Yoga Stops Traffick

If you remember we did a Donation Led Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Class at The Yoga Shala in Winter Park, Florida on March, 12th this year in order to raise money for Yoga Stops Traffick, in order to help stop human trafficking in India.

See Sean Cleere's Email Below to find out how the money collected is being used:

Dear Yoga Stops Traffickers,

We hope this email finds you all well and we would like to, once again, thank you for all your amazing efforts for YST 2011.

Amazingly, funds are still coming in from the 93 events around the world, which you organised, participated in and made such a huge success. The last count was roughly £30,000, which constitutes about two-thirds of Odanadi India's annual running costs! This is a huge achievement, so well done!

The following list should give you a better idea of the crucial ways in which your financial contributions are helping Odanadi India:

• First and foremost, a significant portion of the money raised from YST will go towards PREVENTION, a cornerstone of Odanadi's work in the fight against human trafficking. Through its 60 pioneering village vigilance committees (which cost thousands to run each year), Odanadi will be able to continue its work, educating and empowering some of the most vulnerable communities in southern India – including the Dalits and Adivasi tribal communities. There have been times when Odanadi has had to stop its crucial prevention work due to lack of funding, so this is a hugely significant achievement for them and you.

• Over £1,500 will be spent each year on rescue operations. This includes transportation costs and financial support for those rescued and reintegrated. A further £1000 pays for legal fees incurred by Odanadi as it takes action against traffickers in the courts.

• £9,000 will pay for all the food for the residents at Odanadi for a year, currently 60 in total. With food inflation running at over 10% this is vital. The residents are also working to grow their own organic food and your money will also help with this.

• £1,000 pays the salary of the cook for a year.

• £2,000 will pay for the upkeep of the buildings at Odanadi for a year. This includes repainting large parts of the building, repairing the floor in the kitchen and fixing broken windows.


• £1,500 pays for a counsellor for a year. The counsellor deals with family disputes, domestic violence issues as well as working with the residents to help with their issues and concerns.

• £2,000 pays for the education of the children. This includes materials such as book and pens and also the fees for the five residents currently studying at university. Informal education also takes place. In this picture the residents are working on a project where they say what they like at Odanadi and what they would like to do in the future. Many of them want to be doctors, teachers or social workers.

• There is also a range of other rehabilitation activity that the students also partake in, such as yoga, art therapy, ceramics, dance, drama and Karate!

• Lastly and most importantly, every remaining penny, dollar and cent will be needed for The Boys' Home Fund, which is one of Odanadi's most crucial – and ambitious – fundraising projects. The Odanadi boys currently live in temporary mud structures on a piece of land just outside Mysore. They have been waiting years to build a safe, permanent home with basic necessities such as electricity, running water, bathrooms, a kitchen, and new dormitories so Odanadi can provide a home for up to 60 more boys and young men, so many of whom are desperate need. The cost of the project is an estimated £90,000, so every penny you have raised counts!

Donation Yoga Class - Saturday, March 12th at The Yoga Shala in Winter Park, Florida

Every Saturday from 11:00-12:00pm, The Yoga Shala in Winter Park hold a donation only yoga class.

100% of proceeds benefit a non-profit organization in need. On Saturday, March 12th our Donation yoga class will focus on Odanadi, and Yoga Stops Traffick - a non-profit organization in India focused on helping to stop human trafficking in India.

YOGA STOPS TRAFFICK is a global yoga event being held on March 12th 2011 in more than 80 locations around the world, to raise awareness about human trafficking and show support to its millions of victims. All proceeds will be donated to Mysore anti-trafficking organization, Odanadi Seva Trust.

ONE DAY, ONE VOICE is our ethos. Last year’s founding event was led by a group of young Odanadi residents from the entrance gates of the iconic Mysore Palace – many of whom are survivors of slavery, domestic abuse and forced prostitution. Through the common language of yoga, 1,500 people around the world rolled out their mats in homes, beaches and mountaintops on the same day, in support of Odanadi’s work. And so from the home of Ashtanga Yoga, a worldwide event was born.

ASHTANGA YOGA is of huge significance to the young people of Odanadi. As part of their groundbreaking rehabilitation program, it has allowed them to reclaim their bodies: build physical and mental strength, and restore a sense of peace, confidence and self-worth.

UNITED AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKINGBy standing alongside Odanadi on March 12th, you will be demonstrating your solidarity and support for them, as well as sending a message of defiance against the serious, rapidly escalating exploitation of women and children in India – and around the world.

This unique event has already generated enormous international support, with YST events taking place in London, New York, Miami, Orlando, Washington, Rome, Barcelona, Sydney, Osaka, Bangkok, Vancouver and Sao Paulo – to name a few!

Odanadi co-founders Stanly K.V. and Parashuram M.L. say that, “when human relationships begin, cooperation and coordination begins”. Stanly says: “Yoga Stops Traffick is paving the way for the creation of new relationships across the globe. By promoting our mission at an international level we will be able to do more than we ever thought possible."

Parashuram adds: "We may not share the same culture, language or grass roots problems, but Yoga Stops Traffick shows that human suffering transcends these differences. Humanity is our common ground and the more people learn about our work, the more things will change."

There is a SUGGESTED donation amount of $20.00. Please call Krista 407.506.4626 to register and save your spot! Krista Shirley will be donating her time teaching this led Ashtanga class to benefit this wonderful organization.

For any more information regarding this event or The Yoga Shala in Winter Park, you can visit the website http://www.theyogashala.org