https://www.thegivingbackfoundation.net/

Enjoy the Magic of UPLIFTNY25 –
A Day to Remember in Central Park

Coverage by New India Magazine

Dear Family and Friends,

On Saturday, June 21st, over 5,000 New Yorkers from all walks of life gathered at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park for our transformative event UPLIFTNY25 — a powerful celebration of International Yoga Day and the Summer Solstice created by Meera Gandhi and team.

Watch this short exciting video now:

The day was filled with transformative energy:

• Yoga and meditation led by Inga Benson, Madame Gandhi, and Tirlok Malik
• Music from Madame Gandhi, DJ Rekha and Daybreaker
• Spiritual healing, astrological insights, and wisdom from Bhushan Deodhar, Miriam Belov, and Darryl Gaines
• Community, joy, and inspiration — with support from the Mayor’s Office of Sports, Wellness & Recreation and the Indian Consulate in New York

UPLIFTNY25 was covered widely by several news outlets

Again We’ve captured the essence of this unforgettable day in a short 1-minute video — we’d love for you to re-live the magic:

Watch now:

Thank you to all who joined us in uplifting hearts and minds through wellness, compassion, and unity. Join us again next year on June 21st, 2026 in Central Park!

Meera Gandhi and
The Giving Back Foundation Team

The post Enjoy the Magic of UPLIFTNY25 – A Day to Remember in Central Park appeared first on Good News!.

As the winter solstice descends upon New York City, the bustling metropolis prepares to embrace the longest night of the year, marking a celestial event that holds profound significance in the tapestry of human history and the city’s cultural fabric.

In the heart of the city that never sleeps, the winter solstice takes on a unique resonance—a blend of modernity and ancient traditions that pay homage to this astronomical occurrence. While skyscrapers create their own shadows across the urban landscape, the spirit of the solstice resonates through the streets, reminding New Yorkers of the interconnectedness between the celestial dance of the cosmos and the rhythm of city life.

For centuries, the winter solstice has held a place of reverence in various cultures. In New York, this celestial event aligns with the city’s diverse heritage, with communities drawing from their cultural roots to celebrate the turning point of the seasons.

From the vantage point of the city’s iconic landmarks like the High Line or the Brooklyn Bridge, New Yorkers gather to witness the sun’s fleeting appearance on the shortest day of the year, acknowledging the gradual return of longer days and the promise of spring. The solstice becomes a time for reflection, a moment to pause amidst the city’s frenetic pace and appreciate the natural ebb and flow of time.

In a city known for its resilience and diversity, the winter solstice serves as a unifying thread, weaving together various cultural celebrations. From the contemplative observances at The Met’s Temple of Dendur, honoring ancient traditions, to the vibrant gatherings in neighborhoods like Chinatown or Little Italy, where communities embrace their unique solstice customs, New York City becomes a mosaic of celebrations that echo the city’s rich tapestry of cultures.

Yet, beyond the festivities, the winter solstice invites New Yorkers to ponder the cosmic influence on life itself. Scientists highlight the pivotal role that Earth’s axial tilt—responsible for this astronomical phenomenon—has played in the evolution and sustenance of life, emphasizing its impact on the city’s ecosystems and the natural world that coexists within its boundaries.

So, as the cityscape illuminates with twinkling lights and resonates with diverse celebrations, let us honor the winter solstice in New York—a moment when the city’s vibrancy meets the ancient rhythms of the universe. Amidst the skyscrapers and the city’s bustling energy, New Yorkers pause to acknowledge this celestial event, finding unity in the shared experience of nature’s cyclical dance and the universal human connection it embodies.

The post Give Thanks for the Winter Solstice. You Might Not Be Here Without It appeared first on Good News!.

Benefit Party & Auction

#peace #universal #day #celebrate #support #anniversary #summer #solstice #benefit #party #auction

The post Universal Peace Day “Classic Good News” – 06/19/09 appeared first on Good News!.

SUMMER SOLSTICE, SATURDAY – “GRAND CANYON SUNRISE”

Thirty years ago this summer, Paul McCandless, John Clark, Eugene Friesen and I were together in the Grand Canyon, recording music that became part of our album Canyon. This Saturday morning, June 20th, the four of us will have a “Canyon reunion” in the canyonesque acoustics of New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine, performing new music inspired by the indelible memories of our Grand Canyon adventures. Bringing a new dimension to our canyon music will be Navajo singer Radmilla Cody, who is coming from her home in Canyon country to collaborate with us for the first time.

An integral part of the opening and finale tracks on the Canyon album, “Grand Canyon Sunrise” and ”Grand Canyon Sunset,” is the Cathedral pipe organ. It will be played by an amazing improvising organist, Raymond Nagem, who will also be making his first performance with us.

Our ensemble will include six huge Balinese gamelan gongs, played by Matt Kilmer and Keita Ogawa.

Free Downloads from the Canyon Album

“Elves Chasm” (oboe solo by Paul McCandless)
“Bedrock Cathedral” (French horn solo by John Clark)
“Bright Angel” (composition for the Consort by cellist Eugene Friesen)

Summer Solstice Details

When: Saturday, June 20, 4:30am
Where: Cathedral of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Ave., New York, NY [ directions ] Tickets: $40 general admission [ buy tickets ]

TEA AND COFFEE RECEPTION

Immediately following the music at Summer Solstice on Saturday, the entire audience will be invited to a reception in the Nave of the Cathedral, during which members of the audience can meet each other along with the musicians. Our friends from the Shumei community of Japan will host the reception, and offer complimentary tea and coffee. (Shumei’s tea, grown in Japan according to their tradition of natural agriculture, is the most delicious I’ve tasted.)

