In 1997, The Tibetan Children’s Education Foundation built an education center and boarding hostel in Clement Town (in Northern India) for children of the exiled Tibetan community. His Holiness the Dalai Lama named the center Kyitsel-ling, which roughly translates as “a place for growing up in happiness.” Building on their success at Clement Town, The Tibetan Children’s Foundation is now working to build a similar Kyitsel-ling in Sikkim, a remote state in the Himalayas, which will offer quality educational opportunities to underprivileged and needy children there, many of whom are children of nomadic Tibetans.

“These children are scattered in various rural and far flung areas and although their school fees etc. are provided, their attendance at schools is irregular and unsatisfactory. Also, invariably all their parents are illiterate and cannot provide them any guidance or teaching at home. In order for these children to be able to go to school on a regular basis and for them to have further support for their education at home, we need to build an education center at this location. Doing so will ensure that all these children ( and hopefully hundreds more over the years) will attend school regularly and also have access to reference materials, computers and teachers to help with their home work and provide the necessary support at ‘home’.”

For more information on The Tibetan Children’s Education Foundation, please visit www.tibetanchildrenseducation.org. There you can read more about the Sikkim Kyitsel-ling Project, and find out how you can support their inspiring work.

Yoga Outreach began in 1996 with a group of Canadian yoga teachers working together to bring yoga into British Columbia’s correctional system.  Since then they have expanded their focus, promoting healing and transformation by bringing yoga to many other populations who would not have access otherwise. Volunteers now teach over 30 classes per week in settings ranging from health care to transition houses, shelters to treatment and recovery centers.  On May 23-25, 2008, Yoga Outreach will hold its 9th Annual Fundraising Retreat to support its services and important mission:

Come celebrate the diversity of yoga at beautiful Paradise Valley!  Vancouver’s largest Yoga retreat, featuring 23 accomplished teachers and performers from the Lower Mainland and beyond, including Sandra Sammartino, Evelyn Neaman, James Fairbanks, Swami Lalitananda, Eoin Finn and many more.  Experience other styles of Yoga including Hatha, Dru, Tibetan Heart Yoga, Jivamukti and Yin Yoga as we come together to explore this year’s theme: Gratitude.  This year we will be joined by SHINE EDGAR and WADE IMRE MORISSETTE for healing sound, bliss dance & kirtan.

Stay in cozy cabins in a peaceful wooded location by the Cheakamus River (nr. Squamish), share in the spirit of Yoga & eat delicious, locally sourced vegetarian food.

All proceeds to Yoga Outreach, helping to share the gift of yoga with people from underserved communities.  Cost: $345, including all accommodation and meals.

For a full list of presenters, performers, and program details, visit www.yogaoutreach.com/events.htm.  If you can’t attend this special gathering in person, please consider making a donation to this worthy cause.  Namaste!

Yogitoes has created a line of Skidless Mat Towels that helps support not only the practices of yogis using them, but supports charities around the world with a percentage of their proceeds. The Altruism Deity Skidless mats come in five colors, each with a specific deity and respective charity. The Kali Ma mat is black and supports the Meg Foundation, helping orphans in India. The Vishnu mat is gold and supports the Ravi Shankar Foundation. The poppy Lakshmi mat supports the TunaHAKI Foundation, which serves street children in Africa. The copper Krishna mat supports The ChandlerSky Foundation’s program in Peru.  And the Ganesh mat is turquoise and supports YOGA ED in bringing yoga into schools.

In addition to the Deity Skidless line, Yogitoes also has created the Pink Skidless Mat with $5 of each sale going to the Dr. Susan Love Foundation for breast cancer research.

Street Heat, now in its 10th year, is an inspiring program in Vancouver that provides winter clothes to many of the city’s homeless population. The driving force behind this program’s success is volunteer yogis from Prana Yoga Teaching College and The Space, in conjunction with support from the community and socially conscious local businesses.

Please visit Street Heat’s website (www.streetheatproject.org) for more information on its history, vision, and how you can get involved. Who knows? This may inspire you to start something similar in your community this winter!

Yoga Bear is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing cancer patients and survivors with more opportunities for wellness and healing through the practice of yoga. Originating in the San Francisco Bay area, the “Share the Mat” program matches cancer patients and survivors with yoga classes in their community. Studios are invited to “share a mat” by donating gentle or beginner classes to a Yoga Bear participant, providing them with a healthy activity and healing opportunity that they might not have otherwise.

For more information on getting involved, please visit their website at www.yogabear.org.

Saturday, Oct. 13th from 12:00 to 3 p.m. in Marion Square, Downtown Charleston, SC.

“It’s our fourth year doing Yoga Marathons and it just keeps getting better!” says Louis Yuhasz of Louieskids.org. “We’re gearing up for our 4th annual Salute the Sun for Kids Health yoga marathon and once again this year each of the 5 major Charleston Yoga studios have signed up to participate in Marion Square.” In addition this year the yoga marathon will include a silent auction. “There really is something for everyone,” says Yuhasz.

Serenity Now Yoga, Holy Cow Yoga Center, Satsang Yoga, Blue Turtle Yoga and The Yoga Loft in Summerville, will hold the 4th Annual yoga-thon on Sat. Oct. 13th from 12-3pm to benefit Louie’s Kids, a non-profit organization assisting children suffering from obesity.

Participants in the yoga-thon will complete up to 108 “Sun Salutations (a series of yoga positions) or up to 108 minutes of yoga, with sponsors donating money for each Sun Salutation or minute of yoga completed.

