Month: April 2011

teaching, yoga

Beginning: My Therapeutic Yoga Teacher Training at Integral Yoga Institute

Christa Avampato

Last week I found out that I was awarded a scholarship to the Integral Yoga Institute to participate in their Therapeutic Yoga Teacher Training in June. Cheri Clampett and Arturo Peal, both of Santa Barbara, California, will be leading the training. Cheri currently teaches yoga at the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Yoga Center. Arturo is a yoga therapist who also holds a Masters Degree in Chinese Medicine and practices Craniosacral Therapy.

I’ve really enjoyed my work at New York Methodist Hospital, and want to continue to grow my yoga career in that vein. Even at the New York Public Library, I see a number of students who have a very specific health ailment. I’m able to help them to an extent but I know I could do more for them. They have a keen interest in using yoga as part of their wellness plan, and with a bit more training specifically in this area I know I can have a very positive impact.

More lessons on choosing a yoga training program
I’ve previously given advice about choosing a general yoga teacher training program. Choosing a specialty program is a bit different:

1.) Know how you want to use your teaching. Is there a certain health condition you want to help treat or a certain population (the elderly, children, athletes, etc.) you’d like to work with? Specialized training allows you to delve deeply into one specific area. I know I want to use yoga in healthcare settings so therapeutic yoga was the best option for me.

2.) Choose a reputable school. There are a lot of specialized training program out there. Many are legit and many are not. A few things that can help you determine a program falls: Does it provide hours toward the 200 or 500-hour Yoga Alliance certification? What is the general reputation of the school; is the school itself certified as a teacher training institute by the Yoga Alliance? I’ve wanted to study at Integral Yoga Institute for some time as they are recognized as one of the leaders in therapeutic yoga. The school and this program are certified by Yoga Alliance.

3.) Research the instructors. This goes for the instructors of the program and the school as a whole. What is their training? Where do they teach now? Do they use their teaching in a way that is similar to what you’d like to do? What institutions do they have ties to? Have there been news articles written about or by them? Cheri’s and Arturo’s teaching is something I am abundantly interested in because they work in healthcare settings. I’m also intrigued by Arturo’s training in Traditional Chinese Medicine that will add an interesting dimension to the therapeutic yoga.

4.) Ask around. And this can be asking questions through yoga blogs and websites or asking students who have gone through this training. Ideally, do both! I spoke to Cheri and Sevika at IYI, asking very specific questions about the program and introducing the work I currently do and where I’d like my yoga career to go. They were both very open to answering all of my questions and welcomed the dialogue.

5.) Certification. When you finish the program will you have a specific certification that adds to your qualifications and expands what you can offer your students and places where you teach? Once I complete this program, I will be certified as a Yoga Therapist and will have the opportunity to be listed in national directories of yoga therapy. Because I’m trying to grow my student base, this certification and listing is very important to me.

Are you thinking about a specialized yoga program? Got questions or some advice for others? Fire away!

business, education, leadership, nonprofit

Beginning: Cathie Black, Donald Trump, and the Difficulty of Building Consensus

Christa Avampato

On the New York Times blog Room for Debate several experts batted around Cathie Black’s quick appointment and quick dismissal as the Chancellor of New York City public schools. Most of them recapped what I thought were less-than-insightful points-of-view. One response, by the Cato Institute’s Neal P. McCluskey, brought up a very intriguing idea that I’ve been unable to get out of my mind for the last 5 days since I read his article. “In business, you don’t need public consensus to get things done. In something run by democratic government, you do.”

Cathie Black’s short tenure
Cathie Black was an abundantly successful giant in the publishing industry. She’s smart, savvy, and courageous. Taking the position as the NYC Public Schools Chancellor took a tremendous amount of guts. I don’t think she was fully-prepared for the complexities of the job. And while I was disappointed and shocked by some of her very public and distasteful mishaps (i.e., joking that birth control could help the overcrowding problems in schools), I was also sorry that she seemed to get very little guidance from former Chancellors. After a number of years working in the corporate world and after spending an equal number of years in the nonprofit world (some of that time in a government role), I whole-heartedly support Mr McCluskey’s opinion that making it in business is far easier than making it in the nonprofit / public sectors because of the consensus factor. The difference is public scrutiny and approval. I would go so far as to say that if you name any of today’s Fortune 500 CEO as the Chancellor of NYC Public Schools, they would likely follow in Black’s footsteps.

