Entry
Three (July 19, 2013)
Blog- Africa Yoga Project research
Mission- 7/19/2013
Today was truly wonderful, magical, filled with
generosity, and flexible-on-mission research team members. We started with a
yoga class taught by the amazing Susan Fain at Gracia Gardens. She read the
Grasshopper Poem and got us all thinking about what we are going to do with our one precious life. It felt so
good to take a class with Susan. It felt like home and this morning my body
needed that.
We quickly ate breakfast and met in front of the
vehicles. Here in Nairobi we have hired drivers. The AYP staff has set all of
this up for us (Thank YOU Angie Wilkins!). James owns the company and he helps
arrange for us to get from Gracia Gardens to the Shine Center and today he got
us to four of the out reaches.
Because of the printing complications yesterday, we
had 70 sets of sorting cards that needed to be cut for the AYP teachers to
complete. Susan Fain and Brooke Easton stayed back from the morning outreach so
that they could do the cutting of the sorting cards. They were wonderful and
HUGE team players. In fact, the completed the task perfectly (including
catching and fixing a type-o). They met us in time for lunch.
The first out reach was at the Pumwani Social
Hall. This social hall is in the city of Nairobi, which I have come to learn is
a big city. Fire, an AYP teacher, taught the class. It was great! There were
many young men, lots of beautiful children, and a few young women taking the
classes at Pumwani. After class we divided up into groups and completed the
brainstorming session with the yoga students. The AYP teachers that were there
helped us and explained things in Swahili when needed. Jerry got teased by the
young Nairobi boys for his shorts and thick legs : ). I can’t wait to tell my
daughters that their father is getting feedback on his shorts on other
continents.
We got in the car and headed over to lunch at
Sophia (Wanji’s Sister and AYP teacher) and Joyce’s homes for homemade cooking.
These two women opened their homes to the research team and provided delicious
traditional meals made with warmth and love. After being completely nourished,
the teams met at the outreach right by their homes. I think it is called the
Kariobangi social hall. Here we had another great class- see photos on
Facebook. The team split into two groups. One group stayed and completed
brainstorming right after class and then went to the Giovana School for the
Deaf. The other group went to the Rehema outreach n the slum area. I will be
posting lots of photos on Facebook- please check. It was beautiful and so very
inspiring.
 |
| Sophia and Wanji |
Jerry, my husband, said that he learned that you choose joy. The children we met
were full of joy, songs, and smiles that showed an inner light that most
certainly was not about having material wealth. We saw first hand that you can
have nothing much at all in terms of material wealth and have great joy.
The children told us about how yoga took away pain, made them feel great,
helped them forget their worries and bad things that had happened, and brought
health to them. They told us that yoga was fun and changed their lives. In
Rehema the children broke into song and we danced, and clapped, and had a
wonderful time.
The day closed with all of us meeting in the
Hibiscus Room at Gracia Gardens for the AYP Research assistant to complete
their sorting and rating. They will be helping us tomorrow when we go to the
Shine Center and work with all of the AYP teachers.
I want to acknowledge my team: Carla, Susan, Jessalyn,
Nan, Steve, Brooke, Jerry, Irene, Wanji, Jamo, Musa, Joyce, and Louise. There
is NO WAY that we could do this without the translation, and signing, and Love,
and support of the AYP Research Assistants. I am so thankful for working with
them and know them. We are learning so much.
I also want to thank the Buffalo, Rochester, and
Boston areas for all of the financial support, emotional support, and donations
you have sent to make this trip possible. Last, our families chipped in a lot
too! Thank YOU!
LOVE LOVE LOVE and Namaste
Catherine
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