“Do your practice and all is coming.” ~ Pattabhi Jois
Can yoga deliver miracles?
There is a lot of discussion about its near miracle effects on our health and well-being. Some people so strongly claim it as a cure-all that it’s easy to believe it is all hype. This weekend, the New York Times ran an excellent article by William J. Broad, whose book The Science of Yoga: The Risks and The Rewards is available next month, about the benefits and hazards of the practice. It should be required reading for everyone who’s even thinking of practicing yoga and certainly for all teachers. This kind of resource has been sorely needed by the yoga community for far too long.
Taking all of these cautions into account, the only way to know if yoga if for you is to give it a go – slowly and gently. And starting today, you can give it a try for free with some of the very best teachers on the planet right from the comfort of your own home. Join me and a few thousand others as we begin the 21-day Yoga Challenge with Yoga Journal. I participated last year and was so incredibly impressed by the online classes that I’ve been looking forward to 2012’s challenge ever since!
The Yoga Journal team has added a few features this year that will make it even better than 2011’s challenge:
1.) Connect online with the worldwide yoga community members who are participating in the challenge
2.) Choose your own practice – beginner or intermediate
3.) Set goals, share them, and get encouragement along the way
Wondering how to get started? The challenge begins today – register on the Yoga Journal site and every day you’ll receive an email with a link to that day’s online class.
If you join, let me know so we can keep each other going for the next 21 days. Let’s do this thing!
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
“Do your practice and all is coming.” ~ Pattabhi Jois