“We’re extremely grateful to the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Department for embracing our idea of possibly 200 people practicing a peaceful yoga practice right in the center of Marion Square on a Saturday during the farmer’s market,” said Louis Yuhasz, founder of Louie’s Kids. “We just read how South Carolina ranks as the fifth most overweight state in the country, and our kids are packing on the pounds too. So we’re very excited that all of the studios will participate in an effort to help kids who need to make a dramatic change in their lifestyle to avoid a lifetime of health problems.” “The City Recreation Department and the Farmer’s Market were very encouraging about our return to Marion Square,” adds Yuhasz.

Noelle Pace, an owner of Serenity Now Yoga, said that the yoga community in the Lowcountry will enthusiastically embrace this cause. “Part of living your yoga is to give back to the community, so I know our students will enjoy participating in a yoga marathon for such a terrific cause. There are so many children who need the help Louie’s Kids can provide, and we’re very excited about raising money to help children right here in the Charleston community,” she said.

The Global Mala Project is a day-long event honoring the Autumnal Equinox and the UN International Day of Peace. September 21 also marks the beginning of YomKippur - the Jewish High Holiday which marks their deepest day of intimacy with the Divine. It is a powerful time on earth and a powerful time to collectively bring energies together. The center of the event will be hosted at the Solar Powered Convention Center in Los Angeles, by such well-known teachers as Shiva Rea, Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, Sean Corn, Julia Butterfly Hill and many others.

If you cannot join the event in Los Angeles, celebrate the event with your own community today by seeking out rituals and acts of service in your area. The idea is to take our collective consciousness off of our day-to-day activities and struggles and bring our attention to the global awareness that we are all divine, that we are all connected and that we are all one. For more information on the Global Mala Project, visit their website.

For some inspiration, view some videos on the powerful effects of collective intention.

In quintessential west coast style, fifteen hundred people will gather together in Vancouver, BC to practice Yoga at the 5th Annual Yogathon and Blissfest on Saturday July 21, 2007 to raise money for Camp Moomba, an organization that provides Canadian children impacted by HIV/AIDS with an unforgettable summer camp experience.

The highlight of this anticipated summer event is the 108 minute-long Yogathon. Vancouver yoga guru Eoin Finn and leading yoga instructors in the city will lead participants through an invigorating and challenging yoga flow, incorporating various styles of yoga. Other teachers in the community will also be on hand to assist practitioners. Whether you’re a seasoned yogi, a beginner or even if you’ve never tried yoga, you can participate.

While the Yogathon is the fundraising focal point of the day, another event must-do is the Blissfest, an engaging and interactive wellness, yoga and sustainability fair that showcases “green-lifestyle” offerings by local individuals, businesses and non-profits. You can expect to find some of Vancouver’s favorite organic eateries, yoga clothing companies and wellness practitioners here.

This year, the Blissfest will feature an “Eco Fashion Show” produced by Honey Mustard Productions and vancouveryoga.com showcasing talented local designers creating ethical yoga and street wear that embodies the west-coast yoga lifestyle. The Blissfest artisan marketplace will host 30+ exhibitors promoting the most sustainable and local products and services that Vancouver has to offer, drawing both competing companies and individuals together in an environment of cooperation and community.

A special addition to this year’s event is a Children’s Activity Tent featuring activities, games, crafts, storytelling, music, “Be a Hero” workshop, and yoga especially for kids! Children under the age of 12 can enter the event for FREE with an adult registration.

Local musical performances by Vancouver’s own Tambura Rasa, Beats Without Borders, and the Ghost Brothers will create an amazing musical experience throughout the day. July 21st has also been officially proclaimed the Annual Yoga Day by the City of Vancouver and Mayor Sam Sullivan, a fitting tribute to the popularity of yoga in the city that invented the Yogathon.

If you live in the Vancouver area, please support this amazing event. If you would like to make an online donation or sponsor a participant, you can do that on the Yogathon’s website as well.

On May 29^th & 30^th, Dr. Prabhavati Dwaba, Founder and Director of Ramanaʼs Garden, will be in the Washington DC area sharing the story of this marvelous refuge in Northern India for abandoned orphans and children of of the poorest of the poor.

Hear how Ramanaʼs Garden provides housing, food, education, and medical care for the neediest of children. Learn how the children, in turn, help to increase the health and well being of the local villages and work to preserve the environment of their native land. Find out how you can help these precious children become the leaders they are meant to be. And experience how the lives of these children can renew your faith in the power of trust and divine abundance.

Each event will both inspire and entertain. Youʼll be glad you came! For more information, please see this flyer.

For more information on Ramanaʼs Garden, please visit www.sayyesnow.org (Dr. Prabhavati’s website) or Friends of Ramana’s Garden (U.S. Non-Profit website).

Anusara Yoga teacher Tanya Beilke is leading a Yoga and Seva Retreat May 10-19 to the Sacred Valley in Peru. While there the retreat participants will be volunteering at Casa de Milagros (House of Miracles), a home for orphaned and abandoned children. Tanya is currently working to raise money and supplies needed to complete a small medical clinic being built adjacent to Casa de Milagros, as well as toys and educational supplies for the children. If you would like to be a part of this amazing service opportunity but cannot physically attend the retreat, you can still help by making a tax-deductible contribution or by helping to collect needed supplies. To find out what is needed or how to make a donation, email Tanya at tanya@tanyabeilke.com. As a community of caring and compassionate yogis we can make a difference! Namaste!