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Concord Yoga Benefit

December 8, 2008 in events, frugal living, Uncategorized, Yoga | Add Your Comment

Kate, Natalie and I send our thanks for contributing to our wildly successful  Yoga benefit class for the Acton Food Pantry. This was a day about raising the bar of generosity. 

A record 45 people came to class at Yoga and Nia for Life in West Concord, MA. (edit… our new record as of 2011 is 65 people for Yoga class)

I led a brief meditation to get everyone centered, then Kate led a spirited flow of Elemental Yoga. Some of this Yoga was new to us, and the focus in the room was incredible. 

Natalie's guided restorative session led us into a Shavasana that was truly welcomed by all. After the sighs, You could've heard a pin drop as people soaked-up their practice in serene-stillness.

concord yoga class to benefit the food pantry

Food, food, and more food! We counted 70 bags that weighed an average of 13 pounds. When I sent the original invite How To Recession-proof your life, I asked that people offer-up their favorite foods. Add in the generous donations by Whole Foods of Wayland of a case of olive oil and some great sauces and we're around 1,000 pounds of food. A new record at the Acton Pantry

There's still some donations coming in, 100 more pounds and we're at half a ton!  (edit.. we did make it to 1/2 ton!) Just look at what a committed group of Yogis can do:

food raised by the concord MA yoga students

I appreciate your huge hearts and participation in our yoga benefit.  Bringing your favorite foods ensures a quality holiday dinner for many families in need.  You've made a measurable difference. Our next step is to embrace this level of generosity year-round.   

Thanks to Maria Skinner, owner of Yoga and Nia for Life for donating her beautiful practice space, Kate Millen for her skillful-compassionate teaching, Natalie Engler for easing us in for a peaceful landing, and Whole Foods of Wayland for their generous and thoughtful donation.    

But most of all, thanks to you all! We're blessed with the most amazing Yoga students in the MetroWest area. Your presence at these events makes our teachings possible.

Soooo, this does raise the bar a bit high, but I'm sure that together we can rise to it.  Keep an eye out for the next benefit at the Yoga Events Page, or subscribing to this Yoga blog's updates.

Om Shanti, I'll see you in class.

john

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Recession proof your life

December 6, 2008 in events, Uncategorized | 2 comments

Daan Yoga, or Recession proofing your life

Two fellow Yoga teachers and I are hosting a benefit for the food pantry Today.  Coming off this cycle of abundance and frivilous spending by much of the country, I think we need to re-learn how to give, how to really experience generosity.

Two ways to experince the gift of giving:


1, Root through your shelves and find the box of pasta, and can of soup bought so long ago, and bring them along to class.  Yes, that will feed somebody, and we will very-much appreciate your contribution.


2, Search your cabinets and find the favorite item amongst your stores.  Hold it to your heart; imagine the person who will receive it.  Beam your prayer into the container, infusing the food with this light. Do this until your eyes well-up.  Bring it to class and place it in the bin.  Don’t tell anybody.  It’s not a story; it’s a sacred act of compassion between you and the recipient.

Daan Yoga - generosity


 It’s important to notice even a slight hesitation in your giving.  Is it an expensive item, does it activate a sense of ‘I don’t have enough?’   Our lower chakras blindly grasp the material world, and keep us in a feeling of fear and lack.  Our consumptive culture encourages this.   The antidote is to give.

That welling up you may feel, that’s your heart chakra activating.  Let the feeling wash over you and live in abundance.
 

Perhaps you really need that favorite item for your holiday dinner.  Then choose something else, but practice giving until you can sense no hesitation at all.   In Yoga philosophy this is called Daan.  Freely giving, freely living from your heart.  It is the only way to lasting happiness.  Happy if the market is up 600 or down 600.  

 In every moment, each and every breath, we have the option to skim the surface of life, or to live deeply.  Your choice, give the pasta, or give from your heart. 

Sometimes, we’ve only got energy to skim, to just get by.  What does that tell us about how we’ve been living?  Together we can build sustainable lives, where we have energy to share.  The answer is usually doing less, but with more heart.  Keep practicing.

I’m clinging to a jar of organic almond butter.  Will it make it to the benefit on Saturday?

check the yoga events page to see our holiday offerings

 

 

Om Sweet Om

October 24, 2008 in events, video, Yoga, yoga films | Add Your Comment

Namaste!

