I went to an event yesterday and in all of the ending hoopla, the organizer asked everyone to join him in signing up for his new mission. To be entirely fair, I applaud people who put themselves out there and clearly explain who they are, what they care about, and what they intend to do. I wish more people were as transparent as this organizer.
That said, I didn’t sign. I actually left the event early. I was criticized a bit for it, but I didn’t mind. I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do. While I respect the transparency of this organizer, we just aren’t on the same page. Our values don’t fall in line together so I know our roads will be taking different directions.
A few years ago, my former boss and mentor, Bob G., said something that I think about almost every day. “You always get to choose what bus you want to be on.” The problem with deeply studying yoga is that it leads us to deeply study ourselves – who we are when we strip away every title, every accomplishment (and failure), every relationship, every part of our history. Yoga is about knowing our true essence, about knowing the company we keep in the empty moments. And in this intense study, we find that we can only be true to our heart. We cannot be on a bus that we don’t want to ride. Our bodies and minds literally don’t allow it.
Yoga forces us to return to our true home, to the place where we belong in a very deep and meaningful way. We lose the ability to fake it. We lose the ability to lie, to ourselves and to anyone else. All we can do is live the truth, our truth. We can’t conform to someone else’s expectations. All we can do is live up to our own.
It’s a wonderful problem to have, but it’s not always the easiest path to walk. And instead of lamenting the difficulty, I encourage you to embrace it. Look in, way in, and see what’s there. Get on the path and walk it. It’s the only way forward.
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
7 thoughts on “Leap: The Real Problem with Yoga (and It’s a Wonderful Problem to Have)”
dear and divine …… fine wisdom post ……
yoga means plus so there is yoga of body senses ….. yoga of mind ….. and yoga of soul and yoga with cosmic spirit … and each one has its multiple paths ….. it is for us to make a choice and remain what suits to our body , mind , soul , and cosmic spirit ….
yoga of body is like keeping the car from outside …..yoga of mind is like keeping car clean from inside …… harmony of car and driver is yoga of soul …… in oneness to travel on the road of eternal happiness is yoga with cosmic spirit what many refer as enlightenment ….. and enlightenment is conversation with God …..
you know I’m always talking about starting yoga – maybe i’m ready cause I can’t fake it anymore either. I just don’t have the energy or the desire to “rah rah rah” at rehashing of old ideas anymore.
I applaud you for being honest – and I left early too! ❤
dear and divine …… fine wisdom post ……
yoga means plus so there is yoga of body senses ….. yoga of mind ….. and yoga of soul and yoga with cosmic spirit … and each one has its multiple paths ….. it is for us to make a choice and remain what suits to our body , mind , soul , and cosmic spirit ….
yoga of body is like keeping the car from outside …..yoga of mind is like keeping car clean from inside …… harmony of car and driver is yoga of soul …… in oneness to travel on the road of eternal happiness is yoga with cosmic spirit what many refer as enlightenment ….. and enlightenment is conversation with God …..
love all.
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Reblogged this on ram0ram note book.
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you know I’m always talking about starting yoga – maybe i’m ready cause I can’t fake it anymore either. I just don’t have the energy or the desire to “rah rah rah” at rehashing of old ideas anymore.
I applaud you for being honest – and I left early too! ❤
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Hey Urs! Well buddy you know I will gladly sign myself up to offer you classes (and your girls too!!) whenever you’re ready. xo
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Reblogged this on A Charmed Yogi and commented:
Lovely post to end the week from one of my favorite bloggers, Christa Avampato. Namaste, Christa NYC!
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A wonderful problem to have, indeed.
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It’s been a problem I’m very grateful for.
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