Sept. 23, 2007 — “Peace starts with the relationship we have within ourselves.” That was the message delivered Sunday by a diverse group of people gathered in a seaside push for world peace.
“It was wonderful that on a little island like St. Croix we could come together with 35 other countries to do this demonstration for peace,” said yoga instructor Tanja McPherson, one of the event's organizers.
The gathering was a part of the International Day of Peace and the Global Mala Project. In the Eastern tradition, a mala is a string of 108 beads used in meditation. The Global Mala Project is the largest unified worldwide yoga event, dedicated to positive change.
Early Saturday morning, a group of about 30 people seated on yoga mats and beach towels under a shelter named “Hibiscus” at Cramer Park Beach participated in 108 minutes of qui jong, yoga, chanting and meditation.
The salt-tinged breeze drifted as white, fluffy clouds hung low in the morning sky. Although it was a traditional beach day for Virgin Islanders, the sandy expanse of beach was deserted, with only water buoys bobbing in the crystal-blue waters. Mingling with the morning's serenity were tambourines, a lone guitar, conga drums and meditative chants.
“It was wonderful to see in our community there are people who believe in worldwide peace,” McPherson said.
More than 20 years ago, the United Nations established the International Day of Peace to encourage nations to put down their weapons and promote peace.
According to its website, internationaldayofpeace.org, the purpose of the day is "to devote a specific time to concentrate the efforts of the United Nations and its member states, as well as of the whole of mankind, to promoting the ideals of peace and to giving positive evidence of their commitment to peace in all viable ways … (The International Day of Peace) should be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples."
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