“It is in our idleness, in our dreams, that the submerged truth sometimes comes to the top.” ~ Virginia Woolf via Yoga Vibes
“The soul lives there in the quiet breath.” ~ Rumi
When we have a problem to solve, a challenge to overcome, or an important decision to make, we have a tendency to work double and triple overtime to get to a resolution. And if we can’t get to a point of arrival that feels comfortable, we start over and over again, wearing ourselves down, heightening the frustration until we can barely function at all. I had this experience on Thursday morning. I was trying to make some choices about my next step with Compass Yoga, and I could feel my anxiety mounting.
Idleness gives us the break we need to make a break-through
I had so many ideas at once that my mind experienced a sort of mental traffic jam before going completely blank. A moment of paralysis set in. And thank goodness it did! Right at that moment, I needed to stop. Just stop, breathe, and let the answers rise up. In my gut I knew what the next step should be, but my mind got in the way. Drawing a blank and being forced into a moment of idleness is exactly what I needed.
A Year of Living Your Yoga
For the past few weeks I’ve been using Judith Hanson Lasater’s book A Year of Living Your Yoga (thanks to a recommendation from Yogadork!) The book is filled with 365 very short intentions, easy sound bites to keep in mind, as I travel through my day. Thursday’s intention was to close the eyes, take 20 very deep breaths, and then observe. Nothing complicated. Nothing strenuous. Just breathe, be, and notice.
What idleness showed me
I took Judith’s advice and a flood of realizations about Compass came into focus for me. In short order and in no particular order, they are:
1.) I like to have my weekends free of commitments
2.) It’s okay to be picky about where and when and why to teach
3.) Sometimes offering something for free provides a bigger payoff in the long-term than asking for a nominal payment in the short-term
4.) Good karma is as good a currency as any
5.) Giving back offers its own form of payment
6.) I formed Compass to become a stronger teacher, to bring yoga to under-served populations, and to help new teachers get teaching experience. My decisions need to serve those purposes.
7.) Compass is an effort to broadcast, not narrowcast. Accessibility is more important to me than remuneration.
With those insights in mind, changes are coming to Compass. I’m just putting the finishing touches on these decisions and they will be announced shortly. And it’s all thanks to a few moments of idleness that cleared the way.
Has idleness helped you to realize the way forward? I’d love to hear your story!
This blog is also available as a podcast on Cinch and iTunes.
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
“It is in our idleness, in our dreams, that the submerged truth sometimes comes to the top.” ~ Virginia Woolf via Yoga Vibes
we all know executives who have spent lifetimes jam-packing every moment with activity and barely ever pausing to be idle and reflect.
consequently many of them on an interminable hamster wheel. they cannot sit still. this limits their creativity, their relationships and inner calm.
and when the time comes to step off the hamster wheel and retire, they are incapable of simply joys of living.
having worked with folks like this, i am very conscious not to develop the same habits. it takes discipline.
good luck christa. stick to your vision.
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So true, Col! This down time is so incredibly important – I’ve started to schedule mine in to make sure I get my full dose for creativity (and sanity!) sake. 🙂
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