Yoga for the Other India

                                                               By

                                                         Kamini Bobde

 One has been teaching Yoga for the India that is rich and unhealthy. But, as part of Yoga Sadhana Seva Trust’s project to take free Yoga to the poor children & women, it was an experience that was subtle but hard hitting in its revelation.

The Teachers' Training class.

 One month of Yoga for the poor women at the Sneha institute at Santa Cruz, Mumbai, culminated with about 7 women undergoing one month of Intensive Teachers’ Training program in Yoga. The idea was to train women among them so that they could continue taking Yoga on a daily basis at the Institute. Also, to provide them an opportunity to help people in their basti and community through Yoga.  Most of them had bare schooling and  a couple of women though illiterate, grasped the therapeutic aspect quite well, especially a Muslim lady.

The dynamics of energy was so different. We are in our world of the refined elite, polished with conditioned behavior and responses resting on the bedrock of individuality flaunted through our dress, speech and so many other tags of price and position. Then to mingle with this other India, unaware and devoid of wherewithal  to have cultivated attitudes.

One experienced some other dynamics in operation here. What was it??

For one thing, the absence of money- propelled work. Both the giver and receiver are in different mode. The exchange of energy is different.

This is best summed up by Swami Satyananda, in his elucidation on Karma Yoga.

“ It is actually far easier & more motivating to work for others than for yourself. This is the secret of karma Yoga which few understand & are able to appreciate. This is the difference between karma and karma yoga.  You create karma when you act with yourself in mind, with your personal desires and problems as a motivation. When you act, not for yourself, but as a service, an offering to others, the mind is freed and you experience the benefits of karma yoga.”

Otherwise you may spend your whole life working for yourself & increasing your suffering, rather than working for others and ending your suffering along with theirs.

So karma yoga is a necessary part of life, It is as necessary as eating, talking or walking--  for you go on creating karma as long as you are alive.

Sabina, one of those who underwent the Teachers' Training taking Shava Asana for the class.