Meditation Secrets Revealed

A conversation with Nipun Mehta conducted by Vlad Moskovski

For the last fourteen years, Nipun Mehta and a team of dedicated volunteers have been revolutionizing what it means to embrace generosity and bring it into daily life. CharityFocus has inspired thousands of people around the world and include projects such as: Smile Cards, Karma Kitchen, Karma Tube, and many more. CharityFocus is an experiment in the joy of giving and together this community works from the intent to “be the change we wish to see in the world.”

Vlad: Is there an underlying philosophy to CharityFocus that informs everything you do?

I think one of the core underlying values is that everybody has something to give. This goes against the grain of our dominant culture. Even early on when I was giving, people would tell me, “You have to have something before you can give.  Go out and get some money and then you can give.”  But that is a reductionist view of giving. Yesterday, I was talking to a woman who is really engaged with the deaf community. A typical response of our dominant culture is, “Those guys really need to learn how to talk and communicate” and she is saying, “Maybe that’s not the answer. Maybe they have different gifts.”

Another friend was telling me a story of talking to a homeless guy who treated him to a coffee. It was so profound for that fellow to *receive* that cup of coffee from a homeless man.  And he does it every time they meet.  Someone did something really nice for that homeless man once and he was never able to thank them but now he wants to pay it forward. Underneath this coffee is a certain kind of inner transformation. That’s one of the fundamental pillars of CharityFocus, that in any situation, you can manifest a heart of service.

Vlad: What is the connection of generosity and spiritual growth?

Before you practice any act of kindness you have to have an intent and our capacity to deal with the subsequent thoughts is what manifests spiritual insight.  Regardless of what happens at the external level of  impact, that inner transformation and insight is ours to keep. This is why sages say that it doesn’t matter if you give a million dollars or a penny — what matters is *how* you are giving it. And when you approach it in that way, generosity is a great catalyst for spiritual growth.

All of a sudden life looks very different. Everywhere you are trying to say, “Where can I give?” Even if you can’t give anything, the fact that you had that thought carries the potential for inner transformation. To be generous you have to recognize interconnectedness between you and the other. First step along this generosity path is a sense of sacrifice or even faith.  If I give something away, I’ll have less of it, so you need to figure out a compelling reason for you to suspend your selfish tendencies.  The second step is to realize, “Oh, when I give, I actually receive.” The third step, after you’ve done a lot of giving and receiving is to see it as a dance — sometimes you may give a lot, sometimes you may receive a lot. It does not matter, you are just doing a dance and you can’t dance unless you let go.

Vlad: There is a big focus on doing small acts rather than big ones. I think the quote you share from Mother Theresa is, “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” Do you think this empowers people?

Surely.  If we look at the world through the lens of inner transformation, it really does not matter how big or small our act is.  What matters most is that we are in the space of inner generosity. When we continue doing ‘small acts with great love’ and we hold that space within us, it starts to shift our deepest sub-conscious from a me-orientation to a we-orientation.  Our culture tends to admire those who do big things and we often create halos around them but really that just points to our own insecurities about sub-consciously wanting to be powerful like them.  When we let-go of that and start being we-centered, those patterns come undone.  If you really break it down, all those people in positions of leverage are just doing the same small acts that you and I might be doing.  They might have come together in an elegant way or in a way that is very visible or has created a dramatic impact, but that is just happenstance.  If we get caught up in that, we lose the capacity to be still and hence to love.  So the keyword in “small thing with great love” is love; small is all there is, but it is love that shifts our orientation and empower us.

Vlad: What I hear is an element of humility.

Gandhi used to say, “I am less than dirt” and a lot of people look at that and say, “Oh, he is so humble.” He is not trying to be humble — he is actually lower than dirt. We are all dirt that has come together for a short period of time and that is going to disintegrate again. We are constantly integrating and disintegrating and in that whole unfolding, our highest capacity is to be an instrument of a Nature and our lowest capacity is to be an instrument of our ego.  Ego leads to separation and isolation and everything seems like an uphill battle. But when we are instruments of nature, when we see ourselves as we really are — lots of molecules arising and passing in each moment — and become catalysts for something much larger than the ego.  In its early stages, that creates a sense of humility, but over time it becomes a way to be natural, to be inter-connected with life and to be a servant of a constant emergence.

Vlad: How has meditation influenced you?

