Welcome to the Africa Yoga Project community! There are so many opportunities to join us from abroad, but even more exciting opportunities to come and work with us right here in Kenya!
We can't wait to welcome you to Kenya - Karibu! (Welcome!)
Falling in love with Kenya has nothing to do with the tangible aspects of the experience, I fell in love with Kenya because she taught me to be the person I have always wanted to be, igniting my truth, accelerating my teaching in a way I didn’t think was possible. AYP Teacher Training gave me the ability to see the courage, the beauty, the work, the rhythm and the joy of Kenya in my own soul. The motherland pulls back hard because it is there, on her soil, with her people, I have found the strength to the be teacher, leader, sister, daughter, wife, friend I always wanted to be. The paradox is not lost on me, even though I am there to teach, assist, educate…it is the people of Kenya that have taught me how to live my life. ON FIRE.
Laura Tropea
"What is happening here, every emotion has been sparked in this one short yet long, perfect day. We started our morning with a Safari ride, where I got to see animals that I dreamt of seeing when I was younger right in front of me. We then went to the Masai village, to help put the finishing touches on a school being built in the community. What followed was a ceremony on a pile of cow dung. I am not making this up. I am still laughing over this, happiness bubbling out of me. A group of 100 people jumping up and down over and over, in a big pile of poop. In a strange way it was perfect, an experience I am not sure I will know how to put into words when I go home. Tonight, I climbed to the top of the dinner tower and stared at the stars, naming the stars after people in the training. To remind myself that we are all bright lights in this world, when we part ways in 2 days they will still shine on in my heart. That I can look up and remember everyone and this time, very romantic novel vibes but that is what Kenya is doing to me - I am falling in love with this place, these people, but I am really falling in love with myself."
- 2017 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training participant.
June 4 - 13, 2020
Give Yoga. Give Support. Give Community. Give Hope.Amazing things are possible when people come together.
Give Yoga is a community based studio located in Ohio. We believe that receiving more than you imagine begins with giving everything you have. We’re traveling to Kenya to create and generate deep and lasting ties between people from all around the world. We know that giving and receiving knows no boundaries.
Host: Leah & Brian Westwater
July 16 - 25, 2020
Looking for a family trip that will be exciting and enriching at the same time? The 2020 summer service trip, Family Seva Safari, is what you and your family are looking for. This trip is a 10 day service adventure that will open up the hearts and minds of your family and reinvigorate the connection that you have to one another and to this world.
Host: Julie Kiddoo
Africa Yoga Project is excited to announce our 2020 summer service trip, Family Seva Safari, a 10 day service adventure that will open up the hearts and minds of your family and reinvigorate the connection that you have to one another and to this world.
Share FamilyTime flies. We’ve all said it. We are busy people with busy lives moving in a hundred different directions. We have created this Seva Safari to be an opportunity for family and friends to step away from the ordinary and into an extraordinary life changing adventure together. From morning yoga classes to afternoon service projects to evening wildlife game drives, this Seva Safari will spark the spirit of family fun, adventure and connection.
Share ServiceSomething remarkable happens when we come together for the purpose of being of service to one another. Whether it’s sharing a smile or a conversation, building a school or painting a wall, planting a garden or cooking a meal, when our hearts and minds invest in service to others, we discover the gifts we have to give to this world. We invite you to rediscover your gifts through this unique journey of service in the heart of Kenya.
Share ConnectionConnection is the unique quality that makes a Seva Safari experience one of a kind. The Africa Yoga Project has established an incredibly inspirational community of Kenyans and people from around the world. To be on a Seva Safari is to become a part of this amazing family. On this trip, you will connect with Kenyan families, your kids will play with Kenyan kids and you will create new friendships that will stay close to your heart forever.
Who Should Attend Seva Safari Family?Seva Safari Family is for adults and children 8 years and older. This trip is open to families at any level of yoga and/or travel experience who seeks to unite family through service, adventure and connection. It is open to all with a desire to engage in physical giving, listening, leadership training, and a cultivation life skills needed for continued personal growth.
Who are your hosts?The Kiddoo family has been avid supporters of Africa Yoga Project for many years. Julie attended her first Seva Safari in 2014 where she worked in a Maasai village in Amboseli. Once there she knew she needed to bring her whole family back to Kenya.
In 2017 all four of the Kiddoos attended family seva where they did service work at Flying Kites Orphanage. This experience was life-changing for them and they are excited about hosting Family Seva in 2020 and sharing this work with other families.