I’ve never bought into this idea that a good business person would naturally be a good fit as the head of a public organization. Business experience and the skills that come along with it, are not the be all end all of leadership. If anything, they’re only one small piece of the leadership pie. A leader also needs charisma, ethics, public speaking ability, creative acumen, and passion for the cause. Most importantly they need to have empathy and compassion for the people working alongside them. It’s entirely possible to cross the chasm, and the skills of business and nonprofit management can certainly support one another. That has absolutely been the case in my career. It just isn’t a given, which brings me to my latest political heartache – the potential candidacy of Donald Trump for President of the United States. Heaven help us – he may be the only Republican candidate who I fear more than Sarah Palin.

The Donald
On the Today Show last week, Meredith Viera asked The Donald why he thought he was qualified to be President. The first words out of his mouth? “Well, I hate to even say this, Meredith, but I did build the #1 rated show on NBC.” Given NBC’s recent track record of shows, I wouldn’t consider this a difficult feat. (That’s changed a bit in the past few years with the brilliant 30 Rock, and others like Parks & Recreation. For a while, The Office seemed to be their only saving grace.) The Donald’s second comment was that he’s an excellent businessman and therefore qualified to run the United States. And he topped it all off with his now-infamous rant about how President Obama is not a real U.S. citizen. I started having flashbacks to the ignorant dark ages of GWB. I have two words for you, Donald – “Cathie Black”.

What business people can learn from the public sector
For too long, business skills have been considered the silver bullet. “If you can run a corporation, you can do anything.” Bologna. As a business person myself, I think that view is elitist and short-sighted. We have to stop thinking of the public sector as the second sector. It’s much more complex than business, more difficult to lead, and to be honest, has much further-reaching, long-lasting effects on our society. The Chancellor of NYC public schools is responsible for educating the future adults of New York City. The President of the United States is the leader of the free world as it stands today. Think about that for a moment. These are incredibly awesome scales of responsibility, and need to be treated with the reverence that they deserve. Consensus, my dear business colleagues, is a much more lofty and difficult goal than driving stock prices and the bottom line. Approach these types of jobs with humility – we are beginners in this space. We have a lot to learn.

volunteer, yoga

Beginning: Karmi’s Angels, a Compass Yoga Initiative, Welcomes Its First Member – Suzanne Fletcher

Christa Avampato

Suzanne Fletcher
I started Compass Yoga last May with a dual-mission in mind:

1.) To teach yoga to under-served populations
2.) To help new teachers gain teaching experience by providing free classes to nonprofit employees and their constituents

Nearly one year later, the second piece of that mission has come into focus with the program Karmi’s Angels – a yogic take-off on Charlie’s Angels. (I guess that makes me Charlie!) Introducing Suzanne Fletcher, a graduate of the YogaWorks TT 200-hour program and a Second degree Black belt in Shorin Ryu Karate with 10 years of Martial Arts teaching experience. Beginning Thursday evening May 5th, Suzanne will offer a free class at the New York Public Library, Muhlenberg Branch at 209 West 23rd Street. Read more about Suzanne here.

4 other yoga teachers who have contacted me expressing interest in becoming one of Karmi’s Angels, and I’m currently working on matching them up with interested nonprofits. If you are a yoga teacher who is interested in being involved or work with a nonprofit who you think would be interested in offering free yoga, please email me at compassyoga@gmail.com.

social change, social entrepreneurship, women

Beginning: How to Affect Large Scale Social Change

Christa Avampato

Last week The Skoll Centre conducted their annual event, Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, to bring together thought leaders in the social innovation space. I followed the action on Twitter through #skollwf and read a post regarding 3 vital reminders that woman should be especially mindful of when seeking to affect large-scale social change. Though the talk was geared toward women, these reminders are useful for anyone looking to create social change regardless of their gender.

In full disclosure, I am particularly drawn to this post because it recaps a session co-led by Dr. Judith Rodin, who was the President of UPenn while I was an undergraduate there. She has since moved on from Penn and I’m proud that her intelligence, grace, and experience continues to impact broad social change initiatives. As Penn’s President she built the foundation that has transformed West Philadelphia from a very dangerous inner city to a thriving, diverse urban destination.

How to affect large-scale change: three vital reminders for women

A session of inspiring stories and conversations of large-scale change affected by women, facilitated by Pat Mitchell with contribution from Judith Rodin, gave rise to identification of three vital reminders:

1. Systems Thinking: Wide understanding of the cultural context and general ecosystem is necessary: draw a systems map that identifies all stakeholders and variables.

