They say a dog is man’s best friend, but is a human the best friend of a dog or any other animal for that matter? I feel that people in bigger cities are becoming more and more conscious of the fact that hurting animals is immoral and that the awareness of animal rights is on the rise, however we are only at the beginning of the journey. Every fulltime yogi has heard of the first Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, Ahimsa, which talks about non harming and compassion. It is one of the main principles in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism (it’s also present in most religons of the world under different names) and says that hurting any living being, regardless if it’s a dog or flower, comes with some serious karmic repercautions. For most yogis is quite obvious that we don’t harm animals, we don’t eat meat and we don’t wear fur coats or leather shoes. I mean we don’t want to have bad karma and come back in our next reincarnation as a donkey, or even worse a spider! This is a very important part of our Sadhana (spiritual) practice, but sometimes it may be just another label. Another way to show others how cool we are, meanwhile our attachment to our body and ego only gets stronger.

Over 2,500 years ago the Buddha shared with the world what was revealed to him under the Bodhi tree, the Four Noble Truths (Dukkha, Samudaya, NIrodaha  Magga). They talk about how in this life theres only one thing in this life that’s certain, there will be suffering. The source of our suffereing is our attachments and clinging, the only way to stop the suffereing is by staying on the right path even though it may be difficult. Krishna speaks on this in the Bhagavad Gita,  stating that the only way to get rid our suffering which is caused by our attachments and wants is to renounce them work towards self-realization. Only once the veil is lifted from our eyes do we start to remember a long forgotten truth, that we are so much more than our bodies and minds, that we are a spiritual being and that’s when our road to Moksha(liberation) begins. SO how do we get rid of these desires, attachments and wants that our “self” with a small ”s” wants and wants? There are many roads to enlghtmenet but they all lead to the same place, to becoming one with God, Buddha, Brahman, Jehova, Allah, the Higher Power, the Universe or however you may choose to label it. In all actuality the core of most monotheistic religons is quite similar, that we are not this body only something much much more, a spirit(the metaphors may be different but the message is the same).  How we choose to live here and now ultimately creates our future destiny, do we want to live in a world of ignorance,denial and illusion(Maya) or do we walk towards awakening? The decision is ours. 

       If and when we are ready to walk this path we have many holy books and other ancient texts to learn from. The choice of spiritual teachers to learn from is vast so we have to be sure to pick one that resonates with us. As Jack Kornfield likes to say, “spiritual practice should not be confised with grim duty”. In Yoga we have 4 different  paths to choose from, all of which tell us how to live harmoniously with our Dharma while moving our body, mind and spirit towards holistic unity. We can pick one of these paths or reap the benefits from all if we chose. Bhakti Yoga is the yoga of total love and devotion to God, who we worship through prayer and devotional singing(Bhajanas and kirtans). Raja Yoga, or Ashtanga Yoga, is based on controlling our bodies and minds through different techniques(asanas, pranayamas, meditation)which are said to lead us to Samadhi through the transformation and transmutation of our spiritual energy. Gyana Yoga is the yoga of the intellect, sutable for those of us who find it easier to use the left side of our brain for logical reasoning. By using our intellect in a constructive way through reading holy texts, like the Vedas, in order to awaken to God and the higher power within us. Karma Yoga is usually thought of as the yoga of action and selfless service, but it can also have a devotional character. In the Baghavad Gita Krisha tells Arjuna to act and do his duties without being attached to the outcome because the fruits of the labor belong not to him, but to Krishna. Karma Yoga teaches us that every one of our actions is a chance to purify ourselves through service to others, doing something out of guilt or duty doesn’t serve anyone so what matter here is that our intentions are good. It is a yoga of being in the here and now and doing all our actions so mindfully and intensively that all that’s left is the “washer of the dishes”, you transform into what you are doing, you and the action become one being, without attachment to the outcome. Its similar to the process of becoming the observer during our meditation practice, only here you have every second of the day to be mindfully aware and present in the here and now and not attached to the actor who you think you’re playing in this drama called your life.

Volunteering in an animal shelter isn’t easy. Your heart breaks looking at all the helpless and innocent creatures who lost their homes, some that never even had them. I just want to take them all home and love them forever, but since that’s not realistic, all that I can do is be there for them, present with an open compassionate heart ready to serve. This is mindfulness. I concentrate  on the “here and now” , on what I’m feeling and doing- I am present for those dogs. When I see their eye light up with joy I am certain, that what I’m doing makes sense. I can feel just how grateful  each one of these furry shelter residents is, for every second spent with a human, for every walk, every kind word and caring touch. Before I became a volunteer I used to say how much I would like to do it, but my heart just couldn’t bare seeing all those poor suffering locked up animals! Then I wasn’t aware tht the only suffering I was trying to avoid really, was my own. Ram Dass( the late Hardvard professor, yogi, spiritual teacher and author of the best selling book “Be Here Now”) used to say that suffering is grace. My experience as a volunteer definelty confirmed this for me. If it wasn’t for my own suffering in the past, I would have probably never gotten to where I am today. All the years of active addiction, domestic violence, sexual assault, rape, rehabs, therapies, broken noses and broken hearts. I had to live through a lot of pain and hit rockbottom, the dark night of the soul so to speak, until I finally saw the light and was able to bounce back up.All this suffering however, lead me to the path I’m on today, my spiritual Sadhana and for that I am forever grateful.

