Armed with gardening gloves, rakes, baskets and brooms, a large crew of people, young and old, responded to the call for group karma yoga practice in the beautiful gardens of Dzamling Gar (Canary Islands, Spain). Spring has arrived at the Gar and the gardens urgently needed tidying and sprucing up to look their best, a job that required many hands.
Early in the morning of Friday April 30, they gathered under the shade of the Peruvian pepper trees at the side of the Dzamling Gar house to organize the various tasks. Under the guidance of chief gardener, Alix De Fermor, karma yogis and yoginis gathered dried leaves and plant material from under the plants, swept clean the paths from organic matter, uprooted unwelcome guest plants that had blown in with the hot Calima wind from Africa, and filled up the compost boxes abundantly.
The busy morning went smoothly and pleasantly under the warm sunshine and soft shade of the plants and those participating found a gentle rhythm and interaction that worked well for the job at hand.
During the morning, Red Gakyil member Carles Jañez Brucet set up a kitchen in the cactus garden and started to prepare a marvelous fish paella for the lunchtime picnic at the end of the practice session. A long dining table was improvised and set up in the grassy area of the cactus garden under the welcome shade of the flamboyant tree with its red blooms where all those who participated in the morning session enjoyed a well-earned meal in the company of others.
Some of the senior karma yogis recalled the many sessions of karma yoga that they did with Chögyal Namkhai Norbu in past years, at the different Gars around the world. They remembered the joy of working together and the importance of collaborating for a common goal. May we enjoy many more sessions of working and practicing together in the future! Many hands make light work!
Liz Granger
Photos by Carles Jañez Brucet
