Scholarship Entries

My life has been a clouded mix of emotion, and I have never been able to find stable ground. I lost a sister at 10, and now my father at 22. I grew up not showing emotion which lead me to cutting myself and severe depression. My father passed Nov 2, 2011 and it woke up my mind, body and soul. I felt alive and could feel the emotions that I have kept at bay for so long. He was an alcoholic, and despite his disease, I loved him more than words can express. In October of this year I started to rigorously practice yoga; I had found my peace in it again. On and off for three years have I done yoga but this time a deeper connection was made. It made me feel whole, alive and ready to face life's challenges. Yoga has helped me to start healing my past and Dashama's own story in Journey to the Joyful inspires me and gives me hope that yoga can make me feel my purpose and help to heal old wounds so that I can become the being that aligns with my Divine purpose. I feel that as Dashama's student, I would be in a perfect environment to flourish and heal. I'm not saying I deserve this more than someone else, but I think I deserve a chance at finding out. 

Yoga practice gives me hope; it helps me see beauty and to be free within my body, even when my surroundings do not allow this. Yoga has kept me going while I have been confined within the city, and has given me peace of mind through using my body when I suffered from post-traumatic stress at the beginning of last year. I would love nothing more than to help others achieve health, strength, freedom, peace and spirituality through yoga, to learn how to show people the power of yoga to expand one's world and help them, the way it has done for me. I would also like to free myself with this oppourtunity; to undergo this amazing training course that I cannot afford so that I can focus my life - I wish to bring health and peace into this world, and I can't think of a better way than yoga! Thank You. 

Essay Hi there youngons. I am probably older than most of the contestants, and probably a lot less flexible as well. However, they always say "you are never too old to learn" right? I know that stress ages you and for the past ten years, I have submitted to stress. Ten years ago, I started a new career as a full time special ed. teacher. Prior to this, I worked a full-time job and took classes full time to get to a master's degree to teach. Many of you "kids" may have been teens ten years ago and do not really recall the stressful events of 9-11. I, however, remember it well. It really affected me and I ended up doing tons of "research" and that opened my eyes to a lot of things. Not to mention, I was new to dealing with children who had emotional and learning disabilities, mixed in with innocent autistic children. The new job, 9-11, and some personal stressors really threw my life a curve ball. As a result, I abandonded my lifestyle and I started eating frankenfoods, I gained weight and lost my desire to exercise. I stopped rollerblading, going to Ballys, I stopped my biking and I stopped doing my yoga. I would come home from work and grade papers or do research or lay down too tired. I gained 30 lbs. and aged 30 years in 10 years!!! 2012 is the year of the shift, should we survive it,I want to make my own shift. I have recently embarked on 80% raw foods program, am doing my yoga tape regularly again and am going to make the shift. I will never fall prey to life's stressors like this again. I want to be prepared for what's comign down the pike in 2012. I cannot think of one person on earth who I would want to learn how to live better from than Dashama. I admire her beauty, strength, joy and spirit. I think she is a teacher of more than just yoga, all I know is I am ready for it and I told myself that I would do this if I somehow came across the additional funds to go. So, if it is in the stars, I'll see you in Bali in 2012!!! 

Hi,I'm Agata and I'm from Poland. I always loved to move. I used to dance for several years and it was my favourite way of spending my time until I received an ankle injury. I had an operation and I spent long weeks with my leg in plaster. After a few months of physical therapy I tried different activities but I discovered yoga was the best for me. Apart from that, I'm a huge fan of healthy lifestyle, I'm interested in diets which increase our energy and empower human body. That is why I have a blog about nutrition, yoga and natural cosmetics. I work with children and their parents every day so I know I enjoy working with groups. Teaching yoga is now my greatest dream, because I want to share my experience how yoga and a proper diet can heal our body and mind. Dashama really inspires me with her work and programs and I would like to take part in her training. Without this scholarship it will probably be impossible. Every vote can help me, thank you! 

