Bikram Yoga Decatur

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.