BYC turns 5 | Wrap up | Thanks

Posted on by
Reply

BYC took place May 4 and 5, 2013 at the UVM Davis Center in Burlington, VT. The 5th BYC was a sacred, fun-filled weekend to remember …

Last weekend approximately 180 yogis, 19 vendors, 25 presenters, various yoga studio owners, artists, and body-workers, took over the 4th floor of the UVM UVM Davis Center.  The result was a weekend full of yoga, community, healing and fun.

Friday, May 3rd, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset at All Souls Interfaith Gathering in Shelburne, VT with a purifying Ayurvedic fire ceremony, JourneyDance, and chanting. Saturday in Burlington we explored the five elements through yoga and explored our connection to the Earth with Russell and Gillian Comstock of Metta Earth Institute. Yogis on Saturday took classes ranging from YogaDance to Postural Balance and Awareness, Restorative to Jivamukti, Dharma Yoga’s Master Practice to Yoga for Better Sex, iRest to Yoga for Runners, Kid’s Yoga to kirtan, Yoga of Subtle Bandhas, an Ayurvedic cooking class and much more.
On Sunday students explored a physical movement inquiry that presented teachings of the yamas via Metta Earth Institute. Students explored classes like Kriya Yoga, got outdoors with Yoga and Cycling, partnered up with Partner Yoga and Acro Yoga, learned ways to be comfortably still and present through a Modern Mindfulness workshop, unwound through a spring detox Prana Flow and Yoga Dance for Liberation, enjoyed Blissful Hip Opening and Yoga for a Bendy Back, Yoga of Revolution, Yoga for Women, Ashtanga, Yoga and Music, Mythological Story Telling, Spanda Shakti Flow, and much more.
The BYC Silent Auction raised $420 for VNRC and $420 for BYC. Our food drive created a donation of approx. 40 pounds of food to Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf.
Burlington Yoga Conference pays special thanks to Kalpana Reddy and Wholistic Care (Malone, NY), and Sage Plakosh, for support year after year that helps make BYC possible. Thank you as well to our other partners and friends: Designs by Jake, evolution yoga & PT, Laughing River Yoga, Honest Yoga, Naada Yoga, re:source yoga, Working Well VT, Hot Yoga Burlington, Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, Isha Foundation, cnow.tv, The Ayurvedic Center of Vermont, All Souls Interfaith Gathering Center, My Yoga Online, Call + Response Foundation, Mountain Kid’s Yoga, Dobra Tea, Heartfire Henna, Singletrack Mindfulness, Karen Henderson (flag-making), Metta Earth Institute, Seven Days, Shem Roose Photography, Max Landerman Photography, Dominique Dodge (harp), Yogi P and the Funky Shanti, and Yoganonymous.
BYC thanks you, our guests, for joining us. Please tell us about you experience. Take a survey now. Thank you to our awesome BYC interns Catherine and Dania, our excellent volunteers and staff, to the mindful marketplace vendors, talented body workers, and the helpful, friendly Davis Center staff.
BYC sincerely thanks our teachers (from all BYC and Liberate events to date), and thanks our teachers’ teachers.
Until we meet again, blessings.
NAMASTE
Love,
Jane and Ben

4 Simple ways to Spring Clean

Posted on by
Reply

BYC-mat-flower

Springtime is a great opportunity to declutter your life for a fresh start! The key to a calmer existence, experts say, is finding bite-sized, everyday solutions for stressors and releasing what we can simply, be that material or psychological clutter. “When you start to let go, your life lightens up because you have less to think about and less to maintain,” says Geralin Thomas, a professional organizer in Cary, N.C. “You finally feel in control.” (Huffington Post).

Plus, the payoffs don’t end there — you can more easily sharpen your focus internally with a clear external environment. Here are 4 strategies to help ease your load so you can enjoy life more.

1. Cut Clutter – Remove anything that causes you stressful thoughts or that you haven’t used in over a year. Keep things that make you smile like treasured photos.

2. Invite Nature indoors- Decorate with green by bringing plants inside. Plants bring new life and oxygen indoors.

3. Pamper your senses - Fresh aroma therapy can help you feel more balanced at home, add chemical and lead-free oils, incense or candles to your clean space.

