Shiva Rea answers the question:

What is the nicest thing a non-family member has ever done for you?

That is such a beautiful question. I sat back and I closed my eyes and I kind of just asked the question to my heart because I really wanted to just see what's the first thing that comes up. It took me back to such a wonderful memory. I was 17 about to turn 18, and I went to do volunteer work in Kenya. 

And I was working in Kawangware, which was out… it's usually called the slums of Nairobi. I was working in an orphanage. My heart was being cracked open. I was studying meditation. And it was just such a moving experience. And so there was an Indian family, the Patels, and we organized a fundraiser. And they saw me just working so, so, so, so hard.

And they were headed down to Tsavo, which is the elephant park. And they had some business to do there. And they said, "Shiva, we want you to see this part of Kenya and to just invite you into our family." And so I got to go to where you could see the watering holes where the families of elephants in their own rhythm, and just the movement of their ears has stayed with me for the rest of my life. Just seeing that slow pulse of nature. I'm just forever changed and forever grateful that the Patel family saw a daughter pretty far away from home, a young, altruistic teenager, and they wanted to share something that they thought would change me and open me up even more. And it actually did, just from the kindness of their heart. 

Anytime we treat people as family, share, you never know how profound that's going to be.. Mi casa es su casa. Thank you, Phil. Thank you for that wonderful question and memory.
 

Shiva Rea, MA, is a global Prana Vinyasa Yoga teacher, activist, and innovator in the evolution of vinyasa yoga around the world, from large-scale festivals and conferences to unplugged retreats. She has taught thousands of students, teachers, and movers and shakers how to integrate yoga as a way of life.

As founder of Prana Vinyasa Yoga and the Samudra Global School for Living Yoga, she integrates the roots of vinyasa, yoga, Ayurveda, and tantra in online courses, workshops, retreats, and trainings. Her studies in the Krishnamacharya lineage, the martial art of kalaripayattu, world dance, yogic arts, and somatic movement infuse her approach to living yoga and embodying the flow.

She is a pioneer in reviving the art of namaskar, or salutation. She developed “wave-sequencing,” also known as mandala circular wave-sequencing. She also developed the 3-part vinyasa and rasa prana vinyasa, as well as teaching alignment in the energetic flow. Shiva is an expert in integrating the creative, spontaneous movement known as “sahaja” in post-modern yoga.

Since 2000, Shiva has created and offered over 25 award-winning DVD-CDs for home practice. She was the catalyst for Yoga Energy Activism and the Global Mala Project, which has raised awareness and funds for local and global climate change.

She is a contributor to such publications as Origin, Mantra, Yoga Journal, L.A. Times, Vanity Fair, and Self. Her latest book, Tending the Heart Fire: Living in Flow with the Pulse of Life, is about living vinyasa as a lifestyle. She has led free-form movement at Bhakti Fest, Bali Spirit Festival, and Burning Man. Shiva has collaborated with DJs, artists, and musicians to bring the art and healing power of music into the flow of yoga and create moving meditations accessible to anyone.