Meet Okurut George | Yoga/Dance Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Okurut George and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Okurut, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
As I grew up working for my family and then I started working with construction companies according to my professions. I could work for many hours a day then get so much problems in side myself that made me feel so much tired of working so hard without getting any positive results as I had to work for so many hours. I would apply a lot energy but I wasn’t growing. That’s why I decided to quick and start to do something I am passionate about which is dance and yoga.

I had also a big thoughts that if I start up my own business that will help me to reach out the exact people in the community as i need than working for others as they won’t deliver as I need it to be done. Cause I have seen many organisations and big entities which they say that they are working for the community and they focus on driving expensive vehicles and people down there are suffering so much.

Now days, I am so happy that I do everything with a lot of love and joy because I am doing it to the community which I need and seeing them grow with me, is a big mile into my life and that’s what I have been looking at always. To do something that I love from the bottom of my heart to any community that’s passionate about learning new things in life.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Okurut George is a dance and yoga teacher in vulnerable communities. Currently, he is working with Heart of Dance African Rhythm, Nsambya, New Hope Dance Project, Banda. Previously, he worked with Kisenyi Slum Yoga, 22 stars Kids foundation in Banda, ARC charity foundation, Jinja where he introduced yoga to the different communities. These projects have created yoga awareness, mental health awareness hence improving on the livelihoods of the people in the communities. Yoga and dance outreach are something which I loved always to do in different communities of Uganda. I have done it so far for more than five years, as I have experienced a lot of things in theses outreaches. I do all this because as a dancer and yoga teacher, I’m adamant that I have to take my place within our local community. I have to contribute what I can to support the community, foster relationships and nature it to grow. I’m totally committed to sharing the benefits of yoga and dance with people regardless of their health or ability to pay. I’m convinced that every yoga and dance practice, no matter what it looks like, is an act of service.

An intentional sharing of yoga practices and dance that support healing and build resilience for all, regardless of circumstances taught within a context of conscious relationship rooted in self-reflection and self-inquiry. Examples of the diverse range of programmes attributed to yoga outreach include addiction recovery projects, trauma informed yoga, yoga in prisons, yoga with active and veteran service personnel, older adults, refugee services, workplace wellbeing and public community classes that as set me apart from others, as I do it with love and passion to see that my communities grow.

I have received various donations both monetary from Black Lindyhop Foundation, Frankie Manning Foundation, Individuals who love what I am doing in communities and yoga materials that is yoga mats from Root To Rize, Give back yoga foundation, Yoloha yoga mats to help in the effective implementation of the various projects, it has made so much proud of myself that I can use external force to support my communities.

Through that I have been given opportunity to grow my knowledge with sponsorship of being a certified Yoga teacher with 300 hours at S-VYASA (Swami Vivekananda Anusandhana Samsthana) Yoga University in India by India High Commission, 60 hours for Satyananda Children’s yoga at Yoga Pura Vida in Tanzania by Marcelo the founder of Yoga Pura Vida. Now, Iam planning to enroll for a Yoga therapy course which he believes will help him to make adverse achievements in different communities. Apparently I teache Swing dance, Lindyhop, Solo jazz, Patanjali and vasistha yoga, ashtanga yoga, Satyananda traditional yoga (Hatha yoga) and acroyoga. It has made me to become professional on what I do with the knowledge I have learnt from these institutions. I know it’s not easy work but I had to commit myself and have believe that I can do it if others do then why not me.

Having received newspaper coverage that is Face The Current magazine issue 33, Daily Monitor dated Monday 27th July, 2020 and Tuesday 20th April, 2021 and a blue marble sky documentary entitled “ A JOURNEY TO LOVE” describing on how George uses Yoga and dance to transform lives in slums which helps keep crime and drug use at bay. Also,in 2020, I received an Award for being the winner of the Adult Male Yoga Video Contest when the Indian Community was celebrating the 74th Independence Day anniversary.

In life, we do face challenges in whatever we do. What I did to overcome these challenges I had to believe, commit and encourage myself before anyone else comes in to me. I approached different big organisations, initiatives and institutions so that I can share with them the knowledge I have without any payments through that I received an appreciation for being a guest speaker on “How yoga resolves conflict in our communities from Rotaract Club of Makindye Kampala. He also received another appreciation for being a guest speaker on “How Dance resolves conflict in our communities from Rotaract of Kampala North Musical Club. Also, George received an Award of appreciation for teaching at International Day Of Yoga in Kololo Airstrip.

During all these process I have learned that being yourself, believing and committing with one heart no matter what people can say towards I am doing. I keep going if I am not hurting anyone.