4. Create Space – An overstuffed room can actually make you feel tense, make more room for activities by letting old belongings and clutter go.

Student Special! SALE on Yoga Workshops at UVM

Posted on by
Reply

student-special

BYC is offering a limited time discount to BYC for all students.
If you know any students who may be interested, please help us spread the word.
Here are the details to pass along (pasted below as well). STUDENTS, TAKE 40% OFF when you register in the next 3 days! The discount applies to single passes, day, or weekend passes. Must have valid student ID at check-in. Offer expires this Wednesday at midnight.
We hope to make BYC accessible to everyone who wishes to come.

Students,
Are you stressed by upcoming finals?

Do you feel strapped for cash?

Do you need a break to relax and unwind so you can focus better?

STUDENTS, TAKE 40% OFF when you register in the next 3 days! Must have valid student ID at check-in. For this limited-time offer, the discount applies to single class workshops, day passes, and weekend passes.

Register online now with the code: BYCstudentSPRING

Namaste!

2013 BYC Scholarship Winners

Posted on by
Reply

Know Yoga Know Peace

Congratulations to the 2013 BYC Scholarhsip winners: Kimberly Dessureault, Jessica Lynch, and Malisa Garlieb. These indivudals bring yoga off the mat and into their daily lives, work, and our community and share yoga with new people or populations who may not otherwise experience yoga.

BYC intends for scholarhsip winners to enjoy the weekend fully and find some inspiration in their yoga so that you they can more easily share yoga in the world.

Many thanks and good work to the scholarship winners; BYC is honored to have you.

Stay tuned for future blogs about BYC Service Projects.

9 tips for you to practice Living more GREEN

Posted on by
Reply

green-yoga-2

Happy Earth Month Vermonters!  This years Yoga conference is now less than a week away. Wee look forward to supporting Vermont Natural Resources Council at this years conference! Learn more about Green Yoga at BYC.

Here are 9 tips that can help you practice living more Green from World Watch.

1. Save energy to save money

  • Install compact fluorescent light bulbs
  • UNPLUG appliances when you are not using them or use a smart power strip
  • Wash clothes in cold water whenever you can (85% of the energy used to machine wash clothes goes to heating the water)
  • a drying rack or a clothes line

2. Save water

  • Collect rainwater to garden your indoor plants
  • Ttake shorter showers
  • Install a low flow shower head
  • Make sure you have a faucet aerator on each faucet. These inexpensive appliances conserve heat and water, while keeping water pressure high.

3. Lower your gas bill

  • Wwalk or bike to work, this saves gas and parking cost while improving your health!

4. Eat Smart

  • If you eat meat, add one meatless meal a week. Meat costs a lot at the store-and it’s even more expensive when you consider the related environmental and health costs. Purchase from local farms to keep money in the economy, possibly join a CSA in order to reduce the overall cost on produce.

5. Think before you buy

  • Tthink Craigslist, Frontporch Forum, or FreeSharing to track down things you need. Check out garage sales, consignment shops for clothing or everyday items. before buying make sure you have done proper research on what is the good stuff to invest in.
  • Buy Smart – Buy in bulk, purchasing food from bulk bends can save money and packaging. Wear clothes that don’t need to be dry cleaned, this saves money and cuts down on toxic chemical use.  Invest in high quality long lasting products, you might pay more now but you will be happy in the long run when you don’t have to replace them as often.

6. Borrow instead of buying

  • Borrow from librians, books or movies
  • Share powertools or other appliances, get to know your neighbors while cutting down things in your closet or garage.

7. Keep electronics out of the trash

  • Kkeep your cell phones, computers and other appliances as long as possible.
  • Donate or recycle them responsibly when the time comes
  • Recycle your cellphones and batteries

8. Make your own cleaning supplies

  • You can make very effective, non-toxic cleaning products. All you need are a few simple ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, lemon, and soap. Making your own cleaning products saves money, time, and packaging-not to mention your indoor air quality. Check out these surprising natural cleaners!

9. Skip the water bottle

  • Use a purified tap filter instead of buy water bottles
  • In addition, carry around your own water bottle and therms in order to reduce container waste.