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Earthroom for rent!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:08:00 +0000

We are looking for an alternative-health therapist to complement our yoga & massage offerings. Beautiful, sunlit 200 sqft treatment room available immediately for subletting at $800/mo, including all utilities below, usage of 2 bathrooms and common lobby area. Situated within the Wilmington Yoga Center, there are 1500 potential clients who would walk by your door every month, and Tidal Creek Foods Co-op is located downstairs.

The room is roughly 14’ x 14’ fully carpeted. Electric, water, & wireless internet are all included with rent (phone is separate).

Wilmington Yoga Center is an established healing center and teacher training school, with a large community of friendly faces and dedicated students. We have a 9 year history and approximately 60+ yoga classes a week, and our clients are continually asking for referrals for acupuncturists, chiropractors, counselors, mind-body therapists, etc.

Our intention with opening up our space to subleasees is to maintain a safe environment for our clients and our staff, create a positive relationship between the businesses, & establish clear guidelines for business conduct. Even though you would be operating as a separate business entity, you are conducting business within WYC and clients will associate WYC with the quality & integrity of you, your staff & services. It's taken quite a while to develop our space and community, and we are only interested in bringing on folks who are committed and offer their services from a genuine place of the client's/student's well-being first.

If you are interested in subletting the room, we will send you more information about the subleasing arrangement. Please contact us at staff@wilmingtonyogacenter.com and include the following:

1
Name, Business & current contact info

2
Your “elevator speech” about your business and why you feel that you'd be a good fit

3
The contact info for at least 4 references that can comment on your business history (previous landlords, associates, etc.)

Videos clips of life in India

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:16:00 +0000

New video clips form our service retreat to Kerala, India have been posted on our YouTube channel.

Two ways to lend a helping hand...

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:38:00 +0000

On a national level...
Get 30% off during Gap's Friends & Family event. We're calling it Give & Get because for every purchase you make, we give 5% of the amount you spend to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society; and in thanks, you get a 30% discount on your total purchase.

During the past two Give & Get shopping events, more than $4 million was raised for Gap's non-profit partners.

For more information, visit:
http://www.gapgiveandget.com/np/lls.html

On a local level...

Yoga Lifestyle & Teacher Training

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:12:00 +0000

We are getting close to the start of our Yoga Alliance certified Yoga Lifestyle & Teacher Training... but there is still time left to register! This program is for Aspiring Teachers & Students looking to deepen their own practice. Learn skills for “living yoga” both on and off the mat while working towards your 200hr Yoga Alliance national certification. This is a Kunga Yoga program that is centered around using yoga to help.

A dedication to “Kunga”…
“Kunga” - to help or serve. Kunga trainings teach students skills for “living yoga” both on and off the mat while working towards their 200 and/or 500 hr certifications. All Kunga, Wilmington Yoga Center, and Affiliate studio programs meet or exceed the standards set forth by the national Yoga Alliance. If you’ve felt that tug to share the practice you love, or to move deeper into your personal understanding of yoga practices that you’ve only had the chance to touch on in group classes, then our program is for you.

My first experience with the Mizero Rwandan Orphans, children who lost their families in the Rwandan genocide, truly solidified for me the understanding of yoga as a life practice, yoga “off the mat”, yoga as service, yoga as living love. These children continually practice yoga today, by forgiving those that killed their families, remembering that we are truly connected. The experience touring with these children inspired many whirlpools of projects, ideas, and work dedicated to karma yoga as service for those most in need. “Kunga” is the kinyarwandan word for “help or service” and I chose this word so that the spirit of these kids would be carried on in all of our trainings and retreats, as a special reminder.

It is a sacred honor for all of us to be able to contribute in even the smallest of ways, and it is my hope that within our global yoga community we may continue to use the great abundance of resources, wealth, knowledge, and tools that we have (especially in the West) to help others. It is my deepest desire that all who take on the practices of yoga as a serious path of study and self-inquiry will ultimately live for the means of serving others, and creating continuous small and large ripples of peace throughout their own communities and beyond. May we be bold and love without limits!

