Dharma Program Portfolio
John's Connection Project in Nicaragua
Nancy's Community Connection Project
Sanni's Unconditional Love Project
Cassidy's Trauma Sensitive Yoga Project
Jenna's Creative Writing Project
Sarah's Passion and Empowerment Project
Sanni's Unconditional Love Project
Project Status: Completed September 2017
Project Solution: In interaction with local community responding to the needs of young new immigrants and refugees in a reception center to feel more welcomed, loved and empowered by applying Abundant Love-project in practice and sharing simple individual and collective integrative actions and exercises.
Essential Outcomes:
1. Locals & refugees & immigrants who participates the project have a space to create together and integrate as a community.
2. They have clarity of what unconditional love is in practice and learn simple, creative and practical tools to experience it individually and collectively in daily life through unconditional receiving and giving.
3. Responding to the needs of underage people in refugee centers finding it in the local community and bringing creativeness, collectiveness, laugh, joy and love to the centers.
4. Participants have a direct experience of non-verbal communication and overcoming the language & cultural barrier by creating collective good and greater harmony together.
5. Refugees and immigrants who participate the project feel more welcomed, cared for and loved empowering them to integrate to the local community.
Read Sanni's Blog Posts about the project:
About Sanni:
Sanni shares her lifework through holistic movement, meditation and energy work. Born and raised in Finland, she has a deep connection with nature and a heartfelt passion to function in a greater harmony with the web of life. A world traveler and devoted yogini her work with holistic health is inspired by many colorful indigenous cultures and traditions she has experienced. Over the years, she has been guided to study holistic health through yoga, shamanic and spiritual practices, ceremonies, intuitive dance, metaphysical studies, breath work, Reiki energy healing, Permaculture, nutritional herbalism as well as Neuro-Lymphatic and Abdominal massage touching all physical, emotional, mental and energetic layers of body. However, after becoming aware of the illusionary complexity of our beings she witnessed herself coming the full circle and embodying the simple and ultimate truth of being one with all within and without. While witnessing her own transformation, Sanni encourages people to dive deep into the secrets of their beings, face challenges with honesty, experience their true self and step into their purest and the most simple power as creators of life. “I believe that by following the guidance of heart, remembering inner peace and trust, and unifying with Nature anyone can come into harmony with their surroundings in their own way, empower others and bring loving acceptance wherever they go.”
Sanni was on the Kula Path and is now a facilitator. Read her full bio here and check out her next trainings!
John's Connection Project in Nicaragua
Status: Current Project
Vision: I feel more connected to places in Central America that I've been living and feel I've brought new benefits, ideas and creative expression to the locals through openness and sharing.
Desired Outcomes:
-more connected to the community
-better relationships with the locals
-improved spanish for myself and others
-improved english for the locals
-better repore with Momentom Collective
-openness of involving other groups and people with our projects
-documentation of the journey to share
-meaningful friendships formed and shared between foreigners and locals
Success Criteria:
Through the implementation of bringing meditation, yoga and creative circus arts to local kids and the Nicaraguan community, there will be a greater sense of inclusion within the people, openness to new ideas, improved language performance and stronger, more diverse community.
About John: John is an award-winning travel author with a wild new book, Tales Of The Modern Nomad – Monks, Mushrooms & Other Misadventures. It delves into the crazy details of his decade of backpacking over 30 countries via stories, sketches, quotes and over 220 photos. It covers all the travel insight you won’t get in a guide book. To learn more, or order your copy or ebook visit www.modernnomad.ca and follow the journey on Instagram @johntearly.
Cassidy's Trauma Sensitive Yoga Project
Status: Completed
Vision:
To offer trauma sensitive yoga to empower survivors free of charge.
Desired Outcomes:
- To alleviate the trauma suffered from sexual violence.
- Give individuals the power and control over their body again.
- Empower survivors.
- To introduce a healthy coping skill when feeling upset.
About Cassidy:
Cassidy was born and raised in Lloydminster Alberta Canada. Since 2010, Cassidy has been working with survivors of sexual trauma, domestic violence, and addictions. She recently received her 200 YTT from Kula Collective and went on to further her education with specific training in trauma sensitive yoga.
