Yoga for Reconciliation

George Okurut is a yoga teacher in vulnerable communities. He works with poor children in Kampala, Uganda. These projects have created yoga awareness, and mental health awareness, improving the livelihoods of people. George is a certified yoga teacher from S-VYASA Yoga University in India, and Satyananda Children's Yoga at Yoga Pura Vida in Tanzania.

- By George Okurut

My journey with yoga started in 2016 when I came to Kampala. I went to one of the dance communities and was introduced to yoga practice; I felt so attracted by it. The trainer, Bobby, told me that I would learn much more if I went to the National Theatre. There I met a lady called Bibotag, who explained the mentorship of yoga. In 2017, one of the teachers gave me a scholarship to be qualified as a yoga teacher for children at Yoga Pura Vida.

When I came back to Uganda from Tanzania in 2018, I developed my inner understanding and study of yoga to share with my community. I come from a background of domestic violence, trauma, stress, and depression; and I was also a victim of the war in northern Uganda for almost two decades. So yoga offered me a lot. When I blend yoga with dance, it gives me calmness and a deeper understanding of myself, so that I can be someone who is more transformative with my community.

What transformation happens with yoga?