“I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” ~ Martin Luther
I have so many ideas for blog posts from this weekend of yoga teacher training. Most of our work this weekend was about Eastern philosophy. Some of it I agree with. Some of it I don’t agree with. Some of it I’ll keep with me, and I’ll let go of the pieces that don’t serve. I find all of it useful to stimulate conversation and consideration.
Will, our philosophy teacher, gave us this quote by Martin Luther when we talked about how to balance our practice with the rest of our lives. It helped me. In the past, I have said to myself that I don’t have time to meditate or to do yoga on some days. Tonight was one of those nights. I wanted to get a lot of writing done, to catch up with friends on the phone, to clean my apartment, to make dinner, to get myself organized for the week. Every minute of teacher training that ticked by gave me another item for my after-yoga to-do list.
When I went to the store Scent Elate to get my little statues of Nataraj and Ganesha for my home altar, Mo, the owner gave me some sage and incense matches, without me even asking. “Make sure to burn some sage first before placing these on your altar.” This small gesture stopped me in my tracks, asking me to see my “gallopy” nature, recognize it, and tell it to be quiet down. ” Despite all of my to-do’s, I have time for practice,” I said to myself. “All I have is time.” Maybe Mo was channeling Martin Luther. Maybe the Universe needed me to hear the message a bit more loudly, and so it used Mo’s voice to give me exactly the learning I needed exactly when I needed it. Maybe it was just coincidence. Regardless, the message was heard loud and clear. “This practice is important. Make time for it.”
So I came home, burned a little sage, placed the statues, and did my 18 minutes of meditation. And you know what? The pathway to my writing opened. I made a delicious, simple meal, I got myself ready for my week. I caught up with some friends. There was time for all of it. But first, I had to take care of my own spirit, my own heart, through my meditation. Now, I can see. Really see. Now, I can do. Really do.
The image above is not my own. It can be found here.
Published by Christa Avampato
IN BRIEF
Author, journalist, digital product manager, and licensed New York City tour guide. Creator and host of NYC's Secrets and Lies. Alumna of the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA), Arizona State University (Biomimicry), and the University of Cambridge (MSt in Sustainability Leadership).
I build digital media platforms, report on urban climate resilience and biodiversity, and produce live narrative experiences that connect communities to history, nature, and place.
THE DEEP DIVE
My work centers on a single thread: building systems and stories that foster deep connection to our shared world. Across digital streaming, environmental reporting, and live civic storytelling, I design experiences that help people understand complex ideas and the environments around them.
DIGITAL PRODUCT STRATEGY & MEDIA LEADERSHIP
At Carnegie Hall, I serve as Digital Product Manager, leading product strategy, operations, and technical delivery for the video streaming platform Carnegie Hall+. I translate artistic mission into scalable, high-performance streaming architecture that reaches audiences globally. Previously, I led agile product and delivery teams across operations and compliance at American Express, managed Broadway theatrical productions and national tours, and guided strategic initiatives across cultural institutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM & AUTHORSHIP
As a freelance journalist, I investigate how living systems, urban infrastructure, and human culture intersect. My reported features on urban decarbonization, biodiversity, coastal resilience, and biomimicry appear in publications including Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Mongabay, Natural History Magazine, and Foreign Policy Magazine. In fiction, I write the Emerson Page young adult novel series, alongside upcoming historical fiction and nonfiction works on New York history, mythology, and human resilience. I also write Togetherhood, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on urban ecology and community restoration, and co-host the podcast Frameworks in the Wild.
LIVE EXPERIENCE & CIVIC STORYTELLING
As a licensed New York City tour guide and live event producer, I transform urban landscapes into shared narrative encounters. I created, produce, and host NYC's Secrets and Lies, an interactive live storytelling series staged across cultural landmarks including the New York Transit Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, and the historic tall ship Wavertree. I also design and lead site-specific walking tours exploring coastal ecology, food history, and neighborhood evolution, often with partners at Climate Week NYC and the Natural Areas Conservancy.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING MEDIA
Through my independent production studio, Double or Nothing Media, I develop ventures across media, ecology, and public history:
Digital Products & Strategy: Architecting scalable digital platforms, streaming experiences, and operational models for mission-driven institutions.
Environmental Reporting & Publications: Delivering long-form reporting, books, and newsletters grounded in climate resilience and regenerative design.
Site-Specific Live Storytelling: Producing immersive live shows and educational walking tours that engage public audiences in community history.
CONNECT
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Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
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View all posts by Christa Avampato
“I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” ~ Martin Luther
Christa:
I agree: life is hectic. We have to work: tasks, errands, etc.
It seems like we have no time for the practice of meditation. We are wrong, however, that’s for sure.
This was true of me at an earlier stage of my life, when I was a kid. Nobody counseled me on the value of yoga or meditation. I did not have a guru, because I never thought of searching for one. I thought meditation and yoga were all about hocus-pocus and mumbo-jumbo.
I thought meditation and yoga catered only to teenagers or adolescents on backpacking trips, visitors to exotic lands.
They would get juiced up on punk rock, LSD, free love and turn vegan. When everything was over, they would finally let down their hair and practice yoga/mediation with a mystical man from the Far East. This was also the image I had based on pop culture: it was a stereotype.
Oftentimes, however, reality is different from imagination or/and pop culture, which tends to perpetuate stereotypes.
Your fabulous post reminded me of this fact: that we need to learn how to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Thanks for your input. It took me a while, but I finally came face-to-face with my own ignorance. Reading books on Eastern philosophy really turned things round for me.
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They have totally helped me, too, Archan. I feel like I live a much more full life as a result of learning these philosophies. Their teachings are around us all the time, at every moment.
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I like the quote. it is so true.
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I like it, too, Charlene. We really do have all the time we need once we have focus. And I get that focus through meditation. It’s an amazing gift. What kind of yoga do you practice?
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Dear Christa:
I practice luminosity yoga, which is also known as kundalini yoga–not the over-simplified or altered one, but the original one. The one that directly lead people to enlightenment. It also heals body and mind. It is the most precious yoga and one needs a teacher’s help to safely get through stages. There are only a few kundalini yogic masters in the US. They live in San Francisco.
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Hi Charlene,
Kundalini is such an amazing tradition. I’d love to study it with one of those masters some day. Any favorites that you have?
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Hi Christa, Wonderful quote, great story. Currently I’m involved in a large creative project (in addition to working full time). I would be lost without my meditation practice, but with it (and with a good diet and exercise) I’m more likely to be centered, creative, and mentally clear. Look forward to hearing more from you. -Jan
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Hi Jan! That’s awesome that your meditation practice is helpful in your creative project! That’s actually one of the areas of specialty I’m looking to build with my yoga teaching practice. What’s the project you’re working on?
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Hi Christa, My friends and I are opening up 10-acres of our Ozark property to the public as an Open-air Meditation Sanctuary. We’ve been working on it for about 7 years, and over Memorial Day Weekend we’re holding our grand-opening and our First Annual Celebration of Humanity. http://www.28rites.com is our website. If you happen to be in Northwest Arkansas at the end of May, look us up!-J
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Wow! How awesome. Please let me know how it goes – will you be posting pics from the opening and celebration?
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