Without meditation, I would be in a very different space and CharityFocus would have taken a very different trajectory. Meditation has given me a view of my inner landscape, of my mind, and that’s been priceless.  It shows me that how I’m aware of a very small portion of my mind and yet each of my daily decisions are influenced by my subconscious parts.  That’s a jarring insight.  It means we’re basically throw darts in the dark and hoping to find happiness.  People smoke even when they know it’ll cause them intense suffering.  Why do we do it?  Because of the heavy yet subtle conditioning of our mind.  It pleases our senses in the short-term, so we are taken by it.  We do that with all our subtle habits too.  Meditation, then, helps you see that clearly.  And not just see it, but also realize the depth of that problem and ultimately start to unravel it.  Its very humbling endeavor [laughs] but also invaluable.
Even more troublesome, for someone like me, is that the problems that meditation uncovers aren’t going to be solved by putting them on your todo list.  Getting milk from the store is easier, creating revolutions is easier, changing other people is easier … than changing yourself at the depth of your being.  That takes a lot.  The real revolution is the inner revolution.   When we serve and allow “what is” to do its natural dance, that’s a revolutionary act.  Sometimes things work out just the way we want them, sometimes they work out exactly opposite how we want them.  It’s all good.  We have to just stop putting a spin on it.  It’s not positive thinking, not negative.   The problem is thinking it self.  These are simple things to say and very hard to put into practice. [laughs]

Vlad: What is the direction you see CharityFocus going?
Really, the main thing I’d like CharityFocus to do is stay true to its values.  With that foundational strength, it’ll be fun to see how we can get creative with the power of inner transformation and shift our cultural narrative towards greater generosity. For example, after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, there was no looting.  People were civil.  That was not the work of some nonprofit organization telling everyone, “Ok, please be good.  Don’t fight.”  No.  It happened because of their culture, because of the 5000-year plan of their ancestors.  In 5,000 years, people are not going to remember a building or an organization; they are going to remember values and if those values are aligned with our basic human nature, and in way that generosity clearly is, then its going to survive.  So I hope that CharityFocus continues to work a 5,000 year plan and continue to plant seeds for tress we will never see.

For more info visit:
CharityFocus (incubator), DailyGood (news), Karma Tube (videos), HelpOthers (kind acts), Conversations (artists), iJourney (wisdom), KarmaKitchen (US), MovedByLove (India), CFSites (technical)

“Know yourself as the ocean of being, the womb of all existence. You can know it only by being it. Without it all is trouble. If you want to live sanely, creatively and happily and have infinite riches to share, search for what you are!” ~Sri Nasargadatta Maharaj from the book I AM That

An interview with Sean Feit conducted by Vlad Moskovski

It is a lovely and warm Friday evening as I walk into the back studio of Yoga Mandala to attend a ceremony done on the first Friday of every month. No cult here, but yes there are some intriguing symbols and plenty of chanting and singing involved. It’s called a kirtan and it is the embodiment of spiritual devotional singing and chanting in the Hindu tradition that is at the heart of one major branch of yoga called Bhakti Yoga. Blissed out after the amazing evening, I decided to interview the charismatic and wildly funny conductor of the kirtan – Sean Feit.

Vlad: You lead kirtan, essentially devotional singing, how did you get started with that?

Sean: I had been doing long Buddhist retreats for many years, and at a certain point in the unfolding of the practice it became clear that another kind of medicine was needed. I noticed that one of my strengths was faith, and connected with that energy. It is not very emphasized in the Vipassana tradition that I was practicing in at the time. But I had faith in the process, and in the possibility of guidance coming from wherever it comes from.

To anthropomorphize that guidance made sense to my heart. The forms, images, and stories – the human-shaped archetypes of the divinities really worked for me more than a dry, “pure” wisdom-all-the-time kind of approach. I’d been doing yoga for a decade and really loved the yoga deities.

I started to connect with the forms of the deities, and because I was already a musician kirtan was easy and I started doing it. I grew up Catholic, and really like the rituals, I really like being in relationship with something, but didn’t want to be part of a church. But devotion and faith still turns out to work for me. So I’ve transferred my affection to the blue guy and the monkey – somehow those images just resonate.

Vlad: What is your favorite part of leading a kirtan, what is that sweet moment that you savor?

Sean: The moment, like in any practice, is when you are actually feeling something. When I am singing to somebody and things line up and I get it for a second. It’s a little like the way they say you have to repeat a mantra 100,000 times because you only actually have to say it once but most of those times you weren’t really there. I like that about bhakti – its tolerance of endless failure. When you get it it’s really sweet. It doesn’t ask you to be perfect in any way. The moment is whenever I am actually available for it: I’m singing, or other people are singing, and the heart is just there.

Vlad: Devotional chanting is considered a major part of Bhakti Yoga, so what is Bhakti yoga?

Sean: To me, and this is a very idiosyncratic definition, bhakti is something like permission. The spiritual world is so full of methods, prescriptions, and things you have to do a certain way! If you don’t do the exercises right they don’t work. Bhakti is the part of the path that takes you as you are, and whatever works for you – do that. The heart of the practice is just the feeling of being connected. It’s different from asana where there are lots of things to do, and meditation with lots of things to not do. Bhakti is really simple, really sweet. What do you love? How you get lit up?  Just do that!

