The Belle of Bellur: Four Days of Gratitude with Abhijata Iyengar - Day 3

“If the foundation is firm, the building can withstand calamities. The practice of Yoga is the foundation, so that the Self is not shaken under any circumstances.”~B.K.S. Iyengar

Yoga is a metaphor for life and living. BKS Iyengar made the study of asana his life and gave us a library of learning to light our path, along with his lineage after him who have brought their insights into his work, and many other devoted instructors. He took as many as 40 years, Abhijata explained, to find a single word to describe a particular instruction. Abhijata distinguished the difference between her grandfather’s yoga practice and a student of Iyengar Yoga. BKS Iyengar studied with a teacher for only a few years. He spent the rest of his time in self study embodying the Sutres of Sage Patañjali :

Sutre 1:14 - sah tu dirgha-kaala-nairantarya-satkaaraa-sevito dhruddha-bhoomi-ha

Guruji transcribed this Sutra in Light On the yoga Sutras of Pantanjali as “Long, uninterrupted, alert practice is the firm foundation for retraining the fluctuations.” We have no concept of the decades of uninterrupted, discipline and devotion. We are the lucky recipients of it. As we celebrate his 102nd birthday on December 14th hold on to that thought.

Guruji has been quoted often as saying, “The body is my Temple. Asana are my prayers.” Asana were his prayers, so much so, he developed a specific Krama or sequence and order of asana to build a foundation for Tapas (self-discipline) and Svadyaya (self-study) and Isvara Pranidhanani (devotion). He also established the Krama of words to articulate instruction down to a level of subtly that brings a depth of unconscious to the surface that is truly remarkable —all in a systematic and sequential manner.

To appreciate why Krama is a crucial component of Iyengar Yoga, Abhijata gave a relatable example: we would never force a child who has just learned to walk to cross a wall or balance beam on their own. We have to build unity of mind and body, without it stress happens. Yoga means union. Abhijata explained interrupting children doing a puzzle or math problem can be very disruptive. They are focused, but can’t handle disruption. It is this kind of singularity of focus that Iyengar Yoga seeks to cultivate to a higher level. It is why Iyengar instructors do not teach a pose until the student has developed the necessary foundations to work in that asana safely and properly.

Stress is a word that is top-of-mind in this pandemic. It has come up often during the Bellur Iyengar Yoga Workshop. Upon research, etymologically, the word may be derived from the Old French word estrece, which means narrow or oppressed. Calamity like the pandemic has brought stress. There is a sense of chaos with fear of the unknown coupled with the pains of confinement and restriction. These stressful emotions can come up in difficult poses like Sirsasana, headstand. There can also be stiffness of the mind and body when attempting a forward bend or revolved pose. It can be a pre-existing condition or can come as a result of the idea of a difficult asana. Stiffness causes stress. However, Iyengar Practitioners develop more flexibility and freedom in both mind and body. They can stay completely present in a pose. Self-adjusting, pausing to evaluate the response throughout the body and mind, and continue to work like that while exploring deeper and deeper aspects of the posture. All the while they can also remain calm and steady despite disruptions, uncertainty, chaos or calamity.

Students who go to an Iyengar Yoga class can evolve into Iyengar Yoga Practitioners. It requires dedicated study with Certified Iyengar Instructors, following explicit directions so proper cultivation can be established. Dedicated Abhyasa (uninterrupted practice) and Vairagya (detachment) in every aspect of Kriya Yoga (action of yoga): Tapas (self-discipline), Svayaya (self-study), Ishvara Pranidhanani (Surrender of oneself to God) follows as the student transitions into a practitioner. The level of experience they can reach is high, thanks to the foundation of Iyengar Yoga. For over seven decades, Guruji dug into every fiber of his being to create a rich fertile soil for yoga to thrive.

What a gift.

Namaste.

The Belle of Bellur: Four Days of Gratitude with Abhijata Iyengar - Day 2

Day two of the workshop with Abhijata Sridhar, BKS Iyengar’s granddaughter, highlighted for me the grace and gratitude that Iyengar Yoga fosters. It is unfathomable for most of us to imagine leading a class as large as the Iyengars do, and yet, it is what BKS Iyengar and his daughter Geeta dedicated their lives to. It is what his son, Prashant, continues to do. Abhijata trained with all of them since she was 16. She carries the legacy of impeccable instruction forward.

