The Belle of Bellur: Four Days of Gratitude with Abhijata Iyengar - Day 4

Celebrating BKS Iyengar’s birthday From the soil of his birth and in Bellur, India, and supporting his dream through the Bellur Trust  is a gesture. His granddaughter, Abhijata Sridha Iyengar expressed the emotions of love, respect, and reverence, all of those who have been touched by his work felt. We wanted to honor his birthday whether we ever got a chance to meet him in person or not. His energy is still very present. His life’s work continues to make it possible for people from all walks of life to experience the transformation of yoga.

Many refer to him as Guruji. It is from the word guru or bringer of light. It is very fitting for someone who put yoga into a language the modern world could understand —regardless of country, class, race, gender, age, or physical abilities or limitation. “Access” is a term we hear a lot relevant these days, and Guruji sought to find ways to offering any willing students access to the transformation of yoga.

Since its origins somewhere between the fifth and third centuries BCE, yoga has evolved and been packaged in innumerable ways. Diving into its depths is a daunting task, which is why BKS Iyengar’s work is such a gift. Anyone who has had the opportunity to observe or assist in the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) therapy classes located in Pune, Maharashtra, has witnessed the healing powers of his work. It is why he has students from all over the globe. It’s not that he thought himself god-like as so many with his kind of influence tend to think of themselves. He worked, played, lived, and breathed yoga with the highest integrity any man can have. He gave us a learning method that aligns and connects us, mind, and body, because he knew once that happens, the yoga can do the yoga.

Tamas - inert, dull

Rajas - fire, dynamic

Sattvic - luminosity

There are three qualities of nature or Gunas: Tamas, solidity, Rajas, dynamism, Sattva, luminosity. They are ever-present and changing throughout nature and life. Abhijata brought awareness of the Gunas and the transformative power of yoga in her final class. She began and ended with a Savasana or corpse pose. She pointed out the vast difference of experience between the two asana. For some of us, it was very early morning; for some, after lunch, others, it was evening. Time, place, weather, level of study all affect the experience. Abhijata highlighted the Sutra of Sage Patanjali, which BKS Iyengar transcribes as “Perfection in an asana is achieved when the effort to perform it becomes effortless and the infinite being within is reached.”

II.47 prayatna shaithilya ananta samapattibhyam

Beginners may experience a generalized dullness, which is why Iyengar Yoga emphasizes standing poses in early training. They wake up the body. In Utthita Hasta Padasana, extended hands and legs pose, Abhijata taught with instructions such as lift the kneecaps and thighs and extend the arms from the sternum: the right sternum out to the fingertips and left sternum to the fingertips. Clear actions required the body and mind to engage progressively from the outer skin inwards to our muscles, bones, and nerves. The tamasic dullness moved into a more rajasic active state. Asana in an Iyengar class require intense focus and effort. Repetition allows that focus and effort to evolve. When we can better align and connect the mind and body, we move into another stage, a more rhythmic flow of effort, and a less effortful luminous state. These qualities of dullness, activity, and luminosity cycle within and around us day-to-day, moment-by-moment, class to class, asana to asana. With continuous practice, we can mindfully utilize these qualities of nature. When we need rajas, we can call upon it. When we are angry or agitated and we need to pause, we can call upon tamas. The harmony or balance of the two is sattva, so it is the more luminous state. We can learn to calibrate ourselves to adjust to inward changes or help us deal with outward changes in our environment.

In class, Abhijata generated rajas after the first few asana. She paused less between the asana, the rigor and intensity forced focused effort and then we experienced asana from the beginning of class again, now the effort was less effortful, the rigor and repetition transformed the body and mind, so by the time we got to Savasana, corpse pose for the second time, we were now acutely present with our legs, feet, ankles, thighs, hips, abdomen, chest, arms, neck, head, ears, eyes, mouth, nose and breath. We could actively surrender to earth from which we came and with it perhaps more conscious gratitude towards the man who helped us get there.

Iyengar Yoga is an experience not to be missed.

Thank you, Abhijata, for your willingness, your time, effort, and insight; Kishore for all of your patience and support; all of the panelists for demonstrating the poses and the many prop alternatives in the Iyengar repertory to address specific issues. I am grateful to you all. None of this could be possible without the birth of BKS Iyengar. Our continued experience, learning, and sharing of Iyengar Yoga can give him many happy returns.

Namaste.

33 Reasons To Support Yoga For Mothers.

Mothers can put a lot of stress on their spine as their baby develops all the way up to the time their child is well past the toddler years. We can double that for Single moms —and many moms are single moms no matter what their partnership status may be.

Seven (7) cervical, twelve (12) thoracic five (5) lumbar, five (5) fused sacrum, and four (4) coccyx make up the 33 reasons moms need yoga. The stress on her vertebral column is affected by many situations.

During Pregnancy

The joints and ligaments begin to loosen to help the body adjust as the baby develops. This creates back pain for 50-70% of pregnant women. It’s important to distinguish the origin of the pain. There are two common origins: the sacroiliac joint better known as the SI joint, and the lumbar spine.

After Birth

We could argue that lack of sleep alone puts strain on the spine. Add the fact that a new mom is also picking a 6-10 pound newborn enumerable times a day —a newborn that is getting heavier by the week. With the joint laxity, exhaustion and stress overload new moms have the perfect recipe for throwing their back out completely.

In the sole

What moms put on their feet can contribute to back pain as well. High heels everyone knows are bad for the back. What some us may not consider is that flats can be just as bad if not worse. In a Redbook article on the subject, Michael Hisey, M.D., an orthopedic spine surgeon from Texas said, "The discs in your lower back are filled with cushiony fluid, but walking in flimsy shoes all day long wrings them out like a sponge."

Alignment Matters

In 80-90% of cases, understanding spinal pain doesn’t mean doctors can provide a solid diagnosis. That’s where Iyengar Yoga can help. With its deep understanding of proper alignment, even mothers with no physical training can find a safe way to bring strength, flexibility, and better alignment to their spine with Iyengar Yoga. The Iyengar Method of instruction begins with understanding gross actions in a progressive sequence of poses to build cognitive awareness of basic alignment of stabilizing muscles groups. Once this is achieved instruction moves deeper to more subtle actions that create communication synthesis between mental, skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems. The therapeutic effects of pregnancy yoga before and after birth, along with the effects of Iyengar Yoga specific to lower back pain are astounding.

When a pregnant mother-to-be works with a Pregnancy Certified Iyengar Instructor they can be sure they are giving their spine all the love and care it needs to support them now and in the years to come. Whether you’re a mother-to-be or have been playing Mom for a long time, Iyengar Yoga is here to support your wellbeing on Mother’s Day and every day. Namaste.

By Rhonda Geraci