Vlad: So what is the textbook definition of Bhakti Yoga?

Sean: Heart opening practices like mantras, and thinking about the wisdom stories, connecting with aspects of whatever you call Divine, with what makes you feel connected. One of the things that seems important to me about bhakti is what Krishna says in the Gita: all the paths work, but the bhakti path is easier, because it gives you a form to focus on.  It’s not absolute truth, of course.  There is no Krishna, no blue guy, no monkey God, but thinking about Krishna or Jesus or whoever you like does something. It’s what I call a skillful use of duality. You take on the dual, understanding that ultimately it’s fictional. If I already understood that my self is fictional I would not need to do that. But as long as I think I exist, it may be helpful to think that the Divine exists as something that I can have a relationship with.

Within the bhakti tradition, you reflect on Kali, or Krishna, or whoever is your favorite form and as that reflection matures you let go of the separation, you take the deity into your body and you feel like you are Krishna or Kali. In bhakti yoga losing yourself in the devotion brings deep happiness that leads toward wisdom, love, and clear seeing.

Vlad: How is Bhakti path different from the traditional yoga as we know it in the West – in theory and practice?

Sean: Yoga in the West, through some brilliant marketing maneuvers, has become a self-help practice that is often little more than physical exercise. Bhakti tends to look more like Pentecostal Christianity: just sing all day and lose yourself in loving! But really get involved in your worship, really adore God!

It’s strange and interesting to have public yoga classes that are essentially all about physicality and the cultivation of body, but within this near-universal focus on body there are tidbits of philosophy and spiritual affirmation – teachers play Sanskrit mantras and chants in the background. I say it as if I am critiquing it, but I do it too!

It is an interesting recipe: 90 percent exercise, 5 percent rest and 5 percent affirmation. It’s come a long way from Indian yoga, and certainly a long way from the roots of yoga in the Tantras and earlier meditation traditions, but Western yoga has lead to Indian music and Indian mantras sung by Westerners – and it’s a signal of authentic spiritual seeking in the Bay Area and throughout the Western world. It’s problematic – colonial, orientalist, and appropriation – but that’s how the symbols are working right now, and the amazing thing is that it really works for people. It has good effects, as we get out of our heads and into our bodies. We could all use some exercise, after all, and endorphins make you susceptible to suggestion, so we are in this open state and our teachers – who are kind and well-intentioned – plant in us information about wellbeing and freedom.

Vlad: Would you change this in any way?

Sean: I like teaching classes sometimes that are not within that model. I would love to teach a regular Saturday morning class that was an hour of asana, with no music and just focused silence, then an hour of sitting in silence, and I’m never sure where to put the kirtan piece – maybe after.  Certainly some chanting in there somewhere.

The sitting thing is so interesting because across the tracks in the Buddhist world, total beginners will come to a sitting group and sit for 45 minutes regularly. They just deal. But in the yoga world, the standard form is movement, and nobody can sit still. Its partially because in the Buddhist world, discomfort is considered grist for the mill, whereas in the yoga world it is considered a sign that you are doing it wrong. I’m working on bringing those two worlds together.

Vlad: If somebody was going to choose a yoga path – what advice would you give them on how to do that?

Sean: I would say, “who are you? What are your strengths and temperament?” “Do a practice that mostly relies on your strengths, but that will open into your weaknesses. If you absolutely can’t sit still for one minute, start doing a fast vinyasa practice for a couple of years and do that until you can sit still.”

One of the things Buddha admitted was that yoga, like spiritual paths in general, was not for everyone. The Buddha actually considered not teaching after he attained enlightened because the thing he realized was too subtle for most people to understand. The story goes that Sacca, the king of the gods, overheard him thinking this, and materialized before him saying, “Blessed one you are wrong, there are beings with little dust in their eyes who would be able to understand the Dharma that you teach.”

Yoga – by which I mean an integrated practice that includes meditation and spiritual inquiry – is suitable for people with relatively little dust in their eyes, but folks with a lot of dust may need something else. There are so many ways that the psyche gets traumatized, and may be not available for deconstruction, and yoga at its heart is a deconstruction practice. It’s a practice that challenges who and what you think you are. A lot of us are not ready for it.  But the asana practice on its own – and this is how yoga is most often taught in the West – can be an appropriate doorway, because we can engage with it on many levels, including just as physical conditioning.

There is a strong movement to bring the physical practice of yoga asana to a lot of different populations, and in a way I think that runs parallel to the way yoga in general has become more widely adopted. It speaks to our level of inner health. That actually before we do anything really deep, we have to be in our bodies and be here! The physical practice of asana is right for our culture, for the amount of stress and disassociation so many of us carry. It is then a practice that is right also for bringing to a wider populations and it does seem like it can really help.  And when folks hunger for more, the deep river of the tradition is right there.

