Yoga Teacher Training Course in Nicaragua with the SchoolYoga Institute: December 28, 2007 - January 24, 2008
This month long TTCC is theoretical and experiential based. Trainees are advised to live in the yogic life for entire month and beyond and to experience all paths of yoga such as Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bakti Yoga, and Juana Yoga leading to a complete embodiment of virtues, strength, balance, serenity, peace, joy, happiness, contentment, and wisdom.

Yoga Tour in Samoa: March 25 - 31, 2008

During this tour lead by Kevin and Taialofa, you will visit some of the most beautiful villages in Samoa. You will have the oppurtunity to be part of an kava ceremony on the scenic 1-village island of Apolima and explore the wonders of Savaii

I have been living in beautiful Samoa since February 2006.My husband Peter is working with the Samoan Rugby Union and is currently traveling with the national team in France for the Rugby World Cup. We came over from Australia when we were four months pregnant with our daughter Amelia Jasmine.For the past year and a half, my life has become meaningful and spiritual and I feel very blessed.The lifestyle here is a slower and simpler one from the busy one I was living in Sydney.It has allowed me to embrace motherhood and spend quality time with my passions of yoga and massage. Good friend Taialofa's classes are based on the spiritual side of yoga, not just the physical side. Most locals attend church on Sundays and often more than once a week.My husband Peter, has experienced the rugby team holding hands and praying together at team camps and before games.Part of the word Samoa is "Sa" which means sacred in the Samoan."Fa a samoa" is translates to "the samoan way of life".  A life that is simpler, slower and based on family and church values.This has integrated into my life while living here. I am experiencing amazing daily joy since the birth of our daughter.  Without the commercialism and often busy stressful lifestyle of living in Australia, Samoa has allowed me to spend more time to enjoy the yoga lifestyle to the fullest. 

 Often the physical side of yoga is limited to Amelia's nap time, but I find I am living according to the yoga principles, which is what it is all about - not just doing asanas.

Yoga has allowed me to gain strength back into my body and embrace the changes that my body has undergone both during and after pregnancy.Being pregnant and breastfeeding after the birth has made me more tired than I ever thought I could be.Having a child and living in Samoa, has made me realize that life is meant to be lived in the present moment and also to listen to our bodies.Sleep if you are tired, eat foods that are good for you and give you energy, and spend quality time with family and friends.Yoga has been the fundamental part of my life that has restored my energy, body and good thoughts for each day ahead. 

My daily practice at my home in Samoa is looking out at my garden with palm, local lime, tiare and frangipani trees.As I stand in tree pose and breathe in the fresh tropical unpolluted air, I feel automatically calm.After being pregnant and giving birth (where your sense of dignity really goes out the window), and living in a country not based on how you look or what you are wearing, it has allowed me to change my previous perception of "doing yoga" more for the physical side ie. To get fit and look good, and instead focus on the connecting with my breath and my spiritual side.At the end of each of my practice I spend time, sometimes only 5 minutes, sometimes much longer, to sit and meditate.I have found myself often using the Samoan word "malu", which means "calm" as my mantra.  Breathing in on the Ma and exhaling on the Lu, I feel my thoughts and mind calm and focus on the present and look inwards.My prayers to God are to continue to be blessed as a mother, wife, healthy, happy, relaxed yogi enjoying my life in the beautiful islands of Samoa. Yoga may have started as a way to keep fit, but has gradually become more about energy, balance and spirit.It brings balance in my life, brings me peace and keeps me healthy and happy. Yoga reminds me to slow down and enjoy the everyday moments.

by Heidi Horne

Sweat streaming down in rivulets
Gathering at the base of my lotus.
Muscles strain
Stretch
Call out for help.

Breath arrives in the knick of time
And they sigh in relief.
A moment of nothingness
Is replaced with yet another cry
For release.

In the silence between breaths,
I drink deeply as my body's moisture
continues to pool at my knees.

My left leg is called forward,
And as body, mat, and sweat meet,
it slips beautifully into place.

Like strands of mala beads,
Each piece of silence is strung together and as the
Final breath is released -
I am wrapped in the sum of this moment.

