Tag: postaday2011

adventure, vacation, yoga

Beginning: DIY Yoga Retreat in 9 Easy Steps

Christa Avampato

Many yogis dream about the luxury of a relaxing yoga retreat. I attended my first retreat last summer, and it was an interesting experience. I learned a lot while I was there, about myself, about the world, and about what to do and not to do when someday I organize my own yoga retreat in some fantastic location.

Take a yoga retreat on a shoestring budget DIY-style:
Like many of you, I’ve got some financial goals I’m trying to hit this year and with my other travel plans it looks a yoga retreat in an exotic location may have to wait until 2011. Yoga retreats typically run $1200+ without airfare. Sometimes meals and lodging are included, though that’s not always the case, and then there are some incidental expenses that pop up as well. All in, a yoga retreat will typically cost $3000+, not a small sum of money. So I started to think about a DIY (do-it-yourself) option. I’m signed up for so many group couponing sites now that all seem to offer just about the same types of deals everyday. Groupon, Bloomspot, Living Social, and Daily Flock are part of the set. They routinely offer deeply discounted (50%+) passes to yoga studios, and many of them are for unlimited use for a certain period of time (typically a week or 2).

Here’s how a DIY yoga retreat in your own hometown might go in 9 easy steps:
1.) Wake up with the sun

2.) Take a few moments for seated meditation and have some warm tea or warm water with lemon. If you’re feeling hungry a small piece of fruit will help to tide you over until after practice.

3.) Step out for a morning yoga class via a fabulous deal you got through one of the group couponing sites

4.) Enjoy a healthy, substantial meal – many yoga retreats offer vegetarian or vegan cuisine. Find some options nearby via a site like Opentable.

5.) Take the afternoon to sightsee in your own town. We all have touristy type destinations in our own cities that we never seem to have time to visit unless we have guests in town. Now’s your chance to take in these sites without the pressure of entertaining others. Be adventurous!

6.) Grab a small healthy snack before heading to a second yoga class, maybe in a different style or with a different teacher than your morning class.

7.) Take yourself out for a delicious, healthy meal that you can really savor and enjoy.

8.) Let your evening be a time to completely relax and unwind. Is a spa treatment of some kind in order? (Again, your group couponing sites will come in handy for some discounted luxury!) Curling up with a good book, taking a long walk, or beginning some creative project you’ve been meaning to get to can also be a wonderful way to enjoy some R&R.

9.) Before settling in for the night, a long, peaceful meditation can help to seal in all of the good energy from the day, lull yourself to sleep, so that you’re fully recharged to start all over again tomorrow.

3 key things to remember to create a luxurious DIY yoga retreat:
1.) You are on vacation. If you were out-of-town you’d likely not return phone calls, not open mail, and not be attached to your gadgets. Take this time to let go even though you’re in your hometown.

2.) Vacation is a time of re-invention, to try something new. Even though you’re in the comfort of your own home, be a little daring. And that can mean trying a cuisine outside your normal routine, taking in some day time activities that you don’t normally do, or going to a brand new yoga studio.

3.) Get rid of that to-do list. If you were going out-of-town on vacation, all your errands and chores would be done before or after vacation. Take that same approach with your DIY yoga retreat. Really pamper yourself and give yourself the break you deserve, at a small fraction of the cost of going on a more traditional yoga retreat.

And there we have a yoga retreat with no travel delays and at a tiny fraction of the cost of an out-of-town retreat. What do you think? Worthwhile? If you give it a try, let me know how it goes!

books, vacation, writing

Beginning: A Writing Vacation for Me

Christa Avampato

“There are two kinds of people, those who finish what they start and so on.” ~ Robert Byrne

I try to always be a part of the former group that Mr. Byrne details in his quote above. The idea of a project half-done, or worse yet done but not to the best of my ability, makes my stomach turn. I can’t leave things is a state of potential. I like completing things – it’s in my Piscean nature. Because we are the last sign of the zodiac we like endings, preferably happy ones. To compound matters, under the Chinese Zodiac I’m a Fire Dragon. Look out world. I’m here to get things done!

Which brings me to a somewhat troubling and confusing matter in my writing. For about 6 months I’ve had an idea for a book that uses the tenants of a strong yoga practice as the tenants for building a solid personal finance plan. I’m making some progress. Outline’s done and the structure is pretty solid. The first 4 chapters are in very rough written form, and I’ve started on chapter 5. Arguably, these 4 chapters were the hardest to write. Still, I’m not happy with this progress. I wanted to be further along by now. Heck, I wanted to be done by now. And not just because I like to finish projects, but also because this book is really needed, can help a lot of people, and fills a tough-to-fill niche.

