Name: Ndagijimana Vianny
Age: 23
Sex: Male
Location: Kagarama kicukiro

1. Why do you practice yoga?

I practice yoga because I need to improve my skills.  I also practice yoga because I need to get new friends. Before practicing yoga I liked to be isolated.  I need to promote the spirit of peace and to protect my body through yoga.  Finally, I practice yoga because I need to be guided in my beliefs.

2. Why do you like to teach yoga?

I need to share my knowledge with my students.  I found yoga nidra as a medication of trauma and that’s why I feel happy to teach yoga.  I need to heal the wounds of the Rwandans through yoga, and it is the fundamental factor of reconciliation.

3. Anything you need to tell me as a yoga teacher?

I would like to take this opportunity to tell Anahata that we very happy for the support and we look forward to meeting them again.

Name: Sebukara Augustine
Age: 33
Sex: Male
Location: Kicukiro

1. Why do you practice yoga?

This is a good question. I used to have pains in my body and my spine was not straight, but now because of the yoga practice I have improved. In other words I need improvements in both the mental and physical parts of my body. That’s what I have to say.

2. Why do you like teaching yoga?

Of course I have to share my skills with others like Angela (Anahata Executive Director) did for me. I like teaching, and I feel through teaching yoga I will be gaining experience in life. One day I need to see the whole country practicing yoga and I believe we will have got a solution for the unity and conflict resolution in Rwanda.

3. Any thing you need to tell me as yoga teacher?

I have nothing to tell you, but maybe, would say that I am very happy for the great support from Angela and the entire members of Anahata International.

Name: Manirakiza Jean de Dieu
Age: 20
Sex: Male
Location: Kicukiro

1. Why do you practice yoga?

I have many reasons why I practice yoga, but I can tell you some key points.

I really practice yoga in order to control my emotions.  I used to remember the death of my parents that died in the genocide and I could start crying the whole day, but now when I start to think of that, I demonstrate some poses, I breath and meditate, then I feel safe. I do yoga for the sake of strengthening my body and acquiring more energy in my body.  I gain new friends when I practice yoga.

2. Why do you teach yoga?

As Angela shared her skills with us, I feel I can share my skills with others too. I teach yoga because I need to expand it in our community because it is needed. Rwandans’ hearts have been broken with genocide and they need to heal their hearts and that’s yoga.

3. Anything you need to tell me?

Any thing that I can say to you is that, I like yoga but I have challenges of failing to get food to eat and yet I have guardians. When I think of going to teach yoga and find that my stomach is empty I leave it. I have dropped school and yet this year I would sit for my final exams of ordinary level.

I would like Angela to advocate for us – we know how much she loves us. She can help us. NOTE: I am not begging!

Name: Uwimana Bola
Age: 23
Sex: Female
Location: Kicukiro

1.    Why do you practice yoga?

I practice yoga in order to strengthen my soul and body. My body was ever weak but today anything a boy can do, I can do it too. No difference! Yoga refreshes the mind: I mean yoga removes all the bad thought in minds. Yoga helps to have good dreams and sleeping well.

2.    Why do you like to teach yoga?

Girls are not comfortable with themselves, therefore, I need to encourage them by teaching them. I know the language I use to motivate them to learn yoga. I need to share my skills with others. Women we are different from men. That’s why I have to teach yoga. I survived genocide. My relatives died.  I have been having bad thoughts and emotions. I could end up crying. Today yoga is my parents, my medication and my relatives.

Name: Nsengiyunva Anastase
Age: 19
Sex: Male
Location: Kagarama

1. Why do you practice yoga?

I like yoga, like any other sport, because it strengthens my body and keeps my body physically fit. My backbone was paining me before practicing yoga but when I started practicing yoga I do not feel any pain. Yoga changed me spiritually and puts me in a situation where I feel peaceful and friendly to everyone and to respect people’s bodies.

