“Yoga Gives Back holds a special space in my heart, because it was the first charity organisation within the yoga space that I learned about during my own teacher training in 2016. I remember the moment quite clearly – we had settled down bright eyed and eager to learn about Karma Yoga. My teacher and mentor, Wendy Chan, who has been an ambassador for Yoga Gives Back for ten years, shared with us that as Yoga Teachers, we are given a voice of influence, and how we use that influence can shape and change the way we teach and impact others. She shared about the cause, and the mantra “For the cost of one class, you can change a life” truly stuck with me.
I feel that in this day and age where Yoga is widely commercially available in many countries, it is so important for us to remember the opportunity and privilege I have just to practice yoga and to teach it. Selling class packages and teaching thousands of classes aside, I’m reminded of the importance of staying humble and giving back. For years I have supported the charity fundraisers that my teacher has organized, and I am so grateful that it is my turn to lead and give back now.”
Meiyan is an E-RYT500 teacher trainer and retreat leader in the Yoga Seeds team in Singapore. She has taught at various studios over the last 8 years and led yoga teacher trainings in the hopes of continuing to spread the joys of yoga and its teachings. She specialises in combining the introspective and rhythmic effects of sound with her two favourite styles of yoga, Vinyasa and Yin.
Her passion for sound healing and music weaves into her teaching and self-practice in the form of instruments, mantras and music, sometimes bringing an instrument or two into class. Her journey with yoga is rooted in the study of its philosophy, but continues to evolve in her exploration of the bhakti (devotional) path, especially with her newfound love for Kirtan (devotional singing).