Peace

The Art Miles Mural Project is above all else a Peace Project, therefore we launched it to the wider community of Samoa on the International Day of Peace with the help of the Pan Pacific South East Asian Women's Association of Samoa. The history of this project starts with my dear friend, Joanne Tawfilis, an American Lady, who was working in an orphanage in the town on Tuzla in Bosnia Hercegovina just outside Sarajevo in 1996. She was working for the United Nations on assignment to the Women of Srebrenica, and was working with an orphanage with 350 children. One day while she was painting with the orphans, a small curly haired child asked her if they could make a big painting. Joanne found a bullet ridden sheet that she was able to then put masking tape over the holes. With some leftover white paint she painted the background. Within hours, the children decided to create a mural and chose the theme, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. The children came alive and smiled and laughed for the first time together. It was this profound moment, when she retreated to a back room and shed tears and knew that this was going to change her life.

This one mural inspired her to create the Art Miles Mural Project. Groups would paint murals on 12 foot by 5 foot canvases to promote Peace. These murals would then be linked together one next to the other. It would then take 440 of these murals to create one mile. Eventually, this mile transformed into three miles, with each mile having its own theme and as it stands today there are 12 themes and 12 miles that are being worked on by people in over 130 countries and this year now in Samoa. Joanne and her husband, Fouad have continued to work at this project for more than ten years.

This Samoan mural is registered with the Guiness Book of World Records and in 2010 when all the various countries including Samoa, organizations, and supporters of this project bring their murals to Egypt. They will all be united into the longest painting in the world! Joane and her husband chose Egypt because of the historical and cultural significance of the area.All 5,280 murals will be joined together to create the 4^th Pyramid in Egypt. A modular weighted frame will hold exact size digitized images printed on color fast mesh fabric to protect them from the wind in what will be "The Exibition of the Century". The spirit of all the hundreds of thousands of painters will resonate around the planet!"

This project is in support of the The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Decade of the Culture for Peace and Non Violence Among Children of the World (2001-2010) The Art Miles Mural Project is a passionate and colorful ten-year movement combining the efforts of children and adults worldwide to promote global peace and harmony through mural art. Each hand and every mural aims to create and express a global voice to develop and advocate art rather than violence, cooperation instead of war and the continuation of life rather than death. Mile by mile across countries, borders and oceans, the Art Miles Mural Project has become the resonating artistic symbol for Peace.

by Kevin Petrini

The picture is of some of the delegates at the International Day of Peace in Samoa. In front of the mural is sitting from left to right in the front row is Naheed Atiq Haque (UNDP Resident Representative for Samoa, Niue, Tokelau and Cook Islands), Gatoloaifa'ana Amataga Alesana-Gidlow (Samoan Minister of Health), His Highness Tuiatua Tupua Tamasese Efi (Samoa Head of State), Tuala Malietoa (President of Pan-Pacific South East Asia Women's Association - Samoa), Matt Anderson (Australian High Commissioner to Samoa) and others including myself and Taialofa in the back row.

We are so pleased that we have been selected as one of the top 5 adventure retreats in the world by TimesOnline. Please Click here to view the article. It was written by the author ofBODY & SOUL ESCAPES, Caroline Sylge, which is a new book that Raw Shakti is in! This book is a great reference for finding somewhere for a real break. It is published by Footprints and you can order it from your local bookshop, or buy from www.footprintbooks.com

Raw Shakti trip leaders in Tibet

Bryan and Vedantin in tree posture in Tibet! They enjoyed the adventure through the high mountains and lakes and will be leading retreats to Tibet starting in August 2008.They live yoga and enjoy sharing the yoga lifestyle and nature while on retreat.






Youth Group doing Yoga on top of a mountain

On a sunny Saturday morning, we decided to do our yoga practice on the top of Mt. Vaea, a small mountain just outside the capital city of Apia. We reached the top after 30 minutes and we began our morning yoga practice. Along came a Samoan Youth group and we welcomed them to join us if they would like. To our joy they all did and so we lead a full session on top of the moutain with views of the ocean and the town of Apia to inspire us. What a fun and spontanious yoga session! 


