blog #78 Humanitarianism at its best

I have been practicing yoga for almost five years and teaching for about two. I have been afforded the opportunity to take many different types of classes in many different settings with many different instructors and students, all of which has taught me many lessons beyond the yoga itself. At New York Yoga (where I volunteer), Juliana’s class has touched me not only physically but also emotionally. She is so beautiful, in tune with her students needs, and receptive to changes or alterations in poses or the class flow.

Juliana has also found a touching way to connect with the community: She has agreed to volunteer at the Inwood house. There, Juliana will teach yoga classes to a group of homeless pregnant teens. I was so moved by her idea that I wanted to share her involvement with my readers:

Juliana says:

“The blessings that yoga brings to my life, in my capacity as student and as teacher, positively overflow! I sought a meaningful way to pass on this gift. When beginning my search with the question ‘Where can I be of service?’ I wasn't even aware that a population of pregnant, homeless teens existed. Stumbling upon information about Inwood House, an organization in NYC that provides housing and other services to homeless pregnant teens – among other programs), I was thunderstruck. Can you imagine the combination of those three challenges?

I felt immediately that this is a population in whom the loving seeds of yoga might flourish in extraordinary ways. I wrote to Inwood House and told them about my experience as a prenatal yoga teacher and I told them I wanted to provide prenatal yoga classes to their maternity residents. Happily, they've accepted my offer.

• The homeless women’s ages range from 12 to 21. Some attend college, others have a third grade    education, and there’s everything in between.
•  Most grew up in the foster care system.
• The classes will commence shortly and will be a weekly and 45 minutes each.

In closing, Juliana says:

“It's clear to me that these young women will have far more to teach me than I will ever have to teach them. That said, I am dearly hoping I can be of some service.”

Juliana inspires me to give more to my community. 

If you would like a free pass to one of her classes at NYY, please let me know and I will give you one.

You can check out Juliana’s bio and class schedule here