“The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”

(Chief Seattle)

Global Seva Amazon: Environmental Justice & Indigenous Rights

Off the Mat, Into the World’s (OTM) Global Seva Challenge is a fundraiser that builds community, provokes awareness and action around global issues, and raises funds to support communities in crisis. Since 2007, more than 600 people around the world have taken the Seva Challenge and raised over $3 million dollars for projects in Cambodia, Uganda, South Africa, Haiti and India. This year’s focus is on environmental justice and indigenous rights in the Amazon rainforest. Funds raised in 2013 will support the protection of some of the most pristine remaining rainforest areas, as well as provide access to healthcare, clean drinking water and micro-credit for indigenous and farmer communities living in remote areas of the Ecuadorian Amazon.

THE AMAZON RAINFOREST

The rainforest is often called “the lungs of the earth”. It produces one-fifth of the world’s fresh air, one-fifth of known medicinal plants and knowledge (of which scientists estimate we have discovered only 1%), one-half of its fresh water, and is home to half of all species on Earth.  It is one of the most peaceful and pristine natural places on Earth, where all species depend on each other and a healthy ecosystem to survive.

In the Amazon rainforest, you can find more species in one square acre than in most countries.  Ecuador is considered a ‘biodiversity hotspot’.  There are “walking trees” whose roots will literally walk up to several meters over the course of ten years.  There is the poison dart frog – no larger than your thumbnail – that secretes a poison through its skin potent enough to paralyze or even kill a predator when it is threatened.  In Ecuador alone, the rainforest is home to more than 30,000 birds, plant and animal species and 16 distinct indigenous tribes.

THE POINT OF NO RETURN

Scientists predict that we are rapidly approaching the point of no return within the next generation, if we do not make changes to our behavior now.

Current energy consumption threatens the future of the Amazon rainforest – and life as we know it on Earth. The level of carbon in our atmosphere is dangerously above levels required for a stable and healthy climate. In the last twelve months alone: extreme drought in Brazil, extreme flooding in Rwanda, an increase of hurricanes in the Caribbean, rising sea levels in the South Pacific, wildfires in the Southwestern US, and the warmest 12-month period on record in the United States.  Ever.

The health of our environment is one of the truly global issues that transcends national boundaries and affects us all.

What will you say to your children when they ask you, “What was it like to see the rainforest before it disappeared?” or “What was that animal like before it went extinct?” Will you tell them that you did nothing to stop the deforestation and contamination? Or that you did not raise your voice when you were given a platform and a microphone to tell the world what you knew to be true: that our planet, much like our human bodies, can only thrive and sustain life in a state of balance, and that our current standard of living is dangerously unsustainable.

FROM BLOWGUNS TO SHOTGUNS

Indigenous people living in the rainforest have learned to make powerful healing medicines such as ‘blood of the dragon’ from the bark of the surrounding trees and plants without harming the organism itself. They hunted with spears and blowguns, taking only what they needed and fighting rarely with their neighboring tribesmen. They drank the purest water from the river and traveled by foot or canoe, leaving nothing but footprints in their wake.

In 1964, the oil industry arrived in Ecuador and set up their operations in the Amazon rainforest. They built roads deep into the jungle, moving their trucks and heavy equipment into territories inhabited by the Quichua, Achuar, Taegaeri, Haorani, Cofan and other indigenous tribes.

COCA-COLA AND TOILET PAPER 

The oil companies sent their scouts in to these communities to make initial contact, bringing gifts that the indigenous people had never seen before: things like Coca-Cola, toilet paper, alcohol and guns. They negotiated with the tribal leaders for as much Coca-Cola and toilet paper as they wanted. In exchange, the oil companies just wanted one small thing: their ancestral land.

The alcohol and guns were thrown in to the deal as a gesture of “good will” and “friendship”, and the indigenous tribes were pitted against each other. Entire villages were massacred, generations of families wiped out in a single battle of shotguns versus blowguns.

In some regions of Ecuador, the fighting between tribes was so brutal and population numbers dwindled so low, that a number of tribes have gone extinct altogether.

Over a few decades, tribes who had co-existed relatively peacefully for thousands of years, became diabetics, alcoholics, and murderers. Many became employed by the oil companies as laborers to help cut down the forest that had belonged to their ancestors, install an extensive network of pipelines that frequently leaked crude oil directly into the soil, and dispose of toxic waste by dumping it directly into unlined pits or into the same rivers and streams that their children drank from and bathed in. Working for the oil industry became synonymous with wealth, modernity, prestige and power.

Meanwhile, the Coca-Cola and Aguardiente (local sugarcane liquor) flowed freely, and the oil companies continued to move their heavy machinery through the rainforest, felling trees, drilling holes, and pumping crude oil as they went.  Before long, people began to get very sick. Incidents of cancer tripled and then quadrupled. In communities where the average family size was 13, infertility and miscarriages became common, and babies were born with deformities. Children complained of constant headaches, bellyaches, and skin lesions that would fester for years without healing properly. Local crops traditionally grown in the region – plantains, yucca, cacao, coffee, papaya, and guayusa – became poisoned by the soil, and anyone who ate them became sick.

THE LONG ROAD TOWARD JUSTICE

In 1994, oil and gas giant Texaco-Chevron was sued on behalf of 30,000 indigenous Ecuadorians who accused the company of dumping more than 18 billion gallons of toxic waste into 54 unlined pits throughout the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest, after more than 30 years of environmental contamination, human rights violations, and legal impunity. The case dragged on and on, as Texaco-Chevron attempted to bankrupt the plaintiffs who could not compete with the company’s infinite legal resources.

In 2011, the Ecuadorian Supreme Court found Texaco-Chevron guilty and ordered the company to pay $18 billion in damages for environmental cleanup and human health care costs as a result of their actions. Texaco-Chevron has yet to pay a dime and be held accountable.

(NOTE: Texaco-Chevron has filed numerous appeals in Ecuadorian, international and US courts with the intention of having the case thrown out. Every single one of them has been denied.)  

PAY NOW OR PAY LATER

In 2010, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa proposed to wealthy nations at a UN meeting that the Amazon rainforest is a global commodity that (while intact) provides certain goods and services that we all benefit from.  Additionally, deforestation is responsible for more carbon emissions than the entire global transportation sector (cars, trucks, planes, etc.) combined.

President Correa warned that the cost of losing those services – especially when compounded with the climate change effects due to deforestation – would be significantly higher than the cost of protecting them up front. He asked the international community to pay into a voluntary fund called REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) which he hoped would generate approximately $4 billion dollars to fund alternative energy and sustainable development programs in Ecuador.

Only a few countries (including Spain, Germany, Belgium, Italy and Norway) expressed interest. Ecuador’s proposal to the UN ultimately failed.

RAINFOREST FOR SALE

In November 2012, Ecuador began to auction off its southern Amazon for oil exploration, to help pay off its national debt to China. Negotiations are currently underway, with the deadline for the latest round of bidding (called the 11th Round) extended to July 2013.

Indigenous groups say they were not consulted in the sale of their ancestral lands, and this action violates the law. Environmental groups fear that the same disaster that happened in Ecuador’s northern Amazon will happen again in the south.

So far, China appears to be the only bidder.

Watch: ‘Oil Boom Threatens Amazon Tribesmen’ (video)

CALL TO ACTION

It is more important than ever that the international community speaks up now to protest the sale of Ecuador’s southern Amazon, and supports projects that will help protect and sustainably develop the remaining rainforest: the lungs of the earth.

PROJECTS

Finds raised during this year’s Seva Challenge will support the following initiatives:

- construction and staffing of a ranger station to help Cofan indigenous communities patrol and protect their ancestral land;

- providing seed capital and training for a micro-lending initiative which provides training and access to micro-credit to indigenous and farmer communities in exchange for not cutting down their rainforest land;

- building and furnishing two classrooms for forestry and conservation training of local youth;

- empowering frontline, indigenous healthcare workers to promote public health education and provide care to their communities;

- construction of a rural medical care facility and overnight residence for families living in remote areas of the rainforest;

- providing access to clean drinking water to indigenous and farmer communities; and

- raising awareness on behalf of indigenous and environmental organizations advocating for justice against the oil industry in the northern Amazon and protesting Ecuador’s 11th Round of oil licensing in the south.

JOIN OUR SMALL CHANGE CAMPAIGN

We know that no change is too small so we’re making it our goal is to get more people involved to take small steps in making a difference on a global level. We’re challenging yogis everywhere to think small in order to act big—for example, raising $100 by asking 10 friends to donate $10 each.

Do something, even if it’s small…. Set a goal that is achievable and raise $100 (or $500 or $1000) for this year’s Global Seva Challenge. Every little bit counts.

THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL

We are driving home the importance of reducing our own energy use at the individual level as well as addressing energy issues at the international level. In 2013, we will challenge the yoga community to make small changes in their day-to-day lives to reduce their energy impact.  Participate in OTM’s ‘Small Change Campaign’ to investigate your own everyday energy impact.  Join the OTM Facebook Page for regular tips on how to reduce your footprint.

Here are a few easy ways to get started:

(1) remember to turn off the lights when you’re not in the room
(2) walk/bike/carpool/use public transport
(3) buy recycled toilet paper
(4) practice Meatless Mondays
(5) buy local

OFF THE MAT, INTO THE AMAZON

Participants who take the Seva Challenge will have up to one year to raise significant funds and awareness through local outreach and community building. Seva Challenge participants will receive extensive leadership support and resources from OTM throughout the year.  Participants who raise $20,000+ will be invited to join OTM on a Bare Witness Tour to the Amazon and see firsthand how the funds we have raised are helping to create positive change.

Join the 2013 Global Seva Challenge for environmental justice in Ecuador.

Crunching the Numbers

1 oil giant
30 billion gallons of toxic waste
900 open air unlined toxic waste pits
1,400 cancer deaths
30,000 indigenous Ecuadorian plaintiffs
30,000 threatened plant and animal species
100,000 square miles of tropical rainforest
18 year trial
$18 billion guilty verdict

ABOUT OFF THE MAT, INTO THE WORLD (OTM) 

Off the Mat, Into the World™ is a non-profit organization using yoga’s values of awareness, sustainability and service to empower activism from a grassroots level. Off the Mat uses an innovative toolkit to train, connect and guide new leaders to discover their purpose and create conscious social change. Tens of thousands of mobilized activists have raised over $3 Million through Off the Mat programs such as Global Seva Challenge, the Empowered Youth Initiative and YogaVotes. Off the Mat was founded in 2007 by three of the yoga community’s most well known and influential teachers, Seane Corn, Suzanne Sterling and Hala Khouri. The organization is based in San Francisco, California as part of the non-profit Engage Network. Learn more about Off the Mat, Into the World™ and its success stories at www.offthematintotheworld.org

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FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES:

Mariah Rooney
Mariah@offthematintotheworld.org
612.618.9234

According to the Yoga Sutras, yoga should be easeful and restful. There is a certain awareness of ease that comes after any big release, yet the contents of that release are often fraught with tension, fear, tightness and ego. It was not part of my upbringing to be aware of these feelings in myself without judgment and repression. If things didn’t feel right, they were buried in my body while my head kept itself busy with other things. The result? A swamp of emotions that were repressed, yet present, in my daily existence.

On the outside, my life has been successful. I’m a lawyer and happily married living with a loving community in one of the richest countries in the world. However, internally, I have felt wobbly, insecure and ungrounded. I have lived my life as the youngest child of four girls in a divorced family that wasn’t taught mindfulness skills. The inevitable traumas associated with emotional neglect and dysfunction, as well as emotional and physical traumas were buried because I didn’t know what to do with myself when they happened. Instead, I tried to please according to other’s expectations and have done good things for the world because it is the ‘right’ thing to do. But, I never asked what it was that I wanted to do, nor how I actually felt. As a result, I have lived for decades in a detached state. 

While blazing a path of achievement, I found yoga. And yoga changed my life. Once I took a sabbatical from law and delved deeply into the practice, I couldn’t ignore the dark swamp of emotions muddling up my day-to-day existence.  I began to feel lighter and experience the real pain of my life’s experiences. Perhaps it was too much. I got another job and stopped my yoga practice. I lost my center once again, but this time I KNEW it was there—just below the surface. Last week at the Empowered Youth Initiative training, something woke up in me that has long been simmering.  My body is my voice and it wants to be heard. With that listening comes Grace.

Thanks to Suzanne, Hala and Seane, I’ve allowed the somatic voice to be heard. With that release of tension in my body came the awareness that my service for good must necessarily flow from MY foundation. If I don’t know why I’m doing something in my body as well as my mind, I’m not going to be very effective for a sustained period of time. I might temporarily emerge out of the swamp of emotions, but I’ll soon plunge right back down into a murky abyss of ‘who am I?’

It has taken me four decades to wake up and realize that my body wants to be heard. It needs nurturing and compassion and permission to move forward powerfully, peacefully, passionately and with a strong, grounded purpose. Much like a lotus flower that is rooted in a tangled web of muddy roots, my life has been a struggle with dark forces that are always reaching for the light above. The beauty of yoga with OTM is that they encourage the rooting first, the merging with the mud without self-castigation. This nourishing, enriching union creates the base from which to flourish not only as an individual, but also as one who shares this beloved gift with others who are not rooted or do not reach.

I move forward into my 40th year as a grateful student who is both rooting down and reaching up and out toward taking my yoga off of the mat and into the world.

Kyra Millich of San Francisco, CA, is an Off the Mat leader participating in the Empowered Youth Initiative (EYI). EYI gives leaders unparalleled access to groups and institutions who work with at-risk youth, so that leaders can better understand the personal, cultural, socio-economic and political challenges these youth face, and incorporate this deeper knowledge and training into their own work serving youth.

Help Off the Mat to continue and expand our programs like the Empowered Youth Initiative. Join the Seed Network and donate the price of one yoga class per month to Off the Mat, Into the world. When you join the Seed Network, you invest in a community of leaders, like Kyra Millich, who are initiating grassroots social change from the inside out.

A group of yoga students gather on a Thursday morning across a crowded play yard.  Words of welcome and handshakes are exchanged, mats are rolled out and shoes are removed. As the teacher begins to speak, attention is given. Breath is encouraged and movement begins. Simple and dynamic all in one, a slow Hatha practice is what these yogis seek and will receive.

Laying on my mat, hearing my own breath intertwine with the collective souls surrounding me, I begin to hear the words being spoken. “We will now begin Yoga Nidra.” Exploring a different level of consciousness, a request is made by the teacher. “Allow a word to be spoken that represents what you are wanting to invite into your life.” As my mat begins to absorb more of my being, hopes begin to take a voice.  “Harmony. Peace. Satisfaction. Fulfillment.” The awareness of where I am at slowly slips further and further away as the teacher continues to guide us on a journey. I hear geese in the yard and I drift further into another realm.

I faintly hear the teacher’s voice. “Yoga Nidra is now coming to an end. I invite you to speak a word that represents what you are feeling now and what you will be taking with your for the remainder of the day.” My breath begins to deepen and I hear a siren in the background.  I am suddenly aware of where I am. “Victorious. Freedom. Calm.” My eyes begin to swell with tears as I hear these words fill this sacred space.

I am reminded that I am lying next to a military veteran serving a life sentence in San Quentin Prison for a crime the details of which I will never know. In fact, I am breathing, moving and sharing space with a room full of twenty military veterans, all serving life sentences and participating in the Prison Yoga Project (http://www.prisonyoga.org/) founded and taught by James Fox.

I am not scared. I am not nervous. I am grateful. I am completely aware that my life is changed forever and a wave of gratitude washes over my body and sinks into my soul.

Carla Charters of Bremerton, WA, is an Off the Mat leader participating in the Empowered Youth Initiative (EYI). EYI gives leaders unparalleled access to groups and institutions who work with at-risk youth, so that leaders can better understand the personal, cultural, socio-economic and political challenges these youth face, and incorporate this deeper knowledge and training into their own work serving youth.

Help Off the Mat to continue and expand our programs like the Empowered Youth Initiative. Join the Seed Network and donate the price of one yoga class per month to Off the Mat, Into the world. When you join the Seed Network, you invest in a community of leaders, like Carla Charters, who are initiating grassroots social change from the inside out.

“Experience resides in the cells.” –Angel Kyodo Williams

This statement slapped me in the face. As a yoga instructor this information is not new knowledge to me, nor is it something I have not said myself multiple times. Yet on the first day of the Empowered Youth Initiative training it resonated with me in a much more powerful way.

