When my feet landed on the cold cement floor I could hear the familiar sound of chanting and the smell of incense on the breeze…
4 am was the new 6 am, when I’d make my way to the Gompa room for my early morning yoga practice…
The ornate Gompa Room where the teachings and practice of yoga and meditation happened...
For the past eight months the Ganden Yoga Chozin Buddhist Meditation Centre, Pokhar, Nepal had become my home as the resident yoga and meditation teacher.
This small cabin… Well, it really was nothing more than a cement slab, four sheets of fibro and a tin roof, but it was my place of solitude. Yes freezing in winter!!
But hey, what did I have to complain about!! Only two doors away lay Siru, a 16-year-old Nepalese girl who just learnt her fate to be married off…
The family who took Siru in: Gyanam, Krish, Kiran, Krishtina, Parbati
Siru had arrived in Pokhara five years before from a remote hilltop village, hoping to go to school…
Luckily, Parbati and Gyanam who owned Lemongrass Guesthouse took her in.
They had four-year-old twins at the time and were living in one room; however, they still housed her…
Now, five years on with their own family getting older they could no longer financially support or house Siru…
It couldn’t have come at a worse time!
Siru was about to sit her year 10 exams and was hoping to get high enough marks, which would qualify her for a private school education…
Believe me, this is no easy feat for a young Nepalese girl!! But if anyone could do it, it was Siru… And she did!!
Now where would the money come from??
Sadly Siru was packing her bag to return to the village, where her aunty and uncle were planning her marriage.
The Chaudhary Family. Siru (far left) with her aunt and uncle, sisters and cousins. All living in this humble little home. The four girls at the front: Usha, Roshani, Reshma and Shivadata. The young boy has a heart condition, his medical treatment is also covered by Yoga For The Soul Retreats.
Poverty often results in young girls being married off to much older men.
Her aunt and uncle had four of their own children and had taken Siru’s two younger sisters in five years prior, another mouth to feed sadly wasn’t an option…
Having had one too many sleepless nights knowing Siru’s fate, I had to do something!
It would cost approximately US$700 to accommodate, feed, clothe and educate Siru for this first year…
So, as I had recently discovered Facebook, I put it to work…
And of course, I got an overwhelming response from all those big hearted and generous folk… THANK YOU!
WAIT FOR IT, IT GETS BETTER! Siru as grateful as she was asked if the money could go towards her young cousin instead… Now, how could I let her sacrifice her own future to give her cousin a chance in life…
“How much could one more YOUNGER child cost I thought”. Well as it turns out she was referring to three cousins and her two sisters… US$700 would actually cover those kids, but not Siru…
FAST FORWARD three years to 2018… There are four kids (five out of the seven kids are receiving assistance) getting a private primary school education and Siru has fallen in love and married. 👨👨👧👦 📚
So when you join a Yoga For The Soul Retreat, you’re actually “paying it forward” and empowering the lives of five young children of Nepal…
The more trips I can run, the more children I can support!
You can make a difference and have a FANTABULOUS experience, while doing so!!
Come and join me 30 Sep - 13 October 2018 for a life changing Nepal Yoga Retreat, which pays it forward and prevents young girls becoming child brides!!!
Don’t miss the early bird price for this year's Nepal retreat! If you're one of the first 8 to book before before 7 July 2020 you’ll save US$500. Click here to read more and secure your spot.
Give me a call on 0435 549 108, let's have a chat... or email me on chetana@yogaforthesoulretreats.com.au
Or simply click the button bellow, you won't regret it!
PS: If you enjoyed this blog click the like button below then share it with those you care for who can also enjoy and benefit from it. 😊