Cuban Yoga Odyssey

By Yirser Ra Hotep (Elvrid Lawrence)

During the week of November 24 through November 28th, 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. It 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. Among them was Dr. Rene R. Guarnaluse Acre, an endocrinologist who is also trained as a Homeopath.