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Posted on 03.05.10 by Chris Thorman @ 11:42 am
Yoga is a broad term referring to the physical and mental disciplines that originated in India. The most common religions in India, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, have their own meditative practices, which resulted in the many types of yoga we see today. Some of the first records of the practice have been found from the Indus Valley civilization, dating from 3300 to 1700 BC, and depict figures in poses resembling the positions in modern yoga. Since then, yoga has become a daily tradition. Even our orphans enjoy sukhasana in the morning!
Bikram Yoga, while not a historical strain of the custom, originated at the Yoga College of India, where Bikram Chodhury synthesized the traditional techniques to facilitate deeper stretches and injury prevention and maximize the relief of stress and tension. It is a 90 minute session of forming asanas, or poses, aimed at delivering fresh oxygen to your body, combined with concentrating on breathing and stretching your muscles, even the ones you didn’t know you had! All of this is done in 105° heat and 40% humidity. Barbara, our travel coordinator, embarked on a 66 day Bikram yoga experience to raise money for TMF. With only one week left to go, Barbara has already raised $810 and attended 52 classes. Just as the instructors warned, the process has been one of mental and physical exploration for Barbara. She says she has learned how to extend the focus she creates in class to all parts of her daily life.
Interested in starting your own yoga challenge? Barbara cannot say enough good things about the team at BYD Downtown, so you might consider them to be your challenge platform! The link to their website is posted below. Filed under: Uncategorized Comments: None |
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Posted on 03.01.10 by Chris Thorman @ 2:02 pm
The Miracle Foundation’s Ambassador Travel Program is an integral part of our foundation and a great way for people to see first-hand the work we do. Those who have traveled to India with us, often come home with plenty of life-changing stories. For some, the poverty in India may come as a shock, especially in comparison to the comfortable lifestyles we lead in the United States. Thanks to our generous donors, board of directors, sponsors, volunteers, staff members, and ambassadors the children of The Miracle Foundation family are in a far better environment than the millions of abandoned or orphaned children who might never receive such care. Our first travel trip of the year will begin on March 12th. Seventeen students from UT will make the long journey to Delhi, India and have their own unique experiences with the children of The Miracle Foundation. Michelle Goodwin, of the University Catholic Center, contacted TMF explaining that a large group of students were interested in spending their spring breaks on a voluntourism trip. Several students filled out applications to be a part of the March Ambassador group, but only seventeen of them were selected. Barbara, our travel director, has been happily busy filling them in on the details. During their 10 days in India, they will visit Sooch Village and Rourkela orphanages. Barbara and her assistant Anna have been tirelessly preparing travel itineraries and brochures, processing visas, and even held a travel orientation for the students to learn about what to expect in India and cultural differences. No doubt the University Catholic Center students are in for unforgettable experience that will allow them to share their love and compassion with our adorable kids! We have three more trips planned this year, but space is limited. We only have about 6 spots available in the May and June trips. The dates are:
There is another trip in October that is open to medical professionals, as well as individuals and groups willing to act as support staff while the medical professionals take care of any health-related issues. Traveling to India with TMF is a fantastic way to see the world while caring for some of the most deserving children. We hope you will consider the opportunity! All the ins and outs about the tours can be found on our website at www.miraclefoundation.org. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns! Filed under: Uncategorized Comments: None |
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Posted on 02.26.10 by Chris Thorman @ 11:27 am
March 1st begins the Festival of Colors, a widely celebrated holiday in northeastern India (including our orphanages!), as well as the countries to the north of India, like Nepal and Bangladesh. It is a Hindu spring holiday, accompanied with throwing colored powder, called abir, and colored water. Its origins lie in the delight Krishna had in painting the face of Radha, the energy that drives the world, and other gopi, which are the cow-herding girls in Vaishnava theology. Krishna’s prank on Radha inspired the tradition of playing pranks that is observed today, typically by children.
In Orissa, the students dress in uniforms the color of saffron, wear garlands of fresh flowers and join the rest of the community in singing and dancing. The idol of Jagannath is placed on a palanquin (common in traditional Indian weddings, as well), which is taken throughout the streets, similar to a parade in the States. Then the women of the community sing devotional songs, while the men continue spraying colored water and abir.
The weather changes that occur in the spring season are believed to bring about illnesses like fevers and the common cold. The abir has a medicinal effect because the colors are derived from herbs thought to treat those illnesses. The foods eaten during this time also have bold colors and flavors. Traditionally, the communities drink Thandai, made of rosewater, anise, almonds and watermelon. Other traditional dishes include Kesar Chawal, a rice dish with raisins, cashews, cinnamon, cardamom, saffron and bay leaves, Dahi Bhalle, which is made with yogurt, ginger and green chilies.
