Gandhi on Yoga – In Daily Life and for Social Justice by Dr. Veena Howard

Sponsored by:

• Gandhi International Institute for Peace
• Hawaii Forgiveness Project

Many ask: “How did Gandhi Do It?” Drawing from Gandhi’s little-known yogic disciplines, Veena Howard will illustrate how he used them to transform his personal life and bring political change. Through his own yogic practices, he showed people to look within for their power. We’ll also learn how Gandhi’s personal practices of health, vegetarianism, and self-restraint enabled him in his public life to bring about ground-shaking social, economic, and political change in India.

In our contemporary western context, the practice of yoga has generally been associated with physical movements—exercises for health and physical and mental wellbeing. Meanwhile, in the India’s traditional context, the practice of yoga is also associated with deep stillness. This deep stillness not only leads to spiritual understanding within, but has the potential to be used to effect social change.
This presentation will be followed by questions, answers and discussions of participants’ personal experience on the topic.

“The karma yogi reaches the summit of spiritual liberation using the ladder of work. He does not kick off that ladder even thereafter. He just cannot do so. Doing work becomes his nature.”—Mahatma Gandhi