Is Yoga a Service? Presenter JOHN OGILVIE Thinks So…

On Wednesday, March 23, I was blessed to have an in depth talk with the supremely gentle and knowledgeable John Ogilvie. He is the director and chief yoga instructor at Australia’s Byron Bay yoga center.

I spoke to him for a few moments after he gave his press conference remarks. He went into the concept of Karma Yoga (yoga as service) as a developmental process that he believes is always evolving into the more passionate experience of Bhakti (devotional) yoga.

We talked about the fine line between treating service as a not so pleasant task, where someone wishes to do good in the interests of checking a box (much like a routine chore) and the relationship that is built over time with service achieved when grace and wholehearted dedication are involved and fully embraced.

John shared many wise words about the many distractions that can get in the way of a person who is on their path and then showed me his newly discovered Qi Gong moves.

There will be a panel on yoga as service this Sunday where these concepts will be discussed in greater detail and from the perspectives of different faith groups. For more information, visit www.byronyoga.com

Thank you for the beautiful connection, John!

Written by : Shervin Boloorian