Month: July 2012

creativity

Leap: Don’t Search. Create.

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

“Some people say they haven’t yet found themselves. But the self is not something one finds; it is something one creates.” ~ Thomas Szasz, Hungarian psychiatrist

The answers to the questions “Who am I?” and “What should I do?” cannot be found by searching. You make and re-make those answers every day. Everything you ever wanted to know about you and your journey through this life is available to you at every moment. Don’t go out there somewhere to find the answers. They aren’t there.

Go in. Inside of you is a soft and wise voice that already knows every answer you seek. Get quiet and listen. It will always tell you what to create next.

books, India, writing, yoga

Leap: My Book and Photos About My Trip to India

Christa Avampato

In the 2 months since I returned from India, I’ve thought about it everyday. It has a hold on me unlike any other place I’ve ever been. It is in my bones.

Over these past two months, I revisited my journal and pictures from the trip. My memories are multi-sensory. I don’t just remember what something looked like. I also remember the scent, the feeling, the emotion, the sound. It was a hard journey. Much harder than I expected. And it was beautiful, too – sometimes in ways that I didn’t appreciate at the time.

To sum up as much reflection as I’ve done to-date, I wrote an eBook – In Search of the OM in Everything: 8 Days in India. I struggled to get it all down on paper. I cried through much of the writing because I changed so much during the trip and change is hard.

Had I just set out to write this book for myself, I’m not sure I would have finished it in two months. But I wrote it for a group of people whom I admire, love, and respect – my teacher training group at ISHTA Yoga and all of our beautiful teachers. The book was my final project for the program, which we completed yesterday. In order to graduate, I needed to finish this project so I pushed through the tears and get it all down on paper. The experience of the training and the experience of writing this book are just two of the countless gifts given to me by this amazing group of people who lent their support, love, energy, and time to one another.

So here it is – the link to my book, In Search of the OM in Everything: 8 Days in India, and my photo album from the trip. I’d love to know what you think.

creativity, future

Leap: Now is a Moment of Your Creation

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

“What you are is what you have been. What you’ll be is what you do now.” ~ Buddha

You are more than a title. You are far more than a job or a relationship or even a name. Your ability to grow and learn is something without measure. Your capacity to create and inspire is infinite. You need only pick a place and start. It is always possible to begin again and what you begin now does need to be related to anything you’ve ever done. All that is required is the will to do something new.

If you are looking for a blank slate, here it is. Begin to fill it. Take a big wide brush, dip it in the most vibrant paint, and go wild. This life is your chance to build something the world has never seen before and will never see again. Within you there is a great work of art that wants to be set free. So let it be.

meditation

Leap: You Are Perfect

Christa Avampato

“The point [of meditation] is not to try to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we already are.” ~ Pema Chodron

I believe passionately in the power of change but what I love more is change that is born from a deep knowledge of things as they are right now. And what I love best is the recognition that we, at our true essence, are perfect in every way right now. The act of meditation only helps to clear away the thoughts and perceptions that keep us from realizing our perfection.

Meditation doesn’t change you. It just helps to make you the very best version of you in this moment. It shines a light on everything that is wonderful, good, and kind within you. And then in turn it gives you the opportunity to honor what is wonderful, good, and kind in everyone who surrounds you in every moment of your living.

India, writer, yoga

Leap: “The End” – the Two Sweetest Words for a Writer

Christa Avampato

Yesterday I finished my ebook about my trip to India. In Search of the OM in Everything: 8 Days in India will be available for download from the iBookstore for iPhone and iPad on Monday and as a high resolution PDF from this blog. The moment I finished it, I felt an enormous sense of relief. I didn’t realize how much energy the project took to sustain. Now that I can release it out into the world, I feel a lightness. I have more room. Finally those stories will be out of my head and in the world.

I’ll publish the links on Monday once I complete my final practicum and presentation of the book as my research project on the last day of my 300-hour yoga teacher training at ISHTA Yoga this weekend. Until then, I’ll be basking in the glow of “The End.”

art, change, comedy, community, courage, television

Leap: A Lesson from Comedic Actor Sherman Hemsley, Star of All in the Family and The Jeffersons

Christa Avampato
Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford as George and Louise Jefferson

It wasn’t until much later that I realized how revolutionary his character of George Jefferson was at the time. While he was making all of us laugh, he tore down social barriers and prejudices that existed for centuries in this country. A black entrepreneur who wasn’t intimidated by anyone, least of all his prejudiced white neighbor? That was a revelation, particularly to have it showcased on network television. His co-star, Isabel Sanford, was the first (and so far, the only) Black actress to win a Lead Actress Emmy Award (for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1981.) Clearly, we still have a long way to go.

A South Philly native, Sherman Hemsley passed away from natural causes on Tuesday. His bravery and strength, his ability to creatively challenge the conventions of his time through his own performances, has cemented his contribution in the performing arts. As my sister, Weez, so beautifully said, “He finally got that deluxe apartment in the sky.” R.I.P. to another Trailblazer who is gone too soon.

art, comedy, meditation, New York City

Leap: I’m Teaching a Meditation Class for Performers on August 20th

Christa Avampato

I’m so excited to announce that I am teaching a meditation class for performers in partnership with G.L.O.C. (Gorgeous Ladies of Comedy) entitled Showing Up and Tapping In: The Keys to Your Success as a Performer.