2. Collaboration: Networks are vital. Carefully consider how to leverage your partners and connections, especially “non obvious partners”. Create and sustain supportive communities.

3. Innovation: Technology is transformational when it gets into the hands of women. Identify the innovation, more likely to be on the ground than in halls of headquarters.

Uncategorized

Beginning: Make Someone’s Day – A Lesson from My Free Yoga Class at the New York Public Library

Christa Avampato

The free yoga class at the New York Public Library that I teach is going even better than I ever imagined. I had a few keys goals when I started this class:

1.) Get a wide audience to attend the class regularly, particularly students who have never taken yoga before

2.) Use the class as a springboard to launch Karmi’s Angels, Compass Yoga‘s free matchmaking service that pairs new yoga teachers who want to gain experience teaching and nonprofits who want to offer free yoga to their staff and constituents.

3.) Grow as a teacher myself

What I didn’t expect was what one of my students said to me yesterday, something that made me teary eyed, and glad, and grateful: “This class is the very best part of my week.” I knew yoga could have that effect; I just didn’t expect this class to have that effect. I simply replied, “It’s the best part of my week, too.” And I meant it. Others have told me, “This is just what I needed”, “I feel so relaxed after this class”, “Are all yoga classes this good?”, and one of my personal favorites – “Honey, I’ve been takin’ yoga classes for a long time and I know when a teacher got it and when she doesn’t. And honey, you got it.” How could I ever have a bad day after statements like that?

Teaching yoga, and particularly teaching a free class to an under-served, in-need population, can have a very profound effect on the teachers and the students. It opens the heart, the mind, and the soul to new ideas of how to create a happier, healthier world. It is the gift that keeps on giving. Some of my New York Public Library students keep asking me, “So when are you going to stop offering this class?” They assume I am only here for a limited run. Truthfully, I never started this class with any kind of end date in mind. I just wanted a quiet room with students who wanted to learn something about yoga. And as long as they keep showing up, then I’ll keep showing up, too.

If you are a yoga teacher interested in being matched with a nonprofit to offer a free class or know of a nonprofit who would be interested in having a free yoga class for their employees and their constituents, please contact me at compassyoga@gmail.com. Join the movement!

career, integrity, SXSW, work

Beginning: Be on Record

Christa Avampato

At SXSW I had the great accidental pleasure of hearing Gary Vaynerchuk speak. To be honest, I had no idea who he was until SXSW. He was making an appearance at an event I went to early on at SXSW and I like the title of his new book, The Thank You Economy. During one time block at SXSW I wasn’t quite sure which session to go to and when I saw Gary was giving a keynote, I decided to go over and check it out. I didn’t know that I’d be in for such a treat of a stand-up comedy routine coupled with good sound business advice that I’ve been truly taking to heart for the past decade. Gary’s talk was a great validation of the way that I’ve approached having an opinion in the workplace: “Be on Record.”

Lessons from Broadway
When I was in my early 20’s, I was one of the first people hired to put together the Broadway show The Full Monty. There’s a lot of excitement around a new show; everyone is optimistic and the sky’s the limit. Immediately upon the Broadway opening, we started putting a tour together. Contrary to trends at the time, our booking agent was setting up 3-6 month sit downs in very large markets like LA, D.C., Philly, and Chicago. This made me nervous. I was a fan of doing shorter runs, selling them out, and then returning to the city at a later date to cash in on the first success. It’s a more conservative approach and I felt badly being a naysayer to the excitement of the tour beginnings so I became a no-sayer, meaning I shut my mouth and just went along with everyone else’s opinion to book the long engagements.

The situation goes south
As the tour got going, the long engagement idea was not going well. We couldn’t sell enough seats in Toronto, our first stop, so we had to schedule a few weeks of lay-off before heading to Chicago, our second city. During our run in Chicago, the September 11th tragedy struck and the bottom fell out of the theatre industry. The show was canceled and would not be sent out again until the following summer, with new producers and many of the actors, crew, and logistics switched up. And shorter engagements. While the producers cast the blame to the tragedy of September 11th, that was only an easy scapegoat. Truthfully, we couldn’t make the long stays work because we couldn’t sell enough tickets in advance of each city. The engagements needed to be shorter. I was right, and got no credit for my opinion because I didn’t say a word as the tour was being set up. I was just an employee following orders. At the ripe old age of 25 I learned a very valuable lesson that a decade later is more relevant in my life than ever. Being on record, even if my opinion isn’t shared by anyone else, is a valuable thing to do.