~Kristin

Visit our website for detailed info about the Yoga Lifestyle & Teacher Training and download your Teacher Training application.

All levels are welcome.
Registration ends March 15th
Program does fill up... reserve your spot now!

A stroll through the park...

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:48:00 +0000

On Sunday, we had our outing with the girls… an afternoon at the Subhash Bose Park. Everyone piled into the school bus with smiles, laughter & singing. The whole trip to the park was filled with rounds of Malyalam songs (and probably some Bollywood hits) and dancing in the isles.

(Just a side note about school buses in India… unlike U.S. school buses where windows could rarely be opened without some sort of knuckle-busting feat of strength and assigned seating prevailed, Indian schools buses have no windows, or rather, no glass in the windows, with very relaxed seating plans. They are open-air rides with children sitting or standing wherever they could… in the isles, on the steps to the door, in Americans’ laps, etc. The relief from hyper-safety concerns and excitement from the girls going on a field trip made for a truly joyful experience)

Before unloading at the park, Sister Sophie laid down the rules or the afternoon (she was the one with The Whistle around her neck). The Buddy system was in effect… the each older girl was responsible for one of the younger girls on arrival & departure. And when the whistle is blown, it is time to come back to the bus.

The park was filled with tons of Indian families enjoying a Sunday afternoon together. And as a group of Westerners palling around with nuns with little Indian girls dragging us around by the hand from swing-set to jungle gym, we did get some curious looks and questions from the locals.

The afternoon was filled with playing & laughing and swinging & sliding. There was also an international exchange of group hand games (i.e. Miss Mary Mack, Tip-Top and some sort of Eye-Spy game). Some of the girls enjoyed a change to grab some of our cameras and play photographer for the afternoon as well.

Giving gifts and connecting communities

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:24:00 +0000

On Sunday before going taking the girls to the park, our group presented the girls and the Sisters with all of the gifts & donated items collected. With Sister Sophie providing translation, we passed out all of the gifts and goodies with an explanation of where they came from, who they were from and why we were giving them these gifts. We presented the decorated wall hanging from the Friends School and the photo album scrapbook to the girls to a buzz of excitement to see & learn about American students.

Without a doubt, the gifts that received the most laughs were the Disney costumes donated by Danielle Cooper. The girls especially loved dark skinned Kaliyani wearing the blonde Cinderella wig. They adored the dresses and jewelry of Snow White, Little Mermaid, and Beauty (from Beauty & the Beast). Since there weren’t enough dresses for all of the girls to have one, the Sisters decided to save them in the special closet and brought out only for school plays.

The other major hit were the baby dolls that were donated by the WYC Community. Wow. This was the true tearjerker. Upon receiving the dolls, every girl seemed to go into her own world, immediately creating a special relationship with their “baby” and immediately reverting into a mothering role, cradling and cooing at their baby. This was very bittersweet to watch, because it seemed to highlight the desire they have for being nurtured. It was so beautiful to see how much they appreciated these. Thank you so much to Christina Enneking for spearheading and organizing this idea b/c it was a real hit. This is probably the only toy that they each own as an individual, so these dolls will be very special to them for years to come. As for the jewelry, hair barrettes, etc…girls will be girls! They love decorating themselves and immediately adorned themselves for the rest of the week with their new goodies.

Thank you to everyone from Wilmington Yoga Center & beyond for donating medicines, jewelry, mats, dolls, photo albums, and much more. The girls were truly grateful from their heart and felt so special receiving. We wish that you all could have heard the hundreds of “thank you auntie” and “thank you uncle” statements that we enjoyed during the rest of our stay.

Decorating With Love… “After”

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 22:06:00 +0000

Having finished the painting project during the holiday break, we were fortunate enough to be there when the children had their first look at rooms when school started back up in Monday. Both the students and teachers were so gracious and excited to see the improvements. The LKG teacher started off getting the children’s minds back in learning “gear” by running them through the newly painted alphabet and corresponding colors.

