Hi!
Thank you for visiting. As some of you may already know, I will be leading a six-week yoga series for the ladies at the Restore NYC safe house (
www.restorenyc.org) starting in September.
Restore NYC's mission is to end sex trafficking in New York and restore the well-being and independence of foreign national survivors. I started volunteering at the safe house the summer of 2013 and I am now excited to share yoga with the women on their journey towards healing.
In order to ensure a positive experience for the participants, I will be working with a customized program adapted from extensive trauma-therapy journal articles & literature. I am also working with the organization's psychologist and grateful for the amazing mentorship of yoga teachers who are currently working with this demographic.
This program is on a volunteer basis and I am so grateful for all the love and support from those of you who have encouraged me thus far. While this is a six-week program, with more training, I would like to teach on a regular basis at Restore and at other safehouses that services survivors of trafficking, domestic violence, and PTSD.
In order to be most effective in my efforts towards reaching this specific demographic through yoga, I am fundraising to receive formal training for trauma-sensitive yoga. If you feel so inclined to give, please read on! Thank you for joining me in the effort to make yoga available as an adjunctive therapy for trauma victims.
Gas & Training
A very small portion of the funds raised here will go towards covering gas to-and-from the safe house (in Queens, NY). $1,140 will go towards receiving training (+boarding) at
Teaching Trauma-Sensitive Yoga: A Workshop for Yoga Teachers at Kripalu from October 26 - 31, 2014. I will be training with yoga teachers who work with veterans, teens, domestic violence survivors, and rape survivors.
Thank you for your support!
Jade (
www.jadeyoga.com) has generously donated yoga mats & blocks for the Restore Yoga program.
Yoga as Therapy
It has been really exciting to follow the recent and rising research on yoga as an effective tool for trauma-therapy. Research has shown that yoga can have a significant impact in decreasing levels of depression and elevate positive moods. I know the effectiveness of yoga to be true in my own personal life as the practice has helped me re-establish my relationship with my body from past trauma.
Yoga’s ability to to touch us on every level of our being - physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual - makes it a powerful and effective means for trauma victims to reinhabit their bodies safely, calm their minds, experience emotions directly, and begin to feel a sense of strength and control. (Sparrowe)
Yoga teaches the use of breath for self-regulation. It teaches us that things come to an end (a critical point for those who feel trapped in their memory sensations). (Van Der Kolk)
Sources:
1. Transcending Trauma by Linda Sparrowe
2. Clinical Implications of Neuroscience Research in PTSD by Bessel Van Der Kolk
Thank You!
Thank you for joining me in the effort to service these courageous women who are well on their journey towards healing to reclaim their bodies, minds, and lives as they move forward with their lives.
Please note that the donation amount for lessons are higher for the purpose of fundraising.