Getting lost, eating falafel, doing yoga

So here we are in Jerusalem.  Kathleen arrived two days ago, and we have been planning and working non-stop.  Kathleen has been a trooper -- the jet lag is ferocious, but she has been present and working hard.  I have never met someone as relentless as she is with her camera.  Is there a picture to be taken?  She takes it.  I am so glad she is here with me.  

For instance, she perfectly captured our first night together in Jerusalem: falafel in East Jerusalem!

I admit that the giant vat of boiling oil right next to the very busy sidewalk frightened me a little, and I said a silent prayer of thanksgiving for OSHA laws in the US, and for whatever organization prevents sidewalk boiling oil in Canada.

Kathleen got an amazing first Jerusalem experience on Shabbat!  She had no reason not to snap photos on Shabbat since she is Catholic, so she captured some amazing images of Erev Shabbat.

We spent a long time at the Damascus gate, sharing a bench with a group of older Palestinian women who smoked cigarettes and laughed, quite possibly at our goofiness.  Their great energy gave us the oomph to make our way back to the hotel via the Damascus Gate.

East Jerusalem souk was very busy, full of people from everywhere.  We walked home along the Via Dolorosa.

Yesterday was yoga day.  Gilad Harouvi taught an Ashtanga workshop at Zman yoga, we had signed up a long time ago, but we almost didn't make it.  We almost overslept.  Kathleen almost succumbed to jet lag.  We got thoroughly lost.  We saw an elderly woman fall and hurt herself, and we had to figure out how to call Israeli 911 (101, as it turns out), and then we had to enlist an Israeli woman who was willing to talk on the phone on Shabbat to talk to the hospital, and we almost gave up when we realized there was no working ATM on Shabbat so we didn't have the money to pay for the workshop!  But we soldiered on.

Thank goodness we did, because we met the hilarious and inspiring Gilad Harouvi.  

Please note that I will soon be teaching a workshop on Yoga of the Jedis, thanks to Gilad's frequent Star Wars references.  How is mula bandha related to Luke Skywalker mastering the force on Dagobah? You will just have to wait until I get back to learn.  Trust me when I tell you that the relationship between the two just transformed my practice.

I am so grateful for the connection to Zman Yoga and its owner Merav and Gilad!  Kathleen and I are sore, happy and inspired today!  Onward to Bethlehem and more yoga!

Meet Guest Blogger Karen Zivan!

Karen Zivan is the amazing Israel coordinator for OTYF.  She and I are soul sisters, bonded by laughter, long car rides, sweaty yoga classes, and beautiful Shabbat dinners. Her family adopted me last year, and no matter where I go in the world, they live with me in my heart.


You can read her wonderful blog posts about her life in Israel with her beautiful family at http://zivansinisrael.blogspot.co.il/

Here is what she had to say about our powerful post-yoga dinner and meeting last night:


Taking no sides...
by Karen Zivan
Finally Ruthie arrived, which is funny because her plane landed an hour early and she was forced to wait for me.
I was so anxious to see her, as I never really got to wish her a Mazal Tov on getting married, but personally for me, our Olive Tree work takes me quickly to a place of purpose....I help Ruthie navigate the roads, but honestly she is my human GPS, emphasis on HUMAN. She finds people and situations, not on any map, I like to think that together we create and find our own new terrain, Manifest Destiny in The Middle East....Thelma and Louise Israeli style.
Last night was no exception, as we gathered in Chaya Bracha's Power Flow Yoga studio in Jerusalem, for Ruthie's class.  We met a woman studying Judaism, Anthropology and Women's Peace dialogue as it relates to Jewish and Palestinian woman.  Could this be me with a spunky curly haircut and a confidence level that has no height limit?  Nope, this is Rachel Feldman, a woman who we are sure will be initiating change and peaceful communication in this world.  A woman full of hope and spirit to make the world a better place.
 After class, together with Rachelle Tratt, a friend from last years post yoga class schmooze and brainstorm sessions at Aroma on Emek, we went to Derech Hebron, (how fitting....the. Road to Hebron....signifying of course all of our desires to be on that road of peace our Fathers and Mothers laid out for us) wine and salad and conversation which I hope would make anyone proud....non stop discussion of ideas on how to help people come to the simple realization that we are humans living in this world, and better to do it peacefully....final conclusion of the evening, peaceful dialogue is powerful and can be delivered powerfully by women...not only by using peaceful verbal communications, but to include what brings everyone together- movement of bodies to the grace of the message.  Yoga is an excellent example of that power.
We clicked glasses and said LChaim with conviction,  I am sure there was no exception in our group of mixed backgrounds, experiences and ages....LChaim, means life, and how much better to live life with peaceful thoughts.
Thank you again Ruthie for being here and being my HUMAN GPS, I remain in the clouds even before I leave  to teach yoga to Jewish youth in America...my message is stronger and clearer....no matter what side of the world, or the fence, or the road to peace,  peaceful communication-combining  verbal dialogue  and the tender release of the physical body  increases the power to change.
I salute Olive Tree and may we all live to have the blessing of seeing Olive Tress growing everywhere in the Middle East.