2. Why do you like teaching yoga?

I like yoga and I want to teach yoga as I was taught by Angela. I wish to share my skills with others. I need to spread yoga in the community and the entire country and to encourage youth to practice yoga. Yoga has changed me, therefore, I have to teach yoga for the change of my students.

3. Any thing you can add on?

I request Anahata to provide us the workshop of yoga nidra because we did not have enough days to understand it well.

Name: Nkurikiyimana Ignase
Age: 20
Sex: Male
Location: Kicukiro

1. Why do you practice yoga?

It helps me to know about my body and parts of my body. In other words, yoga helps you to know yourself and to discover things that you did not know before. It helps me to know about other people’s bodies. You give your wisdom, which is unique from others. You can not know when you are not practicing yoga. This shows that yoga is a science and connects you to other things.

2. Why do you like teaching yoga?

I teach yoga to share the benefits of it with my friends, and I know the secrets of it. When you have problems, you get to know how you can handle them. I teach yoga for the contribution to build peace and trauma healing in my country. Yoga nidra and meditation directs you to what is bad and good. I feel happy when I hear feedback from my students.  I like to share my knowledge with others and of course I acquired free skills, therefore, I have to share it with my students.  I love to socialize with different categories of people – men, women children and my age mates. When I’m leading yoga class and people who are older listen to what I’m teaching them, I feel motivated to teach yoga.

3. Anything else to share?

I like yoga and I like seeing my children telling me testimonies for the good things of yoga, but the problem I face is that I have no support as far as my family is concerned.

Name: Uzayisenga Felix
Age: 20
Sex: Male
Location: Kicukiro

1. Why do you practice yoga?

I practice yoga in order to protect my body and to avoid unnecessary sickness. I also practice yoga in order to relax my mind and protect myself from immediate reactions and emotions.  I need to strengthen my body and energy in order to support my body.

2.Why do you like to teach yoga?

Like any other teacher, I need to share my skills with my students and to deliver what I had promised Angela.  I read some text books about yoga and found that if you can study and teach yoga you can probably discover new things in life. That’s why I have to teach yoga with all of my heart.

Name: Sebahira Regis
Age: 22
Sex: Male
Location: Kicukiro

1. Why do you practice yoga?

Yoga helps my nervous system and respiratory system through breathing. It is a way of knowing my body. I practice yoga for the sake of promoting peace in my country. It is a key of conflict resolution because yoga helps you to know the rights of others. I practice yoga in order to be like the yoga masters. I wish to improve more and more in yoga. Yoga helps you to relax your mind, to keep hope in you and helps your personality.

2. Why do you like to teach yoga?

I teach yoga because I naturally like teaching and I like seeing my students giving me feedback. I teach yoga because I was taught to and I need to share my knowledge with my students.

3. Any thing you need to tell me?

What I can tell the yoga community is that I have a problem of family responsibilities and it is the major factor that stops me to expand my skills. If possible, I would request the yoga community to remember the yogis in Rwanda and supports us.

Names: Abel Rolando
Age: 25
Sex: Male
Location: Gasabo district

1. Why do you practice yoga?

Yoga always pulls me from sadness to happiness. Before practicing yoga I was asking myself if I was born to suffer. When I met Angela it was like I’m saved. That’s why I practice yoga. I practice yoga because is essential in my body and in my mind. I found that if yoga is promoted then it can be useful to promote peace, unity and reconciliation.

2. Why do you like teaching yoga?

I like teaching yoga because I have seen the importance of it, and of course I was qualified to be a teacher. I love yoga and I love to see my students love it too. On top of it I wish to hear testimonies from my students. Yoga changed me in my life. I did not like to smile before practicing yoga and I could not believe there is anything that could make me happy. I am now ever smiling and I believe that everything is possible. Therefore, I wish to see my students change.

3. Any thing you need to tell me?

My feelings are to inform the Anahata organization to make advocacy and to have a permanent site here in Rwanda so that we can have guidance and support.

