I am pleased and honored to announce that our efforts to support the African Village Survival Initiative (AFSI) through Yoga with a Purpose raised $430.00. On behalf of AFSI, I want to thank all of you who attended classes and supported this important initiative, either through your attendance or through your direct contributions or both. Truly it is a blessing to be a part of such a wonderful and caring community.
Shalom & Namaste
Diana Bonyhadi
Everyone once and a while I am called to notice how full my life is, how much I have to be thankful for. I guess you could call it counting my blessings. Honoring our blessings is indeed a “practice that takes us beyond the mat,” for as we take a moment to express our gratitude, we open our hearts to blessings and are open to the energies of healing.
Last week was Yoga with a Purpose Week. My classes were full, and we raised some much-needed funds for the African Village Survival Initiative. I am thankful we could all be part of helping others less fortunate develop means for economic sustainability.
This weekend I spent with my book club friends up on the Olympic Peninsula. Wow, what a gorgeous spot: Snow-capped Mountains in the distance, water lapping at the deck, seals and eagles playing for our amusement, and sun! Oh, I am so thankful to live near the Puget Sound. If you haven’t given yourself a 24 vacation, do so soon and visit Kingston, WA, just an hour and a half (including ferry ride) north of Seattle.
No book club retreat could be complete without the book discussion. This weekend we discussed the Help by Kathryn Stockett. This book is so worth the read. The author deftly combines history of the 1960’s, race relations in the south, and explorations into the meaning of family and friendship. This is a book that will keep you laughing and crying and glad to be alive. I am thankful I can read,and thankful that such great books exist, and that I have a community of friends with whom i can share my love of reading.
Mother’s Day. Okay, it’s a gimme, but I gotta tell you. Those hand-made cards and poems from my family rock my world. Thank you Hallmark for giving me a moment to revel in the love of my family.
I think that is enough for now. I think I will add my list of thank yous to my daily meditation practice. Perhaps you will join me.
Namaste,
Diana
Today I am dedicating my teaching practice to Yoga with a Purpose. All Proceeds from my classes will be donated to the African Village Survival Initiative. Simply by attending class, doing that which you know nurtures your body, you will be doing something good for others.
We call this yoga of compassion. Yoga of the heart. Yoga to heal the soul of the planet. Kharma/Seva Yoga – the highest form of yoga, which is an offering to the planet.
I wrote about the AVSI last week, so if you want more information, go back a post or two, or link on out of here.
Come join one of my classes, or look to see what other studios in your area are supporting this week of Yoga with a Purpose. Yogis across the country are offering classes, so if you haven’t chosen your studio/teacher for today, find one who is giving it up for AVSI.
Have a great day.
Shalom & Namaste,
Diana
Gumby Yoga
What comes to your mind when you think of Gumby? A cute green, super flexible, smiley cartoon character? Do you remember anything else? Maybe his buddy, the horse Pokey? They were best friends, always there for each other. Maybe you remember his adventures. I know, it was a long time ago, but dig deeper. Here’s what I recall – that Gumby was always “bending over backwards” to be there for folks. His heart was so open, so full, that he could literally stretch himself to be there for others.
Now that’s what yoga is all about for me. Not that super flexible body stuff – that’s cool and all – but where I resonate is with that open heart business. As my practice deepens, I realize that it is not about finding more ways to tie myself in knots – we tangle ourselves up enough as is – but rather the real focus is on finding more ways to stretch open the spaces in my heart and dust off the cobwebs of my mind.
Don’t get me wrong, I love finding new ways to deepen my back bends. Urdhva dhanurasna (wheel), ustrasana (camel), eka pada rajakapotasana (one-legged king pigeon pose), pincer mayurasana/vrshchikasana (forearm balance/scorpion) & Warrior I – lay them on me. But help me to remember that a pose is just a pose. And the pose will remain static and boring until that point when my heart lifts up into it, and I am able to live from that open space.
