Reykjavík Grapevine - 20.06.2014, Side 40

40 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 08 — 2014SPORT
All the
Games
and all
the Action
Live Music
Every Night
Save Water, Drink Beer
AUSTURSTRÆTI 12 • REYKJAVÍK
Summer Solstice In
The Age Of Aquarius:
A Kundalini Yoga Teacher shares her
wisdom about the combined powers of
summer solstice, nature and meditation
From Hljómskálagarðurinn park, she takes
me on a meditational walk around the
pond. Our steps are perfectly in tandem
and I feel separated
from the rest of the
world, jogging hap-
pily past us in the sun.
She chooses a mantra
about the circle of life
and shows me how to
synchronise my steps
and my breath whilst
making my fingertips
touch each other and
chanting the mantra within. She tells me
to focus on my breath, because a calm
breath means a calm mind. It might just be
my imagination, but I detect a vague elec-
tric sensation travelling through my body
to my fingertips.
After having thus centred ourselves
we sit down on a bench in the park, feel-
ing quite Zen and calm, and Gyða tells me
about the upcoming yoga festival, which
will involve longer meditational walks in
nature.
So Gyða, tell me a bit about yourself.
My full name is Ingveldur Gyða Kristins-
dóttir, but when you become a Kundalini
Yoga teacher you also receive a spiritual
name that’s calculated from your exact
time and place of birth. I was given the
name Karandeep Kaur. ‘Karan’ means the
one who practices, ‘deep’ means light, and
‘Kaur’ is an extension given to all females.
You’re one of the organisers of the
Sumarsólstöður Yoga Festival. How
would you describe the festival?
Well, the festival is held annually around
the summer solstice. This year it will take
place in Varmaland in Borgarfjörður. The
accommodation, which includes a big
swimming pool, is set by a flora-covered
rock that is believed to be an elf’s church.
The surroundings are beautiful and we
focus on providing
healthy food that is
both organic and veg-
etarian.
Why vegetarian?
It has to do with Yama
and Niyama, the two
moral backbones of
yoga. One of the ethi-
cal precepts of Yama
and Niyama is that you shall not kill—in-
cluding animals. This isn’t limited to just
Kundalini Yoga—all types of yoga share
this attitude towards eating meat.
Do you feel any difference in your abil-
ity to meditate and practise yoga on
this specific diet?
Yes. During the festival I always feel ex-
tremely good. I think that getting rid of
sugar also helps a lot. The sugar craving
disappears and you even start to notice a
difference in the odours your body ema-
nates.
The festival is always held during the
summer solstice. Is there something
special about this timing?
Well, yoga is all about connecting with na-
ture and during this time of the year the
energy in nature is extremely powerful.
How does being surrounded by
beautiful nature factor into the pro-
gramme?
On Friday we will go for a trip to the wa-
terfall Glanni and afterwards we’ll have re-
laxation and meditation in Paradise Hollow
with a gong. If people haven’t had enough
of the outdoor activities by then, they can
climb the mountain Grábrók or just do
whatever they want. On Saturday, the day
of the solstice, there’s a trip to Reykholt.
The solstice will take place at 10:51, then
we’ll be practicing yoga and praising the
sun. Afterwards we’ll move on to see the
Hraunfoss and Barnafoss waterfalls.
Spiritual Awareness In
The Age Of Aquarius
What are the benefits of attending the
festival?
First and foremost, it’s wellbeing—eating
healthy food and spending time in nature.
Yoga strengthens you both physically and
spiritually and alcohol is strictly prohibited.
When you decide to become a Kundalini
yoga teacher, no one tells you to stop
drinking—it just happens. You lose interest
in alcohol.
Why do you think people seek this
kind of get-away in modern, Western
society?
I think it’s the speed—the speed in our so-
ciety, the strain and the stress. Also, now
we’re in the Age of Aquarius, which start-
ed in 2011. It was predicted thousands of
years ago that the Age of Aquarius would
bring increased interest in spiritual mat-
ters—the prediction is coming true.
Where can I sign up?
Check out our website sumarsolstodur.is.
You can also register or send enquiries to
sumarsolstodur@sumarsolstodur.is.
It’s a sunny afternoon in Reykjavík and the entire nation seems to be strolling down Laugavegur
in clothes suited for slightly warmer weather. I’m on my way to meet Ingveldur Gyða Kristins-
dóttir, a Kundalini Yoga teacher, who has agreed to take me on a little spiritual journey.
Words
Katrín Helga Andrésdóttir
Photo
Hörður Sveinsson
Sumarsólstöður - Yoga Festival Varmaland, Borgarfjörður18
JUNE
22
JUNE
When you decide to be-
come a Kundalini yoga
teacher, no one tells you
to stop drinking—it just
happens. You lose inter-
est in alcohol.
INTER
VIEW