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july2019yogajournal.com.auRina Jakubowicz is an international bilingual
yoga teacher, Reiki practitioner, motivational
speaker, and author. Her new best-selling book
is The Yoga Mind: 52 Essential Principles of Yoga
Philosophy. Learn more at rinayoga.com.I didn’t want to go for selfish reasons,
which included indulging my senses
with dancing, eating, drinking, and
relaxing on the beach; snapping insta-
grammable pictures; or going to “expe-
rience” Cuba as a tourist. As a
practicing yogi, that wouldn’t be ideal
for me. Instead, I wanted my visit to be
fora greater purpose—to indirectly and
directly serve Cuban people, instead of
supporting a government that tore fami-
lies apart. It’s important to consider that
serving is different than “helping,”
because helping implies some kind of
superiority on the part of the helper.
The last thing Cubans need is outsiders
coming in to tell them what they need
or how to do things.
Instead, I chose to practice Karma
Yoga, or the path of selfless service, and
Bhakti Yoga–the path of devotion—
during my trip with Robert. This meant
I brought supplies and resources for my
relatives and for the yoga community. I
arrived with cash, my wedding dress,
Havaianas flip flops, toys, and more
clothes. It was my way of serving a com-
munity that had given me so much.
This is where practicing Bhakti Yoga
became imperative. Bhakti Yoga is a
higher form of love—one in which you
identify with another person and hold
them in the highest reverence and admi-
ration. There’s a sense of duty to them
and their plight. Feeling this devotion
for Cuban people was vital in keeping
my highest ideal in focus. As a yoga
traveller, it’s your duty to practice
Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga as you
step into places, like Cuba, that have
endured deep suffering.
In Spanish, there’s a phrase for when
a Cuban uses his or her ingenuity and
creativity to solve any problem. We say
“Hacerlo a lo Cubano,” which loosely
translates to “Do it the Cuban way.” If
yogis all over the world travelled this
way, we could start our own popularSpanish phrase about serving a greatest
purpose: “Hacerlo a lo yogi,” or “Do it
like a yogi.”
I was so grateful for this unforgettable
trip with Robert. I redefined my Cuban
roots, connected with family, and made
art with a new friend. Walking the streets
of Havana made me proud to be a Cuban
and a yoga teacher. Combining both tra-
dition and new perspective, I can now say
“Lo hice a lo Cubano y a lo yogi,” or “I
did it the Cuban and yogi way!”SEVA SUGGESTIONS
Stay with friends, or at an AirBnB, or Casa
Particular—someone’s house rented out to
visitors. All hotels are government-owned.
And eat at non-state-owned restaurants,
called Paladeras.