Gauteng township residents enlightened through yoga

A yoga practitioner has heard the cry of stressed-out township dwellers and is bringing the ancient relaxation technique to places that need it more than most

11 March 2018 - 00:00 By SIBUSISO MKWANAZI

I live in Dinwiddie, which falls under the city of Ekurhuleni in Gauteng.
As I leave my well-serviced suburb to get to Tsakane township for a yoga class on a Saturday morning, I can't help but think about apartheid.
The Group Areas Act of 1950 used race to assign residential and business sections, with whites living in the most developed areas and non-whites excluded from living there. This, among other things, meant that non-whites had to commute long distances to get to their areas of employment. Clearly, non-white South Africans had a whole lot more to be stressed about.
Fast-forward to recent times, when the democratically elected government was supposed to be alleviating stress by increasing employment, improving education and attracting investment. Instead it enacted the Gupta State Capture Act.
And still those who needed de-stressing disciplines the most were not exposed to them in their own surroundings.
That changed this month when yoga instructor Nkosana Maseko began hosting Ifokotho yoga classes in Tsakane, the first of their kind there.The pioneering gathering of like-minded enthusiasts takes place at Wolf & Co Café and attracts eight curious locals.
"Ifokotho is a Xhosa word that refers to the soft spot on the top of a newborn baby's head, known as the anterior fontanelle in medical terms," says Maseko. "In yoga, one of the most important chakras is the crown, which is on the top of the head, hence the name. But it also infers enlightenment and the use of brainpower during yoga."
Townships are still areas of frustration with crime and unemployment, and anger at unsatisfactory levels of service delivery. Residents are usually trying to get out of ekasi in pursuit of greener, more chakra-catering suburbs. But Maseko is part of a rising group of passionate township residents taking a different view.
"Just because we live in townships does not mean we cannot aim to live better lives in our own surroundings," says Maseko. "Yoga plays a role in this. Just like the arts, sport and culture were critical in attaining political freedom, yoga is vital if black people are going to be more conscious. We live in a time when not only the physical is important, but the mental and spiritual as well.
"The power of the self is becoming increasingly more important. An enlightened person can positively influence others. For too long we have relied on external factors for our success; yoga teaches that it all starts within us. Imagine if most of us in townships were mentally and spiritually stronger. There would be fewer people queueing at our local clinics and more people who are 'woke'."
The mere presence of this trendy café in a township is evidence that residents are looking inward for inspiration. Think of the growing number of wine festivals, motorcycle clubs, swimming schools and other lifestyle initiatives that are succeeding in so-called unsavoury areas.
Yoga is set to thrive in townships for the same reasons it does everywhere else. All South Africans are living in volatile times and we all need an outlet for our frustrations.In my maiden class I learn that yoga has 10 principles one is encouraged to follow. These include non-violence, wisdom, sacrifice and contentment.
There is a yoga position for every conceivable hindrance in life.
The lotus position is a good place to start when pondering what life means for a black person in a township. Do you see infinite possibilities or do you give in to the endless problems?
Whether you are black, white or any other demographic, yoga can elevate you to a higher plane. The most important question is: how ridiculous are you willing to look in your efforts to attain this?
I believe firmly that spandex and Lycra are the devil's work. Those trying to reach the next level in their spiritual and emotional lives have an unhealthy relationship with these materials. Is it not possible for them to strive for truthfulness and simplicity without those around them being able to see their body's every curve and crevasse?
One look at all that spandex and even a novice like me understands why many practitioners of yoga prefer to keep their eyes closed during contortions.
Nothing irks me more than an ignorant individual yakking the words: "Those people cannot do it," which is what some people from across the colour spectrum think when they hear of yoga in a township.
What they might not know is that the beginnings of yoga were developed by the Indus-Sarasvati civilisation in Northern India more than 5,000 years ago. Most of that subcontinent is still not developed, so it makes sense to deduce that the original conditions under which the discipline was developed tended towards those found in a township.But somewhere along the line, yoga became associated more with fair-skinned suburban housewives and less with melanin-rich folks.
To reiterate the point that yoga is just as much for those living in townships as everyone else, the township version is also slightly different from its suburban version - phrases such as "sound-proof" and "breathe in the clean air" tend to go out the window from the outset.
The Ifokotho classes take place on the roof of a converted shipping container, leaving me and the other novice contortionists at the mercy of the elements. Counter-revolutionary taxi drivers who want to offer us rides to surrounding suburbs - exactly where we woke and proud township dwellers do not want to be - hoot at us regularly. Stray animals seem to take offence as we misrepresent them in the kukkutasan chicken, downward-facing dog or the cat-cow poses. But all of this adds to another word not often used in townships: ambience.
After attending a township yoga session, I am pretty sure what happens in serene and sanitised suburbs is far removed from the original yoga. Consider that the originators passed on their experience, manuscripts and mantras to the Rig Veda people, a distant relative of the Venda tribe.
Ethnic identity is often a contentious topic in townships, and before the commencement of the yoga class it is briefly brought up by some early risers who are there for the coffee.
They mention how the Xhosas gave us a great start in terms of heads of state (Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki), then the Zulus gifted us with a dud in the form of Jacob Zuma, and now it seems we are being rescued by the Vendas in the form of Cyril Ramaphosa.
On our mats during the class, however, ethnic mobilisation is not an issue. We all consider ourselves yoga world citizens who want nothing but growth on our spiritual path and to connect with fellow humans on a more enlightened level.The generation gap also disappears while participants are trying to release tension and align with themselves. Gontse Semake, 19, loves the fact that she no longer has to spend almost an hour in two taxis to get to her regular yoga studio in town.
"I actually now start relaxing on my way to the venue, as I walk here. I am instantly in a better space when I leave home because I know I do not have to commute so far. I hope the community realises the need for yoga, so that we can support local businesses, but more importantly, for our wellbeing," says Semake.
Joey Matlhari, 46, concurs. "Townships are slowly changing for the better and it is largely due to the residents themselves," says Matlhari. "We have young people setting up internet cafes, reading clubs, entrepreneur sessions, comedy nights, and now yoga classes. This is making a difference to those of us who live here. We are better off than we were in the bad old days. After a yoga class I feel more able to face life with its many curve balls."
OPEN UP THE MATHS CHAKRA
Yoga4Alex, which started out as stress-relief sessions for the children of Alexandra township in Johannesburg in 2011, has involved more than 470 youngsters. The programme provides free classes to help Grade 12 pupils handle the stress associated with the final year of high school
Follow Nkosana Maseko on social media: @Icawelimdaka..

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