87 people filled the Boulder Circus Center last Sunday for the Hope For Haiti Benefit Yoga Class. The event, organized by Boulder locals Tamara Kerner and Yoshi Aono, raised over $2500 for food, medical and hygiene supplies to be brought to Haiti later this month by Aono. The pair is collecting donated yoga mats to be used as sleeping pads for the earthquake victims; the mats, in addition to therm-a-rests and tents will spare Haitians the indignity of sleeping on bare earth.
During the 75 minute class, yoga teacher Trista Hollerbach spoke of Seva, the Sanskrit word for selfless service, or karma yoga. To truly practice Seva, one acts for the greater good without desire for reward, praise or recognition. Trista ended class by leading everyone in the prayer “Loka Samasta Sukinu Bhavantu” which means, “may all beings be free from suffering, may all beings live in peace.” After this class, I felt that our prayer was not just an echo within a large room in Boulder, but one that had a real physical impact on lessening the suffering of others on a small, devastated island 2400 miles away.
If you want to help, Aono and Kerner will continue working together to help those affected by the Haiti earthquake. The pair will be working with the Prana retail store on the Pearl St. Mall and will be holding two Saturday morning donation yoga classes taught by local teachers in April to benefit the Hope for Haiti project. Prana is also donating national online sales of yoga mats to the cause. You can contact Tamara at [email protected] or Yoshi at [email protected] to donate money, tents, yoga mats or therm-a-rests.