Power

"The most common thing people do to give up their power is by thinking they don't have any."-Alice Walker

Much of the day was spent at the Shine Center, Africa Yoga Project's studio. I began the morning by teaching a flow class to the male teachers and then followed up with a workshop on Trauma Sensitive Yoga.  The teachers are going to be integrating some of the Trauma Sensitive components into their outreaches. It was awesome to teach fifty males yoga. In my classes back at home I usually have 1-2 men in class so fifty men felt totally different. Their energy was different then my experience teaching the women's class. Not surprisingly, they express their power in different ways than the women. It was beautiful to see men practicing yoga and connecting with the breath and the capacity to transform. 

 

 Jeff headed to the old home of the Africa Yoga Project's classes, Sarakasi Dome, to take some photos for social media outreach.

 We ended the day at an outreach in a Social Hall in one of the slums. The class was taught by four teachers and again, mostly male participants in the class.   The teachers adapt their teaching based on the population they are teaching to and in this class it was all power and more.  The teachers really pushed people and I understand now why they make the class so hard and why students respond.  It makes the students feel powerful, it makes the students connect with their ability to push through and to do more than they think they can do. And the reason it works in this setting is because folks need to feel hopeful and need to  connect with their power to make the changes they want to make in their lives. It was a beautiful practice to witness and be part of. At the end of the class a circle was created to share feedback. I would love to incorporate time into my classes to have feedback and sharing. It really builds community.

And on a side note, we are totally in love with Billy and Paige's creation, Penzi. She is beautiful, connects through her smile and is an awesome dancer.

"Live in rooms full of light"-Cornelius Celsus

Be Dazzled..

I'm happy to report that Jeff and I had the honor of running with one of the Africa Yoga Project teachers this morning. He met us at 7:00am and we went for a sweet but hilly run. It was a wonderful way to began the day. Then we headed to the Shine Center so I could teach the women a yoga class and lead them in a workshop focused on Trauma Sensitive Yoga. 

After the workshop and lunch we headed to Muthare Special which is a school for children and young adults who have disabilities. What I appreciated the most about this class is that there was much going on a once. The students were very involved and it didn't matter if they were on a different side than everyone else or even in a different posture. 

The Africa Yoga Project connects with communities that wouldn't otherwise be offered yoga let alone be seen as people who could practice yoga. The project is powerful because of it's assumption that everyone needs yoga and can practice yoga. The practice might be warrior one, playing a game with the children, singing, dancing, or bringing juice or milk to the outreaches.  I am constantly inspired by the Africa Yoga Project and they are definitely leading the change. 

"Still, what I want in my life is to be willing to be dazzled-to cast aside the weight of facts and maybe even to float a little above this difficult world."-Mary Oliver

Fear

"Fear doesn't shut you down, it wakes you up.

-Veronica Roth

Our second day in the outreaches was beautiful and heart opening. Kenya feels like home to me and I find myself wanting to spend more time here.  I'm torn between my amazing community and love of Carrboro and North Carolina and the rich vibrancy of Kenya and the Africa Yoga Project.

Believe it or not, I got two hours of sleep because I am totally jet-lagged and off center regarding time so I went for a run. The elevation is something to get used to here and I couldn't run outside of the neighborhood because it isn't really safe for me to do so. I ran up and down a hill and it became a meditative practice. The security guards kept looking at me with wonder trying to figure out what I was doing running up and down the same hill.

We headed to an outreach and it exemplified everything that I love about Kenya. There were acrobats, folks riding unicycles, yogis, kids, and random people hanging out.  Handstanding was happening all around us and it really made me realize the folks I witnessed in that social hall aren't afraid to fall. They were practicing acrobatics and yoga on a hard, concrete floor with no mats or props and yet they didn't show any fear. They were playful which reminded of how much playfulness and curiosity allow the heart to open and fear to dissipate.

We had a sweet lunch at Sofia's house and then headed to Mercy Care. This outreach took place in the dead end of a road in a slum called Huruma. The kids were ready to practice and they stood outside in a circle and practiced, connected, inhaled and exhaled, and laughed.  The practice concluded with Jeff and I teaching the chicken dance. We're expanding our reach and soon children all over Kenya will know both the hokey pokey and the chicken dance.

This little girl caught my eye as we were leaving the outreach. She wasn't really sure about me, hence the look of fierceness on her face. 

The evening ended with us cooking up a feast after an exhilarating yoga practice. Salad with almonds, apples, and cheddar cheese, roasted potatoes, and beans and maize.

Joy lessens suffering and I am completely full of joy.

Grateful Hearts

"The grateful heart sits at a continuous feast"
-Proverbs
We left RDU at 6:00pm on Sunday and arrived in Kenya at 10:00pm on Monday. After some sweet hugs and hello's with friends we went off to sleep.  We woke up to the sunlight and familiar sounds of Nairobi and we are so happy to be back in our second home with our chosen family, the Africa Yoga Project.

Today we had a relaxing morning trying to acclimate and Jeff played with his pal, Penzi. 

Then we headed off for a traditional Kenyan lunch and to visit Fruitful School in Kibera. We visited Fruitful the two other times we've come to Kenya and each year we notice something new. We entered Kibera from a different vantage point and the view of tin roofed shacks went on forever. We were surrounded by people, noise, smells, trash, kids, and lots of hustle and bustle of what seems like chaos to us but is orderly and systematic to the folks who live there. 

When we got to fruitful we were told that the roof had caved in from a rain storm so the school which is also an orphanage expanded by one little room with tin walls and a concrete floor.  The children crammed into this tiny room and began their practice of yoga with our dear friend Rufus and our new friend Cate as their teachers.  