So what’s the problem? My multi-tasking nature is getting the best of me, despite my very best attempts at being a recovering multi-tasker. Here’s where the rubber meets the road, where my curious nature gets the best of me. I meditate. I do yoga. And still I’m a little afraid of writing this book because I don’t want it to be less than really awesome. The subject, and the people I’m writing the book for, deserve awesome. And awesome is a tall order.

Of course, I absolutely refuse to stay in this state. I refuse to be my own writing enemy, my own personified version of writer’s block. My perfectionist tendencies are really going to have to find some other place to hang out for a while. I’m taking myself on vacation. A writing vacation.

So what is a writing vacation? I’m going to spend an entire luxurious vacation with the main focus being writing and nothing else. Truth be told, I’m going to do a few other things. I’m going to take some yoga classes, meditate, walk Phin, and eat delicious food, all in an attempt to funnel my creative mind into this book. Other than that, I’ll be in front of my Mac typing away. I’m going to get this rough draft, a full rough draft, completed by Labor Day. No excuses. And you can hold me to that. Actually, I absolutely want you to hold me to that. This self-imposed deadline is just the motivation I need to get my perfectionism to take a break. I’m just going to write until it’s done.

charity, yoga

Beginning: Jade Yoga Becomes the First Charitable Sponsor of Compass Yoga

Christa Avampato

Jade Yoga is a charitable sponsor of Compass Yoga
I spend a good deal of time trying to improve Compass Yoga, the organization I started to bring yoga to under-served populations.
About a month ago, I announced the Compass Partnership with the New York Public Library. Many of my students are beginners or returning to yoga after many years away from the mat. Last week I started contacting yoga supply companies to see if any of them would be willing to donate mats and props to the class for my students to use.

Yesterday Jade Yoga, the maker of one of the very best yoga mats on the market, decided to become the first charitable sponsor of Compass Yoga. Jade donated 12 brand spanking new, eco-friendly Harmony Yoga Mats for the Compass Yoga class at the New York Public Library, a value of almost $800. I am overwhelmed by Jade Yoga’s generosity. On behalf of Compass, the New York Public Library, and my students, thank you, Jade Yoga, for your kind contribution in an effort to spread the benefits of yoga throughout our community. You just gained a customer and fan for life. Namaste!

career, creative process, creativity

Beginning: 4 Paths to Gaining Constructive Discontent

Christa Avampato

I was digging through the Problogger archives recently and came across this gem of a post: 9 Attitudes of Highly Creative People. I love these kinds fo posts for a few reasons: a) I’m a creativity hound, hence the subtitle of this blog, “Curating a Creative Life” and b) they never go out of style. Creative habits are trendy; they’re truths. What works today will work tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. Just like that little black dress or that perfect feel-good pair of jeans. I love a classic.

Of the 9 attitudes that Darren Rowse, a.k.a. Problogger, discusses in this post, my favorite by far is “Constructive Discontent”. Give me the naysayers who have taken the time to come up with a host of better alternatives than the options currently on the table. I will gladly embrace them because I’m one of them. These are the people who turn ideas upside down, create disruptive new products and services, and live by the mantra “why not?” They are rebels with a cause – to make the world better.

4 Paths to Gain Constructive Discontent:
1.) Don’t accept that the way it is will be the way it will always is. In this new-fangled economy there is only one certainty – change, and plenty of it!

2.) Be a Hopeful Pessimist, or a Cynical Optimist. Even if it’s all going to hell at the moment, those with constructive discontent believe in their heart of hearts that it can and will be better in the not-so-distant future.

3.) You’re Part of the Solution. Believing that the choices you make and the positions that you take on a project can make a difference is key. If you have strong convictions, be prepared to back them up with actions.

