Yogarosa Blog

Remembering Geeta Iyengar on the first year anniversary of her passing... My first encounter with Geetaji was at Guruji’s 80th Birthday. It was my first time in India, and actually my first time traveling by myself without my family. I was very much a beginner, and had never heard of her. I had only heard about BKS Iyengar. On the first day, I was in the back of the class, and for those of you that were there, you may remember the venue was put together last minute because of flooding at the original venue. The yoga hall was built beautifully on the grounds of a place named Ambrosia. My mat ended up on an uneven surface caused by the root of a tree. Guruji was teaching Tadasana, and he said something about the foot I didn’t understand, so I stood up on my tippy toes to get a glimpse of the screen, which I could barely see above the tall man’s head in front of me. While I was on my toes, Geeta caught me. I quickly learned that in this place you are being watched ALL th...

Day 3 RIMYI Teachers Programme Pune, India Prashantji AM class What is the education in the prayer? Education begins right now, if you want to learn. Education is possible even without learning. Someone does not need to be learning to get an education. When you start to settle down for prayers, get your education with great awareness. How is the breath moving? With Yoga Software, the body and mind come together. Start with your breath in getting prepared moment by moment. Getting educated is more important than learning. If you don’t like the teacher, you won’t learn. Your awareness of the: -breath  -mind -body -embodiment -you  -yours Don’t just be aware of your breath. Your breath also has awareness. Like a “gastroscopy”. A camera goes in revealing everything in you. Everything on the monitor, “alimentic” canal, food pipe, as it goes, you see how everything is working. The breath has a “scopic” head. What interactions are taking place? How...

Day 1 RIMYI a Teachers Programme Pune, India Iyengar Yoga Teachers who mentor students from around the world were invited to this special program December 7-15. It took place at the private club PYC Hindy Gymkhana in Pune. The program will be very full, and we were asked not to schedule appointments during this event, as most days would begin in the morning and end in the evening. As we were awaiting Prashant, Abhijata asked us if we were jetlagged. We all said yes. She asked if we wanted her to teach a 5 minute class. We laughed. She said, no I’m serious, Parsva Swastikasana, Twist to the right! Open eyes. Open the outer corners of the eyes and look up, roll the right shoulder back! Uttanasana same Sirsasana head placement. Recover! Stand up. Padmasana right leg up. As many started to sit down, she said, no, standing! Now you will not be sleepy! Wake up! Eyes at the horizon level. Paschimottanasana Namaskarasana open the chest!! Sit down.  After we gr...

If you know what Supta Baddhakonasana is, and the effect, recall how you feel in class when the teacher announces it in class. In my 20+ years of teaching, it is the second Sanskrit name of a pose my students recall (first one is Savasana!) So imagine how I felt this morning, when I arrived for Prashant’s class, and the thick black cushioned mats were out instead of our regular sticky mats. That could only mean one thing. Restorative and pranayama class. YES!! It’s just what the doctor recommended. After I settled into my space with my pranayama pillows and blankets, I embarked on a Prashant expedition.  We started with rope Sirsasana or supine poses. Our choice of supine poses. (When I have a choice, I find myself asking , body, which one do you need?) Since I had extra blankets and pranayama pillows, I gave some away to share with some of the latecomers, as sometimes the props are not enough for all. It is expected for those who need less props to practice aparigrahah (non ...

Observing and participating in Prashant’s classes are two totally different things. Feeling weak after five days of a very bad cold, today I decided to watch it. The benefits were that I could write his ideas as he spoke. The bad part was that I was writing, and not really doing and feeling what he was instructing. It was also difficult to sit on the stairs and be mindful of students coming and going into the second floor space for classes. It was, however a wonderful experience to watch a room full of students from all walks of life, from all corners of the world, the young, the older, and all body shapes and constitutions. It was educative to watch many variations being modified according to people’s conditions. Everyone was really doing their own practice, but like an expert chef, being guided to have a delectable outcome.  I watched as some faces went inwards, and others were distracted by their neighbors. I watched the students that knew exactly how to set up for the req...

In the ancient treatise, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Sage Patanjali states an eight fold path of yoga, known as astanga yoga. This path begins with social and personal responsibilities. The first limb along the path of yoga is called Yama. Yama in Sanskrit means “taking a vow”. These 5 ethical principles are the basis for living a yogic lifestyle.   They are: Ahimsa, Non violence Satya, Truthfulness Asteya, Non-stealing Bramacharya, self restraint, or celibacy Aparigrahah, Non-hoarding, non attachment Ahimsa is the basis for all other yamas. If we think, act, and behave in such a way that doesn’t harm others, we will tell the truth, we won’t steal, we will not be promiscuous, and we will let go of attachments. Ghandi chose to only practice Ahimsa and Satya, and everything else fell into place.  Practicing Ahimsa can be challenging, because the world around us is a breeding ground for violence. For example, driving during rush hour, everyone is i...

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 ...