Karuna Yoga Teacher Training Fund

I fell in love with yoga at a time when I felt confused about my life purpose and powerless to make any real changes. I had just graduated, after a few years studying abroad, and returned to my home country, feeling out of touch, displaced and mildly depressed.

Yoga helped ground me. It helped me face and accept the changes and challenges life had thrown at me, and helped me keep my head above in situations that could have easily drowned and swept me away. It’s one of the most valuable life skills I have learnt, that has greatly enhanced my physical and mental health, in a simple yet empowering way.

I must admit, when I embarked on my first yoga teacher training, with the Tamare Smai School of Afrikan Yoga, it was for myself. I wanted to deepen my personal practice and knowledge, and although I was capable of teaching, and I did so for a few months, it was never my real intention. This time round, for my second yoga teacher training, with Karuna Yoga School, I intend to teach. I want to learn how I can best share a practice that has added so much value to my life.

This 200 hour Yoga Alliance Certified training provides the opportunity to study yoga anatomy, nutrition, yoga philosophy, teaching methodology and even the business side of yoga ! It addresses all the relevant topics I need to know in order to help people, with various body types and/or aliments, start their journey of healing. It will help me teach in a more impactful, balanced and sustainable way.

Taught by 2 women I greatly admire; Leyla Ahmet Meredith and Payal Gori, who have contributed to building a lasting yoga community in Uganda. Between the two of them, they have plenty of real life experience to share and provide a well-rounded and practical yoga teacher training.

I am excited for the opportunity to be able to do this training in my home country! Although it is tempting to take a course somewhere exotic, to do it at home makes it more applicable, and within the context I will be teaching in, so nothing will be lost in translation.

I hope to inspire more diversity within the growing yoga community in Uganda, by focusing my practice on enhancing mental health and wellbeing. I would like to work especially with youth struggling with addiction and depression, as well as people who give a lot of themselves into serving society, such as activists, social workers, special needs teachers, therapists, medical practitioners, among many others. The more local yoga teachers we have, the more impactful the practice of yoga, as well as self love, mindfulness and all the positive attributes that come with this practice, will have on my community.

If Doctors take years in school leaning medicine, how can we expect other health and wellness practitioners, such as yoga teachers, to take only one course and know it all? Learning must continuously happen. Help me continue my learning, so I can better serve my community!

All contributions, big or small, to my Yoga Teacher Training Fund will be greatly appreciated! I believe in the power of community, and it humbles me to accept that I am unable to do this on my own, I need your help!

From the bottom of my heart, Thank You!

Sincerely,

Liz Kamugisha