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Showing posts from May, 2013
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Patanjali: Do I Invoke or Do I Not Invoke? A the beginning of most Iyengar Yoga classes, there is a chant that is done in a call and response fashion. What is the purpose of this? I will share with you my thoughts on this subject.  When I was in India, and had the privilege of being in classes taught by BKS Iyengar, his daughter, Geeta, and his son Prashant. All the classes always began with this chant. At the time, I had no idea what the chant meant and what the purpose of it was. All I knew is that I was in India, being taught by the most knowledgeable authorities on  yoga, and I participated in the experience, even though for the most part I was inventing the words. After a few days of chanting the invocation, it became an essential part of my focal direction. My mind knew it was time for yoga, and it was almost like the cells of my body received the announcement that it was time to be in yoga mode. My body and my mind became accustomed to the foreshadowing of what was