New York City, yoga

Leap: The Summer Solstice in Times Square and A Lesson in Energy

Christa Avampato
This is me meditating in the middle of Times Square to celebrate the 2012 Summer Solstice

For the fifth year in a row, I celebrated the Summer Solstice in Times Square on my yoga mat. 14,000 yogis flocked to the center of the Great White Way yesterday thanks to the event put together by the Times Square Alliance to demonstrate the possibility of mind over madness. A lot of people have asked me how on Earth I can find peace at this kind of event. To me the most profound peace is found not in a quiet corner of the world, but in the midst of life. Once we can find peace in every day living, regardless of circumstances and surroundings, then that peace will always be ours.

Last year, I took the class that Douglass Stewart, a senior teacher at ISHTA Yoga and YogaWorks, taught. It was transformative in many ways. I began taking his classes at ISHTA as a result of that Times Square class and I am now half way through my 300-hour advanced teacher training at ISHTA. Beginning this Friday, I will assist Douglass’s Tuesday evening and Friday afternoon classes. (I hope you’ll join us!)

Yesterday I also made it a point to take Douglass’s Solstice class this year and as I made my way downtown, I thought about how much has changed in this past year. I found a deep confidence to pursue a life of my own design. My yoga and meditation practice were a big part of the fuel that drove all of this change. In the last few days, I’ve felt lighter, brighter, and more alive for having made the Leap into working for myself. There is a true and palpable peace that we find once we live the lives we are meant to live. It really is true that we can be free if we want to be.

Douglass spoke extensively about energy – especially appropriate given the intense heat that Mother Nature poured down over New York City yesterday. “Energy goes where it is most needed; where it can do the most good,” he said. Heat is energy and it transforms everything it touches. It burns away what is unnecessary. It shines what is left behind in its wake. I felt that mid-afternoon heat of the solstice touch down on me, helping me to let go of everything that no longer serves me. My own energy now has a new direction and it is doing much more good in the world now that it is directed toward work I love.

It wasn’t very hard at all for me to find peace yesterday in the middle of Times Square. I just rolled out my mat and went exactly where Douglass led us – inside our own centers. The mind can do much more than block out madness; it can actually use the energy of the madness around us to evolve, and ultimately, to blossom. Happy Summer!

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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/

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