I love teaching challenging arm balances, inversions, the face your fears, “oh shit!” poses. Not only that, but I love the shake and quiver of a long intense hold in Utkatasana (it’s named fierce pose for a reason). My students often proclaim that I just love to inflict pain and suffering on them, but the reality is I know and have experienced the powerful tool asana can be. You have to let it be your tool. Go into practice as if every asana is a new pose and experience. The reality is that it is new! We hold different space mentally and physically every time we step on the mat. Asana has the ability to put the nitty gritty stuff right in front of your face and say, “now what?” It is in those moments of discomfort and fear that things begin to shift on a cellular level.

I dare you to go into a class and have no agenda for that practice. Allow someone else to take you on a journey. That journey may not be exactly where you wanted to go, enjoyable, may have not included the poses you wanted, but that experience, in those moments being present in your body, things begin to change. Our mind is a sophisticated machine. I’ve been facing my fears on the mat for 7 years now. You have the ability to change your path, to do what you want and be the person of your dreams. That being said it’s time to start the second day and practice!

MacKenzie Miller of Seattle, WA, is an Off the Mat leader participating in the Empowered Youth Initiative (EYI). EYI gives leaders unparalleled access to groups and institutions who work with at-risk youth, so that leaders can better understand the personal, cultural, socio-economic and political challenges these youth face, and incorporate this deeper knowledge and training into their own work serving youth.

Help Off the Mat to continue and expand our programs like the Empowered Youth Initiative. Join the Seed Network and donate the price of one yoga class per month to Off the Mat, Into the world. When you join the Seed Network, you invest in a community of leaders, like MacKenzie Miller, who are initiating grassroots social change from the inside out.

As I lay in bed reflecting back on my first full day at the Off the Mat, Into the World Empowered Youth Initiative training, where the day was spent discussing the importance of language, I’m left feeling speechless. Not wanting to say the wrong words. Evoke negative emotions in others. Do harm. It’s easy to become overwhelmed the more you learn.

Yesterday I probably would have said that fear is an emotion that does not cultivate change. Today I learned from Angel Kyodo Williams that change doesn’t always mean moving forward, there’s also the possibility of regression. I invite you to think of a moment in which you let fear control and hinder you so much that it stifled your growth and possibly your dream. We’ve all had a moment of not feeling worthy of our dreams. That gut-wrenching pit of your belly pain hurts. That pain manifests itself in our body and if you want to heal that trauma you have to move.

Asana serves as a beautiful tool to get those negative thoughts, feelings, emotions, and trauma moved out of your body and mind. In my asana practice I consciously watch my inner dialogue. Do you pump yourself up or tear yourself down? Be your number one fan. Give yourself permission to be liberated and freed from your pain.

MacKenzie Miller of Seattle, WA, is an Off the Mat leader participating in the Empowered Youth Initiative (EYI). EYI gives leaders unparalleled access to groups and institutions who work with at-risk youth, so that leaders can better understand the personal, cultural, socio-economic and political challenges these youth face, and incorporate this deeper knowledge and training into their own work serving youth.

Help Off the Mat to continue and expand our programs like the Empowered Youth Initiative. Join the Seed Network and donate the price of one yoga class per month to Off the Mat, Into the world. When you join the Seed Network, you invest in a community of leaders, like Mackenzie Miller, who are initiating grassroots social change from the inside out.

DO LESS.  BE MORE.  This is my current mantra in my yoga practice, my teachings to the yoga students to whom I am blessed to bear witness to each week, and in my personal life. This mantra speaks of one BEcoming more present with one’s intentions, words, thoughts, touch, prayers, conversations, and ideas.  This mantra also speaks of DOing less mindless thinking, analyzing, worrying, planning, judging, moving, and measuring.  BEcoming awake in each moment to allow one’s action to BE meaningful, purposeful and successful by the definition that you are truly walking on a path of mindfulness is a message that I heard on day two of the Empowered Youth Initiative.

B.K. Bose, founder of the Niroga Institute and a leading expert on the School to Prison Pipeline issue, presented the undeniably disturbing facts of how our system is blindly discarding millions of children each year to a process that leads them to drop out of school and commit crimes. B.K. shared the cycle within the pipeline that 1 million children experience each year. B.K.’s revolutionary solution to this crisis is yoga!

Just as most yogis experience reduced stress, increased physical and emotional endurance, as well as improved flexibility of the mind and body, these kids experience the same results. Yoga teaches us to be mindful. . . to be aware of what you are doing as you are doing it and to be aware of what you are feeling as you are feeling it.

B.K.’s program provides thousands of at-risk and incarcerated youths in California an opportunity to increase their mindfulness through a yoga practice taught by teachers from their own communities, in settings that they are familiar with. Yoga helps them to regulate their emotions, which determines their behavior. Through the practice of yoga, these kids are learning to make different choices that can take them out of the pipeline for good.

Being more mindful allows kids to do less or no time in the juvenile justice system.  This type of powerful and innovative teaching is why I am attending this training: to witness amazing humans, loving other humans through breath and movement, regardless of race, class or criminal history.

Carla Charters of Bremerton, WA, is an Off the Mat leader participating in the Empowered Youth Initiative (EYI). EYI gives leaders unparalleled access to groups and institutions who work with at-risk youth, so that leaders can better understand the personal, cultural, socio-economic and political challenges these youth face, and incorporate this deeper knowledge and training into their own work serving youth.

Help Off the Mat to continue and expand our programs like the Empowered Youth Initiative. Join the Seed Network and donate the price of one yoga class per month to Off the Mat, Into the world. When you join the Seed Network, you invest in a community of leaders, like Carla Charters, who are initiating grassroots social change from the inside out.

My first engagement with the Global Seva Challenge in ‘09 had me raising funds to build a birthing center and school in Uganda. The experience changed my life in so many ways. I had always wanted to give back, to help those less fortunate and had a desire to do something, but wasn’t clear on what to do until Seva presented itself on my path. I dove headfirst into fundraising, lit up by my inspiration and belief in OTM’s mission and commitment to conscious activism. The time in Uganda helped me to experience what it meant to truly be of service. It introduced me to our global family and how interconnected we are. It also helped me get clear on what was important in my life. I came home, made necessary changes and focused on living my most authentic life.

Fast-forward 3 years to India. Now in a different role, as an assistant, I was able to witness the participants having their own life-shifting experiences and support them in their own individual processes.  Undoubtedly, we were all changed by what we experienced in India. The sweet, open hearts of those we encountered along the way will stay with me forever.

One organization in particular, Kolkata Sanved, made a huge impact on me. Kolkata Sanved brings dance movement therapy (DMT) to young survivors of sexual trauma and kids living in the red light district. We participated in a DMT class with 5 to 12 year olds and saw, first hand, the healing and freedom it brought these girls. The classes create a safe environment for the girls to play, create and find joy and comfort in their bodies. Each class ends with a version of savasana and some healing touch for each child. From this powerful experience, I was reminded of how healing movement, dance and community can be. It has inspired me to see how I can incorporate dance and movement in my own healing and bring this work into more places at home.

This trip has reinforced my belief that making a difference can come in all shapes and sizes. Whether you raise $20K or you simply sit with a child showing them affection and attention, we can all make this world a better place. The beautiful girls I met in India have stretched my heart open a bit farther. I pray that through my presence, kindness and attention, I was able to show them that they do matter, that the world knows they are important and that they are deserving and worthy of love.

For me, living a life of service means living the most authentic life I can. If I am staying true to myself I will be of service to the world effectively, consciously and sustainably. To really be of greatest use, I must find my own peace inside, take care of myself and figure out how to make my life on the outside match who I am on the inside. A true life of devotion and service comes from within first. Taking care of myself by listening to my intuition is what keeps me living my Bhakti and purpose out in the world. Thanks to Bhakti Chai for their commitment to devotion through social action and support of Off the Mat, Into the World and Yoga Freedom Project.

Coming into this experience I felt held by a sentiment Somaly Mam expressed in “The Road of Lost Innocence” in which she spoke of the impact of first encountering a man who didn’t want anything from her and the normalizing and stabilizing effect it had.  I came simply hoping to hold this space.  Being a man and being a part of this movement has at times been difficult and strange but in my heart I knew that I belonged here as much as anyone.  Even though my own unhealed mess was going to get opened up I knew this was the man I was being called to be and just had to trust that there was going to be ground under my feet after each step.

Many days I was shocked and in awe of the resilience of the girls and and their capacity to remain so open; to sing and dance and play and laugh and lay on the floor and draw.  I felt so privileged to be sharing this life with each of them.  I felt honored in a new way by each girls brave enough or scared enough to hold my hand, to tell me her name.  I felt gratitude for the gift of this life and the opportunity to show up in some small way for these girls and their openness and willingness to do the same.

Along with these filling and healing experiences came one’s that left me feeling gutted, filled with despair, and more vulnerable then I wanted to feel.  One day at Sanlapp I found myself painting next to a ten or eleven year old girl who had remained aloof and quiet our whole time there and as we looked at each other I saw her scarred and blind right eye.  We wore the same marks of violence right there where we couldn’t hide them from the world.  All the other stray glimpses of suffering and despair hit me as a collective and I felt sure all suffering was entirely personal, that it was all meaningless and all I would be capable of as a human would be to pass my own suffering onto another.   I wanted to run and vomit and use and not feel this, but we just held a glance for a few seconds, a moment of recognition, and stood next to each other and continued to paint the wall.

Coming home has been hard.  In Newark I  drove on the wrong side of the road.  My life here feels cluttered and vain.  I have felt extremely fragile and naked without all the people who held me up through joy and heartbreak.  But, even as the mendhi, the magic markers, and nail polish begin to fade this journey has left its mark on my heart.  I came home stripped of an old layer of defenses.  I brought home a new layer of vulnerability.  I came home feeling like a warrior who has been initiated.  I brought home compassion for the victims and the victimizers.  I came home with less rationalizations and justifications as to why I can’t walk thru this next layer of fear and doubt and insecurity.  I came home unable to look away from what my heavy lifting, what my sweat work looks like.  I came home with a renewed willingness to heal, to stand up and speak in the face of fear, to love without reservation.

Josh Kehler is from Kintnersville, PA. He successfully raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing his community and rising up as a leader for a cause he believes in. Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

*The opinions expressed in this blog belong to the individual author and are not necessarily shared by Off the Mat, Into the World.

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Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

As we arrived at the shelter home, a few young girls greeted us. One of them saw me and came flying out of the pack, making a bee-line straight toward me and wrapping her arms around my waist with great familiarity.  To my surprise, she was overly happy to see me and began chattering away with great joy and excitement.  She wouldn’t let go of my hand and began to lead me into the grounds of the home, still chattering away.

I asked the translator if she thought I was someone else.  After a few moments of listening to her story, the translator began to tell me that she thought I had been there on January 23 of this year.  He told her that it wasn’t me, but she was insistent and began to realize that I looked like a woman who had been at the home.  This young girl continued on that she doesn’t have any parents and this lady was so kind and compassionate that she wanted to leave with her.  As this young girls story unfolded, tears began to form in her eyes, realizing that I wasn’t the one.  That I wasn’t the one who was going to remove her and take her to another life.

Yet, she still clung to me, or more likely to the idea of me.  She was insistent and attached, leading me along our tour of the home, sitting next to me as we began our yoga class and barely taking her hand away to maintain physical contact.

During our tour, the founder of WIF, Aloka Mitra, the 73-year old I referred to in an earlier post arrived and welcomed us to sit with her for morning tea.  She spoke extensively about her vision of empowering women, of various challenges her organization has faced and amazing moments of well-timed gifts and support.  As we concluded, I hugged Aloka to say thank you for all that she’s done throughout her career, during which my young friend came up to Aloka.  Although I don’t speak Bengali, I could tell the girl was telling Aloka about me, again with tears welling up.  Aloka gently spoke to the girl, who began to loosen her grip on me.

I just couldn’t imagine what was going on in this young persons head and experience.  That she seemed to truly think I (or someone who looked like me) came back for her.  And then her dream was blown apart because of mistaken identity.  You could tell she so wanted the story to be true, like the fairy tale that keeps young girls dreams alive.

Unfortunately, the reality was different from the dream and more than one heart was broken.  I realized that my role in all of this is simply to love.  To hold the space to offer compassion, to open my heart to sorrow, to breathe deeply into the moment and to realize that love is the most powerful tonic of all.

Love is all there is…let it flow.

* Neither myself nor Off The Mat, Into The World have the intention of going into any of these organizations offering a sense of “rescue” to any of the residents.  Our intention is to fully support the organizations that are doing the work of rescuing and rehabilitating such girls through which in turn, expand their opportunities. The opinions expressed in this blog belong to the individual author and are not necessarily shared by Off the Mat, Into the World.

Jayne Robertson is from Palm Springs, CA. She successfully raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in. Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

–

Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

In the beginning I was a bit bogged down by the shadows of what I’d been witnessing while trying to keep my heart, smile and energy consumption afloat for the women and children I crossed paths with. It’s been a wild journey here in India – such a different world. The culture is infused with simplicity that’s (actually) in sync with it’s diversity. It’s a colourful container for connection to spirit, shadow and human experience. Above all the countries, I’ve had the fortune of visiting, India seeps history and legend in every moment, monument, greeting, story, stoplight….. It’s a magically effed up place…. just like the rest of the world I guess. Amongst the wide eyes, the ‘Namaskars’ (traditional greeting), tilted heads, open arms, bright colours, and an abundance of pearly whites that project through darkly complexed skin; there’s so much paradox and therefore separation in my ability to share my experiences. It’s been tough to get a handle on my relationship to these experiences because they’re always changing, and I’m sure, forever unfolding.

I have absolutely no idea what it’s like to grow up in the density of sound, caste, spirituality, diversity…let alone trauma, and a family and community that doesn’t love and trust in me for who I am and where I’ve been. I am so blessed (I can use this word with less hesitation than in the past).

In the past 10 days we had the fortune of visiting a number of the organizations that we supported through last year’s Global Seva Challenge: Apne App, Sanlaap, Nijolou Shelter Home (WIF), Made By Survivors, AMURT, Kolkata Saanved). I am SO stoked to arrive home with the confidence and trust in these relationships – an attribute that I wished desperately for. I’m so grateful that all my conversation, purging, social media exploitation, and ‘bumper sticker’ language/tone was honest and purposeful. I thank the universe for giving me the space, time and support I needed when I finally acknowledged my long-time desire to step into this foreign place of vulnerability, inquiry and service.

Not getting lost in the trauma’s, the stories, and the injustice was a difficult task for me. Balancing my emotions, level of compassion and sensitivity with determination, purpose and action was a goal of mine – without this consciousness, it’s safe to say, that I would have been a pile of mush. Luckily I had strong women and Josh (the one man in our Seva family) to hold hands with, share, process and get back on track with.

I’m sure I’ll have lots to share and tell, yet, I’m still in a place of inquiry and integration. Although I’m sure that this phase is a never-ending one, I’m committed to sharing and being a voice for the voiceless and choiceless as soon as it reaches my tongue with conviction and elegance. For now, all I KNOW is that

1) I’ll always have more questions than answers
2) Unconditional love goes a long way
3) My connection with each women and child has forever changed me
4) I can only hope that I’ll have the courage and strength that I’ve bared witness to when I need it
5) I’m effing lucky to have the community of friends and family that I do
6) I’m so lucky to have a man that loves, supports and empowers me no matter what wave I’m on
7) Never underestimate the power of collaboration
8) The need to understand and know everything is tiring and useless at times
9) Baring witness to the shadows and the human experience is baring witness to the Self; therefore, to say that any of this has been ‘Selfless’ service would be a lie.

Amidst all the horror and shadow we’ve been immersed in this journey invited more laughter than tears, more joy than anger, more love than hatred, more happiness than sadness, and more hopefullness than hopelessness.

So…What’s next? I’m committed to taking time to integrate, to never forget, and to carry on with light, honesty and sustainability.

Thank you OTM family. I’ll miss your quirks, teachings and honest expression.

Lots of love,

Zoey

Zoey Stimpson is from North Vancouver, British Columbia. She successfully raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in. Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

*The opinions expressed in this blog belong to the individual author and are not necessarily shared by Off the Mat, Into the World.