She is such an inspiration. She mentioned today that if we didn’t know her grandfather’s birthday or he didn’t have the telling hair color ( read gray) — watching him in the studio before his passing; you’d never know his age. Likewise, listening to Abhijata, experiencing her wisdom, confidence and clarity, you’d never know she is only 38 years old. Her Kriya Yoga, acts of yoga: Tapas (self-discipline that burns impurities), Svadhyaya (self-study from the outer to the inner sheaths), and Ishvara Pranidhana (the ultimate surrender to the divine) have given her such grace.

Today she emphasized how we should never underestimate the importance of how yoga brings the unconscious (whatever you want to call it) to the surface. We explored extension of the frontal body and circularizing that with lengthening and engaging the back body in standing, revolved, and seated asana. We studied the Bhranti Darsana, delusion or false ideas that can come with attempts to find that extension in an asana that requires more than surface awareness like Parvritta Trikonasana or Parvrtta Parsvokonasana (revolved triangle and side angle pose respectively). These poses require us to explore beyond our superficial involvement to the much deeper place of internal awareness.

In some poses it is easier to stay on the surface. For example, Uttanasana, an intense forward bend, we can think we are extending. However, when Abhijata put our backs to the wall for feedback, we realized, what we thought was an big effort on our part to extend from pubic bone to sternum was in reality more shifting our buttocks towards our head side- as opposed to truly extending in the manner she instructed. We had a false sense of what was happening. A proper extension is an integral action to moving beyond capabilities in asana. It is a wonderful example of the difference between Iyengar Yoga and other yoga in the energy requirement of Tapas and Svadyaya that must take place to achieve it without illusion.

Students of other practices may go for years under the illusion they are conducting the right action. Iyengar Yoga has proven, student after student, how with explicit instruction, dedicated uninterrupted practice and detachment (Abhyasa and Vairagya), we can go beyond illusion and beyond what we expect of ourselves. Through Tapas, Svadyaya, and Ishvara Pranidhana, truth and possibility surface. In the process, we glimpse yogah cittavrtti nirodhah, the cessation of fluctuations of the consciousness. We glimpse freedom from stiffness of mind and body to a place beyond our perceived abilities. It brings confidence, and clarity.

Abhijata explained how easily humans get dejected and downtrodden by the smallest criticism or comparison to others we think are doing better. We all do it. When that happens, the body gets heavy. It doesn’t want to move. It wants to go to bed or be alone. Nothing positive can happen in that place. The Iyengars know when a student’s body is in this state, and they alter the perspective to shift the heaviness immediately. It’s why props are so important in our practice because they enable a student to experience the pose so they have a vision of where they can go. The Iyengars have an incredible sense of where students are because they have been through it themselves, and they have served hundreds or thousands of students going through it in all its iterations. They seem to know what we are capable of even if we don’t know yet.

In her clarity and grace, Abhijata demonstrated the magic of forgiveness. She forgave us for forgetting actions and having a false impression of what we were doing in class. She gave us more instruction to aid our understanding. She explained, we all forget. We all get deluded. She didn’t give up on us. We can’t give up on ourselves. We can’t give up on each other. We have to forgive and keep trying from every perspective we can. Imagine if we could all have her level of confidence, clarity, grace and gratitude—how different the world would be.

Thank you Abhijata, and all those who have worked tirelessly to make this event possible. I look forward to tomorrow.

Namaste.

The Belle of Bellur: Four Days of Gratitude with Abhijata Iyengar - Day 1

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.

A Workshop On Transitions with Bobby Clennell - Part 2

“Yoga is a gift for old age. One who takes to Yoga when old gains not only health and happiness but also freshness of mind, since Yoga gives one a bright outlook on life and one can look forward to a happier future rather than looking back into a past which has already entered into darkness.”

~ Geeta Iyengar, Yoga, A Gem For Women

Bobby Clennell’s Workshop on Menopause continued last weekend with a focus on Uttistha Paschima Pratana Sthiti, or standing forward bends and Viparita Sthiti or inversions. In Uttistha Paschima Pratana Sthiti, standing forward bends, and Paschima Pratana Sthiti, or seated forward bends, the heart is positioned to soothe the nerves to bring quiet and calm to the body. When supported correctly for a woman’s level of practice and her cycle in life, it becomes a quieting position and serves to help her recover from fatigue. Bobby half-jokingly said when women come to class at the end of the day, you can pretty much bet they are tired.