Yoga with the Samoan National Netball team

We donated yoga sessions to the Samoan National Netball team during the South Pacific Games held in Samoa this past month. It was an honor to work with these top athletes to help them relax and focus. The picture is of Taialofa with the team.

• Tuesdays from 6:15-7:15 pm, 10 tala (US$3.75), Kevin
  
• Thursdays from 6:15-7:15 pm, 10 tala (US($3.75), Taialofa
  

•  Thursday from 10:30-11:30am, 35 tala (US$13.00)

Tadasana

Here on Apolima Island Duncan is in mountain posture. Apolima-tai, the smallest inhabited island in the Samoan Archipelago, is one magical place.  A tiny island, just the exposed tip of a submerged volcanic crater, Apolima has no cars, no roads, not even a generator to disturb its timeless sense of peace.  With only one village on the island, the sense of community is profound, and the islanders are as one family.

"To experience a yoga retreat with Kevin and Taialofa will awaken your soul.  Oming for the first time and afterwards opening your eyes is probably an experience one never forgets, like a lot of "firsts," and living and learning yoga with these positive, radiant teachers can provide such an enlightenment.  Not only will you expand your knowledge and understanding of yoga, no matter what your current level, you will grow on all levels as you interact personally with living Polynesian culture.  It is impossible to come away from a village stay in Samoa, without being surrounded by the love of new friends and family." -Duncan McIntosh, Captain S/VGood Karma

Garden Salsa

Serves 4-6      Vegan

This salsa is an excellent accompaniment to any meal.  Serve as a condiment with rice and bean or serve it with chips as an appetizer.  I recommend using all locally grown ingredients as salsa derives its character from the mingling of what you put in it.  I think using the freshest produce you can find will help ensure that the flavor is superb!

4 medium tomatoes diced (all shapes and colors welcome!)
3 tomatillos, diced
1 small onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 hot pepper, minced (jalapeno or cayenne are great)
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes at room temperature before tasting to see if you need to add salt or pepper.  Serve at room temperature with chips or as a condiment with dinner.

by Hana Massecar

Hana lives on a beautiful lake in New Hampshire with her partner, Erik (Taialofa's brother), and their 2 cats. She is an avid cyclist, food lover and overall outdoor enthusiast.She has been practicing Iyengar yoga since 2000.Her inspired cooking has been gracing tabletops and satisfying the hunger of many yogis. Enjoy her creations as we move toward healthier living!

Heidi's past has centered on her passion - travel.She spent three years studying a Diploma in Management (Tourism) and then the next ten years traveling around the world to over 60 countries for work and fun and adventure.While working as a tour manager in Australia and Europe, she introduced herself to yoga and meditation.Guiding herself through asanas from a yoga book, she had a yoga practice "on the go" in hotel rooms throughout different countries. Upon returning to Australia in 2001, she continued working in Travel and Tourism, but started a more regular practice of yoga through local classes. She also gained a number of Diplomas in Massage (Aromatherapy, Remedial and Remedial Therapies).After this Heidi felt drawn to a yoga certification course in Sydney. She worked as a tour manager and travel agent to help others have some of the amazing experiences that travel brought to her. In the same way, she wants to now share the benefits of yoga and massage. Heidi met Taialofa on one of the beautiful beaches on the island of Savaii in Samoa during her first month living here. This was the start of their friendship and of Heidi attending Taialofa's weekly class on the island.She also attended an amazing day long retreat with both Taialofa and Kevin.During the times Taialofa has been overseas from Samoa, Heidi has had a chance to lead her classes, and develop her teaching style, now inspired by the Raw Shakti style.

Tracey Shalit

Poetry was everywhere during my retreat in China.  This particular poem was inspired by our daily afternoon Vinyasa Flow series.  The heat and humidity were often as amazing as the mountains, sky, and the singing of the cicadas; one could only accept the moment.  Practicing yoga in this climate brought me many surprises and on this particular day I found myself in a full split, a pose that I had never come close to even as a limber child. Imagine my surprise!

Tracey has lived throughout the United States including Alaska, the West Coast, and now New England.  Her life is filled with family, teaching children, and Yoga!