Yoga Journal is getting better and better with every issue, or maybe I’m just becoming a better reader of the publication. The last few months of issues have reinvigorated my practice and teaching. The depth of the articles and the deeply moving stories have helped me to re-discover the transformative power of yoga in my life.
Did you make a resolution to do more yoga in 2011? Worried about how to get keep that promise to yourself? Help has arrived and it won’t cost you a dime. Starting tomorrow, January 10th, Yoga Journal and 4 talented yoga teachers – Jason Crandell, Kate Holcombe, Elise Lorimer, and Rebecca Urban – are helping to jump-start our home practices by hosting the 21-day Yoga Challenge. Online, there will be daily practices as well as pranayama and meditation audio instruction. There is also a daily newsletter and the opportunity to share the experience of the 21-day challenge with other participants via an open blog.
It’s all free so we have nothing to lose and a home practice to gain. How do you join, you ask? Just visit http://yogajournal.com/21daychallenge and enter your email address. That’s it. I hope you’ll join me. See you on the mat!
The inspiring image above can be found here.
This blog is part of the 2011 WordPress Post Every Day Challenge.
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
Website & Production Hub: doubleornothingmedia.com and christaavampato.com
Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
Instagram & Threads: @christarosenyc
Emerson Page Novels: emersonpagebook.wordpress.com/
View all posts by Christa Avampato
This sounds great. I’m thinking to give it a shot!
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Cool! Me, too, Michael. We can have a regular check in to keep eachother going!
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I made a vow to myself at the beginning of August to practice yoga everyday. My longest non-stop daily practice several years ago was 120 days. Today I’m up to 160. Even if I’m on the mat at 12 PM I do it. I’m not a great morning person – that is meditation for me.
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How amazing!!! Good for you. I’m not a morning exercise person either so I use it for meditation as well!
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Thanks, Christa – I signed up!
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Is the 21day challenge website down? I keep trying to get on, but keep getting error messages.
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Hi Marti. It finished yesterday but the videos are still up: http://21daychallenge.yogajournal.com/
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