Bus Yoga

by Hillary Croft

I’ve been a bus driver in Sydney for about 5 years. Before bus driving I was a secretary. I started looking for ‘something’ about 8 years ago, about 7 years ago I found yoga and started going to classes.

Most days I’m up in the morning doing neti (pouring water up my nose) and kunjal once a week. I do my sadhana -  yoga asana, pranayama and meditation - then I’m teaching a yoga class and off to drive a bus. In the first part of the day it’s easier to be yogic. Well I’m more accustomed to being yogic in those circumstances.

Driving a bus is another story. I’m driving for many different depots all over the city, driving routes in streets I didn’t even know existed, it has taken a lot of years to remain calm and not panic or get upset when I get lost.

In the meantime when I’m driving routes that I do know and I can relax more in those times and only have to deal with the passengers, traffic and timetables! It is such a fun job driving a big bus around the city. I feel so grateful and am still a little amazed. It was not something I thought of doing when I moved to Sydney about 12 years ago.

During these times there is more time to put into practice and review our fabulous karma yoga techniques – ‘meditative awareness in everyday life’. Bus driving is actually perfect for this practice. The opportunity to practice patience with the other drivers – especially taxis – is great. Not to have to bother with getting upset or angry with the other drivers saves a lot of effort.

It is the perfect opportunity to practice karma yoga as each interaction with people is brief and often repetitive for the particular theme of the day. There is no time to become attached to any particular event or person or place or even bus. For it is rare to get the same bus two days running.

So then I’ve developed some other new habits trying to incorporate other aspects of yoga into my job, such as

  • singing especially when driving bus. With thoughts to connecting with the divine and to the divinity in all of us.
  • Trying to be open and loving to all manner of creature (passenger) on the bus, mostly it works. Often times have to encourage myself when I’m tired.
  • Practicing truth and honesty to self and others. Has been challenging and relieving at same time.
  • When I’m driving around sometimes I’ll white-light the streets like they are meridian channels of a huge person, I send it out with the intention of freewill and choice.

And then on a more personal level

  • Trying to keep awareness of myself, breathing into the current moment.
  • Practicing reminding self that every cell in my body vibrates to the word love and has it written on each cell.

Each time if I have a negative incident with a passenger, I’ll review it and think about how I could have handled it better and even ask other drivers how they handle it.

I know exactly what mood I’m in when I’m driving the bus. Passengers react to the driver the same way they perceive the driver – first impression. If I’m unaware of how I’m feeling and I’m feeling cranky I’ll soon know. I get every single cranky passenger in town on my bus, it’s incredible.

The best example of this was one day I was driving around and every passenger was cranky, I thought it was just a full moon or something. Even cars outside the bus, they were all hooting and yelling at me, it was crazy. Then I thought, maybe I’M cranky about something. No, I thought. Was I in denial? So I tried another tack – started the sentence with - I am angry because .. and then all these things started coming out, I was angry because he did this and I didn’t stand up for myself and blah blah. I even had a big cry.

It was amazing. After that everything was peace. They all stopped hooting and the passengers were all as sweet as pie.

Nowadays, if I notice people getting a little narky I say to myself come on, what’s wrong, and all I have to do is to verbalise (acknowledge) what it is and equilibrium is reached again.

Sometimes I feel like driving the bus is my real work, not teaching yoga or doing shiatsu. It is my opportunity to practice everything that I believe in and be who I am.

I know when I’m in a loving space when I can see beauty in every passenger’s face. It is a wonderful experience. The first time it happened it was the slowest trip in the world as I was staring at everyone, so amazed at their beauty. This is possible, I believe, for everyone to achieve. It is difficult when tired and impossible when afraid. For it is fear that keeps us apart.

It has taken effort, determination and a long time to get here, I am so grateful for this experience.