Spring - Summer 2013: Yoga Samachar: Bikram Choudhury

Vol. 17 No.
Spring/Summer 2013
Journey to India Journey Inward
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Contents
Letter From the President Janet Lilly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 News From the Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Journey to India, Journey Within Tori Milner . . . . . . . . . 6 Early Days at RIMYI Public Classes in Poona Fred Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Pune Without Pollution (Almost) Joan White . . . . . . . . . 1 1 First Impressions Bobby Clennell . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Diary Excerpts Gifts From the Source Sharon Conroy . . . . . . . . . Traveling to India: Two Trips in One Siegfried Bleher . History and Highlights of the Pune Guide Denise Weeks . . . 17 20 22
Yoga Samachars Mission

Yoga Samachar, the magazine of the Iyengar Yoga community in the United States and beyond, is published twice a year by the Communications Committee of the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States (IYNAUS). The word samachar means news in Sanskrit. Along with the website, www.iynaus. org, Yoga Samachar is designed to provide interesting and useful information to IYNAUS members to: Promote the dissemination of the art, science, and philosophy of yoga as taught by B.K.S. Iyengar, Geeta Iyengar, and Prashant Iyengar Communicate information regarding the standards and training of certified teachers Report on studies regarding the practice of Iyengar Yoga Provide information on products that IYNAUS imports from India Review and present recent articles and books written by the Iyengars Report on recent events regarding Iyengar Yoga in Pune and worldwide Be a platform for the expression of experiences and thoughts from members, both students and teachers, about how the practice of yoga affects their lives Present ideas to stimulate every aspect of the readers practice
Finding the Grill Vicky Grogg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Gurujis Birthday Gifts and Maitri in Bellur Gaye Painten . . . 25
Paksha Pratipaksha on Results-Oriented Versus Indifference Robin Lowry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Samachar Sequence Jet Lag Sequence Julie Lawrence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 2012 Iyengar Yoga Assessments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Musings Memory Carrie Owerko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Book Review Yoga Philosophy On and Off the Mat: B.K.S. Iyengars Core of the Yoga Sutras Peggy Hong . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Yoga Samachar is produced by the IYNAUS Publications Committee

Editor: Michelle D. Williams Copy Editor: Denise Weeks Design: Don Gura Members can submit an article or a practice sequence for consideration for inclusion in future issues. Articles should be well-written and submitted electronically. The Yoga Samachar staff reserves the right to edit accepted submissions to conform to the rules of spelling and grammar, as well as to the Yoga Samachar house style guidelines. Submissions must include the authors full name and biographical information related to Iyengar Yoga, along with email contact and phone number. Submission deadline for the Spring/Summer issue is March 1. Submission deadline for the Fall/Winter issue is Sept. 1. Please send queries to [email protected] in advance.
Classfieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Treasurers Report IYNAUS Finances David Carpenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 On the Rolling Seas Mary Ann Travis . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
IYNAUS Board Member Contact List

Please contact your board members at www.iynaus.org/iyanus/ iynaus-board-staff.
David Carpenter [email protected] Alex Cleveland [email protected] Kevin Hainley [email protected] Rebecca Lerner [email protected] Janet Lilly [email protected] Michael Lucey [email protected] Tori Milner [email protected] Mary Reilly [email protected] Phyllis Rollins [email protected] Kathy Simon [email protected] Eric Small [email protected] Nancy Watson [email protected] Denise Weeks [email protected] Sharon Cowdery (General Manager) [email protected]
Advertising
Yoga Samachar is now accepting paid advertising. Fullpage, half-page and quarter-page ads are available for placement throughout the magazine, and a classified advertising section is available for smaller ads. All advertising is subject to IYNAUS board approval. For more information, including rates, artwork specifications, and deadlines, please go to http://iynaus.org/yoga-samachar.
Contact IYNAUS:
P.O. Box 538 Seattle WA 981 1 1 206.623.3562 www.iynaus.org
Cover photo by Jake Clennell
Spring /Summer 2013 Yoga Samachar
IYNAUS Officers and Standing Committees

President: Janet Lilly Vice President: Michael Lucey Secretary: Denise Weeks Treasurer: David Carpenter Archives Committee
Eric Small, Chair
Kim Kolibri, Director of Archives Lindsey Clennell, Elaine Hall, Linda Nishio, Deborah Wallach
Letter
from the President
Dear Fellow IYNAUS Members,

