Introduction to The Way of Vibrantly…

Donna Farhi, a well-known yoga instructor suggests “spiritual fitness can be tested only in relationship to others” in her book Bringing Yoga to Life. This is because it is much much easier to deal with yourself (which is still very difficult) in a structured setting such as an ashram, monastery or even a cave. How many of those seekers who are finders have come down from the cave only to become completely overwhelmed by our society and lose themselves again?

道 Vibrantly, or the The Way of Vibrantly is striving to provide explicit support for people seeking to live as their best selves in the challenging context of everyday social life. It is about bringing Life in Harmony, of Life into the Tao…or at least it is the striving to!

We do this by supporting, experiencing, creating and sharing social tools to help us, and all beings get along better and vibrantly thrive in the world. To that end, we research existing social tools, develop our own and build on what has been done in cultures around the world supporting authentic and vibrant connection (often by exploring mindfulness practices, indigenous knowledge, and psychological advances). We also work to bring together the community of practitioners locally in the Pacific Northwest via our gatherings and community building efforts. We hope to one day support a HUB of resources and connection for the world, we are for now though, starting in our own backyard focusing ont the greater Seattle area. We offer workshops for small businesses as well as intentional communities and local collaborative groups. We present at festivals and other mindfulness related events as well. Lastly, at 道 Vibrantly we offer weekly classes in Yoga, Isonomi, Body Flow and Dialogue and also a Satsang style class focused on the philosophy the practice.

This is some of what we mean when we talk about The Way of Vibrantly. This is us, this is our way.

A big part of The Way of Vibrantly is understanding Isonomi, Compassionate Dialogue, The Way (道 ) and the “We-Space!”

Isonomi is the daily practice and philosophy of living life from the center of the wheel. As a physical practice it relates to physically moving your body in balance with your bodies core center point. As a philosophy it is an embodied experience of living in balance within yourself, with each other and with our world.

Compassionate Dialogue is a mindfulness approach to communication. It has some similarities to Compassionate Non-Violent Communication, however, it is much more…it is a way of being in the world. It is a practice of Isonomi, or living from the center of the wheel. Compassionate Dialogue is a practice exploring authentic relating and vibrant living; living in relationship with ourselves, each other and all beings (including the planet!). Isonomi is the non-verbal branch of the practice, while Compassionate Dialogue tends to be primarily expressed verbally (though not always!). Ultimately, the two make up halves of the same whole, and the more practice that takes place, the more the divisions between the two cease to exist.

Compassionate Dialogue is practiced in three ways: small group circle sharing, in one on one conversations and as a cultural way of interacting. Isonomi brings in the specific metaphor of moving from the center of the wheel, while Compassionate Dialogue provides specific language and psychological constructs which help us bring our practice from the mat, ashrams, and meditation caves to the more verbal world.