“I do not know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to SERVE.” –– Albert Schweitzer
We often describe people as having boundless energy or infectious enthusiasm. Yoga teacher, Karma Yogi and proprietor of the downtown LA studio peace yoga gallery Cheri Rae embodies those phrases in a way that few people are bold enough, daring enough or eccentric enough to do. That’s not to say that she is eccentric – but she is memorable. In my first encounter with her, I felt as though she was the puja flame incarnate – flickering, dancing, like a strong cup of dirty hippy chai, a few shots of espresso poured into the mix. She’s certainly been putting that energy to good use.
In the 1990s, Cherie Rae was one of the co-creators of Solid Youth, an after-school program behind Fairfax High developed in collaboration with the schools and law enforcement in West Hollywood and Los Angeles. For two years, Rae offered her time and energy – and her Yoga teaching. She witnessed kids with report cards filled with Fs, who weren’t expected to graduate, all earn their diplomas; two of the former female students now work at Whole Foods.
According to Rae, it’s a testimonial that “Yoga works.”
Life continues and after her mother passed away, Rae was lured away to Bali by her friend Charley. After helping to create the Yoga Barn on the tropical island, he sent Rae an email, “Get over here; I built you a studio.” After eight months in Bali, Rae returned to downtown LA to fulfill her dream and build peace. Literally. She built a Yoga studio with that auspicious name.
During the studio’s construction, a friend brought Rae to Homegirls Café, one of the businesses run by the nonprofit Homeboy Industries, a gang intervention program that provides counseling, job training and other services. Rae couldn’t help but ask if the Homegirls did Yoga, and Café manager Shannon Smith signed on. In July of 2009, the Homegirls began sauntering over to practice Yoga @ Peace.
Last year, Rae was eagerly searching for some mats for the girls to replace the nearly trashed, worn and old “slip and slide” rejects she’d been using with the girls. After talking up the people at the Manduka booth at Bhaktifest in Joshua Tree and then requesting a donation, the South Bay-based mat company generously donated nine new eKo mats to the Homegirls. As Rae says of the work and of Manduka’s donation, “The only thing we take from this life is the love we give other people.”
Cherie Rae can be found at peace yoga gallery, 903 S. Main Street, Los Angeles, CA. 90015. (213) 500 – 5007; Peaceyogagallery.com
For more information on Homegirls Café, visit: homeboy-industries.org.
By Felicia M. Tomasko, RN