To prepare for forward bends, we did supported extensions like arching over a high cross bolster set up where the pelvis is at the apex, legs in Baddha Konasana, crown of the head on the floor, and a rolled blanket for the neck —- it offered such a release from stem to stern that this practitioner could have stayed in it the rest of class.

As with all Iyengar poses, there are many variations to accommodate issues like lower back (lift the legs and feet) or depression (make the chest the apex). The pose mentioned earlier, along with Supta Virasana, extends the abdomen, helps the adrenals, and prepares the body for forward bends. Another action these poses facilitate is sliding the tailbone forward, which positions the pelvis and its contents into an important alignment for women.

While we experienced the poses, Bobby educated us on the Ayurvedic view on menopause. In supporting women during this time, Ayurveda seeks to balance the three Doshas, which are the energetic constitutions of a body and can also be applied to the cycles of a woman’s life. The basic Doshas are Kapha, Pitta, and Vata. Kapha is considered the beginning of life; Pitta is more about the time of pushing, striving, moving, and attaining — “being a householder”. The end part of your life is Vata, which is attributed to the element of wind and said to be a time of wandering in the forest.

When a woman is 45 or over, healthy menopause begins with skipping periods; then once she has stopped her period for a full year, she is in menopause. Bobby recommends giving it more than a year to be certain. She explained that in the Ayurvedic view, menopause is the transition for women from the Pitta to Vata time of life. During the Vata period, insomnia, dryness, indecisiveness, and mental decline. However, it’s also a time of great wisdom as we have experienced with some of our teachers like Bobby.

The Ayurvedic system describes various Dosha imbalances that can occur during the transition time for women. Women may experience a Vata imbalance, which can bring on emotional upset. Pitta imbalances bring hot flashes and night sweats (both of which can be very disruptive). It can bring an estrogen dominance pattern of more or heavier periods. There can also be personality changes in Pitta imbalances that can bring about a fighting spirit enough to destroy relationships. A Kapha imbalance brings about a significant amount of weight gain, lower metabolism, and fluid retention. Yoga and Ayurveda offer ways to bring these imbalances back into balance.

“Older women walk a tight rope between working hard and accepting limitations.” ~ Geeta Iyengar

In Yoga, it is essential to learn to practice simple poses without being goal oriented during this transition. Bobby offered the quote to let us know what many of us (Bobby included) are struggling with, and yet it is this struggle that brings us to a more focused place in our practice. In several of the standing forward bends it is beneficial that the toes turn slightly inward to turn the thighs in, relax the groins, and create a natural concavity in the lower abdomen.

The ever-present, Adho Mukha Svansana, downward dog takes on a starring role during menopause. It has benefits in controlling migraines when done between episodes — especially if they are hormone-related. The pose also helps to balance hormones, ease brain fatigue, and open the chest to strengthen the area that is now more susceptible to colds.

“You are still a cyclic creature.”

A very memorable message, if my memory serves, is Bobby reminding women in post menopause, “you are still a cyclic creature.” She went on to explain that day and night, the seasons, and planetary movements are examples of cycles that we share with men. However, we have cycles unique to women because of our hormones. While Iyengar women practitioners are accustomed to doing mentrual and restorative practive to honor the menstruating cycle, Bobby encouraged post menopausal women to continue to honor these cycles by doing a restorative sequence, or the menstral sequence (no inversions) once a month — perhaps using the cycles of the moon as a guide.

The inversions during the workshop followed a post menopausal sequence for the most part, and began with preparations like supported Prasarita Padottanasana, or wide spread leg pose. The head is down on a blanket, raised to the level needed, elbows pressed outward into the inner knees to align any misalignments that could have happened over the years (estrogen makes the ligaments soften, which can cause things like over stretching or a knock knee type of situation). After other inversions, we double bound a block in our upper thigh and went up into Sirsasana, or head stand. This binding is seen in Iyengar Therapeutics in their remedial classes in Pune. It has therapeutic effects for various injuries. For women, the bind helps strengthen the pelvic floor and bring hope for incontinence and any prolapse issues. Niralamba series, or unsupported shoulder stand, from a chair at the wall offer great support for women in and after transition. Bobby listed the many benefits of inversions as outlined by the Iyengar’s: “Inversion balance the hormones, which is connected to bone density, the mineral loss from bones is checked- tone and balance the uterus, they balance the endocrine, lymphatic, circulatory, digestive, respiratory, lymphatic, urinary, excretory, and central nervous system. They eleviate constipation and hemorrhoids, as well as keep the body warm. “They are the pillars of our practice,” she added.