Names: Nsabiyaremye Celestine
Age: 23
Sex: Male
Location: Nyarugenge district

1. Why do you practice yoga?

In the workshop we had with Angela and Radhika I shared my experience with them. Angela advised me and I applied yoga nidra. Currently I am gaining hope of my future. That’s why I love yoga. I used to like conflicting with other people till we fight, but now I use yoga to solve conflicts. That’s why I need to go deep in yoga in order to spread the good new for yoga.

2. Why do you like teaching yoga?

I qualified to be a teacher, that’s why I have to utilize my skills with others or my students. I teach yoga because it is a science that helps you to know about your body. I like spreading yoga in my community and in the country at large. Yoga deserves countries that have experienced conflicts like Rwanda.

3. Is there any thing you need to tell me?
I would love to say that yoga should be part of Rwandan culture and we request Anahata to be a bridge of friendship between yogis of Rwanda and yogis all over the world.

Names: Umurerwa Divine
Age: 21
Sex: Female
Location: Gatenga Kicukiro district

1. Why do you practice yoga?

My body was soft and Angela was wondering about my body, but now I am energetic and my body is strong and flexible. That is one of the reasons why I practice yoga. I practice yoga because I need to be occupied and I hate boredom because it brings bad thoughts in me. Yoga helps me to forget bad thoughts. I lost my relatives and daddy during the 1994 genocide, and when I see how I am starving I start crying. But now yoga can help me to some extent.

2. Why do like teaching yoga?

I like to share my experience with my friends. Yoga can be the right channel for me and teaching yoga can motivate me. I need to encourage women to practice yoga and the big numbers of students in my class are women. I need to motivate them as Angela and Radhika did for me.

3. Is there any thing you would like to tell me?

Name: Hadasa Esther
Age: 16
Sex: Female

1. Why do you practice yoga?

It makes my body flexible and soft. I like yoga so much and I enjoy it. Yoga is a science that opens minds. I practice yoga because I do think that it will be an opportunity for me. I need to proceed with my studies. Before practicing yoga my performance at school was so low, after knowing yoga, it is making me clever every day.

2. Why do like to teach yoga?

I like teaching yoga because I was teaching pregnant women yoga. Angela had taught me poses of pregnant women and I applied them to my student. At first I feared to teach her, but now she has delivered a baby and she came to me and thanked me. This really motivated me. I need to promote yoga for women and girls. Most girls are not self-confident and they do not know the importance of yoga. Therefore, I will encourage them by teaching yoga.

Names: Iyamuremye Vedaste
Age: 19
Sex: Male
Locatrion: Kagarama kicukiro district

1. Why do you practice yoga?

Yoga supports my essence and beliefs, that’s why I enjoy practicing yoga.
I practice yoga in order to avoid unnecessary sickness because yoga is the lasting medication of body sickness.

2. Why do you like teaching yoga?

I teach yoga in order see progress in my class and I like to see students giving me feedback. I teach yoga in order share my skill with my students.

3. Is there any thing you need to tell me?

I look forward to meeting Angela and other teachers from the USA.

Name: Mazimpaka Phocas
Age: 22
Sex: Male
Location: Butare at National university of Rwanda.

1. Why do you practice yoga?

It helps me to know my body and build my mind. When I am stressed I demonstrate yoga. It strengthens my relationships with other people. I practice to strengthen my happiness whether I feel love or hatred.

2. Why do you like teaching yoga?

Any skill I get, I have to share it with my friends because yoga has unique qualities, which should be shared. I like teaching yoga no matter how many students are in the class – this should show you how much I like teaching yoga! It helps to widen my knowledge both theoretically and physically. Yoga is philosophy and I like philosophy and that means I have to teach philosophy. When I hear feedback from my students I get motivated and gain confidence, which may lead me to teach yoga. Yoga changed my personality and it is essential in my day-to-day activities. Yoga has solved my problems.