Interview with Marty Fleetwood conducted by Vlad Moskovski

Modern yoga in America has become an icon for fitness, health and spirituality. In addition to these varied perspectives is it possible to use yoga to bring people together in a positive environment to facilitate emotional healing? For the last few years, Marty Fleetwood and a team of dedicated teachers have been doing just that by bringing yoga to homeless shelters though a collaboration between Homebase, Boss, and the Piedmont Yoga Studio.

Vlad: What moved you to want to share yoga with this community?

When I started working as a lawyer in the 80′s homelessness as a public interest problem was very confounding. So going out and interviewing homeless people and realizing they were just people. Bad things that could happened to anybody happened to them and they lived at an economic level at a time in our country where you could not hold on to your housing and there wasn’t cheaper housing to go to with the resources that you had. And that really enraged me.

When I took the yoga teacher training and was thinking about teaching I talk with the director and owner of Piedmont Yoga Studio (PYS), where I did my teacher training, about developing some kind of  piedmont yoga community programs. Teachers could go out of the studio into the community and teach. Piedmont Yoga Studio was all for it and they said they would sponsor us, so we got PYS, Boss, and Homebase where I work all to bond together and we began in fall of 2008.

Vlad: How does yoga help homeless? Does it address directly any of the underlying challenges and issues that homeless people deal with?

One of the foundation research pieces done by Stanford on homelessness was to answer what leads to one person or family becoming homeless when an equally poor person or family does not. A big differentiators is whether you have an effective social network and relationships to other people that support you in life. It is pretty basic. One of the key things we are doing is creating a place to have a positive common experience with other people. It’s nice to see the bonding among some of the participants. Chat on your way in, chat on your way out, maybe develop some relationships. It is a healthy way to connect to other people.

If you think about what happens in a yoga class, this a fun way to learn to follow directions, show up in life and learn how to be in a common endeavor with people arriving at the same place. Clients say, that we have given them tools to calm themselves, less hurried, stronger – its giving them something to do that allows them to feel good about themselves.

Vlad: What have you learned about teaching homeless?

We have found the space that works best is as close as possible to where people sleep. If we can do yoga right near there that’s much better than trying to transport anybody anywhere.

We have a schedule that is three weeks on and two weeks off. In the beginning we had graduation ceremonies, we would give out certificates. Right from the beginning we had a soft journaling for feedback. The goal of the journals was not feedback for the teachers of the program, it was for the participants to be self-reflective. We are helping people be responsible for their own wellness. The program is not about just transferring resources, but building capacity and knowledge within your body to control yourself. Self awareness leads to self control and if you can control yourself, you can control the environment that you are in.

Another feature we evolved is the three teachers rule – one teacher and two assistants. It works really well because you can never predict who’s coming into the room. We keep our minds open and the door open – everybody is welcome.

We went out of our way to figure out nametags that you could clip to the mat. It is all part of how boss creates a welcoming environment in many of its programs. You create transparency around things without requiring people to remember, there is no anxiety or expectation. It’s a conscious action to give everybody space to feel included.

Vlad: What keeps you coming back to teach more classes, is there any particular sweet moment in class that you look forward to?

I like teaching yoga. I particularly like teaching people that don’t have rich opportunities in life because they are much more engaged with what they are doing, they appreciate the honor and opportunity. There comes an understanding that the adjustment that you making on somebody is the friendliest touch that body has had in six months and the most neutral non- demanding touch. It makes you realize your presence is a gift to other people and that gift may carry them a long way. What could be better than that. Serving people who appreciative the service.

Vlad: What is unique or special about working with this population?

The fabulous thing about this population, is that they are verbal and vocal. During class there is a lively sense of camaraderie and community about what is happening in the room.

The other thing we do that isn’t part of a regular yoga program is we read them a story. A lot of the feedback we got in the class is they love being read to. It creates a safe space and makes them feel like nursery school naptime.

We always do pranayama, both at the beginning and at the end of class. We do it that way to bring them into the room, to help them understand that this is a relaxing space. To connect their mind to breath and then slowly start doing movement that connects their breath to their body’s movement. Students use that a lot to deal with anger.

Vlad: How has sharing yoga with homeless changed your life?

It has made me absolutely appreciate the privilege of being alive and the blessing of having a body that does what I want it to do most of the time. It allows me to be just a human being with other human beings. They don’t come with a lot of expectations and they seem to appreciate what we have to give.

This being in community with them is what teaching yoga has given me. I just show up and say, “hey I’m just a yoga teacher, I’ve come to where you guys are sleeping tonight to teach you yoga.” It just makes me feel good and alive!

