The project started
in 2012 with an idea to teach refugee boys at a center for minors. Not having a clue what to do we wrote to Brit Kim,
a great ART Excel teacher and expert in children’s yoga in Denmark and she sent us
a wonderful program outline. With great
enthusiasm Anna and Judi set off for their first yoga class, program in hand.
What followed was complete chaos!
The instructions said clearly - ‘sit in a
circle for bhastrika with relaxed happy faces and show the children what to
do’. The reality was a circle of boys laughing, rolling over, hitting each other
and generally going crazy.
But classes
continued and slowly the boys grew more enthusiastic about yoga asanas,
breathing and the games that were part of each session. And more importantly they became more
involved in the Art of Living family in Athens and the whole thing grew from a
project to a love affair.
Then came the
bright idea of raising funds for an ART Excel course on a Greek island. We invited
a lovely German teacher called Anita Forster and this great lady also raised
money for the project plus we combined refugee boys with children from AOL
Athens. The whole course was a huge success and the youth wing of AOL Athens
was born.
The following year
we organized the first Yoga Rave to raise money for an island course and ‘our
boys’ ran the donations at the door and the juice bar plus performing a wonderful
rap dance as we’d organized for them to attend dance classes and a martial arts
course which they loved. Their dance performance brought the house down.
So the project
grew and when we opened an AOL center in Athens the boys were very involved in
setting it up and offered invaluable assistance. Their yoga classes worked much
better in the center which they had come to regard as their own and they took a
real interest in the place and enjoyed going there.
As the years pass
other interests have taken over but they continue with their yoga although Judi
is very used to them arriving on a Friday and saying ‘I won’t be able to relax
or do anything this week - too much going on. I only came to make you happy but
please don’t expect anything from me’.
‘Fine, fine’ she
says, ‘just come in and let’s see’. Yoga starts, bhastrika, breathing and Yoga
Nidra. Judi then tiptoes around the class putting blankets over sleeping boys
and very often it’s an hour before someone stirs and tea and biscuits are
handed out.
The list of
achievements of these wonderful boys is endless: two Art Excel courses, one Yes
course, great proficiency in yoga, seva projects including helping newly
arrived refugees, translating, sorting donations and raising money for several
of our projects plus helping organize the Christmas party. One of the older boys, Ramin was recently reunited
with his family in Germany and they will shortly move to Hamburg. He is currently teaching yoga and looks
forward to involvement with AOL Hamburg when the family settles there.
It’s true to say
that these boys have a place in the heart of AOL Athens. The dream is that one
day they will have the necessary papers to be able to go to the ashram in
Germany and meet Sri Sri Ravi Shankar himself who they have known for so long
and so come to love and admire. They are
part of this wonderful AOL family and will be forever.
(From Art of Living Greece Chapter)
log on to http://www.artofliving.org/world-culture-festival
