Current Classes
Private lessons are offered starting at $108 for one hour. For more information call (808) 218-4932 or email me at DivaChristina@gmail.com
July 2008 Schedule
Mondays Body Synergie Raja Yoga 7:15am - 8:15am
Start your work week with the right balance of challenge
and relaxation. Learn Sanskrit chants utilized in yogic
practice for thousands of years. This form of traditional
or classic yoga (outlined by Patanjali in his Yoga
Sutras) aims primarily to cultivate peace in the mind using
dhyana (meditation). The final goal of Raja Yoga is to
liberate the mind completely.Mondays Yoga for Life Meditation 7:15pm - 8:15pm Please arrive a
few minutes early for this class. Learn how to balance
the chakras using Beejas or Seed Syllables, Yoga Nidra,
as well as several other meditation traditions.
Tuesdays Yoga for Life Noon Class Mixed Level Yoga. Wether you
are just beginning your yogic journey or have been
practicing for some time, join this intimate class for
relaxation, asana practice and rejuvenation.
Tuesdays Yoga for Life 6:30pm - 7:30pm Vinyasa Flow Class. This
yoga class focuses on mindful breathing throughout Sun
Salutations and asana series in order to more fully instill a
mind-body connection. This class will end July 15th.
Wednesdays Yoga for Life Noon Class Gentle Yoga meant for the
beginner or more advanced student who wants a more restorative experience.
Thursdays 6:30pm - 7:45pm Yoga for Rock Climbers at Exposure
Gym. Not only do rock climbers have to maintain flexibility and endurance of the muscles, they require laser-like focus of the mind to conquer increasingly difficult climbs. Climbing 5.12s and 5.13s doesn't happen purely by force and strength. Train your mind through breathing consciously thorugh pranayma and train your muscles through asana practice. Fridays Yoga for Life Noon Class Gentle Yoga meant for the
beginner or more advanced student who wants a more restorative experience.
Yoga for Life is located at 12835 Preston Road at the corner of LBJ and Preston in the Dallas Metroplex. Call 972-392-9642 for more information.
Body Synergie is located at 1103B Ridge Road Rockwall, TX 75087.
Ranjana's Yoga & Bodyworks is located at 13614 Midway Rd., Suite 101
Dallas, TX 75244 Call 972-233-4377 for more information.
Exposure Rock Climbing is located at 2389b Midway Rd. Carrollton, TX 75006 Call 972.732.0307 for more information.
Corporate Interest:
Consider yoga for your company! It can:
- lower healthcare costs
- decrease frequency & duration of absenteeism
- increase efficiency
- increase productivity & creativity
- improve focus under a deadline
- improve employee morale
- improve mindset
- increase loyalty, reducing turnover
- decrease employee fatigue & back pain
- decrease employee disease risk factors
All these things added up mean happier employees and you've just found a benevolent way to increase your bottom line. For a sample class (20 to 30 mins) email me at DivaChristina@gmail.com or call (808) 218-4932.
Karma Yoga
"In the present circumstances, no one can afford to assume that someone else will solve their problems. Every individual has a responsibility to help guide our global family in the right direction. Good wishes are not sufficient; we must become actively engaged."-- His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama is talking about Seva or selfless service. This is a common tenet in many religions, and a cornerstone of yogic philosophy. If you are looking for a place to lend your own selfless service, please follow the links below to find ways to become actively involved in your world.
Philanthropic Options:
Also consider these charities:
Karma Yoga Resources
Sometimes finding an appropriate place to share your energy and good intentions can seem daunting. There are thousands of charities out there and some with better reputations for responsible giving than others. After all, if a charity spends $50 for every $100 they raise, or pay their administrative staff inflated salaries, the money that you have given with every good intention will end up lining the pockets of those who do not need it quite as much as the intended recipients. If donating your time is more appealing to you, similar considerations can be made. If you can help 100 people by donating just one hour of your time, is this more appealing to you than helping, say, a young child learn how to read? For each person, giving is very personal. It should be filled with joy and done without expectation, though most people who act in philanthropic or volunteering ways are often blessed well beyond their monetary gifts or time.
Fortunately, there are many charity watch dogs now available that seek to educate philanthropists. The American Institute of Philanthropy and Charity Navigator are two organizations which break down many factors for people to get a better idea of where their money and efforts are going. You can write to the American Institute of Philanthropy, for example, to receive a report detailing over 500 national charities and their spending habits:
American Institute of Philanthropy
P.O. Box 578460
Chicago, IL 60657-8460
Charity Navigator reviews over 5000 charities, breaking down the means by which a charity gains revenue, the amount of money spent on administrative costs, the salaries paid to executive staff, and the effectiveness of the charity in meeting its mission statement. The site also reports on the worst charities, citing, for example, The United States Public Policy council for spending 93.3% of its funds on fundraising and only 2.3% on its programs and Noah’s Wish for earmarking funds to give to Katrina victims who never received them.
Charity Navigator lists some Best Practices for becoming a savvy donor:
1.Research and follow your heart. Do not give knee jerk money to any charity that asks. Also, earmark your funds toward specific goals you want to help reach. For example, instead of just giving money to help fight cancer, specify that you want the money to fund mammograms for indigent women.
Research and follow your heart. Do not give knee jerk money to any charity that asks. Also, earmark your funds toward specific goals you want to help reach. For example, instead of just giving money to help fight cancer, specify that you want the money to fund mammograms for indigent women.2.Do not give money straight to telemarketers. They will keep a percentage of the money they collect from you. Instead, hang up and call the organization directly and offer your support of time or money.