In order to fully live my practice beyond the mat, I must be able to embody the being of Gumby – stretching, reaching, opening my heart so that I have the space to truly bend over backwards to be there for others.
Yoga with a Purpose
Word is getting out. People are beginning to live their yoga beyond the mat. Yogis are giving of themselves to make this world a better place. And they are doing it by doing what they love – yoga.
Here is an example, of a really cool project, which I will be supporting by donating the proceeds from all of my classes on Thursday May 6th. I hope you will also join me in supporting:
2nd Annual Yoga with a Purpose Benefit Week
Last year almost 50 studios around the United States joined together to support the African Village Survival Initiative (AVSI). AVSI is a program created by the African-led Uhuru Movement for community-based economic self-reliance. The African Village Survival Initiative (AVSI) is working to equip the Uhuru House, in St Petersburg, FL with a recording studio, and a commercial kitchen for community based economic development projects.
AVSI Uhuru House projects are designed to support the African community in addressing and resolving the critical issues that confront them by uniting Africans together all over this country and the world for self-determination.
This program addresses a critical need both here and abroad – African peoples must gain sustainability and economic independence. The building of community kitchens and sound production studios in Florida and on the African continent is a clearly achievable and reproducible goal. The need is clear – more than 50% of the African population here in the US lives below the poverty line and on the continent it is way worse. Building commercial kitchens and sound production studios will enable the African communities to engage in economic activities which will allow them to become self reliant (recordings, meals, restaurants, bakeries, etc).
This is not a project that is limited to persons of African descent. It is a project that begs all of us to attend. To quote a favorite musician “If one of us is chained, none of us are free.” Years of slavery and economic and social abuse have unfortunately marginalized the African community. No longer can we keep our eyes closed and our hearts barred. Here is a chance to make a difference.
If you live in the Seattle area, come and take one of my classes at Urban Oasis on May 6th. All proceeds from those classes will be donated to Yoga with a Purpose. The monies then will be used to support AVSI. If you are a teacher/studio owner – sign up to donate your classes. It’s a win-win: You get great yoga, and you get to support a good project at the same time.
Take a moment to check out how many studios across the country are already signed up to do this. Pretty cool, huh? I loved looking through the list and seeing all those studios across the US contributing classes. Makes me want to visit those studios when I visit those towns.
THANK YOU!
A partial list of contributing studios
Laughter Yoga with Purvi Jani
285/287 Newton Ave, Oakland
pveggielady@yahoo.com
Hawthorne Yoga
1241 Carpenter St
Philadelphia, PA 19147
www.hawthorneyoga.com
O15 Workout – High Intensity 15 Minute Workout
201 S. Camac Street, 2nd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107
www.o15workout.com
Khalsa Healing Arts Center
Meditation Class – Mahan Rishi Singh Khalsa
301 Oxford Valley Rd Suite 1504
Yardley, PA 19067
www.meditationpathways.com
events@khalsahealingarts.com
Hawthorne Yoga
1241 Carpenter St
Philadelphia, PA 19147
www.hawthorneyoga.com
SANKHYA YOGA SCHOOL & WELLNESS CENTER
1206 North 5th Street, Studio C
Northern Liberties
Philadelphia, PA 19122
www.sankhyayoga.com
DiBella Yoga Studio
Depot Shoppes
31 Plank Avenue #304
Paoli, PA 19301
www.dibellayoga.com
Dhyana Yoga Rittenhouse
1611 Walnut St, 4th Floor
215 222-YOGA (9642)
