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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Yoga Goddess

Yoga to the girls of JDC, is a sweet process of opening to their best self. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to witness a miracle--

One of the girls in JDC, is mentally challenged, she is bright, beatiful, and very eager to befriend anyone (this is one of her issues). She is mentally challenged not because she was born that way, but because her mother used so many drugs while she was pregnant that her daughter's brain did not develop.

The last couple classes, the girls who have been in JDC a while, began to pick on her, and this picking lasted for days-- she was worn down when she came to class-- vacant.

This beautiful flower transforms during class, her magical smile comes through-- she LOVES it, she is held in a special observational room during the day, and she doesn't get to spend much time with other kids, for her safety and for theirs.

She works the hardest of any kid I've had in jail, she is really into her breath, she begins to blossom in yoga. She transforms through her practice.

Last night we had a new crop of girls in class, they were 15-- that being said, they know it all, have no desire to listen, and hate everyone around them. And they are mean, not only to each other but to everyone, and secretyly to themselves.

We were working on Shin Loop last night, getting to really feel the lift in the calf, finding that the calf, is the stabalizing force behind working from the foundation to a standing balance pose--- and it happened....one of the mean girls, looked at this beautiful yoga flower who she said was stupid not 4 mintues before and said--"S-- you are my yoga hero-- how are you able to do all these things-- are you some sort of super hero?" If I could describe the joy that came bursting from this girl-- I would pale at the actual seeing of her joy explosion. She lit up-- she woke up-- she realized in that moment that someone SAW her--she filled with light. For the rest of the class, they kept asking "S am I doing this right?" It was AMAZING!! I had to hold back tears of joy for her and hold back tears of gratefulness for the other girls. This beautiful girl, whose had nothing but complete searching for belonging to something and anyone, found her place amongst the "mean" girls. She blossomed into a Yoga Goddess last night, and she radiated with strength.

People in the jail have told me that the room we teach yoga in, has become a place of peace--they can feel it. That even if kids are not getting along-- when they enter this classroom, that the kids completely calm down and seem to leave their uneasiness at the door--- I love the power of SHAKTI!!!!

2 comments:

Terri said...

Sh** Jen...you are my yoga hero!!!

Christina Sell said...

I second that. what amazing work you do.

Namaste