Reaching for the Sky

Stretching limbs and opening hearts for charity

Charity begins at home (as we saw in our previous interview with Liz Owens) but it can extend halfway around the world. Elyse Acanda, Vice President, Business Development for Hodes iQ, has started an effort to raise money for the Cambodian Children’s Fund through the yoga/charity organization Off the Mat Into the World. We sat down with Elyse to discuss this unique charitable endeavor.

Q. Can you tell us a little about the Cambodian Children’s Fund and why it’s important to you?

The Cambodian Children’s Fund rescues children living at the Steang Meanchay garbage dump in Phnom Penh, in horrible and dangerous conditions, and provides them with housing, nutrition, education, and medical treatment. Doing nothing while children are suffering and dying is unacceptable, and I feel the responsibility to do something 100 times more strongly now that I am a mother. I am so grateful that my own daughter will have every opportunity in the world to live a happy, comfortable life—and I wish that were true for every child in the world.

Q. Is yoga for charity like running for charity? How does that work?

So far, I have been teaching charity yoga classes around the DC Metro area through the generosity and support of companies like Nortel Government Solutions, Booz Allen Hamilton, and the National Science Foundation. Other classes are being planned at Lockheed Martin and SAIC, and I am always looking for opportunities to teach more. Many of my yoga students have made generous donations. For my daughter’s second birthday, my husband and I threw a big party and asked everyone to donate to the children of the CCF in her name in lieu of buying her more toys. My big plan is a YogaThon event which will take place in November in Reston, Virginia at Beloved Yoga! This will be similar to a ‘running for charity’ event—all participants will ask friends and family to make pledges in order to raise funds. We’ll offer five hours of yoga with five different teachers leading classes, plus refreshments and a relaxation/tea room. We’re anticipating over 100 registrations!

Q. Why yoga anyway?

I have been studying yoga since first moving to Florida with Bernard Hodes Group in 1997, and I began teaching in 2000. The organization I am committed to is Off the Mat, Into the World, which was founded by one of my favorite teachers, Seane Corn. People who practice yoga find that their lives are profoundly improved—they become more conscious and hopeful. The change that people experience is probably the toughest thing for me to explain because it’s different for everyone…and it’s something that may be incomprehensible to anyone who has not experienced it for themselves. This organization’s mission is to harness our positive energy and redirect it outwards in acts of selfless service to those in need. The collective power of all this positive energy can make a huge difference in the world.

Q. Your blog is titled “Heart to the Sky.” Is there a story behind that?

Yes! This is something I say many times in my classes, and I hold it as a personal motto. I mean it both literally and figuratively…it relates both to our physical posture when we stand correctly as well as a mental attitude that the sky is the limit. When we both physically and mentally open ourselves up instead of hunching over and caving in, we feel better and experience the world from a more positive position. This all relates back to the belief that “all that we are is the result of what we have thought.” Yoga teaches us to slow down and stay positive, to consciously observe without overreacting, and the effects of this focus can be seen in everything else we do.

Q. What is your favorite yoga position?

Well, this changes regularly, but right now my favorite is Viparita Chakrasana. You can find a picture here.

Elyse Leeds Acanda is a Vice President at Bernard Hodes Group, where she helps lead business development for Hodes iQ and SmartPost, our award-winning e-recruiting tools. With almost 10 years at Hodes, Ms. Acanda has specialized in business development, client service, interactive strategy, and recruitment consulting. She is a graduate of George Mason University and holds an MBA from Thunderbird, the American Graduate School of International Management.

Elyse’s Blog: http://hearttothesky.blogspot.com/

To donate: https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=24100 (Choose Seva Challenge / Elyse and Talia Acanda)