KARMA KREW NEWS!!!

GLOBAL MALA 2009

A day-long fundraising event of Yoga & Spiritual Activism
Saturday September 19th
at The Northampton Center for the Arts

Schedule for the day includes:

12pm: Registration opens at the Northampton Center for the Arts
1-5 pm: Afternoon Program begins promptly at 1pm and includes:

108 Sun Salutations featuring many of the area’s top yoga instructors accompanied
by local kirtan musicians including Dave Russell & Shubalananda
27-minute Meditation with Mark Hart

7pm: Evening Program features:

Keynote Address: “Inspiring Spiritual Activism: Cultivating A New Generation of Leaders,” by Alexander Souri, Founder and Executive Director of Relief Workers International.
Performance by The Nataraj Dancers

Cost: $27 (or greater donation) for afternoon program
$27 (or greater donation) for evening program
$54 (or greater donation) for afternnoon & evening tickets together

Tickets available at:
World Eye Books in Greenfield, The Hempest & Yoga Sanctuary in Northampton, and
Yoga Center Amherst and Food For Thought Books in Amherst
Cash or Personal Checks only
All proceeds from this event will be donated to The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and Food For Life Vrindavan.
For more information, please visit www.globalmalanorthampton.com,
or call 413-367-0377 or 413-367-3021.

35 Back Packs stuffed at the stuffing party! Hope you'll join us next year!

In July and August, Karma Krew once again partnered with MSPCC in Greenfield and the Springfield Rescue Mission in The Backpack Project, where volunteers purchased backpacks and school supplies to donate to local school children to give their new school year a fresh start. Look for announcements next year to help us in this worthy and rewarding program.

About the Pioneer Valley Chapter of Karma Krew

Karma Krew is a non-partisan, non-profit charitable yoga organization whose personal mantra is "Do Good Things". It is Karma Krew’s mission, with your help, to infuse the world with more positive energy by promoting acts of kindness, service and community outreach in its many forms. Through Karma yoga inspired events and initiatives, Karma Krew seeks to shed light on the interconnectedness between turning inward and reaching outward. There are many ways to get involved, including becoming a member, joining our local Karma Krew team, participating in a service inspired yoga retreat or supporting efforts to bring yoga to underserved populations. For more information or to become a member see www.karmakrew.org.

The Philosophy behind our Community Karma Krew: In Sanskrit, "Karma" means "To act or to serve," and to serve our community is one of the most foundational and transformative expressions of yoga. The whole concept of a Community Karma Krew is not based on doing service in the community out of a "should" feeing or an obligation, but to experience it as a natural extension of one’s own personal growth process. In some magical way, by opening your heart to others with Karma Yoga, you are able to pull yourself out of the drama of your own life and see things with a clearer perspective. It frees you in magical ways and allows you to access the potential that lies dormant within you waiting to unfold.

Community Karma Krew events include other practices of yoga in the day of service, like physical yoga (Hatha Yoga) and satsang (group share) in order to provide an integrated format that helps you "connect the dots" between your service work and the "rest of your life". Yoga is something that too often gets restricted to the experience on the mat when it truthfully holds so much more potential well beyond the walls of any studio. Karma Krew is for everyone, not just for people who "practice yoga". Everyone is welcome!

Karma Krew hopes to integrate the network of yoga studios that currently exists through regularly scheduled monthly service projects throughout our communities.

Here’s how it works. One day each month, individuals gather in a day of yoga that includes an asana practice, a 2 - 4 hour volunteer project somewhere in our community, followed by satsang to share our experiences. To further encourage integration among our network of yogis, each month we will try to hold the asana class and satsang at different studios and hope that the class, satsang and service project will be led by different teachers throughout the area who choose to volunteer their time. The service projects will vary each month, and the order of the day’s events may vary according to the project’s specifications. But the formula remains the same: Get people off the mat and into the community and watch the magic happen!

Ways to get involved:

Let your students and friends know Karma Krew is launching this January 26th at the Anahata Yoga Center. If you’d like more information about any Karma Krew events, you can contact the local Karma Krew representative, Deb Neubauer, Director of Anahata Yoga Center by emailing info@anahatayogacenter.com.

Become a Member:

In its first year of existence, Karma Krew is already growing nationwide, and we invite you to join the dynamic Krew of studios and teachers across the country dedicated to promoting service as an essential part of our spiritual growth. There are various annual membership options for teachers and studios at www.karmakrew.org.

Suggest a Project:

Perhaps you know of a neighborhood project that could use a little help from our community of yogins. We are always open to hearing your suggestions and ideas for where to focus the month’s events. Email us with your suggestions today!

Return to top