Links:

Piedmont Yoga Studio

http://piedmontyoga.com/

Home Base – The Center for Common Concerns

http://www.homebaseccc.org/

Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS)

http://www.self-sufficiency.org/

Interview with Smita Khatri – founder of Karma Tiffin
Interview conducted by Vlad Moskovski

Smita Khatri is a generous soul inspired by what she saw in India decided to bring her love of cooking and service to mankind together into a project that she called Karma Tiffin. As a way of giving to others purely out of love and making people happier and healthier through food, she makes beautiful and delicious Indian food delivered in a tiffin – a common way of packaging food in India a tiffin consists of three metal container stacked together with different dishes inside each one.

Vlad: What is unique about Karma Tiffin?

One time somebody delivered a tiffin to me. I’ll speak from that experience. I did not know what I was going to eat that day and really didn’t feel like cooking so when that tiffin showed up, I was relieved. It was great to see so many different dishes. What made it special was that somebody delivered a homemade meal to my door. Made especially for me! It felt really personal and nice to receive. I think people are charmed by the actual tiffin.

Vlad: What’s your favorite part of the process?

I like going to the grocery store. I like picking up food. Delivering it and the reaction that I get from people. One woman who’s Father just died gave me a hug for at least a minute, it was the warmest – I still remember it vividly. That doesn’t always happen, but when it does its really nice.

Vlad: So how did you get started with Karma Tiffin?

About a year ago, I spent three months in India volunteering with an organization that worked with kids and adults in the slums. I saw everyone there getting served their lunch in tiffins. One time one of the other volunteers gave me a flyers for a healthy organic tiffin service that was being offered. This planted a little seed in my mind.

Coming back from India I felt really inspired, like the world was limitless and I could do anything. I had gone to Karma Kitchen, volunteered and eaten there, so I was familiar with the gift economy idea. Then one day I thought what if this organic tiffin service was based on the gift economy and Karma Kitchen?

Vlad: What did you think it could be?

My intention for Karma Tiffin was to find a way to cheer people up. If somebody is going through a hard time, this would be my way of offering them something. I also had the idea of bring joy to organizations or people whose work I liked, who inspired me by what they are doing. I had a lot of excitement around the idea of offering healthy vegetarian cuisine. Many years ago I wanted to go to cooking school, I never went, and here is my chance to cook for people. So this was another way to manifest that desire.

Vlad: What response to you get from people?

Always positive. Once someone gave me flowers when they returned the tiffin. Always smiles, sometimes hugs. Somebody said he never knew vegetarian food could be so good – he is always used to eating meat.

Vlad: Do you see yourself doing more tiffins?

As I am inspired, but not as a mandate. Sometimes things can turn into mandates and I’ve felt some pressure around that. Like I should be doing more of them every week, but I realize I don’t enjoy it when there is that pressure. I see it doing it as I am inspired – and sometimes it’s really hard to control the inspiration. It comes in waves.

When I hear people doing things that I resonate with, I get inspired. By hearing stories and learning about people.

Vlad: And do you think you yourself inspire people?

Yeah, I think so, when I’m really doing what I love then I am.

Vlad: There is a vignette of you and Karma Tiffin, did you hear stories and responses from that video?

Yes, absolutely. I know of two people in California who decided that they wanted to start doing tiffins from their homes. There is that possibility of spreading into kitchens, and becoming many independent project. I think a lot of people have been inspired by that video.

Vlad: Inspiration can sometimes by contagious, the cycle of you being inspired, doing something and that inspires others.

Yes, sometime you don’t know how your work will effect others.

Vlad: Do you see this growing?

I lean towards keeping things small and personal. That feels better to me.  One way it could grow is through a vision I have of employing women who don’t have employment.  Renting out a commercial kitchen and cooking enough food for maybe 40-50 tiffins and delivering them to work places. That is how it works in India. It would not be gift economy, but still be based on the philosophy of generosity. The idea behind it is more than just a job, I want to create a community for women. Also possibly offering maybe yoga or dance classes so there is a whole life support system.

Vlad: Why the emphasis on gift economy and generosity?

I think it has a nicer feeling than just having somebody deliver pizza to your door. It has a different quality. There is this element of the human connection and bringing people together. Knocking down barriers – it’s what I love about India. I find that missing in the United States.

Vlad: Is there an elements of personal growth in the giving of tiffins?

Taking the emphasis off me, and off my personal security that I need from making a living, and shifting it to others. Sometimes I see the growth in my family, my Mom gets concerned when I want to do things on a gift basis. It’s almost an evolution of thinking, exploring a new way of thinking about goods and services. It’s also trusting that the world will take care of you. That’s a big thing to step into. Moving out of fear- based thinking and into trust- based thinking .

Vlad: If somebody wanted to follow in your steps, what advice would you give to them?

I would encouraging people to do what they love. Keep looking forward one step in front of the other. And most of all, following your heart!

