YOGA SOSPESO

In Italy, there is this beautiful custom of caffè sospeso, which means postponed coffee. Caffè sospeso is a local feature of Neapolitan culture. Since the turn to the 20th century, paying for an additional coffee has become established in Naples's many bars.

Behind this is a - in my opinion - wonderfully idea of showing solidarity: we drink one espresso and a second one is paid for and given to a person who cannot afford to buy an espresso. It's not a rip-off, it's not a Neapolitan scam for tourists, it's just a gesture, an act of charity: Solidarity for a needy, penniless guest who can't afford an espresso in the bar. I donate an espresso in advance for an unknown person without knowing the guest.

Italians know how life-changing, or at least day-brightening, a good cup of coffee can be. How important this cup of coffee is for one's sense of well-being and how comforting it can be on difficult days. It can lift you and give you courage for the rest of the day ahead. As part of the Italian identity, it is indispensable.

Similar in yoga -

Isn't it the same with yoga? How often do we crawl onto the yoga mat with seemingly no power, letting our teacher guide us through a lovingly crafted class filled with compassion that we get up afterwards completely inspired and renewed? Hasn't yoga become an indispensable part of the lives of so many people for that reason?

Shouldn't it then also be in the sense of us yogis to rely on our mutual solidarity, namely that someone pays for a yoga class for someone else who cannot afford it from their financial means?

This idea excites me so much that I now introduce yoga sospeso on my website.

If you have the financial means to pay a little or a lot more for those who cannot afford a yoga class or only pay a partial amount for it, consider giving this amount away as your act of charity. The amount is entirely up to you. Enter what suits you.

If everyone only claims what she or he needs and shares the rest with those who have too little, in the end, everyone will have enough.

This is the world I want to live in.