Taialofa and Kevin Petrini

On the South Pacific island of Savai’i, Samoa, in the year 2000, Kevin Petrini and Taialofa Russell met beside the sea. Kevin was working as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer, and Taialofa was visiting the island where she was born. Upon their meeting, they both knew they would have an important place in each other’s life. They each had a dream of making the world a healthier and more peaceful place. They were married in Walpole, New Hampshire, in 2002.

The Raw Shakti vision occurred to Taialofa in 2002 during an evening meditation. Taialofa was now teaching yoga full-time, had traveled to over 20 countries, and was raised in a yoga lifestyle, which was full of outdoor adventures. Upon reflection, it seemed natural that she would have a vision of a yoga center and international travel company. She saw Raw Shakti being created for the sake of helping people to see the world mindfully and to live a healthier life amidst today’s busy world of excess and unhealthy living. This vision is complimented by the practical and peaceful nature of her husband, Kevin. To begin making this vision a reality, Kevin encouraged the creation of the Raw Shakti logo and business plan and started discussions of what it would take step by step to serve many.

In 2003 they traveled to India for Kevin’s yoga teacher training course at the Sivananda Ashram in Kerala, India. Upon his completion of the course, they went on to study yoga and to meet with Amma and other teachers. They taught yoga classes in India and lead their first Yoga Adventure Travel tour through Kerala, thereby laying the groundwork for Raw Shakti Yoga Adventure Travel tours of India and worldwide.

In 2004 Taialofa and Kevin arrived in Samoa on a boat with only two backpacks, a surfboard and their first computer. It happened to be a full moon and Taialofa’s 29th birthday. This was the first time Taialofa had been in Samoa on her birthday since she was born! By the second week, Taialofa was teaching her first yoga class in Samoa. As Kevin was taking the class, he saw a rainbow through the window directly over Taialofa’s head. They felt this to be an auspicious sign that yoga would work in Samoa, and so the hard work began. Taking local buses to teach classes and making their way slowly but surely, they held fast to their dream of teaching yoga in Samoa and worldwide. Throughout the year, guests from overseas came to stay with them for yoga lifestyle training and retreats as well as encouraging the vision of a retreat center. One of their guests was Taialofa’s brother, Bryan Russell, who came to Samoa to assist her on a yoga retreat and helped create the first Raw Shakti Yoga e-newsletter in December of 2004.

Throughout 2004, Kevin spent many hours practicing yoga and learning from the Yoga Vasistha, Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali, Upanishads and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika amongst other Yoga sadhana. He laid the groundwork in local Samoan villages for our Yoga Adventure Travel tours of Samoa. Taialofa continued her classes and expanded her practice.

In 2005, the groundwork was completed for the Yoga Retreats and the Yoga Adventure Travel aspect of their vision. They are now leading people on mindful yoga travel experiences that interact positively with the local culture of Samoa. The vision is to have two retreat centers, one in Samoa and one in America and 27 mindful Yoga Adventure Travel tours around the world yearly.

Taialofa and Kevin’s practice develops daily. This includes practicing yoga together daily, supporting each other in living an ashram-style life as householders, studying yoga, evolving their love for one another and sharing their yoga with others. Each complements the other in their approach to healthy and balanced living. They are dedicated to making Raw Shakti the best Yoga Adventure Travel company it can be.

The sense of community that one gets from being involved in Raw Shakti is contagious. Taialofa and Kevin, Raw Shakti founders and co-directors, are positive and uplifting people and have been gathering a community of people to support their mission of health and peace on earth, one person at a time. Thank you kindly for reading about what we offer and we will be honored to have you on one of our unique yoga tours.

Namaste,

Taialofa and Kevin