Let the adventure BEGIN! -- by Ruthie

I (Ruthie) am headed off to the airport to begin this summer's teaching adventure!  As the trip progresses, you will see more blog posts from the other teachers and ambassadors.  We will let you know each time who is writing and where we are!  Stay tuned -- awesomeness awaits!

How a free massage saved my life and why YOU need to know about OTYF, by Amber Thompson, OTYF teacher and ambassador!

This summer I am embarking on a journey to share my voice and gifts with Israelis and Palestinians with Olive Tree Yoga Foundation. This is my story of how I joined the amazing troop of ladies traveling to the Middle East, summer 2012.  

 

2010 simply put, was 'not my year'. I had the bare necessities to survive, but I was essentially disconnected from everything. All the cliches: ended a long-term relationship, gained 30 lbs, was in debt, couldn't afford a place to live, I was sleeping in a friend's basement. Then I lost my job and that was it. I sunk so low that I wouldn't even tell my close friends or family because I was too embarrassed. Deep in a depression, I thought very seriously about ending my life. I was so disconnected from my family that I couldn't even turn to them. I went to the one place where I always felt part of something, Ruthie's yoga class. Ruthie is one of those people that truly is lit from within. The type of person who accepts you as you are, but also nudges you to grow. That perfect blend of encouraging and nurturing. She was my only light that day.  I drove to class, rolled out my yoga mat, and continued felling sorry for myself. She guided the entire room through a beautiful yoga sequence, she talked often of possibility and opportunities. Her words landed with me. Perhaps I too could have opportunities?  That day was a special day at Bliss Flow (the studio where she teaches) and to celebrate, one lucky yogi in the class got a free massage. I won. Ruthie read my name and I started to cry, I turned to the class and told them, "I lost my job this week", six words that started to transform me because they were the truth.

 

Ruthie grabbed my hand and said, "this is just the beginning, what is it that you've always wanted to do but were too afraid?", and I replied, "I need to be a yoga teacher", she said, "yes, that is what you will do".  By speaking my truth,  it allowed someone to believe in me. She has a spirit of sparking people. I was symbolically 'on fire'. I took the plunge and took the training, I started following my heart instead of worrying about everything. Before I even finished my first training I was hired. Things were unfolding in the most organic and natural way.  I felt joy again. I felt at peace and yes, I became an awesome yoga teacher.

 

Ruthie has continued to be an inspiration and mentor. When she started OTYF, I knew I had to lend my voice and pay forward the gifts her teaching gave me. I basically told her I was coming along to the Middle East. OTYF and  Ruthie showed me there is always opportunity, even in your darkest hour you can claim and create your life. For me, it started with a massage, a message and a light (Ruthie).

 

OTYF is a small non-profit, your contribution goes a long way. Please follow our journey as we bring unity, strength, and possibility to Israelis and Palestinians through the practice of yoga. Can yoga change lives? It definetly changed mine.

