My Yogi Makes Me Giggle – Zen Through Meditation with Catherine Jetsun Yeshe By Sue Van Der Hout
There is a place in midtown Toronto tucked on the second floor, far from the maddening crowd but attractively close to parking (so much part of a Zen life in a metropolitan centre). At its heart is a woman who transitioned through the physical to the mental – from a life of ballet to a life of sharing meditation as a means to a compassionate heart, a clear mind, and a child´s laughter.
My Yogi Makes Me Giggle –
Zen Through Meditation with Catherine Jetsun Yeshe
By Sue Van Der Hout
Friends of the Heart is an organization dedicated to the meditation practices of the many spiritual traditions of the world. It operates from a studio/place of calm, in a skinny office building on one of Toronto´s busiest streets. Despite its humble home on Toronto’s longest street, there is a sacredness to the place. Entering the room where the work takes place is humbling. The world is gone. There is a small shrine, the smell of candles, the beauty of Tibetan art and the upturned faces of people seeking the more in the world. They are turned toward their teacher, Catherine Jetsun Yeshe. Catherine is the Founding Teacher and Advisor to the Vajrayana Stream (Tibetan Buddhist teaching) of Friends of the Heart, a lay lama of Buddhism. Catherine’s love for spiritual growth lights the room. Her heart, wisdom, calm and charming laugh give it character. Friends of the Heart’s six other instructors , including Senior Teacher Richard Johnson, bring their own style full of joy and open hearts to their teaching.
Catherine takes an integrated approach to meditation studies. Her mission and that of the centre is to assist people willing to commit to the path to creating greater happiness and cultivating a deepening wisdom. The Mission Statement of Friends of the Heart speaks to growth, community, wisdom, respect. It is:
"Within all religions is the path that leads to inner peace and engenders wisdom and compassion. Friends of the Heart is … committed to providing a safe, wholesome environment where everyone can continue to explore and learn."
It is my first time there. Her approach is welcoming and gentle. Why a neophyte might come to an advanced class doesn´t phase her. While she suggests that I´d be better off in an introductory class, she invites me to get comfortable and stay. Since my departure from the practice of law I pursued my passions for Girlphyte and family advising with an energy that eliminated the boundaries between life and work. I´d become over energized and found it difficult to tolerate sitting still. Some people might find their first entrée to meditation challenging. Calming my need for speed and accomplishment, and quieting the noise of my mind was my Everest.
Fortunately for this Energizer Bunny, Catherine´s approach is not instruction in the normal sense. Catherine doesn´t get serious, she gets into it. She sipped tea and shared stories, challenges, anecdotes and things that make her laugh. Her approach to meditation teaching startled me. What do humor, charm and laughter have to do with meditation? It is all one for her - the people and process, her past, their future. Her devotees say that there is really nothing at all conventional about Catherine.
Catherine began as a dancer and a member of the National Ballet Company of Canada in the early 1960s. A dance related injury caused her to leave the dance world. She took her Bachelor of Arts degree in English, philosophy and religious knowledge and spent time abroad training in modern dance, performing and sharing with low income children her love of dance and theater. She began her formal meditation training in 1969, moved to Morocco in 1972 with her husband and infant children to take more intensive training and completed her Tibetan foundation study practices program in 1973. She began teaching in New Zealand in the mid-1970s. She remains a householder, mother, wife, a teacher, a friend, but the path of spiritual learning was a road of discovery that she could never abandon.
There is a trauma in modern life: "As people have drawn together into great cities, living ever more closely together, relations between them have grown more remote." From time to time, there is activity "that produce a momentary sense that our human community can be global…[but], too soon, as soon as they are over we returned to our feeling of isolation."
A child´s laughter is one of the most beautiful sounds of summer. One of the first things we lose as an adult is our ability to laugh like a child. Therapists, coaches, doctors all urge us to laugh more. To reconnect with our inner child. It is key to wellness. Meditation is the way to open the door and air your spiritual room. You may rediscover many unexpected things there. If you join Catherine, it will be with laughter.
You can find details about meditation and yoga classes, workshops and retreats at www.friendsoftheheart.com, or call 416 486-5105. Newcomers are welcome at the next Open House on September 8 from 2-4pm, or are invited to drop in to any class on a donation basis.
22.08.2007
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