Yoga fever in Brazil: assembled to train dozens of Rio slums; Free program targets low -income communities

The AP said that dozens of yoga enthusiasts gathered at Rokina Favla (Slum) of Rio de Janeiro for the first class of a free program, who would train the local residents to become a certified yoga teacher, said AP.In this session, Krishna Das was a visit to a famous American singer, born in Jeffrey Kagal, known for his performance of Hindu devotional music. During the event, the attendees chant, sang and danced, which included around 150 people.“I felt that I was in another world,” Lucin Costa Gonjaga de Andred said, who attended the classroom. “Mantras raise the soul and turn sadness into happiness. It was magical.”Costa Gonjaga de Andrade, 54, Brazil’s largest fountain is a hairdresser of Rokina. He is one of the 20 local residents enrolled in a free training program offered by Yoganaya International School and Company Mude.He started practicing yoga to relieve severe back pain. Standing all day in the salon is challenging and she was happy to know that she could become a yoga teacher.“This is a course that will be very expensive for those who, like me, have low income,” he said. “Who knows, maybe in the future I will leave the salon and just teach classes.”The 14 -month project aims to train around 180 new teachers from Favels in Rio and Sao Paulo, who will then complete the internship paid in their communities. Participants receive uniforms, yoga mats, speakers and microphones, as well as stipend and support while entering the job market.Renta Mozini, the founder of Yoganaya International School, said the project was designed to break the “aristocratic bubbles” around yoga.“People here often feel that yoga is not for them. They feel that it is only for people with money or easy life. But the truth is that it is for everyone,” he said.The organizers learned that Krishna Das was on a South American tour and invited him to lead the first class in Rokina, which was open to the public.