I Should Practice What I Teach Hey!
We had stopped at a shop to buy some bhoga. My friend and I were in the car waiting and chatting when I noticed a lady in her thirties walking past my window. Suddenly I realised that I knew her. Her face was so familiar although I could not place her. With this mystery presenting itself I felt a great urge to go speak to her and I had still some more books left in my book bag so with a sudden excuse of "I'll be back" I jumped out the car clutching a Bhagavad-gita in my hand and followed the lady into a shop.
She seemed happy to stop and speak with me. It turned out that a few months before I had attended her yoga class.
She had taught a nice class and I had thanked her at the end and told her I appreciated her stories. Now I remember I had asked her who she had liked most in the yoga texts from India. She had replied Hanuman! This I remember was my first encounter with her and I had not followed it up because I had never returned to that same yoga class. After some explanations that I was doing a promotion on these books and thought that she might appreciate taking one home with her she easily agreed and gave a good donation. In her yoga courses they had only given segments out of the Bhagavad-Gita and she had always wanted to read the whole book.
She told me afterwards, while my friends were patiently waiting for me to return back to the car, that she was living in a very dangerous neighbourhood and had felt her life was in danger the day before when a neighbour had cut all of her car tyres. She told me how scared she felt that he may come around to her house and do worse to her if she called the police. For the first time I actually let myself get into the child pose right there in my living room and practiced deep breathing and this calmed me down so much. I'm teaching my yoga students this exercise to slow the mind down all the time but this is the first time I have used it outside of a class! I should practice what I teach hey!
I commiserated with her difficult situation and asked whether she could find some time to come to our centre in the City. I took her phone number and will contact her soon.
It seemed that today due to her sincerity she was going to be given a chance to get to know more about the glory of Lord Krishna from Bhagavada_Gita as it is thanks to Srila Prabhupada.
I was very happy when I returned to the car and told the story to my friends.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada,
Your aspiring servant,
Sandrananda dd