I could not touch my toes a month ago, but I've been following Dashama's teachings and already I am becoming a limber noodle! I have a slight case of scoliosis, and am always having pain in my neck and spine. I am not progressing at all anymore, it seems - I need to be taught the way! Please, please, please vote for me, and make all my dreams a reality! I promise to document my progress and inspire others who may not be at their full potential. I need your help, and I've never won anything in my life :( 

I am at a crossroads in my life. Do I sail free from the clutches of drudgery? Or, get further mired in the steady march of the treadmill life? Yoga has cracked open that door for me. I have recovered from a cloudy existence letting life's emotional dampness fill my heart. It has bogged down my flight hopefully not to the point of no return. Yoga has given me that hope of breaking free from the fetters of this earthly life. The door is cracked, I see the light, I long for the relief of dedicated training. The way is clear to me, but years of neglect has jammed the door keeps my dream restrained. With my Yoga techniques I reach through the crack and with tremendous strain I stretch and bend, adjust and turn, willing my body to be free. I see it I feel it with all my heart, mind and soul. I'm ready- but one part of my body is stuck: my head. The runway is clear. Yoga take off eminent. I'm so very anxious to transform into a bird so light in flight that it lifts all those around into a flight of their own. Help me help them, break me free of this heavy path with this emersion of training- UN-JAM my door! 

Yoga has changed my life immeasurably and i feel like I can never go bak to being the girl I was before i went to my first yoga class.It has helped me to cope with the death of my father and grandmother, both of whom shaped my life and the person I am today, and to accept death as a natural part of life and to see that the human spirit is boundless, immeasurable and infinite, something I would not have been able to see or accept if yoga hadnt fluttered into my life like a rainbow colured butterfly, settling in my sould and allowing my own wings to open.It has helped me cope with my own demons as I have suffered from eating disorders in the past and enabled me to accept myself and other people in my life just for who we are and to feel a deep, eternal conection between myself and others,allowing me to forgive them and accept that we all are just trying to find happiness and love. It has helped me to realise, or begin to realise, that the happiness I always sought outside is somewhere deep inside me, just waiting for me to seek it out and that my purpose here on earth is to love and be loved. I cannot imagine my life now without yoga and to my dying day I will be forever grateful that i found it, or it found me, because deep inside I know i came home the moment my feet touched my mat for the first time and my heart opened to the universe running through my veins. My only wish now in life, is to help pass that feeling to others, to help children in particular to realise their own self worth and the boundlessness of their spirit, to help them see that their potential is infinite andlife is a beautiful story continually being written with each step we take, to rise above the negative aspects of life and let their souls sing. that would be my greatest wish and i know deep down my father is guiding me to that as it would make him proud, his own soul was full of rainbows but life made him sad, i know now,somewhere, he is flying amongst the stars. 

Hello all, My name is Stephanie Markley and I am 47 years old and live in lovely, warm Arizona. I was first introduced to yoga several years ago as a way to help cope with my troubled marriage. During my first class I burst into tears and couldn't stop. It frightened me so much I stopped going after two more classes. I have since divorced, put myself through college and now teach first grade, all while tentatively using yoga DVD's and a yoga mat purchased at Target. I truly believe that my first class was a breakthrough that I never saw coming. I may not have taken regular classes in a studio but frankly after moving home and starting school, I really couldn’t afford it. If I am lucky enough to win a scholarship, I would love to teach yoga to my students as a way of helping them get the daily exercise they need as well as helping them focus and relax. I would also like to teach yoga after school to any of my colleagues that would like to practice as well. 

