A Flexible Movement
Can downward dogs make the world a better place? Yes, says Cohen Harper—as long as we make an effort to keep yoga inclusive and adaptable. "There's a culture around yoga studios that not everybody feels a part of," she says. "We want to encourage people to think about the specific needs of the populations they're working with, recognizing that there's no one-size-fits-all yoga." If the service movement keeps gaining ground, future steps could involve working to get yoga therapeutics covered by health insurance, for example. For Leigh, the next goal is to return to Rwanda to help one of her trainees open the region's first yoga studio. "There's something that happens when we practice yoga that is unexplainable, that's magical, and that I can't take credit for at all," says Leigh. "If you add to that just being present with people and keeping your heart open, that's one of the most loving things you can do. I think that's part of why the yoga works."
Resources
Ellen Forman Pranamoonyoga.com
Maggie Heinzel-Neel [email protected]
Megan Leigh
Ubushobozi Project
Yoga Service Council