Yoga with the girls

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:08:00 +0000

Within an hour of arrival on the first day, the girls began immediately asking “Yoga? Yoga” with huge smiles and nodding faces, they couldn’t wait to practice again since it had been a year since our last classes with them. Kristin taught the girls that had nowhere to go for “holiday”, and Noelle taught the biggest class yet with all of the girls of the orphanage-ages 5-18. Sister Valsa helped to translate, and the girls would often erupt in fits of laughter at their own lace of flexibility, and the partner work. Noelle couldn’t have been a better yoga ambassador with her “Peace” t-shirt and perma-grin at the front of the room. We also donated the yoga mats that we had been collecting in the states. After visiting Kaliyani’s mother’s home, and seeing the coconut tree leaves for her roof, we decided it would be best to donate the yoga mats to her mother to best use for her hut/home to somehow help during monsoon season.

Homebase at the ABAD Plaza

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:11:00 +0000

The staff of Hotel ABAD was incredible, and we couldn’t have been more grateful to have the Ayurveda “hospital” on the top floor. Many of us got daily Ayurveda treatments, along with free consultations from the doctor. The staff had been through intensive Ayurvedic schooling, and many of us received prescriptions for ayurvedic medicines (oils) for everything from tennis elbow to congestion. The ayurvedic pharmacy was also a walk-able distance away and it was such a treat to be able to purchase all of the medicinal oils at such inexpensive prices (these oils are very pricey in the states.) We fell in love with our therapists and the herbs have been incredibly healing.

Decorating With Love… “During”

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 17:09:00 +0000

What a way to bring in the New Year. The painting project got underway with a definite “bang”. The Sisters had the girls help get the room ready by moving the benches out into the halls to make room for the painting the walls. And the girls got into the action, too! They were so excited to be able to help… they take such pride in their home and school and loved being involved in this project. The “team” broke up into two groups. One group prepped & painted the rooms a beautiful blue with pictures to act a teaching aids and the other group sanded & painted the desks & benches.

Decorating With Love… “Before”

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 04:51:00 +0000

The main service project for the retreat was to add to the ongoing improvements happening around the orphanage. The new building is getting the finishing touches put on it and should be ready shortly for the girls to move in. The new dorm building is so beautiful and spectacular that the girls nicknamed it the “Taj Mahal”. Where the Sisters needed our help was in improving the schoolrooms for the youngest children in the Lower & Upper Kindergarten classes. Sister Tresia gave us a tour of the two rooms needing the most work. The walls had become dirty & marked over the years making for very dingy learning environment. The desks and benches were also showing signs of wear and could use a little fresh coat of paint to brighten the rooms.

Getting grounded...

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:08:00 +0000

Our first group yoga practice on the terrace, early AM before the heat, with one intention... getting grounded in the sea of India.

Home of Hugs

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 19:24:00 +0000

Our cheeks were hurting from the grins we had as we pulled into those familiar gates of the orphanage and started seeing all of these cute little heads popping out from around the corners of doors. We were excited to see "our" girls again, and more importantly, to share the experience with the other on the retreat who traveled so far to help.

Some of the girls were actually away visiting with extended family during the holidays, so the girls that were left at the orphanage (~30 of them) enjoyed having visitors come specifically to spend time with them. And they were eager to have their first yoga class that day!

Trickling In

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:19:00 +0000

We have arrived! And are still arriving... one by one. Seems like the holiday weather in the States gave everyone an opportunity to practice santosha, the practice of contentment with the present. All of the canceled & delayed flights, lost luggage & mixed navigation in a foreign land... Everyone has a travel story with the happy ending of "We're here!".

Where is here?
For those not familiar with the layout of India and where the orphanage is in relation to... say... Mumbia... here is a link to a map of the overall country with a "pin" on the Home of Hope. For the record, we have felt totally safe here and have been received with nothing courtesy and bobbling smiles.

Next stop... the orphanage!

