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Blessings of Grace - April 2006

Surprising and serendipitous events which manifested during my recent group retreat to Guatemala have caused me to reflect on how the subtle seeds we plant in our lives manage to poke through and find their way to the sun. In the last newsletter, I spoke of my desire for The Yoga Barn to be a vehicle for community outreach. As part of that vision, the eleven of us on retreat, went with the intent to help with restoration post October's devastating mudslides. We brought school supplies, about $1,000 in donations, and our willingness to help. Most of us imagined ourselves removing piles of rock and debris, painting school buildings, hauling water. However, I'm learning that much like planting a garden, it's important to sow the seeds of our aspirations, and then leave plenty of space for grace to sprout colorful blooms of her own.

A week into our ten-day adventure, we hiked up to the mountain village of Santa Cruz la Laguna. As it turned out, this was not one of the communities that had been hard hit by the earthquake, but they were still very much in need of our resources. We were greeted by Pat, the head of Amigos de Santa Cruz, an organization made up of Americans who have adopted this Mayan pueblo in the poorest region of Guatemala. In the seven years that Amigos has been active, they have provided educational and medical services, work opportunities, and increased the quality of life in the village considerably. Before Amigos, only two or three children in Santa Cruz advanced beyond the second grade. Now there are 28 sixth graders, and a handful of high school graduates. One of the teachers, a Santa Cruz native, gained his degree at University and has returned to help his people. We found ourselves surrounded by bright-eyed and excited children, clamoring for us to take their pictures and proudly showing off their schoolwork.

Our heartwarming reception was followed by a tour of the town; the new library, freshly painted, though light on books, and then finally the computer lab. The lab was nothing more than a sparse, blue cubicle furnished with a handful of outdated and for the most part non-functioning computers. Clearly, there was an intention to introduce the world of technology to this remote pueblo, but lack of funds and proper equipment has made it more of a virtual reality. It was here that grace's bud blossomed. Janelle and Jeanne, two of the participants in the retreat, both with strong ties to Microsoft, deftly stepped in. I watched them brainstorm with Pat about what was needed to make this an updated, networked lab, and I could see that with their connections, they could and would make this dream come true.

In that moment, I realized that the impetus behind my choosing to hold the retreat at Villa Sumaya, and the gathering of this particular group of women was rooted in a design much greater than my personal vision had encompassed. Since our return, Jeanne is considering moving to Guatemala to devote her life to service work. Judy, another of the retreatants is heading back in June to volunteer her skills as a physician's assistant, joining a larger medical team.

Yoga encourages us to serve; to act with consciousness in our lives, and in our community, without being attached to the fruit of our actions. Sowing seeds of hope, love and inspiration is fertile soil for good things to grow, be it a computer lab, or the magical healing that comes from discovering that with a willing heart and a little help from grace we really can make a difference in the world.

For more information on Amigos de Santa Cruz, please check out their website at:
www.amigosdesantacruz.org

Blessings,

The Yoga Barn, Inc.
Robin Rothenberg, Certified Yoga Instructor
660 NW Gilman Blvd., Suite C6, Issaquah, WA  98027
Studios located in both Issaquah and Fall City
Phone: 425.427.0038  -  Fax: 425.427.0613
E-mail: info@yogabarn.com  -  Web: www.yogabarn.com

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