One of the dear values of PremaNature is empowering women. PremaNature is employing rural women who did not have the chance to work before. Most of them are married and, as the Indian tradition dictates, they are taking care of the house and the children if they have children. If they are not yet married, then they have to stay at home with her mother to help with household tasks.
They do not have so many opportunities to go out, meet other people and experience the world by themselves. This way of living directly impacted their social life and the possibility to meet friends and socialize.
Indeed, and especially in the countryside, the house tasks can be quite physically demanding and tiring (carrying water, washing clothes by hand, ...).
It might seem surprising but ayurveda medicine is not so well known in the countryside, the people rather go to the hospital and get tablets for whatever pain they feel. Alternative medicine is not accessible.
With the demanding physical work at home and the poor possibility to heal and prevent exhaustion of the body, the body of these Indian women gets old and depleted much earlier than a western body.
Even if Yoga is coming from ancient times of India, as Ayurvedic medicine, this wisdom is not able to pierce through the lack of education in the countryside. So, it was as a western woman having learnt Yoga science from Europe that I came to introduce Yoga to these Indian women living on the land of Yoga for generations.
I could see that these weekly classes were for them a social break to gather as women - if together while working - are alone at home doing their duty as wife and mother. The yoga class was often a moment of open curiosity, laughter and sometimes deep introspection.
The main point was not to teach them specific postures or build a knowledge about the philosophy of yoga but rather to open a space for them to be silent with their female's body and to feel the awareness of the wonderful dedicated vehicle carrying the mind and soul everyday.
Being initiated to meditation, they can look inside their inner world and be present for what has to be seen.
The lessons have also been a good opportunity for them to ask advice about how to take care of specific parts of the body. Many people here
suer from diabetes or heart problems. Yoga can definitively support them to alleviate the pain.
In the silence of the practice, they were able to connect to a certain state of relaxation, so needed for the parasympathetic nervous system, in order to recharge the batteries.
Television is very present in Indian homes and it is well known that India is a loud country. It was a real and high value gift for their body and mind to oer themselve a moment of silence and relaxation.
I went away from PremaNature for a few days. During these days, I received one day a picture of the women gathering to practice yoga without a teacher, demonstrating to me that they value this time together and want to continue this beautiful practice as a crew.
These yoga classes were a way for them, for once, to take care of themselve while they dedicated their life to taking care of others.