Essay Yoga is changing my life, streching me in new ways and clearing my mind towards a more clean and healthy lifestyle. Yoga is responsible for all that is good and achieved in my life with a clear mind,body and spirit. Yoga allows me to slow down and ground myself when times become chaotic and stressful, clearing the way to balance and harmony. I don't deserve this scholarship any more than the next person does, it would be a blessing however to learn and expand my Yoga expierence so I can return home to share give back to those in need. Whether win or loose the scholarship, knowing and loving Yoga is always winning. Thank you for this wonderful oppertunity Namaste 

As a child, I was shy and reclusive. In high school, I was diagnosed with ADD and depression. I was heavily medicated and I relied on others to make me feel whole. I've always been very kind intuitive, and creative, but I had a deep and unfounded hatred for myself. I never thought I was good enough. I was abused by two of my serious boyfriends who I deeply loved, and believed I deserved their violence. I didn't like myself enough to want to change my own mind, and I didn't search deep enough within myself to discover the truth of the matter. In college, I was raped, stalked, and sexually harassed. I left school and took a year off. I spent that year in solitude, searching for meaning in a seemingly dark universe. I started practicing yoga and meditating. Something inside me was calling for calmness and clarity. I began to get in touch with my body, and then my spirit. I realized I was not to blame for any external event; that I am a good and worthy person. Once I started believing this, my world changed. I simply wouldn't stand to be treated like dirt. I got off all the medications. I started eating a lot of raw foods. Yoga changed my life. It helped me respect my body and taught me to love myself. I still have much to learn, but I know I'm headed in the right direction. Yoga is not only a hobby, but a portal to loving kindness for yourself, and for the entire world. 

At the age of 35, I have been touched by an angel. My angel has come in so many different forms, but one of the most significant has been through the pathway of Pranashama Yoga. I started doing yoga when my sister in law was diagnosed with hodgkins lymphoma 5 years ago. I was consistent for a while and would become side tracked as I continued down my road of life. My sister passed in July. I couldn’t meditate, I couldn’t practice, I couldn’t smile, and I was scared of life. This past year, I’ve realized we have to “love the life we live and live the life we love”. Although I have not been perfect and continue to struggle with a consistent routine, Dashama and this beautiful form of yoga, have transformed my thought processes and given me the courage to continue my practice no matter what the circumstances. I am blessed to have someone like Dashama be a reminder that this is a yoga challenge, a life challenge but a lifestyle and a beautiful one at that. I am determined to continue to find the light, the happiness, and the love that exists here with us on this earth. Yoga is my opportunity to follow the light, blossom, and fall in love with life day after day. 

Began practicing Yoga February 2009 entering post-surgery rehabilitation. Considering injuries sustained over the years, overall health is outstanding. I believe this recovery can be attributed to yoga. The effects were immediate, contributing to a shift of body, mind and spirit. Being struck twice by cars while riding a motorcycle, I developed a rotated pelvis and experienced chronic pain since early seventies. 2003 was involved in a motorcycle accident, sustaining three cerebral hemorrhages and severe facial injuries (crown, third eye Chakra). Surgeries over next five years would include tracheotomy (throat Chakra), right arm, hip, facial and urethral reconstruction, and recovery from brain injury. A period of uncertainty, insecurity, instability. Depression crept in. In particular, 2008 during last surgeries to complete urethraplasty (root Chakra). Fitted with Foley and super-pubic catheter(s) (Sacral Chakra), I became bedridden. Breathing seriously compromised; weight dropped to 150 lbs. Serum Testosterone was zero. Prognosis regarding reproductive organs looked grim. Beginning rehabilitation, advised I had failing liver.  Yoga classes were offered.  Yoga class woke me up. Believe that was due to stimulation of neurotransmitters. Having been incapacitated, my mood changed immediately. Began eating five meals building metabolism. Within two weeks was near pain free. Becoming more proficient reading and writing, comprehension increased.  Being inspired I became hopeful.  Securing Miami apartment began follow–up on medical concerns.  Pulmonary examine demonstrated lung capacity at 41 %. Prognosis? Condition would grow worse. Follow-up was 59 % and today near 100 %. Doctor could not account for this, Acknowledged yoga/breathing as factor, encouraged to continue practice. Liver now shows complete regeneration. Healing in regards to Urethraplasty is phenomenal. Testosterone presently high normal.  All functions happily are normal, Brain MRI(s), .EEG reveal no damage.   Subscribing to Dashama’s challenge, am inspired by her spirit. Continuing practice at Life’s Journey Yoga/Wellness is encouraging. Recovery attributed to yoga practice. Deeply inspired, knowing  wonderful enthusiasm, I enjoy a growing knowledge, insight and intuition in regards to Yoga. I do not presently feel qualified to act as an ambassador. Being fulfilled by the Pranashama teaching experience would lend genuine experience and credibility to that journey. 