–

Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

When our group of 10 (our larger group was split in half that day) walked in, we were immediately surrounded by a group of smiling, excited, and chatty girls who were looking forward to a day of play with us. I was instantly greeted by two girls—one grabbed my right hand and the other grabbed my left. They each put a braided yarn bracelet they had made on my wrist, smiled up at me and I knew I was theirs for the day. Throughout the course of the day, anytime I would be dancing or drawing with another girl from the shelter, the two original girls would find their way back to me, grab my hand to show me something new, and we would somehow slip back into this pack of three all over again.

At one point I learned that the girls were sisters. The older sister was around 12. Her favorite subject to learn in school is English and she is an amazingly talented artist. Her younger sister (around 9) loves to sing and would continually ask me to sing a song so she could repeat the phrases back and practice her English. I have absolutely zero ability to sing or draw and I know the girls took great pride in trying to teach me both. They continued to give me praise and encouragement even though I was falling short and making little progress in either.

Every day before we leave the hotel we practice yoga together as a group. Seane on the first day described yoga as “a practice of feeling and dealing”—a way for us to feel our emotions and begin the process of dealing with the intense contrast that shows up so readily and so frequently during our experience in India, as well as in our own lives back home. In this morning’s practice right before savasana, Seane asked us to write a letter to someone we have met over the past two weeks who has made an impact on us.

I have met so many bright, loving, special girls on this journey but I knew my letter had to be to the two sisters I met at Nijoloy. This is the letter I wrote to them:

Dear My Two Little Sisters,

First of all, thank you again so much for my beautiful bracelets! I have been wearing them everyday and every time I look down at my wrist I think of you two girls. I had such a fun day with you and I appreciate you taking such good care of me during my visit.

I tried to tell you then, although I’m not sure you understood, but you girls remind me so much of my sister and me. I can tell you really love each other and you are always looking out for each other. My hope and dream for you is that you continue to be so loving, so generous, and so happy. To the older sister: You are a very talented artist. I hope you know that and I hope you are told that in your life over and over again. To the younger sister: You have a sparkle in your spirit—you love to sing and dance and I hope the world opens up for you and allows you to be the strong and spirited girl that you already are.

When I was leaving you told me you would miss me and you both blew me a kiss. Even though we can’t see each other everyday when I close my eyes I can see your little faces and it makes me smile. Remember to take care of each other. Know that you have a mother who loves you and wants every good thing in this world to come your way. Understand that you are bright, strong, and so brave. When you feel sad, close your eyes and remember me as your friend and know that when I close my eyes I will always remember you as mine.

Love,

Carly

Carly Weis is an acupuncturist and yoga teacher in Rochester, NY. She successfully raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in. Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

*The opinions expressed in this blog belong to the individual author and are not necessarily shared by Off the Mat, Into the World.

–

Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

The bus ride was short in duration, but filled with an abundance of activity. It took us thru the neighboring village in which the hustle and bustle of the day’s activities had begun. There were women in colorful saris, children either playing on the side of the road or dressed in their school uniforms to begin the day of study. And there are men, everywhere. Tending to their shops, working on the many construction sites, on buses, bikes, scooters, or simply standing by the road watching all as the day begins.

We drove by a field where a rainbow of saris hung from a clothesline to dry. A side road hut had delicate purple flowers blooming from its thatched roof, and in keeping with the tradition of elaborately decorating trucks, we passed one that boasted painted vividly on it’s side: “I love my India.”

We arrived at the gate of Made by Survivors, which was cracked open to allow us to step through the portal into the compound and leave the chaotic outside world behind. The entry is a small courtyard with a set of swings, trees and an abundance of beautiful girls, some shyly waiting to greet us and many with beaming smiles, hands extended and welcoming eyes. The directors, Paul and Dian, were there to give us an introduction to the organization as it operates today, and share with us their intention to someday have the girls take over ownership and run the program on their own.

You could say, “They had me at Hello.”

There are two buildings that open onto the courtyard. One houses the activity rooms and girls dormitory. The other is a one story roughly 12 foot square structure where the girls produce 90% of all the jewelry that they sell annually. The roof leaks, the ceiling tiles are missing or falling down, and the lighting is marginal at best. However the walls are covered with vibrant painted murals of animals, Mickey Mouse, and the girls’ names which personalize their cherished workstations. A portion of the dollars we raised will help update the space, which will then be used as solely the training canter. The bulk of the funds will be used to build a new production facility in which the girls will work.

After the intro, we were free to walk around and mingle with the girls. They are most fascinated by our cameras. All they want is to have their picture taken. As they call out “Auntie, picture please,” they are eager to have their chance in front of the camera. I noticed a lovely girl who was not joining in. When I motioned to her to come along, she declined. So I thought she might like to be the photographer, rather than in front of the camera. Her eyes sparkled as she shyly walked over.

This beautiful girl became my jewelry-making mentor, during which we forged a connection that I will treasure always. As my teacher, she glowed with pride and clarity as she took me thru the steps of the production process with authority. She methodically told me the names of each tool, and then showed me how they were used. When the earrings were finished she held them up to the light and simply said with a smile ear to ear, “perfect and complete.” She was funny, tenacious, respectfully reserved, and bright. Her English was limited, and my Hindi non-existent. Yet, we were able to make ourselves understood. After jewelry making, she applied mehndi to my hands in a wonderful design on my right hand. On my left, she wrote one word on each finger:

LOVE – YOU – TWO – FREE

As we sat outside, she then talked about an English teacher named Renee who had come to the shelter to live and work with the girls for 18 months. She then reached for a small bag that was at her side. She pulled out a small camera which she said Renee had given her. She loves her camera, and she loves Renee.

Later she took me on a tour of the building to reveal a sewing room, library, and several dormitories. With great pride, she took me to her corner bunk in one of the rooms that houses 20 girls. The space consisted of a cot with a Tweety bird stuffed animal, and a few other items on her bed along with a photo album. Underneath, she had a locker in which she has all of her personal belongings in the world. There were a few little trinkets among which was a small clear statue of Ganesh. When I said how much I liked it, she offered it to me as a gift. I can learn much from this generous girl.

The shelter has been her home for 6 years time. She is 16 years old.

The work that is being done here is nothing short of amazing. With the vision of empowerment and sustained dedication of the staff, these girls have hope of a bright future in which they will find the space to shine.

Cara Stone is a yoga enthusiast from Garden City, New York. She successfully raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in. Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

*The opinions expressed in this blog belong to the individual author and are not necessarily shared by Off the Mat, Into the World.

–

Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

By day three of this trip, we have met and learned about some of the organizations that we gave money to. Met the courageous and compassionate leaders (mostly women) who are fierce and affecting change. We have met the girls that have been rescued and held the children who hold the hope for change. The first few days have been filled with inspiration, light and hope with an undercurrent of knowing, without really knowing, what has happened to these girls.

At the end of day three when we entered the red light district, it became real and surreal. The road was narrow with tall dark soot-covered walls. There were many alleyways that channeled off of the main road, all dark and dank. It was Friday night, busy and bustling. As we entered the center square many women, I would guess around fifty or more, were lined up in their beautiful saris vibrantly dressed.

As we passed by, I smiled and waved at a few of the women and a few smiled and waved back at me. It was confusing to me exactly what to do. As we walked deeper into the area headed toward the childcare drop-in center, where children of the sex workers go in the afternoon, it was clear which madams were in charge, either of themselves or others. They were “large and in charge.”

I was anxious during this walk to get to our location but also curious. I wanted to look down the alleyways and into the doorways, but the only thing to see was more darkness, which I was already feeling. The energy was dark and heavy, palpable. We arrived at the drop-in center and visited with the children for a short while, as we had to leave the area before dark.

It was dusk as we began our walk back to the bus. I was in the front of the group and by this point, my senses and emotions had had enough. I had seen what I came to see, to witness the horrors that happen every day here and the world of women selling their bodies with or without their will. To see it, feel it, smell it, this is what it took for me to realize that it is real. At this point I was ready to run, but the guide was walking so slow, chit chatting with me about Florida. My first instinct was to run. It took much self-control to walk slowly with him and keep breathing.

Again on the return trip out, I was forcing a smile and a wave at the girls trying to keep the look of sorrow and pity off of my face, but I am not sure I did. As we passed a group sitting on a stoop very close to me on my left side, I glanced down to wave and smile only to see a young girl with the biggest swollen oozing black eye I have ever seen. This group of about five girls did not smile or wave back and they had the saddest eyes. I will never forget the sadness that I witnessed in that group. It took me out of my body and left me ungrounded for quite a while.

On this trip we are using yoga to process the trauma and tension out of our bodies to get grounded. Seeing trauma in these girls brings up our own trauma and this is the work. . . to be able to stay present. The next morning during yoga practice, I dedicated my practice to these girls. We prayed and sang our prayers, tears flowed and the energy flowed. OM mani padme hum. May all beings be free from suffering. May the women and children be free. . . NOW.

Tammy Binkley is a yoga teacher from Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. She successfully raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in. Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

*The opinions expressed in this blog belong to the individual author and are not necessarily shared by Off the Mat, Into the World.

–

Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

It is challenging for me to be love when my mind focuses on the violence that these girls have been exposed to. I feel anger towards the men that have violated them, anger towards the governments that do not intervene to end this and anger towards myself for not doing more.

We started our day at Kolkata Sanved, a center that teaches Dance Movement Therapy for girls who have been rescued from sex slavery. Their focus is on physical and mental wellbeing, healing, positive transformation, personal empowerment and connection of mind and body.

The girls in training to be dance trainers showed us a few of their techniques, which included verbal expression and free dance movement. Afterwards they had us sit in a circle and talk about how the dance movement made us feel. Some people felt calm, others triggered, some felt their anger rise up but then felt soothed through their movement. I believe in this therapy and was honored to be a part of it. It allows the girls the opportunity to express themselves, be in charge of their bodies and take control of their future.

We ended the day with a second trip to one of the red light districts here in Kolkata. This place is dark, grim, dirty. . . I saw no sky and felt as if the buildings were crushing the air out of my lungs, as if ‘something’ was trying to strangle my spirit. It’s all so confusing, and I wonder are all the men there for sex? Have they all lost respect for life?

I feel as if the men look at our group of ten white western women as a threat of change. What about the older grandmother-aged women who looked all put together and with such a friendly smile? What was she doing there? Is she aware of what is going on in the brothels? Is she a part of it?

We arrive at a drop-in center for children of all ages. Most mothers of the children here are prostitutes. The children come here after school, while their mothers are at the brothels. The children welcome us as any group of three to six year old children would, with curiosity and big smiles.

One of the Dance Movement therapists starts her session with the children. I am immediately impressed with how well behaved the children are and how well they respond to the dance instruction. Each one is cuter than the next. Their laughing, enthusiasm and focus makes my heart sing and reassures my thoughts that this program is making a difference in these children’s lives. My intention to BE love is alive again.

When we leave and walk through the streets, the horror of it all invades my being again. My anger has passed and now all I want is for someone to hold me and tell me it’s all going to be okay. It’s not all going to be okay, but I get to leave, go back to my hotel room, take a hot shower and have dinner. Some of these girls could be raped 20 more times before I go to bed tonight. My heart starts to break.

People talk about human injustice throughout history and are shocked & disgusted that no one back then did anything to stop it. Right now millions of girls around the world are trafficked and sold into sex slavery every day. I get angry again thinking what is society doing to stop this?

I am grateful I have this opportunity to a part of Off the Mat and to be a part of the change that I want to see in the world, to be a part of the change that we need in this world. I am love, again, I have hope.

Kerry Mertlick is from New York, NY. She successfully raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in. Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

*The opinions expressed in this blog belong to the individual author and are not necessarily shared by Off the Mat, Into the World.

–

Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

Vendors are selling their goods on both sides of the street. The “goods” include produce, flowers, fish and goat (the head of the goat was being carved as we passed). After a short walk, we proceeded to the home for girls that was founded and developed by the Women’s Interlink Foundation (WIF).

This particular site is more spacious than the first home we visited. It is filled with women, children and even a 2-month-old baby. The girls genuinely seem happy we were there and overwhelmed us with a warm welcome filled with hugs and affection. Once again, Suzanne’s drums serve as a magical magnet and ice breaker, allowing us to bridge the gap between language and culture. After dancing and singing we had our yoga session. In a few short days, I am feeling more confident in my own skin as I lead a small portion of the class. It seems that one of my many lessons to learn on this trip is putting myself out there without concern for the outcome.

Next we had the pleasure of meeting Aloka Mitra, the founder of WIF. She truly is a remarkable human being—a mixture of elegance, sense of humor, wisdom, fearlessness and big love! She has a fierce passion for these women and children who have been subjected to various methods of exploitation. Her love and attention for these girls knows no limits—she is a true advocate across their lifespan, even finding suitable husbands for the girls when necessary. She uses her voice in a calm and logical manner to affect change. She spoke about the privileges she has had in her own life and challenged us to “give as much as you have, if not more.”

The highlight of my day was painting a mural in the girls’ living area. It was inspired by Suzanne’s song: “see through my eyes, sing through my voice, open my heart to the beauty of the world.” This song seems to resonate with us as a group and with the girls when we sang and danced together.

We ended our day with a trip to one of the Kali temples and a foot bath in the Ganges. This is one location where the various socioeconomic levels seem to come together with a common focus.

My day has come to an end.  I am exhausted and a bit homesick, but I have a huge amount of love in my heart for these women and children—for their resilience, their courage and their ability to reach out and give love to us and one another. May God bless them.

Page Hart is yoga instructor in Nashville, TN.  She successfully raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in. Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

*The opinions expressed in this blog belong to the individual author and are not necessarily shared by Off the Mat, Into the World.

–

Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

Proprioception.

It was this innate sense of inner-knowing that led me to join the Seva Challenge even though I couldn’t see the steps ahead of me. I felt confident that Off the Mat, Into the World was the organization, sexual slavery the issue, India the country, and this time in my life the moment.

After all, this path began as a girl raised by a mother who had been an orphan herself. She taught me the importance of connecting to my body, understanding what healthy sexuality means, and that gender equality is imperative. I was sprinting, not walking, to take on this challenge.

Then the hard work began, trying to raise money for the first time in my life. I became detached at times, caught in the minutia of fundraising and questioning myself: “How can I convince people this matters? Who knew fundraising was so hard? Can I really make an impact? Will travel to India happen for me?” I fumbled blindly, my sense of proprioception lost.

Evidently India is happening for me. Now before my own eyes I see the necessity of this hard work and it feels palpable. No longer stuck in my head, my senses are resurrected. Because in India, your senses get assaulted.

This was evident yesterday as I left the trash-lined roads and honking cars and entered the gate for the shelter of Made By Survivors. I am greeted by smiling and curious faces. I smell the mix of trash, curry and cleaning solution. I hold her hand as she guides me to lunch. I taste the warm chai in my mouth. I hear the call of “Auntie!” as she tries to show me the picture she drew. We find common ground in admiring each other’s jewelry. We find rhythm playfully dancing together. I see the bright colors of her outfit, the orange hues of the mendhi she drew on my hand, and the mischievous look on her face as she reaches for my camera.

I also see myself reflected back. While sex trafficking is a pandemic that feels beyond me, it is also about me. And you. It’s about mothers and daughters, fathers too. It’s about the family we’re born into, the choices we are given (or deprived of), and the right to protect ourselves. It’s about having the luxury to connect to your body because you don’t have to detach in order to escape the horrors of being violated daily. She reminds me of the luxury I have to reside in my body safely, perceiving it as my very own. Now cradled in a safe community, I wish for her to return home in her body as well.

Tomorrow I may feel lost, slipping back into my head full of questions about this problem. Tomorrow I may feel grief for the other girls still trapped as sex workers. But for now I’m residing in a space that can see the possibility in our work reducing sexual slavery, a vision shared with all my Seva sisters here, a vision shared with my mother. I close my eyes and sense the girl’s energy vibrate, finding solid ground again in this moment, this body.

Rachel Allyn is a psychologist and yoga teacher in Minneapolis, MN.  She successfully raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in. Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

*The opinions expressed in this blog are that of the individual author and are not necessarily shared by Off the Mat, Into the World.

–

Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

We pulled up in our bus to the gorgeous smiles and enthusiastic waves we had seen before. As we got off the bus, calls of “Auntie! Auntie!” filled our ears. The girls were excited to see us and since we had already met, it was like old friends getting together again. Sometimes it’s hard to remember these girls have been through rape, torture and trauma. They act like “normal” girls! Giggling, dancing, whispering secrets to one another, obsessed with having their photo taken. But then you will see an arm that has been branded by a pimp, scars in concentric circles, as if they had been burned with a lit cigar. Pitted scaring on the face around the eye area, or fresh, self-inflicted signs of cutting on a forearm. You may notice a girl just sitting by herself, with a vacant and empty look in her eyes, not wanting to connect or participate.