To see the inspirational short vignette of Smita and Karma Tiffin click here for video.

A conversation with Karma Clinic founder Dr. Aumatma Binal Shah conducted by Vlad Moskovski

Dr. Aumatma is one of a several Karma Clinic practitioners offering her knowledge as a Naturopath based on the gift economy model. At its core, gift economy is a shift from consumption to contribution, transaction to trust, scarcity to abundance and isolation to community.

Karma Clinic is a grassroots non-profit, under the umbrella organization CharityFocus, that believes in the goodness and generosity of all beings – practitioners are fully sustained by the gifts of gratitude from the community which they serve.

Vlad Moskovski: How is the gift economy model different than a free clinic?

When something is free it’s often not valued. Although in a gift economy there is no requirement that someone pay something, still the changing of the word takes it out of the free context. It does not have a cost attached to it because someone else has already paid for it. Because somebody else was generous and they are offering it to you and you can pay it forward to keep that chain going.

V: What services do you offer?

Naturopathy, is an umbrella term – we use things that are natural for therapy. Our training allows us to be at forefront at integrative medicine – so we learn conventional medicine and the alternative medicine. My foundations are homeopathy, herbal medicine, and nutrition. I also do some functional medicine, using  nutrients in high doses to cure imbalances. I do a fair amount of testing to see what’s needed.

V: How do you get people to follow through?

I still haven’t figured that one out. In the beginning people would check it out, but not come back. Now, when people call to come in I’ll say – look its really imperative that you follow up. Regardless of your financial situation, you just need to come back. What’s most important is for people to have their healing process. More and more people are following through, it’s very rare for a person not to come back – unless they have gotten better. And then I hear it from their friends whom they refer to me.

V: Has Karma Clinic grown?

I see new patients all the time, yes its constantly growing. Mostly people get better and they move on which makes space for new people to come in. And it has grown in the sense that its spreading. There is one in Portland, and one in Ashland Oregon. Another one possibly starting in Sebastopol.

V: What inspired you to start Karma Clinic?

I had a vision when I was 18 in meditation that I was going to be running a free clinic. I assumed it meant being a doctor because I had a white coat on. At the time I did not want anything to do with medicine or free. I ended up studying pre-med in college and in my last semester found out about naturopathic medicine, and it hit me that’s what I was supposed to do and the vision suddenly made sense. All the pieces fell into place and I went to naturopathy school after graduating.

As part of the training in naturopathic school, I worked in lots of free clinics, and got frustrated because people were not getting better, they were not making any of the lifestyle changes we were asking them to do, and we only had 15-20 minutes to spend with each individual.

Next, I went to work with my mentor charging enormous amounts of money. I would have these beautiful interaction but would walk out of the office and have to tell people they now owe me 500 dollars and my heart would drop every time. I realized that was not something I wanted to do either.

Then one day I got an email from a friend about a conversation about gift economy healthcare. And I thought this is perfect –  the meeting point between free and totally not free. So I moved to California, and began Karma Clinic in November 2008.

V: Does the philosophy of gift economy have anything to do with the healing that happens?

On a deep level our economic system has wounded a lot of people, it is so deep that most people are not even aware. People say, “I’ve been to so many doctors, I’ve paid so much money and I’m not gotten better.” There is great mistrust towards doctors. There is a wounding by our system in general, a feeling of being screwed over – not necessarily related to doctors. On the third level, the transaction model creates a different type relationship than the gift economy relationship.

When the practitioner does not expect anything from the client, it removes the whole aspect of transaction economy. They are not coming in with this mentality of “now I owe you something” – instead they are saying, ” thank you for this amazing gift.” Such interactions heal relationships between doctors and patients. The immediate trust that comes out of that contributes to healing process. If the patient has trust, whatever I give them it will have more power.

V: That makes so much sense. And it ties into the idea of treating the root of the problem rather than the symptoms.

I’ve had a lot of people say, “this is so healing to the way I view the world.” Because our world is so much based on money the people that have been hurt are unconsciously walk around promoting that mentality. A lot of people have been transformed to the point of wanting to contribute and give back the generosity. They may not give up their jobs necessarily, but they are bringing that generosity into everything that they are doing.

V: You mentioned trust, is it a big part of Karma Clinic?

There is trust that if you are offering that is need, then it will be sustained. The flip side is if the people that are receiving it, really pay it forward then the cycle continues.

On a personal level, that has been the biggest growth arena for me – to trust in the universe. Trust that you will receive what you need and this person will give what they need to give. All without much analysis or judgment on what is happening. If you give your gifts they will be received.

V: Inherent in that philosophy is that everyone has something to offer?

Absolutely, everyone does have something to offer, we all have gifts and passions. It does not really matter what it is. If we all freely offer gifts as gifts we would all have plenty to go around.

