Cloverdale fundraiser to help yoga teacher in quest to spread yoga in Cuba

Yoga teacher, Mary Paffard, and a group of her Cloverdale students are organizing a benefit for her Cuban cultural exchange program known as Yoga Va Latino, which loosely translates as Yoga Rocks in the Latino World!

Founded nearly two decades ago by Paffard a Yorkville resident, farmer and international yoga teacher and bolstered by a team of international teachers, Yoga Va Latino promotes the development of yoga and meditation in Cuba by providing free classes, teacher training and other support for Cubans interested in the healing practice of yoga.

Most Cubans earn less than $20 a month; doctors often earn less than taxi drivers, said Paffard. They cant afford to pay for yoga classes, much less the time-consuming and expensive journey of becoming certified to teach yoga. Even simple yoga props are out of reach, with many Cuban yogis using cardboard in place of yoga mats.

Thats where Yoga Va Latino comes in. Its a kind of pay-it-forward way of spreading healthy yoga and meditation throughout the Cuban culture as well as creating opportunities for young Cubans, said Paffard.

Students like Junior Amayo Lugo and Mariela Mazon plus the 19 other young Cubans currently receiving free teacher training and further education, as well as the many who have attended Paffards and other U.S. teachers programs since 1998 take what they learn and share it with others who can benefit from practicing yoga but have no way to pay for classes, Paffard explained.

While working to become a certified yoga instructor, Amayo Lugo, 39, shares his practice with a group of local senior citizens, thus spreading the health benefits of yoga and meditation, free of charge, in a country where a scant 40 years ago yoga was hardly known as a practice.

Like Amayo Lugo, Mazon, 36, also participates in the 675-hour yoga teacher certification program offered through Yoga Va Latino. All day I see many Cubans women, young men, faces battered with stress, along with many physical problems because of the complicated lives we lead here. This saddens me greatly, as many of these people are young and their bodies show signs of early aging. I want to bring yoga to these people, said Mazon.

But it takes money to keep the program running. We are always in need of funding, said Paffard. From securing locations for classes to covering some of the expenses involved in sending experienced, bilingual, certified yoga teachers from Central America and the U.S. to Cuba, to covering the annual costs for Cuban yoga teachers to maintain their international certification. It takes money.

The Yoga Va Latino benefit will take place Aug. 20, 47 p.m. at a Cloverdale home nestled in the Alexander Valley Vineyards.

Organizers say attendees can expect wood fired gourmet pizza, salad, dessert, wine and bocce ball, all accompanied by music from Cuban balladeer, Marcos Pereda. A silent auction will include yoga classes, massage, a one-week stay at an apartment on Costa Brava, Spain, wine and more.

Paffard will give a short presentation about Yoga Va Latino and will also talk about her annual trips in which she takes a limited number of people interested in becoming deeply immersed in the Cuban culture during their 10 day visit.

The $50 event tickets are available at BrownPaperTickets.com; search for Yoga Va Latino.

Visit yogavalatino.org or maryyoga.com for more information about the program.

Original post:
'Yoga bridge' from Cloverdale to Cuba, August 20 - Sonoma West