Ana Đokić is a member of our sanghat from Croatia. While she encountered yoga as a teenager, she was introduced to Kundalini yoga a few years ago in my workshops on feminine archetypes. In our conversation for this piece, Ana insisted that I mention how I opened this and many other doors for her. In a similar way she tries to open the doors of imagination and possibilities for others, in her work as a writer, publisher and organizer of literary festivals. She passionately explained how she loves introducing school children to new things, so that they can open their minds and hearts and build on their self-worth as well (something most of us struggle with here in the Balkans). As part of her festivals, she introduces children to different cultures, whether by bringing in a djembe player from Senegal to school, or curating travelogue children’s books which introduce children from different cultures, such as Cambodia, India, Roma children, etc. Being part of some of her projects, I can attest to her immense creativity, which she generously shares with and in community.
Ana loves Kundalini yoga practice. She is consistently surprised by the “inner peace and joy” she feels after each class, as well as how communal this practice feels. Doing Kundalini yoga on Zoom on Fridays, she explains how “even though there are six or so little windows with six or so women on the screen and nothing much is happening on the rational plane, on a subtle level there is so much connection, as if we are all holding each other in embrace”, and she is happy that her presence contributes to that embrace. Ana also speaks about the feminine energy that she feels when practicing, the presence of “the Cosmic mother”. She says that you touch the essence of all life when you practice. Ana explains how the practice has had long-term effects on her – she has softened a lot since she started practicing.
As Ana loves crossing boundaries, and holding space for meetings of different cultures, I asked her how she felt about being a part of our dominantly American sanghat. Ana loves it, as it gives her an opportunity to get to know American people through her own experience, outside of what she knows from politics or popular culture. She is very grateful to be a part of our international community.
By Ivana Liv Daspreet