www.dhyana-yoga.com
Evolution Physical Therapy & Yoga
20 Kilburn Street
Burlington, Vermont 05401
evolutionvt.com
The Awareness Center at Fit
62 Rockford Road
Wilmington, DE 19806
www.awarenesscenterde.com
Saraswati River Yoga – Denyse
408 York Rd, suite 2
New Hope, PA 18938
www.saraswatiriveryoga.com
Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center
1200 Arguello Blvd in the Inner Sunset neighborhood in San Francisco.
www.sfyoga.com
Dhyana Yoga Rittenhouse
1611 Walnut St, 4th Floor
www.dhyana-yoga.com
PRANA MANDIR Yoga Studio
4 West 43rd Street – Suite 501
NY, NY 10036
www.pranamandir.com
Vallejo Yoga in the heart of downtown Vallejo, CA
www.vallejoyoga.com
Studio 34
4522 Baltimore Avenue in West Philly
www.studio34yoga.com
Dhyana Yoga West Philly
3945 Chestnut St.,
2nd fl in the HUB
215 222-YOGA (9642)
www.dhyana-yoga.com
Happy Earth Day
Living Yoga – Living Green
Once again it is Earth Day. Do any of you remember when we first started celebrating Earth Day? It was such a big deal – tree plantings, school activities, huge community wide events. Now, it seems as though we have gotten habituated to the idea. I mean I have to actually look for events and celebrations. Where are the big banners and posters for local get-involved events?
And then I remembered one of the primary principles of our yoga practice. The first of Patanjali’s yamas is Ahimsa – roughly translated to “do no harm.” On the mat, we take this to mean that we respect our bodies and we don’t push beyond our limits. But what does it mean beyond the mat? Well the first step is to treat all beings, including ourselves with compassion and respect. Avoid those harmful words, thoughts and actions. Practice Kindness and compassion in all you do.
And from here, “being/living green” is a logical extension of Ahimsa. If we are to avoid harmful actions to all beings everywhere, wouldn’t that also include our own lovely planet? Practicing beyond the mat when it comes to the earth means living Ahimsa and treating the earth in ways that nourish her and don’t hurt or deplete her fine resources. There are so many simple steps we can take to support our earth, and as a result support and nourish ourselves. I offer just a few here, and welcome your suggestions to expand this list for all of us.
Walk gently and leave no tread
There are so many more things we can do to practice Ahimsa beyond the mat. Adding just one of the things to your daily practice will not only benefit the planet, but it will also deepen your yoga practice.
Shalom & Namaste,
Diana Bonyhadi
Have you made your weekend plans? If not, here are a few things you can add to your schedule. Some are very yogic, and some are not so yogic. I hear that there is a good chance it will be sunny this weekend, so regardless of how many things you plan to do, make sure that one of them involves playing outside.
Shalom & Namaste,
Diana Bonyhadi
Friday & Saturday:
Hopscotch Seattle, Fremont
Okay, this is for you if you think that an evening tasting premier beer, scotch and tequila sounds like a night of fun. Think Octoberfest, only with more variety. I think it is even being organized by the same folks, and the proceeds will benefit the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). This unique tasting experience will feature over 80 beers, wines and spirits and allows guests to interact with beverage experts to discover their true palette during the two-day event.
Saturday:
Compassionate Seattle, Center for Spiritual Living, Seattle
Come celebrate and participate in the creation of a new Charter of compassion for Seattle. It’s true, there is not another city willing to sign an official Charter of Compassion, a public declaration of our commitment to not only live and breathe compassion, but to also conduct the business of our city with a heart of compassion.
This will be a fantastic day – great music, great teachers, great community.
Sunday:
Get Ready, Get Set, Go Upside Down – An Inversions Workshop 1:30 – 4:00pm
I will be teaching this class at Urban Oasis, East Lake Sammamish Blvd, Issaquah, WA
6 months yoga experience required – that and a great attitude, cause we are going to have a lot of fun learning how to do head stands, hand stands and forearm balances. After this class, you will never be afraid to go upside down again. Advanced variations will also be explored, just in case you have got your handstand down and you want to see where else you can take it. Contact Urban Oasis to save your space.
Live Music & the Yoga of Devotion
There is another master teacher in town this week – Shiva Rea. She will be leading a teacher training and open workshops throughout the weekend at Shakti West in Ballard. I don’t know if there is still room left, but you might want to check it out. I definitely plan to. Shiva Rea has a very special energy about her. She lives her yoga and has great wisdom to share.
