My dear readers, I need your help and feedback!

I would like to provide my guests the opportunity to interact and give back to the local communities in India they visit during their Himalayan Boot Camp journeys. I truly believe that it can be a rewarding experience if one has brightened the life of someone less fortunate in the community one left behind after the vacation is over.

I am thinking of providing this interaction at a couple of the local schools that cater to the more impoverished children. Here are just a couple of my ideas for my guests:

1. Take 3-4 books and have a storybook session with the children. The local children will love this!
2. An afternoon of crafts with the children using supplies we take from here that those children have never seen and can take home with them (paper dolls, painting etc – the possibilities are endless)
3. Distribute some clothes (T-Shirts?) and have some afternoon refreshments and snacks.

These are just small things but they are a start. I grew up in this area of Meghalaya, India and know exactly how much brightness this will bring to the children. I am not sure where this idea will take me but I just have this gut feeling that both the givers and receivers of this kindness will be so blessed and the memories will be amazing.

Please provide feedback – tell me what you think. I also welcome any additional ideas you may have.

Here’s to a brighter world for children!

Connie

Ever met someone who absolutely changed the way you think? Well, a few months ago I met Cassandra Rae of Simply Fearless, an absolutely amazing woman and one of the most positive thinkers I know. Cassandra’s online bio is “I am simply and beautifully human!” What an attitude!

I went to Cassandra for help with my blog as I was totally stuck with what I call a mental blog block (she is also a blogging expert and can provide tons of ideas in a matter of minutes). So after helping me get unstuck we starting talking – I was having a totally overwhelming day (she is also a great listener) and going through the “I have to do this…” and “I have to do that..” – she looked at me and said, “Connie, change the “I have to..” to “I get to…“.

I just looked at her in amazement that such powerful little words just popped out of her that could completely change an attitude! Those words have made such a difference in my life since then and I have reminded myself so many times to say “I get to…”.

Overwhelming tasks become positive opportunities to be thankful for. For example, I have to cook tonight becomes I am fortunate to have a husband or child or family I get to cook for… I have to get these books back to the library becomes I am thankful for FREE books and movies I get to enjoy and so on and so forth.

I have passed this on to my daughters, my sisters, and my friends. Who knows how many attitudes and lives these little words have impacted. Just amazing. If you want to find out more about Cassandra be sure to check out her awesome blog and website at www.simplyfearless.com.

On my last journey to India, I was incredibly moved by some of the local children we met there.  Friendly and quick to say hello, these children seemed happy, though they have little by our standards.  Perhaps because I myself come from India, I found them to be endearing and felt a distinct connection to them.

As founder of Himalayan Boot Camp, I envision my company as one that gives back to the community.  Being that Himalayan Boot Camp is rooted in India – in its culture, food, and the adventures India offers – I believe some of the local villages which we traverse on our Boot Camp adventures should benefit from our business endeavors and success.  Himalayan Boot Camp, by itself and through its guests, can be the vehicle for contributing, even in a small way, to the quality of life for some local children.

One way in which I propose to do this is to provide my guests with an opportunity to give something small yet meaningful.  After making inquiries, I have learned that school supplies are in great demand.  English reading books for children ages three to twelve are especially in short supply.

Willing Himalayan Boot Camp guests could bring a book or two for this age group, along with a few pencils and erasers.  At a small get-together, my guests can visit and interact with some of the local children, and give them each a gift of a book and some school supplies.  I know it would be an unforgettable moment for the child and personally rewarding for any guest who chooses to participate.

Another project which I will soon be implementing is what I call my  “Socks For Children” project (I am working on a more formal name for the project).  As you might imagine, the Himalayan foothills are extremely cold during the winter, and many children could use good quality, warm, and well-insulated socks.  In light of that, each October when I travel to India for our boot camps, I will take with me a large suitcase full of 500 pairs of socks.  250 needy children will get 2 pairs of socks each.  I am certain that these socks will mean so much and will help prevent the recipients from suffering from cold during the harsh days of winter.  Contributors to this project may be, but need not be, Himalayan Boot Camp guests.

If you are interested in being part of the socks project, send me an email to connie@himalayanbootcamp.com and I will provide more details as I get this project up and running.

I have come up with what I consider a fabulous idea for you to go for FREE to one of my Himalayan Boot Camps.  Here is my idea. If you are a yoga instructor and would like to take eight of your students to one of my Himalayan Boot Camps in India, YOU get to go for FREE. That’s correct! All you need to bring is your pocket money!

I feel this is a WIN-WIN situation as it provides me with another avenue to advertise my boot camps and it provides you with a fantastic opportunity to see a beautiful part of the world without having to pay for it.

If you are NOT a yoga instructor but can bring your own group and take advantage of this free offer for yourself, Himalayan Boot Camp is interested in hearing from you as well.

To obtain this FREE trip, guests must attend the same boot camp and pay the regular double room rate (share a room). Himalayan Boot Camp will pay the following for the yoga instructor or individual who brings eight guests: his/her international air fare to India, domestic airfare within India to final destination, food, lodging and all transportation in India for seven days and eight nights.

You might ask why would you want to go with Himalayan Boot Camp if you can take your own 8 students and do your own planning? Because I have done this before and have an established, proven process in plac, therefore I can offer the ultimate experience for my guests – ALL transportation in India, ALL food, ALL luxury accommodations, and ALL cultural excursions that are part of the itinerary– you do not have to worry about anything. Additionally, I have specially arranged fitness hikes, nutritious, healthy cuisine, and I will be there personally to make sure everyone has a fabulous, delightful and unforgettable experience,

Imagine yourself and your students doing sunrise yoga on a balcony (actual picture above) overlooking beautiful Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world (Everest and K2 being #1 and 2 respectively). Believe me it is quite the AWESOME experience. If you are lucky (perfect weather conditions), you will see the mountains above you in the horizon and clouds below you while you are doing your sun salutations! Or you may practice at dusk as evening settles in while the forests around you come alive with the vibrating melody of the cicadas. I can go on and on about this because the experience is so wonderful it is hard to describe.

Would you like to go on this amazing journey? Call (866-928-9911) or email me (connie@himalayanbootcamp.com)  if you are interested. I have only two boot camps scheduled for Oct 2009 and I have a feeling they will fill up fast.

Until next time,

To Your Longevity and Abundant Living!

Connie