Jamaica to host first Caribbean yoga conference

February 2 to 5, Jamaica will host the first-ever Caribbean Yoga Conference at the Hilton Hotel, Montego Bay. About 450 yoga enthusiasts will descend on the island to take part in workshops and seminars with some of the most esteemed local and international yoga instructors.

Presenters include outstanding global thinkers such as Seane Corn, who taught us to 'take yoga off the mat and into the world'; Paige Elenson of the Africa Yoga Project, who showed the world that yoga has no borders, no race, no religion; Stacey Shanks, youth yoga educator, who is bringing yoga to schools across the United States and will direct the 14 Shakti LOVE scholarship winners to the conference on their journey to bring yoga to the inner cities.

Our very own universal empress and global activist, Nadine McNeil, will be the keynote speaker, and the godmother of all Jamaican yogi, Gaia Budhai, will be a presenter. I feel absolutely honoured and humbled to be a part of this amazing experience.

Health and healing

I have always believed that Jamaica is a land of incredible health and healing. This blessed island is a vortex of energy and light filled with talented people. Every day I marvel at the healers and gifted people I meet, from massage therapists, Reiki practitioners, artists, yoga teachers to shamans, and mystics.

I believe that these are the new healers of our time. It is so obvious that conventional medicine and old ways of healing are not working. True health is something that happens when we learn to live close to nature, in harmony with our environment, and in peace with all we come in contact.

Retreat centres

My dream for our country is that we become known as a place of wellness, not a place of fear or violence. If we could only see the potential for us to tap into this great resource of health and healing, there could be hope for our future. I see places like Treasure Beach and Portland filled with retreat centres where people come from the world over to rejuvenate and relax. I see our natural healing waters at Bath and Milk River becoming world-renowned attractions. I see our therapists, body workers, and spiritual teachers making gainful employment while doing what they love.

My prayer for the Caribbean Yoga Conference is that the 14 scholarship winners will take the transformative power of yoga into the places where we need it the most - children's homes, inner city and to those that need to know that they are important. To find out more about the Caribbean Yoga Conference, check out www.caribbeanyogaconference.com.

Sharon McConnell-Feanny is a certified yoga instructor and co-owner of Shakti Mind Body Fitness. She has more than 25 years experience in health and fitness. Email yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.