Yoga Mats for Haiti? Absolutely.

At first blush it may sounds silly, but yoga could prove to have long-term benefits in the rebuilding of Haiti.

Anyone who got to know Alicia Silverstone's beloved character Cher in the cult-classic Clueless, can tell you that her vapid rich girl exterior is just that. From the short-comings of slacker generation dudes to how to organize a disaster relief fund, Cher dropped some knowledge. During her fund raising efforts, she astutely points out that the victims of the Pismo Beach disaster also lost their sporting goods.

Sporting goods, of course, rank dead last when food, clean water and emergency medical care are dangerously scarce. But as time goes by, and recovery continues, the need for self-care through physical activity becomes a legitimate need. Yoga, in particular, which is known for its restorative, mindful, stress-relieving and depression-reducing qualities, has proven extremely effective in treating trauma.

Enter Project Haiti: Yoga 4 Trauma, an organization started by Maggie Juliano of Sprout Yoga and Sue Jones of Yoga Hope to help bring "long term self-sustaining mind-body trauma recovery programs to aid those suffering the affects of the devastating earthquake in Haiti." While some may dismiss the idea of yoga as superfluous, Yoga 4 Trauma is endorsed by the respected authority Deepak Chopra and has successfully tapped the support of the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health and the Yoga Service Council.

After immediate and basic survival needs are met and a sound infrastructure is in place, Yoga 4 Trauma will begin its efforts on the ground. They plan to teach yoga to both primary and secondary (care givers and rescue workers) trauma survivors. On the website, Juliano explains, "Those who live through trauma can have decreased ability to make decisions, and plan for the future,” says Maggie. “That means that rebuilding the nation will require some program like yoga that heals the part of the psyche involved with decision making, so that the people of Haiti have the ability to take these massive changes in infrastructure in, and make plans for the future." Makes a lot of sense.

Pre-planning efforts involve Juliano and Jones working with Mercy Corp and Partners in Health (organizations already working in Haiti) to create a long-term program that can be supported by Trauma Center and JRI Health.

So what could Yoga 4 Trauma use from you? Yoga mats, yoga props and of course, donations. They are also accepting resumes for teachers and volunteers to go to Haiti for the first round of training. Road trip!

Photo by James Fallows