Collaboration with SaberAmar Foundation, Dominican Republic, Marzo 2019-ongoing:
Where Self-Awareness meets Social Awareness: Bringing Kundalini Yoga Certifications to Yoga teachers willing to teach in community contexts.
In August of 2021, SoulHeartYoga joined SaberAmar in the initiative to bring Kundalini Yoga to community contexts, and train students interested in taking this technology to their work environments, parks, friends and families, foundations, Seva projects, and more.
After three in-person retreats and many Zoom classes, eight students were able to graduate this past April 2022 in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, after much effort, discipline and collegiality. Congratulations to them and all those who made this project possible, especially Carmen Julia Carrasco, co-founder of Saber Amar and yoga teacher for many years who brought this group together along with Atma Chanan Kaur who facilitated the training and put together the curriculum.
Many projects are already underway for these newly teachers to bring Kundalini Yoga to many community contexts, non-profit organizations and continue to do this service with the love, commitment and dedication they had from the very beginning.
If you want to take one of their classes, they are offering alternate Zoom classes in Spanish, Tuesdays and Wednesday from April-September, 2022.
Inquiries: atmachanankaur@gmail.com
Satnam, Wahe Guru!
Collaboration with U.S. Colleges and Universities, 2019-ongoing: 
Where Self-Awareness meets Social Awareness: Social Justice and Community Advocacy Immersions, combined with Yoga and Meditations bringing you deeper into your personal human journey
SoulheartYoga and Melassa Foundation Grassroots Collaboration
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world,” Margaret Mead
Melassa is non-profit organization, founded in 2001, dedicated to bring social awareness in Latin American and Latino communities, as well as a space to bridge people across border lines. Their philosophy is based on inclusion and unity, while exploring all American identities and ancestral lineages–African, Native American, and European; Eastern/Western Cosmologies.
Since 2001, Melassa Foundation has coordinated three main programs: 1) Research and Visual Documentation Program producing advocacy films that explore issues of identity, memory, cultural diversity, and social change; 2) Identity, Culture, and Technology Workshop Program teaching community participants how to use cameras (before cell phones came around) and organizing youth groups around the expressive arts, mainly dance and theatre; and 3) Cultural Exchange Program developing internships and international delegations for college students who want to get involved, start cultural projects of self-empowerment, and do social research in the Dominican Republic.
10-day Social Justice and Community Advocacy Immersions in Dominican Republic for Students, Teachers and Activists:
SoulHeartYoga Academy partners with Melassa Foundation offering social justice and wellness trips with activists, professors, school teachers, musicians, healers, as well as non-profit organizations and communities. Depending on the theme of each trip, SoulHeartYoga and Melassa will design an agenda of heartfelt activities, and provide lodging, ground transportation, two meals a day, and do all the logistics for you to visit museums, outings, exchange with local people and organizations, and participate in local grassroots and music events. Each visit is tied to a wealth of cultural knowledge, historical significance, inclusion, combined with other fun and relaxing activities.
Are you ready to bring your own group and combine yoga and grassroots activism?
Travel with us and immerse yourself in a cultural experience by the ocean shores of Santo Domingo, a city that was declared oral patrimony for the humanity by the United Nations for its musical traditions and Old Colonial City. Its historical richness reveals itself in the warmth of the local people and magnificent nature sites.
Meet with activists, professors, school teachers and children, state officials and educators, and share each other’s knowledges in a constructive, learning environment. Witness how the social history of the Americas and its political syncretism have impacted our families and our ancestral lineages, and practice how to be a “cultural ally” while exploring the intersections where history has brought us together or set us apart.
Stand in your own truth as you release the fears of our American collective past, and heal yourself while collaborating with others. We’ll have yoga, visits to museums and nature outings, exchange visits with non-profit organizations and grassroots communities, as well as group shares supporting us on this intercultural, rich journey.
“Be the change you want to see in the world,” Mahatma Gandhi.
Atma Chanan Kaur, Tirson Rojas and Carlos Rutiner will be your guides for this unique opportunity, co-facilitating and co-creating a safe space for one another. Breakfast and lunch will be included, and dinners will be on your own, along with free time in the evening. We’ll visit the first Cathedral in the Americas; Boca Chica Beach; Altos de Chavón Arts and Film School; INTEC University (Santo Domingo Institute of Technology); Mercado Modelo–Local Craft City Market; CONAMUCA (National Confederation of Rural Women); COIN (Research & Guidance Center for Women in the Sex Trade; TRANSSA (Transgender Advocacy Organization); the Community for Learning in Arroyo Hondo (a bilingual school in English and Spanish); ADASEC & Palavé Batey–remnant of the sugar industry–in solidarity with Dominican-Haitian descent communities as well as MUDHA (Dominican-Haitian Women’s Movement); the home of the Congos of Villa Mella–Mata Los Indios School; Cuevas de las Maravillas Indigenous Caves; and Bonao River.
Testimonials
Together, our goal is to offer opportunities for students, teachers and professionals, to experience kundalini yoga and meditation, as well as combine this ancient yogic technology with social justice and grassroots activism, especially between underprivileged/privileged cultures and regions. And to do so with a beginner’s mind, one of curiosity, acceptance, exploration and honoring of each other’s wisdom and knowledges.