VeganOK Spiritual Award 2012 to Sharon Gannon, an extraordinary woman who similarly promotes the Vegan ethical choice worldwide. She is a woman of divine luminescence—the kind that comes from inner peace.That is the feeling you get when meeting Sharon Gannon: she approaches you with a respectful bow, which feels like a gentle hug because she truly is one of the kindest people I have ever met.
This meeting was made possible thanks to the publisher EIFIS, which invited Sharon Gannon to Italy for a series of lectures and meetings. Along with the VeganOK team, they also presented a prestigious award to the yogi master Gannon: the “VeganOK Spiritual Award 2012” along with the “Honorary Member” card of the Italian Vegan Association ONLUS for her work in promoting the Vegan ethical choice and defending animal rights, and for having so naturally and profoundly interpreted the five “Yamas” (the ethical restraints of Yoga), thereby restoring dignity and priority to the Vegan ethical choice within the Yoga world.
The event began in the late afternoon when Sharon Gannon, with great availability and courtesy, held a press conference (organized by Eifis Edizioni, exclusively recorded by VeganOK-TV, and to be published as soon as possible), during which she answered every question thoroughly and made a point to meet, greet, and speak personally with everyone in the room. At the end of the press conference, after a short break, we all gathered at the civic theater of Dalmine, a setting that saw the alternation on the stage of:
Chicco Coria, a chef who, after years of traditional cooking, was inspired by the bubbling joy of Balducci to the point of creating four-hand dishes, previously known to him only theoretically, thus discovering for the first time the philosophical gastronomy of Vegan cooking, becoming co-star of Renata Balducci’s second book Nobili Scorpacciate Vegan – Le 4 Stagioni.Chicco then delighted us with a special dinner at the end of the event; the publisher Eifis, which coordinated the event and made Sharon Gannon’s presence in Italy possible,
and Renata Balducci (Vegan advocate), President of the Italian Vegan Association (Associazione Vegani Italiani), introduced, presented, and awarded the beautiful Sharon with visible emotion!
Throughout our lives, we receive many lessons from those who strive to be better people and serve as a divine instrument. Through the discipline of yoga, Sharon Gannon has become a spokesperson for a great message aimed at connecting with all forms of life on planet Earth.
“I became a yoga teacher only because I felt it could give me a pulpit to talk about animal rights,” with these candid and articulated words, Sharon fills the hall of the Civic Theater of Dalmine. Words before which there is no rebuttal or escape: it’s impossible to conceive of animal exploitation as anything but one of the selfish acts that humans consciously commit daily by deciding to eat animal products.
But “you can choose, and choose consciously,” Sharon tells us, we can opt not only for a vegan diet but an entirely cruelty-free ethical lifestyle. Millions of animals are killed every year for human consumption after living confined in horrible conditions on farms in intensive breeding death industries. This alone, for Sharon, is a good reason for every yoga practitioner to adopt a vegan diet.
Be joyfully vegan. Look at every person as an opportunity to be kind and to show empathy and compassion for another being.
And with this joy in her soul, Renata Balducci, president of the Italian Vegan Association Onlus, presented the two recognitions to Sharon Gannon
here we see the presentation of the Honorary Member card of the Italian Vegan Association – Onlus
and here is the presentation of the VeganOK Spiritual Award 2012.
Once again, VeganOK allowed us to witness a unique event, which we always hope will be a small but significant step towards a life choice that is increasingly ethical and committed to non-violence.
But extraordinary thanks especially go to Eifis Edizioni, which was keen to make Sharon Gannon’s remarkable work “Vivere lo Yoga” available in Italy… The Yoga world is also moving towards greater awareness and empathy with the entire animal kingdom.
“Yoga has the power to heal relationships with the world because, through practice, it shows us—quite clearly—the kind of relationship we establish and where it is imbalanced. Gradually, we begin to open our eyes and ask ourselves questions. Compassion is the next step, and veganism is one of the consequential choices.”
