The Ropes Story

Once Upon a Time, there was a yoga studio called Boca Yoga. This studio offered all kind of workshops, which I very often attended. The owner, Marti Parker, grew to become my friend, as well as Fairy Godmother. She suggested the workshops that I needed to improve my practice, and shared with me much of her vast knowledge of the world of yoga. She encouraged me and gave me advice on opening my own studio.

One sad day, she closed her studio, but not without sharing with me many props and equipment for yoga. My dream was her wall ropes. My constant visualization of her wall ropes hanging in my studio came true one day, after I took up a collection from our community. Her walls were transferred to my walls, and our community of yogis quickly learned to hang upside-down and to defy gravity in many unusual ways. During this time, the studio was growing, and I began to think about taking on a business partner, which I did. 

I moved my students, my props, my wall ropes and my soul to the new location, which after one week I realized was not the right choice. But my commitment kept me there for 6 months. When I realized my ethics and values were being compromised, I decided to leave. When I left, the wall ropes unfortunately were kidnapped, and I decided to move on. I was devastated, because the wall ropes were not even mine. They belonged to the Yogarosa students. I felt annihilated by the situation, and was legally advised not to fight for them. So I didn't. I had to let them go.

My students took up a collection, led by Izabel Carsalade, one of our teachers, and with donations ranging from $3 to $400, we were able to raise the funds necessary to purchase the ropes.  This included funds donated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society of South Florida for this purpose, since the students with MS were the most affected by the loss of the ropes. Including the MS Society in our efforts delayed our process many months, but it all paid off in the end. The ropes were selflessly installed by Ron Yoesting, husband of Madeline Yoesting, one of our Yogarosa pioneers. Enrique Cayeiro, and Lori Nadle, two of our teachers, as well as Madeline herself helped to actually put the walls together. I send them many blessings for their selfless service.

I also want to acknowledge Bobbi Goldin, of the Yoga Institute of Miami, Karen Gavrilov of Red Pearl Yoga, and Orli Rudolph, who also contributed to the New Rope Wall at Yogarosa. I also would like to thank Debbie Dhara Naim and Ricardo Triana, who painted a lovely Banyan tree and made our walls beautiful while they were bare.  Brian from the Great Yoga wall gave us an amazing price so that we could actually finance the much needed project. And don’t worry, now that the walls are up, the tree is still there. It might be obscured a little, but it is still there. (Also, don’t worry, Marti will return in January!)

Our old ropes have been replaced with a deluxe system that is infused with love, caring, and unity. The lesson here is that no matter how much something means to you, and you lose it, there may be something waiting in the horizon which will serve you in ways you never dreamed of.  The universe never takes anything away without replacing it with something better. My gratitude goes out to all the Yogarosa students who came together in this community effort. We can all enjoy this brand new yoga rope wall, knowing that it was a beautiful blessing for all of us.

Yogarosa Students, you are amazing!!!! Thank you!!!!!!

To celebrate, join us next Monday, Dec. 19th, 2011 at 7:30pm and learn to use the ropes!!! Come hang with us. Literally….