Australian Yoga Journal – July 2019

PHOTO:

AUGUSTIN

DE

MONTESQUIOU/UNSPLASH

Higher

Ideals

FOCUS ON

72

july

2019

yogajournal.com.au

A trip to Cuba taught me the importance, and deeper

meaning, of Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga.

By Rina Jakubowicz

MY PASSION FOR LIFE undoubtedly

comes from my Cuban roots. My

mother fled her home country of Cuba

at the age of nine, with her parents,

three siblings, grandmother, dog, and

$35.They left behind family who still live

in Cuba today. There’s a spark and

creative fire that radiates in the Cuban

culture. So it’s unfortunate that Cuba is

a controversial country to visit as a

traveller. The Cuban people have been,

and continue to be, in my opinion,

exploited and abused by their

government—through injustices such

as incarceration without a fair trial and

lack of a free press. Because of this,

there are mixed feelings about when and

if it is appropriate to visit this both

beautiful and bleeding country.

In October of 2015, I was approached

by yoga photographer Robert Sturman

to go to Cuba for what proved to be an

epic and powerful photo shoot. I had to

consider my highest ideal behind going.