'Tis the season of giving. No matter which holiday you celebrate, these words ring out loud and clear as we prepare for the turning of the new year. But is giving a seasonal event? According to yoga's foundational principles, giving is not an act we perform at a given time - it's a way to live our lives. Yoga encourages us to access our compassion and dedicate ourselves to the expression of love through giving and service. With all the holiday messages that surround us this time of year, what better message than this for our children?
Parade Magazine recently published an article about a man they call "The Shoestring Philanthropist." For 22 years Marc Gold has trekked through Asia looking for those in need. His gifts are small - a typical donation is $5. From restoring livelihoods to saving lives, Marc Gold proves that it doesn't take much to offer real and lasting help. By his estimate, he's touched more than 50,000 lives. Pretty impressive. But even more than the money, what touches people most deeply is knowing that someone – a stranger – cares enough to help.
All children have the capacity to be shoestring philanthropists and kindness advocates. Think about it. While they have little to give monetarily, children have a natural ability to access deep wells of love and compassion. Time and time again, I encounter stories about the generosity of children. And time and time again, they prove that pennies - their tokens of love and compassion - can make a tremendous difference.
In a recent YouTube post, Narayanan Krishnan – a CNN Hero who, like Marc Gold, dedicates his life to the service of others – asks the question, What's the ultimate purpose in life? His answer? It's giving. Start giving. See the joy of giving. Simply put, giving is the expression of love. Teach your children to give. Support them in the act of helping others – and they'll carry that with them all of their lives.
Lisa Burk-McCoy, RYT200, is working toward a 500 hour teaching certificate in Classical Yoga from the YogaLife Institute. She also holds a prenatal yoga certification, and children's yoga certifications from ChildLight Yoga and Itsy Bitsy Yoga. Lisa currently serves as an instructor and business consultant for ChildLight Yoga. When not practicing yoga, she dabbles as a musician, playing flute in a local contra-dance band and teaching classical flute lessons to children and adults. She is blessed with a wonderful family–a husband, son and daughter, and a menagerie of pets. They make their home in Exeter, NH.
About a month ago, I was prepping for a training to be held in early December and had Thanksgiving and a family wedding ahead as well. I casually mentioned to my cousin that I was unsure of how I was going to get my home decorated for the holidays and that my decorations were so worn, the bows for our tree were literally falling apart. I remember immediately regretting my petty complaining. Debbie had just lost her dear 54 yr. old sister to cancer just weeks before. Who was I to have a complaint in the world?
A week later, I came home from a long day at the office to find my living room filled to ceiling with new decorations. A little elf named Debbie, and an assistant named Ruth (my mother in law) were decorating an enormous 9ft. christmas tree and our fireplace mantle. I was told to sit down, relax and just watch. In amazement, I watched them work their magic and in a couple of hours, my house was transformed into something from magazine photos.
Speechless and unsure of how to show my gratitude and appreciation, I hugged Debbie and asked how I could ever repay her for her thoughtfulness. She looked me in the eye and just said, “I don’t want anything but your smile and the look on your face right now. And to ask that you simply pass the kindness on.”