Hello everyone, I’m Diana, a fitness trainer from Australia, and it is my dream to teach Dashama’s style of yoga to as many people as I can. When I become a yoga teacher I want to offer this practice to all my personal training clients, friends and family because of its immense power to change lives and lift us out of our limiting beliefs. I was introduced to yoga when I was 23 by my beautiful mother in law, but at that time I was only practising it as a way of stretching and to keep fit. When I realised it was also a spiritual practice I quit. I was an atheist – why would I want to do anything connected with spirituality? I kept away from yoga until my thirties when my marriage fell apart and I felt angry, hurt and alone. Struggling to bring up my two young children with such anger inside me I knew I had to do something different. Surfing the internet one day, I came across some yoga routines on You Tube and followed along in my street clothes! Just those ten minutes made me feel good all day and I was hooked again. This was how I found Dashama’s channel. Slowly yoga has changed my life and I now passionately study everything related to human movement and health. I live an active life, eating lots of fresh food, with no cigarettes and the occasional glass of wine. I see yoga and meditation as the ultimate daily practice for all of us – its portable, needs no equipment, develops strength in all realms (mental, emotional, physical, spiritual), gently melts away limitations and allows us to slowly come to the awareness of unity and the connectedness of all beings. I am now 40 years old and my body looks and feels the strongest and healthiest it has ever been. Please, please vote for me, I can’t wait to share this wonderful practice with the world.... Thank you so much for your time, I wish you all great health and much happiness. Love and hugs, Diana. 

I have been grateful in my nomadic life to not have many difficult challenges so far. However, beginning Sivananda yoga over a year ago has helped me focus my mind to paying attention to the moment, to not worry about the future, and become more attentive and mindful of the present moment. Yoga has slowly changed me to appreciate what I already have, to be thankful for the current relationships. Yoga has slowly changed my perspective to a much richer inner life. The 200 hour instructor course with Pranayashama Yoga is in alignment with my adventurous and curious nature. As a tennis coach, I hope to learn the more physical challenges to yoga to pass onto my clients, in hopes that they will naturally integrate yoga into their lifestyle. As an enthusiast and coach to active and extreme sports, having the yoga background will balance out and I hope to be able to teach the philosophy and yoga postures to my clients that have questioned and doubted yoga, to compliment to their exercise or stretch regiment. Also, my biggest dream is to open a community center as an NPO or an NGO in a developing country in the next 5 years to help children realize their own potential in this world, outside their own community. After having had the opportunity to travel, I have come across countries where families need to sell their daughters, or sometimes sons to prostitution, just so that the families could buy food. Or young children could slave hours under the blistering sun to farm, just like their parents, however not realizing the potential that the produce can bring to the family, being taken advantage by the land owners who pay too little for the produce. I hope one day to open this small community to integrate various healthy activities such as yoga, to teach the children the importance of the relationship between mind, body, and spirit. Om Shanti Good luck to all the contestants!! 

