Fall is near!

The seasons are shifting and so are we! It's taking a little longer for Florida to catch up but soon enough there will be a chill in the air and a renewed vibrance throughout the community. This is the perfect time to reconnect to our SELF and to the people around us. Whether it's your friend, mother, or a stranger passing by.....there is light in all of us.

I don't think I am alone when I say that we all want to feel happy, healthy, and with purpose. Back in January I set myself a goal of raising a LOT of money for Uganda. The deadline is near and I have so far fallen short of my goal. I was feeling like I not only let myself down, but that I let down everyone that has been so generous to this amazing cause. Needless to say, I have now realized that my contribution, our contribution, will change lives no matter how big or small!

So ......Thankyou! Thankyou for the support, the positive energy, and for being a part of this never ending journey. If only to send positive vibes and love to people in need, those energetic waves will be felt. Life is so fragile from day to day. I wake up only hoping to give more.

I have until December 15th to raise money for OFF THE MAT INTO THE WORLD if you have any ideas for events. I just hope to bring awareness to people in need.

Have a fantastic week and I wish you love and light.

Namaste,
Andrea

AWESOME!

The last event with Moses, I LOVE YOGA, was phenomenal! He brought love and light and some awesome threads to Lake Worth.

This is a break down of how your donations can help...... from Shanti Uganda.....

$15 - One birth kit including everything a birthing woman needs for a safe, clean and empowered birth

$125 - Provide 25 teen girls with reusable menstrual pads and increase their chances of going to school.

$250 - Purchase a sewing machine and supplies for one woman to join Shanti Uganda's Income Generating Group

$300 - A midwife's salary for one month

$500 - Build a community chicken coop and supply pregnant women with eggs to improve their nutritional intake and reduce the maternal mortality rates associated with poor nutrition.

$1000 - Build a small water catchment system

$1000 - Covers the cost of our university scholarship program for one year

$10,000 - Supply the Birth House and entire community with running water

$15,000 - Purchase an emergency transport vehicle to transfer birthing women with complications from the Birth House to the nearby hospital

$50,000 - Build a birth house and save the lives of thousands of pregnant women and babies.

Shanti Uganda is one of the many organizations that will be implementing projects in Uganda.

The Next event...........

September 25th....Friday evening @ Bindu Yoga in WPB

Movie night and vegetarian or vegan pot luck.

The movie presented is titled Shadow.

All money donated at the door will go to OFF THE MAT INTO THE WORLD.

www.bindu-studio.com for more info.

kick back, relax, and make a difference!

more events to come.....you can always contact me for info on any event or classes.

Andrea@amalayoga.com

peace, love, light, unity, passion.......shanti oooooooommmmmm

SOMA OTM

SEPTEMBER 2 @ The Soma Center

I LOVE YOGA TRUNK SHOW

AND

SACRED ACTIVISM YOGA CLASS

WHEN: SEPT 2, 2009

TIME: 9:30 AM CLASS,

TRUNK SHOW BEFORE

AND AFTER

COST: BY DONATION!

Sacred Activism Yoga

Take a deep breath and let

your practice unfold.

Organically. In the flow.

The way nature intends. Enjoy artistic yoga sequencing, incredible music,

amazing adjustments and conscious breath work. This workshop will also

feature a guided meditation and the best part is 100% is going to charity.

Truly an experience you won’t

want to miss.

THIS EVENT IS A PART OF THE UNITE! FOR UGANDA BENEFIT SERIES.

ALL PROCEEDS ARE BEING DONATED TO

OFF THE MAT INTO THE WORLD.

YOGATHON UNITE!

The Yogathon was a beautiful day!

Full of compassion, children, laughter, and some great yoga!
We raised another $2500! A huge step towards the goal of $20,000. Beyond the numbers.....is the most important part of this whole experience. The sense of community and support on Saturday warmed my heart and really let our true colors shine.

I can't thank everyone enough who came and gave with their hearts. Regardless of the money, we sent a huge amount of positive energy to the people of Uganda and to people who may be suffering anywhere.

