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.