Event details:
Date – Monday, August 20th
Time – 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Location – The Breslin at the Ace Hotel, 20 West 29th Street, New York, NY
Cost – $5 to cover the cost of the amazing space at the Ace Hotel
Everyone is welcome – women and men who are performers and fans of performers!

My friend, Amanda, introduced me to G.L.O.C. during their Bridesmaids screening event last year. Since then I’ve been receiving their e-newsletter. Recently, they mentioned they were looking for more resources to help their members. I reached out to the hilarious Glennis McCarthy, Founder of G.L.O.C., and we immediately bonded over our desire to support performers and the need for attention on smart humor in the world of comedy.

We are hoping this class is just the start of a wonderful series of events to support performers and anyone with even the slightest hint of interest in performance. RSVP through the Facebook invite: https://www.facebook.com/events/206787669450646/

Here is a brief description of the event. Hope to see you there!

Showing Up and Tapping In: The Keys to Your Success as a Performer

If Woody Allen is right and 80% of success is showing up, then the other 20% is how you show up. And not just at an audition, a rehearsal, or a performance, but how you show up in life. Your lucky break isn’t somewhere down the road; it’s right now because opportunity is everywhere.

One interaction can change the entire course of your life and that interaction almost always happens at an unexpected time and in an unexpected place. So how do you prepare so that you can recognize that moment when it arrives and make the most of it? How can you prepare to be lucky?

As a performer you have to refresh your content and your performance constantly. Meditation helps you tap into your imagination at will and with ease in a deep, consistent way to discover new ideas. By learning to quiet the mind, you give your greatest ideas the chance to rise to the top. Meditation gives you a way forward.

This event will provide a sample class geared toward performers who want to enhance their creativity. It will include a few basic standing postures that can be done in your everyday clothes. The breathing and meditation techniques will all be practiced seated. You will also receive the sequence of postures and techniques after the class so that you can continue to practice on your own. You will find that these tools and techniques will help you identify hidden opportunities to advance your craft, make connections with people who can help grow your career, and develop a system to make sure you are continually in the best shape possible – physically, mentally, and emotionally.

inspiration, science, women

Leap: Remembering Sally Ride

Christa Avampato
Sally Ride aboard the space shuttle Challenger

If ever there was a person who defined Trailblazer, it was Sally Ride. In 1983, she became the first American woman to boldly go where none had gone before. Out there – way out there. I was 7 years old and I distinctly remember watching the lift off and thinking at that moment that if Sally Ride could go into space, then I could do anything. I was only limited by my own drive and my own intentions. Everything was possible.

While her passing after a long and painful illness at far too young an age is a sad and terrible thing, the legacy she left behind cannot be overstated. Sally Ride showed all of us that with graceful courage and strength, the sky was no longer the limit. She didn’t tell people what she was going to do; she showed them. And the best we can do in her memory is follow that same example as we plot the course of our own lives. Get out there and do something amazing!

design, dreams, future

Leap: Your Destiny, Your Design

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

You could wait. You could seek the advice of others. You could find someone whom you admire and do exactly what they’ve done. You could let the Universe decide.

I don’t recommend any of those avenues when it comes to creating your destiny. You are wonderful and divine. You know exactly what you want and why. You have the very seeds from which every dream of yours will grow. All they need is nurturing. Some attention. Some room to breathe.

Each of these seeds is as unique as you. No one can tell you how or when they will develop. No one can tell you which ones need your attention now and which ones can wait. No one except you.

Your destiny is your business. You are the one who will live it. You are the one who lives with the outcomes of your actions. You will always wake up to you, walk with you, and go to bed with you. And so you must be your own best friend. Your own best champion.

Care for yourself and care for those dreams because when you are at your best and you are fulfilling the destiny you created for yourself, the whole world benefits. We all get a chance to experience the very best version of you.

adventure, India, travel

Leap: I Finished the First Draft of My Ebook about My India Trip

Christa Avampato
One of the many signs I stumbled across in India that let me know I was going in the right direction

Yesterday I finished the first draft of my ebook about my Indian adventure. I’m using it as my research project for my advanced yoga teacher training which wraps up next weekend. This research project was one of the main drivers for writing this ebook so quickly after my return.

I felt an amazing sense of relief writing that last sentence. It was difficult and wonderful to relive everything captured in my journal, particularly with the perspective of 2 months of elapsed time. So much has changed in that 2 months since I returned from my trip and I am grateful for every ounce of it.

More than anything, I am in awe of our ability to change our lot once we simply commit to making a change. Overcoming inertia is no small feat though once we get ourselves moving in the direction of radical change, the train will keep moving and take on a life of its own. It’s empowering and inspiring to realize our own strength and courage.

This week, I’ll be doing some very light editing of the ebook and adding in pictures. Then I’ll wrap it up in a bow, post it up on my blog, and set it free. I hope you’ll download it, read it, and let me know what you think.