Just posted this must-see youtube video to the blog. Stunning  footage of our home planet, with a nice Ommmm… soundtrack.   Tread lightly, John

 

 

P.S.  Still a few spaces left in the November Yoga workshop on the 22′nd in W. Concord.  We’ll have live Kirtan Music, a potluck, and movie night afterwards.

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100 free yoga videos

October 16, 2008 in events, video, Yoga, yoga films | Add Your Comment

 Namaste!

If you’ve got some extra time, well, alot of extra time, there’s a pretty amazing post at the Cloud 9 blog that lists 100 free online Yoga videos.  Some are better than others, but there’s surely something here for everyone:  100 free online yoga videos 

And for the poltical jesters, there’s a yoga practice created just for Sarah Palin on youtube.  If you a fan of Sarah, you may not like it too much…

I’ll see you in class!

john

p.s.  Just posted the Fall workshop on the 22nd of November, Join us for The Yoga of Sound.  We’ll have live kirtan music! 

We’ve decided that Nov 22′nd will be a potluck dinner and movie night at Yoga and Nia for life as well.  Details to follow.

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Reintegration

October 12, 2008 in events, Uncategorized, Yoga | Add Your Comment

Namaste!  Everyone wants to know how the retreat went!  Thanks for all the encouraging notes.

From the amazing feedback, I would say that our Fall retreat at SpiritFire was a great success. 

Buddha at SpiritFire

The weather was perfect, each day the foliage turned more vibrant.  Meals were astounding, and the rooms very comfortable.  I really like how every detail was watched over and cared for by the staff.  This allowed us to really focus on the depth of our practice.  Having our morning Yoga practice and meals in total silence (Mauna) added a richness and texture to our presence at SpiritFire.  The hikes were breathtaking, our Mantra practice cathedral-like, and our celebratory fire circle warmed us inside and out.  

The act of spiritual retreat is ancient, and even more applicable in our times, To retreat is to step back and gain perspective, a clearer view of how we’ve been living.  Through practices of awareness we measure that against how we’d like to be living, and resolve to create the appropriate changes.  Leaving behind the old, we reintegrate back into our lives, holding  space for practice, for presence, and to bring the essence of our retreat back home.

We’re already planning next years retreat, same place, same weekend!  And we’re looking at a Spring Retreat to Ananda Ashram, Where I’ve been retreating in mostly silence for the last week.  That will be a treat!   If you’d like advance notice on the retreat plans let me know and I’ll keep you up to date as the details unfold. 

Om Shanti,  I’ll see you in class this week.  

John

 P.S.  Just posted the fall Yoga Workshop

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The Shift

October 1, 2008 in events, Yoga, yoga films | Add Your Comment

Namaste! 

Thanks so much to all of you who attended the Yoga and Meditation Workshop over the weekend.  Your presence at these events makes them possible.  It was so nice to see Ani Desal so well recieved.  I’ve been getting great feedback and we’re looking forward to the next workshop on November 22′nd at Yoga and Nia for Life, 12:30pm.  Following Meditation and Yoga class will be live music/Kirtan featuring Prajna and guests.   I’m very excited to co teach with these very talented people.

I’m heading out soon to our Fall Retreat, a great group of people getting together for a weekend of practice and renewal.  After retreat, I’ll be spending a few days at Ananda Ashram.  I’ve arranged some excellent substitue teachers to cover my classes next week. 

I’ve heard good things about this film, thanks to Danielle for the pointer:

 

 

I’ll see you in class soon, Om Shanti

John

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SmileTrain Yoga Benefit Success

August 30, 2008 in events, Yoga | 3 comments

Namaste!  Here’s the press release that was picked up on the newswires and printed in some of the local papers.  My heartfelt thanks to all of you who participated and helped make this benefit a great success.  Because of you all, ten children will smile for the first time.  We’ve got another benfefit coming up soon. 

Smile Train Charity

  Little Gita before surgery      Little Gita with her new smile 

Maynard resident raises $2500 to fund ten Cleft Palate surgeries in India.

Maynard resident John Calabria led a Yoga class last week to benefit SmileTrain, a charity focused solely on providing free cleft palate surgeries in developing nations.   Now ten children will smile for the first time.
 
