Send a Piece of Your Heart to Newtown

Next time you come to Bainbridge Yoga House, near the cubbies behind the front desk you will find an  opportunity to connect to the residents of Newtown.  You can write a heartfelt message or create an image from your heart to theirs on one or more of the paper hearts that will be strung together with many others.  Or, if you love to create paper snowflakes, cut one (or many) and we will include those.  If you feel moved to write a letter of love or hope to a stranger, leave it under the string of hearts and snowflakes.  We will mail the hearts and snowflakes along with any letters in January with the hope that our string of creations will bring some light to the students as they return to a new school.  Here are a few links of other ways to help and connect with our neighbors in Connecticut:

http://www.ctpta.org/About-CT-PTA/SANDY-HOOK-FUND.html

http://www.uwwesternct.org/sandyhook

Santa the Karma Yogi

Thought you would all enjoy this article about how Santa is really a Karma yogi at heart: Santa - The Best Karma Yogi in the World.

The MedMob last night was so lovely - there were about 15-20 of us sitting together in the bustle of the ferry terminal.  With help from Island Kirtan, we sang songs about light and love that made us laugh and smile - and we noticed more than a few smiles from commuters walking past.  Thanks to everyone who came and sang!

Our next Karma Yoga gathering will be January 17 at BYH.  You can look forward to more offerings from Karma Yoga in 2013 and we look forward to seeing you and hearing your ideas.

Peace and love to you ALL!

MedMob Redux 2012

Join us for another peaceful evening at the ferry terminal to welcome home our families, friends and neighbors on December 19, 5:30 pm at the Bainbridge ferry terminal. Our theme this year is light and joy. We will meditate for about 30 minutes, then begin the sound bath when we hear the motorcycles rev up off the 5:30 Seattle ferry. Bainbridge's very own Island Kirtan will be there to help with the musical part of the evening. Spread the word!

Karma Yoga Happenings

This Thursday, November 15 at 10:45 we will have our monthly Karma Yoga Gathering at the new studio and it will be so cozy!  Stay after the 9:30 class if you can or come on by the studio at 10:45.  Everyone is welcome and we would love to see your smile there.

We had a fun night at the bead shop on election night with Amy Margaret learning how to make wrist malas.  If you couldn't make it but are interested in learning more about these, let us know and we can help you out.

Medmob anyone?  We are planning a reprise of the 2011 Winter Solstice Medmob at the ferry terminal.  More details coming soon!

Come to the Happiest Happy Hour yoga class on Fridays at 5:30 if you can - everyone is welcome and the class is free.  Donations for the Karma Yoga Fund gratefully accepted.

If you know of service opportunities in our community and would like to get the word out, let us know and we will post them on the blog.  There are so many wonderful ways to get involved and help.

All About Malas - November 6

Take a break from election night madness and join us at Beads of Bainbridge on Tuesday, November 6 from 6:30-7:30 to learn about and make malas.  If you know Amy Margaret from the bead shop then you know this will be a great time!  She will teach us finishing techniques to make these beautiful creations.  We will have food and wine to share.  Bring any beads you may want to use or get what you need while you are there.  $10 per person.  Please let us know if you can come by e-mailing hburke8@gmail.com.  Hope to see you there.

Karma Yoga Gathering Thursday, October 18

It is time again for our monthly Karma Yoga gathering this Thursday, October 18 at BYH just after yoga.  We will talk about a mala making party at the local bead shop with Amy Margaret Kapphan.  Please come if you can or send us any ideas you might have.

Karma Yoga Meeting this Thursday, September 19

Fall is coming, the round earth is rolling and we have a Karma Yoga meeting coming up this Thursday at BYH after yoga, starting about 10:45.  Come if you can and share any ideas you might have for fun yoga field trips or community gatherings.  Hope to see you there!

Karma Events Coming Up

Yoga in the Park, Friday July 27 at 4:30 - Come join us at Battlepoint in the grassy area near the playground for fresh air yoga and fun.  Bring a food item easy to share after yoga.  Kids and dogs are welcome!  All donations will go to the Karma Yoga fund.