V: It sounds like there is an element of not just giving, but also not expecting anything in return. If you are told that you need to give – the classic example of giving gifts on Christmas and all the obligation that come with it, is that still gift economy?

No, I don’t think so. I guess on some level, it promotes the economy with gifts.

I think inherent in the gift economy the trust that this gift is being given to you and it has a really high value. Do with it what you will, but let it move through you and don’t let it sit for too long. It does not have to go back to you, it could go to someone else. It could go to holding a door for someone else, or a smile. Move from that place of generosity, and the bubbling feeling of wanting to sharing it with others.

V: Where do you see karma clinic in 5 years?

I have no idea, it might stop tomorrow, it could continue. My intention has always been to run it as if it’s an experiment. This removes the hesitation to change it around if it’s not working.

V: And my last question, how have you grown through this work?

More trust in the universe and life’s generosity. A deepening of my understanding of what it means to serve and be in leadership in each moment. Karma Clinic has deepened my ability to listen to people, spirit, and nature when appropriate – when I am working with people.

To find out more about Karma Clinic visit their website: http://www.karmaclinic.org/

An interview with Bidyut Bose, PhD –  Niroga Founder

Interview conducted by Vlad Moskovski

It brings me great pleasure to interview Bidyut Bose, or BK , as many of us know him. He is a leader in the Yoga community inspiring many with his dedication, wisdom, and caring. Bidyut Bose, PhD, is the executive director of Niroga Institute (www.niroga.org), a nonprofit organization that brings Transformative Life Skills (TLS) to students, vulnerable youth, cancer survivors, seniors and people battling addiction. The work of Niroga directly uplifts thousands of people every week in schools, juvenile halls, homeless shelters, cancer hospitals and rehab centers. Niroga also trains minority young adults to become Certified Yoga teachers, prepared to serve their own communities with cultural competence and linguistic sensitivity.

Vlad Moskovski: How did Niroga begin?

While employed in the high tech industry in Silicon Valley, I observed the ravaging effects of chronic stress on my colleagues and the entire organizational culture. Having grown up with yoga and meditation, I knew that there was a solution to this. I essentially became a student of stress and began to look at the impact of chronic stress on society. Feeling the need to give back, to serve selflessly, which was a big part of my growing up, I decided that perhaps this was the time to step back from the high tech world and start to serve my community.

When I learned that one out of every two kids in inner city schools are dropping out, I realized we have to do something about this colossal waste of human potential. When a kid pulls a gun on another kid because they feel ‘dissed’ – in that situation what if we can create a space between stimulus and response? An increase in self-control could be the difference between life and death on the streets.

Even before Niroga was born, we were asked to work with a small group of young women in an alternative high school in Marin. Right after the first session, the teachers came back saying, “The kids took to the breathing and the quiet sitting like fish to water.”  And I thought, “This is great – there is hope!”

Next came an alternative high school in Oakland. There is a video on the website, where the therapists, foster youth services, teachers, and the principal all say that everyone has given up on these kids and that the teaching of Yoga, breathing techniques, and the other tools are making them realize that each one of them has potential. Then, people from probation, healthcare, and education in Alameda County called us together saying – we need this program in Juvenile Hall.

The first thing I asked was, “How long is the average length of stay in juvenile hall?” About 3 weeks, I was told. So I said, “Then we have two conditions.” Here we are – a puny non-profit, and we are setting conditions for these heads of agencies! The first condition is that it has to be a daily program. Five days a week for both boys and girls. The second condition is, we have to have one class a week for staff. The staff need these tools just as much as the youth. My idea was simple: change each individual kid, and along the way, also the very culture of the institution to make a long term impact. We did research, used standardized scales, measuring chronic stress, and self control or emotion regulation. We showed we could get measurable results working with hundreds of youth.

Then we began to look at where are the youth are going once they get out of juvenile hall. We started to go into schools, first providing hour-long yoga classes in after-school programs, and then during school offering a distilled version of the hour-long class. We compacted it into 15 minutes, keeping the same structure and called it Transformative Life Skills (TLS).

When we went into the classroom with the 15 minute interventions, the teachers modeled and worked with the kids. Very naturally, trainings evolved for schools and school administrators. We now have training programs for school teachers and school- based behavioral health providers so they can teach this in their classrooms and not have to rely on us. We are effectively giving them tools to help themselves, as well as enhance their professional practice.

Next we began to look at the social elitism in the practice of yoga. In order to reach those individuals and communities that need these practices the most, we have to change the face and zip code of yoga. The face from white to black and everything in between. And the zip code spanning the hills to the flats. As a social justice part of our movement, we began to train people of color to become certified yoga teachers. And so the Integral Health Fellows program was born. Every year we are training 25 yoga teachers, and about half are people of color. We make it affordable by offering a scholarship, it is a pay-forward model. Upon graduation, we require them to serve their community – to give back two hours a week for the next 50 weeks. That’s 100 hours of volunteer service by each of the graduates. It’s a huge contribution in community capacity building.

