From the perspective of Swami Vivekananda, student of Sri Ramakrisha, what the East needs is more of the West’s business acumen, efficiency and technical capability, and what the West needs is more of the wisdom, spirituality, faith, freedom and bliss that are inherent parts of the ancient teachings of the yogis, of the East.
This exchange between East and West that Vivekananda presaged in 1900 at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago is happening now, and has been happening more and more during these past three decades.
Yes, incorporate yoga into the fiber of our American society! This will be to the benefit of our lives, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Yes, continue to make it available in every town, every neighborhood, in schools, health clubs, churches and hotels! It is beneficial and has been sorely needed since the industrial revolution stole away some of the spirituality that had been at the foundation of our American society in the days of our founding fathers….and mothers…
Yes, bring in the Goddess/Matriarchal element, in the chants, the readings, the t-shirts, and let it balance out the Patriarchal elements of our society, so that men and women become equally cared for, remunerated, and respected. And speaking of patriarchy, it truly is, of course, as sacred as matriarchy, even though the Goddess has been highlighted here in our yogic culture quite a bit recently. For how can a bird fly on one wing? And where there is nurturing, love, kindness, compassion, and flexibility, there is also a need for strength, clarity, boundaries and guidelines. Still the Goddess energy needs to be clear, strong and supported, because it is only now in this new millennium that the balancing of yin and yang, (or Shiva and Shakti in yogic terms) is beginning to be achieved.
Back to Business…
In the American way, yoga has become big business. This is a good thing! Yoga has become more available, and the sharing of information and training has been greatly facilitated by regular professional conferences within the yoga community. I must admit, as a life-long mystic and one who loves silence and solitude, I have only attended a couple of yoga conferences and a handful of yoga retreats in recent years. As part of my training during my 20s, I did spend nine years at a meditation center in upstate New York with more than two hours of daily meditation and daily chanting, in addition to monthly weekend retreats and a 10-day summer retreat each year. We also traveled to India several times on pilgrimage during those years.
I have been so immersed in offering my own classes and workshops (and taking local classes) that I rarely venture out to the larger gatherings. Whenever I do attend workshops and conferences, I greatly enjoy them and am delighted to learn from wonderful and experienced yogis and yoginis; yet in the midst of the crowds and the marketplace, my soul hearkens back to those pilgrimages in India, as we chanted our way by bus, plane, and horseback to the shrines and temples from Rishikesh and Haridwar in the North, to Vivekananda Rock at the southern-most tip of India.
As the saying goes, though, great yogis can bring the stillness and peace of the meditation cave to any city or marketplace. The stillness and peace are always there, within us. Namaste.
Hannah Schoen Caratti, M.A., E-RYT teaches yoga on Zoom and in Sonoma County, California. Her Gentle Yoga DVD, and CDs Mother’s Heart, Walk with the Angels, Peace Chants, and True Self are available at www.yogahealingarts.net To listen to the music, you are welcome to visit YouTube, and search for Hannah & Friends, ‘Mother’s Heart’ or Hannah & Friends, ‘Walk with the Angels,’ or ‘Peace Chants,’ or ‘True Self.’
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Hannah Caratti, LMFT, integrates psychology, trauma-informed yoga, and iRest® Yoga Nidra to help individuals cultivate resilience, healing, and lasting well-being.
She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT 50289) and an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT).