We spent the day playing games, singing songs, and being silly. My favorite game was the one where we sat in a circle, passing an object from one person to the next while Suzanne played her drum. When she stopped playing, whoever was holding the object was the “loser” and then had to stand up and either sing or dance. I dazzled them with my version of the running man and we all had a good laugh!

To be with these girls in this way gives me hope. Hope that they can continue to build relationships and trust again. Every time they have a positive experience with an adult who is not trying to hurt them or take anything from them has to feel great. They will grow up to honor others and break the cycle of abuse. To see them smile and for one moment just be a girl is an incredible gift. It is such an honor to be a part of this group.

Srutih Asher Colbert is from Palo Alto, CA. She successfully raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in. Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

The opinions expressed in this blog are that of the individual author and are not necessarily shared by Off the Mat, Into the World.

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Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

The staff are amazing and dedicated to their mission to empower and rehabilitate the 130 girls that have been rescued from brothels and live in this center. Some girls have special needs, some want to go to regular school and some want to learn various arts, crafts and dance. The workers look at each case individually so as to fulfill the girls’ needs as best they can. The intention is to prepare each woman so that they can return to their families, and become self-supporting adults.

I was given the opportunity to do yoga with some of the girls, whitewash their sewing and weaving room, as well as block print a piece of fabric to make a scarf. The girls worked along with us, as well as became our teachers, to show us how to do their job.

Gradually we wandered back out to the courtyard where it was time for me to have my hair done. I sat in the sun while a budding hair stylist combed and braided my hair. Children milled around and climbed into my lap. Once it was completed I produced my camera so they could show me their work.

As we were taking photos, all of a sudden someone squealed, as only a teenage girl can, and they all started to speak rapidly. Several grabbed my arms and started walking very quickly across the courtyard. I was desperately trying to figure out what was happening. It seemed like there was an emergency, and I wondered if I was equipped to handle it. I glanced back to see if anyone else was coming, though none of the girls was letting go of their grip on my arm.

We hustled to where a car was parked. Within seconds I realized one of the girls had the most brilliant idea of taking their photos in front of the car. Of course! I am hanging with teenage girls and we have a camera. As the mother of a 20-year-old daughter, I have more photos of her than both of my boys put together. Now I have hundreds of photos of the girls from Sanlaap. I laughed to see the normalcy of teenage girls wanting to pose and take photos of themselves.

I wish I could talk to these girls so they can understand how beautiful and how special they are. I want to encourage them and praise them like I do with my own children. If they could see themselves through my eyes, they would see beautiful young women who have amazing spirits. I can see that these girls are now safe and supported and I pray that is enough.

Candace Mckim is a Yoga and Chakra Therapist from Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada. She successfully raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in. Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

The opinions expressed in this blog are that of the individual author and are not necessarily shared by Off the Mat, Into the World.

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Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

After early morning yoga and breakfast, we hit the road. Our destination was Child Care Home (CCH) and Made By Survivors (MBS). CCH houses 75 girls who have been rescued from the sex trade or abandoned there because of a handicap. MBS uses space at CCH and organizations like it and teaches the girls advanced jewelry making skills so that they can make jewelry that MBS sells for them. Somaly Mam is a customer; the girls make the hand charms that she sells.

When we arrived, we were not swarmed as we were at the Apne Aap safe house, although a few girls hugged some of our group who had been there last week. The girls were more cautious and guarded at first. We planned to use a silly, playful version of yoga as an icebreaker.

We were welcomed by Paul, an American who had been a district sales manager for The Body Shop, as well as on their Foundation’s board. He became aware of MBS when they asked The Body Shop for a grant and eventually came on a service trip with MBS and decided to switch careers. He helps with the business aspect of running an NGO and it is clear that the girls adore him. He explained that in addition to teaching jewelry making skills, they are teaching business skills so that eventually groups of girls can have their own independent business with MBS as the main buyer to export their jewelry.

The money that Off the Mat, Into the World has donated to CCH and MBS is being used to build a large centralized training facility with several floors and a rooftop that can accommodate 100 girls at a time, as they currently have to use very small spaces at a variety of homes and safe houses.

Now it was time to break the ice. We gathered in a circle and some from our group took turns going to the center making silly noises and gestures as we went through a very non-traditional yoga practice. The kids were laughing so hard when Josh, the only man of the group, rubbed his belly and hopped around the circle laughing like a demented elf. Our mandate had been to be as silly and childlike as possible and he was perfect!

Then Suzanne got out her drum and we started singing and dancing together. The ice was broken and the hugging and kissing began. We got out some activities to do with the girls. I had brought some hair supplies and I must say that I was a big hit, thanks to my daughter insisting that I learn how to waterfall braid. The girls crowded around saying “Auntie, Auntie” which we heard all day, a salutation of respect for an older person.

Then a girl named Puja sat me down to practice mehndi on me, another skill that they learn at CCH. Lucky me. . . . she was very skilled and I ended up with both hands decorated with beautiful henna patterns on front and back. Most of the girls don’t speak English but Puja spoke a bit so we discussed Justin Beiber and how cute he is. She said that he is her boyfriend and I said no, he’s my boyfriend and we pretended to fight over him, which made the girls around us laugh.

We brought photo printers so that the girls could keep photos of themselves because they love to have their picture taken. They served us an amazing lunch and then we were each teamed up with a girl who taught us how to make a charm from a sheet of metal. With a lot of assistance, I used a jewelry saw to cut a heart shape, sanded the rough edges, and stamped “India Caroline” on it. My teacher is deaf. It is really great for the girls’ confidence to be our teachers and learn how to give instructions articulately and confidently.

Throughout all of this, I had a dear girl named Dolly who hung on me, hugging and kissing me and pulling my face close to hers. She seemed to be about 10 years old. My daughter is 11, still plays with Barbie, and is mortally offended and completely grossed out anytime she hears a sexual comment. It turned my stomach to imagine what may have happened to this little girl at such a carefree age. She wanted lots of photos taken with me and clutched me so tightly, telling me that she loved me and pulling my face down to kiss me. She kept pulling me over to a nearby chair and making me sit down; she couldn’t offer me much, but she could offer a place to sit. Dolly and Puja took me up to show me their room. About 20 girls sleep in a large room but they each have their own bed and lots of space. They were really proud of their space, with a colorful comforter and pictures of Hindu gods and Disney princesses on the wall.

It was really hard to leave. I started to cry. It was awful to think about what had happened to these girls: horrified to think about how they had received the visible scars and deformities; frightening to wonder abut the invisible scars; unbelievable that they could still be so trusting and loving.

When we drove away, every window was filled with smiling faces. As we drove past cows lazing in the middle of the road I felt truly lucky to have met such amazing people today. Sitting down to dinner, I could hear the 7:30 call to prayer. Then I emailed my mother and thanked her for taking care of me and making sure that I had everything that I needed and a good education. I felt immense gratitude that the only things that my daughter is forced to do against her will is empty the dishwasher and feed the cat.

Caroline Gronowski is a yoga teacher and owner of Yoga Bliss in Akron, Ohio. She successfully raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in. Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

The opinions expressed in this blog are that of the individual author and are not necessarily shared by Off the Mat, Into the World.

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Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

I have always disliked sentences like the one above, considering it verbose hyperbole and creative liberty. But in this case, Dr. Wolpert’s description is dead on.

India is totally unlike anything I have ever experienced. From the second I stepped off the plane, I was hit with a full sensory assault.  Arriving into the Delhi airport at 3 AM, the streets were still packed with cars, trucks, bicycles, scooters, and tuktuks—each conveyance honking and seeming to enter the same intersection at the same time.

By daylight, the traffic is even more terrifying but it’s somehow balanced by the mass of humanity swarming the streets. The air is filled with the smells of burning trash, incense, fried foods, and pollution. Everywhere there are stalls selling vibrantly colored clothes, cell phones, shoes, flowers, and fruits. There are also dogs, monkeys, cows, donkeys, and goats wandering through the overcrowded streets grazing on the trash from the gutters.

After a week in the country, I cannot stop staring out the window. Every book dealing with India talks about universal tension between old and new, rich and poor, and high and low. But all the books in the world cannot prepare you for the realization of these tensions in their native habitat. Mosques are juxtaposed with roadside shrines. The crumbling, decayed buildings are painted in vibrant colors, with images of Krishna and Ganesha glued to the doorway.  The children on the street, many of whom are covered in dirt, seem to glow with joy and excitement.

And this excitement is contagious.  For each of us here, we are all abuzz with the excitement and the energy that permeates and seems to define India.

Anne Lenhart is from Dallas, TX. She successfully raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in. Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

The opinions expressed in this blog are that of the individual author and are not necessarily shared by Off the Mat, Into the World.

–

Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

For the first three months or so upon being rescued, the focus is to rehabilitate the girls mentally and physically.  During this time, their needs and well-being are assessed by counselors who also administer therapy in the form of music or play.  When the girls are ready, they are moved into a space where they focus on education and life skills.  We were fortunate enough to have them share their batiking skills with us in making our own scarves.  They were very proud and meticulous in their work and instruction; some were “tough” instructors and others were very lively and entertaining.

They were very gracious hosts and so happy to have guests.  We practiced yoga, toured the grounds and saw the foundations for the two structures being sponsored by the money raised by all of us participating in the 2012 Seva Challenge.  Today, when women are of age and unable to go back to their communities or families due to the unfortunate reality of not being accepted, there really isn’t a proper space at Sanlaap to house them.  One of the shelters being donated by OTM will provide a working housing center for these women when they reach age 18 and begin to work with the skills they have learned.  It is the hope of Sanlaap to one day offer services, such as cell phone repair, that will be performed by women in the working center within their community.

We closed our afternoon at the shelter with the Sanlaap girls creating braids and princess “up-dos” on our OTM crew, painting fingernails, tossing batons and taking lots and lots of photos.  The children simply love to have their photograph taken.  They tugged at my shirt saying “Aunty, Aunty” and pointed at my iPhone indicating they wanted another picture taken.  They giggled and smiled as they viewed the photos and learned how to zoom in and out.

There were lots of hugs, handshakes and gestures of “see you tomorrow” as we made our way to the bus for our next journey.

We closed our day another hour journey across town, through the bustling city of Calcutta to the red light district to visit a “safe place” center offered by Sanlaap for children of prostitutes.  In this “safe place”, the children are able to get out of the brothels while their mothers are working.  The center not only protects them, but also provides education, meals, activities and caregiving.

Upon arrival into the red light district, we parked our vans and made our way a few blocks to the Sanlaap center.  We walked past so many people loitering in the streets—men, children, and prostitutes lined the streets and stared as we passed by.  Our group of approximately fifteen entered the tiny center where the children were all busy working on schoolwork.  We introduced ourselves to each other and were welcomed with dance performances by groups of girls and boys.  The children seem to love to dance and many have a beautiful rhythm and energy, full of smiles and laughter.

When I envision the lives of these children, it breaks my heart for so many reasons, yet the smiles that adorn their faces and the work being done by organizations like Sanlaap and OTM  give me hope that there are brighter days ahead. . . . and maybe, just maybe we will see a group of them become the Indian version of “America’s Next Dance Crew!”

Kelly Love, a full time banker and part-time yoga and pilates instructor, lives in Garnet Valley, PA with her husband, three children and adopted dog. She successfully raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in. Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

The opinions expressed in this blog are that of the individual author and are not necessarily shared by Off the Mat, Into the World.

–

Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

Apne Aap’s main focus is the prevention of “at risk” children being trafficked, and they are currently working with women who have already fallen prey to sex traffickers. Apne Aap’s task is seemingly an insurmountable one, as the definition here in India of “at risk” is being poor, uneducated, marginalized and female. This description fits virtually every female child, and literally hundreds of thousands of women currently being exploited in the illegal sex trade.

The directors and employees of Apne Aap are working tirelessly with the victims to educate and empower them and, more importantly, to find sustainable solutions to this end.

When the victims are asked what is of the greatest importance and immediate concern to them, the answer invariably is that their children not fall prey to their fate.

Crucial to meeting this need, one of the projects Apne Aap has implemented is to provide a “safe house,” or community center, where the children are able to gather in a safe and wholesome environment to socialize, learn computer, reading skills, sewing and dance.

As we approached the steps of the center, the children’s excitement was palpable. I felt as if the center itself was going to explode from the anticipation of our arrival. My heart too, was swelling in my chest and felt as if it would explode in unison. We received warm welcome greetings, handshakes and hugs. There was an abundance of sweet shining smiles, and innocent sparkling eyes that were reflective of the innocence still tenuously hanging by a thread in their little hearts. How precious and ephemeral that innocence is. As I touched each and every child there, be it with a handshake, smile or eye contact, my silent prayer for each and every one of them, as well as the millions I will never see, “may you stay forever young.”

I am very grateful and honored to have been able to share their space with them. Those faces have left an indelible imprint on my heart.

Thank you Apne Aap for your service, and continuing to pour in your loving care, ounce by ounce, through prevention. May you succeed in draining this cesspool of human injustice and transform it into a vessel of love for fellow humanity.

Nadine Wolff is a yoga instructor and Yamuna Body Rolling practitioner in Port Washington, NY. She successfully raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in. Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

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Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

The question is…”Why are you here?”

Previously, I participated in the 2010 South Africa Global Seva Challenge and I traveled to South Africa in 2011 on the Bare Witness Tour. I knew in my heart that these Seva projects went beyond the actual one-year challenge and I was committed to raising awareness around causes that I believed in for the rest of my life. After taking a year off of fundraising, I signed up for the 2012 India Global Seva Challenge. It called out to me because of the women and children around the world that suffer from acts of violence against them. This is was my first answer to the question… Why are you here?

Our group sat in a large circle on our first day in New Delhi, which we did almost everyday throughout the trip, and each of us set an intention. My intention was to be open and present to the situation that we were entering and learn as much as I could about human trafficking so that I could go back home when the trip was over and continue the work of educating and empowering the people around me to help improve lives everywhere. I also knew that I wanted to be a better leader in my community and that meant a lot of self-exploration so that I could truly be of service. This is why I am here.

We visited organizations and projects in India such as Apne Aap, Women’s Interlink Foundation, Sanlaap, Kolkata Sanved, Made by Survivors, Hamari Muskan, prostitutes from the red light district in Kolkata, AMURT, The Mother Theresa Foundation. In addition, we were even able to be a part of making history as we joined thousands of women in the streets for the One Billion Rising event in Calcutta. We listened to brave children, inspiring survivors and dedicated volunteers from each of these organizations. We spent time with young girls that had been rescued from the sex trafficking industry and children who were at risk of being trafficked. We met sex workers that chose this profession as a way to take care of their children and spent time with their kids and learned of programs that will hopefully prevent them from following in the same steps. We met therapists that chose dance as a way of healing and jewelry teachers who gave these young girls a new skill and trade. The NGO leaders of every organization spoke of their intentions to end suffering and empower women and children to have a better future. They all live with such passion, dedication, and love. They are all my mentors in some way and their commitment strengthens each program’s sustainability. I believe that their work will change the future for the survivors.

My part in this? I want to support them. I want to be a voice for them. I want to educate my community. This is why I am here.

I met the most inspiring souls on this trip. They are the participants that joined this Seva Challenge just like me. We worked all year to raise 20k each (more than $1,000,000 in total between all of us) to give to Off the Mat, Into the World’s incredible partners. We practiced yoga together every morning, spent long days dancing and singing with children and hours on bus rides traveling to all the different organizations. We laughed a lot and cried out loud together. We talked about fundraising, human rights, our struggles and our passions here in India. The deeper my friendships evolved the more I learned about myself. This is why I am here.

Back in Hong Kong today, I walk into my first yoga class. Still vibrating from the mind-blowing adventure, I reflect upon the faces of the beautiful people I had the honor to meet. Etched into my heart is the hope from all of the survivors, passion from the committed volunteers and NGO leaders that work relentlessly to serve. My thoughts flicker from how to continue this work to how to remember their story. My whole body is still vibrating from inspiration and a little fear. I learned on my trip that all I have to do is give love in every moment and to do this I need to know myself. I have to explore my light and my shadow and I’m prepared to do the work. This is why I am here.

