I asked my friend Jill Satterfield to send in this post about her very exciting social action teacher training here at The Breathing Project.
Here’s Jill’s message:
Vajra Yoga is very excited to launch this training with our fellow collaborators at the Lineage Project This training has been over a year in the making, and we are getting a tremendous response to it already – thank you to those of you who have written to express your support, and to those of you who are joining us.
Why Social Action? For many years I have been disappointed by the way yoga has become a hip physical exercise in this country. Instead of just complaining – which is so useless and rather lazy- I decided to try my best to do something positive instead…
…to continue, click “Read more! below…
A couple of years ago I was approached by members of the Lineage Project to join them in helping to bring yoga, meditation and mindful awareness practices to at risk and incarcerated youth. I went on a site visit in the Bronx to see what the project was all about. It was not only eye opening, but heart opening as well.
What I saw was a group of young people who were abused by their environment or their families – forgotten by society at large and confused by it all. Honestly, they all looked like wounded hearts to me….very tender hearts hiding for protection under a layer of street tough-ness.
I knew right then that I wanted to do my very best to help them. Through eye contact with each of them in the group that day, I was able to see them as they were, and much to my astonishment-they seemed to be o.k. with me! For those of you who don’t know me, I’m about as opposite physically as one can be from them- white, blonde, and well cared for. But they laughed with me, poked fun of me, listened to me, tried to do yoga postures and sit as still as they could during meditation. The senior Lineage teacher Stan Grier, was remarkable in his ability to keep them in line and on the mat. Stan is a very gifted individual, and it was because of him that they were even interested in participating.
Bottom line for me is-we are all tender and somewhat broken hearts. Each of us feels the pain of abandonment or disappointment – in the way we have been treated financially, by the health care system, school system, our family members etc. So the color of skin, the way each of us acts out may vary from person to person, culture to culture, but in essence we are all trying to get love and attention. Every human being needs and deserves that and yearns for it.
If you are inclined, please visit my website www.vajrayoga.com or lineageproject.org, and see what we’re up to. There are many ways that you can help us if you wish.
With all my very best wishes to each of you reading this. May we all ban together to help others to help themselves.
Sincerely, Jill Satterfield
Founder , Vajra Yoga