Kim doing a handstand in India
The One Love Movement a non-profit, who serves under-privileged youth around the world while using yoga as a foundation, officially announced the launch of its Yoga teachers Volunteer Trips in partnership with Leave UR Mark, a social enterprise that enables volunteers from around the world to participate in meaningful projects in India.
Yoga teachers are needed to meet the needs of the global movement that continues to heal people around the world and reminds us of the goodness inherent in ourselves and others. While walking through an urban city across the world, we know we can always find yoga teachers, yoga center, or even a gym that is holding yoga classes regularly. The One Love Movement aims to provide that accessibility and exposure to yoga to the most under-privileged and marginalized communities of women and children in India. Working side by side with Indian staff and local teachers, the global yoga community can be a vehicle for change in the way that the youth perceive themselves, their circumstances, and their own sense of self-worth in the world through yoga and education.
Leave UR Mark roommates in India
“Upon returning from India last year I knew that yoga was the answer. I have never been more present to how yoga has changed my life & literally saved me. We are thrilled to partner with two very remarkable organizations in India, Reaching Hand and Leave UR Mark. Together, we are implementing a program that will bring yoga to Indian women & children of the under-served populations. We are committed to healing the world through yoga but only with your help can we do this. Are you a yoga teacher or practitioner, do you want to contribute to the world, and do you want to travel to India? If that is you, please reach out to us.” said Kim Bauman, Founder, The One Love Movement.
A typical two-week program will allow volunteers to take yoga classes led by a teacher in the mornings and work alongside staff at local orphanages and shelters as well as non-profit schools to integrate yoga sessions into their daily schedule. The goal is to introduce women and children to the path of self-discovery and help them understand that they are more than the circumstances they live in or what they have gone through in their past.
“The children are so good to each other. And I see so much happiness in all of them. I love their warm hugs at the end of the day and their smiles awaiting me the next day, “ said Niki Kraska, a returning volunteer from India who practiced yoga and dance for two weeks in November, 2014 with The One Love Movement.
Anna visits the children in the government schools
Volunteer yoga teachers will live together and be provided meals, transportation, and various cultural activities to help put their experience into context. Evening and weekend activities may include a workshop at a fair-trade artisan café which creates sustainable livelihoods for women, sunset yoga and meditation on the roof, watching a traditional Indian dance performance, and various day excursions to ancient ruins and World Heritage sites.
“The One Love Movement is a fantastic initiative that is creating a truly unique experience for our community projects in India as well as for international volunteers from the U.S. and beyond. The children here have gone through a lot and continue to live in dire conditions on a daily basis. They themselves don’t know how much strength and resilience they have. It is our hope that they can harness their strength and turn it into positive energy and a positive future through the interactions with One Love volunteers. India is the perfect place to start this work. Many people come here on yoga retreats and teacher trainings. Combining that with sharing their amazing talents and skills is going to have a ripple effect on the local community.” said Prachi Jain, Marketing Director at Leave UR Mark.
To learn more about The One Love Movement and to get involved, please visit www.jointheonelovemovement.org/ or email info@leaveurmark.com