Vlad: Are you surprised at how Niroga has grown, did you expect this?

We started just about 6 years ago, in March 2005, and I came into this with the spirit to try not to have any expectations. I was just seeing how it evolved. The first few years our growth was almost exponential, doubling year after year. Then it flattened out with the economic crisis. Now it’s starting to grow very quickly again, the demand is there. But, the resources are not quite there – we are still vulnerable as an organization.

Vlad: What is the biggest challenge that Niroga faces right now?

I think it’s getting the pervasive awareness of the power and potential of these transformative practices. Right now there is a confluence that is making it accessible. Neuroscience is showing that chronic stress really messes up our bodies and our minds, the brain and our behavior. And at the same time there is convincing evidence that mindfulness practices mitigate these effects. Major developments in somatic psychology on optimal treatment of trauma, which is of course the reality of many of the people we serve, speaks to the combination and integration of the kinesthetic, emotional and the cognitive. So yoga, breathing techniques, and meditation fit into this space.

The fact that being able to regulate our emotions affects everything we do, is huge. And yet in a culture that does not know how to do this, it becomes a challenge to not only realize how important it is, but also figure out ways to systematically build these capabilities. This awareness is a really powerful catalyst, this understanding is a game-changer.

When we look at violence prevention, the notion of tough on crime simply is not working. Whether it is a prison or juvenile hall, all of them seem to be running at full capacity. So we know that incarceration is not going to get us out of this mess. You can try to create safe environments, enhance walkability, better lighted streets, clean parks, but you can’t just do that and stop. You have to also change our ability to regulate ourselves and that internal environment is often missed or dismissed.

We need to influence people who are making the decisions. City council members, board of supervisors, the politicians all the way through to Washington. How much importance are they going to give to this powerful catalyst that enables us to make healthy lifestyle choices, that changes our behavior? If we can get them to think along these lines, then the resources will get lined up. This is the biggest challenge, not only for Niroga, but for all mindfulness organizations in this space.

What we are trying to do is transform ourselves so we can change the world around us. Imagine getting to this magical tipping point where most of the people in the community are practicing these skills of self-mastery most of the time. How beautiful that would be!

Vlad: Where do you see yourself and Niroga in 10 years? How will it grow and change?

The big picture dream for me is generational transformation. How do I affect children, their children and their children’s children. In that process, everything we are trying to do is to get these TLS skills to as many people as possible, in as many places as possible. So that they are able to use these skills for themselves and be a lamp unto those around them. One lamp lighting another, there is no other magic to this. We are hoping for that type of exponential, viral effect that seeds the community with peacefulness, joyfulness, and mindfulness. In this way we can counteract the negative spiraling down – the pettiness, smallness, violence, and greed. To pull ourselves back out, so that each one of us can tap into the infinite potential that is within us. That’s the dream!

For this to become a reality it can’t be just Niroga. I think the dream is a shared dream, it’s up to each one of us to play a part in that dream. I have no clue what will happen in 10 years, but I know this much – I am going to keep working at this until my last breath.

Vlad: Is there anything you would like to say, directly to yoga teachers interested in this dream? That are passionate about spreading yoga and working with diverse and disadvantaged populations?

Two things. First – deepen your own practice. Deepen it so you live a life that is aligned with the spirit and essence of yoga. Without that, you will not be able to operate from a position of strength.

And then, grounded in that strength, practice and teach yoga in the spirit of Karma Yoga. The very essence of Karma Yoga is to try to work a little bit more selflessly, so that you really feel like every student is the very embodiment of the divine. So that every act becomes an act of worship. That way we transform everything around us into the sacred, so there is no secular left. And so it becomes all encompassing, it becomes universal, all-accepting.

Like Mother Theresa used to say – I’m serving Christ. Christ in the poor, the destitute, or the one ridden with leprosy. How can I treat every single potential student as my teacher, as the divine embodied in front of me. Strive with every ounce of your strength for self-realization, and then translate that into action. You grow a little bit, and you are able to serve more effectively more selflessly, and through that you grow – elegant positive feedback, reinforcing itself, spiraling upward.

Just start where you are, you don’t have to wait to be highly evolved. A little bit each day, two minutes, five minutes. Work to the best of your ability without caring what comes out of it, without caring what others will think about it. Somebody gives you a dollar for your class or a hundred, you treat them just the same. One person comes to your class or a thousand, you teach the class just the same. That becomes Karma Yoga. We have all of these opportunities to practice. What a blessing! That is how I feel about my life, that every breath, every moment I have to teach is a blessing, an opportunity to grow and propel myself forward.