A week of Sankalpa with Abhijata Iyengar

“Sankalpa is an intention formed by the heart and mind—a solemn vow, determination, or will.” ~ IYNAUS Convention, 2023 - Sankalpa: A Yogic Life of Intent

As an online participant at the 2023 IYNAUS Convention held in San Diego, watching the instruction of students by 39-year-old Abhijata Iyengar, it is hard to miss the lessons on Sankalpa emphasizing the heart is at the core of authentic intent. Abhijata is a dedicated Iyengar practitioner who has studied extensively with her grandfather, BKS Iyengar, aunt, Dr. Geeta Iyengar, and uncle, Prashant Iyengar at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune, India, She teaches from the heart, not the organ of the same name but the energetic field close to it that is cultivated with ongoing abhyasa and vairagya (practice and detachment).

Abhjata teaches so the beauty of yoga can unfolds naturally within each of her students. Prashant Iyengar was interviewed for the convention’s magazine and also taught via satellite during the week-long event to impart his wisdom on the concept of sankalpa from his years of practice under the tutelage of his father, BKS Iyengar, extensive self-study or svadyaya, and extensive research into the ancient texts. One lesson that stood out for me was that sankalpa is considered “His intent” in some philosophical texts, which seemed to separate ego desires from the concept of intent and move it closer to a motivation toward universal truth.

Abhijata’s heart-centered teaching provided deep insights with disarming authenticity. She began her classes by recognizing the systematic and synchronized process of yoga. Explaining how BKS Iyengar associated the 8-limbs of Astanga yoga to “petals of a flower.” There is of course the idea of systematic steps or petals, “Character first, Yama, Niyama, then Asana, and Pranayama […],” etc. However, she explained that what some practitioners may not understand is that BKS also meant that “within each petal is the essence of the whole flower”. If we teach and learn from a list of techniques or “to do’s,” we lose resonance with the needs of the whole student in front of us or within us. Instruction of yoga requires more organic stages of instruction, lending more value to human instruction and interaction over a computerized form.

Asana practiced with the intent of vairagya or detachment, not comparison or competition with a neighbor, enables a holistic cultivation of mind, body, and spirit. Negative self-talk only yields resistance. Abhijata used her graceful sense of humor and explained if she constantly told you what you were doing wrong or complained about you, you wouldn’t want to be around her. The body responds the same way to our negative self-talk. “There are only two things in the universe, Prakriti and Purusha. Prakriti means nature, and Purusha means that sentient being which causes life.” We are both matter and life. Our body will never cooperate if we apply anger. We need to bring about “togetherness,” “helpfulness,” and “kindness” so the animation of every energetic petal of life, which is constantly seeking homeostasis, can blossom.

Abhijata explained, “What yoga does is that it is spreading the intelligence…permeating the intelligence through the body, so what we think is just in one area is all over, but we live in one area.” When the intelligence only resides in one area, it can cause stress or fear; however, the practice of asana helps us spread the intelligence all over, so the focus isn’t concentrated in, say, the knee to solve its pain or tension alone. Every cell in the body is alerted, so the load on the area is dispersed, creating a calmer approach where the entire system works together to ease the stress and reach stability within the configuration of the asana. Pranayama also serves to calm by “irrigating and generating that energy from within.”

Yoga teaches us to “sharpen the nervous system” to shorten the “lag time” between action and response. It teaches us to seamlessly and swiftly act and reflect. Imagine the reduction in regret from when we act without reflecting properly on the consequences of our actions.

Throughout the week, linking categories of asana such as twists to forward bends, Abhijata demonstrated their interconnections. We gained a sentient experience of how intelligence brought to one area of the body expands and enhances range of motion in another. Waking complimentary bone, muscle, tendons, and joints to their ability to serve in what Dr. Geeta Iyengar referred to as the “mobility and stability” in a particular asana.

As with all aspects of yoga the lessons apply on the mat and off it. Expanding our intelligence so we can recognize the interconnectedness of all things in life. Science continues to uncover the interrelationships within the solar system such as the Moon impact on tides and the Sun’s solar flares on the functioning of electrical systems on earth. Of course, there’s also connections between our social systems, economic systems, and political systems to how well countries, cities, communities, neighborhoods, organizations like IYNAUS, families, and individuals are able to survive, thrive, and evolve.

Iyengar Yoga offers somatic and visceral experiences to deepen our understanding of how the sankalpa of one part of an interconnected system can impact the essence of the whole system. Much heartfelt gratitude goes out to Prashant and Abhijata Iyengar for their invaluable contributions to this event and to their tireless work to spread of the art, science, and philosophy of yoga. Many thanks also go out to Gloria Goldberg, President of IYNAUS, Kathleen Quinn, the Convention Chair, and the many volunteers who gave up their participation in classes to make sure other participants online and in-person got their needs addressed on a moment-by-moment basis to facilitate real learning for more students regardless of their level of practice or infirmity. That’s the beauty of Iyengar Yoga. Namaste.