4.) Be on record. Being on record with a unique p.o.v. can be tough. It takes confidence and courage, and in the end confidence and courage do create a healthier more productive system. Take the long-view.

animals, dogs, love

Beginning: What Animals Teach Us About Love

Christa Avampato

Phineas with the cherry blossoms in Central Park
“It’s no trick loving somebody at their best. Love is loving them at their worst.” ~ Tom Stoppard

Phineas and I had our first fight. Last week he had one day when he didn’t want to go outside, didn’t want to go back inside once we finally got to our walk, didn’t want to go back into our apartment, and then didn’t want me to leave for work. He howled and howled when I left. And not his “I’m sad; don’t leave me” cry” but his “I am so mad at you for leaving me” cry. This was completely unlike Phin. He’s never done that before. the few days prior he did seem to be having some nightmares, and would whimper a little bit in the middle of the night. I should also mention that this same morning both the elevators in my building were clogged due to a movie filming in our building (we live on the 17th floor!), and Phin could hear every single clang of the movie equipment from our apartment. (If they’re going to inconvenience us, the least the producers could do is put us in the movie.) Oy! What a Monday!

I tried everything I could to calm Phin down and nothing, absolutely nothing worked, so I ended up just having to leave with him angry at me. And I was mad at him, too. A grown 35 year old woman angry at a 15 pound, 18 month old dachshund. Now looking back on it, my anger was pretty hilarious. How was Phineas supposed to understand that a movie was filming and he would just have to contend with the noise? At the time it was awful.

In my mind I know Phin was just fine. He had his food and water, his treats, his nice warm bed as well as my nice warm bed if he wanted it. The TV was on and his dog walker was scheduled to take him out later in the afternoon. Still, my heart was sick at work. So sick that I asked the dog walker to send me a text after their walk to let me know if he seemed okay. Chalk it up to still being a beginning full-time dog owner. How do parents manage to their crying children at daycare? A howling dachshund is about all I can manage.

I hate to say this but a small part of my dreaded going home that night. What if Phineas gave me the silent treatment? Maybe I’m a terrible dog parent. What if he didn’t have just a bad morning but this was a turning point in his personality?

Phineas’s walk with the dog walker went well and when I got home he was overjoyed to see me, just like always. We went for a walk, had some dinner, and then he snuggled up next to me on the couch and promptly put himself to bed early. He was just fine. We were just fine. It was just an off morning and nothing more.

Phineas and I learned a valuable thing about love and co-habitation. Eventually, we have to go home and sort out our differences with the beings whom we love. We have to keep showing up. The love and companionship trump any difficulties that may surface along the way. When you love someone, you love regardless of their mood. And yes you’ll get mad and they’ll get mad, but it can and should be forgiven. Tom Stoppard was right – real love means loving them just as they are, Monday morning or not.

teaching, yoga

Beginning: My Therapeutic Yoga Teacher Training at Integral Yoga Institute

Christa Avampato

Last week I found out that I was awarded a scholarship to the Integral Yoga Institute to participate in their Therapeutic Yoga Teacher Training in June. Cheri Clampett and Arturo Peal, both of Santa Barbara, California, will be leading the training. Cheri currently teaches yoga at the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Yoga Center. Arturo is a yoga therapist who also holds a Masters Degree in Chinese Medicine and practices Craniosacral Therapy.

I’ve really enjoyed my work at New York Methodist Hospital, and want to continue to grow my yoga career in that vein. Even at the New York Public Library, I see a number of students who have a very specific health ailment. I’m able to help them to an extent but I know I could do more for them. They have a keen interest in using yoga as part of their wellness plan, and with a bit more training specifically in this area I know I can have a very positive impact.

More lessons on choosing a yoga training program
I’ve previously given advice about choosing a general yoga teacher training program. Choosing a specialty program is a bit different:

1.) Know how you want to use your teaching. Is there a certain health condition you want to help treat or a certain population (the elderly, children, athletes, etc.) you’d like to work with? Specialized training allows you to delve deeply into one specific area. I know I want to use yoga in healthcare settings so therapeutic yoga was the best option for me.

2.) Choose a reputable school. There are a lot of specialized training program out there. Many are legit and many are not. A few things that can help you determine a program falls: Does it provide hours toward the 200 or 500-hour Yoga Alliance certification? What is the general reputation of the school; is the school itself certified as a teacher training institute by the Yoga Alliance? I’ve wanted to study at Integral Yoga Institute for some time as they are recognized as one of the leaders in therapeutic yoga. The school and this program are certified by Yoga Alliance.

3.) Research the instructors. This goes for the instructors of the program and the school as a whole. What is their training? Where do they teach now? Do they use their teaching in a way that is similar to what you’d like to do? What institutions do they have ties to? Have there been news articles written about or by them? Cheri’s and Arturo’s teaching is something I am abundantly interested in because they work in healthcare settings. I’m also intrigued by Arturo’s training in Traditional Chinese Medicine that will add an interesting dimension to the therapeutic yoga.

