Have you heard? We’re hosting a special event on 20th November to raise money for Give Back Yoga and you’re invited. Four excellent triyoga and guest teachers will be leading an evening of yoga and sound healing all to support this unique charity founded by one of the greats, Beryl Bender Birch. Intrigued? Keep reading…
Give Back Yoga helps yoga teachers, health workers, and charitable organisations offer yoga to those in need through mat donations, fiscal sponsorship and other grants. In preparation for our event, we’re sharing some of our favourite stories from a few of the amazing people who have given back to their communities through Give Back Yoga.
“Hope is not a plan. Yoga is.” – Tari Prinster
Tari was diagnosed with “invasive ductal carcinoma” at age fifty-three. She asked herself many questions in those first moments and found one answer on her yoga mat. “My hope was that yoga could be a way to reclaim life during and after my cancer treatments, to get me back to normal. Hope, though, was not a good plan; yoga was.” Yoga became her tool for survival, and then she took it one step further: she became a teacher.
She says, “It started with a simple idea: yoga works! Today, I teach yoga classes to target all cancers in all stages. I lead retreats that focus on how yoga can serve as a tool to get back to normal, and I run accredited training workshops for certified yoga teachers.”
Tari’s y4c classes continue to grow and benefit all manner of cancer survivors and sufferers at any stage of their journey. Give Back Yoga has helped make this possible and continues to delight in the change Tari’s classes bring to her students’ lives.
“Yoga opened my world to the possibilities of healing and growth.” – Sean Weir
Sean came to yoga through the Uniform Services Programme, which assists military vets and first responders struggling with mental health issues, trauma, addiction, and pain. He says, “I found that yoga nidra was particularly effective at alleviating [the issues] I struggled with – a practice which I now believe to be the jewel of [yoga styles].” Once he started, Sean realised how much he wanted to share this with others, which led him to his teacher training course. Now, he is not only a teacher but also a yoga therapist, mindful outdoor guide and leader of the yoga of 12 step recovery programme. You can continue to follow Sean’s journey on his website.
“The lines between us soften as yoga unites us all, and we find the presence of our shared humanity.” – Christine Moore
Christine learned her son would be going to Afghanistan right in the middle of her yoga teacher training course. “During my training, I was offered an article on yoga for veterans. As I read the article, I had a very visceral reaction… I felt called to action.”
Christine decided she needed to get involved. She found out the Veteran’s Affairs hospital nearby needed teachers and so she joined. Now, Christine works with all manner of people who need yoga, and she credits Give Back Yoga’s mat grant programme for their large part in her success.
These are just a few of Give Back Yoga’s success stories. You can learn more about the charity and all the great work they’re doing on their website.
