Happy Tuesday
We’ve reached the halfway point of our time in Kenya. On one hand it seems like we’ve just arrived, and on the other, it seems like we’ve been here a lifetime. The relationship and bond we’ve created with the kids is deep and personal. Today started EARLY, Like 4:30AM early… I couldn’t sleep- so I woke up and went downstairs to read and prep for day. It began with a 7AM yoga class taught by yours truly. We focused on the Sanskrit word and concept of Abhyasa or practice. Specifically two aspects of Abhyasa. One being focusing on the practice of right action and secondly the idea behind practice is that is when you practice something daily it really means that’s is a priority in your life. Our time here in Kenya has been a practice of right action, through helping with money, time, love and physical effort.
Later on in the afternoon we joined the children at school to help with their lessons. This was such an eye opener for me. The school itself had only 6 classrooms in total and was on church property. As we drove up the driveway, they children were on recess running, laughing, playing, and rolling old tires around and just plain ole having fun. Once break was over we jumped into class with them as they learned how to count. I was blown away by how amazing and dedicated the teacher was she. She kept every students involved and kept it lively! They were dancing every few minutes and singing songs when the students answered was correctly! The amount of interaction was just awesome! After lesson, we helped the teachers feed the students. I was able to see with such clarity the amount of Abhyasa the teachers had committed to on a daily basis. The children truly are a priority in their life. The energy behind what these women were doing was flowing with great force. It was a beautiful thing to see.
After school we met the kids back at the orphanage to have an “Arts and Crafts” day. Lindsey brought tons of crayons, construction paper, markers and coloring books. This went on until dinner, at which point I was informed that the kids named me Thiango – Which really has no special meaning, it’s just a Kenyan name like Michael or Robert. I asked why they named me, and the house mother shook her head, smiled and said it means they care for you and wanted to call you something other than uncle(or they just couldn’t say Anthony and made something up!). This just warmed my heart. For me it solidified my being there. It meant that we were having an impact. As the day wound down, I once again found myself thinking about Abhyasa and how powerful it really can be. All the little things done over and over again out of love and devotion, how out of keeping concepts and ideas a priority in our life they end up manifesting into such powerful energetic forces. All year we talked about building a home for these lil people. All year we kept to our daily practice of yoga and awareness. We kept spreading the word, we led classes, we led fundraisers, and the result is this. A community, a family and home being built that literally didn’t exist three months ago. Lindsey had a vision. And through her dedication and unwavering belief in it, it has become something real and meaningful.
Abhyasa is not about results. It’s about showing up daily, and taking right action, because you believe in it, it’s about making those rights actions and beliefs the cornerstones for which you live your live. I believe the results, aren’t all that important when you live your life from such a place. But every once in awhile, the results of our practice show up in ways that can’t even be described on paper. They show up in ways that literally change the course of 25 little lives forever…
With love Thiango ;)
(Anthony Chavez)
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Awesome to read Anthony! Thanks for sharing your experience and the sweet photos!!!
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