A group of yoga enthusiasts gathered in a Rio de Janeiro favela for the first session of a free training program designed to certify local residents as yoga instructors.
Leading the event was Krishna Das, the acclaimed American singer known for performing Hindu devotional music (kirtan). Participants joined together in chanting, singing, clapping, and dancing during a spiritual session led by Das.
“It felt like I had stepped into another world,” said Luciene Costa Gonzaga de Andrade, a 54-year-old hairdresser from Rocinha, Brazil’s largest favela. “The mantras lift the spirit and turn sorrow into happiness. It was magical.”
De Andrade, one of 20 Rocinha residents enrolled in the training, began practicing yoga to ease chronic lower back pain that once forced her to use a cane. She now hopes to transition from her work at a salon to teaching yoga full-time.
“This kind of training would usually be unaffordable for someone like me,” she said. “Maybe one day I’ll leave the salon behind and focus on teaching.”
The initiative is a 14-month program by the Yoganaya International School and wellness company Mude. It aims to train 180 yoga instructors from Rio and São Paulo’s low-income neighborhoods. Graduates will receive paid internships within their communities. Participants are provided with uniforms, yoga mats, sound equipment, stipends, and job support.
Renata Mozzini, founder of Yoganaya, said the program was created to break the “elitist bubble” around yoga.
“Many people here assume yoga isn’t for them — that it’s for the wealthy or those with perfect lives. But yoga is for everyone,” she said, highlighting existing local yoga efforts like the community-led “Yoga na Lage” (Yoga on the Rooftop) in Rocinha.
Organizers invited Krishna Das to join the kickoff after hearing he was touring South America. The event, held in a scenic open-air space overlooking Rio’s iconic landmarks like the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon and Christ the Redeemer, drew around 150 attendees.
“It was such a rich and beautiful evening,” Das told the Associated Press. “It’s a joy to sing with them, to inspire them, and to support their journey despite the challenges they face.”
Among those inspired was Daniela Moraes, a 47-year-old beach vendor from Rocinha who is also training to be a yoga teacher. A longtime fan of Krishna Das on YouTube, she was moved to hear him live — especially in her own neighborhood.
“Seeing him here in the favela makes it even more meaningful,” she said. “This kind of experience shouldn’t be exclusive.”