Souljourn x Komera x Corc Yoga - Bringing yoga and opportunities to Komera
Guest Author: Jordan Ashley, of Souljourn Yoga, shares about her relationship with Komera, her experience teaching yoga teacher training to some of our Komera Team Members, and the new partnership between Souljourn Yoga, Komera, and Corc Yoga.
When we look at yoga's definition of “union” or working together, usually what comes to mind is the meshing of breath, body, and spirit. Being a yoga teacher for almost 10 years and having a charity for 7 has made me realize that the yoga practice is most potent and impactful when we take this idea off of the mat and into different corners of the world through collaboration. Hence, the Izuba Yoga Mat bag was born. This new partnership is the culmination of three different female founded enterprises/organizations (Souljourn Yoga, Corc Yoga, and Komera) who all, in their unique ways, work to elevate women through travel, education, and wellness by making basic human rights and needs accessible and possible.
Jordan teaching yoga while working with Komera in 2019
When we look at yoga's definition of “union” or working together, usually what comes to mind is the meshing of breath, body, and spirit. Being a yoga teacher for almost 10 years and having a charity for 7 has made me realize that the yoga practice is most potent and impactful when we take this idea off of the mat and into different corners of the world through collaboration. Hence, the Izuba Yoga Mat bag was born. This new partnership is the culmination of three different female founded enterprises/organizations (Souljourn Yoga, Corc Yoga, and Komera) who all, in their unique ways, work to elevate women through travel, education, and wellness by making basic human rights and needs accessible and possible.
My charity, Souljourn Yoga Foundation, has been working with Komera since 2017. Originally partnering as the on ground charity that we, Souljourn Yoga, donate to (we include donation per person that goes directly to young women’s education in the country our retreat is in), our time in Rwanda has been most impactful on both a personal and professional level. The holistic approach that Komera instills in the young women that they support on a multi-tiered level, be it through higher education, leadership camp, young mother empowerment, or the parent cooperative, creates deep roots for both internal and external achievement. This occurs not only for the individual girl, but her family and community as well.
Our Komera team’s experience doing YTT with Jordan of Souljourn Yoga in 2019.
In 2019 we launched our On the Ground Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) program where I spent two weeks with nine women comprising of Komera’s staff and social workers. Following the YTT these teachers were then able to expand and facilitate yoga classes throughout the Rwinkwavu community. During the teacher training, immersion participants learnt about the physical yoga practices, whereby shapes and sequences were self-designed to encourage empowerment, and to cement the idea that yoga is for every type of body, and every type of person.
With the opening of the leadership center and pandemic restrictions lightening, there was an opportunity to create a product that not only will help to fund the ongoing yoga education, that we want to bring back to Rwanda and Komera, but also to support the livelihood of Komera’s Parent and Guardian Cooperative Tailors. By introducing a new item the tailors were able to learn a new skill set with the making of the yoga mat bag. The final ingredient in creating the Izuba Yoga Mat Bag (Izuba meaning “The Sun” in Kinyarwanda) is Corc Yoga, an ethical and sustainable yoga mat company that created the world’s first 100% cotton and corc yoga mat. Christine Moghadam founded Corc as a way to give back as a percentage of every sale to support a variety of youth mental health programs in Portugal and abroad. Through Corc’s sponsorship of the creation of the Izuba Yoga Mat bag, we were able to go into production and officially launch the yoga mat bag for purchase this fall.
What’s so special about this product is how much impact it has. For instance, meet one of the makers, Fabiola (pictured above far right) of Komera’s Parent and Guardian Cooperative. After working with Komera to rebuild a relationship with her mother, Fabiola started learning how to sew from her mother. With this new skill, she began sewing women’s clothes and uniforms for school students, and selling vegetables at home. From all these sources of income, she bought her own sewing machine at 150,000RWF (approximately $150 USD) which gave her the opportunity to work and earn. Since then, her life has changed completely in ways she sometimes can’t even believe! Fabiola is one of the head makers of the Izuba Yoga Mat Bag. When you purchase one, not only are you supporting her, but also creating an opportunity to expand and relaunch our yoga teacher training. We are very proud and excited about this partnership and are grateful for the opportunity to support the Komera tailors in this new venture!