It was my senior year of college. I was taking on 21 credits. One of the classes I was required to take was a physical education class and I chose yoga. I thought it would just stretching and that I would get an easy “A”. My assumption was incorrect. The yoga class was more than stretching. At first it became a microscope for my life. In my attempt to graduate on time I was in 7 different classes, working an internship, writing for my college paper and trying to find the balance between my social and family life. Living my stressful life on autopilot I begin to make careless mistakes, my health was impaired and I was depressed. Then yoga became the light that I needed. I remember in my very first class I relearned how to breathe. Something that should come naturally to me had become foreign. My incorrect breathing contributed to my stress and to my lack of control of my responsibilities. Yoga began to reveal to me how I was living was unproductive and unhealthy. By practicing yoga I began to grasp a hold on my life. Organization became second nature which relieved much of my stress. In the next few years my yoga practice helped me reverse a few of the health problems I had such as anxiety, PMS, painful periods and my allergies. The changes in my health amazed me. These health issues that I once believed were natural and normal became reversal. I knew that I had to share this with as many people as possible. This was my life calling to help people heal their bodies and find the joy that I found in yoga. If chosen to study with the Pranashama institute in Bali, I will bring back would I learned to undeserved communities. Many people think that yoga is for people of means, but I would like to change that perception and show people that yoga is for everyone. Everyone can benefit from yoga practice. The communities where hypertension, obesity, cancer and other degenerative diseases are prevalent need dedicated and compassionate yoga instructors. I decided a few years ago to make holistic health my life’s work. People are unhappy, unhealthy and suffering and as yoga instructor I will try my best to make positive changes in their lives. 

To tell you about the challenges I have overcome would require much more than 350 words. So let me give you the Cliff Notes version – I have been my own worst enemy for most of my life. I have treated myself so poorly and vicously and put everyone else’s needs before my own. I have punished myself in the most awful ways for the littlest of things. For years I thought all the bad things that happened in my life was because I was a worthless, purposeless waste of life and that God hated me. This year I finally realized it. God doesn’t hate me – I hate me. I realized that despite how well I know myself, I am not my friend – if I treated my friends the way I treat me, I wouldn’t have any friends. It needs to stop. I found my breaking point this year and slowly started a healing process but it’s hard. So I need this. I need a miracle. I need something new. I need something to help me find a new, positive purpose in life. To turn my life onto a peaceful, joyful and spiritual path that will allow me to still be attentive to other people’s needs while also being attentive to and respectful of my own needs. To learn to love - unconditionally – myself and the life I am living. To be present in the now and no longer make myself sick with worry over a past I cannot change and a future I can’t predict nor control. To have faith. And to trust. To trust that I am worthy of good things in this life, that I deserve an abundant and joyful life and no longer punish myself for every little mistake. To finally let go of everything that holds me back – and soar. Be free, be at peace, heal myself, surrender. Yoga has always made me feel closer to that. I truly believe the gift of this scholarship would send me flying towards something I never had before: Self-acceptance and love. 

Since I have been practicing yoga I have become more flexible, my back and neck problems are nearly non-existant, and it helps me deal with stress and overcome depression and anxiety. Yoga has also inspired me to adopt a vegetarian diet which has been a huge quality of life improvement :) (many benefits) Dashama has been a bright light in my journey! 

To be honest, I just started yoga in November. My dad had passed away on July 8th. 2011 and Yoga just NOW changed my life. I was losing who I was when my father had passed away. I had lost my faith and wasn't myself when he was gone. My strength was weak. My mind was all over the place and my heart was hurting. Months had passed and I was tired of feeling like this. I didn't want my life to pass me by and be hurt by him being gone. In late October, I did research on how to clear the mind and open the heart and the research showed me Yoga. I did some beginning yoga videos online and my body felt amazing after just one yoga session. As I continued to do Yoga, I now feel LOVE in my heart and my strength has improved a lot. I started falling in love with Yoga and want to learn more. I want to win the scholarship because I want to improve MYSELF more and know who I am as an individual. I want to grow in LOVE more and to open my heart to new things. It will be a great experience and opportunity for me to learn yoga teaching and to teach others as well. 

