We have one week of classes under our belts and all have been excellent. In fact if I had to leave right now the trip would still be worth it. There is plenty of information to go home to practice. Some highlights:
Geeta is the master of pranayama instruction. While I probably have heard many of her instructions before, her words, questions and cadence of speaking last night pinpointed my attention to such a degree that after 90 minutes I was in bliss. For those of you who practice seated Ujjayi, study the difference when palms are turned down versus turned up. In the final Savasana, she had us open our legs wide to the edge of the mat and if there had been more room we would have opened our arms wider too as it is shown in Light on Yoga. She noticed so many in the room holding the feet so rigid that the relaxation was not coming. At the end of class she gave one of her compassionate exhortations to the teachers to teach Savasana this way to beginners. First, the relaxation must come and with legs and arms wide it will happen better.
Prashant Iyengar's classes are philosophy filled as he tries to get us to go beyond the technical aspects of asana and to trust more in our own capacity to access the poses more internally. He has us repeat one pose many times using breath awareness (for example long exhalation, retention before inhalation) to see how the actions of entry or being in the pose will arise without the external instructions of the teacher. Then he gathers us around him while he lectures in his very unique manner and language. Some of his pearls of wisdom:
YOGA IS NOT WORKOUT, YOGA IS WORK IN
DO NOT DO BY DISCIPLINE, DO BY CELLULAR MOTIVATION
MANY THINK/TEACH THE TECHNICAL, BUT YOGA IS ABOUT AMBIANCE.
IT IS NOT ABOUT DO, DO, DO....IF YOU DO, DO, DO YOU DIE.
NOT DO AN ASANA, ASANA MUST BE DONE ON YOU.
YOU ARE HERE TO UNDERSTAND, NOT TO WITHSTAND.
IT IS ABOUT LEARNING, NOT PERFORMING.
YOU HAVE OBSESSION WITH BODY, BUT NOT WITH THE BREATH.
BREATHE FOR THE POSE AND BY THE POSE.
BREATH IS THE INITIATOR.
WITH INTERNAL BREATH DYNAMIC, YOU HAVE BETTER FEELING OF THE POSTURE. THAT IS YOUR INTERNAL SOURCE. USING THIS INTERNAL DYNAMIC, WATCH YOUR POSTURES IMPROVE SO YOU DON'T RELY ON EXTERNAL TEACHER.
Saturday's Women's Class was taught by Rajilaxmi, one of the senior teachers. At one point she laughed and said we would be dreaming Prasarita Padottonasana that night. Each standing pose was taught by entering from Prasarita Padottonasana. My Sunday morning students will probably shudder when I say it was very "FUN". I look forward to teaching this to you :-)
A bonus class on Sunday morning was at Gulnaz' studio. She is another senior teacher at the Institute. Gulnaz introduced us to a new pose that was developed when she was experiencing a shoulder problem. Geeta liked and told her to name it...Parsva Salabhasana. Geeta has included it in her new book, a second volume of Intermediate poses, to be published soon. (I purchased the first volume and will be bringing copies for the Inner Life Yoga Studio teachers.) Then we used Parsva Salabhasana to enter into Parsva Dhanurasana. What a difference it made in understanding the pose!
The high point (Oh! There were so many!) was Wednesday's Women's Class taught by Abhi, Guruji's granddaughter. Guruji was doing his practice in a corner of the hall, holding supported backbends forever. His eyes are all seeing and as Abhi teaches us Guruji is teaching her based on what he is seeing in the students. I can't even begin to describe what is like to receive his pinpointed instructions and to experience the impact on the actions of the asanas. In the standing poses we were taught about keeping the femurs back and keeping the pubis level and in the same plane. Guruji labeled the top of the trunk/torso the "roof" and the bottom the "root". He said the tendency is to move the chest/roof first whereas the movement should be from the root. Abhi then gave an exquisite demonstration of this when turning the trunk in Utthita Trikonasana.
A good week, indeed! Photo from: http://sadhakafilm.net/tablet/stills.html
Prashant Iyengar's classes are philosophy filled as he tries to get us to go beyond the technical aspects of asana and to trust more in our own capacity to access the poses more internally. He has us repeat one pose many times using breath awareness (for example long exhalation, retention before inhalation) to see how the actions of entry or being in the pose will arise without the external instructions of the teacher. Then he gathers us around him while he lectures in his very unique manner and language. Some of his pearls of wisdom:
YOGA IS NOT WORKOUT, YOGA IS WORK IN
DO NOT DO BY DISCIPLINE, DO BY CELLULAR MOTIVATION
MANY THINK/TEACH THE TECHNICAL, BUT YOGA IS ABOUT AMBIANCE.
IT IS NOT ABOUT DO, DO, DO....IF YOU DO, DO, DO YOU DIE.
NOT DO AN ASANA, ASANA MUST BE DONE ON YOU.
YOU ARE HERE TO UNDERSTAND, NOT TO WITHSTAND.
IT IS ABOUT LEARNING, NOT PERFORMING.
YOU HAVE OBSESSION WITH BODY, BUT NOT WITH THE BREATH.
BREATHE FOR THE POSE AND BY THE POSE.
BREATH IS THE INITIATOR.
WITH INTERNAL BREATH DYNAMIC, YOU HAVE BETTER FEELING OF THE POSTURE. THAT IS YOUR INTERNAL SOURCE. USING THIS INTERNAL DYNAMIC, WATCH YOUR POSTURES IMPROVE SO YOU DON'T RELY ON EXTERNAL TEACHER.
Saturday's Women's Class was taught by Rajilaxmi, one of the senior teachers. At one point she laughed and said we would be dreaming Prasarita Padottonasana that night. Each standing pose was taught by entering from Prasarita Padottonasana. My Sunday morning students will probably shudder when I say it was very "FUN". I look forward to teaching this to you :-)
A bonus class on Sunday morning was at Gulnaz' studio. She is another senior teacher at the Institute. Gulnaz introduced us to a new pose that was developed when she was experiencing a shoulder problem. Geeta liked and told her to name it...Parsva Salabhasana. Geeta has included it in her new book, a second volume of Intermediate poses, to be published soon. (I purchased the first volume and will be bringing copies for the Inner Life Yoga Studio teachers.) Then we used Parsva Salabhasana to enter into Parsva Dhanurasana. What a difference it made in understanding the pose!
The high point (Oh! There were so many!) was Wednesday's Women's Class taught by Abhi, Guruji's granddaughter. Guruji was doing his practice in a corner of the hall, holding supported backbends forever. His eyes are all seeing and as Abhi teaches us Guruji is teaching her based on what he is seeing in the students. I can't even begin to describe what is like to receive his pinpointed instructions and to experience the impact on the actions of the asanas. In the standing poses we were taught about keeping the femurs back and keeping the pubis level and in the same plane. Guruji labeled the top of the trunk/torso the "roof" and the bottom the "root". He said the tendency is to move the chest/roof first whereas the movement should be from the root. Abhi then gave an exquisite demonstration of this when turning the trunk in Utthita Trikonasana.
A good week, indeed! Photo from: http://sadhakafilm.net/tablet/stills.html
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