The weekend closed another segment of Bobby’s six part series leaving us with even more shiny wisdoms and poses to put into our practice and share with our female students, who like us are growing more aware of just how much The Iyengar Family has done to make sure Iyengar Yoga supports us no matter where we are in the cycle of life.

Thank you Bobby Clennell, and all of her hosts at Iyengar Yoga Therapeutics, and The Iyengar Family for continuing to share your wisdom with us.

Please note any information shared here is based on my recollection and interpretation of the workshop. I encourage women to get with their Certified Iyengar instructors, Bobby Clennell, or The Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States, IYNAUS to learn more.

A Workshop On Transitions with Bobby Clennell - Part 1

Bobby Clennell is a name female Iyengar students learn early on in our practice. Many of us found her when we sought to better understand Geeta Iyengar’s Yoga: A Gem for Women, the definitive guide to yoga for women during the various stages of life.

The first lesson women in an Iyengar Yoga class never forget is that they must let their Iyengar instructors know when they are menstruating. I considered that my business and no one elses. I read A Gem for Women through the lens of my ego. At the time, I didn’t understand why I needed to embarrass myself by letting an entire class know my situation by doing “special” poses. Bobby’s book, The Woman's Yoga Book: Asana and Pranayama for all Phases of the Menstrual Cycle with its delightful illustrations, gently broke through my Western ego with the impact of a loving sister sharing her experiences and deep understanding of Geeta’s guidance.

“As women, we witness a constant dance of creation and renewal played out in our bodies. Thus, it is important to take a mindful and sensitive approach to the practice of yoga. Different poses produce different responses within the system. You can nurture a state of vibrant good health by doing the right poses at the right time of your cycles.” ~Bobby Clennell, The Woman’s Yoga Book

Bobby has written several other books for women and children. Later in my practice, her Guide to Pune, became my go-to-book during my trips to Pune. I considered her an indispensible friend, but I’d never met her. I finally did last weekend thanks to Iyengar Yoga Therapeutics (IYT), a research, educational, and training organization that supports yoga techniques developed by B.K.S. Iyengar as a complementary treatment for diseases and health conditions. IYT is hosting Bobby’s six-part menopause workshop.

Bobby turned out to be everything I’d imagined she’d be — engaging, authentics, sharp as a tack, and refreshingly kind.

She holds in her heart a flurry of wisdoms, from her 30+ years studying with the Iyengar Family, that she sprinkles like stardust. She doesn’t expect you to digest them all in that moment. She does hope you’ll hold on to them, and trusts they will all come together for us in good time.

The workshop began in Baddha Konasana, cobbler’s pose, a vital pose for women. While we experienced the hip mobilization and pelvic organ decompression benefits of the pose, Bobby shared her appreciation for life’s transitions. She touched on the various age transitions from youth to teens to adulthood. She shared a recent Ayreveda talk she’d heard where they explained how we are always experiencing transitions. Her favorite example was the simple transition from sleep to wakefulness — if we don’t honor the change and skip breakfast, we will crash. The Iyengar community acknowledges seasonal transitions, and how the body has to navigate sometimes drastic temperatures from freezing to hot.

She offered general definitions of perimenopause, as the run-up before the period stops, menopause when the period stops, and post menopause, after the symptoms of menopause end.

She stresses how important it is to understand that different phases are not a “step down,” but opportunities for svadyaya, self study.

“Having a body means change”

For many women yoga practitioners, pregnancy and postpartum transitions are difficult for them to honor. They are eager to get back to their regular practice, so they don’t respect the body’s need to transition and end up hurting themselves.

“Having a body means change,” she explained, and a woman’s body changes something like every 5-7 years.

It’s not just women who have to deal with transitions. She shared her experience watching BKS Iyengar’s practice over the years. Since his practice was “in the service of everyone else,” he had to preserve his energy. Over time, she witnessed his practice shift, which she associated to his acknowledgement of the transitions he was going through, and his need to save energy so he could continue to serve his students.

The transition of menopause can bring about a sundry of complaints like hair loss, brain fog, sore breasts, and weight gain. Bobby didn’t bring these up to frighten anyone, instead, she strived to put our minds at ease that the symptoms are very real and shouldn’t be dismissed. She explained how Geeta even encouraged women not to lose weight during menopause, but to wait because the extra flesh holds estrogen to ease the hormonal ups and downs of the process.

