Namaste friends,

I’m reaching out with a heart full of gratitude to ask for your support in a very transformative moment of my yoga journey.

For the past 12 years, Mysore Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga has been my anchor in life, helping me rediscover inner strength and holistic healing after surviving trauma. It has given me the foundation and reference point from which I teach different movement modalities and forms of yoga practice.

Now, I have the chance to further my practice and teaching in a very integrated way and I need your help to do so. I’m currently in Mysore, South India where I’ve been given an incredible opportunity to both receive official teaching authorization from Saraswathi Jois at the original Mysore Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga school here, the birthplace of my yoga tradition, and to assist her teaching in her shala (yoga school). This certification will officially authorize me to teach Mysore Ashtanga Yoga with respect and authenticity for its Indian lineage, honoring the roots of this sacred practice; and assisting Saraswathi Jois will help me to become a better teacher in this tradition.

And that's just the start! I’d like to extend my time here for an additional month to continue practicing and assisting at the shala with Saraswathi Jois until her season ends at the end of March; and, to create a series of short artistic videos that document, highlight, celebrate, and educate more people about Indian culture as relates to yoga.

What do I need to make this happen? Your support!

Here's what your donation will help me secure:

1. Mysore Ashtanga Yoga Teaching Authorization Certificate: covering the cost of the shala certificate (86,000 INR / about 987 USD).

2. Continued Practice & Assisting with Saraswathi Jois at the shala: covering living and tuition expenses (housing, food, yoga shala tuition, and transportation) for one month in Mysore (87,000 INR / about 1,000 USD).

3. Video and Creative Content: sponsoring a series of artistic and educational videos and stories that highlight Indian culture, people, animals, place, and the power of yoga (87,000 INR / about 1,000 USD).

This is not just about my journey—it’s about sharing what I’ve learned with you and together helping more people reconnect with their bodies, minds, communities, cultures, and spirits through the gift of yoga and respect for its roots in India.

My mission is to create spaces and conversations for personal transformation, collective empowerment, and social healing, so that people can feel strong, beautiful, creative, and at peace together. I’m excited to share this experience with you as it unfolds.

I’d be forever grateful for your contribution right now, whether big or small. Your help is invaluable and every amount makes a difference. Please donate today! You will of course receive recognition and big virtual hugs from me after doing so.

Thank you so much for being a part of this transitional and transformative moment!

With love and gratitude,

Sandi

Mysore, South India

February 25th, 2025