday bash: yoga demos, live music by PS24, a short documentary on tranquil space, complimentary chair massage, yummy food and libations, and a complimentary copy of tranquility to go (my latest cd) to the first 50 yogis.

May our bodies and minds be healthy. May our thoughts be filled with love. May our practice be free of obstacles. May we carry its benefits into the world. Namaste.