Category: yoga

business, entrepreneurship, relationships, yoga

Leap: Business Lessons from an Adaptive Yoga Program for People with Cerebral Palsy

Christa Avampato

Yesterday a lovely and important email showed up in my inbox out of the blue. The United Cerebral Palsy of New York City chapter found the Compass Yoga website through our work with the New York Public Library and on Monday I am meeting with them to discuss the possibility of creating an adaptive yoga program for their constituents. I am passionate about serving differently-abled people and have been talking about this passion with all of you for years.

I tell you this new little tidbit for a variety of reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with this exciting and wonderful opportunity and everything to do with you as you build your own brand and business. Within this story are a number of incredibly valuable lessons for all of us.

1.) Figure out who you want to serve. I cannot stress this enough – you cannot and should not be all things to all people. There is a well-reasoned tendency for you to try. You don’t to miss an opportunity, particularly if it is for a worthy cause. People ask for your help. You’re good and kind person, and you have a whole lot of wonderful gifts to give. Now put all of that aside. Decide what you want your specific contribution to humanity to be. It’s not written in stone. You can change your mind down the road if you need to / want to. What you can’t do is run in every direction. Choose and go for it!

2.) With your direction chosen, put it out into the world. Write about it. Talk about it. Take pictures and shoot video about it. Tweet, FB, Pin it, Google+ it. Whatever it takes. You made choices and you’re ready to get out there and give the world your best version of you. Tell all of us that you’ve arrived – we want to know. And keep telling your story, over and over again to anyone and everyone.

3.) Straddle the line between impatient and patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is your reputation. However, you can’t rest on those lovely laurels of yours either. You’re reputation is a series of actions over a long period of time. You are literally swimming in opportunity. Pick up the bits and pieces that interest you, roll up your sleeves, and give them a whirl. You’ll see your small steps turn into big leaps if you stay focused and consistent.

Okay – stop reading and start doing. The people you are meant to serve are out there waiting for you. Go meet them.

harmony, peace, yoga

Leap: You Already Have What You Seek

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

“The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.” ~ Joseph Campbell

In the hot, hot city last week, it was tough to keep our spirits up when all we wanted to do was lie down. In all of my yoga classes last week, the teachers emphasized balance. With the heat outside, we needed to take our practice slowly and with ease. Conversely when it’s cold outside, we tend to have practices that are more heating. We show up on the mat offering the practice that helps us to be in harmony with our nature and the Nature around us.

This same principle applies off the mat as well. When we find ourselves in a lethargic state, best to listen for what’s going on, and then give ourselves whatever gift we need to feel re-energized. When we find ourselves anxious, nervous, or out-of-sorts, we need to provide ourselves with comfort and security.

And here’s the best part: whatever we need at any moment can be found in the breath. As long as we are breathing, we have the ability to come back to balance. Balance is not a far-off goal; it’s a choice and we make it in every moment.

Right now, we have everything we need.

courage, creativity, meditation, risk, yoga

Leap: How to Increase Our Odds of Finding the Upside of Risk

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

Risk has a scary connotation for many people. Maybe that’s due to pop culture references like the movie Risky Business or the board game Risk. Maybe it’s because we have stunning examples of the downside of risk like the latest economic recession which has harmed millions of people to a frightening degree.

The downside of risk paralyzed me for a long time. We have a natural, genetic predisposition to safety and we have been taught that risk is the opposite of safety.

How I changed my view of risk:
That unfortunate, and frankly untrue, equation kept me working for someone else for a long time. At 36, I just left behind a life of working solely for someone else to step out on my own as a freelancer with my new business Chasing Down the Muse, a consultancy business to assist creative professionals and companies on the leading edge of their industries. One reason that dream came to fruition had a lot to do with recognizing that for every downside, there is an upside. And though I wish there was a way to go out on a limb and guarantee safety, that just isn’t how it goes. Upside and downside are inversely proportional. The bigger the potential upside, the bigger the potential downside.

So are we stuck with those natural odds of risk? Absolutely not! There are a number of things we can do to pad our odds in favor of achieving the upside of any risk:

1.) Stash away your cash. I don’t offer investment advice but I feel infinitely confident saying that liquidity in your assets (having cash) is tantamount to giving you the best odds of achieving the upside of a risk. It gives you a cushion to land on if you come crashing down from your leap. How much do you need? That depends on your personality. I tend to hypochondria. I hope for the best and expect the worst. Many financial advisors now suggest having 6-9 months of living expenses stashed away as an emergency fund. I put away double that over 5 years because that’s what I needed to feel secure. You may feel comfortable with less, or you may need more.

2.) Meditate. Seriously? Yes! My yoga and meditation practice is a tool I use whenever I feel the jitters associated with a risk I’m contemplating. It relaxes my body, calms my mind, and helps me to call upon my creativity to drive home new ideas for boosting my odds of achieving the upside of a risk. I teach to share yoga and meditation to share these practices with anyone who wants to give them a whirl and incorporate them into their living. Curious about some meditation techniques you can use yourself? Contact Me.

