A Rainbow In The Dark

On Tuesday Eri took me around to a few new places. One was Rokkaku, a fantastic stationary store located just north of Shijo-dori. I was very impressed by the place, and will most likely have my meishi (business cards) printed up there. The second new place was a French patisserie just around the corner from Rokkaku. It is called Au Grenier D’or, and what a magnificent place it is! The entrance hall is very modest, with three tables for two neatly arranged to one side of it. However, the hallway leads into a very spectacular main room, with a large ornate couch to the right, and displays of desserts everywhere else. To the left was a large display of little individually wrapped cakes, including framboise, a delicious pine nut and butter crunch bar, and the classic madeleines, with a bowl of pieces of another nut infused cake to sample. Next to that was a table displaying more individually wrapped goodies, along with a bowl of sweetened almonds and a jar of jam to try. The main counter at the back is a huge display case of eye-catching desserts, including slices of raspberry linzer tart, a cake that was literally packed to bursting with a variety of nuts, and some delicate looking chocolate cakes. There were several other delectables, as well as a lot of empty platters, since it was around 5pm already. I was also drawn to the creative display of raw pistachio nuts, colorful veggies, huge chunks of chocolate, and dried fruits that were seamlessly woven through out the displays.

While we were walking across the Kamogawa, Eri pointed out a Rainbow to the north. We stopped to take it in, then noticed there were two more rainbows, one to either side of the first one. It was breath-taking. The light of the sky was cloudy, but the colors of the first rainbow were vibrant. We could make out every color individually, even as the edges seamlessly flowed into one another. I was inspired, and told Eri if I could speak fluent Japanese, I would weave the rainbow into my class theme that evening. She said she could translate an intro for me before class if I would like. 

As the universe would have it, we never did get the chance, and I arrived at the class about a half hour before it began. As I warmed up my body, I thought about that rainbow, and was determined to bring it into the class to the best of my ability. I couldn’t let such an auspicious sign be ignored. So I began class by asking if anyone had seen the rainbow, except I briefly misspoke, and said hiji (elbow) instead of niji (rainbow), which gave everyone a good laugh. I let them know there were three, then said that rainbows are signs of grace. Eri was in the front row, beaming her happiness and support at my Japanese improvisation. I continued with my scripted intro, giving a nod to the “Rainbow Connection” at one other point after we had closed our eyes and were harmonizing the breath. My theme was listening deeply. I taught my sequence, allowing the Shakti to guide my words so I could be receptive to the right place to bring in the rainbow again, and the opportunity blossomed with ease. I taught a partner version of virabhadrasana III, where everyone opened their arms in a ‘T’, and held on to one another, then closed their eyes. I asked them to feel one another’s presence and breath. After releasing back to tadasana, I asked them to observe that they were like the rainbow, each a unique “color”, seamlessly joining together to form a vibrant display. On the second side, I asked them to feel that rainbow, then feel that they were each not just an individual color, but the entire rainbow itself. It was the most free-flowing class I have taught since coming to Japan.