Bikram Yoga Decatur

This month's benefit class recipient is the Georgia Lyme Disease Association, an all-volunteer patient advocacy group that is dedicated to the prevention of and education about Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases. GALDA was brought to our attention by Bikram practitioner, Holly B. Here's Holly's story...

One of the most devastating moments anyone could experience would be when a doctor tells you that your child has cancer. This happens to thousands of families, thousands of children, all over the world, every single day. Several years ago, it happened to Erin & Stephen Chance -- a family in the neighborhood very close to BYD. They were told their 3 year old son, Patrick, had stage 4 neuroblastoma -- one of the most aggressive pediatric cancers. In the years since that diagnosis, Patrick has battled through countless surgeries, chemotherapy, endless rounds of radiation, stem cell rescue, painful antibody therapies, soaring hope with remission, and the crushing of that hope with relapse. A series of physically, mentally, & emotionally taxing events that legitimately could lead any person to the point of complete collapse & despair.

And yet, neither the family, nor Patrick, has ever given up. They instead choose to press on. Hence the genesis of the organization they created, Press On Foundation, along with the family of another young boy, Brennan Simkins, who is fighting acute myeloid leukemia. The foundation exists for the purpose of providing funds to respected institutions such as Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital & St. Jude Children's Hospital to continue their research in the field of childhood cancer. Because doing something will always triumph over doing nothing. Please join us in continuing their valiant fight -- on behalf of all children who suffer from pediatric cancers -- at the BYD benefit class Thanksgiving weekend -- November 26th at 4pm.

For more information: www.pressonfund.org

Our benefit class this month is dedicated to the Welles Crowther Charitable Trust. This organization came to our attention by BYD regular Meaghan Dalton. The description below is from her.

Our benefit class this month on Saturday, September 24 at 4:00 pm, will be dedicated to BYD instructor Anand Nair who is participating in the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta's 2011 Buddy Walk.

BYD will donate 100% of our class income to Anand's efforts.

This month's benefit is a little different in that it's for an individual and not an organization. Lydia Tillman, of Fort Collins, CO, was the victim of an unspeakable act of violence on July 4th, 2011. She bravely escaped a burning building after being subjected to an agonizing assault and arson. On top of the emotional and physical suffering, Lydia also lost most of her personal belongings. The local connection is that Lydia is a friend of one of our instructors.

• BYD Class Cards will be accepted (new policy).
• BYD will donate 100% of the class proceeds to the monthly cause.
• Participants are also encouraged to make a donation in any amount.
• Reservations are not possible.
• Arrive early to guarantee participation.

If you are unable to attend the benefit class you may still make a donation.

This Saturday, June 25 at 4 pm we are holding a benefit class for Odyssey Family Counseling Center. The Odyssey Family Counseling Center has been in existence since 1973 and is recognized for its expertise in the areas of adolescent and adult substance abuse, sexual abuse, delinquency, child abuse, school behavior problems, domestic violence, re-marriage and blended families.

Odyssey's services are available throughout metro Atlanta and include treatment and counseling for:

• General Mental Health
• Addiction Treatment
• Family Problems
• Grief & Loss
• Prevention Services
• Crime Victim Services
• Trauma Recovery
• Domestic Violence

Sat, Jun 25, 4 PM - $10 Minimum suggested donation, cash or checks only, no existing BYD class cards may be used.

I've been coming to Bikram Yoga Decatur for a few weeks now and am really enjoying my practice with you and the guidance of all of the instructors I have had. Five years ago, I received a kidney transplant, and the most important part of staying healthy for me now, particularly with the numerous side effects of the medications I must take, has been staying active and engaging in practices like Bikram Yoga.

Every summer since my transplant, I have volunteered as a counselor at the National Kidney Foundation Serving Georgia and Alabama's Camp Independence, a week long summer camp for kids with kidney disease, on dialysis, or with any type of transplant that is held annually at Camp Twin Lakes. At this camp, these kids are able to experience the full summer camp experience, from swimming to horseback riding to marshmallow roasting, all with full medical support, including on site dialysis.

The 4:00 pm class on this coming Saturday, April 30, is a benefit class. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross to help with earthquake and tsunami relief. This class will be led by Anand Nair and his employer, Electronic Arts, has pledged to match every dollar raised.

What You Need to Know

• BYD Class Cards may NOT be used.
• Minimum suggested donation is $15.00.
• Cash or check donations only.
• No Reservations. Arrive early to guarantee participation.

We hope to see you there.

The 4:00 pm class on the last Saturday of each month at BYD is always a benefit class. The recipient organization will vary each month and we solicit suggestions from you, our clients. Our focus will be largely local but we will also support national and international organizations, particularly in times of crisis.

