Friday, June 12, 2009

Deepening Roots at the Canadian Ashram

i recently got back from teaching the YES!+ course as part of the Deepening Roots internship at the Canadian Ashram. needless to say it was amazing. interns come from all over the US and Canada to learn about themselves, the secrets of the breath, how to relieve stress, become more self-aware and centered, to be empowered and realize their potential. they also learn about sustainable agriculture and permaculture from Andrew Jones.

the internship incorporates meditation and spirituality with sustainable agriculture, health and wellness and leadership. after the internship, interns will be qualified to teach a one-day gardening workshop in their communities. it's an innovative way to bring communities together to open eyes and jumpstart positive change that's so needed.

check out: www.deepeningroots.org next session is happening in august!

it's been a while

...and so much has happened! since september six YES!+ courses have taken place here in Miami.a group of YES!+ers even went to India for the international program, YES!+ Winter Break where they experienced the beautiful Bangalore Ashram. They delved deeper into the Self through a silent meditation retreat, participated in a service project and also got to meet Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (international humanitarian leader and founder of the Art of Living Foundation).


on the last YES!+ course a couple weeks ago, participants decided on a saturday afternoon they were going to feed homeless people around the city of miami. by sunday evening they had cooked a huge amount of food (beans, rice & veggies) from donations from their homes and neighbors. they had also received a donation of over 2,000 organic apples from whole foods. a group of them loaded up an SUV with these goodies and drove around downtown miami, feeding 75 people who were so so thankful to receive a warm meal for memorial day weekend. ;)

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Miami on November 5th

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is being honored as this year's World Wisdom Scholar-in-Residence by Florida International University.  He will be giving a FREE public talk at FIU's Graham Center Ballroom on Wednesday, November 5th at 7:30 p.m.  His talk will be about "Practical Wisdom for Inner and Outer Success," where he will talk about how breath and meditation can help relieve stress.  Don't miss this rare opportunity to ask this three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee questions.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

For Immediate Release

International Association for Human Values
For immediate release

Contact: Uma Viswanathan ▪ (617) 645-1428 ▪ umav@artofliving.org

Miami K-12 and University Students Sending Relief Material to Haiti
International Association for Human Values Distributing Materials through Haitian Youth Leaders

MIAMI – Thirty nine elementary, middle and high schools across Miami-Dade County, students at Florida International University, and youth from the Full Gospel Tabernacle Church have partnered with the humanitarian organization, International Association for Human Values to help provide food and supplies to the victims of Hurricanes Gustav, Hannah, and Ike in Haiti. On Sunday, September 28 during the morning service, Full Gospel Tabernacle will honor IAHV and the youth volunteers.

"Our youth need to value what they have and by giving to others we are instilling values in our leaders of tomorrow," says Marina Gasteli, Teacher of the Gifted, Sunset Elementary School, Miami FL. "Our students feel a sense of pride, generosity, and accomplishment when they participate in projects such as these. They see themselves as a team working for a collaborative effort."

The Haiti Relief Drive was announced to Miami Dade Public Schools on Monday, September 15. By Friday, classrooms were overflowing. Within just just five days, children across Miami Dade County gathered five truckloads full of canned goods, bandaids, teddy bears, clothing, and other supplies. On Monday, September 22, FIU undergraduates and IAHV youth volunteers collected the food, clothing, and supplies schools across Miami Dade County. All day Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, these youth, along with members of the Full Gospel Tabernacle Youth Center, sorted, packed, and unloaded, many staying past midnight.

Alba Gosalbez, FIU student, is inspired by her association with the organization. "It was absolutely amazing, the amount of goods we were able to collect and pack, but even more so, the short time we were able to do it all," says Gosalbez. "This was will power and compassion at its best; a truly beautiful and humbling experience." Leonor Armas, president of FIU Yoga Club is equally inspired. "Whatever movement we set into motion is going to carry on to the next generation," says Armas. "There's no better time to start a movement than now, when we can grow with it as part of it, and have young people grow up thinking this is how things are supposed to be."