I thank Seane Corn, Suzanne Sterling, The Village Experience, and all the passionate participants that I traveled with. I am in awe of the NGO volunteers & leaders, the girls that are being rehabilitated, the prostitutes that stand together for their rights, and all the women from all over the world that are taking action. I have endless gratitude to my fiancé, friends, family, and community that support me non-stop through my efforts.

I will always ask myself this question. “Why are you here?”

Claudia Whitney lives in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong and successfully raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in.  Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

The opinions expressed in this blog are that of the individual author and are not necessarily shared by Off the Mat, Into the World.

–

Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/india.html

When I arrived in Delhi two weeks ago, I believed that India desperately needed our guidance and support. As our intense journey unfolded, I realized that we had so much to learn from the tireless NGO leaders we worked with who are making progressive waves in this traditional society. Women face oppression, violence and rape in every country, and the organizations we worked with in Delhi and Kolkata unveiled effective and sustainable models that can be replicated around the world to empower and save women.

We began our journey at an Apne Aap Women Worldwide shelter for women who have been victims of sexual violence and those that are currently in or at risk for entering the sex trade. Under the leadership of Ruchira Gupta, these women and children learn vocational skills and ensure access to their rights. Ruchira’s vision is a world where women can realize their full potential. Today, Apne Aap reaches over 10,000 women and girls.

We then spent two days at our second destination, Sanlaap. This organization provides housing, food and vocational training to 160 girls that have been rescued from the sex industry. Many girls were illegally trafficked at a young age, and the stories and scars from their traumatic childhoods brought many of us to tears. The girls taught us skills from block printing to jewelry making, and many of them have gone on to translate the techniques learned at Sanlaap into profitable careers.

My favorite two days of the trip were spent with Women’s Interlink Foundation at Made by Survivors and Nikoloy. Aloka Mitra, founder of Women’s Interlink Foundation, might be the most remarkable woman I have ever met. During her 50 years doing this work in India, she has implemented over 35 innovative projects in India and continues to provide awareness, literacy, healthcare, nutrition, skill-development and income generation to thousands of disadvantaged women and children. Her focus on communication and collaboration has been key to her success, and making jewelry with Aloka’s girls at a Made by Survivors location was a joy.

Kolkata Sanved is extremely well-aligned with Off the Mat, empowering women through dance therapy. Everyone was elated as we danced and sang together, and watching one of the young dance instructors teach a large group of prostitutes’ children to dance and express their emotions was heartwarming. We joined Kolkata Sanved in the One Billion Rising rally for women’s rights that was held worldwide in response to the recent gang rape in Delhi. We emphatically sang, danced and marched with hundreds of women and men in honor of the 1 in 3 women worldwide who have been victims of violence and abuse.

We were all smiles while singing and dancing with the adorable nuns dressed in orange and the 18 young girls of AMURT at the Ananda Marga Children’s Home in Nararendrepur. Parentless, these girls would be at high risk for sex trafficking if they were not living under the loving care of the these nuns.

Despite my apprehension, I experienced divine awe, inspiration and gratitude on this transformational adventure. I am so grateful for everyone from Off the Mat, the Village Experience, and all of the passionate leaders we worked with in India.

Namaste.

Christine Geiser is from San Francisco, CA and successfully raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in.  Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

The opinions expressed in this blog are that of the individual author and are not necessarily shared by Off the Mat, Into the World.

–

Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

Yesterday we visited Women’s Link International. There we met Aloka, a beautiful 72 year old Indian woman with an education from England. As a child her family was well off yet  she lived in a neighborhood where not everyone was so blessed. It was then she noticed the injustice of the situations of those living around her.

While in college or shortly there after she noticed the kids in the neighborhood running around, causing mischief and not attending school. Aloka then gathered the mothers of the  neighborhood and encouraged them to send their kids to school by letting them know their rights and by inspiring them to encourage their kids to get a better education than what they  already had. I cannot tell you how many kids I have seen on the streets and in the fields here in India that must be of school age. Hundreds.

It is now nearly 50 years later, and Aloka has not only found time to raise a family but to make change in society and the laws to help lift up underprivileged people of all kinds, kids that have  been trafficked or at risk of being trafficked, elderly, women, poor, and any population that is in need. She is amazing. The projects and change she has made are so amazing and  numerous I would need several more blogs to post about it!

Aloka has inspired me in a way that hasn’t been done for a long time. It was like when I met His Holiness the Dalai Lama which inspired me to help Tibetan Refugees. I left my husband  and my job and moved to Boulder, Colorado to study Tibetan Buddhism and language. Inspiration can take me far!

TODAY we visited Nijaloy Children’s Home in Kolkata which is one of 4 homes that Aloka runs to house girls that have been trafficked or are at severe risk of being trafficked such as  their mom is a prostitute. This home housed 100 girls aged baby to over 18. Many of these girls are learning skills such as block printing, jewelry making, sewing, cooking, and others that  can provide them an income so they don’t end up in prostitution once they leave the children’s home.

While there we painted a mural in the newly build dormitory room, taught yoga and mantras, took a tour, received mahendi (mendhi), and played ball games. One girl sang beautiful  Nepali songs. She and I just sat and sang songs together, hers Nepali, mine in Sanskrit. It was so beautiful to share so much together. Song, Love, Joy, Connectedness and moments to  remember forever.

Today we spoke with Aloka again. As she was speaking about expanding programs at the home, she mentioned how she would love to have yoga for the girls 3 days a week. Instantly I  knew. I knew what I had to do. I asked what it would take to make it happen and I am already thinking about how to make it work. I am so excited to not only find my spark and my  inspiration but a way to stay connected to this experience, the girls, this country and the amazing Aloka in a beautiful way that I hope my community will support.

I don’t exactly know what this project is going to look like or how it will come to fruition, but I know I am going to make it work and I am so excited to be able to serve in this amazing way  by bringing yoga, peace, love, and connectedness to these amazing bright lights that I had the pleasure of spending the day with. I look forward to the next part of this journey and  where this inspiration will lead.

Gita Krista Zember is originally from Sterling, VA and successfully raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in.  Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

The opinions expressed in this blog are that of the individual author and are not necessarily shared by Off the Mat, Into the World.

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Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

The day started with yoga, which by the way doing yoga every morning before we go out to the sites, is a huge blessing. Today’s trip was to Kolkata Sanved. We all met at the center where we sat in the small courtyard and each girls spoke a bit about the organization, the history, what they are up to currently and their mission. The girls have such  personalities and are so passionate about their dance. It was a breath of fresh air to see girls inspired to take their passion anywhere and everywhere to connect and make people smile.

Kolkata Sanved uses Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) to empower, build self confidence and give the youth a creative outlet. This was a proven success as the day progressed.

After rallying the troops (takes us a little while), we headed over to a hall that Kolkata Sanved had rented out, to experience their gift of dance.   We held hands and formed a circle, under the direction of our 5 teachers. These girls are wise beyond their years. Beautiful souls. Their ages range from 20-25 years old. Together we danced and they took us through a session that they do with girls at various locations around Kolkata.  Suzanne broke out her drum and we sang.  Thus far, the connection of singing with the girls has been one of the most impactful things for me. I smile everytime I envision it.

Lunchtime!  We got to experience our first restaurant.  Great food!  The cooks came out and were super excited that we enjoyed ourselves. We shared with the girls how we raised $20,000.  They seemed to be in awe.  A great reminder of the journey that got me to India.  A great reminder of the hard work and dedication and refreshing to see smiles that solidified my knowing, that this money and this time we were spending together, is truly change in  progress.

We wrapped up the day, splitting into two groups and visiting two different red light districts. I’m not gonna lie, I felt nervous about this drive and a little bit frightened as to what was to come.  My group visited Bowbalzor.  The streets are small.  There are people standing everywhere.  I was in sensory overload.  I get like that when too much is going on and indeed, a lot was going on.  For me, I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that these young girls and ladies, sitting on the ground, talking to one another, were prostitues, and for lack of a better word “waiting” to work.

Within the red light district is a center for children of women in prostitution.  The center is open from 1pm-9pm.  This is truly a safe haven for these young kids. There eyes so full of life and there smiles so big.  You can’t help but smile back at them.  I say it all the time, smiles are contagious, and man were they contagious.  At this center, Kolkata Sanved teaches DMT to these young kids.  We got to watch it in action.

Being an observer in this session was unbelievable.  That experience is what can only be called angelic.  The DMT teacher was a gem.  She made these kids feel alive.  She commanded the room and gave them a space to be who they are without judgement.  She was a yoga teacher in her own right   The way the kids gravitate towards their teacher, the way they light up when they dance, the way they lose themselves in the moment.  This made me hopeful.  This made my heart warm because even though these kids live in what I perceive to be a rough life, there is a light in their darkness and they have something to look forward to when they wake up.

This for me, is exactly why I do what I do.  This is exactly why I raised money and the reason why I feel pulled to be of service.  To touch one soul, to give one child a place to feel safe, to make every soul I come into contact with smile – I will do this until the day I die!

Namaste.

Breanna Tivvis is from Jacksonville Beach, FL and successfully raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in.  Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

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The opinions expressed in this blog are that of the individual author and are not necessarily shared by Off the Mat, Into the World.  

Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

Seane (being Seane) magically knew somehow that we were secretly begging for yoga mercy, so she kicked our asses. I groaned through my painful gravel throat a few times out of sheer physical discomfort. Finally, time for Savasana, and instead of lying down we were asked to sit tightly in a circle, and the wild goddess that is Suzanne Sterling was in the center, ready with her harmonium. She told us that we would be chanting the mantra “om mani padme hum” which is a Tibetan mantra meaning “the jewel in the center of the lotus is god”.

This chant would be dedicated to all of the girls we have come to know so far, and those who remain unknown…our voices would be the voices of those who remain silent and unseen. Our chanting would be a prayer of freedom and solidarity and empowerment for any and all who experience oppression.

Suzanne began to sing, her voice so powerful. Seane was sitting right next to me on my right and her voice seemed to suddenly echo through the room and I imagine straight out of the walls. Within seconds, this group of un-practiced, eyes-closed, otherwise “regular” people sounded like a chorus of perfectly harmonized, rehearsed angels! Some were singing slight variations on the mantra, some in harmony. The woman who is my roommate here began to sob. It was clear that the emotion of the sound and the unity of the moment just profoundly moved her in a way that was just primal. The cry that came out of her wasn’t even a cry, it was a wail.

After the song so perfectly came to a close, I recognized something amazing yet really really beautifully simple and profound: my throat felt better. That SHOULDN’T have been the case given that I just sang my loudest on a scratchy gravel sore throat, right? I thought, of course! Our throats are hurting because for days we have been taking in the energy and the stories and the trauma of the voiceless.

I like to think that this morning as we raised our voices in that holy and sacred circle, we found their voices as well.

Tiffany Maloney is from Beaumont, TX and successfully raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in.  Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

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The opinions expressed in this blog are that of the individual author and are not necessarily shared by Off the Mat, Into the World.  

Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

Loosely translated, this means “We salute to you Divine Mother”. This special mantra was just the gift I needed when my emotions were running high. This morning I wondered to myself if what I was doing in India and if the money we raised were making a difference.

An hour-long bus ride through the bustling streets of Kolkata landed 10 of us at the gates of Made By Survivors where we were greeted by friendly smiles and warm handshakes. Stepping inside this little oasis eased my mind and instantly brought a big smile to my face.

After some introductions, the women and children at the shelter joined us for a playful yoga class filled with laughter and positive energy. “I love yoga,” I heard a few girls say afterwards. What a great gift for me to share my yoga with them.

Next we were on to jewelry making. I paired up with a beautiful young Indian woman in her early 20′s who is hearing impaired. I was told by several staff that she is one of the best jewelers in the program. With kindness and patience, this young woman gently held her hand on top of mine as she taught me how to saw the brass design. Together we filed the edges then sanded, sanded, and sanded the piece some more. It didn’t matter that we could not speak words aloud to one another– our time together was filled with smiles, laughter, fun, and genuine kindness.

This woman has been living at the home since around age 4 when she was found abandoned in a train station. I learned that she had “run away” from the program a few months ago with a man she wanted to marry. Sadly, the man took her to Bihar, the poorest state in India, where she was trafficked. Thankfully, through the grace of the Divine, she quickly landed back in Kolkata and was reunited with her Made By Survivors family.

Great things are in store for this beautiful & talented young woman. She and the other women & staff I met today truly touched my heart. I’m so grateful for the brass pendant she and I made together that bears both our names on it. It will serve as a reminder of the happy lives this program has given these women and children.

A big thanks to thank Paul & Dianna, both Directors with Made By Survivors, for being so welcoming and open with our group. Both of them, along with the other staff, are giving these women an opportunity to not only survive—but to thrive.

As this day comes to an end, my heart is filled with hope and joy. Seeing our fundraising dollars in action is a true blessing. With gratitude, I end the day as it began….Jai Jai Devi Mata Namaha!

The opinions expressed in this blog are that of the individual author and are not necessarily shared by Off the Mat, Into the World.  

Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

This has been an interesting day – like I said, it started at 3:45am.  After reading the paper, I finished up my blogs and got ready for yoga.  I was pretty upbeat considering how early I was up.  But let’s just say, I had one of those crazy yoga moments where I spent the entire class in tears. First of all, just being in class or even just around Seane and Suzanne has been completely inspiring.  But today specifically, Suzanne had a message around finding our voice and that place of playfulness and silliness.  A place that seems to give me anxiety to get to.

We spent Day 2 at Sanlaap. It was good to see the same girls’ faces again, to expand on the relationships we have already formed. We taught them yoga in one huge circle, we sang, we prayed in each religion.  They pull us into different rooms – showing us the batik painting, friendship bracelets or just brought us to a room to play and dance. We took a tour of the facility and saw where they are building a new facility with our donation for batik painting, where they can learn other workplace skills. As we left, the girls formed a chain with their hands to block our van’s path – not wanting us to go…

Each day gets better but I did share with the group in our processing session, my struggle with getting to that place of playfulness and silliness with the girls.  That place that seemed to make me break down throughout a whole yoga class. That place I can get to with my own kids but, with the language barrier, found it to be a struggle.

But these girls, through all the tragedy, seem to have found a place of happiness, especially through any kind of positive engagement we give. So that makes me hopeful. Rather than seeing the despair and heartbreak of what they have been through – I see the resilience and goodness of the human heart shining through both in the girls we came to see and the women and men around me in this challenge – here together, collectively, to make a difference.

Melinda Besse is from Winter Park, CO and successfully raised $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in.  Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

The opinions expressed in this blog are that of the individual author and are not necessarily shared by Off the Mat, Into the World.  

Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

“Are you ready?” She asked. “YES!!”   I silently screamed inside of myself and then immediately took it back. “NO!” No I absolutely wasn’t ready. I wanted to be. I wanted to be ready to commit myself to really stepping into my ace as a leader and as a fundraiser and as a role model. I wanted to be ready to say Yes to what my heart was tugging at me to do, but I knew I was just too selfish. I had an excuse every year.

Clearly, I ran out of excuses. I’m writing this from the back of a van moving through the darkened streets of Kolkata, India after a day that was (to put it simply) beautiful, shocking, sad, horrifying, inspiring, fun, gross, exhausting, uplifting, and above all, EYE OPENING.

Today we visited our partner Sanlaap, which is a safe house for children who have been rescued from brothels, sex traffickers or sexual abuse/exploitation. All of these children are victims, so upon arrival (despite the happy greeting with waving and smiles and giggles) you know each one has been raped and abused and tortured, some since the age of 8. They have no visible scars, but the scars inside and the trauma in their minds and bodies makes me wonder why they would EVER be even close to okay, much less happy.

I think of days when I feel too sorry for myself to get up and dressed??? REALLY? I am ashamed of myself.

A profound moment for me happened when one young woman, clearly older than the others, seemed very angry and withdrawn and not at all happy to participate in our group “play time”. As it turned out she was trying to communicate to us that she wanted out. That she desperately wanted to go back to her family (she is 20, and been away since she was 8 years old) but no one knows exactly where her family’s location is. Later in the day, this same young woman came and silently sat next to me. Through the help of another girl, she eventually told me that she liked me most, and I was a gift from god. And she asked me to come back and tell her about Jesus, and she would tell me about the Quran.

During our lunch break, I just broke down. I cried because of her profound sadness. I could not come close to reaching her pain with any skill that I have, all I can do is show her kindness and receive the kindness she has offered to me.

