EP 34 - Weaving Community Health: Ilil Lunkry and Tali Tali Collective

Ilil is the Heart behind Tali Tali collective, a social enterprise to nurture indigenous weaving traditions (tali tali means weaving) and create income for rural women, including here on Taveuni island, Fiji.

Rosalind speaks with her about Tali Tali, the extraordinary hand made Yoga mats they are helping bring to the world, and the "Woven Village" program just completed, which included teaching yoga in the rural indigenous villages of Taveuni Island. Ilil talks about the joys and challenges of adapting Yoga to the needs of the women, being sensitive to Christian culture and traditional village culture. 

We also talk about the new (ancient) way of being of service, beyond the "do-gooders high" or imposing anything on communities, and how instead it can be about learning together, sharing tools. 

This will be a fascinating listen for anyone working with communities new to Yoga or suspicious to Yoga, as well as anyone suspicious of the plastic commodity known as the "yoga mat" and wondering what to do about that. And just inspiring in general as a story of having a positive dream, and making it happen despite all obstacles (like no planes going to Fiji). 

Please go to www.talitali.org to see/order the beautiful mats, read more about the project, and donate if you have the means! You can also follow on Instagram @talitali_tribe.

In this episode you will hear...

02:00 Ilil Lunkry's background, weaving, living and being. The birth of Tali Collective. Creating an empowerment program.

11:00 Working around the suspicion of Yoga as witchcraft, Christian sides of the community, putting the program together starting with Yoga.

29:00 Tantra, to weave and to bring things together, sacred gestures. What is weaving? How to weave Yoga mats from plants.

40:00 The community response to the program. Bringing the sexes together. Empowered women speaking their minds, and bring the program to the rest of the world.

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