The Lifeline of Love: A Reflection on Mystery, Kindness, and the Human Heart

If you had the pleasure of looking up into the night sky over the past few nights, you may have seen the beautiful full moon moving across the sky.

For me, the lunar eclipse felt auspicious—an opportunity to observe the wonder of mystery.

We understand so much through the realm of the intellect. We gather information, search for answers, and try to make sense of our lives. But the grace of mystery invites us into the heart, the gateway of the soul.

Wonder allows us to accept the journey without certainty of the outcome.

This past week offered me humble memories and profound gratitude for all the moments in my life that somehow brought me to this one.

Are the paths of our lives random? Or is there some greater force of nature aligning circumstances and carrying us toward experiences we could never have planned?

Perhaps we will never know.

And then there is free will. We still have to choose.

Somehow, I ended up on the path of studying and teaching yoga.

The grace of mystery invites us into the heart, the gateway of the soul.

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The Strange Turns of a Life

This week, two amazing souls who touched my life in very different and profound ways took their departure into that great expansive space.

Their passing brought me back to another lifetime.

I was living in Los Angeles in the 1980s, following my passion for acting, when I somehow landed a full-time job working on The Dolly Parton Show.

Dolly had already found enormous success in music and had crossed into Hollywood after starring in the hit film 9 to 5. Then came television, with a weekly variety show filled with music, comedy, and an extraordinary parade of performers.

How did this New York City girl suddenly find herself there?

Luck?

Destiny?

Another strange turn on the path?

Years earlier, I had been a cocktail waitress at a Marriott lounge in Washington, D.C.—one of the many jobs I took to support my habit of looking for acting work.

My manager took great pleasure in calling me, “Laura Lye Janey Jones, you dizzy girl on the cocktail floor.”

Yes, my personality has followed me.

Years later, after arriving in Los Angeles and trying to find acting work, I created a comedy character using that name for a little show I wrote and performed in a small theater.

One evening, producers came to see the show and invited me to audition for a new project they were producing.

And somehow, that little character helped lead me to Dolly.

What I Remember About Dolly

How blessed I was to share even a small part of that adventure and to know such an extraordinary human being.

Dolly possessed enormous talent and an incredible commitment to her work.

But what stays with me now is something quieter.

Dolly was all heart.

Her beauty was in her kindness. Her gracious humor. Her humility. She had that rare ability to make people feel welcome in her presence.

She inspired us with an abundance of love.

And this week, as the world mourned her passing, I found myself remembering not the fame or the spectacle, but the human being.

The heart.

When One Path Ends

After the show ended, Hollywood entered a long and difficult writers' strike.

My acting career was stalling, and I was creating far too much pain around something I could no longer force into being.

In one particularly difficult moment, I heard two words very clearly:

Yoga retreat.

That is another long story for another blog.

But I listened.

I surrendered into a new role—as a yoga student and eventually a yoga teacher.

Before long, I had more work in this new direction than I could possibly sustain. Through another series of circumstances I never could have planned, I found myself teaching actors and artists and sometimes housesitting while people traveled between film sets.

One of those people was Tim Curry.

The brilliant talent behind The Rocky Horror Picture Show became a friend. During a difficult period in my own life, while I was separating from my first marriage, Tim generously offered me refuge in his beautiful home.

He later became a student, and eventually I was able to find an apartment of my own and continue moving forward.

I remain forever grateful for his generosity, and I mourn his passing this week as well.

It has felt as though the night sky has gained the brilliance of a few new stars.

A week of grieving.

A week of celebrating.

A week of welcoming again the mysterious collage of living.

Just living.

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The People Who Meet Us Along the Way

I marvel at the path that brought me here.

Life is a huge journey made up of very small baby steps. Some steps take us forward. Some seem to take us backward, only to give us a perspective we could not have found any other way.

The message I keep hearing is simple:

Welcome the stranger.

We never know who may become a teacher, a friend, a refuge, or an unexpected part of our story.

I know I am right where I am supposed to be as I continue teaching and trying, in my own imperfect way, to pass forward the kindness that has been given to me.

I believe human beings are intrinsically kind and compassionate.

It is often the little mind—our fears, biases, patterns, and familiar ways of protecting ourselves—that keeps us hidden from the heart.

I keep learning.

I keep tripping over my own stuck places of doubt.

I look at the outer world and sometimes forget that there is another gateway, deeper inside.

And when I take the time to reflect, to go inward into those chambers of memory, I can see something I could not always see while I was living it:

There was always a lifeline of love.

The mystery may be learning to trust that lifeline even when we cannot see where it leads.

I still have faith that we are better than much of what we hear and see.

We are all capable of profound goodness.

And perhaps that is the practice.

Not perfection.

Not certainty.

Remembering the goodness.

What Would Dolly Do?

I think I am going to make a T-shirt that says:

What would Dolly do?

Because when life throws another obstacle into my path, when I become overwhelmed by fatigue or fear, I can remember that I still have a choice.

Today, I have a choice.

I can choose kindness.

I can choose humor.

I can choose to keep my heart open.