The money we have all raised is doing amazing work, but the opportunity to be here and meet the leaders of these groups, to walk through the red light district and look into the eyes of those young women and KNOW what’s happening so that we can be UNAFRAID to stand up and do more; that’s the real reason we are here. That’s the reason I’m here, and finally, I am not afraid.

Tiffany Maloney is from Beaumont, TX and raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in.  Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

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Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

See, I’m an Episcopal priest.  I’m constantly asking people for money.  Before taking on the 2012 Seva Challenge: India, I was driving people crazy funding a well project in Kongogo, Tanzania and raising money to provide primary education for HIV/Aids orphans in the Diocese of Central Tanganyika.  Not to mention getting parishioners to give money to our parish.  Fortunately, I have very philanthropic friends and I’m passionate about the causes that I support and ask them to support with me.

When I heard that the 2012 Seva Challenge was focused on India, I felt a strong sense of the Holy Spirit urging me to sign up.  I had no idea how I was going to raise this money.  But I learned a long time ago that if God calls me to it, God will get me through it.  My job is to be faithful to what I believe God is asking of me.  As soon as I surrender to it, miracles begin to happen and money comes from some very unexpected sources.  And people are joyful about living!  It’s a beautiful thing to witness faith in action.

So I raised the money.  And I know way more about sex trafficking and human slavery than I ever wanted to know.  But since I know, I have to do what I can to be part of the solution.  India is a fascinating country.  With twenty-eight states and 464 languages and 1.1 billion people.  The colors here are stunningly beautiful.  The food is richly spiced.  The women walk with incredible grace.  The traffic is insane.  People relieve themselves on the side of the road.  Cows are everywhere.

But right now, I’m somewhat jaded.  I’ve read so much about the horrors of sex-trafficking and have heard how the caste system supports it and it is easy to feel overwhelmed.  I look at every man with a degree of suspicion and wonder if he has paid to have sex with a girl child.  I look at young girls being asked to beg and wonder if they have to give all the money they receive to someone who owns them.  I watch young girls dance and move their bodies with such sensuality and marvel at a culture that is so sexually conservative on the outside that brides and grooms don’t even kiss in their wedding ceremony.

I am honored to be in India.  I am looking forward to two life-changing weeks of meeting more amazing people.  Today we had the privilege of meeting Ruchira Gupta, the founder of Apne Aap; an organization committed to working with women in prostitution, women at risk, and vulnerable children who are targeted because of natural disasters, immigration issues or family circumstances.  Apne Aap provides education, job training, legal assistance, and a safe place to go.  And they let women know their rights.

We are all children of God.  No one has the right to own another human being.  The average age of a sex trafficked girl is 12-14.  I have three daughters in that age range.  Awareness and outrage are growing about this epidemic.  I’m ready to be part of the change.  Oh My God.  I’m in India.

Dahn Gandell is from Rochester, NY and raised more than $20,000 for the 2012 Global Seva Challenge by mobilizing her community and rising up as a leader for a cause she believes in.  Funds raised will help support organizations in India that are providing refuge, rehabilitation and economic opportunities to sex trafficking victims, and empower survivors to lead lives with dignity and respect.

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Take the 2013 Global Seva Challenge and become part of a powerful community of leaders around the world working to raise $1 million to help protect the Amazon rainforest and the people who live there from the devastation caused by deforestation and oil exploitation.   As part of this year’s Seva Challenge, OTM will also be spearheading a year-long campaign to educate and bring awareness to energy use in the US and our dependence on foreign oil.

POWER POSITIVE CHANGE IN ECUADOR!

Visit http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/amazon-project.html to learn more and to get involved.

Will your donation get someone to their 20k goal?

We in the West have a hard time believing that this is really happening, that the forcible exploitation of humans for profit is not only alive and well in the 21st century but worse than ever before… But the instinct of people to buy and sell other people for economic gain did not die with the 13th Amendment. It went underground and metastasized, waiting for conditions to ripen again. Then in the 1990s, slavery exploded into new life, fueled by globalization, the post-Cold-War economic vacuum, the Internet, and rising demand for cheap commercial sex and labor.    -Corban Addison

Would you like to be a part of making someone’s wish come true while at the same time supporting some of the most important work being done on the planet right now?  Well in the next four days, you can be a part of the solution by supporting a Seva Challenge participant to reach their goal of 20K…and giving them an opportunity to see the incredible results of their year of raising funds to fight sex trafficking in India.

We have 12 participants who have each raised over 10K and who, with a little support from you and others like you, could be coming with us on our Bare Witness Tour to India in February.

What does this mean?  It means that any contribution that you make now could bring a participant closer to their goal and might even tip the balance and afford them the opportunity to experience a journey of eye opening awareness and life changing service   We are talking about folks who have spent many months holding events, donation classes, auctions and more because they feel so passionately about one of the most prevalent and insidious problems facing the globe in our time.  And because they know that by turning passion into action, they will be able to support organizations that have been rescuing and empowering sex trafficking victims in India for many years.

It is time to bring this issue to the forefront of our awareness, both globally and here in the US…your money and support will help us to fund housing, health care, rehabilitation, job skills and more for women and children who otherwise would have no alternatives.  But not only that, your support will help us to deeply witness not only the horrifying challenge, but also to witness some of the most successful solutions and strategies for dealing with this epidemic.

We see the Seva Challenge participants as future leaders in creating innovative solutions to some of the most complex problems we face today.  We have witnessed it over and over with past participants and we have seen it in the dedication and inspiration that participants have shown this year.  Lives change, new projects come into being, and our community of conscious activists grows stronger.

Please join the community of change by supporting one of our participants who is close to their goal. Click on one of the names to send someone to India. (you will have to type their first name into the box and pull them off the popup list) The list was updated as two  six nine people made their goal since the list was initially posted.

$20,000 Suchithira Subramanian of Sagamore Hills, OH – GOAL!
$20,000 Nicole Dieso of Portsmouth, RI – GOAL!
$20,000 Wendy Helberg of Wayzata, MN – GOAL!

$20,000 Alyssa Brown of San Diego, CA – GOAL!
$20,000 Melinda Besse of Fraser, CO – GOAL!
$20,000 Kelly Love of Garnet Valley, PA – GOAL!!
$19,879 Steffi Jones of Topanga, CA
$20,000 Tiffany Maloney of Beaumont, TX – GOAL!
$16,690 Rachel Allyn of Minneapolis, MN
$20,000 Breanna Tivvis of North Jacksonville, FL – GOAL!
$13,465 Kerry Mertlick of Seattle, WA
$12,522 Caroline Mankey of Los Angeles, CA
$20,000 Julie Strilesky of Toronto, ON – GOAL!!
$11,190 Emilee Benner of Santa Cruz, CA
$10,023 Amy Baillargeon of Culver City, CA

Thank you from all of us at OTM – we continue to be inspired by what we can do together.

Register for the event here and select the date range for December 22.

Can’t join us, but still want to participate? Join us by tuning in for the live-streamed class broadcasting through Studio Live TV. A minimum donation will be required to view the live stream class. Any additional donations can be made through Off The Mat, Into the World.

with my Off the Mat, Into the World family, Seane Corn, Suzanne Sterling and other incredible people that took the OTM Global Seva: Haiti challenge and raised $20,000.

I spent 2011 moving out of my comfort zone, as I reached out to my community to gain support and bring awareness to what was still a reality in Haiti after the earthquake in 2010. Through the process of the challenge I was forced to face myself, feel an array of emotions and release old patterns that were holding me down.  I had to really look at who I was and what I was capable of.  With perseverance, inner will and a vision for a better world I raised the $20,000.

The trip dramatically shifted how I see myself and the world around me.  Seeing first-hand the difference our efforts had in the communities in Haiti was powerful.  Support, guidance and wisdom from Seane Corn and Suzanne Sterling throughout the trip created a deeper experience, as we were invited to look deeper, to open our hearts and feel, and fully experience what we were witnessing.  I now believe that all is possible if you dream, believe and take action.

When I returned from Haiti I was full of love, gratitude and eagerness to continue to be of service in some way.  In our follow-up phone calls Suzanne Sterling stressed how important it was to take time to process our experience in Haiti. To feel and gain clarity on the trip and let the next step come naturally. This was extremely challenging for me.  I am someone who likes to be busy and active, and after coming back from Haiti, I felt at a loss on what to do next.  I was forced to stop, listen and take time to go inward, breathe and process the experience. I had to trust that the next step will come. I had to surrender to the journey.

Six months later, I am living a different life.  The journey to help free others, led me to free myself, to lead a more authentic life. The intention and purpose was there.  I am doing things I never imagined, taking risks, accomplishing things that gratify my heart and allow me to continue to be of service.  The more I veered on my true path, the less I actually had to do.  Pretty remarkable discovery! I feel freer than ever before, breathing into fears, and taking action instead of holding back.  My life is dedicated to giving back, helping others discover and uncover their own inner spirit.  I took steps to make my dreams, ideas that have been percolating, into reality.

I started two businesses that I have been dreaming about for some time. A kids yoga business, Stellar Kids Yoga, with a dream to spread sprinkles of yoga magic to more children, in more schools by providing teachers that have a love and passion for children and yoga.  As well, I established Prana Retreats, raw food retreats that allow people to experience the bliss of being immersed with yoga and raw food, and feel the health benefits. I am also currently on the committee of Yoga Unite, a yoga initiative created to support local non-profit organizations in Toronto with yoga inspired fundraising events. Dreams becoming reality!

It all started in 2011 when I decided to embark on a challenge to reach out and increase awareness to something so much bigger than myself.  Through this journey, I am more open, free and achieving what I once thought was impossible.  I am beyond grateful to my family, Off the Mat, Into the World, for creating a challenge that provides support and encourages the inner journey, to awaken the spirit and to continue to achieve and be part of the change long after the challenge is done. Gratitude!

Ella Isakov was a participant of the Global Seva Challenge: Haiti. She travelled to Haiti with Off the Mat, Into the World in Feb 2012 after raising significant funds in her community. Ella is from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Find out more about Global Seva Challenge: India

Empowered Youth Initiative: Reflection

“We talked about empowering the youth…. But who really empowered who?”

In this 7 day journey hitting the streets in Los Angeles, we talked about empowering the youth, we met with amazing souls who had lived it first-hand in Watts, in The Projects, witness to the Bloods & the Crips, we met with amazing leaders who had been huge contributors to the success of gangs and major drug deals, and we had met with young teens who grew up in non-affluent neighborhoods who were now using their voice to make a difference.

We shared about what we wanted to contribute to today’s youth, we opened our hearts to the realities of what it is like to be an at-risk youth, we talked about empowering the youth, but at the end of our journey the reality was that they had empowered us.  We were touched and inspired by the generations of youth who did not get to choose what they were born into, and from what they were given, chose to the best of their ability.   Some turned to drugs, some turned to violence, some turned to gangs, and the list goes on.  Some made it out and some did not, but regardless we were left feeling empowered by them.  We were left to deal with our own prejudices around race and our stereotypes of gangs, we were left with a mirror in our hands and it was up to us if we had the nobleness to hold that mirror up and see that we were them.  We were no better just because we grew up in a nice house, we were no better just because we had lighter skin, we were no better just because we had a Bachelors degree or lived in a nice neighborhood.   And that was when we began to see that “at-risk” does not mean you are poor or black and live in Watts neighborhood, at-risk can be anybody who is not receiving what they need to grow into their loving & powerful self.

For me, one of the most powerful questions brought up was, “how do you not become your pain?”  Wow, I have to say that again, “how do you not become your pain?”  When we don’t take care of our immediate pain, when we choose to look the other way, we will continue to repeat ourselves and to pass that deep-rooted pain on until we choose to see it.  That is what can make any of us at-risk.  Just because you grow up in a non-affluent neighborhood eating off of food stamps doesn’t mean you are at-risk.

In this moment, what I am very present to is the fact that we have no idea what it’s like to be in some else’s shoes, we have no idea what their story is.  We might think we understand, we might think we could do a better job, or we might think we know better then they do, but what I have learned is that when we choose to pick up that mirror and see who is there, many times we cannot even be in our own shoes, we run away from our own life experience.   I could go on and on with what has inspired me but I’ll leave you with saying that we talked about empowering the youth…. but who really empowered who?

by Kim Bauman

Kim was a participant of the Empowered Youth Initiative 2012: Los Angeles. She is an active Off the Mat leader in the San Diego area.

Empowered Youth Initiative San Francisco/Oakland April 21-28 2013

Empowered Youth Initiative Post Trip

Something deep and profound happened to me last week, and I can’t quite name or describe it; but something… has shifted. I woke up this morning, a stranger in my own bed, a foreigner in my own life.
I felt it first while riding in the taxi home from San Francisco airport last night. My surroundings felt unknown as I traveled up highway 101 for the five hundred billionth time; the road signs unfamiliar, the buildings never before seen. Something has shifted deep within me, yet I do not know what or how it will present itself.

I walk through my primarily Black, perceptively seedy neighborhood with new eyes. I notice the commemorative name plaques cemented in the plaza near the grocery store, there to honor prominent African Americans in government, literature, and other endeavors. These plaques are remembrances and reminders of the pride this community should have, encouragement to step up and remember, “yes you can.”

It’s all the same, yet all so different.

My heart is heavy with all the new information I have gathered this past week in Los Angeles. For as long as I can remember, I have had the viewpoint that if you don’t like your socioeconomic status, then you should take it upon yourself to change it; it is your responsibility to change your situation. Get educated, be different, make something of yourself.  Nobody is making you live the lifestyle you’re currently in, no one is stopping you from changing your situation.

… And then, I attended the Peace Panel Community Dialogue sessions at the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Watts Peace Treaty.

Yes, someone is stopping you. The reason you don’t change things is because you don’t know how;  you don’t know anything different than the life you were born into, and to try to rise above it is like trying to emerge from drowning underwater while a hand  gently meets against the top of your head, preventing your escape.  This incapacity, this inability, this inaccessibility to lift yourselves up and out … this is what I am struggling to understand.  This is where my mind churns slowly, striving to digest this silent, unintentional (or perhaps indeed intentional) systemic oppression towards maintaining the status quo. For 30 years I believed you had the power and the only thing holding you back from gentrification (for lack of a better word), or from exiting poverty was yourself for not just going ahead and doing it. And now, I have seen the truth.

My heart hangs heavy. I feel your pain.

By: Simrun Kochar

Simrun was a participant of the Empowered Youth Initiative 2012: Los Angeles. She lives across the street from San Francisco public housing in the Western Addition district.

Empowered Youth Initiative San Francisco/Oakland April 21-28 2013

Empowered Youth Initiative Day 6

I’m sitting here trying to calm myself down – trying to settle my thoughts after what I can only describe as the most transformational week of my life. Today was the last day of the Empowered Youth Initiative training with Off the Mat into the World.  This week has already felt like such a rebirth – a new way of looking at and relating to the world around me. On our final day we drove to The Wright Ranch to partake in a sweat lodge ceremony. Our Leader, Miguel Rivera, explains the sweat lodge as an Native American ritual that represents a process of returning to our connection with the earth. The sweat lodge represents the mother’s womb – and in returning to that space to clear out all that we no longer want to carry – we are returning to the awareness of our true selves – the Self that is always connected to the fire, water, earth, and air we breathe in.

Now I must say, I was a lot less nervous for this process than I had been on all the other days. I teach hot yoga  - so I felt confidant that I would be absolutely fine in a heated space for an hour and a half. I could not have been more wrong. Being in this closed in space for each round of prayer between opening the door to the pit brought all kinds of emotion to the surface. It was initially more than I thought I could handle.  But once I was able to surrender  - to understand that the discomfort couldn’t possible last forever and focus in on each and every breathe until it was over – it actually became one of the most healing experiences I’ve had since I first found yoga. This makes sense because it’s the exact same process of surrender that we, as yogis, practice on the mat every day. Breathing into an uncomfortable space with the knowledge that the discomfort you are feeling can’t possibly last forever. And, once you go into the fire (or discomfort) and come out on the other side – you become more aware of your power- your ability to overcome all of life’s adversities.

I have learned so many incredible lessons this week where I was blessed to be around some of the most inspirational, empowering people I have ever met in my life. But if I had to say the biggest lesson I will take with me – it is that the most powerful thing you can do to make a difference in this world is to show up in a present way for your life and connect with people around you. It may sound like an overly simplistic way of solving problems – but I was blessed to witness it for myself. Community leaders who are changing the lives of people around them – just by being present with their own truth, so that they can connect to someone else’s. This is the kind of leader I intend to be.

