I wrote a Facebook post the other day that stated (including a copy of the picture above):
Rather than your typical guest book, at Kahanu Yoga & Meditation Spa, we have a copy of the Holy Bible and we invite everyone to write in it. Pick a spot anywhere and leave us a note. We absolutely can’t wait to start collecting your autographs!!
And I very quickly (VERY quickly) received an email asking me if I was concerned that I might offend people who are not Christians by having a bible in the yoga studio.
I think it’s best that I share my answer with all of you so that everyone understands where we are coming from, who we are and what we are trying to foster at Kahanu Yoga & Meditation Spa:
My answer:
I certainly could be concerned about having a bible in the yoga studio and offending those people in the community who are not Christians.
I could also be concerned about having a picture or statue of Buddha in the yoga studio and offending people who are not Buddhists.
I could also be concerned about having a rosary in the yoga studio and be concerned about offending anyone who is not Catholic.
I could also be concerned about having mala beads there and offending anyone who does not understand or use them.
I could be concerned about having a meditation room and what that might mean to some.
I could be concerned about having the word “meditation” in our name.
I could be concerned about lots of things. I could live my entire life concerned.
Yet, any one or all of the above could be seen in the yoga studio. And I choose not to be concerned.
At Kahanu Yoga & Mediation Spa, we choose to welcome everyone…regardless of what you believe, where you are on your journey, whether or not you meditate, whether or not you pray, whether or not you’ve ever practiced yoga, whether or not you are vegan, vegetarian or love burgers.
Everyone is welcome here. Everyone.
We are not trying to offend anyone…not at all. Yet…we’re not going to run a business being concerned about who we are offending. We sincerely hope that all who enter our doors will feel welcomed and will feel a sense of community and love. We sincerely hope that everyone who stops in will want to come back. We sincerely hope that every person knows that they can join us anytime they want for yoga, meditation, tea or conversation. We sincerely hope that nobody is offended by anything we do, say, feel or believe.
Yet…we can’t live our lives with a fear that others won’t approve.
Instead, we choose to live our lives as authentically as possible. And that means letting everyone know that they are welcome here and at the same time, helping them understand that we are not hiding who WE are. And that means hiring people from every background. And that means practicing side by side with those who do not feel as we do. And that means sharing tea with everyone. And that means welcoming everyone. And that means loving and believing in what we do.
And that means treating everyone who enters our doors with respect and understanding.
Namaste,
Brigett (and everyone at Kahanu Yoga & Mediation Spa)
On a side note: Throughout my years I’ve had the opportunity and pleasure of meeting LOTS of people from LOTS of different religions and belief systems including those who do not believe at all. In all that time, I’ve never met one person (including Atheists) who don’t respect the message and teaching that the bible stands for…even if they don’t believe. I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t understand the good that every religious belief is trying to convey to their followers. However, if I do happen to meet someone like that or someone who just plain doesn’t want to sign their name in a bible…that is perfectly okay. Giving us your autograph in a bible is NOT a requirement for joining us. Filling out a release and emergency contact form however, IS a requirement. 🙂
Kahanu Wellness 