A classical example of a Yoga Nidra class. Image from Pinterest.
On Monday night I taught a class on Yoga and Creative Focus to creative professionals in residence at the NYU Tisch School’s ITP Camp. I have been a long-time fan of the program and was honored to be able to teach there. This session was similar to the class I’ve taught at SXSW but with an added bonus – a guided Yoga Nidra meditation.
Yoga Nidra is a technique that takes people into a “dreamless sleep” meaning that it is an incredibly replenishing practice that allows people to sink into a deeply relaxing state defined by delta wave activity in the brain. I used it as a pathway to help students clear their minds so that their best creative ideas could rise into consciousness.
15 incredibly talented professionals took the class and it was a beautiful thing to witness. By the end of the class their faces softened, their postures were more open, and their gaze was relaxed. The response to the class was overwhelming. This technique can be used as occasional sleep replacement when needed and it can be used just as effectively to reduce anxiety and stress and induce sleep.
What’s next
In the coming months I will put together a set of classes to spread this practice to a wider group of people so that they can take this technique into their lives and into their work. I’ll make sure to announce these classes and workshops where I’ll be offering Yoga Nidra and other meditation techniques that are especially helpful for creative professionals. In addition, I will also be putting together some podcasts of these techniques so that people can give them a try in the comfort of their own homes.
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
View all posts by Christa Avampato
4 thoughts on “Leap: My Yoga and Creative Focus Class at NYU”
You are on fire Christa and what a joy and an honor and a blessing to be along on this amazing ride with you. Much love – to us I bow.
You are on fire Christa and what a joy and an honor and a blessing to be along on this amazing ride with you. Much love – to us I bow.
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Thanks, Mary! It’s amazing to see the world open up when we do.
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Can’t wait to see the podcasts 🙂
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They’re in the works 🙂
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