Karma Yoga is the art and science of “karmically” aware and responsible action and intention - to take responsible acts without attachment to results or rewards. It is selfless action. Karma yoga is thus the yoga of action: getting off the yoga mat and applying ourselves to the world around us. But at the same time, how many of us really do take active steps to change the world on our doorstep?
And what happens when we start to shift our focus to that other side of yoga, so often ignored in our physically oriented world?
Few people follow the path of ‘Karma Yoga’, and those who do often stay relatively discreet, as karma yoga acts simply become part of a daily life and routine. It could involve giving water to a thirsty dog or simply picking up street littler on the way to work. Mahatma Gandhi indeed said that you ‘must be the change you want to see in the world.’
And sometimes, making a statement is key to getting one’s voice heard. This is exactly what one group of people are now doing by taking their practice ‘off the mat’ and into real life in Goa, India. Staff and students from the Brahmani Yoga Centre launched ‘Karma Yoga – Clean up Goa’ days, to help clear rubbish on some of the region’s most beautiful beaches.
Goa is a huge tourist destination in India, and many holiday makers, seasonal residents and passers by, make a halt and spend time indulging in daily yoga classes and beachtime activities. In fact, as an international drop-in yoga centre, Brahmani sees hundreds of visitors each week. They also host a number of workshops, events and over 35 classes a week – that makes a lot of yogis! Other nearby retreat centres such as Purple Valley and Satsanga also see a substantial amount of yoga tourists passing through –but all are keen to give something back to the local environment. After all, tourism and yoga should work together, and it often does: most places have tried to set up recycling and green initiatives – such as saying no to plastic bags and bottles, separating rubbish and using eco-friendly, locally sourced materials.
But Goa's long-standing problem is not only unsightly for tourists and locals - it's incredibly hazardous to wildlife and animals.
For example, in April 2000, the Lucknow Times of India reported that as many as 100 local cows were dying every day as a result of eating discarded plastic bags. In Goa, cows are commonly seen chewing their way through plastic bags in hope of finding something to eat. The problem is that there is no rubbish collection system in place, so residents unaware of the hazardous effects of plastic waste, resort to burning their own rubbish – or simply throwing it in fields or on the side of the road.
This is why Julie Martin, Director of Brahmani Yoga and also the mind behind this initiative, decided to round up a number of local organizations, students, volunteers, and schools, to join forces and tackle one of the region’s most serious environmental issues: plastic waste and recycling rubbish. With the first day kicking off in Autumn 2009, the idea was to dedicate one Sunday morning a month, round up Yoga teachers, Teacher Training students, local residents and volunteers, to get their hands dirty, help pick up litter, to keep Goa clean and give that little something back to the local environment.
The first ‘Karma Yoga’ day itself proved to be a huge success. With over 100 volunteers taking part (from all ages and backgrounds), spending under 2 hours on Anjuna beach in North Goa, an entire rubbish truck was filled with bags full of plastic, glass, cans and general waste. Passers by joined in too and lent a hand to help fill up a few bags.
Julie Martin says: “Hopefully we can use these days to not only highlight the rubbish problem in Goa, but also to offer service and to give up a small amount of our time and do something for the community that has supported Brahmani for years. Karma Yoga is a large part of the yoga process and I think it is time we all got involved and set an example.”
Yoga is about union and integration – not just on the mat, when breath, movement and body are one, but also off the mat. Our practice on the mat should hopefully guide us towards actions in the outside world: if we observe our actions on the mat, perhaps we can all try to apply them to the outside world, and together, in a united way, we can make a difference.
Florence Mendes, Principal/Counsellor of the local ‘Kids.com playgroup and volunteer on the day, said: “I have never been so happy in my life as I did that morning. Being the only Goan amongst a group of westerners, I was really overjoyed that my little students from Kids . Com had the opportunity to learn something about keeping our environment clean.”
Although it remains clear that a few mornings a season won’t do much to sort out the real garbage and waste problem in Goa, all the volunteers are committed to the issue and are there because they want to make a positive change in the world outside the yoga shala.
So what does the future hold for this project? “It’s both about environmental awareness and living in connection and union with the world around us”, says Julie Martin. “The ultimate aim of course is to make the local environment a better, healthier place for everyone to enjoy, and set an example for other places. We have to start in our own backyards, Goa being mine.”
“If we can raise enough awareness this season, then the next step would be to set up a charity – starting with educating kids at local schools, organizing workshops and events, to then put pressure on the authorities to take real action to tackle the waste issue.
No matter how small a drop in the ocean this may be, Karma Yoga in truth isn’t about being attached to the results. We can’t expect to change the world by collecting trash one day a month. But as yogis, we need to do what we can for those that need help, for our communities, for our environment. We need to give our time, money or energy back in order to honour what our practice is truly about, and if we end up with a clean beach, having saved a few cows, then it’s a great gift to give.”
This is a great lesson to learn – as yoga teaches us to take action and do service for the sake of service.
See video of the event here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_Gu7vCvHIQ