Life is a blessing, and I intend to keep creating characters, laughing at my own wild side, and welcoming people into whatever small space I can create where joy might thrive.

Yoga Among Friends is an expression of that longing in me—a place to welcome humanity into the sweetness of life.

A collection of wonderful souls reminding one another how to live fully on this wild ride.

At Yoga Among Friends, everyone is welcome.

It truly is the journey, not the destination.

Let's keep creating.

Let's keep sharing the goodness.

Let's keep our hearts open.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

With love,
Laura Jane

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A Question for Reflection

Who has offered you an unexpected kindness that changed the direction of your life?

Perhaps they knew what they were giving you. Perhaps they never did.

I would love to hear who comes to mind in the comments below.

If you are new to Yoga Among Friends, returning after time away, or simply longing for a place to reconnect, you are welcome to begin where you are.

View Our Class Schedule →

Gift of Sharing A "Hello"

Once the light returns and the days lengthen, I find the serenity of welcoming summer. In the Midwest, after our wild winter of cold and dark, we begin the ritual of going outside to say hello to our neighbors.

The greeting "hello" is humanity’s need for connection. It is the elixir the soul needs.

Welcoming is the ability to let in the sweet smile of one’s heart and the grace of acknowledging that we are in need of human kindness. A simple, direct nod and greeting allows for an experience of opening and receiving.

We, as humans, need shared moments that give us permission to feel alive and seen. We are in the midst of a human condition of loneliness and isolation. After COVID, we have forgotten how important it is to feel the energy of a collective embrace of belonging.

The greeting of hello is humanity’s need for connection.

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I never thought that when I named my yoga center, Yoga Among Friends, it would become such a profound legacy of my own personal need for community.

I knew how important it was for my own existence, as I had lived in LA for years and struggled to feel a true connection. I was going through a divorce, moving constantly to find a home, and not feeling comfortable fitting in with a religious organization or a health club gym that never called my soul.

I always wanted to have a community that allowed me to question and remain curious, without the rigid dogma of limited possibilities. I also never intended the practice of yoga to be seen as only body image or the identity of one’s physical abilities.

I always saw the teachings as a way to embrace self-love and acceptance, and as the gateway to feeling one’s true inner beauty.

When I started teaching yoga, there was never a dress code defined by the fashion industry. I would laugh when most questions about coming into the studio were, “What do I wear?” My response has always been, “Wear what feels comfortable for you.”

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Yes, outer identity is what keeps us separated, when the true gift of practicing yoga is that we can drop the outer shell of our containers and be seen as a living, breathing expression of a smile.

It takes a willingness to explore the coming inward and the dropping of an outer protection that hides our inner light. This is not done in one class, nor is it expected to result in some huge transformation.

It is a willingness to be committed to sitting with our awkwardness and to witness the frustration of our physical bodies breathing and moving in new ways.

The shifts in thought that keep us hostage to old beliefs and habits slowly come to our awareness. And with that awareness, a profound shift begins.

Self-love is not self-pleasure or the need to fix ourselves. It is self-acceptance. It is the ability to meet oneself right where one is, and to experience the welcoming of our true self in loving kindness.

It is the ability to receive the greeting of a simple hello that can nourish the empty space in our hearts that has longed to be seen.

Namaste is the simple hello that says, "The light in me sees the light in you."

How beautiful and how lovely to be seen.

Namaste is the simple hello that says: the light in me sees the light in you.

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Ready to step into the studio? Explore our class schedule and find a practice that feels supportive.

I hope to inspire you to come into the studio as a safe haven. To feel the support of being enough, and the willingness to risk dropping the armor of protection that the mind has learned.

Sometimes the mind overprotects and prevents life from coming in.

To breathe, one needs an open physical space, and the mind must feel safe. Tension is a physical response to fear, and it is normal when we are conditioned to doubt everything.

Trust is not the intellect, but the grace of feeling the ease of the intelligence, letting go and allowing something other to be revealed.

Feeling comfortable in our skin is a lifelong journey as we age and navigate all the stages of life.

To celebrate living and to share our hearts together is the true grace that keeps me committed to this sweet studio.

This summer, we are celebrating so many great teachers who are sharing their own expressions of these teachings.

Where in your life are you longing to feel welcomed, seen, or simply greeted with kindness?

We are community, and we are all saying hello.

I hope you join us in a greeting of love.

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Frequently Asked Questions

• What does Namaste mean in yoga?

  Namaste is often understood as a greeting of respect and recognition. At Yoga Among Friends, it is a simple reminder that the light within each of us can recognize and honor the light in another.

• Is Yoga Among Friends welcoming for beginners?

  Yes. Yoga Among Friends welcomes new and returning students with supportive guidance, thoughtful options, and a compassionate place to practice at your own pace.
  
  If you are new to the studio, our Start Here page can help you begin gently, learn what to expect, and explore the current New Student Intro Offer

• Can yoga help with loneliness or feeling disconnected?

  Yoga is not only a physical practice. Practicing in community can help create moments of connection, belonging, and shared presence, especially when we are longing to feel seen and supported.

Not sure where to begin? Reach out and we’ll be happy to help you find a class that feels supportive.