We set our intention to make a difference and we have. Big or small isn't the question......every little step is part of the journey!

There is another event on September 2nd at the Soma Center in Lake Worth. We will offer a by onation yoga class and we will also be having an I LOVE YOGA trunk show! Moses, the guru of I LOVE YOGA, will be making a stop to us on his Green Bus Tour. check it out: greenbusproject.com.

See you at the next event.

Shanti OM, peace, untiy,

Andrea

YOGATHON @ Gyrotonic Satnam

Saturday, August 8th....a day of Yoga!

SCHEDULE:

8:30-9:00am Sunrise Stretch Yoga with Jill: set your

intention for the day!

9-10:00am Gyrokinesis with Oblio: a total body conditioning and balancing system of movements that encourage the body to stay open and strong.

10-11:15am Kundalini Yoga with Ashleigh: this dynamic form of yoga uses mvmt, sound current, breath and meditation to relax and heal your mind and body.

11:30-12pm Kids and Teen Massage, Hand to Heart with Rachel: an interactive, fun workshop promoting and incorporating the benefits of wanted, healthy, nurturing touch on your child.

12-1pm Vinyasa Flow with Sara: moving from one pose to another fluently in a flowing mvmt and in conjuction with the breath.

1-2pm Hatha Flow with Andrea: We will bring the body, mind, and breath together while connecting with our spirit. Giving an intention and purpose to our practice as we flow from one pose to the next.

2-3pm Kids and Teen Yoga with Massage with Rachel and Andrea: We will discover new ways to use yoga poses with stories, games and toys in a creative manner with our kids as well as amongst themselves.

3-4pm Partners Yoga with Andrea: Invite a friend to learn a new set of fun poses that encourage balance, resistance training, and laughter!

4:15-5:30 Yin Yoga and Meditation w/singing bowls with Asleigh: This class gently stretches the tissues that form our joints. It prepares the mind for a calm meditation practice cultivating more awareness and presence in your life.

Organic tea will be served.

All classes by donation: all donations to.....

Off the Mat Into the World!

Thank you Gyrotonic Satnam!

YOGATHON @ GYROTONIC SATNAM

August 8th Schedule.....

YOGATHON @ Gyrotonic Satnam

Benefiting:

Off the Mat Into the World

8:30-9am Sunrise Stretch Yoga- Set your intention for the day!

9-10am GYROKINESIS

10-11:15am Kundalini Yoga

11:30-12pm Kids and Teen Massage

12-1pm Vinyasa Flow

1-2pm Hatha Yoga

2-3pm Kids and Teen Yoga and massage workshop

3-4pm Partners Yoga

4:15-5:30 Yin Yoga & Meditation with singing bowls to seal the day

ORGANIC TEA WILL BE SERVED.

Come and enjoy a beautiful day, experience a new class, and meet your fellow yogis.

All classes are by donation which benefits Uganda through Off the Mat Into the World.

Compassion, Unity, Strength, Love, Community, Peace, Life!

YOGATHON @ GYROTONIC SATNAM

Set an intention for your day, for your practice, for your life.

I strive to live up to my intentions everyday. They are ever changing and range from giving all of my heart to taking a deep breath while driving!

My intentions for the past 7 months have included spreading the word for Off the Mat Into the World.

There is a courageous community of people living in Uganda. They live everyday with unimaginable obstacles and still bring laughter and joy to their lives.

People in Northern Africa live on about $1 a day.



We can and are making a huge difference in these lives. Awareness and education about HIV and Aids will be more available with the programs that are being created with our donations.

Our donations are what they need to educate their community and have safe birthing practices for mothers with HIV/Aids.

I am passionate about the practice of Yoga and the strength that the community can bring to others.

Please help me in raising my goal of $20,000 by December 15th 2009.

If I reach this goal I will go to Uganda and work with these amazing organizations and the well deserving people of Uganda.

to donate visit: amalayoga.com
go to the Seva Challenge page and click on the Donate Now link

please choose my name in the drop down menu: Andrea Pepper

UNITE! YOGATHON
August 8th 2009 @ Gyrotonic Satnam

A full day of yoga, partners yoga, childrens yoga, and community.

