UPDATE 6/1/2008 Now that the yoga challenge is over, I’m no longer updating the calendar below. Thanks to everyone who contributed! We raised at least $223 for Larkin Street Youth Services. I’ll be sending out an email detailing how to make your donation.

On May 1st, I started a 30-day yoga challenge at my local Bikram yoga studio. The challenge is to try to improve one’s practice in some capacity and reach previously unmet goals. Some people will practice every day for 30 days, some will do a double session in the month, others will try not to look at the clock during practice for the entire month. I will try to practice 5+ times per week, which is already proving to be very challenging indeed. I went on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th, and had planned to go today, except when the time came around I had a headache and was pretty exhausted, so I took a nap instead. I woke up and was so hungry that I couldn’t resist eating, which means that I’m missing the 6:15 class as I write this.


I’ll skip today and try to move some stuff around tomorrow so that I can keep the challenge going. Doing a lot of yoga is of course very good for me, but the other reason I’m doing this is that it’s very good for others as well. As part of the challenge, we can raise money for a non-profit called Larkin Street Youth Services, which is dedicated to getting young people off the streets of San Francisco, getting them cleaned up and back in school or a vocational program.

I’m asking the reader(s) of this blog to donate as much as they want per yoga session that I complete. You can donate $1, $5, 50 cents, whatever you wish. Just send me an email or comment here to make a commitment, and I’ll keep track of what you owe.

Alternatively, if you choose to just donate a lump sum, that’s fine also. Checks should be made payable to Larkin Street Youth Services, and if you enclose a self-addressed envelope with your check, I’ll send back a receipt for tax purposes.

If you have any questions about the program, visit the website, or ask me directly. And if you don’t want to contribute, that’s fine too. I’ll be keeping the above calendar up to date, so check back to monitor my progress!