Calabria chose SmileTrain as the beneficiary of this Yoga fundraiser because 100% of all funds directly help children get a second chance at life; no one at SmileTrain collects wages. Mystic Fitness owner Amy Karibian generously donated the use of her Framingham Yoga studio for the event.
 
SmileTrain children, born disfigured, and into poverty have no little chance at a normal life. In many cases, they’re unable to talk, eat properly, or attend school. Hidden away, they suffer in silence and isolation. Now there’s a chance to help.
 
This modern-day medical miracle of cleft repair surgery costs $250 and takes as little as 45 minutes. It gives a desperate child not just a new smile, but a new life. SmileTrain has provided free cleft surgery for well over 300,000 children, and trained many doctors, native to their regions, to perform the surgeries.
 
"I’m so blessed with the most amazing students who went all-out in support of this benefit; we gathered for a yoga class and changed the lives of ten children,” noted Calabria.
 
The initial goal was to fill the Yoga studio and raise $500, enough for two surgeries. The donations started to trickle, then poured in. Many people came to the Yoga class, opened their hearts, and their wallets. With a generous pledge to round up the total to the next surgery level, a grand total of $2500 was raised.   “I’m very happy with the outcome, and was not surprised. Yoga teaches us that true happiness can only come from helping others,” added Calabria.
 
Calabria believes, “Even if you don’t subscribe to the laws of Karma, when we give, at some level we are telling ourselves that we have more than enough. This feeling of internal abundance is very healthy for our psyche, especially in these challenging economic times.
 
Focusing on other’s needs gives us a break from worry and stress.” And he offers this challenge, “I’d like people to think about how many people they can make smile today. At the end of the day, count them up and email me your answer! Two free Yoga classes will be awarded to the person with the highest number.”
 
Calabria’s SmileTrain benefit was such a great success, he plans to offer another this fall. Visit www.YogaWithJohn.com, to find out how you can help these children smile for the first time. 
 
John Calabria is an ethical Vegan, world traveler, wellness educator, and Yoga instructor. He has been practicing meditation and Yoga techniques for more than 25 years. After a successful engineering career— the last few toiling in the diamond industry—John now helps people meet their wellness goals, find peace in their lives, and of course… smile. He works internationally to help people and animals in need, and serves on the board of Maple Farm Animal Sanctuary.   Calabria publishes a Yoga Blog.
 

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Labor Day Yoga Class in Concord

August 22, 2008 in events, Uncategorized, Yoga | Add Your Comment

Work off

 The Veggie burger!
 
Yoga for weight loss
 
 Labor Day Yoga Class   

           with John Calabria      
   
   All levels welcome.
 
       Join us and relax…
     
       Monday Sept. 1st, 4:00pm
    
       
           50 Beharrel st. W Concord Ma 
 

Enlighten up film coming to Boston

August 7, 2008 in events, video, Yoga, yoga films | 1 comment

Namaste, Enlighten up! the movie comes to Boston.

A woman takes a New York sceptic and immerses him in the world of Yoga.  The trailer looks interesting, with cameos of Guruji, Iyengar, Dharma Mitra, and a trip to Mysore india to practice Ashtanga with  Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. 

It premieres at the at the MFA  in Boston Sept 12-14, and then plays the Kendal Square cinema in Cambridge the 19′th through the 25′th.  Let me know if you’re intersted in a group forming to go in and see the film together.    Here’s the trailer:    

 

A few spaces remain in the Yoga With John Fall Retreat  in Western Mass.  I’ll see you in class.

 

Prayers for World Peace

August 1, 2008 in events, music, Uncategorized, Yoga | Add Your Comment

Prayers for World Peace

On August 5′th People around the world will be reciting the Sutra of Golden Light for world peace.  You can join in, got to the IMI website to find out more, or sit in silence for some time that day to participate.  http://www.joinprayersforpeace.org/ 

Save the date!   I look forward to this all summer!  Sunday August 17′th  The India Association of Greater Boston presents: India Day at the Hatch Shell in Boston.  This is a great celebration of music, arts, dance, crafts and food.  Starts at 4pm.   Let me know if you plan on going it would be great to meet up there.

Namaste!

John 

www.YogaWithJohn.com

 

 

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