 

-Amber Thompson Yoga Extraordinaire

Meet Anastasia, an OTYF teacher and ambassador!  Anastasia has been to Baptiste Level 2, is a powerful teacher and motivator, and calls on us all to stay present and dedicated.  Anastasia has also been to Israel and Palestine before, and has been a big part of encouraging the other teachers to come this year.  Thank you, Anastasia!

Anastasia writes:

I started yoga at a weird time in my life. Or at least, it seemed like that to me. After having swum competitively for almost six years, I was damaged goods. I had too many injuries to continue swimming and was looking for an activity that would keep me somewhat fit and would not damage me any further.

I came to yoga closing my mind off to my body to ignore the pain from my injuries. I had also just transferred from one university to another. So mentally I was in a place of serious unease and I came to yoga closing myself off from others.

I have worked through the pain and the injuries. I have even started to heal those injuries and work through scar tissue. It has been amazing how my body has transformed in yoga and how that goal of being “somewhat fit” has been surpassed.

But the most thrilling, prominent and impacting change yoga has brought me has come from how I relate to other people. I am no longer closed off. I no longer let my weird high school days disturb me. I no longer fear interactions. I came to see that life doesn’t happen when you’re sitting on the sidelines. Life happens when you’re out and about in the world, doing things with other people, talking with those around you and engaging with your world.

The process by which I came to all these revolutionary ways of being and acting is a whole long saga, one with which I am not going to bore you. But even as I sit here typing this short post, I am getting antsy and restless thinking out how I want to be out THERE in the world and not in HERE at my desk by myself typing. For this reason (and millions more) I am going to Israel and Palestine with the wonderful Ruthie Goldman Van Wijk and the Olive Tree Yoga Foundation. Part of my purpose here in this life is to be out there with people, engaging them and connecting with them. I aspire to be that person who hears and sees others so that others may be reassured that they have made a connection with someone. Any connection, no matter how brief, is worth cherishing. I feel weird doing these things, but this is a weird I genuinely love.

In the midst of conflict and controversy, human connections are more often than not ignored. And because yoga is the medium by which I opened myself up again, yoga is the medium by which I will be connecting with those people whose lives have been forever changed by the conflict in the Middle East. As Dr. Seuss once said, “A person is a person, no matter how small.” I am aiming to see those small people. 

Meet the Amazing Lora!

Lora Kuehl is instrumental in OTYF's daily functioning: from Facebook postings to supporting the teachers as they get ready to leave for the Middle East, Lora is behind all of it.  She arranges, she nurtures, she plans, she keeps us on track, and calls for us to be BIGGER and more PRESENT in our mission!  Here is what Lora writes about her involvement in OTYF:


"Before I even knew the complete mission of Olive Tree Yoga Foundation, I supported it and was willing to help in any way I could. Why?  I recently completed one of those personality quizzes, to determine my typical role and persona in a working type of environment. I discovered that I am loyal, a nurturer at heart, a peacekeeper, and a seeker of harmony. This came as no surprise to me, but was a refreshing reminder of my core values,which align well with those of Olive Tree. My future with Olive Tree is continuing to share any knowledge and abilities I can to help plant seeds and watch them grow, nurturing new plots of peace throughout Israel and Palestine, and wherever it is most needed, through the sacred practice of yoga."

Thank you for being a part of OTYF, Lora!  

You can reach Lora via the info email: info(at)olivetreeyogafoundation(dot)org!

The OTYF team has been hard at work this spring.  At least 5 new teachers and OTYF ambassadors are heading to Israel and Palestine in July!  Our home base in Madison, Wisconsin BUZZED with activity during June: garage sales, giant classes, meetings and organization for the trip.  OTYF supporters packed Bliss Flow Yoga -- our Madison, Wisconsin home base -- for a good-bye class for me on June 15.  I moved to London, Ontario to spread the OTYF love into Canada!

Check out the love in this picture!  These yogis are committed to being present, committed to working hard to support OTYF's mission: bringing yoga where it is needed most!

Stay tuned for updates on our new teachers!