Yoga to me, is a way of healing. It doesn't matter how chaotic my day was, what went wrong or anything else negative for that matter because when I step on to that mat it's like my mind goes to a peaceful place and all my problems melt away. I started doing yoga my sophomore year after a bad car accident left me with chiari malformation, which is a way of saying the padding of my brain is sliding down my spinal chord. On top of that the impact from the accident tilted a vertebrae in my neck, ending my gymnastics career and leaving me with constant horrible headaches, numb hands, unresponsive muscles, and very bad vertigo. I was told after 14 years that I would never be able to do gymnastics again and that i also needed a very invasive procedure where they fuse part of my spine together. It was like a death sentence for me. I became very depressed. My extreme optimism helped me through that hard time as well as yoga. Instead of having that 7 hour major surgery to correct what my accident left me with I do yoga. Down the road I may not be so fortunate and I may have to have surgery because what I have supposedly gets worse with age but I am willing to make a bet as long as I practice, I will be just fine. Going to this retreat which is not something I can afford right now would mean the world, and life to me.

The Divine Love of the Universe reached out a hand in the form of yoga to rescue me from a 20 year addiction to drugs an alcohol. Yoga helped me find and value myself. I have been in recovery for over 15 years and for the past five years I've been employed as a Drug and Alcohol Counselor. I also volunteer at two local halfway homes for women suffering from addiction as well as speak and write on the topic. I reach over 200 people a year who suffer from dependency and have seen the miracle of recovery bring new life to many of them from all ages and backgrounds. As part of my curriculum as the Intensive Outpatient Co-coordinator I have incorporated both yoga and meditation as teaching tools and practices for healing. Sadly, I have not had the time nor the money to become a trained yoga instructor. I just pass on what I know. HOWEVER, my employer has offered to give me the time off for training IF I win this scholarship! I feel that once again Divine Love is providing an answer to prayers. I want to continue to help people discover and accept their true nature which is in itself Love. I am so grateful to yoga and to this opportunity to help change the world one addict at a time. 

For me, Yoga is a transformative practice that has served as a reminder to the universe’s abundant supply of peace and love, which is all of our birthright. Rather than focus on the perceived lack that surrounds the impoverished communities where I have lived, my relationship with yoga has taught me to tap into the abundant supply of joy that resides within; thank you Yoga! This life-altering practice helped me realize that I don’t need to succumb to what I witness around me every single day; it’s what’s inside that matters. Self-hate, internalized rage and institutionalized discrimination are some of the many forces one is bombarded with when living in under-served communities such as Bushwick, Brooklyn. I, however, didn’t become a ‘victim’ of my environment; I became victorious and rose above and I am eternally indebted to my practice. I now pray that, via yoga, I am able to help others do the same. With the help of my practice I was able to open myself up to the generosity flowing to us from the universe, and this is why I strongly believe that the email I received from Dashama, asking for us to submit our petitions, was an answered prayer. I read the email and did not think twice about applying. I have been affirming my Yoga certification for years, and my journals are a testament to these affirmations. Not knowing the “how”, but trusting the universe’s abundant supply of love, I would pray for the opportunity to receive my yoga certification. I, however, got in the way and always allowed money to hold me back from pursuing my heart’s desire, to be a major deciding factor to fulfilling my purpose. Through the body-soul connection I’ve learned by practicing yoga, I have learned to open my heart to the love and abundance that is my birthright, all of our birthrights! The “hows” will take care of themselves, and prayfully this contest is one of those “hows”. The highs I associate with yoga have also been accompanied by some motivating lows. The term ‘second-class citizen’ never resonated as loud as it has since I started practicing Yoga about 8 years ago in my early 20’s. Yoga has therefore been a bittersweet discovery for me. On one end, it has positively changed my life in too many ways to describe in this short piece. On the other end, I've also come to the realization that this type of technology should be distributed to everyone, regardless of race, creed, class, yet it is not. The community where I reside in Brooklyn is under-served in many ways. This is especially true with regard to providing transformative tools to help folks improve their time on earth as spirits having a human experience (something I learned through yoga). This certification is therefore not only for me, it is for my community, for those struggling to find a sense of balance in trying times, and for the youth who will be tomorrow’s leaders. I want to teach Yoga more than anything in the world, more than obtaining my Doctorate right now, true story! I hope to be blessed with the opportunity to experience the beauty of yoga as it manifests in Bali. I desire to carry a piece of that beauty in heart and to share it with communities in Brooklyn, as well as communities of the world. 

