Saturday, February 16, 2008

EarthWalk 2008: Our Karma Yoga

Join my team!!! The 2008 Kansas City EarthWalk is April 19th and I have formed a team, "Our Karma Yoga." EarthWalk and EarthFest are hosted by a local organization called Bridging The Gap. "Bridging The Gap works to make the Kansas City region sustainable by connecting environment, economy, and community. Bridging The Gap is all about interconnectedness and helping citizens, businesses and government understand the impact of our decisions and behavior on our present and future community and world," (www.bridgingthegap.org). This year's EarthWalk is scheduled for April 19th. The walk begins at 9:00 at Theatre In The Park, which is located at Shawnee Mission Park (a beautiful part of our KC Metro). Our team, "Our Karma Yoga", will be participating in the long route, which is 2.7 miles, non-competitive. It is handicap accessible and strollers, wagons, and leashed dogs are permitted on the walk route. As fellow yoga enthusiasts, it would mean so much to me to have you join our team and be a part of this amazing event. Why did I name our team, "Our Karma Yoga?" According to Wikipedia, "Karma yoga (Sanskrit: कर्म योग), or the "discipline of action," is based on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. One of the four pillars of yoga, Karma yoga focuses on the adherence to duty (dharma) while remaining detached from the reward." During our yoga classes, we are participating in hatha yoga. Again, from Wikipedia, "Hatha Yoga is what most people in the West associate with the word 'Yoga' and is practiced for mental and physical health throughout the West." In other words, hatha yoga is the physical poses/postures, as well as the breathing and meditation/relaxation will do in our classes. Yet, we all know, yoga continues off of our mats. I feel it is extremely important that we find something in our lives that is important to us, that we do to make a difference in our world. Some help rescue animal shelters, others foster children. For me, it's stepping in and continuing to learn how I can help my environment. While I am pale in comparison to others that do so much more than me, I am actively learning more about how I can help our community. One way is by participating in EarthWalk and EarthFest, and inviting you to join us. To join "Our Karma Yoga," simply log on to and click on "EarthWalk and EarthFest" in the left side column. Then click on "Join a Team" on the right side. You can join as an individual or family. Invite your friends! Everyone is welcome to join our team. Immediately after our walk is EarthFest. Please feel free to stick around and visit the many vendors that will be sharing ways we can continue to live greener. I look forward to seeing you on Earth Day, April 19th! -em