Ever feel guilty when you practice yoga? Sometimes I do. Like everyone else, I enjoy having my special yoga clothes and practicing at the beautiful yoga studios in my safe and beautiful city. But deep inside I am always acutely aware of the disparity between my life and the lives of those who are less fortunate—those who live in impoverished countries and are unable to even get food on the table or feel safe in their homes, let alone have a guided asana practice. I often wish there were more opportunities to combine my yoga practice with doing seva (service) abroad. If this is something you've thought about, too, you might want to consider Metta Journeys.

Founded by three local Bay Area yoga teachers—Sarah Powers, Chandra Easton, and Janice Gates—and two yogis (financially savvy Jo Ousterhout and travel expert Deepak Patel), Metta Journeys is a new program that brings yoga practitioners to less fortunate parts of the world in the name of global awareness and humanitarian service. It's holding its inaugural trip from May 3-10, when its teachers will take a maximum of 20 students to Rwanda in partnership with Women for Women International (an organization that I am a proud member of!), which helps women in war-torn regions rebuild their lives (especially important work in Rwanda because so many women were left widows after the massacres of the early '90s).

The trip costs about $5800 (plus the plane ticket), so it's not an easy getaway for those who are strapped. But for those who are short on time, not too short on funds, and really wanting to make a difference, it's a luxury yoga vacation, international adventure, and major charitable endeavor all rolled into one. The price includes intimate yoga instruction, accommodations at Kigali's only 5-star hotel, personal translators, gorilla trekking, and, of course, the opportunity to connect with Rwandan women and hear about their struggles. Each person who attends will not only be paired up with a "sister" who they will sponsor for one year (like I was when I joined Women for Women International), but they will actually get to meet their sister, which I think is just really cool.

The teachers (who are not getting any financial renumeration for this trip) are also planning to go about a week early to give yoga and mindful meditation instruction to the brave Rwandan women involved in the program.