In the first two days of the workshop, Bobby addressed how to approach standing poses and forward bends with specific variations for perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. We learned about emotional changes: the need for some of us to escape to hear our voice, nurture ourselves, and then return to nurturing others with more balance. We learned about physical changes: things like how osteoporosis begins in the pelvis, and the importance of forward bends to cultivate the water element in our joints and feminine parts. We also learned how the post menopausal variations require the most sharpness and attention. While we may be released (which we will feel in every ounce of our body) from Mother Nature’s grip on us since we can no longer procreate, it may be one of the most critical stages of a woman’s yoga practice.

I look forward to sharing another glimpse of her workshop on menopause next time. Click here to learn more about Bobby Clennell and Iyengar Yoga.

Namaste.

Waking Up The World Is Hard. Make It Simple.

“Consciousness means our capacity to be aware, both externally as well as internally, which we call self-awareness.” B.K.S. Iyengar explains in Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom (p. 109).

Mr Iyengar differentiates consciousness from the mind. Mind is citta in Sanskrit. Iyengar likens it to an outer sheath of consciousness like our bones and muscles are to our vital organs. It flits and flutters. It isn’t capable of productive evolution. It’s fickle, desirous, and whim oriented. He learned that from his teacher and his own experiences.

We wouldn’t know we had organs without teachers. Herophilus considered the Father of Anatomy from 275 BCE taught us about our organs and is among what I’ll call, “physical explorers.” I consider BKS Iyengar one too. However, he didn’t slice things open to look at them. He used the art, science and philosophy of yoga. His son Prashant might prefer more precision in my language, so I will honor him here and call it Yog.

Mr. Iyengar delved into Patañjali Yoga Sutras as his guide and made his own mind, body, and spirit his laboratory. He was able to share the transformative discoveries promised by Patanaji by creating an accessible method of teaching them. It’s called Iyengar Yoga.

Explorers are always discoverying more. In 2018, scientists discovered a “new organ” known as the interstitium, which like the skin wraps around every organ. This goes to show, what we think we know is never the whole truth. Which is why, gaining clarity through practices such as Yog not only bring a clearer understanding of our mind, body, and spirit, it also purifies our ability to be open to learn and discover more.

This way, we don’t get stuck in the grooves of habitual thinking. Those old enough may remember playing a record (you know that round vinyl thing that enable us to listen to our favorite music whenever we wanted to), you might also remember when it got stuck and replayed and replayed the same sound ad nauseum. That’s what getting stuck in habitual thinking patterns is like. It’s why we can be in the year 2020 and still think like we are in the mid-1800s.

We are complex beings and capable of great metamorphosis and transformation, but we can also get stuck for eons. Man’s inhumanity to man throughout history has been a study of our destructive capabilities, and how habitual thinking patterns can delude us from the truth of our interdependence and interconnectedness.

Truth has escaped us since the beginning of time because the story is always retold from our perspective. It is a re-fabrication of an interpretation shaped by our outer sheath desires and shaded by our lack of consciousness. Waking up is hard to do on our own. Thanks to great teachers like BKS Iyengar, we can learn to wake up with a simple commitment to practice.

“Yoga points out how we generally react to the outside world by forming entrenched patterns of behavior that doom us to relive the same events endlessly, though in a superficial variety of forms and combinations. Anyone who looks at history or listens to the litany of woe and war on the daily news will bear this out. Does mankind never learn anything, we ask in exasperation.” B.K.S. in Light on Life (p. 111).

BKS explains that in order to get to this evolution we say we want, we have to cultivate the fire or tapas to break free from the old patterns. I feel it’s important to consider Newton’s First Law, “a body at rest stays at rest.” You may be familiar with it. When you commit to a practice, you can also rely on the second part of that law, “a body in motion stays in motion,” to keep your momentum going.

Let the revelations of greed, inequity, and barbarism that is happening right now in 2020 and has been for centuries, create a fire for change. Yes, we want to do all we can to shift things within the existing paradigm. However, if we want a new paradigm, it’s important to consider creating personal transformation, because when each of us transform personally, we help to shift the whole of us towards real evolutionary change.

~ Rhonda

STAY WELL

Wellness is a word associated with so many things it is confounded with a to-do list a mile long. Eat right, bathe, brush your teeth, watch your blood pressure, get your heart rate up higher. While it is important to meet the new demands to keep your distance and wash your hands, it’s also worth noticing that sometimes the best thing we can do to stay well is find equanimity, Upeksanam.