In Haiti, extreme poverty and lack of proper infrastructure make it difficult for humanitarian organizations to ensure that their supplies and services reach the people who need them most. The hands-on involvement of IAHV ensures that the materials Miami students collect is distributed effectively.

The food and supplies they collect will be sent to 135 youth leaders in Haiti, who are trained in how to distribute the material and provide trauma relief through IAHV's Youth Leadership Training Program (YLTP). YLTP trains youth leaders, ages 18-25, from around the world to teach Breath Water Sound (BWS), a stress and trauma-relief program designed for low-income communities. The YLTP program incorporates training in reforestation and sustainable agriculture, given that 98% of Haiti's trees have been cut down.

This holistic approach fulfills both the physical and emotional needs of disaster victims. In addition, because the relief work is done by Haitian youth for Haitians, it plants the seed for the next generation of Haitians to rebuild their own country.

The 135 youth leaders will distribute food and supplies, as well as conduct BWS and hygiene workshops for hundreds of individuals traumatized by the disaster. YLTP graduates will partner with Friends of Petite-Anse/Corenord, an organization that has been working in Haiti on social, economic, and educational programs for more than 10 years. Through Friends of Petite-Anse/Corenord, the Haitian YLTP participants will collaborate with local Haitian schools, churches, governmental agencies, and NGOs to distribute goods and teach trauma relief and hygiene workshops.

Founded by humanitarian and spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, IAHV's mission is to develop a more peaceful, just and sustainable world through personal development programs that encourage practice of human values through service. The International Association for Human Values is a global, humanitarian, non-governmental organization affiliated with the United Nations and active in more than 140 countries.

Full Gospel Tabernacle is located at 9701 NW 7th Avenue, Miami FL. Sunday service begins at 10:00 am.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Save Haiti

Dear Friend,

Within the last few weeks, Haiti has been devastated by a string of hurricanes - Gustav, Hanna and, most recently, Ike. Many have been left homeless. Strong rain has pounded villages, has knocked down trees, and destroyed whatever little crops have been planted. The flooding by hurricanes has caused hundreds of deaths, loss of crops, homes, micro-enterprises and animals. Families are suffering from massive food shortages and lack of clean drinking water. Haiti being a smaller island country in the Caribbean has also received less international attention compared to other hurricane-affected areas.

We earnestly appeal to you to donate generously towards providing hurricane relief to Haiti. We have a goal to raise $400,000. You can contribute at www.iahv.org. Your contributions will be directly used to pay for:

1. Barrels of clean drinking water

2. Non-perishable food items

3. Basic over-the-counter medical supplies (bandages, aspirin, etc)

4. Transportation of goods to and within Haiti

The relief work will be conduct by IAHV (International Association of Human Values) and The Friends of Petite Anse Inc. IAHV has been working in Haiti to train youth leaders in a reforestation project. Please visit http://www.iahv.org to contribute.


gonaives residents flleeing the cityRuth & Ira Gollobin



Thank you for your generosity.

The Haiti Relief Team

Uma Viswanathan (umav@artofliving.org)

Gerthy Lahens (gerthyl@MIT.EDU)

Amanda C. Williams (amandacorissa@gmail.com)

YES!+ at FIU

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Miami

so jason, director of youth programs at AoL (stands for Art of Living, NOT america online) called me up on a saturday mid-august and said,
"so you're going to miami...with uma (i had only met her once but was very excited)...can you leave on tuesday?"

tuesday? that's so soon! (i couldn't) so i left that friday. went to my storage unit, tried to find a few things that might be appropriate for miami weather, re-packed my bags, which were basically packed since i had been living out of my bags since the end of february, loaded up my car and left boston.

now i'm here. in miami. with uma. working at FIU. and things are going fabulously well.

we have a miami dance. we go to the beach (not every single day, but often). we wear lip gloss. we wake up at 5:30 everyday (well today was the first day, but still...) we're working with the most amazing students. and we get whatever we want. i mean whatever we want. even baskets full of free pastries from panera.

life is good.
(don't worry, better pictures coming soon.)

wal-mart fun:

kitty that met us at the door when we arrived in miami: