Spirit - 3HO

In May 2005, right before I
became certified as a Kundalini
Yoga instructor, I began teaching
at the Bellevue Men’s Shelter in
Manhattan. I had just spent a lifechanging
year training with Sat
Jivan Singh and Kaur at Kundalini
Yoga East and was eager to
start sharing the teachings of
Yogi Bhajan with those who I felt
needed them the most.
A quick search on Google led me to Anne Tannenbaum, a soft-spoken and
open-hearted woman who had been running the Art Therapy program at
the Volunteers of America (VOA) Reception Center for over four years. The
VOA Reception Center is a section of the shelter that welcomes homeless
men with severe and persistent mental illness, an untreated medical
condition, or advanced age. Anne introduced me to the clients, and showed
me the recreation room, where I could teach. The room was crammed with
furniture and an old pool table that threatened to fall apart at any moment.
The delicate operation of moving the table aside to prepare the room for
yoga class would soon become part of a weekly ritual. Soon, and without
having ever heard of seva* or Karma Yoga, my students would begin to
take initiatives such as moving the furniture to the sides, sweeping and
mopping the floor, cleaning the gym mats and bringing out the CD player.
A stick of Nag Champa incense and a few candles would bring the last
touch to our makeshift yoga space.
For the first class, I taught Long Deep Breathing, Alternate Nostril
Breathing, the Basic Spinal Energy Series, and the Pulse Meditation.
Joseph and Sam were on the floor; Robert and Warren sat on chairs. I
prepared my next few classes keeping my least able students in mind and
choosing kriyas* that could mostly be done sitting in chairs or standing,
such as Getting the Body Out of Distress from the Reaching Me in Me
manual, Surya Kriya, or Folding and Unfolding of the Energy from the
Infinity and Me manual. For Frog Pose, I would have the students grab onto
the edge of the pool table and squat up and down.
Having only ever taught my fellow teacher trainees, I was forced to
quickly make radical adjustments. With clients loudly erupting in the
room in the middle of a silent meditation, students commenting on every
exercise or taking breaks to go smoke a cigarette, I realized my ability to
hold the space would depend on a subtle combination of flexibility, sense
of humor, and firmness.
Gradually, I started learning more about my students:
Warren, a tall soft African-American man in his fifties, was
schizophrenic and was broken by years of alcohol and drug addiction. He
was attending a daily rehabilitation program
at Bellevue Hospital. He has since moved to
a transitional housing program.
Robert, a scruffy and joyful 68 year-old
man of Irish descent is a self-educated man
and a Buddhist. He’s been in the shelter
for a year.
Joseph, a 33 year-old black American
man from San Diego, California, is
diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder Syndrome. Since May 2005, he
has never missed a class.
Jamie, 48, was born in Panama. He has
been living in the streets of New York for 20
years, recycling bottles and cans and going
in and out of the shelter system.
Malek, 54, is the father of 19 children from
5 different women. He was the victim of a
stroke in 1954, and lost usage of his right
arm and leg. =
Warren, Sarabjot Kaur, and Mike at
Snatam Kaur’s concert.
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