TORONTO — Joanna Sadowski, 27, says her recent 20-day solo canoe trip through Algonquin Park was both challenging and simple.

A canoe and yoga instructor with a teaching degree from Australia, Sadowski embarked on her journey in order to raise money for the Cambodian Children’s Fund, in partnership with Off the Mat Into the World (OTM), an organization aimed at encouraging yoga enthusiasts to become active in their local and global community.

Sadowski, a graduate of McGill University, said she starting canoeing at summer camp, and came to love the challenge.

“I began taking out-trips during the summers between university, and when I graduated, I decided it was something I could do full time. I am at my best when I’m outside.”

When she got involved with OTM, she said, she was inspired to help improve the lives of children “who literally have nothing. I thought of running a marathon, but canoeing is my passion, and I thought that people would support me.

“I felt grateful to have the means to go on the trip, and I was excited to be about something other than myself. It’s a cool way to combine adventure and charity. We live in abundance here. By tapping into the community, we can help elsewhere.”

She is attracted to the simple life, she says. “Of course, there are a number of challenges when embarking on a trip, but it’s the simplicity I love. There is no white noise and no electronics, so there is a lot of time for reflection. I am disconnected, but I’m connected to my body and thoughts and to the sounds of nature.

“I also become more grateful for my food, because I have to work for it. Especially in the winter, digging a hole for water has a certain incredible energy attached to it. I become self-reliant.”

She had food dropped off on the 10th day of her 20-day trip, she said, and she had a satellite phone that she used twice. “The longest time I went without talking to anyone was six days. When you’re by yourself, every step is precious. No one is there if you fall.

“I had a lot of fun. It was more challenging than I anticipated, and also more beautiful and more empowering. When I get to a site, I have to look for wood and set up camp myself. I couldn’t leave it to someone else.”

She’d do it again, she said, but she’d have to run it past her family. “I think they found it more challenging than I did. They were proud, but they were perplexed.”

Sadowski said she has raised more than $6,000 of the $20,000 she hopes to raise for the charity. For information, e-mail her at [email protected].