Buddha – Change is never painful, only resistance to change is painful.
Halle Berry – Don’t take yourself too seriously. Know when to laugh at yourself, and find a way to laugh at obstacles that inevitably present themselves.
I’ll start with the end. …
ANNOUNCING -- We are now the Center for Living Mindfully (previously, the Center for CALM Living and Center for CALM Living Studio). This new name denotes the broader, more encompassing philosophy that is the underpinning of all our offerings. From therapy, to trainings, to workshops, to retreats to yoga classes – Living Mindfully is what we’re about. As the Center for Living Mindfully, we aspire to be a place in the community that inspires, promotes, and creates opportunities to learn about and practice Living Mindfully.
And now for the beginning. …
What has resulted in changing the name and ultimately clarifying the mission of our center came about because of something unexpected and unsettling. We were notified by the lawyers of Calm.com that they intended to pursue trademark litigation against us if we continued to use CALM in the name of our website. And because our website name is the same as our business name, it would mean changing both things.
Of course, we looked into this in multiple ways. We could take it to court. After all, we have had the name longer than they have been around. But when we sat with it, we knew that going to battle over a name, an identity, was not something that fit with what we are about. It just felt like it didn’t align with our values.
However, don’t get me wrong, that certainly doesn’t mean we came to that conclusion easily, quickly, or without some choice words and thoughts. Personally, I was quite hooked and indignant about the whole thing for a bit. The whole “how dare they?!,” energy ran through me like lightning. My thoughts and feelings about it ran the gamut from anxious to angry.
But here’s where the real story lies: We could see this difficult, messy place as friction, or we could use it as traction. We chose traction! And that choice just felt right. And funny enough, that’s when lots of ideas began to take shape and opportunities presented themselves.
I had no idea where, or to whom, to turn to have a new website designed. A beautiful soul, who I’ve known for years, said she would help in any way she could – and she’s a web designer. Okay, problem solved. And please, check out our beautiful new website! www.centerforlivingmindfully.com (Fabulously designed by Kristie Dinwiddie at Bloom.)
Then, the new name was a no-brainer (although we went through hundreds of options before we landed on it) – the CALM in our old name has always been an acronym for Creating Awareness/Living Mindfully – now we will just be the Center for Living Mindfully. Yes! That works.
With a new name and a web designer on board, now came the need for a new logo. Where does one go for that? “I can help you with a logo, if you’d like.” said another beautiful soul who is an amazing artist and a top-notch logo designer. Okay, how lucky am I? And now, Center for Living Mindfully has an awesome new logo that just makes my heart smile. Thank you, Lisette Normann!
While all this hubbub was going on, the lot next to our building was decommissioned as a power sub-station and we were able to secure it and transform it into a beautiful green space. This is an ongoing project, but there are so many fun ideas about the ways this area can be used.
All this looking at what truly matters to us guided us to design and create a retreat opportunity called Listening to the Soul: A Yoga and Mindfulness Retreat at Mar de Jade, in Chacala, Mexico. As therapists and mindfulness teachers (and practitioners), we know that retreat time is essential for connecting with the soul. Thus, creating a retreat that encompasses mindfulness teachings and practices, meditation, and movement was our next right step.
And the traction of all this change even gave rise to our upcoming training for 2025. We’ll be putting out more information about this soon, but it’s going to be an amazing immersion in what it means and how to practice Living Mindfully. It’s going to be a life-changing experience.
So, yes, changes are afoot! And once again, the timeless teachings of impermanence show up to teach me again and again, that nothing stays the same and things are a whole lot easier if I adjust and adapt as quickly as possible.
Often, I find myself teaching exactly what I most need to learn. And as I heard myself teaching “the obstacles in our path are our path,” the irony of it was not lost on me. It took me a while, (and it wasn’t pretty) but eventually, I began to soften about my perceived “injustice of it all.” Slowly, I began to see that this “obstacle” was only an obstacle as long as that’s how I saw it. The degree to which it was ‘in my way’ and hindering me was in direct correlation to the degree that I resisted it. Opening to it as an opportunity meant meeting my ego, my defensiveness, and my fears of “loss of identity.” None of that work was in MY plan and I bucked pretty hard, but, as it turned out, turning toward it and leaning in, allowed me to see what I could not have seen without it.
So, now, after all the clenched fists, gritted teeth, and tears, I’m super excited about this transition, re-definition, and refined direction.
Here we go…
Wishing you more traction and less friction.
Namaste,
Augusta
P.S. And all of us at Center for Living Mindfully look forward to having you along with us on this journey in any way that works!