4.) Ask around. And this can be asking questions through yoga blogs and websites or asking students who have gone through this training. Ideally, do both! I spoke to Cheri and Sevika at IYI, asking very specific questions about the program and introducing the work I currently do and where I’d like my yoga career to go. They were both very open to answering all of my questions and welcomed the dialogue.

5.) Certification. When you finish the program will you have a specific certification that adds to your qualifications and expands what you can offer your students and places where you teach? Once I complete this program, I will be certified as a Yoga Therapist and will have the opportunity to be listed in national directories of yoga therapy. Because I’m trying to grow my student base, this certification and listing is very important to me.

Are you thinking about a specialized yoga program? Got questions or some advice for others? Fire away!

business, education, leadership, nonprofit

Beginning: Cathie Black, Donald Trump, and the Difficulty of Building Consensus

Christa Avampato

On the New York Times blog Room for Debate several experts batted around Cathie Black’s quick appointment and quick dismissal as the Chancellor of New York City public schools. Most of them recapped what I thought were less-than-insightful points-of-view. One response, by the Cato Institute’s Neal P. McCluskey, brought up a very intriguing idea that I’ve been unable to get out of my mind for the last 5 days since I read his article. “In business, you don’t need public consensus to get things done. In something run by democratic government, you do.”

Cathie Black’s short tenure
Cathie Black was an abundantly successful giant in the publishing industry. She’s smart, savvy, and courageous. Taking the position as the NYC Public Schools Chancellor took a tremendous amount of guts. I don’t think she was fully-prepared for the complexities of the job. And while I was disappointed and shocked by some of her very public and distasteful mishaps (i.e., joking that birth control could help the overcrowding problems in schools), I was also sorry that she seemed to get very little guidance from former Chancellors. After a number of years working in the corporate world and after spending an equal number of years in the nonprofit world (some of that time in a government role), I whole-heartedly support Mr McCluskey’s opinion that making it in business is far easier than making it in the nonprofit / public sectors because of the consensus factor. The difference is public scrutiny and approval. I would go so far as to say that if you name any of today’s Fortune 500 CEO as the Chancellor of NYC Public Schools, they would likely follow in Black’s footsteps.

I’ve never bought into this idea that a good business person would naturally be a good fit as the head of a public organization. Business experience and the skills that come along with it, are not the be all end all of leadership. If anything, they’re only one small piece of the leadership pie. A leader also needs charisma, ethics, public speaking ability, creative acumen, and passion for the cause. Most importantly they need to have empathy and compassion for the people working alongside them. It’s entirely possible to cross the chasm, and the skills of business and nonprofit management can certainly support one another. That has absolutely been the case in my career. It just isn’t a given, which brings me to my latest political heartache – the potential candidacy of Donald Trump for President of the United States. Heaven help us – he may be the only Republican candidate who I fear more than Sarah Palin.

The Donald
On the Today Show last week, Meredith Viera asked The Donald why he thought he was qualified to be President. The first words out of his mouth? “Well, I hate to even say this, Meredith, but I did build the #1 rated show on NBC.” Given NBC’s recent track record of shows, I wouldn’t consider this a difficult feat. (That’s changed a bit in the past few years with the brilliant 30 Rock, and others like Parks & Recreation. For a while, The Office seemed to be their only saving grace.) The Donald’s second comment was that he’s an excellent businessman and therefore qualified to run the United States. And he topped it all off with his now-infamous rant about how President Obama is not a real U.S. citizen. I started having flashbacks to the ignorant dark ages of GWB. I have two words for you, Donald – “Cathie Black”.

What business people can learn from the public sector
For too long, business skills have been considered the silver bullet. “If you can run a corporation, you can do anything.” Bologna. As a business person myself, I think that view is elitist and short-sighted. We have to stop thinking of the public sector as the second sector. It’s much more complex than business, more difficult to lead, and to be honest, has much further-reaching, long-lasting effects on our society. The Chancellor of NYC public schools is responsible for educating the future adults of New York City. The President of the United States is the leader of the free world as it stands today. Think about that for a moment. These are incredibly awesome scales of responsibility, and need to be treated with the reverence that they deserve. Consensus, my dear business colleagues, is a much more lofty and difficult goal than driving stock prices and the bottom line. Approach these types of jobs with humility – we are beginners in this space. We have a lot to learn.

volunteer, yoga

Beginning: Karmi’s Angels, a Compass Yoga Initiative, Welcomes Its First Member – Suzanne Fletcher

