India is a very special country, where people have been trying to live a true path of spirituality. Yoga was born in India.
When I was in India in 2013, I was very impressed how Indian people were very happy, friendly, and really enjoy serving others, in the midst of so much poverty.
In spite of being a very poor country, which is the worst thing about India, the recent homicide indicator per 100.000 habitants is 2.95.
This indicator is very low when we compare with other rich countries, for example: in the USA it is
6.92 and in the UK it is 1.12 . Compared to my poor country, Brazil, which is 22.45, a huge disaster.
Why?? It might be about their beliefs and the greatest mission of life: to be a better human being and happy, even though they must cope with their extremely unfair environment.
Most Indian people search for illumination, an improvement of themselves. And they believe in Karma, if they do good or bad things it will return to them.
If I put these two things together, where the Yoga was born and a real search for illumination, it’s easy to figure out what I am looking for in India.
In 2019, I attended the International Symposium of Yoga Therapy in São Paulo, when I found that many respectful educations and health institutes have been researching about the benefits of practicing Yoga. Institutes like Harvard Medical School, Mind and Life Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, the most prestigious hospital in Brazil, Albert Einstein Hospital and Kaivalyadhama Institute and many others. The number of research projects has increased exponentially. I found too that the techniques of Yoga have helped many people during their treatment inside and outside of the hospital.
My heart was so happy. I couldn’t imagine how Yoga had become so important to the scientific community. Every day I came back home, walking in the clouds, so proud, so confident and with the certainty that I had taken the right path in my life.
Immediately, I knew what I would like to do with my career as a Yoga Teacher, help people to recover from their physical and mental disease through its techniques. I’ve always believed that Yoga was a powerful tool to improve ourselves, because this practice has been transforming my life in many ways. Now the science has confirmed this.
I asked my teacher, what I needed to do to become a Yoga Therapist. Since this time, everything in my life has been directed to achieve this goal, just like the river runs without any rocks in its path.
I’ve been feeling that it was not me who has chosen this path, something is pushing me or guiding me to India very strongly.
Last year, when I found myself without my boys, my first desire was to spend one year traveling around Europe to study English. One sabbatical year. However, a friend of mine recommended me to do some Yoga specialization or master’s degree, during this trip. After researching for a while, I found in Kaivalyadhama a course of Yoga Therapy. Coincidence or not, this course would begin just after my English course had finished. Perfect! Done!
I’m lucky to have had parents who taught me the highest values of life. I’m lucky to have specials friends and brothers and sisters who taught me how I can analyze my attitudes according to my values. I’m lucky to have found Yogananda, my Yoga Master, who taught me how to meditate and the Yoga philosophy. Finally, I’m lucky to have been studying Yoga in one of the most serious Institutions of Yoga in the world, Kaivalyadhama and its partners.
Thinking about everything that I’m writing, what I’m looking for in India is to prepare myself to do my duty, my Dharma, my mission in this life, what makes my heart races. And as a bonus, to improve myself.
What will come next? I really don’t know, but I will tell you soon.
Reviewed by Matthew Dove
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