By: Dene Selkin

Dene was a participant of the Empowered Youth Initiative 2012: Los Angeles

Empowered Youth Initiative San Francisco/Oakland April 21-28 2013

Empowered Youth Initiative Day 5

I am the 1%.

Well, not really- but I come from it. It is my community. And let me tell you; that is a scary thing to admit to these days, especially in the work I am currently being drawn towards. I know that there is a lot of anger towards my community- some justified, some not. I feel shame for the actions of my community; actions that have, knowingly and often unknowingly, contributed to the systems that have led to so much inequality and suffering. I feel shame for the selfish and short-sighted ways in which many from my community seem to behave.

So I hide this part of me. I separate myself. I feel anger at those who are perpetuating a culture of “me” instead of “we.” I feel frustration at those who would rather throw a $500,000 black-tie charity ball than take the time to really LEARN about ways that their help is needed and how they can best serve. I feel impotence in trying to even consider how I would talk to my friends and family about these difficult issues.

I give up on my community.

This week, through the Empowered Youth Initiative, we have had the opportunity to meet and listen to so many inspirational people. Today, we had the honor to attend the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the LA gang peace treaty, in the Watts neighborhood of South Central LA. This was a true gathering of heroes- people whose actions have saved thousands of lives on a very real and tangible level. We met many people from the community who were pioneers in the peace process, as well as many who were actively working to keep the peace alive and continue the work to improve their community. We listened to hours of panel discussions, with topics ranging from the role of faith in the community to “planting seeds” for future success. The participants- both on the panel and in the audience- were passionate, committed, and hopeful.

Hearing their words was an inspiration to me. If they refuse to give up on their community, how can I? How can I be so scared of rocking the boat that I miss the opportunity to shed light on topics that my community might simply not be aware of? How can I not have faith in my community’s ability to be open to new ways of doing things? How can I deny my community the opportunity to learn, grow, and deal with its own wounds? In the words of Seane- how DARE I?

One of the things we heard often this week is that we are ALL “at risk” in our own ways. The present and former gang members from Watts may be at risk of gun violence, poverty, and incarceration, but I have seen more than my fair share of hurt in my community too: drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders, mental disease, physical and mental abuse. EVERY community is hurting in its own way. It is through this common experience that we may ultimately find connection. And if the courageous members of Watts can stand up and do what needs to be done to help their community reach its full potential, then so can I.

I am PROUD of my community. They have the ability to do amazing things with their vast resources and their big hearts. I want to do my part to bring them to the table, where they can start to work with the members of other communities to help overcome this sense of division and injustice.

The T-shirts that the members of the Watts community wore said “No one can stop this war but us.” I believe that is true on a larger scale as well. If I want to bridge the divide between my community and communities like Watts, to help us all see that we are united in our common humanity, then I have to be willing to be a part of that solution. I can NOT give up on my community. No one can stop this war but ME. And you.

Let’s get out there.

By: Alex Newell

Alex was a participant of the Empowered Youth Initiative 2012: Los Angeles

Empowered Youth Initiative San Francisco/Oakland April 21-28 2013

Empowered Youth Initiative Day 4

Homeboy Industries ~

‘Father G is a saint, the strongest man I know.”  This is how our gracious guide described Father Gregory Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries, the largest youth intervention agency in the country.

There is a building in downtown Los Angeles filled with rival gang members who are given a community where they can “learn to wake up in the morning and go to work.” HBI offers numerous services such as GED classes, Anger Management classes, Parenting classes, NA & AA Meetings onsite, Computer classes, Tattoo Removal, Legal and Immigration Services, Case Management and Mental Health services……..this community of mostly youth (ages 12 to 40) are given a place to transition back into the real world after having been incarcerated – a place where they can learn how to better function in a society where police brutality and corruption, violence and discrimination, poverty, drugs and abuse are all part of the day to day. This is a safe haven where one has the chance to recover the human spirit, a place where one can find love, forgiveness and compassion for self.  As I look around I see mostly young Latino men & woman, many with tattooed heads, necks and bodies, most looking busy, moving through the space with purpose and pride. The buzz, the vibration in this “barrio” filled with strength, struggle, love and ESPIRITU.

The walls covered with vibrant paintings, work done within this talented community. Delicious and beautifully displayed sweet delights offered in the Bakery, proud staff serving samples with a smile, taking great pride (and rightfully so) in their creations. Not to mention our meal shared at the Homegirl Cafe which was scrumptious! We had the privilege of learning about our guide’s personal story….why was he there? What were his personal struggles? The # 14 was symbolic for this courageous “soldado de la calle” (street warrior). ‘When I was 14 I was shot, when I was 14 I had my first child, when I was 14 I was arrested for attempted murder facing 10 years of incarceration.”  “I was 11 years old when I met Father G, he would come into my life at various stages, watching me struggle with my heroin addiction, watching me die slowly, when I was 21 I was finally ready to call Father G and accept the help that he had been offering me for years. Since then this man has struggled with his addiction, having been in & out of rehab at least 10 times, today he has a few months clean. When asked what he feels his purpose is, his answer was “I’m a story teller, that’s what I do for a living.”

I saw myself in some of the youth at HBI, I felt a connection from my spirit to theirs….this is something I have felt strongly on this trip: the ability to hold the mirror up with acceptance and forgiveness, compassion and love. We are all connected by spirit, I felt this in particular within this Latino community which in many ways is my own, in part by being born into it and in part by choosing it.

“At Homeboy Industries, we hold up a mirror and return you back to you, here you can sit and watch people bloom like a flower.”

_________________________________________________________________________
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The 2nd half of our day today was spent in the office of Councilman Tony Cardenas. Mr.Cardenas was not present, however we had the privilege of spending time with Michael De La Rocha, legislative deputy for the city of Los Angeles and Alex Sanchez, internationally recognized peace maker and co-founder of Homies Unidos
The state of California spends $250,000 per year/per young person – to incarcerate youth. 75% of all incarcerated youth in Caiifornia end up back behind bars.
Alex is from El Salvador, and was one of the original founders of the MS-13 gang, and for many years now has taken a stand of peace to help others end “relationship violence.” MS-13 and the 18th street gangs have called a truce in El Salvador, Alex has played a vital role in this.

The Epiphany Program (part of Homies Unidos) is a 12 week program for youth who have experienced gang violence, domestic violence, relationship violence – the program includes:
- education
- coping skills
- leadership skills
- HIV education
- Criminal Law skills
***Internal Transformation***

Even as Alex spoke of the severe and brutal butchery which has been a reality in his culture, his good humor, beautiful smile and strength and resilience of spirit was what really touched me……this man has been deported and spent time in US prisons for crimes he was not responsible for – he has a solid following of supporters whom are behind him but his future here in the US in unknown…..
And yet so committed to his cause.

I was raised biculturally, in the US, Brazil and Mexico, and have spent time in Kenya, all countries known for their blatant corruption. It never ceases to amaze me how incredibly corrupt our own government is here in the US, I am so saddened by this and ashamed by our behavior as a nation.

And then I return to source, to spirit, to God, to Yoga…..to my own heart…..and seek forgiveness and compassion and love for ALL.

By: Annabelle Teleki

Annabelle was a participant of the Empowered Youth Initiative 2012: Los Angeles

Empowered Youth Initiative San Francisco/Oakland April 21-28 2013

Empowered Youth Initiative Day 3

I’m reflecting on my 3 days here in LA with 3 of the most actively and socially conscious yogis in the West. Seane, Hala and Suzanne – Holy Trifecta of Social & Mindful Movement Batman! I’m with such an incredible and talented group of women who want to make a difference in their environment, its so inspiring…

After making it to the EYI house just in time for opening circle, and the next day opening with Yoga w/Hala and Seane – we were delightfully immersed with lectures, conversation (and snacks) with Susan Phelps, who brought to us  a history of gang culture in LA and gang intervention with Fidel Rodriguez. I fell into bed exhausted and spinning from so much information and dialogue hungry for day 2 at Pitzer College and lunch with Leila Steinberg – which of course began with Yoga and meditation with Hala.

I must say that thinking about today’s events which began with a wonderfully powerful class with Seane. Her style of posing inquiry to the physical/spiritual moments on the mat to the instances in the world we are trying to impact resonated deeply within me. This moved me especially when asked to think about “Using the Room” in spaces that may not have the luxury or happenstance of props for yoga, and using the resources around you. Today we did part of the practices using tables and countertops – for psoas and hamstring stretches and my tweaked hamstring has never felt so wonderful and relaxed. Thankfully, conversation about race, class and privilege has been part of a check in during circle and I personally have been caught of guard with inward revelations about my upbringing and others own experiences. Many of us, myself included are holding up a mirror to ourselves as the trip unfolds while we ask the question what is it that brings us to this work.

We got a powerful lesson in Life purpose and work on a visit to Watts neighborhood in LA to visit Aqeela, who does work in that neighborhood to reduce gang violence. He was key in helping to create a gang truce between the Bloods and the Crips. He expressed nothing but love, compassion, strength, vulnerability, reverence and devotion as an effective leader as he told us his story growing up on Grape Street. Prior to coming to Watts, Hala prepped us on physical reactions to space, Seane had told us to essentially make sure we could be in a space of others pain or difference while making sure we held space for ourselves and Suzanne heeded us on paying attention to Language – and they were  right. We walked into the space on Watts hosted by Aqeela and within minutes of him bringing us into such beautiful space and sharing his story, I soon realized that we were transfixed by an amazing storyteller, who spoke another language of the streets that I had never heard and that so deep was my enthrallment – I completely missed the triggers that went off inside me until the pit of my stomach and my fists were clenched so painfully, I had to breathe deeply and slowly to bring my body back to normal. It was befitting that as we left the space, we got a geography course on the different housing projects on our way over to a beautiful mural project depicting the Watts peace treaty. Colors – vivid and real and poignant greeted us on a wall as we met some graffiti artists who created a mural portraying this.

What ended the day on a perfect note was watching Leila Steinberg host Microphone Sessions – where she had artists perform who she was working with over the course of the year. Such beautiful, talented and creative beings putting everything on the line and speaking truth in different ways so artistically with impact. After the artist performed – they would get feedback from other artists, and it was apparent the artist was accepting the critique over the course of  the year. Again, I wasn’t prepared for more physical reactions on a more muted tone – as the message of each piece was so strong and beautifully crafted that the listener and performer were transformed  by the piece. Instead of coming home exhausted – I came home energized and open, relaxed, alert and inspired.

Over the past few days, I keep hearing these recurring themes of Language, Spirituality, Expression and Culture weave their way through our lectures and conversations on the work that we want to do in the world as Yogis. I had mentioned that I felt like I wanted to take on the monster of the worlds problems, but all I had was a cardboard sword. It’s larger than Yoga – but if mindful movement with all those themes can help us create purposeful and meaning dialogue in different spaces then it’s a closer step towards effectively healing and learning about ourselves and our communities around us.

By: OluShola Cole

Shola was a participant of the Empowered Youth Initiative Los Angeles 2012

Empowered Youth Initiative San Francisco/Oakland April 21-28 2013

Empowered Youth Initiative: Day 2

I came to Los Angeles this week to learn about the challenges facing so-called “at-risk youth” and immerse myself in the organizations and individuals that are working to empower these kids. I expected to be tested and humbled. Gang culture sits decidedly outside of my life experience and, admittedly, outside of my comfort zone.

What I didn’t expect was the inspiration I would draw from seeing my own image reflected back at me in  the faces of some of the most passionate kids I’ve ever met.

These four kids–high school students and recent graduates from a predominantly Latino neighborhood near Claremont, CA–spend hours of their time every week working as community organizers in their own school and town. Serving with an organization called Inland Congregations United for Change (ICUC), they are trained and guided through the process of initiating policy change around issues that are important to them. They have advocated within their high school for better food and are working now to gather petition signatures for a ballot initiative for small tax increases for the richest Californians to fund improvements to the educational system statewide.

But it wasn’t just their commitment to this vital work at such a young age that was inspiring. It was the sense of community that drove them.

For me, being a teenager was about struggling to find my place in the world. A seemingly universal quest to be heard, to belong. The trajectory of this journey of self-discovery–dependent on so many factors–is critical to whether a kid growing up in LA ends up gangbanging, or organizing in his or her community and going to college. The outcome is dependent on so many factors, seen and unseen, from distant historical wrongs and decisions made today at the highest levels of government, to the city block on which a child is raised, the role of her parents, her ethnicity, and the internal journey itself. We have to begin to understand these deep roots before we can really talk about the problem.

Noemi is a young woman, a recent high school graduate who works with ICUC. Her voice is compelling, confident, but her youth is also evident in her words. I see me in her desire to stand, to argue, make change. She describes how when she was younger, she rejected her Mexican roots and family ties. But the journey to grow into an individual led her back to embrace her heritage after visiting Mexico and celebrating a coming of age ritual in her culture.

She likes living in a trailer home, Noemi says, because her neighbors are close by and their community is strong, supportive. She wants other young people to experience this connection, find strength in their roots. The students are organizing in support of adding an ethnic studies program at their high school. Noemi tells us that here are two sides to every story, to every piece of history. She wants the students in her community to be able to connect with her roots, as she has. Maybe this connection can offer them a place to belong that is safe, away from the neighborhood streets that draw them.

Noemi’s fellow organizer, Jesse, speaks with the conviction and optimism of youth, but wisdom beyond his years. He wants his younger brothers and sisters to have it better than he did.

The message is unmistakable. We as conscious activists have so much to learn from these kids. We have to go deeper into relationship and connection, to understand the communities we seek to serve. But change must be driven from within the community. How much more effective are these kids, empowered to connect with their peers and their elders to change policies that effect their lives, compared to an outsider coming in to gather support for a ballot initiative or better school programs?

Our visit to Pitzer College today set the stage for the work we will be doing all week. We met the youth organizers but also Professor Tessa Hicks, who trains her students to go into the world as conscious activists. To drive change, we cannot look only at the needs of a community–the question is not, how can we help them? It is about looking to the assets in the community–passionate youth, the resources, gifts, and strengths of the people and the community as a whole–and starting from the beginning, from these roots.

For me, the work is to connect more deeply within myself and cultivate my own community. I was the kid who never belonged, and the journey to find my place has been long and winding. These kids are just a few voices in a sea of deep-seated challenges in their community, but they inspire me to simply begin

By: Kristin Adair

Kristin is the Off the Mat Into the World Community Leader for the DC area.

Empowered Youth Initiative San Francisco/Oakland April 21-28 2013

Empowered Youth Initiative:  Day 1

The Empowerment Youth Initiative has begun and at the first circle today, each participant took a moment to introduce themselves to the group, said who they were, where they were from and perhaps a little bit about why it was Important to be here.  The first thing that really settled me into this work today and for the rest of this week was this opportunity to remind myself to question, why am I here?

I thought about why I chose to participate in EYI. There must be a good reason for this. After all I alone made the decision to be here. Much stems from my relationship with kids and the elegance in the ability I have connecting with them. A sense of compassion and empathy  becomes very present in the face of children for me because was I not a kid once myself? Was I not just as confused and in need of my fellow beings to help me understand what’s what and how to become more aware in this world? All of the love and chaos that encounters this life is due to this same pattern, we begin as children seeking ways to fully love but lack an attainment of certain life tools, skills, and knowledge. The world we are born into is unpredictable and therefore it’s necessary to know the tools that will aid us in the struggle of life. I know now that my relationship with children is as strong as it is because I can give them nothing but pure empathy and understanding for the position in life they are in, one of the most vulnerable stages as I understand and have experienced it to be.

I also chose to participate in the Empowerment Youth Initiative to be a part of a familiar community, OTM. One that I have full trust in and one that has helped me to identify with my greatest challenges and fears which in turn allows me to be on the fast track to my greatest potential.  So it’s the environment, the space and place that I initially identified with. Now that I know I’m in a safe place to do the work, it’s going to happen fast. So I’ll dig in to find whatever is not serving me and realize that those whatever things are not serving anyone else around me either. I will choose to take a microscope to my personality and my actions. I’ll take the time and make the conscious decisions needed to make the changes within me that will put me closer to consistently and positively impacting the world at the very same time I consistently and  positively impact myself. I’m looking forward to my work unfolding this week.

