Travel Tuesday: Africa Comes To Nashville for the Music City Yoga Festival

This summer, I embarked on an incredible journey to Nairobi, Kenya as an ambassador for Africa Yoga Project (AYP) for a kids yoga teacher training and service work. This experience inspired my friends Kate Puncochar, Liz Vehyl, and I to launch the first annual Music City Yoga Festival to benefit Africa Yoga Project. It will be held on Saturday, October 26, 2013.

There is no better feeling in the world than creating community and finding a connection with someone from halfway across the globe. I would know.

As a very exciting bonus, we get the privilege of hosting an Africa Yoga Project teacher, Irene Auma, all the way from Kenya. I spoke with Auma about her journey from the slums of Nairobi to the US:

Auma became involved with AYP in 2007. She was in an acrobatic group with seven girls at Sarakasi Dome in Nairobi — all of which shared one studio apartment about the size of an average American bedroom. Auma met the founder of AYP, Paige Elenson, through the acrobatic group, and was immediately drawn to the idea of become trained to teach and make a living, as well as provide service for her community.

She says she gravitates to yoga, “because it is an open community for everyone in the world. People are different, but we share one love and it’s called yoga. Yoga changed my life — I now accept who I am and am able to share who I am through service in my community.”

Auma is an enthusiastic, compassionate, and openhearted person. She cannot wait to share her story with Nashville and, from there, the world! When asked how she has liked the US of A so far, she replied, “The U.S.A. is such a pretty place. Everyone is generous, ready to help, and they are big-hearted.”

Come help us live up to this standard at Music City Yoga Festival on Saturday, October 26, 2013, and give Auma a huge, warm welcome.