Karma Garden Work Party August 5, 9:30 - 12:30 Join us  in the beautiful garden at Joyce and Darrell Cooley's home near Kiana Lodge - 14969 Cedar Grove Road (left on Sandy Hook Rd, then right at second sign for Cedar Grove Rd.).  We'll be weeding, slug picking and harvesting and would love to see your smiles there!


*Date Change* Karma Yoga Service Swap Labor Day, September 3:   We have decided to change the date of the Karma Yoga Service Swap kickoff to Labor Day, Monday September 3 from 11 - 1:00 at the Point White dock. Please come and share your labor of love!  If you are wondering just what exactly this is, think of it as a hobby/skill/passion swap where you can share with others what you love - no matter how simple.  If you love to garden and have too many flowers or green beans, bring them to share and your best gardening tips (good luck getting rid of your zucchini!)  If you love to bake, bring your favorite treat along with some copies of the recipe.  There will be paddleboards, kayaks, massage, food and yoga on the beach.  Bring your ideas or your trade and we will share our gifts of service in community.  If you have questions or ideas, contact Helen at hburke8@gmail.com.

Poppy growing in the Karma Garden

Karma Yoga meeting this Thursday

Just a quick reminder that there is a karma yoga meeting this Thursday, July 19 at 10:45 at BYH. All are welcome and we would love to see you there!

Karma Garden Work Party on Sunday!

Hard at work in the Karma Garden in June

Just a reminder that our next Karma Garden work party is this Sunday, July 8 from 11 - 2:00 at Joyce and Darrell Cooley's home near Kiana Lodge - 14969 Cedar Grove Road (left on Sandy Hook Rd, then right at second sign for Cedar Grove Rd.).  We'll be weeding and harvesting and would love to see your smiles there!

Harvested and washed lettuce - delivered 10 bags full to Helpline!

Coming Up This Week

Treats after Yoga in the Park last week.

We hope you can join us for a couple of things happening this week:

• Karma Yoga Meeting - Thursday, June 7 at BYH, 10:45 - all are welcome;

• Karma Garden Gathering - come help us plant, weed and harvest at the Karma Garden for Helpline House in Joyce and Darrell Cooley's garden. We will gather on Sunday, June 10 from 11 - 1:00 at the Cooley's home - 14969 Cedar Grove Rd. Bring your family, gloves and a picnic lunch. If you have a favorite flower or veggie (besides kale per Helpline), feel free to bring starts. E-mail Joyce with any questions at joycemcooley@hotmail.com

Yoga in the Park and Karma Yoga's Birthday!

   

Join us for Yoga in the Park at 4:30 this Friday, June 1 at Battlepoint park.  The class is donation based and all donations will go to the Karma Yoga Fund.  We will gather at the grassy area near the playground (not too much) rain or shine!  Kids can play at the playground and we will celebrate the first birthday of the BYH Karma Yoga Project with a cake and sparkling cider so come if you can!

Thanks to the amazing and vibrant group of generous yogis at BYH, Karma Yoga has connected us to come together in so many meaningful ways over this last year:

• Supporting BYH community members in a number of ways - financially through the Karma Yoga Fund, providing nourishing meals, providing yoga nanny childcare so parents can get to yoga (this is still available is you need it!);
• The soulful members of Comfort Station gave donations of over $500 to an Island family struggling with illness;
• BYH members donated beads to help create malas for Martha and Steve along with lots of powerful prayers and positive energy;
• Donating food for Helpline's Project Wishbone and gifts for their holiday gift shop;
• Jen led an Evening of Meditation and Compassion for the Warga family - Comfort Station provided the music and BYH members and friends of the Wargas donated over $1,500 for the family;
• We brought peace to the ferry terminal at the MedMob in December;
• Thanks to Joyce and Darrell Cooley's inspiration and land we started the Karma Garden to grow produce and flowers for Helpline House - next work party is Sunday June 10, 11 - 2:00.

We have more ideas for the coming year and would love to hear yours!  Our next meeting will be Thursday, June 7 at 10:45 at BYH and all are invited and welcome.  If you can't come but have ideas or questions, e-mail Helen at hburke8@gmail.com.  Hope to see you Friday at the park.

