Turn Inward, Reach Outward | iHanuman

iHanuman

Love, Service, Devotion, Yoga

Turn Inward, Reach Outward

I recently attended the Anusara Certified Teachers Gathering in Denver, CO. A group of 150 certified teachers came together for 5 days of inspiring practices led by Anusara founder John Friend and transformational presentations by Paul Muller, an internationally recognized scholar in the field of Tantric philosophy. One of the major emphases in Anusara is to take our yoga off the mat and into the world, so that we are living our philosophy that we are all part of One Big Spirit. To that end, John invited the Karma Krew to come to our gathering. Karma Krew is a yoga-inspired non-profit organization created by two like-hearted yoga teachers in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. What began as a one-time revitalization retreat to New Orleans has grown into a nationwide effort to mobilize the collective energy of the yoga community through events and initiatives that translate the insights revealed on the mat into purposeful action off the mat through Karma Yoga ... the yoga of action or service.
In Denver the Karma Krew offered a number of simple but meaningful projects such as donating our hotel soap and shampoo samples to women in homeless shelters and writing notes to soldiers in a rehab facility. The Karma Krew also brings yoga to underserved groups, such as abused and neglected children, at-risk and inner city under-served youth, and battered women. They also have a wonderful initiative called Do Good Things (DGT) to initiate and pass along anonymous acts of kindness.
Karma Krew states the following precepts on their website (www.karmakrew.org):
Kula: building community
("Kula" means "community of the heart" in Sanskrit) Every initiative creates opportunities for people to connect and form intentional communities of karma yogis throughout the world. By strengthening bonds of support and caring between people and increasing awareness of our interconnectedness, Karma Krew hopes to make a profound shift in our global consciousness.
Act: from your highest intention
When we act from our highest intention, we are living up to our highest potential in the moment. Karma Krew strives to provide a variety of opportunities for people to access that place of deep truth within so that each of us may contribute goodness to the world in our own authentic way.
Reaching beyond: yoga for everyone, in its many forms
As yoga practitioners we need to begin reaching beyond our studio walls and offering the practice of yoga to all populations.
Mobilize: the collective energy of our international yoga community to create positive change
With a variety of initiatives big and small, Karma Krew hopes to inspire a collective organized industry-wide movement toward taking yoga off the mat and into our communities.
Awaken: to the transformative power of living beyond the illusion of a separate self
Our motto, "Turn Inward, Reach Outward," reminds us that we are all connected, and that our actions not only affect our individual lives but affect the whole as well. While you change the world, the world also changes you. What may have once felt like a separate life of limited consequence now becomes a powerful thread of consciousness woven into an intricate tapestry of a global community.
Garden of the Heart Yoga Center has made a financial commitment to the Karma Krew on behalf of our kula. With your support we will formally establish a Karma Krew within our center to provide a fountain of transformational opportunities for taking our yoga off the mat and into the world. If you think you might be interested in participating please let us know at the front desk.

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