By Madhava Smullen
A new program at New Vrindaban in West Virginia, dubbed “Seva-Yoga,” has been launched to help guests build a relationship with Krishna through service.
“It evolved naturally from an experience we had over the weekend of Gaura Purnima,” says New Vrindaban Lodge Manager Sarah. “We were short-staffed for various different services, so a team of people like the temple president Jaya Krishna, communications director Anuradha, and others jumped in to help clean the rooms to get them ready for the new guests. Because of Covid and the extra cleaning protocols, everything takes longer than usual. But at the end of the day, everyone was so elated. There was a sense of, this is exactly what service is. So we wanted to recreate the experience for guests. Because when you serve in any capacity, you’re cleaning your heart.”
Seva-Yoga runs seven days a week. Guests sign up for the service they’re interested in at the New Vrindaban Welcome Center, then meet at a set time and location with the service captain overseeing a particular category.
The four service categories are 1) kitchen services – including cleaning the bhoga room and spice shelf, general cleaning of the kitchen area, cutting vegetables, and washing pots; 2) landscaping – including cleaning the grounds and weeding the gardens; 3) serving prasadam; and 4) cleaning the Deity kitchen.
All services require following of Covid safety protocols such as masks and social distancing, while kitchen services also require gloves, hairnets and aprons. Prasadam is served outdoors, and there are heightened cleaning standards to ensure that all surfaces are disinfected.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/seva-yoga-program-at-new-vrindaban-builds-relationship-with-krishna-through-service,7798/
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