To the world, here is my message now that if you need to do something in this world just go for it and don’t listen to what people can say as it begins with you, if it worked with you then why not others too. For me, if I wasn’t sticking on what I want and hearing to negative thoughts of people then I couldn’t have reached here, where I am now. Have friends who can advise you positive and they believe in what you ate doing like they way mine believed in me with one heart.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
For me, always whenever friends visit me. I first ask them on what are there taste then I draw my trip through what they have told like going to nature to relax the mind or checking out historical places in the city which people don’t pay attentions mostly. Places like Uganda Museum is the oldest museum in East Africa which was started in 1908. It was first located in Lugard’s fort on old Kampala Hill then transferred to Makerere University at the school of industrial and fine arts and lastly to Kitante Hill where it stands today. It emerged when the Governor George Wilson called for “all articles of interest in Uganda”. The museum is a collection of traditional culture and Ugandan Music with all kinds of musical instruments, archaeology, history, science, and natural history.

The Museum is one of the top and best places today you can visit in your Kampala city tour because it gives you the real picture of Uganda and its people.

Kampala Centrals Mosque formerly known as Gaddafi National Mosque is located in the old Kampala hill in the central Kampala city, Uganda. It was a gift to the Muslim community in Uganda by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya. The construction of the mosque was completed in 2006 and it accommodates up to 15,000 worshipers and also can seat another 1,100 in the gallery, while the terrace caters for another 3,500.

Bahai temple, this is the oldest and the first mother temple to be built in African continent in 1958 and it was the tallest building in East Africa when it was completed in 1961. The Bahai faith started to increase in 1951, 500 Bahai’s in 80 localities joined, including 13 Bahá’í Local Spiritual Assemblies and this number of people where represented by 30 tribes in Uganda.

Unlike other religions in the world, they have specific days in the week for gathering but the Bahai people do not have the specific days but they just decide the day when they should be meeting in every week and in Uganda they meet every Sunday of the week.

The independence monument was constructed during the days when Uganda was celebrating its first independence on 9th October 1962 and it was funded by the British Colonial government. The monument is located on Speke road and Nile Avenue in Kampala city bordering the fences of Sheraton Hotel gardens, overlooking Grand Imperial Hotel in the right and opposite Standard Chartered bank. This is one of the Top 11 Tourism Places To Visit on a Kampala City Tour.

As me, myself I love always people to go to local places when it comes to eats and drinks because there, you get to connect with locals who don’t care about any race you are from but all they are upto sharing love and joy.

When it comes to Uganda, and mostly kampala where I am apparently, we have a lot of night life which is amazing and I know some of the places like in Kololo where you can have good live bands while having a drink with friends or dinner.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to shoutout to certain peoplewho have been with throughout hard situations and in joy life, who I call brothers Oryema Geoffrey aka Message and Okot Joel aka Totem Mc. When we go to outside world these people who have been with me and they believed in me from day one upto todate Augie Zadra, The Blue Marble Team, Jodi Daynard, Rusty Frank, Arthur White and his team of Los Angeles Swing Dance Poses, Frannkie Manning Foundation, Black Lindyhop Foundation and Jan.

I must express my gratitude to the many teachers who have made this body of yoga knowledge accessible to me: Tabitha Ameso aka Biibo Tag, Gangadhara Saraswati, Marcelo Alejandro Gomez aka Sn. Dharmajyoti The Founder of Yoga Pura Vida. Magazines and Newspapers which have published my work in communities of Uganda like Face The Current, Daily Monitor, Heartfulness aka Yoga 4 Unity and Mo Market place.

A special “thank you” to Indian High Commission of Kampala for sponsoring me to study yoga in India at Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana: S-VYASA, Yoga University. I can’t thank you enough for believing in me.

How can I ever thank all the yoga students, clients and trainees who helped to shape and refine my every thought about yoga practice.

My sister has always been my inspiration. I thank my friends for their support over the years.

I am grateful for God’s guidance . if not for the God’s grace, I would not be able to make sense of anything at all.

Website: https://okurutgeorge.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/okurutgeorge/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/okurut-george-398078102/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Okurutge

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/george.okurut

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@okurutgeorge

Other: Articles about my work. https://www.facebook.com/YogaandmeditationbyOkurutGeorge/?ref=pages_you_manage https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/magazines/life/rehabilitating-kisenyi-through-yoga-1808980 https://facethecurrent.com/community-in-action-okurut-george/ https://christoph-winkler.com/en/people/okurut-george/

Image Credits
Photo credit to Charles.