Christmas Outreach Project 2017

DECEMBER 1, 2017

Yoga Santosha’s Random Acts of Kindness Christmas Outreach Project 2017

“This holiday season, Yoga Santosha’s team is very excited to invite its community members to participate in our first ever Christmas Outreach project.

The Christmas holidays are a time of year where love, family, connection & gratitude are universal themes for most people. We have our very own unique traditions that guide us to reach out to our loved ones through celebration, shared meals & gifts of appreciation.

Sadly, many here in our very own community are struggling with mental illness, poverty, addictions, social isolation; and as such, the holiday season can be painful, lonely & filled with worry for our marginalized populations.

Santosha recognizes how privileged we are to be able to participate in such an inclusive community that fosters friendships, personal growth, physical strength and improved mental health. In that recognition and appreciation, we want to extend our gratitude, for the gifts we receive within this practice to all populations in our community.

Our goal this Christmas season, is to share Yoga Santosha’s Metta to the homeless population of our city. Loving kindness or Metta, as it is called in the Pali language, is unconditional, inclusive love, a love with wisdom. It has no conditions; it does not depend on whether one “deserves” it or not; it is not restricted to friends and family; it extends out from personal categories to include all living beings.

Our plan, with the help of you our yoga tribe, is to create survival totes, which our team will hand out. This small act is a wonderful way to connect and share space with ALL community members and to take what we learn on our mats out to the streets! A smile, a hug, a brief conversation and a little holiday treat, won’t change a person’s socioeconomic status or underlying mental health issues, but that one interaction cultivated in Metta could make all the difference in someone’s holiday experience.

Yoga Santosha has a Christmas box outside the large practice room where we will be gathering donations for this endeavor. If you are unable to pick up items on our wish list, but still want to participate in this season of Metta, the desk staff will have an envelope for monetary donations that will go towards our tote supplies. (Please donate new items)

Any little bit helps our cause; you can donate one item or all items on our list; the giving is up to you and any help will be so appreciated! Just a note that cozy winter socks and gloves are a priority on our wish list as we all know how cold and brutal Calgary winters can be.

There will also be a ‘registration button’ on the Santosha website for any volunteers who would love to participate in the gifting of these totes; there will be a limit in volunteers so sign up fast if this interests you. We will meet at the studio Sunday December 17th @ 3pm to gather our supplies and head out into the community

WISH LIST

gloves/mitts

winter socks

lighter

chocolate/sweet treats

razor/shaving cream (travel sized)

tooth brush/paste (travel sized)

ear plugs

lip balm

Register to Drop off Totes

Kindess in words
Create Confidence
Kindness in
Thinking Creates
Profoundness
Kindness in Giving
Creates Love
-Lao Tzu