In this ideal setting, we were treated to yoga instruction from someone who has tread the yogic path with devotion and intelligence over a long period of time. Patricia has been studying with BKS Iyengar since the 1970′s, and her mastery of and dedication to the subject of yoga shines through her every word and gesture.

Since my return to my everyday life, the lessons of that week continue to resonate as I do my daily practice, as I teach, and in daily activities. Patricia asks us to keep ourselves at a very high standard of practice and knowledge. Knowledge of the yoga sutras was expected, and she guided us in how we could continue to develop our studies. During our classes, Patricia reminded us that our asana practice should never do us harm. This seems like a basic notion, but it is easy to let pride or inattention cause us to overdo or work in a state of imbalance. This simple but profound principle, that our yoga should not cause pain or problems, but should alleviate them, has stayed with me.

At the same time, being with the highly developed group of practitioners who attended the retreat has motivated me to work more strongly and more deeply, while keeping to the principle of doing no harm. This means that my practice needs to be consistent, sincere, and soaked with awareness. I find that my mind is more quiet as I am working, and I am satisfied to stay with a pose for a longer period of time to plumb its depths and get more subtle understanding.

In the tribute to Patanjali that Iyengar Yoga students chant at the beginning of each class, the text says that yoga is given for serenity of mind. The retreat experience deepened my understanding of that truth, while also inspiring me to explore the hidden potential of my body.

Not everyone is interested in yoga.  Yet we are lucky enough to be drawn to the subject. We have developed some desire to improve our health, learn to relax, and develop deeper self awareness. It is a huge blessing to feel the inner call to practice.

Interest cannot help us much unless we also have leisure – free time and energy to spend on practice. If we have the time and financial resources to train and study, we should rejoice!

To pursue yoga, we also need opportunity. Many people wish to study yoga, but there is no teacher available, or no transportation to the class, or any variety of obstacles that make it difficult to study.

The final important factor is to be lucky enough to encounter a genuine spiritual teaching from a highly evolved master. To have been born during the lifetime of BKS Iyengar is an amazing thing! In one hundred years, students will be studying Light on Yoga, and perhaps thinking, “What must it have been like to have lived during his life, or to have met him, or studied with him?” Being alive during his life span has given us a vey direct connection with his teaching, and it is almost impossible to express what a huge boon this is.

I feel deeply blessed to have encountered yoga and the method of Iyengar Yoga in my life. I appreciate the love, guidance and support that I received from Mary Dunn, and that I continue to receive from Dean and Rebecca Lerner and Laurie Blakeney. These teachers are like beacons, calling me on to pursue the yogic path, not with struggle, but with joy and appreciation for the chance to grow.

In a detail oriented method like Iyengar Yoga, it is important to connect the parts to the whole and the whole to the parts. The last thought we have in a pose should not be a specific physical action, even if it is correct. The last few breaths in a pose present an opportunity for integration – connection of every aspect of our being into that moment. BKS Iyengar says that we need to spread our consciousness from the core to the periphery, and from the periphery to the core.

Inspired by Patricia’s advice,  at the end of a pose I take a few moments to spread my awareness to the connection between body, breath and mind. I let go of detailed physical adjustment and  generate a sense of contentment with the present moment as it is, and the pose as it is. Though we may work for many years to improve and refine the asanas, we can have those moments of repose every time we practice. Patricia said that this makes the pose more nourishing.

I was struck by this idea of the pose being a form of nourishment and this single idea is transforming the way I am approaching my practice.

Namaste.

You can also check the archives for entries about my visits to the Ramamani Iyengar Yoga Institute (RIMYI) for yoga study with the Iyengar family in Pune, India.

Thanks for visiting!

http://karensphotos5.shutterfly.com

I have gone through most of the mail and email. I have slept a lot and eaten a lot of ice cream. I have returned to teaching. I found that in teaching, the fullness of what a month at RIMYI gives started to shine through. I felt calm and confident, and seemed to see the students with fresh eyes.

My own practice this week has been mostly to rest and reconnect at home. I did have one strong practice day, when I was able to feel some of the effects of a month of intensive study and practice. I noticed a different level of awareness, strength and lightness in my body, and a deeper quiet and steadiness in my mind. I look forward to further exploration! I also look forward to going through my notes, mining them for the jewels that they contain.

Thanks again for all the love and support that I felt as I made this journey.

