Another good Ashtanga cause to support

If you’ve been to the Ashtanga Yoga New York webpage lately, you’ve noticed mention of a “99% practice 1% K” walk-a-thon to benefit Ashtanga Yoga Outreach.

Turns out, AYO is another branch of Eddie Stern’s community service. (He does not lack for seva.)

The fundraiser is happening sometime in November (when we see a date, we’ll let you know). Here’s a little more about AYO:

We provide Ashtanga Yoga instruction to in-need and at-risk communities in New York City. This therapeutic practice, as taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois of South India (1915-2009), promotes health and healing by stimulating and supporting positive physiological and behavioral habits, including circulation and respiration, digestive assimilation and elimination, regularity and effectiveness of exercise, and kindness and empathy towards ourselves and others.

There is a bit more on the Inspiration page; I really like the research emphasis that is implied in this description:

In 1948, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois opened the AYRI in Mysore, South India, with a view to experiment with the curative and therapeutic effects of Ashtanga Yoga. From the 1950s through to the end of the 1970s, the bulk of his students were referred to him by their doctors to learn yoga under his guidance in order to address a variety of illnesses from diabetes to heart disease, as well as musculoskeletal impairments and neurodegenerative diseases. He adapted his method of yoga for people in every stage of health, based on the same method he taught to the thousands of western students that passed through his doors from 1973 to 2009. We endeavor to capture the original spirit of his work by continuing to reach out to a variety of in-need and at-risk communities.

New York City can be seen as a microcosm of our global community in that, despite being one of the most economically prosperous cities in the world, it is also home to millions of people without access to basic medical care and services. We have seen that Ashtanga Yoga can act as a powerful and cost-effective supplement to the existing health and care services that New York City already provides.

So you can add this to your list of good causes to support.

Speaking of, another of Eddie’s efforts — Bent on Learning — has its annual gala next month. Info for the Oct. 30 event, at which Eddie is being honored, is right here.

Posted by Steve