Seva Sightings

Wellness Initiative Enriches Life for Colorado Kids

Colorado’s Wellness Initiative is helping to make yoga a part of the daily routine for students from kindergarten  through high school.  The mission for this innovative non-profit organization is to “improve the physical, mental and emotional health of children and young adults through integrated yoga, nutrition and stress reduction wellness programs.”

Founded in January 2006, TWI has come a long way in just two years thanks to the vision of its founder and executive director, RYT Debbie Huttner. She is certified in Yoga Ed, Yoga Kids and Radiant Child Yoga.  Debbie can’t do it all alone though and she is supported by Deputy Director Jennifer Wert, over a dozen enthusiastic teachers and a board of directors and advisory board composed to outstanding yoga teachers and community leaders.

Using the Yoga Ed curriculum, TWI offers classes for more than 800 students in three school districts, through the YWCA and the I Have a Dream Foundation, among others.  About 70% of classes are included in the school day for class credit while 30% are after-school programs.

Jennifer said the yoga classes are designed to compliment existing athletic programs and to address the needs of the whole child.  The Yoga Ed curriculum offers benefits for all of the children, regardless of their physical or mental abilities. 

Classes increase concentration, flexibility, coordination and teamwork – a combination that helps the kids to succeed in not only in academics but also team sports, relationships and decision making.

The stress-reduction classes focus on using a variety of breathing techniques.  The training allows the students to use the techniques on their own to better channel their energy and to practice mindfulness.  Students are able to use what they have learned to help them with everyday issues such as test taking and conflict resolution.  

On the nutrition front the kids learn about foods and what will best fuel their growing bodies.  TWI is hoping that the training will help to stem the rising tide of childhood obesity and diabetes. 

Serving schools in low-income neighborhoods is of particular interest for TWI. Students in these areas and their parents may never have been exposed to yoga, Jennifer noted, but all have responded very well to the classes.  “We haven’t had any opposition, just good questions,” she said.  Some schools have requested classed for parents and for teachers. 

TWI’s first DVD, Creating Balance: Yoga for Teens, is geared for at-risk sixth to eighth graders enrolled in Hope Online Learning Centers in Denver.  Through the DVD, TWI will be able to stream yoga into multiple learning centers to reach as many as 600 mostly Hispanic students who otherwise would have no movement, breathing or social-emotional learning in their school day. 

The video is focused on balance in daily life as well as in body and mind.  It includes a five-minute breathing class, a 30-minute yoga class, some testimonials from other students and a few real yogis doing “hot-shot” poses to get the kids excited about yoga in general.

TWI is funded through gifts from individuals, corporations and foundations.  “We have a wide variety of funding, we’ve had terrific support,” Jennifer said. But she noted that the success of the program has led to more demand so fundraising remains a top priority for TWI.  “We have a wait-list of schools that would like to be included in the program,” she said. 

To learn more about The Wellness Initiative, visit www.thewellnessinitiative.org.     

-- A little handstand prep is an indicator of even bigger things to come for TWI kids.

Photos provided by The Wellness Initiative.

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Seva Sightings Archive

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November/December 2007

Yoga Bringing Peace to Combat Veterans

Yoga is offering a respite from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for a group of combatr veterans in Massachusetts thanks to two creative and dedicated teachers.

Central Mass Yoga Institute in West Boylston offers two classes each week, one at no charge to combat vets representing over a half a century of conflicts – World War II, Viet Nam, Operation Desert Storm and Iraq.

The classes are taught by owner Lucy Wagner, E-RYT 500 and Joan Platt, RYT 200. Joan teaches a 75 minute class while Lucy offers one hour of yoga plus one hour of meditation.      

We first heard about Joan and the class in a report on National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition” last spring.  In that story, Michael Jakonski, a Marine veteran who served in Viet Nam, said that he first came to yoga for relief from a stiff neck but soon found that it helped him with his anger and depression.  He told NPR that he had spent 40 years “scraping by” with his anger and depression and that prior to the Iraq war he had scoffed at the notion of PTSD. 

“But the Iraq war threw me for a loop,” he told NPR,   “(I) found myself on the top of a mountain crying one day and thought ‘I’ve got to do something about this.’”  That something was yoga.  He is not alone in his discovery. 

Everything in the classes, which began in 2005, is geared towards relaxing, slowing down and becoming mindful.  During classes Lucy and Joan help their students to feel happy, peaceful and liberated.  “The differences we see are astounding.  Many had been depressed, withdrawn and easily angered,” Joan said.  “Now they smile and laugh more and are able to relax more easily.  Those inward focused, sad faces are now blooming.”

Joan said all of the veterans have expressed what a tremendous difference the classes have made in their lives.  “They feel a sense of peace and calm…they feel safe and relaxed in a way that they can’t in other parts of their lives.  Yoga class offers them a perimeter of safety and for them to feel safe is a wonderful thing.”   Some of the vets have even started their own home practices. 