Dinner for the Wargas

I signed up to bring dinner to the Wargas on Monday, May 14 so if there is anything you would like to send along to them (i.e., notes, flowers, baked treats), you can leave it in or near the Karma Yoga box in the studio and I will include it.  I would also love any suggestions of your favorite meals/recipes to share that are good crowd pleasers for kids and adults.  You can leave a comment to this post if you have any ideas.

Coming Up . . . .

Who wouldn't want to go to this place - the elephant looks so happy!  Try to guess where it is then scroll down.

Wanted to let everyone know about a few wonderful things happening this week:

Kirtan with Comfort Station - Thursday, May 3 at 7:30, Grace Church.

Karma Class - Yoga in the Park - Friday, May 4 at 4:30, Battlepoint Park.  Join us for an evening of yoga, family time and a picnic dinner.  We'll gather on the grassy area near the playground, rain or shine.  This is a community class and all are welcome!  Donations are accepted for the Karma Yoga Fund.  We will do this the first Friday of each month throughout the summer.

Heart of Yoga Discussion Group – Sunday, May 6 from 7 – 9 pm at the Island Yoga Space.  Conversation and libations – our first reading will be the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.  This will continue on the first Sundays of each month.  Contact Julie Bennett with questions or ideas at partera@drizzle.com.

Not what I expected to find in downtown TACOMA!

Goodbye Weeds

We had a great time weeding and planting, chatting and eating delicious treats at Joyce and Darrell's garden on Saturday.  The beautiful black dirt in the foreground was covered with weeds when we started.  Thanks to Steve Prentice, Susan Loftus, Joyce and Darrell - a great way to spend one of the warmest days of the year!  Our next work party will be on Saturday, May 19 from 11:00 - 1:00 - 14969 Cedar Grove Rd. (just off Sandy Hook Rd. near Kiana Lodge).  E-mail Joyce with any questions or ideas - joycecooley@hotmail.com

Karma Yoga This Week

Just a quick reminder of 2 things coming up this week:

Monthly Karma Yoga Meeting Thursday, April 19 at 10:45 at BYH. All are welcome - we'd love to see you there!

Karma Yoga Garden Gathering - come help us prepare and plant the Karma Yoga Garden for Helpline House in Joyce and Darrell Cooley's garden. Our first work party is this Saturday April 21 from 11:00 - 1:00 at the Cooley's home - 14969 Cedar Grove Rd. Bring your family, gloves and a picnic lunch. If you have a favorite flower or veggie (besides kale per Helpline), feel free to bring seeds or starts. E-mail Joyce with any questions at joycemcooley@hotmail.com

April Karma Yoga Update

Where do you shine your light? Lately I’ve noticed that wherever I shine my light, or focus my attention, I find what I seek. So, I am practicing being mindful of what I look for – what I decide to shine my light on. Definitely easier on a good day.

I recently watched a TED talk called “Designing for Generosity” that really spoke to this idea. What would happen if we depended not on money but on people’s generosity – when we look for and expect the best of others, what do we see? They coin the term “Giftivism” meaning the practice of radically generous acts that change the world. Honoring and connecting small acts of generosity – tapping into the power of gratitude – shifting perspectives. Here is the link if you’d like to see it - http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=3048

Karma Yoga Fund: Through Karma Yoga, we have seen what happens when we tap into one another’s generosity. Our community gathering for the Warga family was so beautiful – people shared their memories, music, love and donated over $1,500. Sometimes it is hard to ask for help when we need it, but if we recognize that we all have areas of abundance, we can help each other so much. Your abundance may be wisdom, time, food, money or common experience. To make connections between our community needs and our abundance, we decided to start a Karma Yoga Fund. There will be a donation box in the studio for anyone who feels moved to make a donation. We will use this fund to support families in need in our BYH community as well as in our larger community of family and friends. You may donate any amount, any time. You can donate services, a meal for someone going through something difficult. If you need help or know of someone who does, please tell us or put a note in the donation box.

Other events coming up:

Mindful Mondays, BYH 8:00 am – Come for community meditation and discussion – donations go to the Karma Yoga Fund.

April Karma Yoga Meeting, Thursday April 19, 10:45 at BYH - all are welcome!

