On the spectrum of fundraising there are the polarities: huge corporate functions such as SickKids Mistletoe Ball to the grassroots initiatives such as Indiegogo. Both wonderful. We all strive to help one another because it is the “right” thing to do, with a sense of obligation to our friends and family. We donate on behalf of a friend’s cause. Sometimes it will be a cause that feels personal. Occasionally,  it is sponsoring a cause that will bring your business into prominent display.

The initiation into activism feels like this yet amplified. This willingness to step into action arises when feeling emotionally charged for the cause, or the community in crisis. This is how it began for me, with a bit of insomnia, yet unequivocally certain I had to understand the issue of sex-trafficking. My call to activism began in a hair salon in May 2008. It was fast, and affected me deeply. There I was sitting in a salon in Toronto, flipping through New Yorker magazine. I recall missing Long Island and the salty beaches I grew up on.

And then I encountered with this article:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/05/05/080505fa_fact_finnegan

The link above leads to William Finnegan’s feature, entitled “The Countertraffickers: Rescuing the Victims of the Global Sex Trade.”
Reading Finnegan’s article was a direct hit on my sheltered existence. I finally understood gratitude on a very deep level, knowing my children run free, safe and nurtured . Yet in an alternate universe, there are millions of children, as young as six years old, that are sold into brothels. What!

Can you imagine a child suffering such an unnatural experience. For the first few weeks after reading this article, I had insomnia and a flow of tears. When one cannot rationalize a thing, it can be channeled into activism. This is far more effective than shedding tears.
What does this have to do with wellness,  nutrition and daily affirmations in 889 Blog, you might wonder?

Everything. As we know, yoga means simply to yolk, or unite. Quite often yoga students become immersed into yoga through asana. Some are quite content to stay with the physical practice . Some of us tentatively embrace Yamas and Niyamas. It is these precepts of social and personal disciplines that  Pantanjali’s Yoga Sutras suggest we embrace first, as it is the first and second limb of the Eight Limbed Path.
On the path, we sense that we’re all in this together, breathing as a collective. We are reminded that all beings come from one source. In this way, one can embrace karma yoga. Karma=action. Karma yoga is the path of selfless action, yet without design. It is to give yourself wholeheartedly to your task, and not feel burdened.
Seva = selfless service. I absorbed seva as a new mother, so when I see these little girls in crisis, the mother in me responds swiftly.

Seane Corn, internationally known yoga teacher, activist and 889 guest teacher has been spearheading these international service projects, Off the Mat, Into the World (OTM).  OTM’s 2012 Seva Challenge addresses the issue of sex trafficking in India and worldwide.   Corrie Teahen and I accepted the challenge, and hope to to raise $40K collectively.

If I have to adopt, hold fundraisers until people run for the hills as I approach, then this is where the river flows. The topic of trafficking is a vision we recoil from, yet recoiling is precisely how it proliferates. Great strides have taken place with the incredible dedication of Somaly Mam. Somaly Mam is an activist, heroine and former child slave. Her auto biography is both harrowing and inspiring in equal measure.

Please help us achieve our fundraising goal, so that we can go to Calcutta, and bare witness. Hopefully we will see a healing process for the survivors. We have less than 100 days to make this happen.

If you wish to donate to  889 yoga teachers Jodi Fischtein or Corrie Teahen, please help by clicking this link, scroll down until you see our names.

http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/give-to-global-seva.html

On September 22th, 2012, 889 Thompson will host their annual Global Mala. They have graciously offered to support our fundraising initiative! Global Mala is also held on the fall equinox. Lots of fun on the Thompson deck! The class is karma, so it is a donation based class. Big hearts make big changes for these young victims.

Many thanks for reading this. Special thanks to Emily, Christine, Nicky and the 889 family for their ongoing support to the global community.

 http://889yoga.com/blog/yoga-movement/global-seva-challenge-2012/

Posted on September 21, 2014 in Article