Starts at 8:30 and ends at 5:30.

Classes by donation, all donations benefit Off the Mat Into the World.

Contact me with any questions: andrea@amalayoga.com

Peace, Love, Unity, Gratitude,
Shanti Om,
Andrea

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL EVENING!

We raised ANOTHER $1200 this past Saturday!

As soon as the rain stopped SILOH took the stage and didn't stop until midnight! It was a great turn out and a wonderful vibe. The perfect mix of compassion, gratitude, and great music!!

I want to thank everyone who came, despite the rain, Chrissy at Havana Hideout and all the girls, and SILOH for sharing their amazing sounds with us.

Next stop on the UNITE! Benefit tour:

YOGATHON @ Gyrotonic Satnam, August 1st!

To find out more visit offthematintotheworld.com or amalayoga.com

PEACE and LOVE

UNITE! Concert on May 30th

We raised over $1000!!!

The first UNITE! Benefit Concert turned out to be a pretty awesome event!

Thank you to SILOH, Mike Dunn and the New Englanders, and Black Finger.
You all rocked for an amazing cause and you were heard loud and clear.

Thank you to PROPAGANDA for hosting the event and having us in your space. I can't wait to come back and see some more shows.

It was an inspiring and energizing evening with a venue packed full of people with great energy.
I am SO excited for the next concert @ Havana Hideout on June 27th!!!

There will be music, food, an auction, raffles, and drinks starting @ 5pm until the early morn!

All proceeds to Off the Mat Into the World.

Spread the word, spread the invite, educate on such a needed and serving charity.

Pecae, Shanti Om, much love

UNITE! Benefit Concerts

Only 2 weeks away from the first UNITE! Benefit Concert!

I can't wait to feel the energy that will surround this beautiful cause.

Throughout this journey I have learned that there is nothing greater than the giving of yourself to others. Compassion makes the world go round! I only hope to give as much as I can and inspire others to do the same. We are so blessed to live in the free world as we do and what I have seen and heard about the situation on the other side of the world has changed me indefinitely.

Peace and love to everyone.....have a fabulous day!

Where is this money going!!!???????

*80% of this year's Seva funds will go towards supporting the following organizations and OTM® financial goals for each of them:

*$150k - to Shanti Uganda to build an eco-birthing center with a sustainable garden and to support safe birthing education for women with HIV / AIDS.

*$125k - to Building Tomorrow to build a primary school, housing for the seven teachers of the school and their families and to create a sustainable farm on the school's property.

*$10k - to YouthAIDS to support their efforts in stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS worldwide.

*$10k - to The New Hope School to support the orphans and to update their current facility.

*The remaining 20% of the funds raised during the OTM® Seva Challenge will go towards OTM's local initiatives, one of which is supporting and creating their nationwide yoga for at-risk youth programs.

UNITE! Benefit Concerts

We have 2 dates!!!

-May 30th @ Propaganda in Lake Worth.

Black Finger and Siloh will ROCK for the cause!

-June 27th @ Havana Hideout in LW.

A full day of music and silent auction.

All proceeds go to Off The Mat Into The World!

more info to follow.........

AFRICA TODAY

Africa NOW

-Every day 41 million children in Sub-Saharan Africa wake up with no school to attend.

-In Uganda, nearly half of the estimated 2 million orphans are orphaned due to AIDS, with the total expected to rise to 3.5 million by 2010.

-15 million children around the world have been orphaned by AIDS, losing one or both parents to the disease.

-Approximately 20,000 babies are infected by HIV annually through mother-to-child transmission.

- In Uganda 57% of children finish primary school and 18% have the chance to go to secondary school.

One person can make a difference!

Every dollar makes a difference!

