On Saturday, September 29, 2012, Pink Lotus Yoga (PLY) will hold “Bend for Beck”, a day-long event that will benefit The Beck Center for the Arts (Beck). All proceeds benefit the Creative Arts Therapies programs at Beck. Located at 18103 Detroit Avenue, PLY is a place where people come to grow, connect and build awareness with each other and the world around them.
PLY owner Marcia Camino, who became a certified and registered yoga instructor in 2004, will kick off “Bend for Beck” by teaching two donation-only yoga classes. From 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., event-goers can experience a Gentle Yoga class. From 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., people can enjoy an Amrit Yoga sampling.
At noon, Camino, artist David Smith and local officials will dedicate Big Pink Yoga Dude and Yoga Dude Junior, the studio’s two new bike racks. Named by the artist, these sculptures are sure to be conversation pieces, thanks to their size and eye-catching color – opening the racks for use by all bicyclists in Lakewood.
The noon dedication will be followed by a studio open house and reception until 4:00 p.m. The day’s activities will also include a silent auction of 24-inch replicas of Smith’s yoga bike racks, known appropriately as Little Yoga Dudes, as well as a raffle featuring donations from studio students, friends and other local artists and businesses. Again, all proceeds will benefit Beck Center for the Arts’ Creative Arts Therapies programs.
Camino chatted via email with Examiner.com about herself and about the upcoming event.
Kate Miller: What inspired you to begin practicing yoga?
Marcia Camino: It was not as much inspiration as need at first! I started teaching myself yoga in January 1999, a very nervous bride-to-be, to help me prepare mentally, physically, and emotionally for my wedding that spring. In just four months, I could feel yoga’s amazing effects on me, and my wedding was fabulous. Then, in 2003, I began studying in earnest, in the midst of a difficult year when my husband was living out of state attending school. It was in May 2003, finally, when I devoted myself to the practice and the next year became a certified teacher, determined to help others learn about and make yoga part of their lives.
KM: In regards to the “Bend for Beck” event, why help the Beck Center, specifically?
MC: It’s all about art, my love of art, and my wish to live in a highly artistic world. My new studio, Pink Lotus Yoga, is located in the West End neighborhood of Lakewood, on Detroit Avenue, and Beck Center for the Arts is the premier cultural institution in our neighborhood. When David Smith told me this summer that he wanted to build some bike racks for the front of the studio (I’m an avid commuter cyclist highly keen on helping to make our city a bike-strong community), I gave him a thumbs-up. Because Dave has taken classes at Beck Center, and because Beck is our neighbor, we decided to raise funds to support their art therapies programs and, on the same day, dedicate these bike racks for public use.
KM: What is the difference between the Gentle Yoga option and the Amrit Yoga option?
MC: Gentle Yoga is the general term for a class that explores postures that softly open the body and calm the mind. Gentle breathing techniques and basic postures from various systems and styles of yoga comprise the key to the practice. [Gentle Yoga] class is suitable for all levels. Amrit Yoga is an engaging Hatha Yoga practice. Referred to as the Posture of Consciousness, Amrit Yoga consists of breathing exercises, classic yoga postures, meditation/inward focus between postures, and deep relaxation. Students are encouraged to explore both the external and internal sensations and experiences made available to them in this dynamic, yet philosophical style of yoga. It is my ‘home base’ as a yogi and teacher.
KM: How much is recommended as a "base" donation for these donation-based offerings?
MC: Our studio cannot rightly recommend a base donation for our donation classes. We ask only that those attending them to give what they can and are inspired to give.
“Bend for Beck” will take place on Saturday, September 29, 2012 at Pink Lotus Yoga, located at 18103 Detroit Avenue, Lakewood, OH 44107. The event is free and the classes are donation-based. Bring your open mind, open heart and open spirit to this event!
For more information on PLY, visit www.pinklotusyoga.com.
For more information on Beck, visit www.beckcenter.org.
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