Karma Yoga & Scholarships at Dream Yoga

"Service is not possible unless it's rooted in love and nonviolence. The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."--Mahatma Gandhi

There are many types of yoga. These include the hatha yoga we do at Dream Yoga Studio which focuses mainly on physical postures, breathing and relaxation/meditation. There’s bhakti yoga, a yoga of devotion; and Jnana Yoga—the process of converting intellectual knowledge into practical wisdom.

At Dream, we also practice karma yoga—the yoga of selfless work, service and contribution.

In the recent past, our students have generously given to help Bhutanese refugee families resettle into the metro area. We filled our reception room twice with coats, blankets and household items that were distributed to the Bhutanese by a local group—the Bhutanese Refugee Empowerment (BRE) in DC Metro. We're currently working on raising funds to Benefit Haiti. Plus we have an ongoing Scholarship Fund.

Whether you’re a student at Dream or not, we hope you will join us in all our karma yoga efforts.

Helping Haiti

Help Dream Yoga Help Haiti!
To encourage Karma Yoga, Dream teachers offered Benefit Classes during which students contributed more than more than $1,000 to benefit Haiti. We are also grateful for those who have contributed nearly $2,000 more via Dream's website.

The needs of the Haitians are huge and continuing. Please DONATE NOW to contribute to Dream Yoga's efforts to raise $5,000 to support Partner's in Health's STAND WITH HAITI campaign. More...

Can You Help?

Dream’s Scholarship Fund: Donors Needed

In a perfect world, everyone would be able to reap the many benefits of yoga and meditation! Dream Yoga is committed to making our classes and services available to all those seeking to enhance their health and well-being, regardless of background or financial status.

With your generous financial support, Dream has been able to make a number of full and partial Scholarships available to those who couldn’t otherwise afford them at this time in their lives. Of course, the need for financial assistance has grown in the current economic climate, and more students are telling us they can’t afford to continue their classes. So we’re asking for your help to expand our Scholarship capability to sponsor classes for those in the DreamYoga family who need help now.

You can fund a full session of classes for a student, or half a session ($$ varies depending on the sessoin--summer, Fall, Winter, Spring). But know that ANY amount you can donate—even $10—will be put to good use and greatly appreciated. (Please note that Dream does not issue a tax-deductible receipt for donations, as Dream Yoga is not a non-profit organization. Your donation then might give you the karma yoga opportunity of selfless contribution.)

Recipients Welcome

Learning to receive the gifts of others is also an important practice that nurtures both the recipient and the giver ... and helps create a supportive community environment at our Studio.

All Scholarships are given anonymously. Students wishing to receive a Scholarship should contact Luann. All recipients are asked to pay at least $3/class or higher according to their ability. Students who receive scholarships sometimes repay the Scholarship amount when they return to employment or a better financial status.

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Scholarship Donation Form

Please copy and paste the following into an email message to Luann@DreamYogaStudio.com.

What investment amount do you wish to contribute to Dream’s Scholarship Fund? $ __________

Will you be contributing this amount in one lump sum? _____Yes ____No When? ____________

If you’ll be contributing in increments, what incremental amounts will you contribute? $_____________

How often? _____Monthly _____Quarterly _____Yearly

THANK YOU for your generosity and support.
Donations are NOT tax- deductible. Dream Yoga is not a non-profit organization.

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Scholarship Application Form
Please copy and paste the following into an email message to Luann@DreamYogaStudio.com.

What class or service at Dream Yoga would you like to receive financial assistance with?

Class Name________________________________________ Class Day & Time____________________

Other_________________________________________________________________________________

What amount can you afford to pay for this class or service? $ __________

Please see “Questions to Ponder” below.

Can you afford to pay this in one sum? _____Yes _____No

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When Considering Paying for a Yoga Class ...

… or When Getting Help with Paying for a Class

Please consider these financial questions designed to help you consider the value yoga/meditation classes might have in your life and how yoga is an investment in yourself. They are offered for your own self-study.

You do not need to write down your answers to these questions unless it helps you to focus.

1. If you were managing your stress levels more effectively: What value would that bring to your life?

Would you put a monetary value on it?

2. What's your favorite way to reward yourself? (Some ideas could be coffee, candy, cigarettes, a bath, a book, a vacation...)

Could this reward be considered an effective stress-reduction technique?
If this reward costs money, how much do you spend on it each year?

3. What do you hope to gain from your experience with yoga or meditation?

If you were to have this in your life right now, what value would it have?

4. Is there a difference between "paying for a class" and "making an investment in yourself"?

5. When you have to pay a significant amount of money for a service, what emotions come up for you?

(Some ideas might be: joy, fear, anxiety, satisfaction, love, greed, pride, boredom, nothing...)

6. What amount could you afford to pay for yoga/meditation?

What amount do you want to pay? Is there a there a difference between the two?

Health-promoting practices are more effective when you are deeply invested in them. For many people in our culture, a financial investment creates a corresponding emotional/psychological investment.

A Great ‘Success’ for Women in Need!

You can still donate!

A big THANK YOU to all the Dream Yogis, friends and family who contributed to our fall Karma Yoga project to support "Dress for Success," a national non-profit organization that helps women in need enter or return to the job market.

This recent article in the Washington Post describes the work of this organization.

“Know that you have created much good karma with your support of this initiative!” said Dream Yogini Sue Manch, who organized the collection at Dream and at her company—Shannon & Manch. Sue's colleagues are also donating time and funds for career training and after-job-placement coaching.

Sue delivered an amazing breadth of donations: several hundred dresses, suits, slacks and blouses on hangers, along with 15 large 55-gallon size bags full of clothes, shoes, purses, hose and other accessories!

The individuals working at Dress for Success when Sue came in with the donations were so excited and noted how much in need they are right now. The demand for their services is at peak levels due to the economy and a cut in the organization’s funding. Dream’s donations could not have arrived at a better time.

“Your generosity will help women in need of a positive turn in their lives. We all know that a new blouse or purse can sometimes offer just the courage we need to try something new and now these women will get to experience that same feeling,” Sue said.

Got something more to donate? Sue will be making at least one more trip over there this month to take items that didn’t make it into this grouping. So if you still have things, just bring them to Dream. Please contact Luann@DreamYogaStudio.com or 703-448-YOGA (9642); or Sue at 202-293-8900 or manch@shannonandmanch.com.