Santa Monica Business License Marathon

Being of service to our communities sometimes proves to be complicated . Webs of permits, licenses, insurance, referrals, and certifications are now needed to ensure organization, verification, and qualification. This is fine and dandy, but, I believe loads of paperwork deters people who have something to teach from doing so. Much loved and needed community classes on health, meditation, fitness, self-defense, or even cooking are shrinking.

Today I had the pleasure of speaking with Ebba, Santa Monica's head honcho of community and cultural services. She's cool.
Together we worked to complete all my necessary paperwork, ensuring my entry into the Santa Monica community class instructor program:

1. Sole-proprietor Santa Monica City business license
2. City insurance,
3. General liability, fingerprints,
4. W9 taxpayer ID
5. Americans With Disabilities adherence
6. Fee schedule
7. Proposed compensation
8. Class specialty
9. Conviction information
10. References
11. Proforma
12. Customer service plan

WHEW! All to teach donation based community classes in the parks and recreational areas. Turns out donation based classes have become a take-away from the city's teachers so now teaching community classes in a no no if not in the city pay role .

I see how the system is meant to serve the community but... man, oh man.

Luckily, my determination to have fun with my community outdoors has carried me through the process and soon I will be teaching workshops and classes where ever I please.

Outdoors, stuffy studio personalities and the business of yoga do not apply. It's a fun gathering of new buddies, calm thinking, and cool pacific breeziness!

My schedule is soon to come so keep checking in!!

Eat, Pray, Love on Ted.com

Prior to my departing for Ubud, Bali and Italy, Elizabeth Gilbert's book, Eat Pray Love, found a resting spot in my hands. Timing - perfect. One's voice in writing contains the possibility to tip the readers courage over fear and inspiration over skepticism.

Ted.com, the world's most expansive coverage of creative thinkers, invited Gilbert to speak on her creative processes and the freakish success of Eat Pray Love. Elizabeth's raw, humorous, and intriguing explanation of the human creative process swelled me with overwhelming comfort. She gets it. From her wise tone of voice to her spot-on insights, she received a standing ovation from the 'Ted-sters.' Once in a while a speaker proves so captivating, everything else seizes to exist.

Wow.

Osmosis

I use the word osmosis freely.   The concept intrigues my mind and seems to illustrate rightly the movement of human energy.   Osmosis, described basically- if a cell is put in a solution which is more concentrated than its own, then it will shrivel up, and if it is put in a solution less concentrated than its own, the cell will expand.
E.g. If a red balloon is filled with concentrated salt water then tied and placed under pure water, the pure water will want to slowly permeate through the balloon wall and join the concentrated salt solution, expanding the balloon until both solutions, inside and out, are equally concentrated.
Now, for the second part of my science experiment- a story to connect osmosis to human energy:  

She reflected on everything she wanted and everything she inspired to be. The control was in her hands. Somehow she understood that only through understanding and concentrating her surroundings- people, environment, colors, activity, weather- she would expand into endless possibility.

Lessons had been learned. People had drained life from her and so had her activities although all of it was unknowingly in her control. The outside world she had created for herself was far more concentrated than the inside world and she was empty.
Change brewed and glimpses of insight broke through a depleted mind, body and spirit. She began to shed all that appeared dark; all that felt draining. She built, as many before her did, a strong and concentrated inside world through grounding, fearlessness, freedom of expression, and exploration.

Slowly her external environment molded to shape her inner reflected truths, desires, and curiosities. Creative thinkers, mentors, laughers, and seekers replaced the old. Gardens, forests, sun lit rooms, terraces, soft music replaced the old. Still peace, comfortable silence, and conversation became unbearably beautiful. The beauty was her. Inner concentration had expanded attracting more of the like. All things externally good were born from her inner desire for them to be so. Osmosis.

What have you been thinking about today? ;)



-Emily Kuser