The Huffington Post calls her
“The Sunshine Goddess,”
But I just call her Anne-Margaret
And she is the reason I read
the Bhagavad Gita.
She told me once that her job as
a yoga teacher was to be
of service…
to say…
“I see you.”
“And you are loved.”
“You are here, and you are loved
unconditionally.”
And she told me once that when she
gives physical adjustments, she
makes sure that
First and foremost, the alignment
in the asana is safe for the student
But more importantly,
That she gives each touch with
healing
and love,
Knowing that for some students, this
hand on the foot or shoulder or
hip or neck or calf
May be the only time that anyone touches them all week.
Amazon.com calls her “Betsy Ribbentrop, PhD,”
But I just call her Betsy.
And she is the reason I read
the Bhagavad Gita.
She sat with me once as I wept
through meditation
In total nonjudgment
Radiating loving-kindness
compassion
peace
acceptance
Total and abundant acceptance
for me in a time of great
suffering as I wept
in public
in an otherwise
silent room
Bones calls her “Mama,”
But I just call her Fannie.
And she is the reason I read
the Bhagavad Gita.
She gave me my first yoga home.
And she tattooed the most beautiful
robin’s nest on her back.
It was the largest tattoo I had ever
seen that was done all in one sitting.
“Only took two hours,” she said.
“Did it hurt?” I said.
“No,” she said. “I just breathed.
–Katie and I are exchanging correspondence via the U.S.P.S. on our reading of and experiments with the Bhagavad Gita. We studied together in spring 2008 at SLU; she is an actor in NYC. And she is a reason I want to be a good person.
Katie Consamus and Paris McCarthy
