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.