A simple time, an island, bare feet embedded into the sand and warmth bleeding through the air. Movement shuffled under the water as little boats chugged through the channel, as the propeller spun from one island to the other; Shela and Beach tower.
At dusk the wooden vessel cappuccino hugged the Shela dock, loading up the silent yogis for their morning commute to practice. As they rolled their mats out facing the ocean, they arrived, opening up their awareness to the breath. A yogi on either side of my feet spread wide, I pressed down into the earth; I knew this was the moment my journey with Karuna yoga began.
My environment was wild. I was surrounded by the wilderness in Kenya. I was a morphing butterfly emerging from the warmth of a dark cocoon. I was in the stage of transformation. When I decided to stop my college education, I had fear and I was holding my breath. Karuna Yoga Journey helped me change my perspective by teaching me how to breathe and to listen to my surroundings.
Inhale and exhale, I tuned into the soul inside my body. What is the soul? Who am I? What is yoga? These questions flowed through my limbs, and began to open up room for my imagination. I allowed myself to dream, to think beyond the surface, and to listen deep into my intuition.
Although I struggle to answer these questions, I gained knowledge about myself and I found the tools to help me step a little closer to answers, in only three weeks. The guidance of Karuna Journey’s leaders and community brought an electric energy, which radiated through this foreign wilderness of Kenya.
The open hearts, laughter, and support of this community connected an me to an abundance of inspiration. Women and men of various heritages and ages collectively gathered together, provided wisdom and an essence of fearlessness.
As all these women and men moved their bodies, taught vinyasa and yin yoga classes, their creativity glowed with boundless light. Their playful and thoughtful human selves, shared rare laughter, the kind that brings endless happiness. I am beyond grateful for my teachers, Leyla and Payal, for opening a new door in my life, supporting my path as a yogi, and connecting me to beautiful people.
I, Ruby Haber, a young woman in Carpinteria, California roll my mat out on a wood plank at Palomar Farms and continue to create my own sequences. I hope to share the wisdom I learned from Karuna Yoga Journeys with bliss. I close my eyes and reminisce on the three weeks I spent in Lamu, Kenya.
I hold a deep love for the yogis who crossed the channel in the small boat Cappuccino, rolled their mats out, and helped me to become a 200 hour certified vinyasa flow teacher. I open my eyes to the immeasurable opportunity for teaching yoga to a new community of people. Asante sana, thank you, for giving me joy, finding a place in my heart for the wild, and helping me breath.
Benny started out practicing Hatha and Iyengar yoga from the age of 15, but only discovered Yin Yoga in 2015, finally becoming a teacher in 2017. Since then she has never looked back and continues training in and teaching this wonderful practice wherever and whenever she can. Based in Kenya, she teaches studio classes in Nairobi.
Jordan has been practicing yoga for over 10 years in the US, Europe and Kenya. She received certification in Baptiste Power Yoga with the Africa Yoga Project in Kenya, completed the Karuna YTT in 2018 and recently completed a course in yoga for 12-step recovery.