I would like to begin by thanking our former IYNAUS board president Chris Beach and outgoing board members Patrina Dobish, Leslie Freyberg, Elizabeth Hynes, and Christine Nounou. This dedicated team contributed so much to the association and has left behind large shoes to fill for those of us following in their footsteps! One of the initiatives that the previous board oversaw was the 2011 amendment of the IYNAUS Bylaws, which brought us more into alignment with the Pune Constitution. The most obvious benefit of this change was apparent at our November 2012 board meeting. For the first time, the incoming board members sitting around the table Alex Cleveland, Kevin Hainley, Tori Milner, Kathy Simon, Eric Small, Nancy Watson, and Denise Weekshad been elected or appointed from their regional associations. This issue of Yoga Samachar, Journey to India, Journey Inward, includes stories from members about their experiences studying at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI). Having just returned from my sixth course of study at RIMYI, I remain amazed by the depth of knowledge and continued innovation that the Iyengars bring to their daily teaching. It is gratifying to witness what an international center RIMYI has become with students from all over the world, including China and the Middle East, coming to study with the Iyengar family. As a professor of dance by profession, while in India, I also travel to other cities to teach dance and choreography. When I mention that I study Iyengar Yoga, I am always struck by the degree of respect people have for the Iyengars and their method. This observation has led me to reflect that there is often not the same familiarity with the value of the Iyengar method in the United States. I hope this is not everyones experience, but many IYNAUS-certified teachers have contacted board members requesting that IYNAUS help them find ways to increase public exposure to the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar. To this end, IYNAUS hosted an in-service panel, Building Your Student Base, at the Sarvabhauma San Diego Convention. This event invited convention attendees to join a panel discussion of strategies for creating thriving Iyengar method classes in a crowded marketplace. We are particularly grateful to our panelistsPeggy Hong, Holly Hughins, Randy Just, Pat Musburger, and John Schumacher for volunteering their time and expertise. The board received many positive responses to IYNAUS Treasurer David Carpenters Financial Report featured in the Fall 2012/Winter 2013 issue of Yoga Samachar. We plan to include financial updates in subsequent issues with the goal of keeping members informed about the factors involved in making fiscal decisions that best serve all of our members. To this end, we also are initiating a multistaged strategic planning process that begins with addressing the core values of the organization and imagining our collective future. I know that I speak for the entire IYNAUS board when I say that we look forward to hearing your thoughts and questions. Please dont hesitate to let us know how we can serve the Iyengar Yoga community better. With many thanks, Janet Lilly, President Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States
ByLaws Committee
Janet Lilly, Chair
David Carpenter, Kevin Hainley, David Larsen
Certification Committee
Mary Reilly, Chair
Marla Apt, Linda DiCarlo, James Murphy, Lois Steinberg
Elections Committee Ethics Committee
Alex Cleveland, Chair

Chris Beach, Patrina Dobish
Rebecca Lerner, Chair
Joan White, Sue Salaniuk, Michael Lucey
Events Committee
Nancy Watson, Chair

Patrina Dobish, Gloria Goldberg, Diana Martinez, Phyllis Rollins
Finance Committee
David Carpenter, Chair

Kevin Hainley, Janet Lilly
Membership Committee
IMIYA Leslie Bradley IYAGNY Elisabeth Pintos IYAMN Elizabeth Cowan IYAMW Becky Meline IYANC Risa Blumlien IYANE Kathleen Swanson IYANW Margrit von Braun IYASC-LA Kat Lee Shull IYASC-SD Lynn Patton IYASCUS Michelle Mock IYASE Diana Martinez IYASW Lisa Henrich
Phyllis Rollins, Chair
Publications Committee
Tori Milner, Chair
Carole Del Mul, Don Gura, Richard Jonas, Pat Musburger, Phyllis Rollins, Denise Weeks, Michelle D. Williams
Public Relations and Marketing Committee

Tori Milner, Chair
David Carpenter, Sharon Honeycutt, Michael Lucey
Regional Support Committee

IMIYA Melody Madonna IYAGNY Ann McDermott-Kave IYAMN Katy Olson IYAMW Jennie Williford IYANC Heather Haxo Phillips IYANE Jarvis Chen IYANW Anne Geil IYASC-LA Kat Lee Shull IYASC-SD Lynn Patton IYASCUS Anne Marie Schultz IYASE Alex Cleveland IYASW Lisa Henrich and Josephine Lazarus
Alex Cleveland, Chair
Scholarship and Awards Committee

