MEREDITH

“It’s already happening, but I would like to see Yoga in the West move beyond Asanas. We need more Kirtan (music) and Karma Yoga (selflessness.) Because what the world so desperately needs right now is more compassion and more appreciation for simple things. Even the United Nations is telling people that the best way to reduce carbon emissions is to eat a plant-based diet. The world is telling us to make better choices and to take better care of our fellow beings, and cultivate gratitude for basic things, like clean air and clean water. It’s an invitation to see the divinity in Nature and our surroundings. “Simple living, high thinking,” as Swami Sivananda taught. We need to stop our mania of trying to find happiness by accumulating things and achieving things. It’s the only way to save ourselves and our planet.”