Each year I fall in love with one child, I mean I love all of them, but usually one just grabs my heart the moment that I lay eyes on them.  This year it is a sweet little girl who was decked out in a starry red, white, and blue bathing suit.  She was younger than the rest of the children and she wanted to practice yoga and be part of the group.  She began in the circle but after getting knocked about by the other kids because of her size, she came out of the circle and hung out with me for a bit.  

The sweetest moment was the sunlit savasana. There is something so special about this space. Light flowing in and flowing outward.  

It's awesome to feel at home, welcomed, to be recognized and to feel the support of all of the folks who contributed and continue to give to this transformative project. Thank you.

"Love is not a consolation. It is light."

-Simone Weil

The love keeps flowing like a river

We've been back for almost two weeks and our love for Kenya grows stronger each day.  Although we are happy to be home we miss Kenya so much. We're in the process of making plans to go back in 2014 to continue our work with this special project and amazing people.

We are working on a few dreams in preparation for our next adventure.  The teachers would like to follow up with the group work I began with them and to have some counseling sessions. I am in the process of talking to therapists in this area to ask them if they would donate the amount they make from one client session to a fund to be set up to provide mental health care for the teachers from the Africa Yoga Project.

We are in communication with the Blue Ribbon Mentor Program, a local mentoring program through the Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools to potentially plan a trip to Kenya with youth. It would be awesome to have a cultural exchange of ideas and experience.

We are working to take a trip of lovely folks with us to Kenya to volunteer with the project. More information coming out about that soon.

Lastly, we are working to bring our rafikis, friends, Anthony and Irene to the U.S.  Lots of paperwork and planning but we are hoping that they will be able to come to us and tell you about the Africa Yoga Project in person.

We cannot thank all of you who supported us in this journey enough. Your kind words, donations, well wishes, support, and interest is appreciated.

To read our most up to date fundraising page you can visit it here, and if you feel moved you can donate to be part of this inspiring work. Yoga changing the world, don't you want to be part of that? 

www.tinyurl.com/MJKenya2013

 May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder.

-John O' Donohue-

Bound by the Heart

“You cannot force things apart that are bound at the heart.” 

-Ashely Lorenzana-

Our last day in Nairobi was yesterday. We departed that beautiful city late on Friday night and now we are sitting in London waiting to come back home. I'm clear that we have two homes, one in Kenya with all of our Rafiki's and one in North Carolina with the amazing community that supported us in being able to come do amazing work with the Africa Yoga Project. My heart is bursting with gratitude.

We spent our last day in Nairobi buying some last minute things at the Masaai Market, eating lunch with our friends, and going to Gracious School to teach music and yoga one last time.  The children at Gracious were elated when we arrived and we had mixed emotions, joy and sadness.  We've had such a transformative experience at Gracious and we are joyful about the connections and reunions with old friends but we are also sad to leave this place and these people whom we are so attached too.  At Gracious I taught some yoga and Jeff taught music. He brought his pocket trumpet and started playing When the Saints go Marching In, the children burst into song and they knew all of the words.  It was a sight to see.  At the end of class the School Mother, Teacher Happiness, showered us with compliments, love, and a plea for us to stay and if we couldn't stay, a wish for us to return very soon. 

It's true we are planning to return next January and we will continue our work with this amazing project made up of spectacular people, teachers, yogis, activists, and artists.  If you are waiting for us in NC we will see you very soon and if you are missing us in Kenya we will see you again.  For now you are all in our hearts and we hold you close because you have held us and our work so close to your hearts.

Last Days

The best preparation for good work tomorrow is to do good work today. 
-Elbert Hubbard-

We spent the beginning of our week on safari in the most beautiful place I have ever been. We went to the Masaai Mara for a few days and experienced the vast landscape of the Serengeti, encountered more big cats than we ever have, and connected with my favorite creature, the elephant.

 

We came back to the city yesterday and went to a wonderful community meeting called Open Corner. Open Corner is facilitated by a fantastic woman and the way it works is that folks show up, everyone writes a question and puts it in a bowl and the facilitator picks out the question and then for 90 minutes we talk about the question. Well, well, my question got picked and we had a discussion about:  What needs to happen for people to be less motivated by fear and more motivated by love?  Everyone talked in the room and the topics ranged from fear, love, death, fear of flying, compassion, kindness, self-love, attachment, letting go, and feeling like there is enough.  I made new connections and after we had appetizers and drinks with our new friends.

Today we spent time working with the teachers. The women asked if I would lead a group about relationships. Not surprisingly the topics that came up were letting go, anger, acceptance, self-love, self-esteem, and trust. The women were very supportive of each other and shared openly. I felt so honored to be in the space with them and I noticed some sadness that I will be leaving tomorrow. I feel connected here, at home, and I'm doing really good work and making change. I am ready to come home and I want to stay. Good thing we're coming back next year.

This afternoon we went with one of our friends, Anthony who is an amazing Africa Yoga Project teacher, , to meet his sister Lillian. Anthony asked us to sponsor her in school last year because no one in the family could pay the school fees. This is a common issue here and luckily we knew someone who could help us move through the system and start paying Lillian's school fees. When we were in Kenya last year we met Brad Broder who is Paige's brother-n-law.  He coordinates the Kenya Education Fund and we worked with them to set up the school fees for Lillian. She has been writing us letters all year and we were eager to meet her. We got to take Anthony, his cousin, and Irene to see Lillian today. At first she had no idea who we were. Americans have never visited her before and I think Jeff is the first white person to ever visit the school.  Anthony explained to his sister who we were and then she smiled and said "you are Michelle and you are Herrick", she meant Jeff. We talked to her about school, her favorite subject, her desire to be a scientist when she grows up and we had a wonderful visit sitting and standing under the mango tree.

Tomorrow is our last day and we are already mourning leaving this beautiful place.