One of the most popular choices is Aloo Chaat (shown above). Try making it yourself! Here’s a recipe: Ingredients
Method
(from iloveindia.com) Filed under: Uncategorized Comments: None |
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Posted on 02.22.10 by Chris Thorman @ 1:07 pm
Mark your calendars for yoga at Sacred Streams! 50% of the proceeds from the 2:00-3:30 dharma class on February 27 will benefit The Miracle Foundation.
Opening the heart to compassion is one of the core tenets of yoga. In an effort to embrace compassion, the center of enlightenment, Sacred Streams Yoga strives to perpetuate our intrinsic, innate need for love. To learn more or reserve your spot, visit the Sacred Streams website at www.SacredStreamsYoga.com Filed under: Uncategorized Comments: None |
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Posted on 02.19.10 by Chris Thorman @ 1:00 pm
Our very own Elizabeth Davis is finally home from her trip to India! She made the long journey to hire two new directors to manage our orphanages. Suresh Mehta will be living at Sooch Village, and Subash Koul will oversee Rourkela and Bhawani. Their focuses will be to further the implement the standards and programs necessary to ensure that our children are receiving the best in terms of education, health and support. Elizabeth tells us that Mr. Mehta is very much a grandfather-figure, with all the love and wisdom that comes along with it. He has two daughters and one of them has adopted two daughters herself. He tutors his children and grandchildren, as well as other children in his community. He attended the India School of Mines and has 50 years of administrative and managerial experience. Mr. Koul has held positions at the National Human Rights Association India and the SOS Children’s Villages of India, which is an extension of an international organization that began after World War Two to house orphaned children in Austria. The MF orphanages are very much adhere to the SOS model, but with small changes to meet the needs and focus of our children in India. Mr. Koul has degrees in engineering, business management, business administration and psychological counseling. Both Mr. Mehta and Mr. Koul will start on March 1st and we are so excited to have them! What great additions to the TMF team! Elizabeth also pointed out how excellent the nurse and social worker are at Sooch. We love hearing updates like that and making sure our children are receiving the highest quality of care. While at Sooch Village, Elizabeth and Katelyn worked on various projects together, like updating the photos for the TMF database. Elizabeth also snapped some photos of Katelyn (our intern) mowing a running path along the side of the village. The mower was just a “spinning blade”, as Katelyn puts it, so the task was somewhat labor-intensive! No problem for a former marathon runner, though.
The housemothers dressed up in the uniforms – yellow and orange saris – and waited patiently for Katelyn to take their pictures. Some of the candid shots of the mothers and the children are particularly heart-rending. There’s so much love in their faces!
On her last day there, Elizabeth, Katelyn and Suresh (from Sooch Village, not to be confused with Mr. Mehta!) were treated to a meal at a hotel buffet. Elizabeth was especially excited that meat was on the menu! And now Elizabeth is back in Austin, safe and sound, with pictures to share and a pile of work beaconing her. Filed under: Uncategorized Comments: None |
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Posted on 02.19.10 by Chris Thorman @ 12:14 pm
The Daily Texan published an article in the February 11 issue about Caroline’s amazing experience in India, which led to the creation of the Miracle Foundation. Here’s the link: http://www.dailytexanonline.com/life-arts/foundation-transforms-lives-1.2149042 Filed under: Uncategorized Comments: None |
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Posted on 02.19.10 by Chris Thorman @ 11:04 am
January 26th was Republic Day in India, a holiday similar to the 4th of July. This day recognizes the day the Constitution of India was put in place, and is usually celebrated with a large parade in Delhi and a shortened school day for India’s children! It is also tradition on this holiday that India’s prime minister and president host another country’s head of government. This year it was the president of the Republic of Korea, Lee Myung bak. According to Katelyn’s blog, this special day did not go uncelebrated by the orphanages. The staff members hoisted the Indian flag and showered the orphanage grounds with flowers. Of course, the children were thrilled to go to school for only half a day and have no homework. Sounds just like any other kid in the world. The rest of the day was spent playing, eating, singing, and other fun activities. The housemothers insisted that Katelyn wear a sari, a traditional Indian garment that they wear daily. Katelyn said she was happy to participate, but was grateful the housemothers offered to help with the tying of the sari. Here are some photos Katelyn took on Republic Day of herself and Pummi, and one of the orphans, Nitika.
