Led by instructor Dr Ravi Karwa, Associate Specialist in Gastroenterology at the Trust, the Doncaster chapter of the Sri Sri School of Yoga put together a special celebration for International Yoga Day (Sunday 21 June), during which they managed to raise an impressive £1,400 in donations. This money was then divided up equally between the Doncaster Deaf Trust, who hosted the event and DBTH’s Special Care Baby Unit, where the money will go towards improving patient care.
The day itself – which consisted of a three hour long yoga session, an assortment of fun activities and plenty of food – has been taking place every year for the past five years, back when the fledgling group was still getting off the ground and had only eleven members. Yet since those humble beginnings the Sri Sri School, and by extension their fundraising efforts, has grown dramatically, to the point where it now attracts upwards of a 100 voluntary participants. As such, they are now in a position to use the annual event as a way of raising funds for the local community.
Speaking about this, Dr Karwa said: ‘’Doing some good whilst also practicing your hobby is an incredibly fulfilling experience. All of us at the Sri Sri School are passionate about what we do and how it makes us feel, but having the knowledge that we’re also making a difference through it is even better.’’
Dr Karwa established his yoga group back in 2014, having undergone intensive expert tutelage over in Germany. With the aid of his wife, he organises the regular sessions, leads classes and coordinates big events like the one for international yoga day.
‘’We look forward to this occasion every single year and it just keeps on improving! It has been such a pleasure to witness it blossom from just a few individuals celebrating their favourite pastime, to a roomful of people all coming together in service of a common, charitable goal. We are always building upon our previous successes and I cannot wait to see how things will progress into the future. With that in mind, I am pleased to announce that we have already begun planning for 2020!’’
Last year, DBTH used its share of the donation to purchase high tech breathing apparatus for infants. Continuing in this theme, the money from 2019’s event will go towards specialist thermometers used for monitoring the temperature of babies.