“OMG, please tell me I never sounded like this when I used to do marketing for East Meets West Catering in the South End in the early Nineties,” I said to myself as I listened to a salesman for a Boston radio station tell me why I HAD to host an event for his station at one of our yoga studios, teach a class to his listeners—and pay HIS STATION 2400 dollars to do so.

“I’m going to host an event at my studio, teach a yoga class for your listeners, and you’re going to charge ME to do so?”

“Yes, and this is why…he went on and on about how many people yada yada yada and how many numbers bla bla bla.”

Listen, “John,” we don’t do advertising. Never have. It’s just not our style. We have grown completely on word of mouth, and walking our talk.”

John wasn’t hearing a word I said. He kept going on in the same intonation that makes you feel really uncomfortable—like the voice that a stereotypical car salesperson in a movie would use.

“John, thanks so much for asking but I don’t think it’s a good fit. The way I spread the light of Prana is to talk to people, one by one, as I meet them out and about in life–when they ASK ME what it is that I do that makes me so happy and energized. I tell them about my daily Prana Power Yoga practice, and then I give them a free class pass. Then they come to class. And they never stop coming. Because yoga works.”

“This is why I think you need to do this event, Taylor,” John continues.

I interrupt him mid-sentence and ask him if he’s ever taken my class, or any class at Prana.

“Uh, no, I haven’t,” John replies sheepishly.

“But my wife does yoga.”

“John, why would you ask me to do something for your listeners that you’ve never even done? That you don’t even believe in? You gotta walk your talk or no one is going to listen to you, or want to show up to your event.”

SILENCE.

The first silence since I answered my cell phone 25 minutes earlier.

And in the silence that came after I ended the call moments later, I sent John light, and then promised myself that I would never ever again paddle upstream—telling someone about yoga or raw food who wasn’t asking or interested. I promised myself to use the incredible energy sensing ability I have honed with my yoga and meditation practice to know if a person wants to hear what I have learned on the yogic and raw vegan path and what helps me to have the best day ever everyday. I promised myself to send light to those who aren’t on the path or ready to be, but not attempt to push them on to it, or even toward it.

It never works, does it…the pushing, the trying “hard,” the trying to change someone or “make them” interested, the paddling upstream.

Then I got on my mat and did five sun salutation A’s and five sun salutation B’s to clear the stuck energy that had built up during the not so best-ever phone call, and behold, the miracle of even a short practice came forth: my body felt clear and clean, my heart opened and softened, and I found gratitude that the Universe sent me “John” to remember this important lesson.

“My opinion is that anybody offended by breastfeeding is staring too hard.”

~David Allen