It was also Pummi’s, one of the housemothers, birthday, and she received many “Happy Birthdays” from the children and a birthday cake! Pummi works so hard to help make the children happy, fed and bathed. We hope she had a wonderful day! What else can you look forward to in Miracle Foundation news? The February newsletter will be mailed next week, and the India holiday, Holi, a Festival of Colors is March 1st. Filed under: Uncategorized Comments: None |
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Posted on 02.10.10 by admin @ 2:16 pm
A few months ago, a young woman named Katelyn Meyers contacted us requesting information on the possibility of interning in India. She told us of her previous experience volunteering with elementary and junior high school students in Kenya and how eager she was to work with our children in India. Needless to say, we were extremely impressed with Katelyn’s enthusiasm and we felt that it was an excellent opportunity for both Katelyn and TMF. We’re thrilled to say that Katelyn is now serving as our first intern in India! She headed over in early January and will be calling Sooch Village home for the next six months. During her internship she will work with our stateside sponsorship coordinator Jasdeep to update all of our children’s records, while also taking photographs and making videos of the kids to send back to their sponsors. Although she’s only been there a few short weeks, she is already making a place for herself with the staff and children. Upon her arrival, she stayed at the home of our Country Manager Manjeet and his family in Delhi. And, as soon as she made her way to Sooch Village, she was invited into the kitchen to help the housemothers make chapatis (traditional Indian snacks which are very much like tortillas!). As you can see from this picture, she seems to be fitting in quite well, especially with the children. Katelyn will be returning to Texas at the end of July, with plenty of stories to share. Until then you can follow her daily experiences and her heartfelt impressions by reading her blog. Just follow this link: http://katelyngoestoindia.tumblr.com Filed under: Uncategorized Comments: None |
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Posted on 02.10.10 by admin @ 1:34 pm
We started the new decade off with a bang by welcoming Manjeet Pardesi back to the States! Manjeet has been with TMF as our Country Manager for several years. He is usually very busy overseeing all of our orphanages in India, so he doesn’t make it to Austin often. We were thrilled to have him here, and gave him a small welcome party at Cissi’s Market. The staff and many of our ambassadors were present at the event. We’d like to thank everyone who was there for helping to make Manjeet feel at home. He had a great time in Austin! Everyone, along with Manjeet, worked tirelessly to organize and prepare for our annual Board Strategy session. Our fantastic board, along with many members of the staff, met for several hours on Saturday, January 16, in order to discuss, review, and strategize about our future plans. We look forward to sharing the details with all of you, as this exciting time of growth unfolds for TMF! We also have our first intern living and working in India! We’ll be posting more about Katelyn in our next blog. Filed under: Uncategorized Comments: None |
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Posted on 02.05.10 by admin @ 12:13 pm
The Miracle Foundation had a wonderful end to 2009 — it was busy, busy, busy (hence, the break in blog updates!). So sorry to those who were anxiously waiting for more news about TMF! So, here’s what happened: In mid-October, the orphans, housemothers and volunteers in India celebrated the Hindu holiday called Diwali, or Festival of Lights. The name comes from a combination of 2 Hindi words, Deepa meaning Light and Awali meaning Row. The resulting “row of lights” symbolizes Indian culture, and its traditions of teaching the purging of ignorance and suppression of darkness that dims the light of knowledge. Several volunteers and sponsors sent letters to India in celebration. We are so thankful to those who wrote letters – like the oil lamps lit for Diwali, our childrens’ faces light up when they receive letters from abroad!
The TMF Christmas Open House was on December 18 and it could not have been a bigger success! Thank you to all the volunteers and ambassadors, new and old, who came to celebrate with us. There was an assortment of Christmas cookies, holiday punch and other festive snacks, as well as a host of laughter and merriment. Our achievements in 2009 were phenomenal! We provided aid to 592 children, homes to 99 new orphans and care to 36 single mothers so that they could deliver healthy babies. 95% of our children were sponsored, which is truly amazing. Everything those children need is supplied on a monthly basis as a result of our sponsors’ generosity! Sooch Village is now equipped with a computer lab housing 25 Dell computers. The children learn basic computer skills there, like typing and internet literacy. Also at Sooch, 50% of the vegetables the children eat are grown in their own organic garden. The kids love to see the fruits of their labor, which is so rewarding and beneficial for their self-esteem. One of the most notable accomplishments was the securing of a domestic adoption license in Jharhkand. This means that our orphans can be adopted by families in India, which is exactly the kind of future we hope all of our children will someday experience. Overall, we are incredibly pleased with the progress we made in 2009 and we hope 2010 will be even better. Our success is purely dependent on our sponsors, donors and volunteers and we are so thankful to each of you! Filed under: Uncategorized Comments: None |
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