Winter
The cold, the cold. Winter is time to comfort yourself and those you love. For the holidays, comfort yourself with consciousness by purchasing mindful gifts or making your own. Also, create heat by igniting the spark inside you to do what you truly love and help others do the same. Imagine all the people, doing what they love. I bet you a roasted chestnut that we'd be a happier world.
"Local" and "Everywhere" information:
Local News
Our fun, multi-vocal rock band, Tiny Bones, plays a food drive holiday show. Guitarist Debbie and I are making the boys play two holiday songs with our original set. Enjoy your guilty holiday song pleasures and sing along, lyric provided. Most importantly, bring packaged food to donate. See you there, we're on at 9PM.
 Chic-A-Go-Go Tapings
 December 4, 3-6PM
Our annual HOLIDAY & NEW YEARS studio episodes. It will be jingle-tastic! SCHEDULED GUESTS INCLUDE:
legendary 80s art punks TOOTHPASTE
X-mas rockers SNOW ANGELS
Chicago's own DREAM STREET SHAKERS
The studio shows takes place at the Chicago Access Network Studios, located at 322 S. Green St. (one block west of Halsted, half block north of Van Buren). There is free street parking and low cost lots in the neighborhood, but we are also very accessible by public transportation, as the Halsted bus stops near us and the Blue Line’s UIC-Halsted stop is only a block and half from the studio. Dress casual or wear a costume, no invitations or reservations required, come one come all!
December 16, 6:30-7:30PM
Organic pastries prepared live by Michelle Garcia of Bleeding Heart Bakery. Flamin' banjo player, Al Scorch. Miss Mia and puppet Ratso hosting kids dancing in a giant kitchen TV studio. Free. All ages. What? Word. See you at the Kenmore Live Studio, 678 N. Wells, Chicago. If you can't make it, tune in for a LIVE webcast at 7pm here. December 16. Doors at 6PM. Watch the promo video here.
Stuffed Animal
and Book DriveBloodshot Records wants to do good with your donations. Check it out here. Rob Miller's a softie, don't let him fool you. "1996, Outback wagon, about 177K miles. AWD, Stick, Red/Black, some rust, interior faded, but completely intact. Runs well, rides well, and is going to need some work. Gets about 25 to 27 MPG. I'm asking $1000.00, but there is proly some wiggle room...Christopher 773 732 6086"
Great Spaces For Rent:
$1,000 - 2br apartment. Great West Lakeview Apartment for Grabs near Belmont and Ravenswood: jawnwilson@gmail.com
900-ish sq feet with amazing light (ceiling is basically all skylights). Great neighbors. Perfect spot for yoga/Pilates studio. Rent is $1100-1200. Hayes Properties, 773 929 7050. Tell them acupuncturist Kristen Hart from Magnolia House sent you.
DISCOUNTED GYM MEMBERSHIP:
This is a serious deal. $55/month, no sign up fee, no contract, all access to the three gyms where I teach yoga: West Loop, Lincoln Park, Lakeview. All gyms have heated pools, dry and wet saunas, hot tubs, work out machines, group classes and all that razzmatazz. I really love teaching at these fitness clubs. I was initially dubious and was thankfully proven wrong to doubt the quality of people who work and work out here. Join and let's practice yoga together. Call DAVID at LPAC (773) 529-2022. You must mention me to get this killer deal. This is a great gift idea. Buy them their first month and watch them get healthy. Go!
Everywhere News
Awesome yoga teacher and gorgeous soul Courtney Riley will climb 19,340 ft. to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro for the Global Alliance for Africa’s annual Kilimanjaro Climb to Benefit Children Orphaned by HIV/AIDS. In addition to climbing this huge ass mountain, she's committed to raising a minimum of $5,000 to contribute to the overall trip goal of raising $50,000 that will support children who have lost one or both of their parents to AIDS.
To make an on-line donation, please visit here. Locate the Personal Page section on the upper left corner of the home page and select View existing campaigns. Identify Courtney Riley's campaign and select View. Enter the amount of your donation and select Support Me Now. The system will walk you through the rest of the donation process. If you have any questions, please contact GAA at 312.382.0607. Go Courtney!
Gift Ideas:
For holiday greetings, I sometimes make cards with messages like Peace and Hope. I would mail these.