ღ♥ღ Yoga has changed My Life and others around Me!Dreaming of learning Yoga, I finally had the chance in 2008 in Bali! After a Diagnose of Breast Cancer, My inner Heart told me to give Alternative Healing a chance, including Yoga! After 3 weeks, the new scans were negative, a New Life began!I felt as if I was reborn. After practicing Yoga for a year, I decided to take a Teacher's Course in 2009, and ever since I teach Yoga in My spare time to the Local People! I believe we can all heal ourselves and Yoga is a way to learn how to; By Uniting Your Body, Mind and Soul ღ♥ღ With Love & Gratitude ღ♥ღ 

G'day Pranashama Yoga Institute, Since 2008 I have been following Dashama and her yoga via youtube. I have been doing Yoga since I was 16 but I didn't realise the importance and the advantages Yoga provides until I found Dashama. From then on, I have been practicing yoga as much as I can. I'm enjoying Vinyasa Flow and Bikram Yoga the most. Yoga has offered me balance, the practice of listening, breathing, focusing and loving more. After hearing the courses Pranashama offer I have prayed and dreamed that I would attend a Pranashama teacher training course, particularly in Bali for an additional reason that I have been studying Bahasa Indonesia for several years now and so this has heightened my passion and desire to be a part of this joyful experience of Yoga and Bali. I would have attended Dashama's Bali course this year however, I was unfortunate to join her due to financial issues and university. I have also recently come to the idea that I would love to hold yoga classes here in the western suburbs where I live since there are no yoga studios. You have to travel by 35-60 mins to get to one of the very few here. I live near the beach and so I am positive opening a yoga studio would benefit the people and myself. Having this opportunity to attend a yoga teacher training course with Pranashama would benefit me in more ways than I can imagine I'm sure but I also wonder how many more opportunities I can create after doing a special yoga course such as this for other people? I thank each and everyone for giving me this opportunity to write a small slice of my passion and desire to learn and teach yoga. All love, health and happineess Rachael Hayward 

 I am Balinese, I live in one village near Ubud where a lot of Yoga Teacher Training held by a famous yoga teacher. I am Hindus, so I know little bit of yoga and its philosophy. I have been practicing yoga asana for 3 years,and trying to enliven the yoga philosophy from I was child when my parent tough me Yoga. When they tough me, it was not a yoga asana, it was only karma yoga, Bhakti yoga,Jnana yoga, and Raja yoga. I did not know hatha yoga yet. Yoga for me is not just the stretching for the body, but the way to life. Thanks for Pranashama to give the opportunity to get the Scholarship,so I know more about Hatha yoga and sharing the knowledge for other in my village, and all of them know what hatha yoga is. Really hope to get the scholarship and can not waiting to see you all in Bali. Namaste.

 I've been participating in the yogic world for over 8 years now, along with energy work (NSA).... plus I've been surrounded by the who's who of healers for a very important reason... It is my job on Earth to BE THE EXAMPLE OF LIGHT! (Longer story)... Anyway, those of you who know me KNOW I am my own person... I seem to do the opposite of most people to acquire the lessons that I need to propel.... Believe me, for 34 years, understanding the Y has not been easy...... But now I am free... TO BE ME... MY OWN AUTHORITY.... with GLEE.... No one can STOP ME..... It Is ALL UP TO ME!!!! xoxxxo... Y not choose me?... I will help to SHOW THE WORLD by BEING ME, that they CAN BE themselves too......it take me to show u u can be you.... and so on, and so forth!!!! :) Thanks ! 

