About six months ago, I set out to do what still seems like the impossible: raise $20,000 for sustainable relief efforts in Haiti, through Off the Mat, Into the World’s Global Seva Challenge.
I set out on this journey initially because I needed a project, a focus for my energy, a direction for my practice as a yoga student and teacher. I was going through a challenging time at my now-former job and wrestling with the urge to find a new higher purpose in life. I felt disconnected and disjointed and disoriented.
But as I quickly began to immerse myself in the situation in Haiti, which had largely faded from my memory and the public consciousness, replaced by new disasters, celebrity gossip, and the perceived chaos of daily life, I realized that this journey was a big part of that higher purpose I was looking for. This nation, virtually in our own backyard, continues to suffer immensely more than a year and a half after the devastating earthquake in January 2010.
Over the course of the roller coaster ride of the last six months, I made the decision to step out of my full-time non-profit job, my “comfortable” 9-5 life with yoga on the side, and jump in head first, spreading my wings as a yoga teacher, leader and activist. I unexpectedly began to rediscover my creative side, lost somewhere along the way between grad school, a professional career and the hum of urban life. I’ve created and am selling a line of handmade yoga-inspired jewelry to raise money for the cause and have even tinkered in graphic design and creative writing–things that never would have fit in my “old life.”
Through this incredible path of seva, with my focus squarely on the grave needs of the Haitian people, I have stumbled upon the most amazing unintended consequences. I’ve connected with people–both those I already knew and perfect strangers–on a different level. I’ve discovered a sense of community that I never imagined possible within my yoga family and the Off the Mat organization–support, encouragement, generosity and plain old kindness.
It’s also been interesting to watch some people close to me (and the closest, my inner critic) who perhaps saw this big challenge as just a little project, a temporary distraction, not a serious change of course. Certainly I would become bored and unproductive without structure, a schedule and clear direction. My monkey mind and indecisive nature would never allow me to follow through on this challenge….
I’m not there yet, and on the tough days, I wonder if I will make it. But then I remember…
for me, this has been a journey of love, back to my center, my true self and my deep connection with every other being on the planet. Discovering my voice, my creativity, my purpose.
And I’ve come to see that the cause I’m supporting is doing essentially the very same thing on the ground in Haiti. The funds we raise will provide training and loans to Haitian women to start their own businesses and rebuild better lives for themselves and their families. We will support a children’s art program that will help Haitian kids touched by the earthquake to express and empower themselves. And give a rural community new tools to sustain and empower themselves. We will be helping these Haitians find their own purpose and voice to make change, from the inside, based on their own needs rather than a framework outwardly imposed.
If I meet my fundraising goal by December 15 of this year, I’ll travel to Haiti with the Off the Mat team to work directly with the organizations–and the incredible, passionate individuals–these funds will support. I’ll have the opportunity to see this journey from both sides, the inner and outer transformation.
But whether I get to Haiti or not, it’s been quite a ride…
~Kristin Adair
Kristin Adair took a long and winding path to discover the transformational power of yoga and settle into the extraordinary and unexpected role of teacher. Trained as a lawyer and policy wonk, she now teaches vinyasa flow yoga classes in the Washington, DC, area and lives yoga by teaching outreach classes and engaging in seva.
All funds raised through the Seva Challenge will go directly to Off the Mat’s partners and projects in Haiti—from providing microloans to help empower Haitians to build businesses and better lives, to building and supporting a much-needed orphanage and community center, and installing water filtration systems to protect rural communities from cholera. Learn more about Kristin’s efforts and support her journey at www.tohaitiwithlovedc.org.
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