Yoga, Philosophy, and Favelas
In this episode, we speak with an exceptional Brazilian. He’s a Professor of Philosophy and an Ashtanga yoga practitioner. We catch up with Marcos Silva, who is the chief organizing force behind a beautiful initiative to help the forgotten mothers within the Brazilian favelas.
Marcos explains how a majority of the Brazilian population is of African Ancestry predestined to live out their lives within the confines of these slums, with little hope for a way out.
These mothers, Maes de Favelas, are the descendants of the enslaved people brought over to work the sugar plantations that fueled the Triangle Trade of Rum, Sugar, and Human Beings.
Dr. Silva, as he explains, is himself a great exception to the rules. He began University at 17 years old, struggling to find his Afro-Brazilian identity and looking for deeper meaning. He entered and excelled in Philosophy at his local university, while on a scholarship offered by a more progressive liberal government.
Ultimately, he fell in love with the Ashtanga yoga practice and felt the benefits of the practice positively affecting his mental and physical health almost immediately. Sensitive to the plight of his community he noticed the same struggles of depression and anxiety showing up in his students. This spurred him to start a community yoga program called “Yoga na Federal,” which has grown into “Mysore Yoga Racife” at the Federal University of Pernambuco, open for all interested students free of charge.
Recently, he’s turned his attention towards the hunger crisis arising in Brazil due to the ever increasing Covid pandemic and lack of proactive government response. Last month, he and a small group of other Brazillian Ashtanga teachers, began a projected called Rede Yoga Contra a Fome. A teaching network offering charity classes to support CUFA — Mães da Favela as he explains, the“Mothers of the Slum.”
Those pursuing the path of Yoga should understand that it is to be experienced and expressed off of our mats and beyond acrobatic poses. The position we ought to strive towards the most, is practicing the stance of caring for others as if we were all One... every day.
At least that's what Yoga teaches us. We know we can't experience completeness as long as others are still suffering and deprived of basic needs.
The pandemic in Brazil has gotten much worse and most of the population already lives in precarious conditions. These people are now facing extreme poverty and hunger, as the Brazilian government actions are very weak or nonexistent.
Listen to Dr. Silva as he passionately describes how small minded ideologies like Nativism and racism can create excessive chaos and suffering. Just as in Trump’s America, so it is now in Bolsonaro’s Brazil.
Join Harmony on Saturday June 19th at 7am ET in support of Rede Yoga Contra a Fome help fight hunger
1. Donate any amount the week before the class you wish to attend.
2. Take a screenshot of your donation.
3. Send your payment confirmation via Direct Message on Instagram @redeyoga before 5 pm Eastern Time the day before the class!
4. You’ll receive a zoom link for the class.
Come practice and help those in need!
#redeyogacontrafome
Upcoming Classes:
June 5 - Leo Castro
June 12 - Wambui
June 19 - Harmony Slater
June 26 - Petri Raisanen
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MARCOS and MYSORE YOGA RACIFE
INSTAGRAM I REDE YOGA I MAKE A DONATION TO REDE YOGA I MARCOS SILVA PHILOSOPHY I TWITTER I YOUTUBE
Listen Now…
JUNE 6th - Harmony’s Workshop
The Secrets of Yoga: The Marriage of Shiva-Shakti
The Finding Harmony Podcast is hosted, edited and produced by Harmony Slater and co-hosted by Russell Case.
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Opening and closing music compliments of my dear friend teaching Ashtanga yoga in Eindhoven, Nick Evans, with his band “dawnSong” from the album “for Morgan.” Listen to the entire album on Spotify - Simply Click Here.
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