Karmafest 2010
Support Brittanie DeChino to advance her education & send her off with love to Life of A Yogi 500-hour Teacher Training with Dharma Mittra

Join us to elevate your consciousness and raise funds to send our beloved teacher Brittanie DeChino to Life of a Yogi 500-hour Teaching Training with Dharma Mittra in NYC!

At Pure Prana we value a balanced mind, body and heart. Each of our teachers is demonstration of this balance. So that each individual achieves that harmony, they pursue a deeper exploration of the Self through the study of Yoga. This extraordinary devotion to happiness, health and harmony for all is an investment in humanity. What teachers learn, students learn too.

Through our Karma Project, we aim to gather and give the resources towards the elevation of our teachers. The Project provides encouragement, support and financial aid toward an accredited, viable and creative form of Professional Development and is designed with the intention that supporting personal and professional development, supports betterment of the community and welfare of the world.

This year, we are sending our beloved Brittanie DeChino to Dharma Mittra's
Life of a Yogi 500-hr Teacher Training in NYC, jan & march 2011.


RAFFLE: Hand-made QUILT by Bonnie Braithwaite
an excellent way to support our fundraising efforts and win a work of art!
Tickets $10 each (cash or check only) @ the studio
Drawing the winner, Wednesday, January 19, 2011


here's why we're sending sensible and special brittanie to school...

MANIFESTO by Brittanie DeChino
Natasha asked me to write a manifesto, so I could help you better understand why I feel compelled to study with Dharma Mittra and how your support would be a powerful gift.

So, first, I googled “definition: manifesto.” It said “public declaration of intentions.” One of my students taught me that the other day --- if you want to search for a definition, all you have to do is type “definition:” and then the word. Isn’t that great?

Do you see what happened there? My student taught me a lesson. Teachers are students. Students are teachers. Teachers are teachers. And students are students. (Yep, we are all the same!) This concept has become the foundation of who I am. I am the best teacher when I am also a student. When the teacher stops being a student, the lessons become dull, without inspiration, and altogether less shiny. I like to be shiny, I like to be inspiring, and I live to serve.

In the role of the teacher, I am constantly re-configuring my plans (either in a group yoga class, in my lecture classes at GWU, in a private session, and when training my dog) to best serve the student(s). As my understanding of yoga (philosophy, asana, scripture, etc.) expands, my ability to serve others also expands. Which brings me to … Dharma Mittra.

You ask – why Dharma Mittra? The answer is simple: the first time I met him, I cried. I took classes with him over the course of one weekend. The tears began as soon as he spoke on Friday night…they flowed throughout the night, through Saturday classes, while I did laundry, while I prepared dinner, as I fell asleep, through Sunday class, as I ate lunch, and as we drove away. While the tears were flowing, I was smiling and feeling like my heart was bursting open.

I asked him, on the last day: “What do I do [about the nonstop tears!]?”

He replied [tapping my heart gently with his finger] “your heart is open, you have so much love, you see God.” … [and then, tapping my third eye gently] “don’t worry about it, just let it come.” That was it. Those were the only words we shared. He didn’t help me figure out how to hold forearm stand or how to teach kapalabhati. He didn’t show me how to stand on one hand. He showed me how to allow my heart to be completely, unabashedly open – without complicating it with too many thoughts or concerns. Just let it be.

And THAT is so Dharma Mittra. He is a simple man. A man who has dedicated his entire life to service. When he teaches, it is simple and flooded with love.

In the last 12 years, I have studied Ashtanga, Jivamukti, and Kundalini, predominately. I am a student.
In the last 4 years, I have taught over 1200 hours of yoga classes, workshops, and private lessons. I am a teacher.
That is a 3:1 ratio. If I’m going to keep teaching at this rate, I need to keep up the studying!

Thus, any support you give will come directly (and indirectly) back to you. It will come directly in the form of more teachings, more understanding, and a brighter, shinier, and more-inspired teacher. It will come indirectly in the form of feelings of well-being and love because you will have helped someone else. The yoga sutras say Maitri Adishu Balani – through compassion comes strength. The more compassion you cultivate, the stronger you will be.

Plus, it’s good karma. That’s why we call it “Karmafest.” What you put out, you will inevitably get back. And, when it is a good deed, you usually get a pretty high rate of return.

I publicly declare my intention to serve our community by sharing any and all further insight into yoga (read: creating peace, developing the heart, giving love) given to me at the Life of a Yogi 500-hour Teacher Training program with Dharma Mittra in New York, NY 2011.

Yours, in service,
Brittanie DeChino