Please use the contact form to submit suggestions. Please only recommend non-political and secular causes including non-profits, advocacy groups, arts organizations and/or individuals (or families) in need.

We especially like to support organizations that our clients are personally involved with.

Guidelines

• BYD will donate 100% of the class proceeds to the monthly cause.
• BYD Class Cards will be accepted (this is a change from earlier benefits).
• Participants are also encouraged to make a donation in any amount.
• Reservations are not possible. Arrive early to guarantee participation.

April 2nd 2011 is Autism Awareness Day, on which autism organizations around the world celebrate the day with unique fundraising and awareness-raising events. BYD is partnering with TACA Georgia, a non-profit organization that provides relief and support to families dealing with autism, by offering a special donation class at 1:00 pm on Saturday, April 2.

We are asking for a $15 minimum donation* to take the class, and all the money will go directly to TACA Georgia.

If you would like to help but will be unable to attend the class you may donate online.

* Because this is a special benefit class it will not be possible to attend using BYD Class Cards. All participants will be asked to donate directly to TACA Georgia.

With this being one of the largest recorded earthquakes in history, relief efforts will dominate our donations choices for a while. Our first three donations will go to:

The Japanese Red Cross

International Rescue Committee

Doctors Without Borders

Before you donate you might want to read this article about how to make your donation count the most.

February's cash donations included:

Southern Poverty Law Center

The Life After Exoneration Program

In honor of Veterans Day we have donated to The Wounded Warrior Project.

And because we all spend so much of our lives online we have donated to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

This month BYD is making cash donations to:

• The Feminist Women's Health Center
• Dekalb Rape Crisis Center
• Women's Resource Center to End Domestic Violence

Mother Jones on Pakistan Flood Aid:

As tens of millions displaced and homeless Pakistanis continue to weather the effects of flooding, donations for flood relief remain sluggish. Pakistan is getting far less in donations (and media attention) than the Haiti earthquake. The flood relief effort has about 2/3 of the funding it needs, the US State Department estimates. According to one Oxfam representative, after 3 weeks the Pakistan effort garnered roughly $230 million committed; Haiti had three times that within 10 days.

You can help (we did).

Are you underpaid? Have you been laid off recently? Have you got more time than money? Do you find it difficult to afford to practice Bikram Yoga as much as you would like? It is with you in mind that we have registered as a Product Partner with Go Green Get Rewards, a volunteer rewards program designed to support social activism. Volunteer members receive reward points for volunteering at environmental (and other) non-profit organizations. Volunteer members accumulate points and then redeem them for products from rewards sponsors and product partners.

You can learn about the organization and how it works at either of these web sites:

Go Green Get Rewards

Do Good Get Rewards

Over the last couple of months we have donated 20 Class Cards to the following local organizations who will use them to raise funds. Most of these will end up being available though silent auctions. For details on auction dates and times please contact the organizations directly.

Spark Reproductive Justice Now

GA Citizen’s Coalition on Hunger

Southern Center for Human Rights

Project South

Trees Atlanta

Fugees Family

Wonderroot

Refugee Family Services

New Roots

Alternate Roots

Americares

Hope for Haiti

As I do some site maintenance I noticed that our Giving Back section is pretty sparse. We actually support many more organizations than listed here. I'm going to rectify that soon as I continue to update the site. It's not so much bragging as it is letting our clients know that BYD is dedicated and committed to giving back as much as possible to our communities -- local and global.

Let's hope the worst of this year's hurricane season has passed. People in Haiti, Cuba and parts of Texas were hit hard and suffered many losses so I have chosen three organizations to send some financial assistance to.

Hope for Haiti

Global Giving (for their Cuban relief)

Direct Relief International (for their work in the Gulf Coast)

When giving to organizations like this it's wise to do some research and support organizations that are highly regarded, efficiently run, ideologically unbiased and who have a track record of transferring all or most of donations to direct relief programs rather than administrative costs or fundraising. I think these three are worthy of our support. Please consider making a donation.

We ask a lot of our brothers and sisters who serve in the military particularly in times of prolonged conflict such as are happening in Iraq and Afghanistan. The things our soldiers have to endure in combat are bad enough but then the service and support they get upon return are shamefully lacking. The Veterans Administration does a lot but it's vastly underfunded and ill-equipped to provide even adequate care and support for the thousands of returning combat soldiers and their families.

Veterans commit suicide at twice the rate of other Americans. One quarter of our homeless population are military veterans. The rate of returning troops suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been estimated at between 30 and 100 percent. The range is so wide because the Department of Defense and the VA don't monitor the mental health of soldiers after they return to their civilian lives. That fact alone is alarming. The truth of war is that it's effects will be felt by all of society for generations to come. It is vital that we stop looking the other way and admit that we are all responsible for the care and well being of our wounded soldiers and returning veterans.