Jenna's Creative Writing Project
Status: Current Project
Project: "I think the biggest value this project will have is BALANCE through holistic practices; ritual, meditation, food, exercise, purpose, getting outside, work and play. This is a staple in what I preach in my yoga classes, retreats and cleanses that I currently offer. I am passionate about sharing balance and how to manage stress. Stress management is the number one killer in my mind and the reason behind why so many people are sick and have dis-ease."
Desired Outcomes:
- Provide Free Yoga and Meditation Classes at festivals or gatherings
- Writing content about balance blogging, or blogging about my experience
- Writing newsletters
- Cross marketing and networking with other yoga teachers, bloggers/ lifestyle folks and small businesses around Lago Atitilan
- Weekley research/reading on other yoga and meditation styles and methods
About Jenna: Jenna’s relationship with yoga started in 2000, and little did she know that it would have such a positive impact on her life. Soon after diving into the world of yoga, Jenna realized that this practice wasn't just physical but that it also broadened her emotional and spiritual awareness.
She started teaching yoga in 2008 and has studied several different styles including hatha, vinyasa, yin, restorative, and anusara. Jenna's love for yoga practice spurred her passion for holistic health and wellness and inspired her to study holistic nutrition. She now shares her knowledge of yoga and healthy living both on and off the mat in her classes, online cleanse programs, workshops and retreats.
Jenna recognizes that yoga has powerful, therapeutic effects on the body and mind which can impact how we feel on a daily basis and how we show up in life. She believes that integrating the lessons learned on the mat into everyday life is the true medicine of this practice.
To find out more about Jenna's approach to holistic health, yoga, and plant-based living, checkout her website jennacarpenter.org
Nancy's Community Connection Project
Status: Current Project
Vision: My vision is to create a system that works with families and the community to successfully educate all of its students in a fun and loving way.
Outcomes: Working with a community that needs more support. Changing the lives of children to have a more fulfilled life. Using yoga to build bridges to connect people to their true identities and therefore they will be able to connect more as a community. To work with different age students to help them achieve their academic goals, to follow their passions and to give a positive contribution to society. To be a support their parents and to educate them as well on how they can better support their children's education. Introduce family yoga and offer workshops within the community.
Sarah's Passion and Empowerment Project
Project Status: Current
VISION: I direct my energy into a consistent path of passion that creates joy and satisfaction. I feel strongly that a young population is struggling from an age of environmental degradation and an overwhelming presence of technology leading to separation, lack of human connection, and loneliness. Violence is pervasive throughout schools and safety is a luxury instead of a guarantee. I hope to instill safety, connection, and belonging to a youth population through yoga. I would like to offer more light to the world especially youth in need of spiritual transformation and empowerment.
MILESTONES:
~Model a healthy lifestyle and consciousness to a youth population
~Serve myself and others from the heart
~Lead others in a direction of self discovery and care
~Demonstrate to youth how to recognize samskaras and free the mind
~Connect to the breath and share breathing techniques to improve quality of life and abate anxiety
~Continue to teach about the specific physical and psychological benefits of meditation and asana to improve lives
~Empower others through love and acceptance
About Sarah:
Skidmore College, B.A., Psychology, Columbia University, M.A., International Education Development
Sarah has practiced yoga for over 10 years and recently received her 300-hour yoga teacher certification with Kula Collective in Bali. While at Columbia University, Sarah studied International Education Development with a focus on Peace Education and permaculture. Sarah is passionate about experiential education and recently led youth on a community service trip through Costa Rica, as well as a gap semester in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
By: Sanni Shukraya
"As I already had a longer Unconditional Love project running in Finland, I decided to deepen it with Kula 300h YTT project request and give a bit more of my time for it for the last two months. As I sat down to meditate upon it I did receive an impression to organize something around gratitude as well as free expression and dance. I suggested my ideas for the Multicultural Center that we are collaborating with and they welcomed it with open heart."