Do not give money straight to telemarketers. They will keep a percentage of the money they collect from you. Instead, hang up and call the organization directly and offer your support of time or money.3.Be wary of charities that use similar names to highly ranked charities when giving. Some charities pay their CEOs extremely inflated salaries while leaving little money to help those in need. Research your charity and double check the name to make sure you are giving to the correct organization.
Be wary of charities that use similar names to highly ranked charities when giving. Some charities pay their CEOs extremely inflated salaries while leaving little money to help those in need. Research your charity and double check the name to make sure you are giving to the correct organization.4.To avoid scam artists collecting your money, double check a charities 501(c)3 status. Any reputable charity should not have any difficulty providing documents showing their status with the IRS.
To avoid scam artists collecting your money, double check a charities 501(c)3 status. Any reputable charity should not have any difficulty providing documents showing their status with the IRS.5.Obtain financial records of organizations you want to give to.
Obtain financial records of organizations you want to give to.6.Double check executive compensation to see where your donated dollars really go.
Double check executive compensation to see where your donated dollars really go.7.Instead of diversifying as we have been taught when investing money, try to concentrate your giving to a viable charity. It can make the difference in their operating budgets sometimes.
Instead of diversifying as we have been taught when investing money, try to concentrate your giving to a viable charity. It can make the difference in their operating budgets sometimes.8.Make your giving plans known to the charity so they can balance their budgets. If you plan on giving a certain amount annually, let them know.
Make your giving plans known to the charity so they can balance their budgets. If you plan on giving a certain amount annually, let them know.The watch dog organizations also bring attention to the thousands of upright and integrity-filled charities. You can decide to give your time to saving animals, educating people about AIDS, or contributing to child and adult literacy. For an alphabetical listing of charities go to http://www.charitywatch.org/toprated.html.
If you are just a well-meaning person who plants trees in your elderly neighbors yard, or maybe you gather friends on occasion to clean up your local park or beach, perhaps you can take your own grass roots efforts to a new level by starting your own non-profit organization. There are wonderful informational resources if this appeals to you.
http://www.managementhelp.org/strt_org/strt_np/strt_np.htm is a free management library for non-profit organizations. It contains copyright information, legal references, suggestions for fiscal sponsorship, and forms needed to begin the filing process.
Another great resource is Volunteer Match. If you have a few hours a day, or every week to volunteer, but do not know where to go to help, this organization helps match volunteers with Non Profit organizations. They also track volunteer hours for companies who want to promote volunteerism in their corporations which helps to build community service networks as well as brand build and increase the reputations of companies in their respective neighborhoods. Everything from dog-walking for a local shelter to envelope stuffing for a food bank is listed. You can visit www.volunteermatch.com for more information.
Additionally, you should check with the company you work for to see if they offer matching donations to a charity you choose, or monetary gifts for volunteer hours worked. Some companies, like GAP, Inc. will pay a charity $250 for every fifty hours of volunteer work completed by their employees, regardless of their position in the company. Some employers will even honor past donations by meeting them with matching donations. The human resources department at your company can provide you with more information about their corporate giving policies. If you find that your company does not honor matching gifts, you could suggest that they do, supporting your request by informing them that thousands of American companies already follow this practice. Some companies also offer volunteer grants and sabbaticals for employees wanting to take extended time off to help others. Other companies offer paid time off, from one or two days to several weeks for employees who want to donate time in their neighborhoods on a more frequent, but intermittent basis.
CharityFocus.org is an organization developed by Nipun Metta to help struggling and smaller charities develop an internet presence. Former and current techies help top develop websites for NPOs completely free of charge. The websites often include an online pledge service which takes donations. This allows grassroots organizations to develop an income stream which previously they did not have access to. You can also write content, take pictures, or join a local charity focus chapter. If you have technological skills, you may want to help bring change to the planet by volunteering in this way. This organization is run completely on volunteerism. You can check out www.charityfocus.org to find out how to help.
As karma yoga has everything to do with how we conduct ourselves personally and how we interact with society, it is extremely beneficial to start to learn how to make our communities better places. Charitable giving and volunteerism are basic tenets of karma yoga if not a universal and ethical way of behaving. Whether you decide to build a name for a smaller, grass-roots organization or give your time and efforts to more well-established, highly ranking charities, you are acting in accordance with Patanjali’s Yamas and Niyamas, and of course, purifying your samskaras (negative karmic programming) with positive deeds.
YOGA HALE
Yoga: Sanskrit Word Meaning, to Yoke Oneself to God Hale: Hawaiian Word for House
Yoga Nidra Seminar
Saturday August 9, 2008 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Learn how to practice this age-old relaxation technique: 20 minutes are said to give you the same benefits as 3 hours of REM sleep!
Yoga Nidra: Sanskrit for Yogic Sleep. This is not sleep as we know it, but conscious deep sleep. In Yoga Nidra the mind is taken through a relaxation process but kept “conscious” so instead of deep sleep or dreaming, we arrive in a deeply relaxed state of mind. Though yoga nidra has many benefits, aside from just being very relaxing, it is a state of mindm that once achieved, allows a yogi to examine thought patterns in their latent, non-active form. These thought patterns are called Samkaras in the yogic tradition, and control nearly every waking moment of our lives, and certainly how we perceive the world.
Learn how to move through the waking state, past the dreaming state, past deep sleep and still remain awake. These states o fmind are referred to in the Mandukya Upanishad. Yoga Nidra is the third of four levels of consciousness: waking, dreaming, sleep, and turiya.
Learn more, and take control of your deepest thought patterns in a one and half hour presentation by certified yoga instructor, Christina Sarich.
Early Registration Recommended. Call Yoga For Life at (972) 392-YOGA for more information. Yoga for Life is located at 12835 Preston Road at the southwest corner of Preston and LBJ.
