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Techie by Day,
YOGI FOR LIFE Yoga passageway to wellness for Microsoft worker
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hen George Makarenko was just 9 years old, he got his first introduction to yoga and was well on his way to a life of wellness. Over summer break he discovered a small Hatha yoga book in his family’s library and spent the next three months practicing postures and breathing techniques. His high-level interest in yoga continued into the next school year when he was able to demonstrate his newfound abilities—including holding his breath under water and swimming across an Olympic-size pool. Though yoga was his newfound passion, it would be years later before he would fully understand the meaning behind the art. “Yoga has several aspects to it, all of which lead an individual inward and toward the center, making him/her stronger, more balanced and energized,” he says. Every couple of months, he leads a four-day yesplus workshop (at SU and other Seattle-area locations) based on the Art of Living philosophies of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The workshops aim to create more awareness about a healthy and stress-free way of life. “Art of Living helped me discover that yoga includes much more than holding my breath. …” he says. “Yoga, breathing techniques and meditation get you out of your head. We also blend volunteer service into the workshop so participants can sink even deeper into the experience.” In the fall, workshop participants took part in a service project with Somali refugees. Last summer, Makarenko joined 50,000 others to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Art of Living Foundation with a two-day festival of world culture and peace in Berlin, Germany. What keeps him on this healthful path? “Seeing my students shine with smiles and enthusiasm
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at the end of each course is the ultimate satisfaction.” Makarenko, a 2011 graduate of SU’s Master of Software Engineering program, also derives satisfaction from his work at Microsoft. When Makarenko first came to the United States from Russia, he was a high school exchange student who landed in the town of Castle Rock in Cowlitz County, Wash.
“Yoga, breathing techniques and meditation get you out of your head.” George Makarenko, ’11 MSE Fifteen years later, the program manager at Microsoft smiles when he thinks about how far he has come and where he is today—developing Web services to enable interactive support communities to be creative. Some of Makarenko’s areas of expertise include Web services aimed at self-help community forum experiences for Windows, Office and Internet Explorer. He had found his way to SU’s College of Science and Engineering when he recognized his career might call for stronger skills in software development. SU proved the best option, he says. “With its evening classes, the MSE program is tailored to people who are working for companies like Microsoft and Boeing,” he says. “Over the three years I was in the MSE program, I grew technically on my job at Microsoft and that was important for me.” To find out more about George Makarenko’s upcoming yesplus yoga workshops and SU classes, visit http://secure.artofliving.org/.
Read the full story on George and his work at www.seattleu.edu/magazine/.
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22 / Feeling Good
ICS# 110641 • Seattle University 2011 Winter Seattle U Magazine - 56pg PAGE 22 8.5” x 11” • 175 lpi • PDFX1a • G7 Gracol • 80# Nature Matte Book
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