By: Christina Sabatini

Christina is the OTM Community Leader for the Los Angeles area. Check out her work at http://globalwristbandproject.com/

Empowered Youth Initiative 2013 is set for San Francisco/Oakland

2011 Global Seva Challenge participant Anne Lenhart

Monday, February 13^th, was our ninth day on our 2011 Global Seva Challenge immersion trip in Haiti and the second of a two day “rest” in middle of our trip. The previous day had been spent inhaling the color, smells, and music of Carnival in Jacmel. Monday we planned to spend hiking up to Bassin Bleu–a series of waterfalls and pools in the mountains above the city–and lounging on the beach in Jacmel.

In order to reach the falls, we transferred into pick-up trucks, which had been modified with benches built into the beds. The necessity of the pick-up trucks was immediately clear when we started fording the Riviere de la Cosse on the outskirts of Jacmel. Stretching nearly a mile wide in some places, the river is really a multi-use parcel of land with cleaner ponds where people bathe, do laundry, and wash their cars and livestock, as well as dry regions with piles of burning trash and large expanses of mud littered with tap-taps and small cars. Those of us in the smaller truck held onto our benches for dear life. Despite the bumpy panorama, we made it safely across the river with relative ease.

The drive continued another half an hour up nearly vertical roads.  Reaching the general parking area for the falls, our trucks were immediately mauled by local guides who could not wait to show us the best footpath up the hills. As someone who generally refuses help of any sort, I looked with complete disdain at these men who would offer me a hand over the rough rocks. My rejection of their assistance is most ironic considering I would completely rely upon these same men a short time later.

We spent the last thirty minutes hiking through the forest and scaling up and down large rocks to finally arrive at the luminous waters of Bassin Bleu. The largest pool is approximately 30 feet in diameter and it’s rumored to be 70 feet deep. While you cannot see the bottom of the pool, the water is wonderfully clear. Nature has carved the pool into a stone cavern with a cascading waterfall and cliffs on one side. It’s perfect for climbing.

I have never been comfortable with even semi-opaque water (I get panicky in a murky bathtub) and saw this entire experience as a chance to challenge my irrational fears. Convinced there was nothing to be afraid of, I not only swam in the pool, but joined the smaller group to climb up the waterfall onto the cliffs above the water. Standing there, about 30 feet above the water, I lingered trying to decide if I was brave enough to jump off. The distance itself was not so frightening–it was the outcropping of rocks about ten feet down that I would need to clear before I hit the water.

As I reached the decision to turn around and climb back down the rocks, I placed my foot on an area of rock already wet from earlier divers. In that instant I knew I had made a mistake. I felt my foot slide forward and awkwardly reached out to grab hold of the nearly sheer rocks to either side. Falling forward, my right knee came into contact with rocks protruding from the side of the cliff nearly ten feet down. The impact broke my patella neatly in two and ripped open the flesh surrounding my knee. I knew that once I hit the water I had to surface as soon as possible and ask for help. Falling the final 20 feet, that was the only thought in my head.

I remember the sense of going into the water and the immediate fear that I couldn’t come back up. The split second it took me to regain direction and pull my head to the surface felt like hours of effort. As soon as the water was out of my mouth, I shouted “I am not okay.” Cyril, our group tour guide and my personal savior, appeared instantly and pulled me to the shallow area of the water and out onto the rocks. I looked at my knee long enough to know I didn’t need to see it any longer. Abby, one of the other Global Seva Challenge participants, who would be the source of my strength for the next hour, grabbed a hold of my hand and reminded me to breathe. “I was okay,” I said to myself. “Breathe.”

We used the beautiful sarongs that Kelly Campbell, our trip leader, gave each of us when we arrived to create a turnicate, and someone found a long stick to create a splint. The blood soaked through all the layers of cloth as soon as they were applied. I felt blood on my nose and asked if I had broken it. Fortunately the answer was no. Knees I can deal with, but I like my nose.

“Breathe. I am okay. Breathe.”

With the leg stabilized, our group quickly packed up our bags and we moved back through the other pools of water to the head of the trail. I was carried and pulled easily in the water, and finally lifted onto the ground. We now faced a much greater question: how to get back down the mountain to the trucks. The hike up to the ponds was by no means rigorous, but it required two legs and a good sense of balance. Completely unable to walk, there was no way I would be able to maneuver the path. The trail was well worn by previous visitors, but totally inaccessible to trucks. Cyril spoke to the group of local men to discuss the best options. I smoked a cigarette. Much of what happened next seemed like magic.

The first obstacle was a sheer rock. On the way in, we used a rope and easily rappelled the ten or so feet to the bottom.  Climbing back up with two legs would challenge anyone who wasn’t fit or confident. It would be impossible to push/pull/carry me up the boulder. Faced with no other option, I grabbed the rope and pulled myself up. There were hands to help guide my good leg to the small places where I could push up. I yelled a lot. We made it to the top in record time.

Then there were so many hands. They lifted me onto a metal cot with a thin mattress–the folding type popular in the 1970s and in cheap hotels. The cot was lifted into the air, above the heads of these men, and I was moving down the mountain.

“Breathe. I am okay. Breathe.”

I hung onto the mattress for dear life as I jostled along. I felt branches lightly scratching me. There was a time or two that it felt like the cot would drop–but it felt like the men carrying me would have dropped their only child before letting me fall. Occasionally they would put me down to rest. I weighed probably twice what any one of them did. Sometimes I would stop breathing and I would hear Abby, a few steps behind our caravan, yell at me to breathe.

“Breathe.  I am okay. Breathe.”

When we finally reached the trucks, I kept attempting to thank the man who carried my broken leg. Even when the group rested he held my leg to keep it from moving. I think I was crying and trying to say thank you. His response was always the same: “Okay. No problem.” Like it was everyday he carried a big white girl down a mountain with a broken leg. I am certain he had asked earlier if I needed a hand on my trip and I had said no. If I could have, I would have tipped him with my house and everything I owned. He and the others helped load me, along with the mattress, into the backseat of the pick-up truck. OTM founder and Global Seva Challenge director, Suzanne Sterling, was in the front seat. She held my hand. She let me squeeze it for the next two hours nonstop. If you ever encounter an angel–they might come in the form of Suzanne.

I don’t remember much of the next two hours. There was not an adequate hospital facility in Jacmel, so Suzanne and I flew in a tiny prop plane to Port au Prince. They removed the passenger seat and replaced it with a cooler to place my outstretched leg on. The plane had no digital readings and the pilot kept turning around to talk to us. At one point, he opened his glove compartment and handed us breath mints. Suzanne and I had been singing and making noises to drown out the sound of the plane and to keep me from focusing on the pain. I think maybe he was trying to tell us something with the breath mints, but at the time we missed it.

Cyril, still my savior, had called his father, Lionel, to meet us at the airport in Port au Prince. I was placed in the back of his truck and driven the last 45 minutes to the hospital in Pentionville. My surgeon, one of the best in the country, rebuilt my knee that night. They gave me an epidural rather than general anesthesia. It wore off before the surgery finished and I could feel as they wrapped the stainless steel wire around my knee cap and pulled the pieces together. I felt each of the 25 stitches used to put the flesh around my knee back into place. I felt them as they moved me back to my hospital bed where I stayed for next five nights. I was still feeling it when I checked into the hospital in Dallas a week later.

I am not one to talk the spirituality or religion. I have spent far more of my life fighting the idea of God than embracing it. That said, there was something magical that happened on the edge of that cliff. I fell 30 feet and broke one bone. I had people around me who could not only pull me out of the water, but locate a crew to carry me down the mountain. I was taken to the best hospital in Port au Prince and operated on by the best surgeon in Haiti. The infection I contracted in the water in Bassin Bleu did not show until a week later, when I was in a hospital in Dallas with all the infectious disease doctors I could want. I could say that it was just luck that saved me that day but I think there was something more.

Haiti is a place with many layers of magic. Our Voodoo interpreter explained to us that here there are mountains behind mountains–that each time we think we know the truth we find another layer beyond our understanding. I don’t know why I was the one who fell that day. I do know, however, that, although my trauma was small in comparison, my accident made me feel connected to the trauma that I imagine the thousands of Haitians experienced when they saw their friends or family injured in the earthquake. And I feel very connected to how lucky I am. For many Haitians, help never arrived. In my case, fortunately, I received the best medical care that Haiti could provide.

Find out more info on Off the Mat, Into the World’s 2012 Global Seva Challenge to battle sex trafficking in India here.

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Anne Lenhart lives and works in Dallas, Texas with her girlfriend, their cat Emmy Lou, and their bird Zoey. Anne participated in the 2011 Global Seva Challenge, raising more than $20,000 for Haiti.

Off the Mat, Into the World’s Empowered Youth Initiative is a weeklong, in-field training, working to reverse the disruptive cycles facing urban and suburban youth in Los Angeles. We bugged Hala Khouri, head of OTM’s Empowered Youth Initiative, about the program she helped craft, the amazing partners she’s collaborating with, and the special event participants will attend this year. (It’s filling up fast. Sign up here.)

Off the Mat, Into the World: What is the Empowered Youth Initiative?

Hala Khouri:  This is a 7-day on-the ground training for people who are interested in working with under served communities. We’ve teamed up with innovative and revolutionary LA leaders who are really making a difference in the lives of the youth here. Our leaders will be sharing their work with us and some will take us around to engage with the youth in their programs.

OTM:  How does yoga fit into the training?

HK: One of the foundational philosophies at Off the Mat is that the inner work is a vital part of doing conscious service. Yoga is a tool for self reflection, so we will be practicing every morning of this training with the intention of checking in with ourselves and noticing how our experiences are impacting us.

OTM: Is this training just for yoga teachers?

HK: No. It’s for anyone who wants to work with these communities in any capacity. Some of the participants are already engaged in their community and want to deepen their knowledge and self-awareness. Others are searching for their way to engage and come to the training for inspiration.

OTM: If someone is not from Los Angeles, does it make sense to attend this training?

HK: Yes! We find that many of the dynamics that exist here in LA are mirrored in other cities. When kids feel lost and alienated, they turn to drugs, gangs, or crime. More than half of the attendees last year were from another city, and they all went back and did some amazing work in their communities.

OTM: What are you most excited about for the upcoming training?

HK: It’s hard to choose one thing. I feel so blessed to be collaborating with such a diverse and talented group of leaders. One unique experience that we get to have is attending the 20-year anniversary celebration event of the truce between the Bloods and Crips, two of LA’s biggest gangs. Aqeela Sherrills, who negotiated the truce, will take our group on a tour of Watts and talk about his work with gangs.  Then we’ll get to attend some fascinating panels and hear stories from community members in Watts.

OTM: Give us an example of the types of programs that participants will be learning about.

HK: Yes. I’d love to. Our partners are incredible. Leila Steinberg uses hip-hop and spoken word with youth so that they can tell their story and start to be liberated from their past.  Krishna Kaur brings yoga to juvenile halls and believes that raising self esteem is key towards breaking unhealthy behaviors. Fidel Rodriguez does rites of passage rituals for youth as a way to support their growth and inspire community. Tessa Hicks-Peterson trains her university students in a humble approach towards community engagement that is about empowering community members to lead the change in their area.

For more info click here. And for the full itinerary click here.

2011 Global Seva Challenge participant Gina Pachkowski in Haiti

Carnival in Haiti is bustling with colors and sounds, and nowhere are colors more vivid than in the Southern seaside town of Jacmel. The city’s paper mache artisans design new costumes every year for the parade: devils, dinosaurs, animals, buildings, and politicians!

Traditionally the costumes are created to poke fun at political figures, corporations, policemen, bankers, and other authority figures. During the day our 2011 Global Seva Challenge group walked around, looking at all of the different paper mache masks and costumes. What I loved was that the creation process was not hidden. There were no surprises. The artisans are proud to share their work, so we were able to see the artists at work. And then we later saw them in the parade.

Carnival is like Mardi Gras. Whether the sights are funny or scary, carnival-goers can easily become spellbound. Throughout the day and night, we immersed ourselves in the magical. Other times in the burlesque, the whimsical, and even the devilish world of Jacmel’s own Mardi Gras celebration.

That day we stopped on the parade route for lunch and to join the masses watching the parade. At times, we took refuge from a scary scene inside the restaurant. Other times we jumped right into the parade with the participants to sing, dance, and act with them!

In the evening we returned downtown to enjoy the nightlife. A sea of sweaty bodies and loud music set the scene that night. With thousands of people swaying in unison, Carnival is alive after dark. At one point I closed my eyes, and I imagined that I could have been anywhere, even a NYC nightclub, but instead I was in the streets of Jacmel, celebrating a European tradition from medieval times with the Haitian community.

It has been an incredible day today in Jacmel! How magical that we were here for this extra special celebration. But, then again, it’s been magical since we stepped off the plane onto Haitian soil.

Find out more info on Off the Mat, Into the World’s 2012 Global SevaChallenge to battle sex trafficking in India here.

By Gina Pachkowski

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Gina lives in Cranford, NJ, and she is the owner of Alluem Yoga Studio. Gina participated in the 2011 Global Seva Challenge, raising more than $20,000 for Haiti.

2011 Global Seva Challenge crew

Haiti’s countryside is stark and beautiful. Steep hills are cut with rows of crops against a perfect landscaped sky. This magical setting conceals the long struggle that Haitian farmers and rural communities have endured throughout history. At times, they’ve been enslaved, tortured, forgotten, and exploited. But as I dig my hands in this soil, among the weeds and fire ants, I can feel the opportunity for rebirth in every single moment.

Before I arrived in Haiti, I was inspired by the courage of thousands of Haitian farmers who marched through the streets and burned 400 tons of hybrid, genetically modified, and chemically treated seeds donated by multinational corporation Monsanto. Some of these farmers had lost their homes, their equipment, and their seeds in the 2010 earthquake. But they rejected the mindless international meddling in traditional practices with revolutionary force. The protesters chanted: “Long live the native maize seed! Monsanto’s GMO & hybrid seed violate peasant agriculture!”

Today, we stepped out of urban Haiti and into the power of one rural community. The Association of the Peasants of Fondwa (APF) is a grassroots organization that for more than two decades has empowered local farmers. APF’s approach is deeply rooted in sustainability—teaching farmers natural growing practices like crop rotation and seed saving, discouraging use of pesticides and herbicides, and maintaining native crops, as well as providing a range of services to improve the lives of the families in this community.

The story of peasant agriculture in Haiti is a tumultuous one. A majority of Haitians still live in rural communities like this one and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. We walked through the fields and saw row after row of peas and beans, sweet potatoes, and corn. The area around the small village of Fondwa also produces plantains, bananas, citrus, and coffee. But paradoxically, Haiti remains one of the most food-insecure nations in the world.

The problem is a complex blend of misaligned agricultural policies, misdirected international food aid and trade policies, and the devastating mark of natural disasters on the Haitian landscape. But I can’t help but stand in these fields and feel that we are complicit in this. Haiti’s own governments have repressed the rural poor and contributed to massive degradation of the once-lush countryside. But since the 1980s, Haiti has become increasingly dependent on cheap imported food and food aid, and open trade and U.S. agricultural support policies have hurt Haitian farmers.

Today Haiti is one of the largest importers of U.S. rice, which is significantly cheaper than Haitian-grown rice because the U.S. government subsidizes rice production. Haitian rice farmers simply can’t compete, and rice production in Haiti has fallen dramatically as a result. In 1980, Haiti was nearly self-sufficient in food production; today, Haiti imports 60% of its food, including 80% of its rice, a staple of the economy (and one of the foods that we’ve been eating with every meal on this trip). Recently, President Clinton recently apologized for his role in backing additional subsidies for rice farmers in Arkansas, which in his words, have had “the consequences of the lost capacity to produce a rice crop in Haiti to feed those people, because of what I did.”

Before I arrived here in Haiti, I imagined a denuded countryside and a dim future for agricultural production. But standing today among these vibrant fields, I am confronted once again with my own assumptions. This place offers an opportunity for rebirth in every single moment. Underneath the garbage, the soil is rich and dark and fertile. Another paradox.

The farmers, activists, and teachers who are remaking this landscape and their community through traditional agriculture and teaching the next generation of Haiti’s rural population are an inspiration for the rest of the world. It’s a long road ahead, but giving farmers the tools, knowledge, and opportunity to produce the food their struggling nation needs, rather than just the food, must be the start of the road to recovery.

Find out more info on Off the Mat, Into the World’s 2012 Global Seva Challenge to battle sex trafficking in India here.

By Kristin Adair
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Kristin is trained as a lawyer and policy wonk, and now teaches vinyasa flow yoga classes in Washington DC.  Kristin participated in the 2011 Global Seva Challenge, raising more than $20,000 for Haiti.