February 21, 2011

Inspiring Instructors - Elisa Hatton

Meet Elisa Hatton, a yoga teacher, community development worker, and artist. One of her most recent projects was coordinating and teaching yoga with an innovative yoga based HIV/AIDS prevention program for youth, called Mate Masie at The Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention (Black CAP), a non-profit organization in Toronto.
Please share with us the Mate Masie philosophy and the objectives and framework of this program.
Mate Masie is represented by an Adrinka symbol, which is a visual symbol originally created by the Akan people of Ghana and the Gyaman of Cote d’Ivoire that represents concepts or aphorisms. The implied meaning of the phrase Mate Masie is "What I Hear, I Keep" or “I understand.” Understanding means wisdom and knowledge, and also represents the importance of taking into consideration what another person has said. It also means placing a high value on self-reflection versus the stereotypes and myths that are perpetuated by our families, cultures, religion, media, and society at large.
for the rest of the interview go to:  http://torontobodymind.ca/blogs/heather-douglas/inspiring-instructors-part-iii-elisa-hatton