       I’m your typical only-child, spoiled to the bone by her parents. For most of my life I was convinced that the wolrd and everything in in revolves around me and all my problems and needs. Even though I’ve worked hard on bettering myself and growing spiritually, the more I did and leaerned the further down the rabbit hole I went. I realized that most of the crippling beliefs I had about myself and the wolrd were deeply rooted in my subconscious, and the only way to heal wasn’t to “fix” myself but to finally accept myself. How can a broken person start to love themselves you may ask? For me it was selfness service in the shelter that started to melt my frozen heart, feeling compassion for other beings started to change me from the inside out. For once in my life I was I wanted to help, really help, without expecting something back in return. These dogs didn’t say thank you, they didn’t have money to pay you or anyway to reimburse you for your good deeds, the most you’d get out of it was really dirty or possibly even scratched and bitten! It was all worth it though when you looked into the eyes of your four legged friend, and even if you got bitten all was forgiven instatntly because a dog really is man’s best friend. 

       At the shelter we take dogs for walks no matter the weather, when it’s hot and in the rain or snow. We organize photoshoots and diligently write posts and stories on different social media outlets daily, telling their stories and trying to reach as many people as possible to find them new homes. The shelter(Paluch Schronisko dla bezdomnych zwierzat in Warsaw, Poland) organizes events in the warm months to which we take our dogs to meet their fans(yes some of them are social media stars) and besides trying to find them homes we also raise awareness about the importance of adoption. Sometimes one of our dogs get ill and dies before we find him a new home, but even though it hurts to say goodbye it is part of my service especially being that I volunteer in the geriatric ward.

       Not only do we get attached to the dogs we care for at the shelter, but also to the people we work with, a big dog loving family fighting for the well being of our furry friends. When I met Mania https://www.instagram.com/maniatheyogi/ at a yoga teacher training, our love for yoga and animals instantaneously made us become friends. She soon started joining me at the shelter and eventually also became a volunteer, and then one day we thought of a brilliant way to join our two biggest passions- Doga Yoga was born! The goal of our iniciative was best described by Mania, she said “We recently hosted our first Doga Yoga class during an event (#AdoptujWarszawiaka – Adopt a Warsaw dog) organized by our shelter, we hope this will turn into something more, something cyclical. We want to raise awareness to our yogi friends about the important aspect of Karma Yoga and Bhaki Yoga- selfless service and loving compassion, which which help us to purify ourselves and most importantly help others, who are less fortunate, in this case animals, which can’t defend themselves from the harsh realities they are confronted with in the world today.”

       We are beating records at our shelter recently, the lowest numbers of cats and dogs in history! I think this is a result of a bigger awareness in the collective consciousness of mankind about the need for empathy and compassion for animals and the understanding, that they are conscious living beings too and deserve to be treated with dignity. Of course it was all the workers and volunteers who helped make this possible, who in their everyday work not only care for the well being and health of these animals but also take action in helping them find new homes. Unfrotunatly, new homless dogs(and cats) show up at the shelter on a regular basis, some abandoned by their owners (I try not to judge the owners for this even though it’s not an easy feat), and everytime I’m confronted with overwhelming feelings of sadness and anger. But at the same timeI get really emotional when I see the people who adopt not onlt cute little puppies, but also our old and sick seniors, who are equally deserving of loving and caring homes!

        Every adoption touches me deeply and causes me to have more and more faith in the goodness of humanity. So circling back to my question “Is man a dog’s best friend?”, I’d have to answer optimistically, that I feel we are headingin the right direction and I have faith that t will only get better! The work I do at the shelter has become my mission and I am honored to be a part of the betterment of every single one of those furry lives. This service of course, should be as Hanuman said: selfless and free from any atttachemnt to outcome.( I really try!)

       I hope that if you are ever in the Warsaw area you will visit us and our furry friends at the shelter #SchroniskoNaPaluchu . If you would like to find out more about what it takes to become a volunteer or more information about the adoption process please visit the site www.napaluchu.waw.pl or our Geriatric Groups on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/napaluchugeriatria or on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/geriatrianapaluchu/. You are also sincerely invited to the next edition of Doga Yoga(update- because of the Coronavirus pandemic we don’t know if that will be any time soon. Unfortunatly all the events have been canceled and even us volunteers aren’t temporarily allowed at the shelter to ensure safety by social distancing. Adoptions are still taking place so if you are looking to adopt please check our dog/cat database on the website above or visit the fangape of Facebook or Instagram!). Your presence will help us raise awareness  as well as break taboos about shelter dogs! Help us find homes for our furry friends, every picture and post you re-share gives these dogs a chance to find their new, loving forever homes!