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 - Dec. 3 - 6, 2012
Come to class Dec. 3 - 6 and stretch for a good cause! Each year I give a week of classes on a donation basis and all profits go to Children's Hospital.
We collected $657 for 2012!
It's easy to donate food when you come to class at Mt. Vernon Unitarian Church.
There's always a drop-off box inside the door for food donations that go to the food bank at United Christian Ministries, which helps those in need in Alexandria.
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 ways 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