The first yoga class I went to was about four years ago, when I was eighteen. I had just gotten back from a chiropractic appointment where I learned that the pain I had been trying to ignore for years did indeed have a cause: One of my ribs was partially dislocated, the curve in my neck was almost nonexistent, and my hips were uneven due to a severe lean to the right causing my entire body's balance to be off. Growing up, I suffered from severe anxiety and OCD, and everyday I felt like I was in a constant state being “zoned out.” Though I had already been in severe pain for a number of years, I always tried to imagine it away. I avoided living in the present simply because it was too painful. It was easier to just stay and obsess in my head, even though it tormented me and made me hate who I was. I felt like my entire life was a dream. But one day, when I finally made the appointment to see the chiropractor, and I found out just how bad of shape I was in, for the first time, I woke up from the dream: I began the long, ongoing journey of facing the present, releasing the anxiety, and getting serious about my health. Immediately, I started going to weekly chiropractic treatments, working out regularly, doing yoga, eating right, and listening to my body. And with their combined affects, I am happy to say that my ribs and neck are healthy, my posture is now excellent, my hips are slowly getting better as I work daily to center my balance, and my anxiety and OCD are almost nonexistent. Altogether, although it has certainly been a long road with a lot of ups and downs, I feel like I have finally woken up from my dream and can now see how beautiful life really is. Similarly, I truly feel that yoga has played and continues to play an integral part in that awakening: It has helped me to gently listen to, heal, and retrain my body and to focus my energy on the beauty of the now. In essence, I wouldn’t be the same person without yoga. Further, I have no doubt that doing a yoga retreat in Bali would be life-changing, but financially, I am just not in a place where I can do it without help right now. Getting this scholarship would truly be just about the best gift I could ask for. I thank you all for this amazing opportunity. Cheers! -Rachel 

Hello all, I’m Hailie. I don’t have a tear jerker of a story to tell here. Thankfully, I have been very blessed throughout my 25 years in that I have avoided any major injuries or tragedies in life thus far. Of course, like everyone, I have my skeletons in my closet hanging out with a broken heart or two, but I honestly can’t complain. I’m a happy camper most of the time and I can contribute that to my decision to take control of my life and make choices that help me to grow as a person. It’s amazing how quickly my life can feel like it’s spinning out of control when I neglect to take the time to practice yoga or meditate. My mother started practicing yoga years ago but I didn’t really appreciate the practice until about 4 years ago. I was working as a bank teller and I saw people from all ages walk through the doors every day. Some people seemed so spirited and full of energy and then others seemed to be dragging themselves through life without any motivation left. I became so curious about the lifestyle choices of each person because there were times when a person in their 80s would walk in that seemed to be so much more youthful than the 50 year old standing next to them. I realized that if I wanted to be that healthy 80 year old one day, then I needed to take care of myself NOW. I became very curious about health and disease. As a psychology student, I already had a passion for learning about the human mind, but I still had so much to learn. So, that’s where my journey started. I started researching health and alternative medicine online. I became vegetarian and I started taking yoga classes at a local gym. When I moved back to my hometown a few years later, I joined the Positive Psychology Club at my campus which opened up a whole world of information about how you can change your mind from negative to positive, which was completely life changing for me. I decided to dive deeper into my yoga practice and I also wanted to try a raw food diet, and that’s when I discovered Dashama online. She has been a huge inspiration for me and I would love to meet her. I currently teach a small yoga class, but I am not certified. I want to be certified through Dashama’s program in Bali because I want to share what I learn with my students and loved ones in my life. I feel that helping people achieve confidence in their lives and the courage to try new things is what I’m naturally drawn to. I lacked self-confidence growing up, but I have really transformed through my lifestyle change and I am such a happier person because of it. I want to share that with everyone. If I win this scholarship to train in Bali with Dashama, I will share the knowledge and spiritual growth I receive with the people in my life and those that I will meet in the future. THANK YOU FOR READING! LOVE YOU ALL! 

Yoga helped me get out of the gang scene and find a purpose for my life. I am so grateful for every day now and happy to share yoga with people to make them feel good too!

I so long for peace of mind, a lifestyle change and so need a career. I love people and to help others has been a big part of my life. I would love to learn how to find peace and give it back. 

I have been practicing yoga for many years. It helped me through a very traumatic time in my life. When my 2 foster children were taken back to live with their abusive father, it broke my heart and yoga helped me immeasurably.