I will be processing the trip and all I learned for some time to come. Right now, I am most happy that I had the chance for such an extensive period of focus on yoga classes, personal practice and study. I am also grateful to have had such such wonderful roommates. We supported and helped each other, laughed together and worked together in community.

I will post again by the end of the week with further reflections and a link for photos!

Sustained, uninterrupted practice is one of the best things about being here, and I find myself wondering how I will be able to maintain the progress I have made when I return to my regular life. I do know that getting more practice time is essential, a gift I really want to give myself.

We had a special experience Wednesday morning in the pranayama class directed by Guruji and taught by Gulnaaz and Abhi. We started with inversions, and then proceeded to reclining and seated pranayama. The instruction was refined and yet simple, clear and profound. It has affected me for three days, making my breathing easier and fuller, and my mind quieter. Guruji gave the example of a leaf, whose outer edges are thinner and more sensitive than the center part of the leaf. We practiced breathing into a certain area of the torso with finesse (fine-ness) and refined awareness, like the delicate part of the leaf. It was just a beautiful experience. Our final class will be Saturday morning, another pranayama class with Guruji present, so it should be wonderful.

We leave tomorrow, so the packing has begun. It is a long return journey, and I look forward to seeing my husband, my friends and my home.

At the other end of the spectrum, Guruji has been asking us to put away all props at the beginning of the Wednesday and Saturday morning classes. We take not even a blanket to sit upon. To some extent, this is a space management strategy, as the classes are quite large. On a deeper level, he is asking us to question our habits and observe ourselves from the view of the “first prop” which is our own bodies. He said we are all too quick to go for comfort and thus stop ourselves from new learning – finding our what we can do today.

Speaking of new learning, I had an exhilerating experience with backbending yessterday. I was working steadily but not overdoing – one of my personal themes for this trip. I had prepared myself to try some “drop backs” – moving into Urdhva Dhanurasa (Upward Bow Pose) from Sirsasana (Head Balance.) Those went well enough, and then it was time to see if I could drop back into the backbend from a standing position. A senior teacher from the US, Jackie Neff, saw me, and asked if I would like some help. She gave a wonderfully clear touch to my sacrum and my sternum, and over I went, and then back up. We did it three times, and each time her touch was lighter, so I did it more on my own. I have never felt the pose occur with such ease. Then she left, and I thought, well, the pump is primed, let me try this for myself. I was able to drop back three times on my own. Getting back up is another matter. But the main thing is the sense of “effortless effort” that I experienced. It gave me a new feeling of body and mind – very light and calm, yet uplifted and positive. I am so grateful that Jackie came to me at that moment and offered her skillful help. How wonderful it is to have the blessing of yoga in our lives!

Guruji continues with his theme of exploring the feet. He is disecting the foot into parts so we can be more aware, become more sensitive, and do our poses with more clarity and eveness. Our class on Wednesday morning was all based on the outer arch of the foot, with it being divided into an inner and outer bank. Both these “banks” had to press completely to the floor in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) and Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose). This awareness of the outer foot was then brought into many, many (many) backbends. A wonderful class, again, instructed by the master through his teachers.

My own practice has been rewarding, interesting and fun. I feel I am gaining new awareness of my own patterns, and learning new ways to work skillfully towards eveness of body and mind. I deeply appreciate the chance to practice for three hours or so every day, not counting class time. There is no rush. Long sequences can be done that lead to opening and understanding previously unknown.

Being here brings other aspects of awareness, especially of how wealthy and privileged we are in the US. Due to water issues her, it was suggested that we not trust the water filter and buy bottled water instead. When you have to carry your water, you quickly realize how much water you use in a day and what a precious resource fresh, clean water is.

We had wonderful guides for each day who gave many details about the artisitc and architectural skill that the caves dsiplay. In one of the most beautiful Buddhist caves, our guide chanted for us, and the resonance was other worldly. Without a doubt, you could sense the vibration of all the practitioners who had chanted in this hall in their quest for enlightenment.

On the road, we had the chance to see the more rural side of India. Fields of sugar cane and millet, cattle grazing at the road side, herds of goats, wooden carts being drawn by pairs of oxen, and people working the fields, hanging out in the tea shop, carrying water on their heads.

The harrowing drive and insane traffic was frightening, but we had a good driver and had only a few near missed. While the trip was tiring, it was an incredible experience that I’ll always treasure.