Born out of a pure desire to share with our friends and neighbors the great wealth of healing modalities that have become essential to our lives, our first 3HO Healing Fair was held in Sterling, Virginia at the Kundalini Yoga Center on November 6. 1999. The fair went from 3 p.m until 9 p.m, and was completely free of charge. The idea for the fair came at an Administrative Council meeting some time before. We based this fair on the format of the healing fairs that are a traditional part of our evening entertainment at solstices. The feeling among those organizing and participating was that this was something we loved at solstice celebrations, and with some organizational effort, we could reproduce in our yoga center.
The date set for the Healing Fair was significant as well. It was Guru Gaddee Day. What better way to celebrate the birth of our Guru, The Siri Guru, than to share our life, our love, with others? And that, by Guru¹s grace, is exactly what happened.
People heard about the healing fair by a combination of word-of-mouth, posters in health food stores, and personal invitation. Though most people were familiar with us, many came in cold (and left warm!), and many were ³friends of a friend² who knew us. We estimated that one hundred and fifty people came through the doors.
The large yoga room was divided into 16 spaces. Healers set up their areas, creating cozy spaces, complete with sign-up sheets, business cards, etc. The healers were drawn from our Sikh community, our extended 3HO family of yoga students and teachers, and friends. The wonderful variety of healing included massage, neuro-muscular therapy, Sat Nam Rasayan, aromatherapy, essences, acupuncture, esoteric healing, Reiki--and many more.
There were tables set up with information about yoga classes, yoga manuals, CDs and tapes, and books for sale. A constant supply of homemade yogi tea was available, its wonderfully invigorating smell continually wafting through the air. Samples of teas were donated from the Yogi Tea company, and Peace Cereal was munched on by all, through the generosity of Golden Temple Foods.
The kitchen was bustling with on-going food samplings of baked tofu, tofu spread on crackers, and of carob cake made without eggs or refined sugar. Recipes for all samples were available. Questions were welcomed, and many felt for the first time at ease with tofu, healthy desserts, and the possibility that they too could make these delicious and healthy foods.
In our smaller yoga room there were hourly yoga classes, announced throughout the larger room. Some of the waiting lists for healing were so long that it was possible for people to experience a yoga class while waiting. I personally taught one of these classes, and as always, I was amazed at how little time it takes to change consciousness with Kundalini Yoga. Within ten minutes, there was a definite rise in the energy of the room. Within the 45-minute class, which included a deep relaxation and chanting Sat Nam, breath became deeper and more relaxed, hearts were opened, and minds let go a little more. People left the room in the realization that Kundalini Yoga is one of the greatest healers of all!
There was so much beautiful work going on in the large room that many people said that just walking into the room changed them. The mastery of each healer, their pure intention to heal, was almost palpable. As the day went on, and the waiting lists were long, more people were arriving who had virtually no chance to see some of the healers for perhaps hours. Some of the rest of us who knew some healing modality, such as massage, started pulling up chairs and just working on everyone who needed it. Giving our blessing, our energy in prayer to them.
We all had the opportunity to be transformed by this event. The following account was given by Sat Sat Nam Kaur Khalsa:
³During our recent healing fair, I had the opportunity to invite fifteen of the adolescents from the residential treatment center where I work as a counselor and yoga teacher. Two other staff members brought them. They arrived a little late, and the slots with healers were all signed up. They signed anyway, and waited very patiently along with so many others for about an hour and a half. While waiting, they sampled delicious vegetarian cuisine. One of the staff members enjoyed a short yoga class. The other counselor parked herself beside a Sat Nam Rasayan healer, and would not move until she received the work. The schedule called for the healing sessions to end and the free vegetarian meal to begin at seven. A few minutes before seven, I mentioned to a friend, and healer, that I was disappointed that most of them would not be able to have any healing work because time was running out. This healer was not doing healing work at the fair and she had not done it for many months. She grabbed my hand and began to give me a reading to test her ability. I affirmed that she was right, so she agreed to work on the teens. After she ³read² one of them, word got out, and they all wanted to have a session with her. She worked on them through the meal and so did several other healers. They set aside their own fatigue and hunger, and gave the teens what they needed! These teens come from many cultures, many races, and economic backgrounds. All of them have had trouble with the law, their families, and their school due to their alcohol and drug abuse. None of the had experienced anything like this before. They all ate well, stayed for chanting, and expanded their opportunities to grow. I believe they helped at least one healer remember her gift for healing. I felt so inspired and proud to be a member of 3HO. It is easy to take our sangat for granted and to let our gifts go unappreciated. This healing fair helped heal my faith in our community.²
The scrumptious lasagna dinner, served lungar style, was followed by our nightly Guru Ram Das chanting, a tradition in the Herndon sangat for the past eight years. We invited everyone to stay to chant for a half-hour. Of the hundred and fifty who came through the doors, around eighty stayed. The healing, comforting energy of Guru Ram Das was the perfect ending to the perfect day.
An uplifting feeling pervaded the days following the fair. We took the time to make notes about what worked and what we would do differently next time, for there definitely will be a next time. We are talking about making it an annual or semi-annual event. It required a lot of bold thought, a lot of organization, and a lot of seva. And it was totally worth it.
I was reminded of one of my favorite lines from the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, ³Goes all the appetite of the Sikhs of the Guru. Rather others feed themselves in their wake.²
By the grace of the Guru, our needs are covered in serving others.