“It is essential sometimes to go into retreat, to stop everything that you have been doing, to stop your beliefs and experiences completely and look at them anew... You would let fresh air into your minds.”
— Jiddu Krishnamurti

A Promise Kept

Three years ago, I left Rwanda with a promise to 16 teenage girls at the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV): I’d return for their graduation. In October 2017, I kept that vow, traveling back to the residential community an hour outside Kigali, where I lived and worked as a mentor from 2013 to 2014. ASYV, a nonprofit dedicated to educating and healing over 500 orphaned and vulnerable Rwandan teens, is rooted in the Jewish principles of tikkun halev (healing the heart) and tikkun olam (healing the world through helping others). My year there was transformative but exhausting, and returning felt like a homecoming, for them and for me.

My Two-Year Retreat

Before Rwanda, I spent my twenties in Prague, leading student trips on Holocaust and World War II history. The weight of that work, followed by the emotional intensity of ASYV, left me depleted. When I returned to the U.S. in 2014, I didn’t plan a retreat; it just happened. For two years, I paused, letting go of old habits and rediscovering myself.

My bookshelf became a sanctuary of eastern philosophy—the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and yoga texts. I turned vegan, started moving my body with intention, and lived without a car or phone for a year, embracing simplicity. Yoga became my refuge, teaching me to breathe through grief and find stillness. These changes weren’t just lifestyle shifts; they were lifelines, pulling me toward healing. Now, I’m beginning to share these practices, teaching yoga to friends and small groups, hoping to pass on what’s helped me.

A Reunion in Rwanda

Walking back into ASYV was like stepping into an oasis. The Village’s rolling hills and quiet beauty were just as I remembered, but the 16 girls I mentored had changed. Once shy and guarded, they were now radiant young women, ready to graduate and take on the world. It was an emotional reunion with old friends and family. I was overjoyed. It’s a beautiful thing to witness youth grow and flourish.

Healing the Heart, Healing the World

This trip was more than a graduation visit. It was a mirror for my own journey. As Krishnamurti said, sometimes you must stop, step back, and let fresh air into your mind. Watching these girls embrace their futures, I realized I’m ready to embrace mine too. Rwanda reminded me that healing the heart—tikkun halev—is the first step to healing the world.

I’m standing at the edge of a new chapter, unsure of what’s next but open to it. I want to keep sharing stories, teaching yoga, and living with intention. Maybe that’s my own tikkun olam.

Stay Connected

I’ll be writing more about this journey—Rwanda, yoga, and the path ahead. Follow my blog for new stories, or drop me a note to join one of my yoga sessions

xoxo, Sam