Other years I had stickers printed with messages like Don't Give Up in English or Korean. I also mailed these. I even had buttons made with the hobo symbol for Don't Give Up. These were also mailed. These last few years, I've donated the money I'd spend on manufacturing and postage to non-profits I really believe in and meditated on this gesture as a global greeting card. I've donated to places like World Wildlife Federation, Himalayan Institute, The Carter Foundation (go Jimmy!), Green America and the Global Water Fund. Sorry if I don't give you the satisfaction of opening something, but I really think that this world is filled with too much stuff, even if that stuff has the best intention ever behind it. I do still buy a handful of gifts, but this year, as my global greeting card, I donated a lump sum to World Vision.  They do have an intense Christian agenda, but this doesn't bother me because they really do great work. Plus, when you donate, you receive things to pass onto people like fair trade coffee, hand made crafts, and even a stuffed chick. You can give these to people whose name you donated in. Happiest holidays, everyone! Linkage:
I frikkin' dig Groupons even though it's making me broke. But I love them. Lookie here.
Half price theater and spa tickets for everywhere found here.
Micro-lend to hard working folks here. | Yoga
Give the gift of health and well being. Guaranteed more meaningful than a fruit cake. I offer mindful private yoga instruction to individuals and groups. Whether it's a yoga tune up for you, a fun group activity with your friends, or a basics class for your office, consider giving yoga guidance this holiday season. Serious group discounts and gift certificates available. Please email Mia@MiaPark.com for details.
Los Angeles yoga teacher Lewis Victor and I at the Himalayan Institute 
Make this a Season of Gratitude. Gratitude is the foundation for setting your sankalpa, an intention for a positive change in your life in the next six to eighteen months. Take the time to stop, like right now!, and cultivate the feeling of gratitude. Allow yourself to feel appreciation for every person, decision and action that's led you to this moment.
In this fertile soil of gratitude, plant the seed of your sankalpa, your resolve to better your wellness and life. This is a beautiful practice that I highly recommend. Be diligent about your practice. Rewards take hard work. Dedicate yourself towards self evolution and observe how life seems easier and abundant. Express gratitude for this. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
to my public class schedule:
Tuesdays, noon-1PM, Level 1-2
@ Moksha Yoga
Tuesdays, 8-9:30PM, Intro
@ Tejas Yoga
STARTING IN JANUARY:
Fridays, 12-1:30PM, Open Level
@ Tejas Yoga
I also teach at LPAC, LVAC, WAC, Akal Yoga and to private clients. My full yoga teaching schedule is here.
I'm currently taking the ParaYoga Level I certification test with my teacher, Yogarupa Rod Stryker. The test taking is going great. I'm taking a break to send out this newsletter, then it's back to seven more days of writing. Taking this test is confirming my place in this lineage. So far, so great!
 
Hello, I'm Ambassador Park.
I'm a proud product ambassador for Manduka (my favorite mats) and for the terribly clever Three Minute Egg. If you shop for this wonderful yoga egg prop, use code 3MEAMP for a nice discount.
Acting
 I performed staged readings this year and took a break from theater. I miss the stage, but am enjoying my time focusing on yoga. Thankfully, the commercial world is still kind to me. In 2010, some characters I played include a few doctors, a coffee spitting office Jane, and Attila the Hun's wife. I loved my pelt!
I serve on the Board of Chicago's newest Asian American theater company, A-Squared Theatre Workshop.
For the actor in your life,
a great gift idea is the
Act One Report.
For just $25 a year, you can have all the information you need to become a successful actor in Chicago. The
Act One Reports provides you with regularly updated information: If you're changing careers, curious about acting, or ready to fulfill a life long dream, start with the Act One Reports. Take classes, get out there and have fun. It's working for me!
"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." Edith Lovejoy Pierce
"There's more, much more, to Christmas Than candlelight and cheer; It's the spirit of sweet friendship That brightens all year. It's thoughtfulness and kindness, It's hope reborn again, For peace, for understanding, And for goodwill to me n!” John Greenleaf Whittier
“Our biggest fear is that we are going to go into a vacuum over Christmas and that people that are ill-disposed towards the peace process can use that vacuum to destabilize the entire peace process.” Martin McGuinness quotes
 "The invisible fabric that pervade and support our world are made of two strands: love and wisdom. No wonder the more we love and serve and learn to align ourselves to Presence, the happier we are and the less we do, the less we are. In this holiday season may you be blessed with a new bounty of both, love and wisdom, as well as the vision and strength to share their blessings." Yogarupa Rod Stryker
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