Consider the dualities that are coming up for you during this time. The need to do something versus the need to be still. The need to be seen versus the need to be safe. The need to have versus your ability to give. How can you find upeksanam or equilibrium within these dualities?

The pulls on our energy have been a constant - do this, pick up that, meet him or her for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and stay informed. Take this time to notice how easily you get taken away from yourself. Diverted to a news story or Facebook post. The barrage of diversions pull us outside of the vessel of our body. Awareness of what pulls and pushes our energy is the beginning of learning to contain ourself within our body

The practice of Iyengar Yoga is a sequential method of clearing away the unnecessary diversions, bringing optimal conditioning to our skin, muscles, organs, bones, and nerves to enable us to be still and contained no matter what is going on around us.

If you can, please support your local Iyengar Yoga community. Click here to support your local studio in The Southeast. Let #Iyengaryoga help you stay well and contained during this time of change.

Health and wellbeing to you all.

Namaste.

Unpacking Patañjali: Sutras 1.33 for Beginners

To unpack the full scope of meaning behind any of the 196 Sutras (197 depending on translations) written almost 2,000 years ago is laughable. We always hear, “yoga is experiential” for a reason. Every serious practitioner knows whatever commentary we attempt on any aspect of yoga is in direct proportion to our personal experience. What I write here are my interpretations as I understand them at this point in my journey.

If you are an IYNAUS Member, I highly recommend Yoga Sutra sessions "Learning the Yoga Sutras with Clarity and Rigour" at RIMYI, Pune. It is conducted by Srineet Sridharan with insights from Prashant Iyengar (BKS Iyengar’s son) for students of the Institute. Srineet Sridharan is BKS Iyengar’s grandson. His lessons, coupled with insights from Prashant make for an extraordinary course.

BKS Iyengar in Light On Life explains that our thoughts and consciousness are part of every aspect of our life. When we understand their inner workings and apply right perception, the clarity and wisdom that results open us to mental and psychological freedom. In the yoga world, there are five sheaths of the body known as Kosas. Most of the “monkey mind” happens in the manomaya kosa or mental body, and the discriminating wisdom can be found in the vijnanamay kosa, the intellectual body.

BKS Iyengar lessons, as I understand them, bring awareness to the inner workings of our mind by exploring the 8-limbed path of yoga as guided by the Sutras of Patañjali through each kosa of the body. I believe he felt we can not understand or harmonize our mind stuff without synthesis and integration of the kosas in our body. Sutras 1.30-1.32 outline the nine obstacles and other distractions that cause turbulence within us. Sutras 1.33 - 1.39 offer six different possible solutions. The first of these solutions is cultivating compassion, joy, and friendliness and is translated by BKS Iyengar as follows:

मैत्रीकरुणामुदितोपेक्षाणां सुखदुःखपुण्यापुण्यविषयाणां भावनातश्चित्तप्रसादनम् ।।1.33।। maitrīkaruṇāmuditopekṣāṇāṃ sukhaduḥkhapuṇyāpuṇyaviṣayāṇāṃ bhāvanātaścittaprasādanam Through cultivation of friendliness, compassion, joy, and indifference to pleasure and pain, virtue and vice respectively, the consciousness becomes favourably disposed, serene and benevolent.

Mr. Iyengar likens our thoughts and consciousness, citta viksepa and citta prasadana to two aspects of a river: the current and the calm. The ideas behind Sutra 1.33 cultivate calm within us as well as within our social networks. The Sutra paired with the golden keys (the external and internal ethical disciplines) described in the first and second limb of the 8-limbed path, Yama and Niyama create serenity in the manmaya kosa or mental body.

My experience with this Sutra coupled with and Niyama is that I realized from a basic level, I could apply it to others much better than I could apply it to myself. Therefore, it felt like a false application that came from a desire to please rather than a place of wholeness and integration. I wasn’t indifferent. I practiced with attachment. Prashant in his insights to Srineet Sridharan’s course on the Sutra mentions the Sukha or sweetness for being compassionate to others and how that interferes with our honest practice of it. We can also help others to our detriment. If we are ill or not truly capable then it is not a healthy or right action.

