YAMO with Larry Huff

  Q. Tell us about yourself Larry and YAMO.

Well, my name is Lawrence (Larry) Huff. I am a 26-year (School System) educator with 40 years of experience in Yoga and meditation. I got started in Yoga as a means to have a relaxation exercise aspect to life.

I never perceived or saw Yoga as a practice for the elite or rich people worldwide. I saw that Yoga was something that could benefit many experiencing challenges with physical, mental, and even spiritual challenges and people, particularly in stressful situations. Basically, anyone that needs relief.

I have had the opportunity to work in the prison system. Teaching Yoga in prison brings relief to an extremely stressful environment. I have witnessed and experienced the transformation of those restricted by stress and seen incredible results through Yoga. Bringing this to Haiti through the Help Haiti NGO project is like bringing in a magic pill with no side effects.

My organization is YAMO which is short for Yoga and Mindfulness Outreach. We have been operating as YAMO since 2014. I work with Prisons, Juvenile Justice Centers, Public Schools, Mental Health facilities, Shelters, Clinics, non-profits, and NGOs through my organization.

My journey has taken me to Central America, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Haiti.

  Q. There are a lot of nonprofits out there — what is unique about YAMO and you?

We are duplicated around the world. I don’t feel so unique. However, the uniqueness (in our organization) is our ability to make connections with many around the world and redistribute our encounters with unique cultures and insight to others. This outreach allows me personally to have a unique insight, compassion, and reinforced empathy that can be related to many around the world. It’s helping me connect better with people and deliver Yoga to relieve stress and physical pain to those in need.

  Q. What’s the most rewarding part about working with (your organization)?

It's exhausting work at times. But the reward is a feeling of accomplishment and utter happiness at the end of the day. Working with youth in the Miami Dade Juvenile justice center are the types of missions that really warm your hearts as you see the immediate calm and inner peace that Yoga brings to the troubled youth. It was why Miami sought out our organization to assist them with meditation courses in their juvenile center.

  Q. Tell us about the people (your organization) serves and why it’s so important.

I feel a close brotherhood with the people I connect with. In going to the schools in El Salvador, the kids loved the exercises that were of the martial arts styles of mediation. It provides a discipline that immediately changes the kids' posture, and you see a transformation almost overnight. I have also been able to work with people with physical disabilities. These exercises open up a new way of exercising that brings guidance and value to enrich many people's lives.

  Q. What gap does (your organization) fill in the communities you serve?

I have been fortunate to help not just the students or classrooms but also the teachers and administrators. The teachers and admins often need a way to release stress, especially in the prison system. I have seen the added value delivered to these professionals when they can participate in these classes. As a result, when we bring our Yoga classes, we unlock opportunities for more than just the select that we come to exercise with.

  Q. Can you tell me about a specific person who has used this program?

In the Miami class in the jail system, I gave a lady a book (I took in donated books quite often). About two weeks later, I saw the lady and inquired how she liked the book I had given her. She said, “I borrowed it out to my bunkmate, and it's been traveling around the jail, and I have not received it back yet. The book was related to Yoga teachings. This really inspired me to share more books with each visit and everywhere I go now.

I met a Yoga monk in Haiti. He accompanied me in my travels around the nation during my last trip. We traveled to an orphanage where he directed a class of kids. I am no stranger to the transformation Yoga brings; however, everyone's delivery is different. I was in complete ah of what I witnessed. The monk had adapted Yoga into a playful and inspiring collection of activities that kept the children engaged from start to finish. This was truly awesome. The kids loved it. It was incredible (very touching, making it all worth the trip).

  Q. What attracted you to this cause, and what message do you have for others looking to help?

I have personally invested in Yoga financially and spiritually. I have found it to be the best use of my time here. We only get to take with us what we have given away. I hope that others will choose to do the same. Supporting causes that bring mindfulness and stress relief to others is a rewarding feeling; it is the medicine that heals the soul.

I stayed in the home of some supporters and friends of this initiative while in Haiti. I found the experience to be beautiful. I was given cacao as a gift. Their strength, courage, and kindness are beyond remarkable. They have been afflicted by national disasters and internal turmoil yet is open to all that come. It is wonderful to help such a warm, caring, and giving nation.