A second chance to learn a lesson
The Universe has a way of testing us. My friends Derek has said to me that the Universe is a very generous place – it gives us the same lesson over and over again until we learn it and don’t need to go through it any more. The Universe gave me another go this week when someone asked me to get the IP of a start-up I work with so that I could pass that IP on to a corporation that would build the exact same capability in-house and not need to pay the start-up for a partnership. I could have done it, lost my personal integrity, and been praised for a job well done. I didn’t. I went on record saying that I wouldn’t do that to the start-up who was working so hard to get a very good idea to take hold. They needed to be compensated for their IP. It didn’t win me any points with the powers that be, but I got to keep my integrity and sleep well at night.

And a third chance to make sure the lesson really sticks
Then the very next day I was asked to talk about a recent service that my company launched that I frankly find embarrassing. The customer experience is awful and it’s just a copycat of a service that one of our competitors has. For over a year I have been on record about how the service should have been fixed before being launched to the public. Either the feedback fell on deaf ears or they just disagreed with me. Regardless of the reason, when I read the analyst reports and blogs and was asked to comment on the launch at my staff meeting, I felt vindicated. The analysts and heavy-hitting blog writers said the same things I’ve been saying for over a year. I didn’t resort to a childish “I told you so” but felt that I could speak from a place of confidence because I have been on record with my opinions for many months. And again, I could also keep my integrity and sleep well at night.

The trade-offs of being on record
At the outset, it can be hard to be on record. It’s sometimes not a popular move. It can certainly stall your career at a company or get you fired if people in power don’t like your opinion. I’m okay with that. I’d rather be a person of conviction than a person who just says, “yes, sir” and falls in a line not of my own making. Mine is a more difficult road. Sometimes it’s lonely, and in the short-term it may not earn me a spectacular salary or a fancy title. However, when it’s all said and done I’d rather have to walk away having said my piece than get a seat at the table where everyone just nods in agreement. Integrity isn’t a trait; it’s a choice we make every day, at every moment.

home, meditation

Beginning: A Meditation to Take You Home

Christa Avampato

Yesterday I wrote a post about one of my students at New York Methodist Hospital. In it I referenced a meditation technique that taught, and I got some emails from readers asking if I could send the technique to them so they could practice it at home. For your reading and practicing pleasure on this fine Tuesday, here is a meditation to take you home. This meditation is also available as a podcast if you’d like to listen to it rather than read it. It lasts for 7 minutes.

Meditation to take you home
Come to a comfortable seat, either in a chair or on the floor. You could also be lying flat if that feels more comfortable to you.

Bring attention to the even inhale and exhale of your breath. Begin to arrive at a place that you treasure – a favorite vacation spot, your home – past or present, a place you go to regularly that brings you comfort. Maybe it’s a place you’ve never been to but dream to see. Let yourself go there. Slowly begin to trace your mind’s eye to take in a 360 degree view of where you are. With every inhale, bring more and more detail of the place into focus through the five senses.

What colors do you see? Is there vegetation or wild life nearby. Are there other people around? Are you in the company of others or are you alone? Is there activity happening or is there complete stillness?

What sounds do you hear? Are there voices of loved ones or the sounds of nature – a bird, maybe a pet whom you love. Is the wind blowing or the rain softly failing? Is there music, and is that music nearby or far off in the distance? Do you hear the sounds of ocean? Or is there no sound at all except the rising and the falling of your breath, the beating of your heart?

What scents are present? From flowers or fruit or the salty air. Maybe there’s that deep, rich scent of an ancient forest or the scent of rain. Maybe you’re baking a favorite food. Or is there a scent nearby that you associate with someone you love.

What do you taste? Is it just the clear air that you take in on every inhale or is there a strong flavor associated to this place memory? A favorite meal, a special gift made for you on a special occasion.

What are the tactile textures of your memory? Is there sand or water that you can touch? Is the sun shining on your face? Are you wearing a favorite outfit, and how does that fabric feel against your skin? Are there flowers or plants or rocks that you can glide your fingers along? Is it another person that you hug and can you allow yourself to actually feel that hug again as if it is happening right now, in this moment?

And now take all of that detail and bring it inside your heart. How does this place make you feel? Calm and peaceful? Adventurous and alive? Comfortable and safe? Allow yourself to really be present in that place, to take in each of its dimensions.

