Cuban Yoga Odyssey

By Yirser Ra Hotep

This fall, I had the opportunity to attend the Festival of Yoga and Music in Havana, Cuba and
conduct classes and workshops in ancient Egyptian (Kemetic) yoga. The International Association of
Black Yoga Teachers (IABYT) sponsored the festival, which featured yoga instructors and
practitioners from across the United States. The theme of the festival, which was the brainchild of
Yogi Purusha Hickson of Los Angeles, was "Lifting the Embargo on Our Hearts." This theme arose
out of the desire of African-American yogis and others to support the people of Cuba who are
suffering as the result of the unilateral embargo which has been imposed by the United States for the
past 30 years. Participants in the festival from the U.S. were urged to bring yoga mats and blankets
for Cuban participants as well as medical and educational supplies for the general Cuban population.

Yoga and other holistic and alternative health practices are gaining greater popularity in Cuba. This
rise in popularity is fueled by the fact that the embargo has caused extreme shortages in medical
supplies and equipment that has prompted the government to promote alternative medicine as a
means of preventing illness or using low-tech, natural means of healing. As a result of this initiative
and new awareness on the part of Cuban authorities, a number of Cuban doctors attended yoga
classes at the festival. Among them was Dr. Rene R. Guarnaluse Arce, an endocrinologist who is
also trained as a homeopath.

According to Dr. Guarnaluse Arce, the Cuban people who have an African-based culture are very
attracted to the practice of yoga and are happily surprised to know that there is a link between the
ancient Egyptian yoga practice and that of India. An awareness of this cultural link will make yoga,
which is popular in Cuba now, even more attractive to those seeking to improve their health.

The depth of study and research that is being conducted in Cuba on the connection between Africa,
healing arts and yoga is demonstrated by the activities of two other interesting people I met there.
One person is Dr. Secundino Hernandez Cartio. Secundino researched the connection between
Yoruba (an African system of spirituality) beliefs, ancient Egypt, the yogic chakra system and the
Chinese concept of "chi." He has found that there is a correspondence among these systems and has
developed a healing system that utilizes the placement and movement of the hands on various points
of the body. He has found that Yoruba Orisha (spiritual forces) are found at points in the body that
correspond to the chakras and nadis of the Yogic tradition and the meridinal acupuncture points
found in Chinese medicine. He has been able to bring about healing by amplifying the energy flow
through his techniques.

Secundino and his colleagues have written articles that not only detail their scientific work, but also
track the migration of Africans from Egypt and Ethiopia (ancient Kush and Nubia) to India and the
founding of the Dravidian civilization that constituted the first high culture of India. In fact, 70% of
India's 980 million people are descendents of this original African people, making India the home of
the largest number of people of African descent outside of Africa. According to Secundino, this
African influence on India accounts for the similarities in the culture, traditions, healing practices
and spiritual concepts between the two continents.

Secundino's co-researcher is a physicist named Andres Gomez Soria, who teaches in the Department
of Applied Physics at the University of Havana. He is working to develop a model that demonstrates
how biophysical energy operates in the body and the mechanisms through which healing takes place.
In other words, he is applying the science of physics to understanding the esoteric workings of
prana, chi and the breath. Secundino and Andres feel that it is important to meld physical scientific
knowledge with the esoteric teachings of spirituality in order to justify increased support from the
Cuban government for yoga and the other systems that use bio-energetic flows for healing and
health building. Andres showed me the results of his research that statistically demonstrated
increased physical efficiency in athletes and others who practiced yoga and underwent other natural
therapies.

The Cuban Association of Yoga is an organization

located in Havana, which has worked to popularize
yoga among the people and garner more
governmental support. Its president, Eduardo
Primental, taught classes and gave talks on the
status of yoga in Cuba.

The festival was truly a celebration of the various

cultural, spiritual, healing and musical arts of
Africa, Cuba and India. It showed the connection
and continuity of these forms from the original
African source. In addition to the classes and workshops on yoga, there were performances of Afro-
Cuban dance and music featuring some of the greatest talents in Cuba.

Among the highlights was a performance by a Cuban group that featured an elaborate dance
combining yoga movements, African dance and Indian dance. It also merged African and Indian
mythology and deities.

Another dance group featured a couple whose bodies were completely painted in a multiplicity of
images. Their dance dramatized the movement and interaction of the male and female principles as
manifested in nature. While they danced, the artist who painted their bodies prior to the performance
created a painting on canvas that spontaneously arose out of the inspiration he received from the
dancers. He, too, was seen on stage as he painted. This spontaneous work of art was given to a
member of the audience whose number was drawn in a raffle.

Another Cuban dance company performed African dances that are done as part of Yoruba spiritual
practices in rituals to the Orisha. The Orisha are representative of forces of nature and also act as
spirit guides for the believers. The Orisha of the Yoruba, who are a people of Nigeria, correspond to
the ancient Egyptian "deities" and also have connections to those of India. I was surprised to find out
how much knowledge and acceptance the Cubans had of the ancient Egyptian-African-Indian
connection, which is very little known or understood in the U.S.

A book which details this connection very precisely is Opening to Spirit by Caroline Shola Arewa. I
just happened to have the book with me. My newfound Cuban friends were not aware of this book,
but were happily surprised to see that many of the ideas that they had acquired naturally were being
studied outside of Cuba.

Another highlight of the festival was a talk given by Victor Omolofaoro Bentacourt on the Yoruba
spiritual system and Afro-Cuban culture. Victor is a Yoruba priest called a Babalawo. He is president
of the Asociacion Ifa Inanlowo in Havana. He has authored several books on his spiritual traditions
and has traveled throughout the world teaching and lecturing. Victor is initiated into the system of
Ifa, which is an African method of divination, spiritual healing and morality. Again, this is an
African system that corresponds to Indian spiritual practices, mythology and symbology. His lecture,
which lasted for over four hours, demonstrated these facts.

According to Victor, the Yoruba tradition has survived in Cuba in a form virtually identical to that
practiced in Africa. Most of the plants and herbal medicines that are used in Africa are also found in
Cuba.

I was blessed to visit Victor's temple and have an Ifa reading and healing ceremony performed for
me. It involved music, chanting and rituals performed by Victor, his family and members of his
spiritual community. I found the entire experience very healing and rejuvenating. It also provided me
with deeper insights into my spiritual purpose and mission. At the time of my ceremony a man from
Germany just happened to be there making a film for a documentary that he is producing.

One thing that is very impressive about Victor is his desire to remain in Cuba. Though he could live
very well any place in the world, he prefers to stay in Cuba and maintain the spiritual purity of his
traditions. I found this commitment to purity and the social goals of the Cuban revolution to be very
strong among many of the professionals whom I met. In particular, the doctors I met who have
traveled abroad could easily leave Cuba, where their incomes are very low by our standards, and
become wealthy in other countries, yet they stay to serve their people.

Among the other teachers, lecturers and traditions represented at the festival were Chuck Miller
(Astanga yoga), Krishna Kaur (Kundalini yoga and founder of IABYT), Rama Jyoti Vernon
(founder and publisher of Yoga Journal), Mary Paffard, Robin Downes (www.rechakayoga.com),
Chris Hoskins, Puja Sue Flamm and Konda Mason. Leonard Davis, a teacher from California and
treasurer of IABYT, taught classes for children and contributed money to purchase 75 calendars,
which were distributed to Cuban participants in the festival.

Among the prominent lecturers present were Rev. Michael Beckwith and Rev. Lucius Walker. Rev.
Beckwith, who is an exceptional spiritual teacher, is founder and minister of Agape International
Center of Truth, home of the Agape Church of Religious Science. Agape is a 7,000 member multi-
denominational, multi-racial spiritual community located in Los Angeles. It is among the largest
such churches in the United States. Rev. Beckwith travels the world lecturing, teaching and inspiring
and has organized conferences with such luminaries as the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela.

Reverend Lucius Walker from New York is head of the Interreligious Foundation for Community
Organization (IFCO) and founder of Pastors for Peace. Rev. Walker has dedicated himself to the
fighting of injustice and human rights abuses in the United States and throughout the world. Through
"Pastors for Peace" he has led the charge to end the embargo against Cuba and has defied the U.S.
and delivered medical and humanitarian supplies to the Cuban people. Contra rebels (who were
illegally funded by the CIA) wounded Rev. Walker in Nicaragua, while he was doing humanitarian
work in Central America.
The festival was a tremendous success for the International Association of Black Yoga Teachers,
which has been in existence for only about one year. The association publishes a newsletter, has
produced a beautiful year 2000 calendar for sale, and sponsors events around the U.S. and
internationally. A primary objective of IABYT is to promote yoga in inner-city communities where it
is badly needed. The association's founder, Krishna Kaur, has worked with many children of the
inner city over the years. Krishna and the association have the goal of educating people about the
African roots of yoga. This knowledge would help to inspire children and adults of color to practice
yoga, which is part of their deep heritage, and foster greater respect for Africa, which is the
birthplace of all humanity.

The association is producing a documentary of the festival which will be seen on public television in
the coming months. The video will be broadcast in the Chicago area on my Chicago Cable Access
show called "Ancient Arts for Modern Living," when it is available.

A personal highlight of my trip was visiting the Mayan pyramid at Chitchenitza in the Yucatan
Peninsula of Mexico. It was necessary to go through Mexico because the U.S. does not allow any
direct flights to Cuba. While there, I discovered the similarities between the Mayan and ancient
Egyptian civilizations. I also visited another temple at a place called Tulum. There were small stone
buildings there that are thought to have been meditation chambers. Some speculate that the Mayans
used them not only for traditional meditation, but also for astral projection to facilitate
communication with others in faraway places. Food for thought.

For more information on the International Association of Black Yoga Teachers, or to order the yoga
calendar, call 213.883.6371 (website: www.blackyogateachers.com).

If you are interested in travelling to Cuba or providing support for the people, contact Global
Exchange: 415.255.7296; info@ globalexchange.org; www.globalexchange.org.

Yirser Ra Hotep (Elvrid Lawrence) is a master instructor of yoga, specializing in the ancient
Egyptian system. He is also a stress management consultant, social worker and founder of LifeKey
Institute. He can be reached at 773.396.6613, or by e-mail: yirser@yogaskills.com.