Roundabouts and yoga – On a lighter note…

It is not generally understood that the roundabout is actually a powerful tool in the yoga, and that this is just the latest example of the Auroville Road Service’s quiet work to hasten the spiritual transformation of Auroville’s inhabitants.

One Aurovilian has taken up the onerous task of writing a user’s manual for roundabouts. Here is an extract from chapter 215 where he elucidates the link between roundabouts and yoga.

Roundabouts can help develop two important yogic disciplines: learning to resist immediate gratification and taking into account the needs of others.

1) Resisting immediate gratification. The average Indian road user is engineered to seek the quickest path to his/her destination. This often involves cutting corners, flattening pedestrians, going the wrong way up one-way streets etc. Roundabouts in India, if properly used, require a different approach. If, say, one approaches a roundabout and wants to turn right, one is required to begin by veering left before completing a clockwise route to one’s destination. At first, of course, this is a horrifying experience, seemingly in absolute contradiction to the established laws of nature. But if one perseveres – and isn’t yoga all about perseverance? – one can begin to enjoy the circulatory path to one’s destination and use the extra time taken to meditate upon eternity and one’s place in the universe.

2) Taking into account the needs of others. This consciousness is even harder to acquire for the average road-user used to bullying their way along the road and forcing others to eat their dust. But, here again, the roundabout emerges as a useful yogic tool. For drivers approaching a roundabout encounter a novel sign: ‘Give way’. What on earth could ths mean? Well, hard as it is to believe, it is telling you to stop and wait for other drivers who are already circling the roundabout before entering the roundabout oneself. Of course, it doesn’t make sense at first. But as you make progress with roundabout siddhi number one (resisting immediate gratification) you will understand that allowing others right of way is a useful way of reining in your pesky vital while expanding your consciousness to encompass the needs of all beings. Moreover, observing others yogically circulating that mound in the road can be a powerful way of releasing the cares of the day and returning you to your essential Self (but don’t wait too long: there may be a queue behind you). Warning. Don’t try this at home: these skills are not easy to acquire. However, the Road Service has a list of accredited Roundabout Instruction Officers (RIOs) who will be running introductory courses (guests Rs 12,000, Aurovilians Rs 500) over the next few weeks. Within two months, everybody using the new roundabout will be required to have a Roundabout Proficiency Certificate (RPC), in addition to an Aadhaar card.