Karma yoga is the yoga of selfless service. Here are some opportunities to help, both locally and globally.
Joyful Heart Yoga's Annual Fund-Raiser for Children's Hospital of the National Capital Area
Amount raised: $700 -- Thank you, generous students!
Each year I give up one week's salary and turn it over to Children's Hospital -- an organization dear to my heart because they help sick children. Thanks to the generosity of my students, this has been very successful. During the week of December 15, please come to yoga class and pay on a donation basis (whatever you'd like). All profits will be turned over to Children's Hospital of the National Capital Area. Payment can be cash or a check made out to Joyful Heart Yoga (my business makes the donation). If you can't make it to class, you can donate anyway by clicking here:
Serving the Homeless in Alexandria, Va.
Volunteers are needed to prepare and serve a hot meal for 25 and/or prepare and deliver brown-bag breakfasts for 25
Hot meals: Wednesdays from 6 - 8 pm in December & January
Thursdays from 6 - 8 pm in February & March
Where: Rising Hope Mission site near Mt. Vernon (actual address to come)
Who to Contact: Rosemary Kley, 703/719-6238
El Puente - The Bridge
I love the story of how this organization got started: Barry & Nancy Stevens rented a small house in Costa Rica. She wanted inspiration for her artwork and he wanted a quiet place to write a book. One day they looked out the window and saw an elderly man with two small children looking through the trash can for something to eat. The Stevens' had a pot of soup on the stove, so they invited them in for a meal. They found out that their guests were BriBri Indians who lived in the jungle nearby. Their old w
ays of living off the land and keeping to themselves were no longer working and they were starting to come out of the jungle because they were hungry. The next thing you know, the Stevens' were holding a regular soup kitchen for the BriBri and it all snowballed from there. They gave up their former lives in the U.S. and dedicated themselves to helping the BriBri become self-sufficient, and they've made a huge difference: They were instrumental in getting BriBri children enrolled in school for the first time, getting donations of clothing and toys, helping skilled workers find jobs, getting much-needed health care to the community, and more. They don't just give handouts -- they have work for food programs and offer micro-loans to help people get a head start.
These people are karma yoga in action. By helping others, their lives have become more rich than they could have imagined, even if their pockets aren't rich. On one of our Costa Rica retreats, some of us spent a little time at the Bridge and met the Bri Bri and visited their jungle homes. It was humbling indeed, and yet it showed that regardless of our circumstances, we are all one, and by giving to others you also receive. To learn more about the Bridge or to make a donation, click here: http://www.elpuente-thebridge.org/index.html