The beginning months of the school year make me think about getting back to fundamental pieces of learning. As we move along our path, it’s easy to get caught up in perfecting our advanced skills that we have layered on to our basics. To improve the whole of our abilities it’s important to revisit what started us on our journey.
I’ve been going to a Saturday morning yoga class at New York Sports Club for a few weeks. I’ve heard a lot of people down yoga classes taught at gyms. I first learned yoga through private instruction, but my first regular group classes happened as a gym so for me, a gym setting for yoga is perfectly natural. I kind of like the extra concentration I have to put in to drown out the clank of the weights just outside the group exercise room. Yoga classes are not as popular in New York gyms as they are in New York yoga studios so there’s always plenty of room to spread out at my class. I guess not so great for the gym, but plenty great for me!
Brian, my instructor, offers a comforting, easy-to-follow hatha class. No fancy vinyasa (flow) sequences. Some Sanskrit (the original language of yoga), a bit of meditation, and a focus on the breath. He’s kind and caring, and offers just enough challenge without overwhelming his students with options. He focuses on basic asanas (postures), which gives me the opportunity to remember why the foundation of our learning and our practice, in any discipline, is so important.
Focusing on basics in this yoga class reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” ~ Henry David Thoreau, American Author. (This inspiration sparked one of my blog posts this summer about why it’s important to step up to a cause that calls us.) It’s fun to imagine wild and far out possibilities, to build ideal dreams. Brian’s class also helps me remember that the basics can be as fun as they are necessary.
Published by Christa Avampato
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
View all posts by Christa Avampato
The beginning months of the school year make me think about getting back to fundamental pieces of learning. As we move along our path, it’s easy to get caught up in perfecting our advanced skills that we have layered on to our basics. To improve the whole of our abilities it’s important to revisit what started us on our journey. 
Christa Avampato 