I spent the weekend with many amazing people, including one particularly quiet, wise and phenomenal man, B.K. Bose.
B.K. founded the Niroga Institute, a non-profit organization that brings Transformative Life Skills to students, vulnerable youth, cancer survivors, seniors and people battling addiction. The work of Niroga directly uplifts thousands of people every week in schools, juvenile halls, homeless shelters, cancer hospitals and rehab centers.
He believes that stress and trauma determine our health status. And that income inequality, institutionalized racism and the breakdown of family structures are making children sick. One million young people pass through the school-to-prison pipeline each year. One in two young people in inner cities drop out of school. School failure can lead to substance abuse, homelessness and juvenile delinquency. Adult criminality often follows. The lifetime cost per drop-out is $260,000. B.K. studies, designs and conducts research aimed at healing and transforming underserved communities. The solution? Integrating mindfulness and movement. In other words, yoga.
My kids already know how to ‘breathe like a wave’…Long after I’m gone, they will hear me telling them to ‘breathe through your nose’. Sometimes they do Savasana as they fall asleep. I can’t wait to teach them more.
And to organize children’s yoga programming at our studio, in schools, libraries, parks, detention centers…
Megan LvR 