Reverend Father Joe Pereira is known to most of us in Bandra, as the ‘Singing Priest,’ the Founder Managing Trustee of Kripa Foundation and someone who anyone, irrespective of faith, can turn to for guidance and inspiration. But, what many people might not know is Father Joe’s active involvement in yoga for the last few decades.
He is a Certified Trainer and in recent decades as a friend, associate and an International Mentor of the Guruji B K S Iyengar School of Yoga, Pune. This Celebrate Bandra, he held a yoga workshop which got a great response from Bandra residents. He says, “Bandra is a special suburb; it’s the cream of the suburbs. And, with her legacy, is bringing us from all over together. Celebrate Bandra is doing a good job in bringing communities together.”
Father Joe’s workshop helps those who have ailments and even reverses the ageing process. InBandra talks to Father Joe about his passion for yoga, what we can do on an individual level to help the nation and more…
On Loving Your Body Back To Life
Father Joe shares with us the purpose of this yoga workshop and says, “I think the people of Bandra really need this particular form of yoga. I have trained with Guruji B K S Iyengar and the workshop I conduct is divided into two parts. The first is therapeutic angle which addresses common problems that spring from non-activation of the different systems in the body. It helps with ailments that come up due to lack of proper immunity and spine activity. Then the energy of life and intelligence is seen to.”
Yoga can also slow down the ageing process he says. And while this doesn’t mean saying goodbye to wrinkles and grey hair it does mean a better connection with your body. Father Joe explains, “You need to love your body back to life. If you live a very hectic and stressful life, you will suffer from burn out sooner than later. Yoga reverses this and rejuvenates the spine, works on proper breathing and all the major systems in the body.”
But there is something else that Father Joe says plays an important part in his yoga workshops… faith. He adds, “We bring the faith factor into yoga and it goes beyond a particular religion. Everything is integrated and it’s a very beautiful process.” He adds that people from all religions should embrace yoga as a science that helps connect the body and mind.
Meditation can help on a global level
Father Joe also strongly believes that if each of us an individuals got together to mediate we could heal the city, after the 26/11 attacks. He explains, “I believe in the teachings of the veda… ‘As it is for me on my cellular conscious level, so it is on the global level.’ Let me tell you a story. I belong to the WCCM (World Community for Christian Meditation), which include the Dalai Lama, the Benedictine and Tibetan monks. During Bush’s reign the monks got together at Union Park and meditated the Mahatma Gandhi. They wanted to send out a message of change, they wanted to show that there was another way. I truly believe that Obama is a product of that consciousness. And I also believe that if we all got together, we can heal the Mumbai, heal India and heal the planet.
Start with Bandra
Father Joe says that Bandra has changed a lot over the years, and mostly for the worse. He says, “The pathetic development of property has raped the land and there is no caring about Mother Earth anymore. Another malady is garbage management… there is none. It is so painful to watch supposedly posh people throw garbage out of their fancy car windows. You are spoiling your own motherland and this needs to stop.”
But on a positive note, he adds that everyone can make a difference in their own way. “We all need to stop not caring in our own way. Maybe not use plastic bags, recycle and take care of the planet. The Celebrate Bandra theme is a beautiful idea which hopefully will teach people a few things.”
- Glynda Alves
Bandra is known as the queen of the suburbs , is in the city of Mumbai ,India
He is a Certified Trainer and in recent decades as a friend, associate and an International Mentor of the Guruji B K S Iyengar School of Yoga, Pune. This Celebrate Bandra, he held a yoga workshop which got a great response from Bandra residents. He says, “Bandra is a special suburb; it’s the cream of the suburbs. And, with her legacy, is bringing us from all over together. Celebrate Bandra is doing a good job in bringing communities together.”
Father Joe’s workshop helps those who have ailments and even reverses the ageing process. InBandra talks to Father Joe about his passion for yoga, what we can do on an individual level to help the nation and more…
On Loving Your Body Back To Life
Father Joe shares with us the purpose of this yoga workshop and says, “I think the people of Bandra really need this particular form of yoga. I have trained with Guruji B K S Iyengar and the workshop I conduct is divided into two parts. The first is therapeutic angle which addresses common problems that spring from non-activation of the different systems in the body. It helps with ailments that come up due to lack of proper immunity and spine activity. Then the energy of life and intelligence is seen to.”
Yoga can also slow down the ageing process he says. And while this doesn’t mean saying goodbye to wrinkles and grey hair it does mean a better connection with your body. Father Joe explains, “You need to love your body back to life. If you live a very hectic and stressful life, you will suffer from burn out sooner than later. Yoga reverses this and rejuvenates the spine, works on proper breathing and all the major systems in the body.”
But there is something else that Father Joe says plays an important part in his yoga workshops… faith. He adds, “We bring the faith factor into yoga and it goes beyond a particular religion. Everything is integrated and it’s a very beautiful process.” He adds that people from all religions should embrace yoga as a science that helps connect the body and mind.
Meditation can help on a global level
Father Joe also strongly believes that if each of us an individuals got together to mediate we could heal the city, after the 26/11 attacks. He explains, “I believe in the teachings of the veda… ‘As it is for me on my cellular conscious level, so it is on the global level.’ Let me tell you a story. I belong to the WCCM (World Community for Christian Meditation), which include the Dalai Lama, the Benedictine and Tibetan monks. During Bush’s reign the monks got together at Union Park and meditated the Mahatma Gandhi. They wanted to send out a message of change, they wanted to show that there was another way. I truly believe that Obama is a product of that consciousness. And I also believe that if we all got together, we can heal the Mumbai, heal India and heal the planet.
Start with Bandra
Father Joe says that Bandra has changed a lot over the years, and mostly for the worse. He says, “The pathetic development of property has raped the land and there is no caring about Mother Earth anymore. Another malady is garbage management… there is none. It is so painful to watch supposedly posh people throw garbage out of their fancy car windows. You are spoiling your own motherland and this needs to stop.”
But on a positive note, he adds that everyone can make a difference in their own way. “We all need to stop not caring in our own way. Maybe not use plastic bags, recycle and take care of the planet. The Celebrate Bandra theme is a beautiful idea which hopefully will teach people a few things.”
- Glynda Alves
Bandra is known as the queen of the suburbs , is in the city of Mumbai ,India