Thanks to your continuing support of BYD we are proud to be able to support Disabled American Veterans and Soldier's Heart.

If I were pessimistic about the future I'd be worried that hot yoga isn't a sustainable business and probably will become a luxury we can't afford as a global energy crisis approaches. Yoga, of course, will never go out of style or be impractical, but heating the studio to 105 degrees may some day be cost prohibitive. I've done what I can to maximize our energy efficiency (using radiant heat, installing double pane windows in the studio, insulating the walls and ceilings, converting to compact fluorescents (in progress) and installing timers on many of our electrical appliances) but the truth is that ours is a business model that uses more than it's fair share of energy.

I've tried the Bikram series without the heat and it's just not the same. I also believe that the profound benefits derived by so many people makes it worth the expenditures so I have decided to join the carbon offset bandwagon. I know carbon offsets aren't a perfect solution and we need to continue to look for more ways to create energy and minimize our use of it but there aren't any perfect solutions and this is a concrete step I can undertake now.

We have committed to purchasing monthly carbon offsets from NativeEnergy, an organization that is working to find "clean and renewable energy sources that reduce pollution and create sustainable economies for Native Americans, family farmers and local communities."

Whenever a major natural disaster strikes anywhere on the globe everyone's thoughts and prayers go to the victims and survivors. If your impulse is to do something more and you don't have the means to travel or the time to volunteer then you can always, like BYD, send money. A little research has led me to believe that the organization best equipped, financially, politically and logistically, to quickly and efficiently get aid to remote and difficult to reach locations is Americares. While the news media are full of articles about the difficulties of sending aid to Burma/Myanmar imposed by the ruling military junta Americares already has partners in the region and people and supplies on the way. This is the first organization I look to when wanting to donate to any global humanitarian crisis.

One of the amazing things about the Atlanta Community Food Bank is their claim (which I believe) that 94 cents of every dollar received from individual donations is distributed in the form of food. BYD is proud to support them.

We are pleased to be supporters of Several Dancers Core, based in Decatur. From their web site:

Since 1980, Several Dancers Core has been creating and performing innovative contemporary dance. Several Dancers Core is home to the internationally acclaimed CORE Performance Company, known for its riveting, passionate and unique work. The three components of Several Dancers Core are: CORE Performance Company: Professional contemporary dance company; CORE Presentations: Presenting dance by CORE Performance Company and visiting artists; CORE Initiatives: Community-based programs supporting traditionally underserved populations

I can't think of a more worthy cause at the start of a new year. We've just signed up as a Sustaining Member of Life After Exoneration whose "mission is to address the injustice of wrongful conviction and incarceration by assisting exonerees and their family members in re-building their lives."

The exonerated are the increasing numbers of individuals in this country who have been convicted of crimes they did not commit, and manage to win release from prison after having proven their innocence. There are approximately 400 exonerees nationwide; the Life After Exoneration Program has worked directly with over 75 exonerees. Many of the most recent exonerations have been through the use of DNA evidence, and while there has been a significant amount of attention directed at the fact of wrongful conviction in this country, few Americans realize what awaits someone who has proven their innocence.

The fact that Bikram Yoga requires a heated room isn't very environmentally friendly. The sad truth is that we burn through more than 8000 kwh in electricity per month (average). I'm taking what small steps I can to reduce that by making our studio as energy efficient as I can but there's no getting around the fact that our "method" requires a lot of energy. I have therefore decided to begin a carbon offset program whereby we may be able to at least help reduce carbon emissions in general. My first step is to pledge to support a local organization that is helping to keep Atlanta green, literally. Bikram Yoga Decatur is proud to be a Cedar member of Trees Atlanta.

MADRE is an international women's human rights organization that works in partnership with community-based women's organizations worldwide to address issues of health and reproductive rights, economic development, education, and other human rights. MADRE provides resources, training, and support to enable our sister organizations to meet concrete needs in their communities while working to shift the balance of power to promote long-term development and social justice.

Since we began in 1983, MADRE has delivered over 22 million dollars worth of support to community-based women's organizations in Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, the Balkans, and the United States.

Bikram Yoga Decatur is proud to support MADRE and encourages you to do the same.

We support the Dekalb Rape Crisis Center in two ways. One is by offering a 50% discount on all class cards to their active volunteer base and the other is by sending cash donations. From their web site:

DeKalb Rape Crisis Center exists to assist victims of sexual assault and the community in coping with these crimes; to help medical personnel in the delivery of health care needed as a result of these crimes; to provide counseling toward healing the emotional trauma experienced by a victim of sexual assault; to help victims through the investigation and court stages of the resolution of these crimes; and to educate the general public on sexual assault crimes and their prevention.

Please consider volunteering or otherwise supporting this important organization.