And now to slowly come out of the meditation, with every exhale allow the picture of this place to slowly fade, to softly recede into your memory where you can return to it at any time. Release it by counting backwards from 10 to 1. Slowly open the eyes and be thankful for the opportunity to have such a beautiful memory in your heart.

Namaste.

happiness, home, hope, meditation, yoga

Beginning: Finding Your Way

Christa Avampato

San Marino Island, Croatia. http://www.find-croatia.com
“Blessed is the person who finds what she’s meant to do with her life.” ~ Sonia, one of my meditation students at NY Methodist Hospital and a caregiver

I met Sonia at NY Methodist Hospital this past week during one of my meditation sessions in the Physical Rehab Unit. She is from Croatia and is now caring for her elderly mother. Her journey as a child refugee out of Croatia ultimately landed her in Park Slope Brooklyn, where she has lived ever since. That evening we took a traveling meditation in which we focused on a specific place as a point of concentration. Sonia emerged from the meditation with teary eyes and a peaceful heart. Though she has been in Brooklyn for so long, she misses her Croatia even now. Its beauty, its history, its people. “If you go through this life and never see Croatia, you are missing out,” she said. With that kind of endorsement, I dutifully added it to my list for future vacations.

We also got to talking about my work at the hospital. I told her about the transition I’m hoping to make, and surprised myself when I freely said, “I wish I could be doing the work I do here every day.” For some reason that statement made me both sad and glad. Glad that I had that kind of clarity, and sad that it is not yet my reality. Maybe Sonia sensed that wistfulness in me, because she offered up the simple quote at the top of this post. I may have offered her a meditation that night that allowed her to go home for a few moments, but she gave me much more of a lesson. To someone who’s lived a life of struggle, it seemed to her that my clarity of purpose was more than enough of a reason to be happy, to feel whole.

change, nature, yoga

Beginning: Long Day’s Journey Into Night – A Lesson from 5 Days of Teaching Yoga

Christa Avampato

From http://redbubble.com
I taught yoga for the last 5 out of 7 days. Ironically, they were some of the worst days I ever had and some of the best nights I ever had. At work, every day felt like a Monday. During the yoga classes I taught, every night felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. These two parts of my life stood in such sharp contrast to one another it was impossible to ignore the insight.

There’s something to be said for practicality, for being grounded and logical. And there’s something equally as important to be said about following your gut and your heart, two very wise centers that are difficult to wrap up in logic. Here’s what I’m sure of – when the gut and the heart find themselves in sync, there’s some kind of magic moment that’s arrived and deserves to be seized with both hands.

A few weeks ago I wrote about the topic of transitions and I found myself teaching the lesson of transition in my yoga classes this week. As we move back and forth between two counter poses in a yoga practice, we’re sometimes so focused on the two end states of the postures that we don’t fully appreciate the transition. Each little movement in a transition is important. It deserves to have its say, to be appreciated for what it is all on its own and where it’s helping to take us.

My life feels like that now as I ratchet down the activities that feel like Monday and pump up the ones that feel like Friday afternoon at 5:00. Eventually, my life will reach a tipping point where the activities that don’t serve my greater purpose fall away. And those that bring energy and gladness will be all that’s left.

I think about this transition into the wellness field the way I think about the fun my niece, Lorelei, and I have at the beach. We toddle along the water’s edge looking for jellies that wash up on the sand with the incoming tide. Lorelei loves to look at those jellies. The water doesn’t come barreling in for high tide. The tide rolls in and rolls out one small inch at a time, bringing with it new and interesting gifts. It creeps forward to give us time to adjust.

This method of slow, purposeful change has worked for nature day in and day out for many centuries. Why should the rhythm of change in our own lives be any different? Welcome the transition and let each small step forward have its chance to shine and be recognized.

animals, dogs, yoga

Beginning: Yoga Dogs

Christa Avampato

I’ve often thought that dogs were the original yogis. Not only are certain basic postures named for these zen creatures, but just living with and observing a dog on a daily basis reminds us that they really are some of our very best gurus, on and off the mat. Just for fun today, take a look at this slide show for proof that dogs and yoga were made for each other! Just one more item on the long list of things we can learn from our beloved canines.

Want to really test the link between your pooch and the ancient practice? Check out the Doga (Dog yoga) event on April 14th at 7pm with instructors Amy Tobin and Laura Barket at Bideawee.

Happy weekend!

Being the owner of a dachshund, I had to make the image above the headliner for this post. Pictured is Yogi Rocky Barkjan, the original Hundalini Yoga Dog master. Clearly he’s a wire haired dachshund, just like Phin!