Last night we did some work on thinking more poetically and expanding our ideas about how to define ourselves and the world around us. The Transitions Global girls were totally game for this and were completely open to the experience of abstract, imaginative thinking.
After we did a meditation on imagining yourself as a tree with a safe space below it that you can design any way you want, the girls drew their trees and safe spaces. One was more beautiful than the next and it gave them a new way to think about defining and designing what safety looks like to them.
When I rode home with James Pond, via the usual tuk tuk, he shared with me some of the details about what these girls have endured. The girl who led our "warm up" today overcame not only sexual slavery but a meth addiction as well. Another girl was held hostage for 4 years. Another was beaten and shocked every hour until she quit fighting her traffickers. Girls who work in brothels endure serial rape 10-20 times a day.
It has been a luxury for me to work with these girls for several days without being privy to the details of the horror they have endured. I got to experience them just like I usually encounter a group of girls or women .... I only know what I see in the moment. Are they connected? Trying? All week long, the answer to these have been "Yes."
James credits this in large part to the unique and formidable spirit of "girl." I think he is right on that. But I also think the smart work at Transitions Global, in particular their dedication to providing yoga for the girls, has allowed these girls to re-connect to their bodies and their spirit in truly remarkable ways.
No comments:
Post a Comment