Christa Avampato

Suzanne Fletcher
I started Compass Yoga last May with a dual-mission in mind:

1.) To teach yoga to under-served populations
2.) To help new teachers gain teaching experience by providing free classes to nonprofit employees and their constituents

Nearly one year later, the second piece of that mission has come into focus with the program Karmi’s Angels – a yogic take-off on Charlie’s Angels. (I guess that makes me Charlie!) Introducing Suzanne Fletcher, a graduate of the YogaWorks TT 200-hour program and a Second degree Black belt in Shorin Ryu Karate with 10 years of Martial Arts teaching experience. Beginning Thursday evening May 5th, Suzanne will offer a free class at the New York Public Library, Muhlenberg Branch at 209 West 23rd Street. Read more about Suzanne here.

4 other yoga teachers who have contacted me expressing interest in becoming one of Karmi’s Angels, and I’m currently working on matching them up with interested nonprofits. If you are a yoga teacher who is interested in being involved or work with a nonprofit who you think would be interested in offering free yoga, please email me at compassyoga@gmail.com.

social change, social entrepreneurship, women

Beginning: How to Affect Large Scale Social Change

Christa Avampato

Last week The Skoll Centre conducted their annual event, Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, to bring together thought leaders in the social innovation space. I followed the action on Twitter through #skollwf and read a post regarding 3 vital reminders that woman should be especially mindful of when seeking to affect large-scale social change. Though the talk was geared toward women, these reminders are useful for anyone looking to create social change regardless of their gender.

In full disclosure, I am particularly drawn to this post because it recaps a session co-led by Dr. Judith Rodin, who was the President of UPenn while I was an undergraduate there. She has since moved on from Penn and I’m proud that her intelligence, grace, and experience continues to impact broad social change initiatives. As Penn’s President she built the foundation that has transformed West Philadelphia from a very dangerous inner city to a thriving, diverse urban destination.

How to affect large-scale change: three vital reminders for women

A session of inspiring stories and conversations of large-scale change affected by women, facilitated by Pat Mitchell with contribution from Judith Rodin, gave rise to identification of three vital reminders:

1. Systems Thinking: Wide understanding of the cultural context and general ecosystem is necessary: draw a systems map that identifies all stakeholders and variables.

2. Collaboration: Networks are vital. Carefully consider how to leverage your partners and connections, especially “non obvious partners”. Create and sustain supportive communities.

3. Innovation: Technology is transformational when it gets into the hands of women. Identify the innovation, more likely to be on the ground than in halls of headquarters.

Uncategorized

Beginning: Make Someone’s Day – A Lesson from My Free Yoga Class at the New York Public Library

Christa Avampato

The free yoga class at the New York Public Library that I teach is going even better than I ever imagined. I had a few keys goals when I started this class:

1.) Get a wide audience to attend the class regularly, particularly students who have never taken yoga before

2.) Use the class as a springboard to launch Karmi’s Angels, Compass Yoga‘s free matchmaking service that pairs new yoga teachers who want to gain experience teaching and nonprofits who want to offer free yoga to their staff and constituents.

3.) Grow as a teacher myself

What I didn’t expect was what one of my students said to me yesterday, something that made me teary eyed, and glad, and grateful: “This class is the very best part of my week.” I knew yoga could have that effect; I just didn’t expect this class to have that effect. I simply replied, “It’s the best part of my week, too.” And I meant it. Others have told me, “This is just what I needed”, “I feel so relaxed after this class”, “Are all yoga classes this good?”, and one of my personal favorites – “Honey, I’ve been takin’ yoga classes for a long time and I know when a teacher got it and when she doesn’t. And honey, you got it.” How could I ever have a bad day after statements like that?

Teaching yoga, and particularly teaching a free class to an under-served, in-need population, can have a very profound effect on the teachers and the students. It opens the heart, the mind, and the soul to new ideas of how to create a happier, healthier world. It is the gift that keeps on giving. Some of my New York Public Library students keep asking me, “So when are you going to stop offering this class?” They assume I am only here for a limited run. Truthfully, I never started this class with any kind of end date in mind. I just wanted a quiet room with students who wanted to learn something about yoga. And as long as they keep showing up, then I’ll keep showing up, too.

If you are a yoga teacher interested in being matched with a nonprofit to offer a free class or know of a nonprofit who would be interested in having a free yoga class for their employees and their constituents, please contact me at compassyoga@gmail.com. Join the movement!