Trauma and Resilience

“We don't heal in isolation, but in community.” 

S. Kelly Harrell

I had an opening experience this morning. 

I started off my day leading a yoga class with 20 other women in preparation for the women's group I co-led today with Irene, one of our rafikis, here. Rafiki means friend and it was an honor to co-lead a group with Irene. This group is a continuation of the work I began last year.   Last year I worked with the women in a group and then the men and then women and men together to talk about trauma. It's been a whole year and I wasn't sure what people would remember. Irene and I began the group by centering and then asking people what trauma is; immediately hands went up and women started sharing the definition, the expressions of trauma, mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual, and the specific ways trauma can impact us. I was blown away because sometimes it's hard for me to remember what I ate for lunch the day before let alone what I was doing a year ago, but these women remembered their workshop from last year and I could really see the impact and power of the work that I am doing here with the Africa Yoga Project. We moved on to discuss the violence they experienced post election in 2007 and 2008. They shared stories of people being killed in front of them, them being robbed, they shared their own stories of assault, and family members who they lost.  They shared their fears and concerns. They really opened up and so did I. I am so grateful that they trust me enough to share what they have been through, and I'm glad they are finding support by talking to one another.  We will continue the women's group tomorrow and discuss the upcoming election, which is in March, and talk about ways to prevent violence and how they can integrate the information they are learning through these workshops into their yoga outreaches.  Today the women kept referencing themselves as ambassadors of peace and they have the capacity to be just that, the teachers of Africa Yoga Project reach 5000 people a week, imagine what could happen if they shared their message of peace with 5000 people. Amazing.


We spent the afternoon going to Gracious School. Gracious is the school that we taught in last year. I taught yoga, Jeff taught music. The school was recently taken over by a campaign with the desks locked inside and the children didn't have a place to go. Their main teacher, Teacher Happiness, moved them into a temporary place which is small and over capacity. Naturally the Africa Yoga Project stepped in and the money that we raised through our fundraising campaign is going to building a new school for Gracious.  The government was able to give them a plot of land and we went there today to see the progress on the school. 

His shirt says "Made with Love."

WOW!!

We walked back to the temporary space they are meeting in and taught yoga and music. The children were elated to see us and we were welcomed and received with so much love just because we showed up. The children shared how happy they are that we didn't forget them and that we came back to work with them. 

My heart is happy. I think Jeff's heart is pretty happy too. 

Until tomorrow.