Interesting cultural awareness photo:
Photo of the Flight info "channel" on our transatlantic flight to Dubia... along with air speed, trip duration, and esstimated time of arrival.

Pack it up, pack it in...

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 03:09:00 +0000

The night before a foreign flight out is always an exciting time. Do we have all of the packing lists that were started? What's our clothing strategy for going from the frosty States to tropic India? And best part... where do we put all of the goods our community donated to the orphanage.

Digging into the bags & boxes of what people brought to WYC was sort of like opening up presents a day early. Boxes & boxes of first aid supplies, bandages, bottles & ointments. Hair bands, barrettes, & jewelry as gift for the girls. And a small village worth of dolls.

Thank you to every one who donated to items for the orphanage. Everything will go to good use & make the girls so happy!

With a little help from our Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 17:39:00 +0000

We had an amazing experience to start off our next Kunga Yoga trek out into the world. Students of the Friends School of Wilmington heard about our service retreat to India to help the Home of Hope Orphanage and they wanted to create a relationship between the two organizations.

The children asked how/what they could contribute, and since the theme of this year's trip was "Decorate with Love" we suggested that they create wall art on a sheet that we could easily fold up and take over. We knew that this would be perfect to help beautify the girls new dorm!! They presented us with the most beautiful "Peace Sheet" painted with their own artwork, iron on photos symbolizing peace, and iron on photos of themselves. The Friends Children also made a beautiful photo album scrapbook filled with inspirational quotes. The girls will be so excited to have a "sister classroom" in NC!

Part of the morning with at the school involved a show and tell of items and clothing from India along with a slide show of pictures from previous trips to the orphanage. Kristin told stories to the Friends Kids about the life of children in India and a typical day for the girls and students at the orphanage. Loren showing a couple of the fellas in the class how to wear a traditional Indian "lunghi". This was a real crowd-pleaser.

Thank you Friends School of Wilmington for caring about the Home of Hope girls and contributing!

Beautifully at Blue Lotus

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:45:00 +0000

What an amazing weekend with the Blue Lotus community in Raleigh. Beautiful vibe, people & space.

...More to come from guest bloggers & assistants extraordinaires, Tara & Noelle!

Rhythmic Flow website is up!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 21:19:00 +0000

The new Rhythmic Flow Yoga website is now live and ready for visitors!

www.RhythmicFlowYoga.com

The URL has been waiting in the wings for a year or two needing some attention to make it more than just a placeholder. This is the first stage of what we are hoping the site can be. We got the motivation to get it together and posted after our amazing weekend with Tamal & Victoria (thanks for the kick-start!)

Please check it out and give us some feedback...
For right now, my URL, www.kristinyoga.com, also links to the Rhythmic Flow yoga website.

Enjoy!!

Earth Day Closing Kirtan

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:29:00 +0000

What a treat to come right from the Earth Day celebration earlier in the day to such a grounding, centering evening of kirtan. We hosted a kirtan led by Sangita Devi at the yoga center last night (Saturday night)... a beautiful, spiritual night of chanting, singing, clapping and dancing. The Sangita Devi crew came in from Asheville Friday night and got to enjoy a weekend of this amazing coastal weather we've been having lately.

We look forward to reconnecting with Sangita Devi at LEAF this year were they will be performing again.

For those not familiar with kirtan, Sangita Devi has a great description on their site (here).

Big, beautiful Earth Day

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 23:34:00 +0000

Who could have asked for a more beautiful day to celebrate Earth Day 2008 at Hugh McRae park? The great weather was accompanied by good tunes, tasty treats and a tentful of pressing issues, great causes and conscious organizations.

Rhythmic Flow with the roots, rock, reggae

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 23:56:00 +0000

This Spring's Kunga Yoga & Service retreat was to Negril, Jamaica. Attendees from across the country came to renew, restore and give back to the local community. The service portion of the retreat was to Whitehall Estates pre-school, a facility in one of the lower income areas of Negril. The classroom was one large, open space divided into four sections to teach the separate age groups. The group helped out with lesson plans, participated in daily activities and painted a scenic mural on the bare, wooden walls of the infirmary.

