The 2018 school year is getting underway with a homage the our work in 2017. As the current teacher/facilitator of the Girls for Success program a part of the Peace Through Yoga Foundation, I recognize that part of the “yoga” I do with my students has nothing to do with physical postures. The religion and upbringing of most of the students places physical asana in a list of things the girls are not allowed to do, (which has already been the subject of several of my posts.) However, the yoga I practice with the girls daily has to do with the way I treat my students and the way I hope to teach them to treat one another. Our yoga is the way we connect and communicate. It’s the string of community that binds us all together beyond the classroom.

I am also a yoga instructor, currently at OM Cashew Hill in Puerto Viejo. It was my pleasure this past year to be able to combine our program with my passion for the practice of yoga on more than one occasion even if it did not include yoga classes for my students. The girls had the opportunity visit the center and have a lesson on healthy cooking and gardening from the chefs at OM.

Our program was also able to benefit from OM in the form of financial support. Every Wednesday night OM has a community yoga class, which is donation based and the proceeds go to benefit a local organization. This past year we were one of the two organizations. What a joy it is to have two of my worlds collide! This next upcoming Wednesday the 31st is the culminating celebration where we, along with another local organization, Caribbean Seeds will perform and receive the remainder of the funds to be donated. I am honored and excited to share the evening with our friends at OM Cashew Hill, the students, their families, and the boys and girls of Caribbean Seeds. The Girls for Success program is a true example of how it truly does “Take a village to raise a child.” I am thrilled for the girls to learn about the true spirit of generosity and benefit from a community coming together. We as a collective kula are left with the lesson that true yoga has nothing to do with stretching and goes well beyond the mat.