The Belle of Bellur: Four Days of Gratitude with Abhijata Iyengar - Day 1
Yoga Connections
Connecting to the soil of your birth
The first day of a four-day workshop with Abhijata began with a peek into the Sage Patañjali Temple in Bellur Karnataka, India, birthplace of BKS Iyengar. The temple was inaugurated in 2004 and is an awe inspiring testiment to Guruji’s gratitude for the scientist, artist, and philosopher, Sage Patañjali whose 196 Sutres or threads have served to guide practitioners all over the world in what Abhijata might describe as the technology of yoga.
Do keep in mind, any words I attribute to the Iyengars are my interpretation alone, and in no way serve as verbatim attempts to put words in their mouths that are not theirs. I welcome corrections and comments. My account is that of a student with great limitations of understanding. This content is meant to capture a small portion of an entire class as a way to show gratitude and honor the Iyengars, while at the same time share an experience in hopes that readers can gain a little from the lessons. All money’s from the workshop went into the Bellur Trust to continue the dream of BKS Iyengar to feed the soil of his birthplace with the nourishment of a center dedicated to learning the science, art, and philosophy of yoga. I encourage readers to visit the site and read about the ongoing project. Anyone who has been touched by yoga, regardless if it has been from the Iyengars directly or not, may be moved to contribute. It is a worthy cause built out of the gratitude that comes from many years of uninterrupted practice of Kriya Yoga or yoga in action, which is what distinguishes Iyengar Yoga: tapas (discipline), svadyaya (self-study), Ishvara Pranidhana (devotion, or ultimate surrender to the divine).
Abhijata’s class emphasized how these three elements bring deep gratitude — for the soil of our birth, which ultimately we all share. The ground from which we came. It is poignant for me. I have come back to the place of my birth to be with my father. My yoga became very different than I expected. It has for all of us with COVID. Abhijata brought our attention to Sutra 1.1 atha yoganusasanam as transcribed by BKS Iyengar, “With prayers for divine blessings, now begins an exposition of the sacred art of yoga.” She explained whatever disappointments of the past or desires for the future, we must be grateful for this moment, now. Now, today, we are healthy and practicing yoga.
The lesson explored where things begin and end. For example there is no real definition between mind and body, like the chicken or egg rhetoric, we can cycle endlessly in our attempts to answer where one begins and the other ends, or which came first the thought or the action. It could be said, spreading our awareness beyond habitual ideas and concepts of body and mind, is the technology of yoga. Abhijata helped us experience this idea through a series of asana. Noticing stiffness or shakiness, she changes our perception through alternative yet complimentary asana: Utthita Trikonasana, extended triangle, shifts to Vrksasana, tree and returns to UT. Parsvokonasana, extended side angle shifts to Baddha Konasana, bound angle pose and returns. Then Parighasana, gatelatch pose returns to parsvokonasana. Each time moving into different but connected poses with a focus on hips and groins — and returning back to the original asana after exploring relative actions from different vantage points. We notice more ease with the original asana. Is Ardha Chandrasana, half moon more difficult than another pose or is it simply our preconceived fear of balancing on one leg? Doing the pose facing the wall takes the fear away and allows us to focus on the progressive lessons from the previous asana. Away from the wall, Abhijata has us notice the ease now when the focus is on the lessons instead of the fear or preconceived notions. What is at work here? The citta vrtti (read chatter) of the mind or the resistence in the body? The transitions brought out the intelligence of the body, that comes from opening the mind as we explored the actions from different perspectives. We can’t force ourselves to the place we want to be. We have to be where we are and work from there with tapas (discipline), svadyaya (self-study), Ishvara Pranidhana (devotion, or ultimate surrender to the divine).
In the stillness of savasana, corpse pose, we synthesize the lessons and return to the earth. Grounding ourselves in gratitude and the concept of the soil of our birth. Nurturing it as it nurtured us is a service to humanity locally and globally. What a beautiful beginning. I’m very grateful for all those who made it possible, and look forward to day two.
Namaste.