Khalsa: Y.O.G.A, university course, Trillium Fellow

As the Regional Coordinator for the non-profit organization Y.O.G.A. for Youth, Keval Kaur Khalsa coordinated and served as a lead teacher for an 8-week pilot program in Orange County, N.C. Y.O.G.A. for Youth, which delivered yoga classes to 187 students in the Communities in Schools After 3 afterschool programs in all seven middle schools in Orange County. After 3 enrichment programming serves underachieving students in grades 6-8. The pilot program was overwhelmingly successful, and Communities in Schools and N.C. Y.O.G.A. for Youth are waiting to hear about grant funding from the U.S. Dept. of Education that would allow for expanded yoga programming during the 2013-14 school year.

In Spring 2013, Keval was guest faculty for the University course ENVIRON/EOS 390, Water in a Changing World, co-facilitated by Dean of Arts & Sciences Laurie Patton and Prof. Dean Urban of the Nicholas School. Water in a Changing World began with various perspectives on water and cultural identity from the viewpoints of history, religion, and art. The story then moved to water and the roles it plays in various systems (natural, socioeconomic, urban), considering competing demands on water in a changing world, and how change propagates through systems. Finally, the course turned to change itself: decision-making under uncertainty and how we adapt to change more generally. Keval presented a lecture titled Origination & Transformation – Dance & Water and also offered an experiential “field trip” – a yoga session next to the pond in Duke Gardens.

Keval presented a paper, Kundalini Yoga & Meditation – Technology for the Times, and an experiential workshop in Kundalini Yoga & Meditation for the Across The Threshold: Creativity, Being & Healing Conference. She also served as the Budget Director and Co-Convener of the Conference and guest artist residencies of Chris Jordan and Lily Yeh.

This spring, she became a Trillium Fellow, joining other faculty and staff from a broad range of campus units for a daylong workshop on Sustainability in the Curriculum.

In May, she traveled to Los Angeles for a professional development workshop on Kundalini Yoga for PTSD, and taught a workshop entitled Divine Alignment for the Asheville Kundalini Yoga Festival in the mountains of western North Carolina. From July 31-Aug., 4 she co-taught a 40-hour Y.O.G.A. for Youth Teacher Training course in Durham.