Akwesasne
HLF has partnered with the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory
Akwatsire (ah - khwa - jee - leh) means “family”.
In a groundbreaking move, HLF has partnered with the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory for its first satellite initiative. This initiative marks a significant step forward for our communities, who share a common history of oppression and intergenerational trauma. Despite these challenges, our cultures share many commonalities, including a deep commitment to trauma-informed care, community healing, and wellness.
During the summer of 2020, HLF went above and beyond to provide 14 Mindful Leaders with 80 hours of intensive yoga and mindfulness training over a period of 5 weeks. But that's not all, as a part of their commitment to the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, HLF also partnered with local community educators to provide mental health awareness training, Traditional Haudenosaunee Cultural Education, Classroom Management workshops with Educational Consultant Jennifer Hutchins, and professional development training that included Financial Literacy, Public Speaking, Resume Building, and Conflict Resolution. This holistic approach not only equipped the Mindful Leaders with the tools necessary to teach yoga and mindfulness, but also supported their growth as leaders and individuals.
The demand for our mindfulness and yoga programs has exceeded our projected expectations, with more and more people seeking out ways to reduce stress, cultivate greater calm, and improve their relationships. As a result, the service area for our HLFAS satellite initiative has doubled in size, making it clear that the need for our services is only growing.
Throughout the 2020-2021 academic year, the Holistic Life Foundation Akwesasne satellite initiative has seen a group of HLFA graduates working in local schools in Franklin and St. Lawrence County, as well as at the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe's Early Learning Center. These graduates, who are now Mindful Leaders, work with students to teach them stress management, anxiety reduction, and behavior management through the use of meditation, yoga, and self-care techniques.
The Mindful Leaders incorporate Mohawk culture into the practice, making it accessible and relevant for both indigenous and non-native students. By weaving in cultural traditions, they build healthy mentoring relationships with students, while reinforcing cultural practices that are beneficial for both mental and physical health. This approach has been highly successful, as it seamlessly integrates into the school day, making it both easy and enjoyable for students.
Through a strategic partnership with the local Employment Resource Centers, the Mindful Leaders of the Holistic Life Foundation Akwesasne satellite initiative were given the opportunity to receive a weekly stipend during their training, in addition to a completion bonus. This stipend provided much-needed relief during the unexpected challenge presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and allowed trainees to fully prioritize their training without financial concerns. By removing the financial burden, the Mindful Leaders were able to focus their energy on developing their skills and knowledge, which has proven to be invaluable in their work with students.
The Holistic Life Foundation has achieved global recognition and admiration through its unwavering commitment to excellence, professionalism, skill, and authenticity. The Mindful Leaders, who are a testament to the organization's principles and practices, embody these virtues and strive to become effective agents of change within their communities through the daily practice of mindfulness and yoga. Working closely with HLF's senior staff, they continue to refine their minds and bodies, becoming living examples of the transformative power of these practices.
The Holistic Life Foundation is proud to welcome five new Mindful Leader Recruits to the HLF Akwatsire team. These Mindful Leaders serve as ambassadors of mindfulness in local schools, under the expert guidance of Senior HLF Staff Mentors Lloyd Jones and Jamaal Hawkins.
With the addition of these five Mindful Leader Recruits, HLF is proud to be expanding our reach and impact, bringing the healing power of mindfulness to even more communities in need.
Meet the Team
HLF Akwesasne Mindful Leaders
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Yoga and Mindfulness Specialist
Anenhaienton (Scattering Corn Man) Joshua Angus Sargent Scattering Corn Man is a Snipe Clan Mohawk of Akwesasne. He is a father and jack of all trades. He had tirelessly advocated and worked to uphold Haudenosaunee Sovereignty, Wellness and Community resilience through action. A do-er with a penchant for out of the box thinking and analysis, with a curious and questioning mind. Anenhaienton is often at the cutting edge of community empowerment activities. He brings over 20 years’ experience as a public speaker, a Traditional Haudenosaunee Singer, Dancer and Storyteller. Anenhaienton has worked as a radio broadcaster, farmer, comedian, web designer, and "the audio video guy”. Anenhaienton learned mindfulness, meditation and yoga through his own healing work and integrates the practice with Haudenosaunee philosophy and ancestral teachings.
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Yoga and Mindfulness Specialist
Steven Thompson-Oakes (Kentsino:ron) is Bear Clan, Two Spirit, from the Kanien’keha:ka community of Akwesasne. He spent much of his childhood growing up in the city of Ottawa. He moved back home to Akwesasne as a young adult in search of reclaiming his culture, traditional language, and sense of community. Meditation, movement, and breath work have played a huge role in his healing and wellness journey. He wants to share and empower others in teaching these healing, calming and life changing practices.