Denise Weeks, Chair
Chris Beach, Leslie Freyberg, Richard Jonas, Lisa Jo Landsberg, Pat Musburger, John Schumacher
Service Mark & Certification Mark Committee

Gloria Goldberg, Attorney in Fact for B.K.S. Iyengar Rebecca Lerner, Board Liaison Kevin Hainley, Chair
Systems & Technology Committee

Ed Horneij, William Mckee, David Weiner
Yoga Research Committee

Kathy Simon, Chair
Jerry Chiprin, Jean Durel, Alicia Rowe, Kimberly Williams
IYNAUS Senior Council

Chris Saudek, John Schumacher, Patricia Walden 2 Yoga Samachar Spring /Summer 2013
News
IMIYA
from the regions
Yogathon, the centerpiece of the afternoon, features yoga demonstrations by teachers, students, and board members who hold a pose, repeat a pose, or show creativity, with sponsors pledging them. This years profits will support the association and help outfit the new Brooklyn Institute. The Brooklyn Institute furthers IYAGNYs mission of bringing Iyengar Yoga to as many people as possible while increasing opportunities for teachers. Many current Institute students and teachers live in Brooklyn, and the borough has been in IYAGNYs expansion plans for years. A goal of $300,000 has been set for outfitting the studio, and more than $160,000 has been raised so far. Donations are welcome; please go to www.iyengarnyc.org for details.
The InterMountain Iyengar Yoga Association (IMIYA) launched Studio Walk as a way for members and other students to connect and to reach out to people new to the Iyengar method. Each month between May and September 2013, a different member-owned studio is hosting an IMIYA-sponsored class taught by a certified Iyengar Yoga instructor. Classes are free to IMIYA members and nonmembers alike. For schedule information, contact Angie Woyar at manager@
iyengaryogacenter.com. Also, IMIYA can provide marketing

for your studio event. IMIYA will hold the Second Annual Iyengar Yoga Day, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013. Iyengar Yoga Day will be held at Iyengar Yoga Center Denver. This year, Yoga Day teachers will offer eight 1.5hour classes and four alternative classes. All-day pass holders can choose four sessions. Sessions will be taught by a variety of certified Iyengar Yoga teachers. A complete listing of teachers, descriptions of their classes, and times theyll teach each class will be available on the IMIYA website no later than July 15, 2013.
25 Years Lighting the Way