"Sometimes after a yoga class, for a few hours, I am absolutely free of anguish in my mind and free of physical pain," one vet says. "There is this realization that I can do something about my problems, and I can do it through yoga."  

While PTSD doesn’t go away, the vets find relief and help in living with it during the classes.  Lucy is working with local veteran’s centers and groups to create a wellness program for veterans.  She said they have received some grant money and are hoping for more. Other yogis at Central Mass Yoga also help by donating to the "Adopt A Vet for Yoga" program that Lucy has started in cooperation with the local Viet Nam veterans group.  

The veterans and their teachers would like to see similar classes offered nationwide and are hoping the Veteran’s Affairs system will help fund the effort.  They know that a whole new generation of veterans, the young men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, will benefit from yoga just as they do.   

For more information on the classes or to learn more about starting a combat veteran’s class in your community, contact Lucy at www.centralmassyoga.com.    

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September/October 2007

Global Mala Project

Did you participate in the Global Mala Project that was held September 21-23?  If so, we’d love to hear about your experience.  Please e-mail your comments to share@yogaalliance.org.

The worldwide event, spearheaded by Shiva Rea, E-RYT 500, coincided with the UN International Day of Peace on September 21, and was designed to inspire communities to learn more about “yoga as peace in action.” Yogis and yoginis all around the world took part in events ranging from dedicated yoga classes to a full weekend of events.   Any inspiration rooted practice was encouraged and all used a variation of 108 (minutes or repetitions).  Practices included sun salutations, rounds of Mantra, rounds of Kriya and minutes of meditation, Kirtan or movement.   

Participating groups also were encouraged to use the event as a fundraiser for the charity of their choice.

Weekly Sutras Via E-mail

Nischala Joy Devi E-RYT 500 and Deva Bhaskar RYT 500 have created a free service that allows participants to receive weekly sutras via e-mail at no charge beginning November 1.  “Our hope is that these sutras will inspire and uplift the spirit as you take them to heart or share them with friends and students,” Deva Bhaskar said. 

To participate, you can visit the website at www.abundantwellbeing.com. 

July/August 2007

Stretching Beyond the Pain of Grief

By Theresa Conroy 

Donna Giddings arrived late to yoga class—wearing jeans, a flowing camisole, impeccable makeup and a jangle of colorful jewelry.

As I watched this large, buoyant, fabulous woman roll out at a mat and maneuver her tight jeans into a cross-legged position, I nearly giggled. Except I was too choked up to giggle.

II had been waiting months to teach this yoga class.

Donna had gathered with seven other members of the anti-violence group Mothers iin Charge, for a special yoga class, “Stretching Beyond the Pain of Grief," held in their honor at Yoga Schelter, in Philadelphia.

The class was a gift to them from Yoga Unites, a nonprofit organization I co-founded that uses yoga for healing.

For nearly six years I had been sitting in front of these women—not cross-legged on a mat, leading them through "Ujjayi" breath—but stiffly perched above a notebook, reporting on the agonizing details of the murder trials of those who had killed their children.

As the criminal court reporter for the Philadelphia Daily News, I had covered countless murder trials, including the one for the man who killed Donna's mother, her son and her son’s best friend.

During that case I had a long talk with Donna. I confessed that I wanted to quit my 27-year newspaper career to make a full-time job out of healing grief like hers through yoga.

She told me that if I ever taught a class like that, she’d come.

She did.

I taught that class right before Mother’s Day, just four months after I left the paper.

I loved my regular studio classes, but I wanted to expand the healing power I had experienced in my own practice. I wanted to share the practice that had soothed my anxiety and eased me through body image issues, infertility and even a smoking addiction.

Jennifer Schelter, founder and creative director of Yoga Schelter, actually began this work in 2001, when she organized a Yoga Unites class to benefit the Anti-Violence Partnership. She then brought the idea of activist yoga to Living Beyond Breast Cancer, a national education and support organization, to create and teach the annual large-group class on the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum.

This year's Yoga Unites for Living Beyond Breast Cancer, which was held on May 20, drew about 500 participants.

Just before I left the Daily News,  I formalized Jennifer's idea by turning Yoga Unites into an official nonprofit corporation designed to teach yoga for healing and to raise awareness of health, social and environmental causes.

A few of the mothers seemed a bit skeptical during the class—either of yoga or of the hope that anything could ease their pain. But by the end of class, their faces—the same faces I used to see in court, contorted with pain and tormented by nightmares—stared back at me with easy, soft smiles.

Their shoulders had relaxed. The furrows between their brows had softened. A darkness had lifted.

"I even felt so at peace," Donna said.

Theresa Conroy is an RYT 200.  She lives in Philadelphia.  To learn more contact her at theresa@theresaconroy.com.

May/June 2007

Prison Project in Mexico!

Anusara Parinaama Mexican Prison Project just celebrated our fourth anniversary teaching in prisons this April - a rather miraculous occurrence in view of the many difficulties we have encountered along the way! I was inspired to create this project by the example of Siddha Yoga's Swami Muktananda who visited prisons in the United States and gave talks to inmates about the inner freedom they could readily access by freeing themselves from the shackles of the ego.

