Yesterday I taught my first yoga class for teen survivors of childhood sexual trauma through the Free Being Yoga Network.
I had only recently become public about my own experience as a child, being molested and penetrated by my mother’s boyfriend.
The class was powerful toward confronting fear and shame, for them and myself.
We talked about transforming from victim to survivor to warriors.
This summer, several yoga warrior friends, will skydive in honor of the bravery of survivors of sexual trauma. The fundraising skydive, Operation Free Fall, benefits The Firecracker Foundation, which provides therapy for abuse victims. Jumping from a plane is certainly one way to take a leap of faith, literally, facing fear head-on. The jump can represent the power of surrender and bold embrace of freedom.
Kirbay Preuss is one of the yoga instructors who is jumping.
“I am jumping to honor the tremendous bravery that it takes to connect with ourselves fully,” she said. “As someone who knows all too well how sexual abuse can cause us to look at ourselves as flawed, I hope that this jump will inspire others to honor the bravery it takes to accept where you’re at along your process. Be patient with yourself. There is tremendous bravery in self-respect and self-love.”
I will not be jumping with my friends (I don’t do heights or near-death experiences).
So instead of jumping, Just B Yoga is hosting the Jump for Joy Yoga class this Friday (March 28), that helps raise money for the jump.
The class, is at 7:30 p.m. at the studio and will be co-taught by Emily Dryzga and Monica Pino – both Just B Yoga teachers, and both will be jumping.
Monica says, “I am doing this for the therapy of survivors. Showing that we care enough to ACT really does facilitate healing.”
Monica and Kirbay have raised the amount they need to make the jump. Emily is about half way to the goal. Jump for Joy will allow all three of them to jump together.
From Emily:
“I hate roller coasters. I never wanted to bungee jump because you have to trust the cord to bring you back up. Skydiving. Free falling down to the earth. I have always wanted to do that! When Tashmica send The Firecracker Foundation Board of Directors’ an email about Operation Freefall, a nation-wide skydive event to raise funds for sexual assault awareness and sexual abuse survivors, I knew I was in. In fact, my email response to her was IN IN IN!!!!
As a board member for The Firecracker Foundation, I get to help raise money to support our very own yoga therapy programs, in addition to traditional therapy and other programs and events we hope to offer survivors. What better way to get towards my goal than to work together with my good yoga teacher friends, who are also jumping out of a plane at the end of April, to offer a yoga class fundraiser?
Getting into a plane is scary. I’m afraid of heights. The idea of jumping out of a plane is terrifying. As scary as that is, I can LEAP symbolically and in reality, to support kids and adults who have come through so much. It’s just one jump. I can do this. But, I need your help.”
Donate directly to one of our skydiving teammates HERE.
Come to Jump for Joy at 7:30pm on Friday night at Just B Yoga!
Details and registration on EVENTBRITE HERE