I knew I didn’t experience a sthiti, steady mind with its practice. I had conditions. I had a desire to be loved or accepted. My mentor, Kquvien DeWeese mentioned that I may over function. I knew it felt exhausting. I did too much and helped dishonestly, which made my practice impure. I recall putting away props for students in the Yoga Therapy classes at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) in Pune and a Senior instructor saying, “They should return their own props.” I remember Stillwater owner, Kathleen Pringle telling me the same thing in her Yoga Therapy classes in Atlanta. Students need to participate in their healing. What I considered being compassionate in this case, wasn’t.

At the institute that year, I had the honor of taking classes with Geeta Iyengar, who put a strong emphasis on commitment to our personal practice. If we are always being told what to do and how to do it, how can we hear the lessons of our soul? The deeper our practice becomes, the better we can share from a place of true understanding. Yes, our teachers are invaluable, but taking time to embody those lessons is vital to the path.

The Iyengar Method of teaching Yoga has a way of shedding light to the core of your being. I studied another method consistently for 10 years, and have been a dedicated practitioner of Iyengar for almost a decade. It takes time to slough off old habits and embody its teachings. Growing up with a parent with narcissistic tendencies, and the “jump, how high” mentality of the dance world for 23 years, my whole point of being centered around pleasing others to avoid the pain of disapproval and criticism.

I had to take time away from the voices of others so I could experience the voice within me. I got in the car and drove cross country by myself. Practicing in the woods, by rivers, in housesits, and on the sides of mountains. I began to listen. On the outside I could make the shapes of poses and appear to the novice to be aligned, but I wasn’t aligned with my inner teacher. I began with very basic asana and pranayama practice. I examined my habits, the parts of my body that I could perceive, and those areas that were dark to me.

Where did I lack compassion, joy, and friendliness? Where did I habitually think and move through a pose? What did I ignore and avoid? How did the pain/pleasure and vice/virtue dualities interfere with my repose and sthiti or steadiness? Was I already overdoing? Over thinking? How well could I adhere to the ‘twin pillers’ of abhyasa and vairagya (practice and detachment) and allow a desireless but present state to foster compassion, joy, and friendliness within me and out of me towards my external network with more authenticity?

When I started making training videos for students, I got some answers to my questions in the form of more lessons I didn’t anticipate. I had to watch and accept myself, along with my teaching, while continuing to refine with detachment, growing intelligence, and wisdom. I began to understand Sutra 1.33 and its companion limbs in a way I never expected. I took the time to pause in whatever pain, discomfort, lack of joy, compassion, and friendliness I encountered to wait for truth to come.

On the mat and off, it is an ongoing process. The deeper I go into my obstacles, the more they teach me how to overcome them. I am witnessing healing. A balance of truth is developing. I’m noticing a significant shift and purification in my behavior towards myself and others. I’ve got a long way to go, but grateful I have a path and teachers further along willing to share their understanding of it.

A Time To Battle Darkness and Bring On The Light.

It’s Scorpio Season! In the West, that is. Many celebrate Halloween this time of year —a holiday evolved from a Celtic harvest festival called Samhain that ushers in the darkness of winter. In the East, Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs celebrate the victory of light over darkness during this season. Rama-Chandra, an incarnation of Vishnu, battled the demons, and his success is celebrated with a festival known as Diwali or 'row of lights.'

All those born under this sign of Scorpio or at a time when the constellation appeared to be rising in the eastern horizon have had to come face-to-face with the shadowside of human nature. It is what the fixed water sign of Scorpio brings to our awareness from October 23 to November 22.

The sign of Scorpio is ruled by both Mars and Pluto. Since astronomers didn't discover its co-ruler, Pluto, until the 1930s, Mars took the role as Scorpio's first ruler. Once Pluto came into view, it received all of the dark, passionate, transformational aspects of Scorpio. With its dual rulership of Mars (God of fire and war) and Pluto (God of death and the underworld), Scorpio season is not one that goes by unnoticed.

Of course, you might ask what do constellations and planets in the sky have to do with us? Well, Astrology came about like everything else does, as a belief, shaped by perceived evidence, and evolved by a story. When ancient stargazers looked into the sky, the Milky Way became the unfertilized whelm of souls. "As above, so below," is a common maxim from The Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus. According to author, Dennis W. Hauck the original text is more like "That which is Below corresponds to that which is Above, and that which is Above corresponds to that which is Below, to accomplish the miracle of the One Thing.”

Hermes credits the Zoroastrians and the Astrology of the World for initiating the cosmology around the ever-growing body of astrological narratives. The constellations, their ruling planets, and the aspects they make to each other are said to create energetic tendencies, opportunities, and challenges. The ancients found the set of stars they attributed to a Scorpion with its stinger raised and appearing to emerge from a crack in the sky. The story that evolved associating this crack in the darkest part of the sky with the underworld - where we battle death and are reborn.

When Scorpio is on the horizon, the constellation Orion, the hunter, is in the underworld and visa-versa. Artemis, goddess of the moon (and found in the constellation of Cancer), plays the intermediary and diplomat keeping balance in nature, assuring animals are not killed for sport but only food. The constellation of Scorpio is said to have been placed in the sky as a reward for slaying Orion before it killed the bull (Taurus constellation). The epic plays out endlessly above us.

The Sun entered the sign of Scorpio on October 23. Before that Venus, the planet of love, value systems, and all things feminine went into Scorpio on October 8 and a New Moon (intense new beginnings) in Scorpio happened on October 27 (interestingly, the same time as Diwali). The month of October ends with Mercury appearing to go backward or retrograde in the sign of Scorpio. Mercury, the planet of communications, short distant travel, siblings, and neighbors - when retrograde causes a little havoc in those areas. At the same time, it brings things from the past back for us to review to help us refine our direction.

November brings us ever closer to a January 12, 2020, Pluto/Saturn conjunction, hard work (Saturn & the earth sign of Capricorn ), leading to major transformation (Pluto). This conjunction hasn’t happened in almost 38 years. All of the Scorpionic activity gives us the opportunity to put an end to the darkness in our lives and allow a cosmic planting of new light seeds into our unconscious that promise to illuminate the world by spring.

A consistent yoga practice with the practice of Patañjali’s Yoga Sutra 1.36, Visoka va jyotismati (Vee-SHO-kah-VA Joe-TISH-ma-TEA) can help. Mr. Iyengar translates this sutra as one of the ways Patañjali offers to manage our thoughts, “Or, inner stability is gained by contemplating a luminous sorrowless, effulgent light.” It’s nice to know, that no matter how dark things may appear, if we focus on the flame of a candle or hold a luminous light in our mind’s eye, we can bring forth the light of our soul.

Namaste.

By Rhonda Geraci

The Atlanta Premier of "Iyengar: The Man, Yoga, and the Student's Journey "

Considered the Michelangelo of yoga, BKS Iyengar’s own body became the block of stone from which he created his work of art. What Michelangelo called divine perfection, could be considered the same as what BKS Iyengar called cosmic consciousness. Having the presence of mind, the determination, and courage to trust its guidance leads to the transformation of stone into art.

Anyone who is born with an affliction, endured stiffness, disease or injury, or experienced aging knows the feeling of stone within the body.

BKS Iyengar felt it early in life. On December 14, 1918, Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar came into this world and tumbled into a storm of viruses from the influenza pandemic to malaria, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, and general malnutrition. At 15 his uncle, Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya took him into his care to train him in the art, science, and philosophy of yoga. The training didn’t come consistently until BKS proved himself a worthy student. Many would consider Krishnamacharya’s tactics unsuitable for a child of Iyengar’s age. However, Mr. Iyengar says though he only trained consistently with his guru for two years, that period turned his life around.

In this writer’s mind, in those two years, Krishnamacharya’s mastery lit the internal flame within BKS Iyengar that illuminated his connection to cosmic consciousness. From that day forward, he strengthened that connection by witnessing its presence in every sinew of his being and thoroughly examining the relationship of his mind to every sheath of his body through abhyāsa, practice and vairāgya. detachment.

What BKS Iyengar created when he chiseled, carved, and hammered with the divine guidance of cosmic consciousness is the true art, science and philosophy behind Iyengar Yoga. His journey as depicted in the documentary by Jake Clennell and executive producer and senior Iyengar teacher Lindsey Clennell celebrates the expansion and extension that came from his body of work. Stillwater Yoga owner, Kathleen Pringle hosted the Atlanta Premier. The documentary offers a glimpse into infinite space BKS Iyengar dared to embark from the periphery to the core of not only his own being, but that of millions around the world. It shows how he surrendered to the task with grace and gratitude, knowing his efforts would be endless and daunting because of his indelible belief in the transformation that is available to us all. The masterpiece he created continues to evolve through his devoted students and teachers. The documentary gives us a peek into how they continue to benefit, share, and honor his work. I encourage you to attend the premier of Iyengar: The Man, Yoga, and the Student's Journey in your city, who knows it might ignite the artist in you.