Maha Lakshmi Vidya Bhavan Maha Lakshmi Vidya Bhavan

MLVB’S FIRST
SUMMER CAMP
By Davina Gossai
Between 28th July and 31st August 2003, Maha Lakshmi
Vidya Bhavan held its first summer camp for both youths
and adults. The camp was conducted by Swami
Pushkarananda of the Bharat Sevashram Sangha
(Toronto, Canada) and Mrs Geeta Maraj, a professional
Yoga instructor, also from Toronto, Canada.
The five days consisted of a wide range of activities such
as, Yoga, with evening classes held especially for adults,
stick fighting and the learning and recitation of a
selection of verses taken from the Srimad Bhagwad Gita.
The camp began at 10am each morning, commencing
with prayers and kirtan, shortly followed by a session of
Yoga, in preparation for the day ahead. Each class began
with breathing exercises, as we learnt about the
importance of our breath; the way we breathe and its
significance in the way it affects both our mind and
bodies.
All yoga postures, or asanas, were preceded by stretching,
completing the preparation of our bodies, before taking
off in full flight into the yoga sessions. The first asana of
Yoga that we were taught was the Surya Namaskar,
otherwise known as the Sun Salutation. The importance of
this routine was emphasized as, each day, we began with
this particular asana, enabling ourselves to benefit from
an entire bodily workout. We were introduced to a variety
of postures that applied to the activities we come across
in our everyday lives, particularly as students. For
instance, postures such as Arjuna’s pose and the Warrior
pose, which help to improve concentration.
The Yoga sessions were spectacular and attracted both
young and old. Most of us were exposed to this art for the
first time, however, an interest has now been sparked, all
due to a great yoga instructor – Geeta Ji.
42 1982-2007 SILVER JUBILEE
Youths doing Yoga stretches
Swami Pushkarananda was our teacher and guide for the
classes in the Gita. Everyday we were taught a new verse
from the Srimad Bhagwad Gita. Being such a dedicated
teacher, Swami Ji ensured that we perfected the
pronunciation of the verses and helped us to memorise
them in such a short space of time. Swami Ji then
presented an explanation of each verse, ensuring that we
could see their relevance and, therefore, be far more
appreciative of their significance.
Swami Pushkarananda demonstrating stick fighting techniques
The youngsters were given the opportunity to air their
views in open forums, where all were invited to take part
in question and answer sessions with Swami Ji and
conduct presentations on topics of personal interest to
debate amongst the group.