Australian_Yoga_Journal_2016_08_09_downmagaz.com

significant areas of their life. It’s a
practice that creates and inspires
possibility. For me it’s not just a style
of yoga, it’s a way of being; of living in
discovery, being in the moment-to-moment
recognition and letting go of the limiting
beliefs that don’t serve me.There’s a
beauty and strength that’s accessible once
you give yourself permission to be
unapologetically you, and it’s from that
place you can create magic in your life,
and really be for others.
AYJ How did you use your yoga practice to
ground you during this time?
RENEE As I wasn’t able to practice much
during the program, I discovered that even
10 minutes in the morning grounded me
in where I was and what we were up to,
and the physical grounding offered the
access point to emotional grounding.
They say ‘you can’t pour from an empty
cup’, and so in making sure I held space
for my experience, I was able to step off
my mat clearer to hold space for theirs.
AYJ How can people get involved in Africa
Yoga Project?
RENEE There are so many ways to get
involved (and I couldn’t recommend it
more)! Beyond the teacher training
program, you can get involved as a
mentor, or take part in a Seva Safari in
Kenya. For those interested, head to
www.africayogaproject.org and see what
speaks to you. Everything you need to
know is there, and the staff behind it are
incredibly helpful if you have any questions.
AYJ What did your venture as part of the
project involve?
RENEE This year, I worked closely with
Paige and the co-facilitators to develop
and deliver the 200hr teacher training
program. There’s also Seva work beyond the
in-class teaching and discovery, where we
learnt how to teach yoga to special-needs
children, spent time building desks and
painting with the students, and taught
yoga at some of the AYP outreach locations
in schools, rehabilitation centres, and
women’s shelters.
AYJ What were your first impressions of
Africa?
RENEE It’s pretty interesting to go to a place
where you can drive 20 minutes and see
lions! I was lucky enough to see a lot of
Kenya, and the country is so expansive and
beautiful and almost surreal. It was when
I was watching giraffes crossing a trail that
I realised Kenya isn’t just another country,
it’s a place full of wonder that inspires
paintings and books and documentariesthere’s
so much magic to see and be part of.
AYJ What was it like to teach there? And how
did it differ from your experiences of teaching
at home?
RENEE You know, it’s funny, I really thought
I would need to be different somehow, and
yet part of the beauty of yoga is that it’s
accessible, and its benefits and teachings
are universal. We are all the same, we all
have the same self-doubt, we all suffer from
fear, we all want people to like us, we all
compare.It might manifest differently in
day-to-day life, but ultimately being there
reminded me of our humanness, and the
likeness of the human spirit from person
to person regardless of circumstances.
What I loved most about it was their
willingness to play in their practiceto
go for it, not just physically, but
emotionally. The students are so beautiful
and expressive, cheering and clapping,
encouraging each other. We’re a little bit
more restrained here.
august/september 2016 yogajournal.com.au
85