Hollywood Center Articles
 
YOGA AT THE SHUMEI HOLLYWOOD CENTER
 by Kamila Schertel 

On August 6th Carolyn Clarke and I facilitated a Taste of YogaKids at the Hollywood Center. We had advertised quite a lot and we got 7 participants to register. Starting time was 9:30 so Carolyn, who had driven all the way from San Diego, and I met at the Center at 8:30. The day before, I had a meeting with assistant sensei Steven Tokunaga and we talked about moving furniture and arranging flyers, VCR player, fan and so on. Steven confirmed that he and Clint would be able to help set things up. When I arrived that morning and saw everything in the same way as the day before I got a bit worried and tried to ask Carolyn’s boyfriend for his help but his back was out. And here comes Miho, Steven’s wife, telling me that Steven had a serious pain in his back as well, and wasn’t able to move! Ay, ay, ay! At the same time I knew that things would straighten up soon… after all this is the Shumei Hollywood Center!
Miho started helping us, and thank you Meishusama! Here comes Mr. Junzo Uyeno, full of energy to work in the garden.  “Mr. Uyeno, Mr. Uyeno, can you please help us! He asked: “is everyone suffering purification today?” Something like that!
In no time he helped us to move all the heavy furniture, and then in walks the first participant. When we were all gathered, we began. I was facilitating the first part of the program and Carolyn was going to take over after lunch. All went well and we even had the media group peek in and take some photos of our activities. Meanwhile, master chef Mickie Matsuzaki and assistant Miho Tokunaga were busy in the kitchen preparing a nutritious and wholesome lunch, which we ate outside enjoying the view of the Natural Agriculture garden and flowers. We felt called to visit the garden right after and we had a Japanese participant who helped us identify some of the vegetables and their correct names! We also found a giant zucchini, and  took some pictures with the zucchini and laughed and absorbed all the wonderful and healing energy that this garden possesses. We went back in to continue the program and when we came out for a break Mickie had prepared some macrobiotic scones. Mmmm, delicious! We couldn’t stop eating! We even took the names down of some people interested in future cooking classes at the center. Afterwards, we went back feeling sweeter now, to continue on with our workshop. We finished around 5:30 and when we picked up the evaluations, we realized that everyone had enjoyed the whole experience so very much.
If you haven’t been at the center lately, please come and enjoy the gift that this place really has to offer.

I would like to thank all of you who have helped me to make this possible.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart.