Sleep Course India: 07 Bihar

Published: Dec. 19, 2020, 9:05 a.m.

The destination of our trip today is Munger. Gaurav invited me to stay at the famous Bihar School of Yoga, the cradle of modern yoga that Satyananda founded in 1963. He freed yoga of religious baggage, translated descriptions about the methods into English and made yoga known all over the world. Yoga Nidra, which we have already practiced, can also be traced back to Satyananda.. The further we drive west, the more lovely the landscape becomes., with hills and rugged rock faces, small streams, waterfalls, lakes and ponds. Gaurav, who steers the boat, points ahead, indicating that we will arrive soon. The Ganges runs in a tight loop around Munger. We moor the boat in the small harbor, near the large railway bridge that crosses the Ganges here. I throw my backpack ashore, get off the boat and am happy to have solid ground under my feet again. We walk the short distance from the jetty through the busy little town to the yoga school. As in all of India, cows blend into the cityscape, grazing on the roadside and bringing the traffic to a standstill. By worshiping cows, Hindus express their gratitude. Cows are people's oldest domestic animals and helps to carry heavy loads, provide people with milk, pull the plow, provide fertilizer for the fields and thus ensure a rich harvest. Adoration of cows is representative of compassion for all living beings, for all animals that have no voice to make themselves heard. The protection of the cows shows the respect for god's creation and the gratitude for nature, which nourishes people and gives them a home. Hinduism honors cows and humans as part of creation and part of nature.