March 7th 12pm Ballys in Englewood NJ Sharon Watts will read from and discuss her book: Miss You, Pat (copies sold after class)Proceeds from the class will go to Bent On Learning, which offers instruction in yoga and meditation to students in NYC public schools and youth centers as a means of reducing stress and improving concentration, self-esteem and overall health. Â
MISS YOU, PAT: Collected Memories of NY’s Bravest of the Brave, Captain Patrick J. Brown by Sharon Watts. Captain Patrick Brown died on 9/11, surrounded by dozens of severely-burnt victims he hoped to evacuate, and then refused to abandon in the WTC’s North Tower.  Everyone who knew and loved Pat held on to the firm belief and ironic comfort that he would have been nowhere else that day.  It was as if his entire life of spiritual searching apexed in an act of pure selflessness, at 10:28 a.m., when the tower came down.Â
Many of his fellow yoga practitioners had no idea that Pat was a legend in the FDNY, with a sixth sense that enabled him to quickly find helpless victims in utter chaos and dense smoke. Likewise, his brother firefighters had no idea that “Paddy†was a Black Belt in karate who taught self-defense to the blind. Or that he was a decorated USMC Vietnam War veteran. Or an accomplished boxer and former Golden Gloves contender.Â
Felise was quoted in Miss You, Pat : “I was not prepared for the everlasting imprint of Patrick’s life on my heart. Patrick and I frequently spoke before yoga class and shared our own personal life stories. When I invited him to attend my teachers’ graduation at Jivamukti, he said he was sure to be there, and said, “I need the right date, Felise, so I can get the guys at the firehouse to cover me that night.†He sat in the front of the room with so much sincerity; it was so sweet to have him there. I once said to Patrick, “You should become a yoga teacher.†He shyly replied, “I can’t even touch my toes.†But he was far more of a yogi than he knew.
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