“Alone a candle can only light a room, but in thousands they can even light a city.”

Lester
Sep 16, 2019
3 min read

Updated: Sep 20, 2019

Quote from Matshona Dhliwayo.

What an amazing Summer this 2019 has been! For myself, my exploration of Yoga has begun to evolve as I share the path I’m walking on with others.

Starting off as a fresh 200 hours Uplifted Yoga Teacher graduate earlier this year, I’m so grateful to my dear friends for their support and trust in me to lead them through private one-to-one classes. Driven by the positive feedback from my friends, I ventured into teaching public group classes in a local yoga studio I regularly practice in - very thankful to both Tom & Janet of Yoga Luna for their faith in me and those opportunities to further refine my teaching.

Come Summer-time with excellent outdoors weather, I started hosting donations-based community Yoga classes in a local park. While it certainly did take effort on my part to organise these classes, I do have to acknowledge my friends for encouraging me to host these community classes.

So with the backing of my friends, I gathered up my courage, headed to Instagram and posted IG stories as advertisement flyers and contacted friends to come join. I’m very pleased that we managed to keep these classes going for 5 weeks before the rainy period started.

In my gratitude to the outdoors and beautiful weather which allowed me to host these classes, I decided that I would donate half of my earnings to a local environmental protection organisation, Pro Natura.

A little certificate from Pro Natura acknowledging the donation from the community. English translation below.

“Beaver & Co. Action” for living waters: Whether large or small, standing or flowing, natural waters are among the most species-rich habitats in Switzerland. The flora and fauna are particularly diverse where the beaver dams and digs. But many ponds have disappeared today; Brooks are straightened or stuck in pipes. With the support of the beaver, the dipper, the tree frog and other water ambassadors, Pro Natura is campaigning for a large, species-rich mosaic of rivers and wetlands with the "Beaver & Co. Action". Pro Natura enhances springs, streams and wetlands, creates new pools and ponds and also sensitizes the population to the value of habitats in and around the water. Certificate for “Community Outdoors Yoga with Lester, Summer 2019”. They support Pro Natura projects for the Beaver and semi-natural waters with CHF 145.00. Thank you very much!

Preserving our environment for our future generations and for the benefit of the various flora & fauna are causes I feel deeply moved by. This Earth has provided so much for us but we as a collective humanity have been simply taking from

it and not giving the proper respect and care to this home which provides us with so many resources... Therefore, with this small act from the combined support of the Outdoors Yoga Community I have been practicing with, I hope to foster small changes to contribute back to preserving our home.

Alone, I am simply a small light within a room, but together with my community, we illuminate brightly together. By fostering mindful awareness through our Yoga practices, we start to realise that we really are all connected.

Therefore, I am motivated to be a vessel to share the beautiful transformations Yoga has brought about in my life with others, in hopes that I can help to spark that light within others and that we can continue to spread the light in this world that is sometimes a little dark.

Thank you my community. Also, thank you for stopping by to read. Namaste dear friends.

With much love, Lester.

Here‘s some more light-hearted pictures from the community classes this Summer: