OM Namah Sivaya - I see the divine within you and honor the divine within you, that is the same as the divine within me, we are one, all life is one. Wake up and feel your breath, honor each inhalation and each exhalation and start to become mindful of the very life that you are and all the life that you are part of, the dew on the morning grass, the ray of light through the clouds the songs of the birds. Yoga is a means to bring that sense of greater awareness to feel that you are part of something bigger and know that something bigger is within you. If we can become aware then we start to experience life on a larger dimension - why be limited? Yoga is for you no matter who you are, yoga is your right, peace is your right, happiness is your right an abiding mind is your right. Yoga can be many things from simply observing a tap drip and concentrating to following your breath, to yogic postures, to placing a flower in a special place, to listening to your heart, to singing with devotion, to giving selflessly. Yoga is for you and yoga shows the way to contentment. I am taking a 6 week break from teaching and withdrawing for a while into my own deeper practices, looking after myself and going walkabout! The last two years have been huge - teaching at Butabika hospital, Kampala and introducing yoga as an integral part of healing and wellbeing within the hospital. Taking two lovely souls James and Elizabeth through teacher training and sharing the journey. They will be around to continue classes whilst I am out - please contact them to find out when they are teaching - James: jajamiecoleopus@gmail.com and Elizabeth: kiwojolo112@gmail.com classes will continue at the hospital but kindly check with them their current schedule. They now are both working hard to raise the funds to journey to India where Swami Govindananda will continue their teacher training on scholarship. All our work at the hospital is voluntary so they are finding ways to raise money for their flights, visas etc. We are asking for donations for a professional recording of a Yoga Nidra session by me. Please do contact them for details, and selling beautiful mat bags made in gorgeous African colours. Below for inspiration for anyone thinking of yoga and maybe even teacher training here is James Story - I have not edited it - they are his words. OM Namah Sivaya - I bow to the divine that you are and the divine that we all have the right to be. I will be back in Kampala by 20th August -
for now have beautiful days - shanti shanti shanti
mangala / nicky
"Yoga is
a practice of the mind, body and spirit. It is a practice that has the power to
change, heal and transform us. I began yoga
2 years ago when I was already volunteering in Butabika mental hospital working
with children. I faced a number of inner life-threatening issues like chest
pain and cardiovascular blockage that caused me night sweats, breathing
difficulty and lost hope toward retrieval of myself.
I was later introduced to yoga at a perfect time and then
all the pieces in my life began to fall in place. Basically, it was the perfect
"yoga storm" in which I fell in love, so hard and so quickly with the
practice of yoga. I was one of those persons that began yoga through a friend
now co-teacher Elizabeth who introduced me to Nicky my ever best teacher who
inspired me to endure for better, specifically by then I would be invited every
Thursday afternoon in an international school a few meters away from my home,
as well as a training course, she highly dedicated all her space and time for
200 hours Sivananda Teacher Training, for both Elizabeth and myself for purpose
of teaching yoga for mental and physical benefits of the community around. That
picked up momentum and we created Butabika Hospital Community Yoga for recovery.
At least for my generation, meeting with a professional teacher who has been teaching
yoga for a long time plays a huge role when it comes to things like self-esteem
and self-efficacy. I want to express my life in a more positive manner and
inspire others along the way, and I was led to deep realization roles as I had
been contemplating to sit back as I felt I had really nothing special to offer
to the mental patients but instead started to commit to my practice while offering
this gift to those that would have it for change.
At first, it began as a way to boost my ego, an
extravagant demonstration of pride and arrogance. However, as I began delving
into books and other resources during my study, I soon learned that yoga is
much more than the physical practice of asana (comfortable pose) as my teacher says,
‘That is only one limb of yoga.’ I
started to connect asana with the breath, or pranayama, and my practice
drastically changed, especially after going to my first yoga class. It then led
to making changes in my own life. I allowed yoga to change me from within in
order to shape, mold, and create my life into a more accurate depiction of the
true me. People began witnessing a new me and asked why I was a happier, more
grateful, and a more open person. Naturally, I share my yoga journey with them.
I encourage them to at least give thought into doing yoga, not only the
physical practice but also the mental, emotional, and spiritual practice of it
as well. In Sanskrit, yoga literally means "to
join, “to Yolk” or “to unite."
That's what yoga has done and continues to do for me: to unite all parts of my
being in the formation of the real me, a "me" I genuinely love, a
"me" I can express freely, a "me" I can use to connect with
others and share light and truth and pure joy, a "me" I can utilize
to inspire others, a "me" that works towards unity in our world. I
now have a great yogic aim.
Therefore, I am working hard to raise funds for the
upcoming Sivananda 200 Hour Teacher Training Course (T.T.C) in September, under the guidance of Swami
Govindananda director of The Sivananda Yoga Vidya Peetham School in India, for
classical Hatha teachings that provide the opportunity to study yoga anatomy,
nutrition, yoga philosophy and teaching methodology. It addresses all the
topics that I need to work with people of various shapes and ailments and hence
start their journey of healing. It will help me teach with more impact, and a balanced
and sustainable way. Raising funds of
this magnitude for the trip is a challenge- which I embrace wholeheartedly but
with which I could use a little assistance." James Akol
James jajamiecoleopus@gmail.com
Elizabeth kiwojolo112@gmail.com
