Cowgirls vs. Cancer, DC style

It's fairly rare for me to wish to be someplace besides Montana. But over Mother's Day weekend, I was wishing I was back in DC, to be part of the Cowgirls vs. Cancer excitement set into motion by one fine lady - Peg Mulqueen (who, it should be noted, has one cowgirl boot here in Bozeman, where she spends summers and her daughter attends school). Peg caused a ripple effect in the DC area, tirelessly raising awareness and funds for our Cowgirls vs. Cancer program.

Peg dedicated her boot-stomping, cancer-kicking classes over the weekend to the cause, and rallied DC yogis to give. I was glued to my laptop, essentially watching what was happening in real time as she posted Facebook updates and the donations rolled in. I know what we do here for breast cancer survivors is amazing - after all, I've seen it in action - but to be able to communicate that to people who may have never heard of us before, and ask them to be a part of it through donations, is beyond amazing. And to be able to communicate all that through yoga - should I say the A word again??

Following the FUNdraising weekend extravaganza, one of this year's scholarship recipients who will be here in June emailed Peg this thank you note. Which she promptly passed along on her blog, with the words her note isn't meant for me - it's meant for you. Because one person becomes many. Together we can all make a difference to kick cancer's ass. As Peg put it: You will help change a woman's life...a mother, a sister, a daughter. Cancer is life-changing, that's for sure. It's my hope that Cowgirls vs. Cancer is also life-changing, in an entirely different way.

This is just one of the many times I have marveled at the way yoga brings people together, to do good. Love, gratitude, and a Big Sky-sized thank you to Peg, and to the DC yoga community, for joining forces/yoga mats with us in the fight against cancer. Yeehaw & Namaste.

Photos by Meghan Powell