Karma Yoga Garden (NOTE DATE CHANGE) – come help us plant, nurture and harvest produce for Helpline House this spring and summer in Joyce Cooley’s garden. First work party April 21, 11 – 1:00, at Joyce’s house - 14969 Cedar Grove Rd. Bring your family and a picnic lunch. E-mail Joyce with any questions - joycemcooley@hotmail.com

Monthly Karma Class in the Park – beginning in May we will meet at Battlepoint on the first Fridays of the month for yoga, family time and a picnic dinner. Donations will go to the Karma Yoga Fund.

Karma Yoga Field Trips – if you have ideas for fun community outings, let us know! Some ideas are – going to Gina Sala’s monthly Kirtan at Samadhi, attending lectures in the city, gathering at the Pub for a beer, good company and enlightenment!

Evening Karma Yoga Meeting - for those of you who want to get involved but can’t come during the day – date and location coming soon.

If you have any questions or ideas, comment here or e-mail Helen at hburke8@gmail.com

Reconnecting - Meeting this Thursday

Hello friends! It has been a while since we have connected about Karma Yoga and wanted to let you all know we will meet this Thursday March 15 at BYH at 10:45. If you can't come we would love to hear your ideas so please feel free to post comments. We have lots of ideas in the hopper and some are:

• cultivating a community garden
• mala making get together
• karma yoga outing
• creating a karma yoga fund

Hope to see your beautiful faces and hear your thoughts on Thursday.

A Special Night

Our gathering last Tuesday for the Warga family was powerful and brought together so many to share our grief and compassion for the loss of a friend, neighbor and community member, Pat Warga. Jen spoke simple words of compassion and the importance of sharing in our very human experience. People shared their memories of the Wargas and their own experiences of loss. We sat together in silence. Comfort Station provided their beautiful music for a communal experience of voice. We formed a circle and held hands, blowing our energy to the middle of the circle in honor of Pat Warga and his family. Over $1,500 in donations was collected to help the Wargas.

Thank you so much to everyone who came and to those who could not be there but who sent their thoughts and prayers. The power of community is alive on Bainbridge Island. Please continue to keep the Wargas in your hearts.

Please Come to a Special Event at Bainbridge Yoga House

Please join in on a evening of contemplative healing and compassion for the Warga Family. We will sit together in silence and share our grief, our compassion and our healing energy with the Wargas who recently lost a father, a husband, a friend.

Tuesday, February 7th from 7:30 to 8:45pm at Bainbridge Yoga House.

Everyone is welcome. So we have some idea of how many will join us, please register for this gathering on the BYH reservation site or e-mail hburke8@gmail.com. We also encourage you to carpool to make sure there is parking for everyone. There will be cars shuttling people down to BYH from Battle Point park.

Please bring a generous donation that will go to the Wargas to help them during this difficult time. If you can't come but would like to make a donation you can either leave a donation in the basket at the studio or you can make a deposit to the Patrick Warga Memorial Fund at any Wells Fargo branch.

Karma Yoga Update

Here are a few things coming up in the next couple of weeks:

• Rescheduled Karma Yoga Meeting Thursday, February 2 at 10:45 at BYH. All are welcome - we would love to hear your ideas!

• Kirtan with Comfort Station February 2 at 7:30 pm, Grace Church

• Please come to an Evening of Compassion and Meditation for the Warga Family on Tuesday, February 7 at BYH from 7:30 to 8:45 pm. All donations will go to the Patrick Warga Memorial Fund.

Thank you to everyone who donated so far - this week we deposited $125 to the Memorial Fund! We will continue to collect donations. I am so grateful for the amazing community of people at BYH - so generous, kind, loving and connected.

Next Karma Yoga Meeting This Thursday

Our next meeting is scheduled for this Thursday the 19th at 10:45 at the studio. If the big snowstorm really does arrive we may need to postpone the meeting until next week so let's just see what happens. Personally my fingers are crossed for some snow days!

This picture was taken by Liz VanDuine in Rolling Bay this week - so beautiful.

Lend Your Support to an Island Family

Just after Christmas, a family in our community lost their husband and father while he was working in Mexico. He leaves behind his wife and three children. In addition to their loss and grief, this family is coping with serious financial struggle and needs support. An account for the family has been set up at Wells Fargo bank so if you can, you may leave donations at the studio and we will deposit them. Donations can also be made at any Wells Fargo branch to the Patrick Warga Memorial Fund.