A Karma Yogi in the Magic Garden
I came to the Salt Spring Centre of Yoga in late April with a long list of things I wanted to learn, unlearn and become. Deepening my spiritual practice and learning what it takes to live in an intentional community were at the top, but perhaps above all, I desired to be in relationship with the land.
I was nervous though. Having lived in cities my whole life, I didn’t know anything about farming.
On my first shift, the Farm Coordinator Paz, took us new volunteers out with a wheelbarrow full of rakes, gloves and measuring sticks and showed us where we were going to plant our first crop: beans! Planting beans, I learned then, like everything we would do on the farm, was special- even magical.
After a few months as a Karma Yogi on the farm, I’ve discovered that there’s more magic and purpose in this garden than I thought possible:
- There’s magic in growing food: it reminds us that we are inextricably connected to everything, from the tiny microscopic beings in the soil, to the pollinators, and to the rain and sun.
- There’s magic in growing with others: under the open sky we have big conversations about reciprocity, building community, and how we want to serve our world.
- There’s magic being in service to the world you long for: after years of feeling helpless and full of climate grief, I was finally using my hands to support life to thrive, to give back to the land that had done so much for me.
Every day I’m in the garden is an opportunity to practice embodying the world I want: one that is more peaceful, more connected, and more aware of its inherent divine magic.
Daniela
Daniela has been a Karma Yogi at the Salt Spring Centre of Yoga primarily working on the farm since April 2024. When she’s not volunteering, Daniela is usually making music with her meditation band Days of Lavender, doing back country camping, or biking around Vancouver where she works as a community builder and organizational coach.
Want to learn more about Karma Yoga on the farm? Explore how you can be part of our intentional community at the Salt Spring Centre of Yoga by clicking here.