Yoga for Peace: The Yogic CM1111 Challenge

One local yoga teacher who was present at our gathering in New Orleans has already taken the Yogic CM1111 Challenge. Will you and your yoga students join her in helping spread peace on the 11th day of every month?

Let me begin by saying that to me a challenge is not a competition, but rather a way to encourage oneself to go deeper or higher and to push beyond one’s normal limitations. Rather than acting as a divisive measure, a challenge can bring people together in a united effort to do more than they would individually. This yogic challenge is a win-win situation for all involved.

When I was around nine years old my Grandmother used to do fundraising for a non-profit organization. I remember her pulling me before the cameras with her and putting out a challenge to all the other grandmothers out there who were watching the telecast. She pledged a certain amount of money in my honor, and challenged them to match her. The donations from other grandmothers around the country started pouring in almost immediately! The challenge connected these women on a level which they understood so personally, bringing them together to unite on a common goal.

This is why I challenge the yoga community to join CM1111 and other yoga teachers around the country to set aside a special time for focusing on world peace through their practices.

My idea is that a special Yoga for Peace class could be scheduled for the 11th day of every month. Starting at 10:30am and ending at 11:30am would give enough time for everyone to have their usual yoga practice while getting the brain and heart in alignment with the peace mission.

Then just before 11:11am the yogis and yoginis would enter into a meditation pose (corpse or seated) they would hold for however long with the focus on peace. Perhaps “Om Shanti” could be playing in the background or everyone could be chanting this together. Whatever feels right for you and your particular class works great. In this way people would be uniting their intentions and spreading peace to the world while doing something that brings them solace and inner peace.

If you're a yoga student who would like Yoga for Peace classes to happen in your area, please contact your local studio(s) to see if they'll join in the Yogic CM1111 Challenge. If you're a yoga teacher or studio interested in participating, please use the comment link below to add your contact information to this entry.