Being a Psychologist with a Specialization in Addictions and Bereavement Therapy and a Certified Anusara Yoga Instructor I had already been using yoga therapeutically and teaching what I call Parinaama Yoga or Yoga for Stress and Addictions here in Mexico. When I visited the prison in Atlacholoaya, Morelos, between Mexico City and Acapulco, I was fortunate that the director of the two CERESO institutions (female and male prisons) was an open minded Psychologist, Miguel Angel Calvo who welcomed an alternative approach to deal with the problem of substance abuse inside.

I began to visit the men's prison once a week to give an hour and a half or two hour class. I started inviting other teachers from different yoga traditions to help out. We now have ten regular volunteers donating a day a month in the prisons. These volunteers range from Ashtanga to Iyengar with a majority of Anusara Inspired instructors. Felipe Cuevas, an inmate, led practice sessions the inmates themselves requested to do on their own.

We got started with the support received in the form of sticky mats from Certified Iyengar Teacher, Herta Rogg, It is because of the financial support received from John Friend, the founder of Anusara Yoga, and the Anusara teachers/students in the USA that we continue operating. To honor this I renamed the Parinaama Yoga Prison Project the "Anusara Parinaama Mexican Prison Project" - two years ago. It was thanks to a generous donation from Gaiam, orchestrated by Sue Hollingshead, one of the Anusara instructors, that we have mats enough for both prisons now. Individual donations received from open hearted yogis in the States also made an enormous difference to our work. Here in Mexico we have offered fundraising workshops at various studios,with well known teachers donating their time and expertise. At Ananda in Cuernavaca they offer discount rates for inmates who've been freed and want to continue their practice.

Felipe Cuevas, the inmate who led the practice sessions for a total of four years is now free. We are requesting sticky mats for him to be able to teach yoga on the outside in his local community in Chilpancingo. We are at present requesting permission from the prison authorities for shooting a movie about the transformational (parinaama) experiences the inmates have been reporting and to document what this whole effort has done to us teachers!

This has proven to be the best way of practicing yoga for me personally. We are all deeply moved by this opportunity to take yoga where it is so needed. I never cease to be astonished by the dedication, commitment and vision, in this group effort. I can honestly say that all the differences of personalities, styles and traditions amongst us have blended into one single shaft of light.

If there is anyone reading this who would like to contribute to our efforts please visit our website!

Ann Moxey, RYT 200

*Don't be shy. We'd love for you to tell us about your own efforts as well as those of other teachers. Please take a moment to e-mail us at share@yogaalliance.org to tell us your story, no matter how small you think the effort may be. Your idea may spark another, and then another. One small voice can make a big difference! Om Shanti.

March/April 2007

I want to share with you the work that I am doing in Guadalajara, Mexico (plus 21other Spanish speaking countries) because of  the vision of one man, Jorge Vergara, owner and founder of a nutritional supplement company in Mexico. I began building Yogare - Instituto de Yoga Educare after Jorge invited me to "bring yoga to his company". It was an invitation I nearly refused, but after visiting his operations, realized he was definitely thinking outside of the box, something I personally relish!

For the past four years our team of eight has been building yoga consciousnessin more then 3,500 employees.  We give  some 40 classes a week to people (even while they are on their production lines!). More than 1,000,000 distributors of this organization based in 21 countries have access to a yoga dvd Yoga para Todos(Yoga for All), to practice yoga in their homes and share with their clients and community.

We also give weekly yoga classes to more than 400 children ages 2-19, each class designed specifically for the developmental level of theage group. We also introduced yoga toa professional soccer team, the Chivas, and have been giving these men classes for more than three years. They won the national championship this past season, their 11th in a 100year history!

Sharing yoga with so many wonderful, humble, deeply spiritual people is one of the most amazing things I have ever contributed to. I am living my dharma in a way I could never have imagined. We are sharing the gifts of yoga and shifting consciousness one person at a time working our way towards an enlightened humanity.

Om Shanti. Peace.

Jude Anadyr Hedlund, E-RYT 500

January/February 2007


My partner, Cindy Bland, and I, started a small yoga studio (Zen in the District) in the warehouse district of our City, Toledo, Ohio, which has been experiencing a revitalization in the last few years. Before opening we discussed what we, in our small space, could do for our local community and we selected the Toledo NorthWest Ohio Food Bank to focus our attention.

Each year the Food Bank embarks on a Scouting for Food program to garner donations of non-perishable food items to feed the hungry of our community, a truly great organization. Each year we ask our participants to donate canned food and in return they enter a drawing for a free yoga session. They have always been more than generous bringing in extra each time they come.

I am so proud and awed by their generosity and can honestly say that our participants have great hearts. We are truly grateful for this opportunity to serve our community and hope that our little efforts help to place food on the table of someone who may otherwise go hungry.

-Anne Boyle, RYT® 200, Toledo, Ohio