Check out this video about a medical NGO which started using yoga to help rape victims in Rwanda.
And this interview with Deirdre Summerbell who started it all.
Deirdre said yoga in Rwanda is a "conceptual void" so the women had no anticipatory skepticism. Deirdre started by doing some demonstrations and the women "were horrified!" But they threw themselves into it and loved it.
They teach Ashtanga yoga, taking the women through the fixed routine. It helps the women heal and reconnect with their bodies, as well as make them strong. She said "Yoga is slow medicine, but it is medicinal in character."
It's gone so well in Rwanda that they're now seeking funding to bring it to other places... (how about Penn!)
What a wonderful story about how yoga can help to heal deep trauma and also hopefully prevent abuse. It gives you perspective into how fortunate we are to have the ability and freedom to practice in such a loving environment. Thank you for sharing this.
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