And if you don’t already have plans for this Friday night, you can treat yourself to an amazing evening of music and chanting, also at Shakti West and led by the gifted musician Steve Gold. I just put a link into his myspace place so you can check out his music, just click on his name, and you can go right there.
Pre-register: by calling SHAKTI West (206) 297-9642
Cost: $20 Adv, $25 at door — 2 hours towards Shiva Rea’s Teacher Training
Location: SHAKTI Vinyasa Yoga West, 2238 NW Market Street Ballard, Seattle, WA 98107
Compassionate Seattle
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra 1.33:
Maitri karuna mudita upekshanam sukha duhkha punya apunya vishayanam bhavanatah chitta prasadanam.
By cultivating attitudes of friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and equanimity toward the non virtuous, the mind maintains its attitude undisturbed calmness.
In this Sutra, Patanjali reminds us that our practice of yoga is indeed a practice of living and acting from the heart of compassion. Whatever we do on the mat to bring health and clarity to body, must also be an integral part of how we live beyond the mat. Balancing love, happiness, pain, virtuousness and equanimity in all that we do, will bring greater calmness and peace to our hearts and our communities.
You could say it started when His Holiness the Dali Lama came to Seattle in April of 2008 for the Seeds of Compassion Conference. During that historic week people from all over the Pacific Northwest and beyond came together to envision a world of compassion. And what a fantastic week it was. I had the privilege of being involved in many aspects of the event and was touched at the deepest levels by the heart and vision of our community.
But in reality, Seeds of Compassion wouldn’t have happened here, if the spirit of compassion was not already alive and vibrant within our community. People from all walks of life, have been working together behind the scenes for years, living and sharing the spirit of compassion. And that is why, Seattle is about to become the first city in the US and perhaps the world to have an official Charter of Compassion. Living, educating and working from a place of compassion will now be officially incorporated into almost every aspect of our city’s vision and plan.
So, how can you get involved? Be part of the official celebration and launch of Compassionate Seattle, April 2010 – http://my.compassionateactionnetwork.com/profiles/blogs/compassionate-seattle-its-up
Date: April 24th 9am – 8pm
Main Event: 9am – 5pm: Compassion Showcase and Exchange
Evening Celebration and Performance: 5- 8pm
Location: Center for Spiritual Living, 5801 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, Washington 98105
Tickets: Available through Brown Paper Tickets and can be purchased for the entire day/evening (9am – 8pm) or just for the evening celebration (5pm – 8pm). Lunch can also be purchased in advance (or bring your own.)
Shalom & Namaste,
Diana Bonyhadi
Home again from vacation. The bags are unpacked, the laundry clean and put away, meals planned for the week, and all of us have returned to the routine of school and work.
Routine which may become monotonous, does provide a stable ground upon which to rest. We know what is expected of us, and how best to manage our strength and energies within it. Routine, which can sometimes lead to boredom, also provides an opportunity for renewal and deeper introspection.
Take for example the sun salutations. We know the routine:
As we breath and move from asana to asana we gain strength and clarity. Each asana is a meditation in and of itself. And yet each asana leads to the next asana, deepening the meditation. As the flow becomes more and more familiar, we begin to deepen our practice and our understanding of ourselves.
Sure, there is room for boredom. All the room your are willing to allow yourself. As soon as you mentally jump ship (so to speak) the asanas no longer provide the foundation for the meditation, and become no more than an aerobic exercise. The true gift of the sun salutation lies in its ability to link our breath, movement and mind into a heart opening practice. One in which we put aside all of our “to-do” lists, and allow ourselves to experience a greater sense of well-being and connectedness.
And there is great room for enhancement and variation. All the other asanas can be incorporated into the sun salutations. Routine becomes enhanced, and yet grounded in a deeper practice.
So, as we return again to the routine of daily living, I find myself embracing my sun salutation practice as a touchstone for renewal and re-entry. May it be so for you as well.
Shalom & Namaste,
Diana
Diana Bonyhadi Yoga 