The Kiddoos reside in Vail, Colorado. They own Revolution Power Yoga, a Baptiste Affiliate yoga studio in Avon, Colorado. When not doing yoga The Kiddoos can be found skiing, swimming at the local pool, playing with their dog or sitting around laughing and having a great time.
What is the Cost of a Seva Safari?USD 1750 program fee for all participantsUSD 4,000 fundraising for participants 18 and olderUSD 500* fundraising participants 17 and under (*this is exclusively for the Family Seva Safari, all other Seva Safaris require fundraising of USD 2,000 for participants 17 and under)
August 5 - 15, 2020
This program is designed to bring together a diverse group of teens for the purpose of connection, discovery, empowerment and service!
THE PROMISE OF EYSS:You will be empowered to have a deeper connection with yourself, others and what it means to be of service. You will receive tools and develop skills to create more ease and freedom in your life. You will learn how to teach empowerment and mindfulness to others as a way to develop your leadership and potential. You will learn about the Kenyan and Maasai culture. You will make new friends all while having heaps of FUN on an adventure of a lifetime!
Hosts: Rachel Delong & Anne-Marie Desmond
You will be empowered to have a deeper connection with yourself, others and what it means to be of service. You will receive tools and develop skills to create more ease and freedom in your life. You will learn how to teach empowerment and mindfulness to others as a way to develop your leadership and potential. You will learn about the Kenyan and Maasai culture. You will make new friends all while having heaps of FUN on an adventure of a lifetime!
Youth grades 9th-12th
This trip will unite 10-12 teens from Colorado.
Details in a Nutshell
10-day Adventure in KenyaOne full day workshop on Empowerment and Mindfulness taught by AYP teachers and your hostsDaily Yoga and/or Mindfulness practiceExperience Africa Yoga Project Outreach Class & Home visit with AYP teacherService Project with and in a Local Community and in Maasai villageStay 2 nights in Amboseli National ParkSafari Adventure
What is the cost of a Seva Safari?USD 1,750 program fee for all participants - covers accommodation, food, park fees for Amboseli National Park, airport pick up and drop off, ground transportation once in Kenya
USD 1,000 fundraising for participants
You will purchase your own airfare. (all participants will travel together with Adult Hosts)
Fundraising covers service projects we will be working on and the continued work of Africa Yoga Project.
YOUR HOSTS
Rachel DeLong is a certified Baptiste Yoga Teacher who has a passion for working with youth and being of service. She has been an advocate and working with youth for 25 years. She teaches mindfulness in local high schools and has taken groups of youth to serve in Nepal and Cambodia. She has been a mentor for Africa Yoga Project for 7 years and travelled to Kenya for Seva Safari in 2012 and 2015. She works with TedxYouth Vail as a mentor and speaker coach and delivered her own Tedx talk in 2017. She lives in Eagle, Colorado with her two teen boys and her husband. In her free time she loves spending time in nature, mountain biking, running, and snowboarding with her family.
Anne-Marie Desmond has spent nearly 25 years in the field of education. She is a licensed classroom educator passionate about connecting with kids of all ages. Her experience in the Chicago, Denver and Eagle Public Schools inspired her to create UB.U, a local organization that builds hope, authenticity and connection through the power of mindfulness, brain health education and present moment awareness. She lives in Eagle, Colorado with her husband and three teenagers.
October 2021
Umoja means unity in Swahili. No matter where you come from, we are all one.
The concept of Umoja is that we are one unified human collective. We may have our own backgrounds, stories, likes and dislikes, but together we are one. Every yoga practice reminds us....we are one.
Host: Teresa Lynn
The concept of Umoja is that we are one unified human collective. We may have our own backgrounds, stories, likes and dislikes, but together we are one.
My name is Teresa, and I'm hosting a Seva Safari - a service trip - to Kenya in October 2020. The first time I went to Kenya, I had an amazing experience that I couldn't describe in words. Until I learned this concept of Umoja. Oneness. Unity.
I know yoga has the power to create Umoja. Once I am on the mat, I find a sense connection, calm and a healing that I can't find anywhere else.
The opportunity to see first-hand the good that AYP does for the African community was amazing; people come together from all over Africa and the rest of the world to share the practice, to learn and become self-sufficient in their lives. The experience was life changing, the feeling of community and the healing I saw was so deeply moving, now....
I'm going back, and I want you to come, too.
What is the Cost of a Seva Safari?USD 2000 program fee for all participantsUSD 4,000 fundraising for participants 18 and olderUSD 2,000 fundraising for participants 17 and younger