Yogarosa Blog

“Abhijata, I’m recovering from having a very bad cold for 5 days. Shall I take the class today or observe?” She answered me, It’s up to you. You decide. I’ll do what I can and see how it goes. I was excited she didn’t say no, but already exhausted from walking to the venue, I knew I had to pace myself. When Raya started teaching the class, I realized I had set myself up right under the fan. Ugh. Blanket around my shoulders. Problem solved temporarily. Raya started to say we were doing standing poses, so ladies on their period and those not well could use the wall. My chance to find a fan less wall. Lucky for me there was space on a column. Never mind my back would be to the stage. I’ll make it work. Prasarita Padottanasana. Ok. Don’t need the wall for that. Already out of breath and we haven’t even started. Why are people so slow in getting a wall? Ok standing poses against the wall. Vriksasana, Trikonasana, Parsva Konasana, Ardha Chandrasana. Body happy to be moving, grateful for th...

Saturday Geeta’s Class Sequence  Adho Mukha Virasana Adho Mukha Svanasana  Half did Supta Padangusthasana with the belt, the others did Utthita Hastasana padangusthasana with wall support We started with the top leg at 90degrees so that we could move the hip down. We were to move the buttocks down and middle buttocks in. Lengthen the sides of the trunk. Second time set up the hip properly with leg at 90, then raise leg without losing the hip. Half did Parsva Supta Padangusthasana with belt, the others did Parsva Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana with wall support  Start with leg at 90 degrees to acquire proper action of the buttocks. Second time set up hip at 90, then raise leg without losing the proper actions. There was a woman doing Parsva Supta Padangusthasana who had a hip replacement. Geetaji had us watch. She was bringing the foot up in line with the shoulder (as many of us have been taught), and she showed us how the pelvis goes wrong. Sh...

Abhijata’s Pranayama Class I remember when Abhijata was first coming to the US for the first time. There was a lot of talk about her “qualifications”, as she is so young. What could she possibly teach the more senior teachers who had been studying with Guruji for so many years? She ended up shining, and proved herself in her own right as a knowledgeable, confident, strong and charming teacher. Growing up with a yoga master has certainly given her a gift. I remember watching Guruji two weeks before he passed away teaching Abhijata. And watching her wondrous eyes as he told her in their Marathi language some details about Sirsasana. Then Guruji giving her some other points in Urdhva Dhanurasana. I watched as she obediently followed her Guru’s words. And how she would run to him to make eye contact in between postures. They seemed to have a very special bond between them. The love could be felt. What a beautiful way to learn, not only from this century’s greatest yoga master, but fo...

Day 4 RIMYI Today I am finding it hard to write, because I don’t really know what happened. There is always a gem that sticks to my mind in Prashant’s class. So I asked my suite mates what the class was about because I just didn’t seem to remember. They all said they didn’t remember anything either. That it was an amazing class, but it was all a fog. Prashant started by talking about what happens when we have breathing problems. We go to the doctor. Does the doctor ever check the pelvis when there’s a breathing problem? Is the pelvis not important to our breathing? Isn’t the pelvis a support to the breath? There are some things doctors don’t know. Science doesn’t know.  We took turns in ceiling rope Sirsasana, Parivritta Swastikasana, rope Adho Mukha Svanasana to accommodate the probably 100 people in class. That coordination in itself is a gift that the Iyengars have. That everyone has a space. That he knows if you didn’t get a rope for rope Sirsasana. That he gives ...

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...

So now I have been practicing Iyengar Yoga for almost 16 years. I feel so lucky! When I started, I thought it was all about alignment. In the beginning it was for me. I was stiff and I was weak. I used to suffer from back pain, and in this yoga I found relief. I also found myself. The postures were difficult in the beginning, but something kept me coming back again and again. When I decided to go to India in 1998, and saw Mr. Iyengar in action, I think I really started to understand this work. It was during his 80th Birthday Celebration in Pune, India, when he said that in Virabhadrasana 2 (Warrior 2) we had to feel our soul all the way to the fingertips. I felt somethingwarm vibrating from my chest into my arms, and ultimately into my fingertips. I had never experienced that before. It left me quiet, and at peace. (Even tough we were holding the pose for a while.) I continued on my path of learning, and along the way I found myself getting stronger, but I also found myself growing c...