DONATE NOW @ AMALAYOGA.COM

A NEW DAY

I am humbeled by everyones willingness to lend a helping hand. There isnt anything better than compassion and selflessness. We as individuals have so much strength and so much love to give. Sometimes its just finding a way to give . I feel like this is my time to bring people together and celebrate life. Every human life! Have a beautiful day and enjoy the sunshine!! Shanti om

Namaste,

I have been working on giving everyone the newest info for the upcoming events!! I know that the benefit concert will have some pretty amazing bands.....SILOH!! I am also getting some amazing donations for the silent auction that EVERYONE will want to take home!

Stay tuned and it is only going to get more exciting as the days pass.

Have a beautiful day!

PEACE, Andrea

" If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy,
if a blade of grass springing up in the fields
has the power to move you,
if the simple things of nature
have a message that you understand,
rejoice, for your soul is alive."
- Eleonora Duse

partners

Happy Monday!
I wanted to give everyone an idea of where this hard earned money will be going. Off the Mat into the World has chosen four main organizations to partner with. They are all based in the U.S. so that we can ensure our money is being put to work in the correct ways.



1. YouthAIDS: Our trip and purpose will be launched by spending some time with the YouthAIDS organization. They have a location in Uganda - and Seane Corn, along with Ashley Judd and Josh Lucas, is one of their Ambassadors. Working with them we will gain insight on the cultural significance and impact that HIV /AIDS has on the African continent and the people. They will help us to educate ourselves and others in order to reduce ignorance, fear and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS.

2. Building Tomorrow: Working with Building Tomorrow we will be building a school with our own hands, a community center and a sustainable farm from the ground up - side by side with the residents of a rural village in Uganda. The community center will also serve as a place of residence for the teachers of the school. And as an added bonus of its completion the government will pay the salary of the teachers if a school is present!

3. Shanti Uganda: Working with the Canadian based Shanti Uganda - we will work in a very remote area of Uganda to assist nuns and villagers in building a birthing center for mothers infected with HIV/AIDS. Not only will the center serve as a place for safe birthing - it will also create opportunites for the women in the community to be educated in midwifery, giving them an income producing skill, safe practices, and fostering community.

4. New Hope School and Orphanage: The New Hope School and Orphanage is home to many brilliant, bright, beautiful children that have HIV/AIDS and have lost parents to either the internal war in Uganda or to AIDS. Their nearest water source is over a half mile away, and it is the same water that animals "live" in. Our hope is to buy these children new mattresses for their sleeping quarters. As it is right now the children sleep 2 - 3 children per bed, one child peeing the bed is enough, 2 or 3 children peeing the bed makes it unbearable. Seane who traveled to Uganda last year said the smell alone was horrifying. Let's help to create a brighter reality for these children by giving them all a clean bed of their very own.

These are a few of the amazing organizations that we will be partnering with. Some of the money will stay within our own borders to implement the education and awareness that Off the Mat into the World is working to manifest. Please let me know of any questions you may have and have a beautiful day!

Shanti Om, Andrea

** Stay tuned for upcoming events**

DONATE NOW!

To DONATE NOW go to offthematintotheworld.org

Click on Seva Challenge
Click Donate Now button

** Be sure to choose my name, Andrea Pepper ,in the drop down box so that I can receive credit for your donation!**

I will soon have a donation link on my web site amalayoga.com.

Thank you, peace, shalom, namaste

WELCOME!!

Welcome!!

This is the start to an exciting new journey. I am deeply passionate about this cause and have a strong connection to its roots....yoga! There are so many families and individuals that need our help. By raising this money there will opportunities for children to have a new school to attend, which the closest one is over a mile away. There will be a center built that will house a mid wife clinic as well as a teaching facility. There will be an organic farm and a water well put into place. All of these additions, and so much more, will be provided by the donations and the participants that achieve the goal of raising $20,000.

I hope to travel to Uganda and use my own hands to build the school, farm, and empower these beautiful people. While I am there I too will learn the tools to come back to our home and bring awareness to our community. This is the first step on a life time journey. As a yoga teacher I serve my students with knowledge and compassion and I hope to continue deepening that gift for the rest of my life.

Thank you for being a part of this wonderful opportunity and stay tuned for some exciting events!

Namaste, Andrea
amalayoga.com