3.) Stop talking, start writing. We can often talk ourselves round and round into a circle when it comes to our fears. That doesn’t mean we should stop sharing that information. I talk to my friends, my family, my dog, and to all of you about my fears. However, there should be a point where we give ourselves an end to it. I love this exercise from Pam Slim, author of Escape from Cubicle Nation: write down every fear about a risk you’re contemplating and then stack actions against every one of them to ease or erase that fear.

And when all else fails, remember this tidbit:

– Everything will be alright in the end. If it’s not alright, it’s not the end.

meditation, teaching, yoga

Leap: My Yoga and Creative Focus Class at NYU

Christa Avampato
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.

business, teaching, yoga

Leap: My Business Course for Yoga Teachers

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

For several years, I’ve been thinking about how to help new yoga teachers get their teaching practices off the ground. Teachers spend a lot of time and a lot of money to get their certifications so that they can share this practice with others. Training programs don’t have a lot of time to teach yoga teachers the skills to secure teaching jobs because they need to focus most of their efforts on training teachers to properly care for their students with strong alignment, safe sequencing, and proper technique. Furthermore, it can be tough for new teachers to get the experience needed to get a studio teaching slot and it’s tough to get a studio teaching slot without the experience.

As an MBA with 14 years of business experience and an experienced yoga and meditation teacher, I can fill this gap to help get new yoga teachers started on their teaching path. I put together a training course to provide business know-how to yoga teachers.

Option 1:
A kit to craft their mission statement, find their market, write a one page business plan, and put together a course of action for their first year as teachers to reach exactly the kind of student they want to teach. Price – $25

Option 2:
Everything in option 1 plus Skype sessions to walk them through the kit as well as give new teachers advice and resources to set up their business: how to incorporate, taxes, basic accounting, expense tracking, and marketing assistance including basic website set up. Price – $200

Option 3:
Everything in options 1 and 2 plus in-person sessions with me, a regular teaching slot in the Compass Yoga teaching roster to start earning their hours toward the Yoga Alliance 500-hour certification teaching requirement, tracking of teaching hours in Yoga Alliance format, and a selection of other goodies to help jump-start a new business. Price – $500

Are you a yoga teacher who wants to get started on your teaching path? Do you know a yoga teacher who could benefit from this course? Click here for more details on the course and to purchase any of the options above.

Let’s work together to get more yoga to more people in more places!

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!

change, clarity, courage, meditation, yoga

Leap: When the Going Gets Tough, The Tough Keep Breathing

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest member http://pinterest.com/pntdhorses/

“Sometimes when things are falling apart, they may actually be falling into place.” ~ Marilyn Monroe

I went to meditation class on Monday night and settled in to my seat as I’ve done many times before. Nothing seemed unusual about the beginning of my practice but I was in for a roller coaster of surprises. This is a short story about riding the wave, never giving in, and committing to the long haul.

In a couple of weeks I’m meeting with an accountant to get myself set up as a corporation as I transition into doing more freelance work. I need to come up with a name for my company and I’ve been running up against a wall because of some underlying angst. Since making the leap last week, I’ve been wrestling with how to reconcile my professional interests in product development, writing, and teaching yoga under one corporate roof. I hoped that my meditation class would bring about some inspiration.

As soon as I settled down and closed my eyes, I knew something was wrong. In less than a minute my eyes were tearing up and tears were rolling down my face. My whole body began to feel very heavy and weak, my legs were falling asleep, and I started to feel dizzy. I stretched my legs out in front of me and pins and needles started firing from my feet to my knees. I took a long forward bend in hopes of re-grounding myself. It helped a bit, but not much. I contemplated leaving the class but decided to try to breathe through it. And I’m so glad I did.

With each breath, I felt myself releasing something that was old and stale, something that needed to be sent out to pasture and never heard from again. I’m not even quite sure what it was. Maybe old perceptions of myself or the world, maybe fear and anxiety, maybe a hard shell that had outlived its protective purpose. Underneath, I could feel the green sprouts shooting up, struggling to break new ground, reaching for some air and sunlight. A new day was dawning.

Change is hard. It hurts. It’s scary ad int’s uncomfortable. But if we are willing to hang in there and do the work to cross the chasm, something amazing is waiting for us on the other side and that something is us. We are making our way to exactly who we are meant to be and once we arrive home to our own authenticity, we will look back and realize that all of that work was worthwhile. The journey is long and arduous. It’s full of surprises, good and bad. Don’t turn back. Breathe, and keep going.

adventure, India, travel, yoga

Leap: Visiting the Sivananda Ashram in Delhi

Christa Avampato
Swami Sivananda

“There is something good in all seeming failures. You are not to see that now. Time will reveal it. Be patient.” ~ Swami Vishnudevananda, Founder of Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres and disciple of Swami Sivananda

Of course while I’m in India, I’ll be soaking in some yoga classes and Ayurvedic treatments. My lovely friends, Nithya and Karthik, have made arrangements for me to meet Nithya’s uncle who is an elder at the Sivananda Ashram in Delhi. I am overwhelmed by their generosity and thoughtfulness to make this a part of my first experience in India. This is the exact ashram I wished to visit during my stay because of their devotion to spread yoga to all who wish to know it.

