This weekend I had the honor of attending a 40-hour Y.O.G.A. For Youth teacher training, led by Krishna Kaur, Hala Khouri, and Kia Miller. Since I took the “Light Leaders” training at the Golden Bridge last summer, I’ve known that teaching yoga to young people was a calling. But, after this weekend, I cannot contain my excitement for what is ahead!

The training was hard! Not merely physically (though, yes, I can barely bend over from all the kriyas we did!), but also emotionally.

I realized that ever since I moved to Los Angeles I have adopted the idea that, ideally, I should be happy all the time. And it’s not hard to accomplish this when I can take great yoga classes, veg out at the beach, eat organic foods from the farmer’s market around the corner, go to Agape, dance and chant at kirtan circles, teach yoga to cute preschoolers, etc.

But there is dark to side to the moon, which most of us are ignoring.

There is a population of juveniles who go to prison for 35 years for being in the same car as a murderer. There is a population of juveniles who get adult life sentences for defending themselves against an abusive parent. There is a population of youth who think their existence is an accident. There is a population of youth who think that no one cares.

I think in the “conscious community” it is very easy to get absorbed in the notion that by lifting our own vibration we are changing the world. And we are. There is no doubt in my mind that the butterfly effect of being peaceful radiates peace to every circular inch of the globe.

It’s just that, as I discovered this weekend, cultivating our own inner-peace is only a step in the right direction. We can go further.

I can do my daily practice, eat my organic food, chant mantras–to build my aura, to build my immunity, to build my self-love. But what is the use if not to share it with others? I want a future where everyone is moving towards the light together, as a community. We are family.

I must break through the walls that make this outreach uncomfortable. I have no doubt that teaching yoga to incarcerated youth will bring up a lot of emotions. But in expecting more of myself, I give myself permission to heal more deeply, and by extension, hold a safe and authentic space where my students can heal themselves more deeply.

So, I am grateful to Krishna for bursting my bubble. She created that space for me to embrace my own shadow. And I realized the more I am able to love my shadow, the more impact I will have on this population.

Moreover, I am grateful to have tools to teach this youth, so I am not merely coming in to cover up their symptoms. I want to share these powerful yogic teachings that will empower them to heal themselves from the inside out.

Thank you to all the students and teachers who guided me towards a better understanding of my own truth.

Sat Nam,*
Sirgun

P.S. Sat Nam = “Truth is my identity. I bow to the truth in myself and in all beings.”

P.P.S. I am helping organize an event on June 5th at Yoga Co in Santa Monica, CA to benefit Y.O.G.A. for Youth. Please come out and support this amazing organization that has touched so many hearts, and empowered so many people. >> more info

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