Yayyy! We have been invited to participate in Sport Relief this year! That is all happening on Sunday, March 25th at Chapelfield Gardens. Yes... i know, it's still a bit cold in March, but we will be there like the warriors that we are and champion on with the first 108 event of the year! And... yes... i know it's a bit public but you will not be alone and it is for a good cause :-)
Stay tuned for more details on how to participate. Register your interest in the meantime! 

Karma Yoga Week: Kirtan & 108 Sun Saluts

What an awesome weekend!
Last night Lou Kitchener & I ran our first kirtan night, with a little help from my pal, Fran on the harmonium hehehehe. It was soooo good fun & I think most who came enjoyed it too. We shared 5 mantra's accompanied by a few short stories about the mantra's. The energy was lovely in the room and most were keen to do another; which would be loveeeeely! Lou and I were so surprised as well, when at the end of the kirtan, most came up to us to give us some money for the charity and we collected £100! So so grateful for that!

This morning, the 108 sun salutation challenge went really well too. There were about 23 of us and it was just fantastic! Some of us bombed through, some of us were in a deep flow. It was lovely to see the different flows around the room that just made up this one amazing vibe! It was also a lovely day with the sun shinning through that lovely space. It was prefect.

Best part of all is that we have raised over £700 for the Hamlet Centre in Norwich! In total, we have raised over £1000 over this karma yoga week :-))

We are so grateful to everyone for the money they raised through sponsors, for your time, for your contribution and most of all, your participation!!

Heartfelt salutations to you all... xx

Thank You Mother India YGB Event

BIG thank you to the Norwich yoga tribe for coming along on a Sunday morning to our first of three karma yoga events!! The class raised £230 from the 23 participants who came along. I have topped this up with another £100 from the sevaa fund (another £100 will go towards the Hamlet Centre) 


We were part of over 60 events happening over 11 countries this weekend! If you would like to see photo's of the other events, you can check out the Yoga Gives Back facebook page. This was the first Yoga Gives Back global event and the funds raised are going to go a long way in India. The people at Yoga Gives Back are committed to keeping the community informed of their work and is also documenting some of the lives of the people that are receiving these funds. Kayoko, the YGB director, aims to show this in a documentary in a few years time. In the meantime, there will always be updates on their facebook and webpage, so please do like their page if you wish to stay in touch.


Big thank you as well to Abby and Kate for their time and their lovely class and energy always! And especially to Lou - I am so grateful for her friendship and her enthusiasm; for sharing her projects and for working together on mine. It would not be the same without her! I think we make a super pair ;-) and look forward to more future projects like these!! 


Rock on! We have another two events running this Friday and Saturday and I can't wait!!! 
Please join us! We'd love for you to!!


namaste <3

 

2011 Karma Yoga Week

This year, Lou Kitchener & I are pleased to run a karma yoga week in support of the Yoga Gives Back and the Norwich Hamlet Children's Shelter. The week will run from the 18th-24th September 2011 and will hold three organised events. The intention of the week is also to encourage participants to either offer a service, big or small, in some way, to someone whom may need a little support at the moment. Service does not have to be a big gesture or an obvious one. It could be about offering some time; sometimes, a simple phone call, spending just that little bit more time chatting to a family member, could make a world of difference to that person. Often you will also find that these simple gestures actually in turn bring so much joy to you.

This week, along with the support of other Norwich yoga teachers, we are offering three events to bring as many yogin's together as possible. We are starting with a charity class on the 18th September that will be led by Abby Hoffmann, Kate Coulson, Lou & I. The event is a global event by U.S based organisation Yoga Gives Back. This humble organisation supports women in India and is committed to empower them In their community. We are asking for a £10 donation for this two hour class that will run at the St. Thomas church hall from 10:00 -12:00. All proceeds will go to the organisation. Teachers are giving their time for free and cost are being paid by my 50+ charity fund.

The second event is a free kirtan and meditation night. Kirtan is a form of Bhakti yoga. Bhakti can be translated as love but it is more than love, it is about devotional love. Kirtan is call and response singing. Just as we practice asana to free our body from pain & tightness; just as we practice meditation to free our mind from contraction, kirtan is a way to liberate our voices and free our heart! Singing is an ancient way of connecting with each other and kirtan is beautiful because it is simple and anyone can do it. You do not need to be a singer and you do not even need to know what the words mean to feel what it is about. The collective voice always sounds amazing! The singing is done in Sanskrit- a language of vibration, because it is the very essence of this vibration that awakens something inside of us. Please join us. All are welcome!

We finish the week with 108 sun salutation challenge. 108 is a sacred and complete number to the yogis. It is the number of beads around the mala. For us, the 108 is just another form of Bhakti discipline. To do this and dedicate all our efforts towards someone or something that requires our effort or dedication. Like any other practice, it is a form that allows us to focus our intention or commitment. Having said all that, participation and your intention is far more important than completing the 108. The 108 number is just a guide. You are free to do more or less than this. It is unled so you can arrive any time from 9.30 as long as you finish by 12.30. There will be some groups moving together and I am sure you will be more than welcome to follow along if you are not used to counting. We are encouraging participants to raise as much as they can through sponsorship but if that is not feasible, then we are asking for a £10 donation. All proceeds go to the Harmlet Children's Shelter so if you are asking for sponsorship, please mention this to raise awareness of the amazing work they do for children and young persons with disabilities. 

Sponsors can donate via our justgiving page here or pledge £2 by texting YOGA88 to 70070.

We look forward to see you at the events and i look forward to update this blog with some amazing news and photo's!!

Thank you for your support, whether in participation, in your contribution or for passing the word round!! 

Namaste 

Hillside Animal Sanctuary

One of the first things I did when i arrived in Norwich in 2001, when i struggled to find work, was to sign up for a course on animal care. During this time, i became a volunteer at Venture Farm Animal Farm, now Venture Farm Cat Rescue. It was during this time that I heard about Hillside Animal Sanctuary. These small charity centers operate on so little and take on so much. During my year or so at Venture Farm, they did not turn down a single animal brought to them; scratchy, hissy, sick and almost dead cats. I know that Hillside, a bigger center, takes on the same.


Last night, their plight was highlighted on the local news. I guess there are just so many charities in need at the moment. You can read about this on their website here http://www.hillside.org.uk/ Unfortunately, the funds from my Sevaa class is a bit low at the moment but what was available, £120, has been donated to them. I have also posted the link on facebook and hopefully, some people will pick up on the story and help them with some funds.


namaste

November Funds

Yayyy!! I am so pleased to let you know that through classes, we have raised £800 for the Kichanga Foundation, that has now been sent to them. The 50+ class was kind to agree to pay for their classes in advance, by buying class passes and in total, the class funds came up to £555. The Saturday sevaa class was not full but raised a fabulous £132. A contribution from a friend and a top up from me brought the total to 800. Hope this will help them along to restart their school build! Really pleased about this and am looking forward to the future of such projects.

This is the second contribution of funds made from the 50+ class collection. The first being £162 made to the Pakistan Flood Appeal.

There is a Buddhist teaching: (as refined by Sharon Gannon)

The key to your own happiness is to do all that you can to uplift the life's of others.

It is true....

I did consider that this could be my money, that would buy me that 'thing' that i have been wanting for some time, but to be honest, doing this made me way happier :-) I still want that 'thing' but it can wait. I hope i say this with sincerity, although it brings me an abundance of joy, i do not do this to fuel my ego or anything along these lines. Some people i have met on my travels and life journey have really inspired me - those who are so selfless and those who live so happily on so little, who are so willing to do what they can to make others around them happy. As I am not serving any other human beings in my life (ie: kids), i feel this is the least i can do to chip in.

A big THANK YOU to you all!! Please do continue to support the sevaa classes as they run

I will post news as and when i receive them, from Kichanga. Nigel from the foundation thanks you all deeply!

namaste

Michanvi Needs....

stopped building work
Recently, the Kichanga Foundation started building two new classrooms for the Michanvi school. The school hosts around 360 students and currently have 12 classrooms. They intend to build a further 4 classrooms plus a big hall/ theatre , where the kids can gather for plays and music. They had started to build the 2 classrooms but unfortunately this has had to be put on hold as one of the teacher has been diagnosed with cancer and needs treatment. He is only 33 and has 2 kids and it was decided that the classrooms can wait for awhile. Funds have been diverted to give him a better chance of getting better. We wish him the best and a good recovery.

The yoga fund currently has just short of £200 in it's pot. I am confident that with steady numbers, this will double just before i break for holidays in December. To top up the pot, I will be running a weekend class on the 6th November 2010. As it there will be a new moon, the practice will center around renewal, new beginnings and heart openings. The class will run from 10:00 - 12:00 on Saturday at Studio One and cost £10. All proceeds will go to the Kichanga Foundation.

When the foundation started to support Michanvi School, they held classes in straw cabanas - as they put it - 'very romantic but not very comfortable for the children especially during the rainy season'. Things have steadily improved for the children since then. For the 2 classrooms, they need $5500 to build and furnish the classrooms. The long term view is to build a further 2 classrooms complete with a hall and equipment at another $9000.

If you wish to pledge directly to the foundation, you can visit their facebook page here http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kichanga-Foundation/149354997673

Do come along to the class and join us for another fun filled weekend. Thank you for your support as always!!

namaste

infinite love and light to you