COMMUNITY
meditation , and held vegetarian cooking classes . Carol did the programming for the entire New York City Institute and saw patients at the Center for Holistic Medicine . She assisted them with biofeedback training , general counseling , and dietary counseling . She also worked in the bookstore . “ We did it all ,” says Carol of the time spent in New York City .
The Crenshaw ’ s worked in New York for a total of nine years . Each year , Charles or Carol would ask Swamiji if it was okay to move on somewhere else , and the response was “ One more year , I have projects for you .” They longed to escape the noisy , hectic city and visit the ashram in India . In their last year in NYC , they asked the same question but this time it was met with , “ One more year , there are debts to pay .” Carol and Charles were perplexed . They did not have any financial debts and were not sure what that meant . A month later , Carol , whose father lived nearby became quite ill . During that period , Carol and Charles were able to spend quite a bit of time with him . He passed just before their final year in the city was over . The debt was paid .
From there , Charles and Carol went to India to live in the ashram . What they thought would be a three month trip , lasted 16 months . Their adventures during this period are shared in Charles ’ memoir .
Meditation and yoga transcends the boundaries of religion and culture . While prayer is speaking to the universe , meditation is listening to it . In India , both Charles and Carol ’ s meditation practice deepened under the direct guidance of Swami Rama . “ Yoga is about transcendence and mastery ,” states Charles . At the ashram in Honesdale he was confronted with all of his doubts and fears . “ Being a black man , I am not the typical student of meditation or yoga science . My experiences inspired me to share them in my book .
Charles worked in the Rehabilitation Department of the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust in India doing yoga therapy with people diagnosed with high blood pressure . His patients experienced miraculous results , with breathing and relaxation being the primary tools . “ Swamiji ” was a physician and scientist and stated that 85 % of all illness is psychosomatic ,” says Charles .
18 INDIANA & YOGA MAGAZINE ISSUE2