We consider this reception an integral part of the Summer Solstice Celebration. Our audience always includes many uniquely devoted people – “fervent folks,” I call them – who might welcome this chance to meet kindred spirits with whom they’ve just shared this deep-listening journey from the darkness to the dawn.

“SECOND RESPONSE” – NEPAL

On Friday, June 26th, at 7.30pm, at the Litchfield Community Center, there will be a special presentation about vital work now underway in Nepal to help children traumatized by recent earthquakes there.

Second Response is an initiative of the Fortunate Blessings Foundation, founded by our long-time friend Bill Spear. Since its inception following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Second Response has helped reduce the incidences of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in more than 100,000 children in Indonesia, Japan, Samoa, Indonesia, the Philippines and the USA. Teams are now in Kathmandu and Pokhara, Nepal.

When first responders leave after the initial emergency phase of a disaster or traumatic event, stricken communities are often not adequately prepared to help children overcome the Post Traumatic Stress that emerges in the weeks that follow. Innate, natural resilience makes it possible for most children to recover from a traumatic event with simple loving presence and emotional support; however, children also benefit from physical exercises that gently release repressed emotions through participation in fun-filled, expressive games. Bill’s approach known as PLAYshops are joyful experiences for children of all ages.

Second Response board chairperson Martha Hackett, MD, will lead the presentation giving the latest reports from the Second Response team now on the ground in Nepal.

Please take advantage of this opportunity to meet BIll and his colleagues and learn of their amazing work.

With gratitude,
For living music,
Paul

The post Summer Solstice Celebration appeared first on Good News!.

The summer solstice occurs during a hemisphere’s summer. This is the northern solstice in the northern hemisphere and the southern solstice in the southern hemisphere. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the summer solstice occurs some time between June 20 and June 22 in the northern hemisphere[2][3] and between December 20 and December 23 each year in the southern hemisphere.[4]

When on a geographic pole, the sun reaches its greatest height, the moment of solstice, it can be noon only along that longitude which at that moment lies in the direction of the sun from the pole. For other longitudes, it is not noon. Noon has either passed or has yet to come. Hence the notion of a solstice day is useful. The term is colloquially used like midsummer to refer to the day on which solstice occurs. The summer solstice day has the longest period of daylight – except in the polar regions, where daylight is continuous, from a few days to six months around the summer solstice.

Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied among cultures, but most recognize the event in some way with holidays, festivals, and rituals around that time with themes of religion or fertility.[5] The solstice is also known as the birthday of the sun, like the queen the sun celebrates twice a year.

Solstice is derived from the Latin words sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still).

The post Summer Solstice appeared first on Good News!.

Solstice In Times Square | Yoga In NYC

Broadway between 43^rd and 48^th Street

RAIN OR SHINE

Anyone can find tranquility on top of a mountain.

Can you find it in the middle of Times Square?

Find tranquility and transcendence in the midst of the worlds most commercial, firennetic and urban place, Times Square.  Thousands of yoga enthusiasts will come together for a collective ohm on the longest day of the year (June 21^st) to participate in an all-day yoga festival.

Celebrate the sun, summer and creativity at the Crossroads of the World with five free outdoor yoga classes.  Participants will receive a Solstice gift bag* and Athleta will provide free yoga mats* to the first 1.200 that arrive to each class.

*The first 1,200 that arrive to each class

2013 Schedule

7:25 am – 8:30 am

Presented by Athleta – Instructor: Drisana Carey with Special Pre-Class Meditation by Tao Porchon-Lynch

9:45 am – 9:55 am

Tampax Active Pose Demonstration

10:00 am – 11:15 am

Instructor: Paula Tursi

12:45 pm – 1:00 pm

Athleta Fashion Show

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

Bikram Instructor: Donna Rubin with Special Guests

5:15pm – 5:30 pm

Athleta Fashion Show

5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Instructors: Colleen Saidman Yee and Rodney Yee

7:30 pm – 7:45 pm

Athleta Fashion Show

7:45 pm – 9:00 pm

Instructor: Douglass Stewart

The post Solstice in Times Square: Athleta Mind Over Madness Yoga appeared first on Good News!.

A solstice is an astronomical event that occurs twice each year as the Sun reaches its highest or lowest excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. As a result, on the day of the solstice, the Sun appears to have reached its highest or lowest annual altitude in the sky above the horizon at local solar noon. The word solstice is derived from the Latin sol(sun) and sistere (to stand still), because at the solstices, the Sun stands still in declination; that is, the seasonal movement of the Sun’s path (as seen from Earth) comes to a stop before reversing direction. The solstices, together with the equinoxes, are connected with the seasons. In many cultures the solstices mark either the beginning or the midpoint of winter and summer.

The term solstice can also be used in a broader sense, as the date (day) when this occurs. The day of the solstice is either the longest day of the year (in summer) or the shortest day of the year (in winter) for any place outside of the tropics.

The longest day of 2013 is finally here — but this year, it comes with a twist.

While the solstice in the northern hemisphere traditionally falls on June 21 — and this year it will occur on that date at 1:04 a.m. EDT — it will begin on Thursday, June 20, for parts of the western U.S., according to the website of the Clark Planetarium. The time of the solstice depends upon your position on Earth and, as a consequence, where you are in relation to the sun.

The summer solstice occurs when Earth’s axis is the most tilted toward the sun — the angle is known as “maximum axial tilt.” As a consequence of this specific orientation, the sun rises at its most northeasterly point along the horizon and also sets at its most northwesterly point in the northern hemisphere.

The solstice isn’t the only big celestial event this week. Skywatchers are gearing up for the arrival of the 2013 supermoon, which is set to peak June 22-23 and deliver the biggest, brightest moon of the year.

The post Summer Solstice 2013: Longest Day Of Year Begins Thursday, June 20 appeared first on Good News!.