Saturday, April 26th, 2008

Saturday, April 26th, 2008 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada

So, spring has sprung and there is nothing like it with the explosion of nature's colours and smells. But with a restless night I ventured to the streets of downtown for japa meditation where the smells and sights there differed from those of the ravine. It is remarkable that after years of chanting there is not the least attraction to party pleasures. One person, a yoga instructor that I recently met, explained that some years back when he was a bouncer in a club, he would meet all these nice people on their way in, and by the time they came out two hours later, they had transformed into monsters; we are talking here about the effect of intoxication and the gross adverse impact it has on people's lives. Speaking of yogis and more gentle folk, our local group of youth along with volunteers come together each night this week to rehearse "The Gita". We had some fine talent which had the good fortune to perform at the Convention Centre's Yoga Show in front of yoga enthusiasts. The job was well done. People witnessed the greater depth of Vedic life and not just the display of arms and legs stretched over a yoga mat. They watched real living and breathing theatre- theatre with a message. After the performance, a couple came to us and said, "We have been trying to sort out the Bhagavad-gita for years, but you have made it comprehensible through entertainment. Thank you." She is a yoga teacher herself, and he is a sundancer who hangs from trees as a form of going mind over matter.

8km