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Yoga and Mindfulness Specialist
Reese Jacobs is a young, up and coming talent that was inducted in as a Mindfulness Leader to the most recent and brand new Akwesasne HLF satellite program. He has some background in psychology and uses that to his advantage in caring for other humans and respecting the world of trauma informed care. He strives to make the halls of the schools he once walked a place of safety and raw unapologetic growth and development, to remind the youth of all the potential the world has to offer as well as what they may be able to offer the world. He is still relatively new to the world of yoga and mindfulness, but pledges to use his opportunity to serve as a testimonial to mindfulness practices and extend his hand to help those in need onto the magic carpet ride to show them a whole new world!
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Yoga & Mindfulness Staff
My name Jordan Mitchell. At home I’m a mother of two beautiful kids, but you may have also seen me within the schools as a mindfulness instructor or around the community of Akwesasne, where I live. Holistic Life Foundation found me at such a perfect time in my life because let’s be honest; life gets busy and we all need to be reminded to slow down. I’m new to HLF but have found such joy in seeing youth using their mindful practices to improve their lives and also when they go on to share these practices with others. I am grateful to be a part of such an amazing organization and excited for what the future holds.
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Yoga & Mindfulness Staff
Kanahstatsi Mackenzie Smoke is wolf and two spirit, and has lived in Akwesasne her whole life. Her passions include beading, cooking, and crocheting. Kanahstatsi’s journey with mindfulness began with mental health treatment as a teenager and her current practice has been lovingly fostered by the wonderful team in Akwesasne. She looks forward to continuing this journey by sharing her experiences and helping other people in the community begin their own paths to well-being.
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Yoga & Mindfulness Staff
My name is Theresa White, I have been working with HLF Akwesasne for about a year now as a Mindfulness Instructor. Some of the time in Elementary School, as well as Middle and HighSchool currently. I enjoy working with all ages and I"m very grateful to be able to teach and learn from all the students each day! Some of my hobbies are running, singing and spending time with family. Being a mindfulness instructor is very rewarding work, I enjoy it very much, it makes me happy.
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Yoga and Mindfulness Specialist
She:kon everyone, my name is Shye Chubb. My traditional name is Ioweraha:wi, which translates to “she carries the wind.” In July 2020, I completed the Holistic Life Foundation training program in my community of Akwesasne. Facing adversity and trauma in my life, this program opened my eyes to a new way of healing and self regulation. The impact of mindfulness has a ripple effect. I am more than eager to share the techniques I have learned throughout the past two years to inspire others to find that calm place inside themselves in the midst of internal and external turbulence. I am currently in my second year working with the Massena Elementary school disctrict and I could not be more grateful for this opportunity of being a mindfulness leader.
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My name is Shoien’kwaró:wane, I am a Mindfulness Leader under Holistic Life Foundation as well as a lifelong Martial Artist, I know no English name and hail from a small Indigenous community along the borderlines where northeastern Ontario and upstate New York meet, where the winters are tough and bleak, and the summers are warm and enchanting at times, home to a once mighty people, we call this place Ahkwesáhs:ne, “the place where the partridge drums”. All among our nation, myself included, have undergone generation-upon generation of systemic genocide and inter-generational trauma, which as we know, is stored deep within the body, and moreover, within our spirits. My goal as a Mindfulness Leader is to empower the youth among my community and provide tools that they may use to better navigate the challenges of everyday life, as well as learn to better regulate all that is internal, be it emotionally, physically, or spiritually; this is my way of giving back to the many great teachers I’ve had along the way. I’ve discovered healing, wisdom, and meaning in my own personal practices through meditation, deep breathing, and have found expression through the physical practice of yoga. As a practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitor I’ve also overcome many fears and anxieties that come along with such a rough sport since beginning my journey as a teacher, as well as a student of these practices which have helped me maintain good health, a strong mind, and avoid injury; both on and off the mats. I believe our mission as an organization is of the utmost importance, I am humbled and grateful to be a part of it and look forward to watching it flourish for the next generations.
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Educational Consultant
Jennifer Hutchins works as the Educational Consultant for HLF Akwesasne. She has been an educator in the Akwesasne community for over 20 years. She graduated with a B.A. in Education in 2001 and completed her Masters in Literacy in 2003 at SUNY Potsdam. Jennifer is also a Reiki Master, Yoga Instructor, and Mindfulness educator at BE Yoga. Jennifer began her own mindfulness journey in 2012 when both her children were diagnosed with Autism. She wanted to understand her anxiety and build a toolbox that would assist her in her daily life so she could give her kids the best life possible. She then realized that the tools she had acquired were also tools other people needed and started teaching mindfulness to her students in her classroom. She continues to work alongside HLF to help students cultivate their emotional development.
