Yogarosa Blog

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 atta

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 request

Geetaji’s Ladies Class  July 11, 9:30-11:45am When Geetaji arrives, she finds her seat and sits straight despite her age and ailments. She is sharp, witty, direct, and seems omniscient in the way she can detect students problems and foresee future problems. She is catching us in our mistakes, and our lack of understanding in the poses. She rightly gets frustrated that some basic points have not been understood, so she clearly points out how to improve. She sees the missing links. And not only reinforces them, drives them into us sometimes with a loud voice, sometimes by explaining the damaging effects of improper actions. She cares so much for our wellbeing, that she hammers into our heads what we are supposed to be doing, and doesn’t let us off the hook until we do it. At least she says “ok some of them are doing.” And for a moment she seems satisfied.  Today she spotted a young woman (in the back of the room) and asked her to come to the front. She asked her what her prob

Day 5 RIMYI Part of the adventure of coming to study at RIMYI, is the community that has evolved from Iyengar Yoga. Being at RIMYI reminds me of when my children were in Montessori school. The older ones help the new ones, which helps the older ones really engrain what they have learned, and the younger ones look up to the older kids because of all their knowledge.  I remember my first trip to Pune, and the people that helped me understand the rules, many of them unwritten, some of them given out on the first day. I also recall feeling overwhelmed. India is already overwhelming with all the sights, sounds, and smells. The food is always extreme. Extremely spicy, extremely sweet, or extremely salty. Even the bland food always have a surprise ingredient to spruce it up. The change in time, different sleeping arrangements, all contribute to one feeling a little vulnerable.  I have met ladies that have looked a little lost walking around, and just saying hello and inviting th

Day 3 RIMYI Morning Ladies Class and Afternoon Medical Class Before class, the hall was set up and the rules were given. Ladies on their periods or anyone feeling unwell were given their place. When Geetaji teaches the class, it’s a blessing. Upon first glance, her body has weakened over the years. But as soon as she starts teaching, her power shines through. With the capacity to see the back of our bodies from the front, (I want to learn that) she commands us to see our blind spots.  Starting with open eyes for the invocation, she instructed us to open our mouths for the chant, to keep us more alert and prepare us for learning. Perhaps to open our minds. (that we evacuated yesterday!) To make space for everyone, we put away the mats. Without any mats, she wanted us to experience what it was like in the old days without mats. They didn’t always have mats. The mats have made us lazy, because of the grip of the mat, we don’t work our feet properly, especially our back foo