Flow Study: Introducing Shanti Bhavan by Amanda Turner
When I first stepped into Yoga Off East in 2022—new to Durham, still finding my footing—I was looking for a place where I could feel grounded.
Since then, the studio has become a steady part of my life, though my practice could be more consistent. I’ve heard it said, and I find it true: oftentimes, the hardest part is just showing up. Every class I take reminds me that when we show up for ourselves, we create space to show up for others, too. Somewhere along the way, I’ve realized that “showing up” has shaped my path more than I knew. It’s what led me to Shanti Bhavan, the nonprofit where I now work.
My connection to Shanti Bhavan starts with my connection to India. My sister was adopted from southern India when I was six, and our family’s trips to India opened my eyes early to the stark realities that those born into deep poverty face. Years later, watching Daughters of Destiny on Netflix, I learned about Shanti Bhavan, and I knew I wanted to be part of this organization.
Children at Shanti Bhavan wind down with an evening yoga session in the heart of our boarding school.
Shanti Bhavan, which translates to “Haven of Peace,” is a boarding school outside of Bangalore that provides an exceptional education, a safe home, and loving care to children from families who face the harsh realities of discrimination and economic oppression. Students enter at age four and stay through 12th grade, continuing on to college and careers with guidance from our alumni program. Our long-term, deeply compassionate approach equips our graduates with the tools they need to break the cycle of poverty for good, lifting others as they rise.
During my most recent visit to Shanti Bhavan, I met a first grader named Abhishek—a gentle, adorable six-year-old. Abhishek is one of seven children from conditions that may be hard to imagine: a home of mud walls and a hay roof with no electricity, and a single toilet shared with ten other households. His mother suffers from mental illness, and the family survives on the little income his father earns in a factory job.
Abhishek could easily have been lost in his family’s immense struggle, but at Shanti Bhavan, he’s beginning to thrive. He gets consistent, nutritious meals, has a bed of his own to sleep in, and plenty of books, which he loves to read. Without Shanti Bhavan, he might have attended an under-resourced government school or started working young to support his family. Instead, he will be the first in his family to attend college—a future his circumstances alone could never have offered him.
People are often surprised to hear that 100% of our graduates attend college. In recent years, they’ve even begun taking the SATs and applying to universities in the US. In fact, two Shanti Bhavan graduates have come through Duke: Naveen graduated this past May, and Megala is currently a sophomore. Their journeys demonstrate just how powerful the Shanti Bhavan model is.
At Shanti Bhavan, we frequently talk about values, as it’s our mission to raise children committed to uplifting others. At the heart of it all, we teach them to show up—for their studies, their communities, and eventually for the world they will help shape. The more time I spend on my mat, the more I understand that real transformation is rooted in that act of showing up…again and again.
In the months ahead, I’m excited to share more with you—my Yoga Off East community—about the remarkable children of Shanti Bhavan. From right here in Durham, this community has the power to open doors for children whose lives begin in circumstances beyond their control, and whose futures can stretch farther than they ever imagined—maybe even all the way to Durham.
As Shanti Bhavan becomes a Studio Partner, I hope your time at Yoga Off East feels even more meaningful, knowing you are part of something larger than yourself: a community that shows up to nurture possibility, hope, and opportunity in our world.
Learn more and donate to Shanti Bhavan here.