Kundalini Yoga Cambodia





    Outreach Activities

    In line with our aim and purpose, in 2007, the Kundalini Yoga Cambodia team has been
    able to involve in a number of outreach activities. Through these activities the team
    wants to make Kundalini Yoga and Meditation techniques available to people who need
    mental and physical help but who normally have no access to yoga and meditation
    based support.

    The activities are small scale, and also aim at giving the Cambodian team members the
    opportunity to contribute their teaching skills to the benefit of those groups in Cambodian
    society who are disadvantaged and less prosperous.

    Aziza School
    The Kundalini Yoga Cambodia team has started yoga and meditation classes at the Aziza
    School in the Tonle Bassac resettlement area.

    The area is the last part remaining of the degraded apartment buildings close to the Russian
    Embassy which provide a home for over 300 of the poorest families in Phnom Penh. The
    area could be called a slum with many very poor families, and the area is notorious for its
    brothels and the high rate of criminality.

    A large part of the area has been evacuated and demolished in the last years to make place
    for middle and high income housing and commercial buildings. What remains of the degraded
    area is under pressure from developers as well, and is likely to be removed in the beginning of
    2008.

    Although many of the inhabitants have official ownership titles to their property, this is either
    ignored or valued far below the current market value of this area. Some families who were
    removed at earlier occasions received (if anything at all) a small financial compensation (a few
    hundred dollars), or a small piece of land at a location 20 to 30 kilometers outside of the city.

    The Aziza community school is sponsored by the Cambodian Education Project, a small
    project funded mainly by donations, and mainly run with the help of volunteers. This project
    is a grass-roots effort to provide education and outreach programs to children living in
    poverty. Activities are designed to raise these children’s opportunities for their future through
    education and character building, to provide tools to avoid abuse/exploitation, and time to
    have fun in a safe, caring environment.

    The team conducts short yoga and meditation classes two evenings a week, for children who
    also attend the English classes running at the school at that time. The students are between
    7 and 20 years old and the classes, with boys and girls mixed, are lively events. The classes
    take place in ‘the drama place’ in the area, a semi-open space that is otherwise used as a
    garage. Sovannara is the main teacher for these classes.

    MCHC-Hospital
    Once every two weeks, on Friday afternoon, the team teaches a class at the Preah Sihanouk
    Mother and Child Health Care Hospital, also known as ‘The Japanese Hospital’. The class is for
    medical and administrative staff and focuses on stress relief, relaxation, and increasing
    flexibility and concentration.

    At the end of the working day, the classes always take place under some pressure, with some
    participants being late, and the room to be closed and locked in time. The focus on stress
    and relaxation comes naturally …

    These one hour classes are attended by 10-20 persons, of which about 10 are regular
    participants. The guiding practice is the “homework-sets”, a number of short series of
    breathing, exercise and meditation, that participants are stimulated to practice regularly at
    home. The participants enjoy the flow of the class, and acknowledge the immediate benefits.
    Regular practice at home is a challenge, though.

    Until now, Tonie has been teaching these classes with the support from Vannac and
    Sovannara. Vannac will take over as the main teacher, starting in December.

    Integrating Yoga and Meditation in Workshops and Group Activities
    The team has been asked to help with enriching a number of workshops and group activities
    with breathing, exercise and meditation activities.

    Focusing on concentration, relaxation, but also on deepening individual and inter-personal
    understanding, the team will participate in particular in workshops and group activities that
    relate to conflict resolution, social and cultural relationships, and capacity and identity building
    for individuals as well as groups.

    For these activities Tonie, Hanneke and Rita will be the main resource persons.


    Supporting the Kundalini Yoga Cambodia activities: more information:  click here
Updated: 10 12 2007
to top of this page
GO TO:  ACTIVITIES
GO TO:  SUPPORT