Leaf Int'l Instruments for Girls

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 13:30:00 +0000

Leaf International Music-the girls drumming!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 13:07:00 +0000

Leaf International is an incredible outreach program set up to bring instruments/music/and teachers to children all of the world in need as a mean of healing. We're here w/Johnny, the girls music teacher, working on how to plant the seeds for a successful long term Leaf International program at Home of HOpe orphanage.
Much to our surprise, we found out that Sophie, one of the nuns, used to be in a BAND! and played jazz drum kit! Who says the sisters don't got soul!?? We were so excited to find this out b/c she can also teach the girls tabla drumming. Also, any funds that may go to her as the "music mentor" would be funneled right back into supporting the orphanage!!This we felt was fantastic on all levels, especially in a culture where mostly only the men play. So excited to think of more women drumming....
More details to come.
Also some photos from our instrument shopping trips, and potential instruments and prices that we may be able to get for the girls.

Rooftop Yoga

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 21:13:00 +0000

The girls loooove yoga and are constantly asking if we’re teaching each day. The first class Tara taught was on the terrace was full of giggles, but also a real interest and desire to please. Every day we’ve taught them meditation, (I can’t believe they actually sit still for 3-4 minutes!) chanting Om, basic breathing techniques, Surya Namaskar A & B, and many standing yoga asanas.

Loren and I also did a partner yoga class one night, with lots of demos and Loren in a traditional “lunghi” a men’s skirt. Needless to say some of the poses were limited for him. The girls loved watching and once we let them loose it was the most laughter we heard from them during the whole trip. By the end of our time there, during the last class in the hall where the girls sleep at night, Kaliyani, a skinny little firecracker, let me know that she wanted to continue teaching yoga to the girls, and that she would like to be a yoga teacher. I gave her mine and Loren’s mats to keep, and hope that when we return with the WYC community for the service trip next year, that we’ll have yoga mats for all of the girls…can’t wait to recycle our used mats and start some kind of official program of mat recycling. Hopefully yoga will be a powerful seed for them now, helping them to learn compassion, confidence, and working together…

Thank you beautiful Home of Hope girls for teaching Tara, Loren, and Kristin yoga through your endless hugs, smiles, laughter, and love!!!! We love you!

And huge thank you to Dave for such a special wedding gift making our trip possible (notice where little Selvie is pointing on KC's shirt...)

Rice paddy hospitality

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:12:00 +0000

Enjoyed a great trip to Chittur, Pallakkad, to stay with our new friend, Ashok. He emailed me only a month before our trip in trying to find yoga resources in America. Once we told him we were coming to Kerala soon, we had an instant invitation to stay with him and his family on their rice & coconut farm.
It was very humbling to sleep in the families home, and have his mother make amazing Kerala dishes for us, and teach us to make rice noodles. All of the fruits, vegetables, spices come straight from the farm, and Ashok’s whole family lives off of $50 per month-mother, father, Ashok, his brother, brother’s wife, and small boy. The home is quiet, clean, and simple. And I’ll never forget the look on Loren’s face in the middle of the night, returning from the “outhouse” and terrified that he may have a spider on his body somewhere after walking through a web along the path (I married a city boy ☺ ). When I got back safely from my midnight trip to the toilet, he quietly said, “I prayed for you”, which of course made me laugh hysterically at 3am…

Ashok’s father is a guru and has a sweet little ashram that he invited us to. We meditated with Ashok in the “cave” a meditation room meant to simulate the spaces that sadhus inhabit in the Himilayan mountains. His father has taught for over 30 years, dedicated to the traditional teachings.

We also learned basic Kalari (Indian martial arts) moves from Ashoks teacher, and received more ayurvedic treatments at his very simple shala. Loren’s first experienced getting oiled up and walked on…

Thank you, Ashok, for your amazing hospitality and sharing your home!