Inner city ashram in Johannesburg South Africa - RAVI

[Guest guest]

Sat Nam All

 

I am currently raising funds to buy land in order to open an inner city ashram and need worldwide assistance for this project. The idea is to have a place where people can live-in and do seva (cook, clean, grow vegetables) and in return there will be sattvic food, daily sadhana and yoga classes, and workshops on sattvic cooking and organic vegetable growing, run along the lines of various ashrams that I have stayed in, in India. We have a situation in Johannesburg, where Kundalini Yoga (and most other forms of yoga) is almost exclusively practised by white people. In a country like ours, this is ridiculous. I have been teaching free classes, or almost free, for many years now, in order to attempt to spread the yoga beyond the white middle classes, teaching groups of HIV+ people, schools and university students. This has served the groups involved somewhat but there is a need to take this a step further by having a centre that is established to serve the low income areas. Currently there are only yoga studios in the much wealthier, largely white areas.

 

The ashram would begin by identifying certain people who have been exposed to the yogic lifestyle already, and have shown an interest in learning more. My intent is to grow black teachers (we don't have a single black South African teacher - as in Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, Venda etc - currently teaching, in the whole of South Africa). It is my belief that until we do, there will be no real spread of the yoga beyond the white boundary. The ashram will provide an environment that will operate in much the same way, on a cultural level, as many people live in this country. The African term, Ubuntu, means the spirit of living in the community, for the community, and you are not a fully recognised person (human being) until you do so. The only difference is that the ashram will be fully vegetarian and operate according to yogic principles, teaching a yogic lifestyle. I have several young black people, HIV+, who have experienced the remarkable effect of the yogic lifestyle on their bodies and minds and with the right support, they will grow into powerful mouthpieces for the yoga and a healthy lifestyle.

 

I have a counselling practise as well and find that there is a need for a place that can support low cost, live-in weekend retreats. The ashram would serve to address both identified needs, thus enabling some sort of income to come into the centre. We would run ayurvedic cleansing retreats, yoga weekend retreats, courses and workshops every weekend.

 

The ashram plans to serve the surrounding low income areas with input from local yoga teachers, medical personnel (allopathic and homeopathic), body workers etc on a volunteer basis as well as provide space for health workers and healers to operate from and charge for their services, for those of their clients who have the funds to pay. The land I have identified is close and central enough to be accessible to the wealthier areas, who have transport of their own, as well as within walking distance of the much poorer areas where people do not have transport.

 

I welcome input from teachers and interested people from outside the country who would like to visit the country and at the same time do something meaningful for the local people. There will always be space for such people to live at the ashram and do their own seva, teach and share their skills.

 

Our outreach programs will include working with underage sex workers, assisting to get them off the street and making available to them a healthier lifestyle with the necessary knowledge on how to sustain it (this is already happening but because the girls and boys live in a place that is not run yogically, the progress is hampered by us not having enough influence on their bodies and minds), and working with HIV+ care workers and support groups, adding to the knowledge they have about how to live a positive life with the HI virus. This is also already happening but because I have no retreat centre that is affordable for the groups, the same problem exists as for the sex workers. Thus the work is slow and of the 3 steps forwards, 2 steps back variety.

 

If there is anyone interested in assisting, and at this stage the assistance must needs be financial, please contact

Itta Roussos (Ravi) at ittaroussos or on my mobile 27 82 441 6745. The cost of the land is around $130 000, depending on the current exchange rate. This includes a very ramshackle house, several outbuildings, and a very large piece of ground, large enough to erect a (green) structure in which to teach yoga with enough space left over to grow vegetables.

 

Please forward this email to whoever you think may be interested and would be able to respond with assistance to get it happening.

 

In hope and prayerful faith,

Ravi.