The Sivananda training system aims to retain the vitality of the body and decrease chance of disease by simply and naturally cultivating the body and mind of the practitioner. Sivananda Yoga class is a traditional, slow paced, meditative class that helps encourage proper breathing, flexibility, strength and vitality in the body while calming the mind. Because Yoga is a spiritual system with a physical component, this non-competitive approach helps the practitioner gain much more than just a healthy body. A typical open class includes pranayama (breathing exercises), warm-up including Sun Salutations, 12 basic asanas (yoga postures) with relaxation between postures, and finally, deep relaxation based on the 5 principles of Yoga. Total beginners are welcome, as are more advanced practitioners. The teacher will modify the postures to suit your level.

The International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres is a non-profit organization named after Swami Sivananda of the Himalayas, one of the most influential spiritual teachers of the 20th century. It was founded in 1957 by his disciple Swami Vishnudevananda, a renowned authority on Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga. Its purpose is to propagate the ancient teachings of Yoga and Vedanta as a means of achieving physical, mental and spiritual well being and thereby create a more peaceful world. The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Nataraja Society, New Delhi was established in 1992 by Sri Swami Vishnudevananda.

The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre is a non-profit organisation run by voluntary staff and dedicated to the aim of disseminating the knowledge of yoga. The activities of all the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres take place through the practice of karma yoga (voluntary service). All talents are welcomed.

teaching, war, yoga

Leap: How Yoga Transformed A Wounded Vet

Christa Avampato

If you ever doubted the power of yoga to radically transform someone’s life, take 5 minutes to watch this Youtube Video. I get goosebumps just thinking about it. This is why I teach and why I’m making it my mission to spread the gift of this practice as far and wide as possible, particularly to the 95% of people who don’t currently practice. Thanks to my wonderful friend, Henry, for sending me this link.

Arthur Boorman was a disabled veteran of the Gulf War for 15 years, and was told by his doctors that he would never be able to walk on his own, ever again.

He stumbled upon an article about Diamond Dallas Page doing Yoga and decided to give it a try — he couldn’t do traditional, higher impact exercise, so he tried DDP YOGA and sent an email to Dallas telling him his story.

Dallas was so moved by his story, he began emailing and speaking on the phone with Arthur throughout his journey – he encouraged Arthur to keep going and to believe that anything was possible. Even though doctors told him walking would never happen, Arthur was persistent. He fell many times, but kept going.

Arthur was getting stronger rapidly, and he was losing weight at an incredible rate! Because of DDP’s specialized workout, he gained tremendous balance and flexibility — which gave him hope that maybe someday, he’d be able to walk again.

His story is proof, that we cannot place limits on what we are capable of doing, because we often do not know our own potential. Niether Arthur, nor Dallas knew what he would go on to accomplish, but this video speaks for itself. In less than a year, Arthur completely transformed his life. If only he had known what he was capable of, 15 years earlier.

Do not waste any time thinking you are stuck – you can take control over your life, and change it faster than you might think.

Hopefully this story can inspire you to follow your dreams – whatever they may be.
Anything is Possible!

For more information about DDP YOGA, visit http://www.ddpyoga.com

To contact Arthur or Dallas Page about this incredible story, please visit http://www.ddpbang.com and contact them.

Both Dallas and Arthur are available for events to share their inspirational story.

Arthur’s story is featured in the upcoming documentary, http://www.inspiredthemovie.com

An extended cut of this story can be viewed here! http://bit.ly/IPfpwI

community, New York City, yoga

Leap: Yoga Class On June 7th to Benefit Hartley House

Christa Avampato
Some of the community members of Hartley House who will benefit from the proceeds of the yoga class on June 7th

On June 7th, I’ll be partnering with Hartley House to bring more yoga to the Hell’s Kitchen community. I’ll be teaching an open level class – all ages and levels are welcome. I would love to have you join me. Here are the details:

Location: Hartley House
Address: 413 West 46th Street, New York, NY 10036
Time: 6:30pm – 7:30pm
Suggested donation: $1 – proceeds benefit the Hartley House After School and Summer Camp Programs

I hope to see you there!

About Hartley House:
Hartley House has served those who live and work in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen since 1897. Its mission is to respond energetically and creatively to the ever-evolving needs of its neighbors regardless of their age, income, race, gender or sexual orientation. The programs include educational, creative, recreational, civic and social services. Their size enables us to be both flexible and personalized, and we are always alert to ways in which our programs and services can support or complement one another. Hartley House not only reaches out to neighbors of all backgrounds and ages, but also fosters ongoing connections with them as they pass from one phase of life into another. The well-being of each growing, changing person enriches the entire community. Every neighborhood is a complex web of connections among families, friends, neighbors, businesses and organizations. Strengthening these connections is their mission.