Auspiciously timed to coincide with DiwaliIndias festival of lightsIYAGNY celebrated its 25th anniversary with a gala themed 25 Years Lighting the Way. On Nov. 14, 2012, nearly 200 association students, teachers, and supporters enjoyed a night of festive delights and appreciation. Via a video recording, Abhijata Iyengar welcomed attendees and expressed her gratitude for all that IYAGNY is doing to promote Iyengar Yoga. Sponsored by Dana and Michael Goldstein, the celebration honored Martha Stewart, who has long championed Iyengar Yoga, and also recognized Judy Brick Freedman and Carol Eugenia Burns, two founding IYAGNY teachers. Proceeds from the event will support the associations three-fold mission of enabling progressive lifelong learning and practice of Iyengar Yoga, offering teaching of the highest standards, and fostering a community of practitioners within New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.
IYAGNY
Bridges to Brooklyn
The Mary Dunn Celebration/Yogathon, the yearly event that brings the Iyengar Yoga Association of Greater New York (IYAGNY) together, took place on Sunday, June 2. This years edition, Bridges to Brooklyn, spotlighted IYAGNYs soon-toopen second studio in Brooklyn. The Institute has hosted the celebration since 2005. Students, teachers, and association members attend special classes, including the annual Spirit of Mary Dunn class, in which association teachers pay tribute to Marys teachings by presenting an asana as they remember her teaching it.
Architectural rendering of the lobby at the new IYAGNY Brooklyn Institute by Mitchell B. Owen
The Sa Dance Company performs at the IYAGNY 25th anniversary celebration. (Photo by Liam Cunningham)
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News
from the regions
Among the specific association initiatives funded in part by gala donations are the opening of the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Brooklyn, as well as a continuation of a student scholarship program, specific needs classes, and free classes for amputees, survivors of breast cancer, students living with HIV, and veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. IYAGNY would like to thank supporters and volunteers who helped make the 25th anniversary celebration a success, and who continue to help IYAGNY thrive. To view more photos from the 25th anniversary celebration visit iyengarnyc.org and click on the Photos tab.
IYAMN
In November, the Iyengar Yoga Association of Minnesota (IYAMN) was privileged to host Jawahar Bangera from Mumbai, India. In addition to managing two yoga centers in Mumbai, Jawahar is also a director of the Iyengar Institute in Pune and a Trustee of the Light on Yoga Research Trust. He also has traveled to many conventions with Guruji over the years, so we felt very fortunate to have him teach here. This was Jawahars first visit to Minnesota. On Nov. 12 he taught a series of intermediate classes at the B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Center of Minneapolis, followed by two days of general classes at the Minneapolis Yoga Workshop, concluding his workshop with a pranayama class. His classes gave students a wealth of asana instruction and knowledge of the Iyengar method threaded with philosophical insights into the practice of yoga. His long association with the Iyengars provided a sense of the history and depth of study that his teachers engage in. It was an inspiring weekend for everyone. On Dec. 14, IYAMN held one of its biannual Yoga Days to celebrate Gurujis birthday. The event was held at the Saint Paul Yoga Center, and William Prottengeier donated his teaching. After class there was a celebration of Gurujis birthday with tea and cake. IYAMN Yoga Days provide the Minneapolis and greater region an opportunity for members to connect with each other and build community. These events allow students to celebrate their dedication and devotion to the Iyengars and the subject of yoga.
Students participate in a three-day teacher-training course at the Yoga Institute of Champaign Urbana.
IYANC
The Iyengar Association of Northern California (IYANC) has seen a renewed interest in supporting regional activities beyond the Institute in San Francisco. There is interest in establishing a regional committee that would elevate awareness and attract students to Iyengar Yoga throughout Northern California, support certified teachers in our region, and create a more meaningful sangha (community or association) among Iyengar practitioners. Specific goals include increasing the number of members and certified teachers in our region. Next steps are to formalize the committee and create an action plan for 2013/2014. For more information or to get involved with the regional committee, please email [email protected]. The Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco (IYISF) is excited to announce a new, free restorative class for members. The class will take place quarterly and be taught by local Iyengar Yoga certified teachers. The next class is on June 15, and details are available at http://iyisf.org under Community Events. In April, IYISF held a successful Yogathon, bringing together members of the Northern California community to practice all 108 asanas while raising funds for the Institute. IYISF has hosted this fundraiser for seven years, but this was the first time the event has been open to beginner students. Beginners were invited to participate for the first 54 asanas and stay for the rest of the event, which included a movie, potluck, and prizes.
IYAMW
A member studio of the Iyengar Yoga Association of the Midwest (IYAMW), the Yoga Institute of Champaign Urbana recently held a three-day teacher education course. Dr. Sucheta Paranjape from Pune joyfully lectured on The Bhagavad Gita, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and The Upanishads. Student teachers practiced their syllabi and taught in groups as well as teaching mock assessments and learning adjustments.
IYASCUS
Iyengar Yoga is alive and well in the South Central region. Check out the Iyengar Yoga Association of the South Central U.S. (IYASCUS) blog at http://iyascus.org , written and maintained by Karen Phillips.
Yoga Samachar Spring /Summer 2013
Austin Yoga Institute has moved to a new location and sponsored George Purvis and Gabriella Guibilaro this spring. The Boerne Yoga Center, also in a new location, hosted H.S Arun in May. Arun also will teach workshops in Denton, Dallas, and Austin this summer.
Student projects ranged from poems to glass sculptures to a 10-foot by 3-foot poster created by Inge Mullerup-Brookhuis. The colorful poster covered all kinds of mind and brain activities and would have fit in at a science fair. OBannon says she made the assignment because I feel too
Many of our local teachers are quite busy as well: George Purvis (Senior Intermediate III) came to San Marcos School of Yoga in the fall and visited Austin and Houston this spring. Randy Just (Junior III) teaches numerous workshops around the region and is involved with a teacher-training program at his studio and in the San Angelo area. Peggy Kelley (Junior III) has been traveling to Mexico quite frequently. She helps with assessments in Mexico and does teacher training for studios in Veracruz and elsewhere. Pauline Schloesser (Introductory II) is hosting a series of special Saturday workshops at Alcove Studio in Houston, and Devon Dederich is offering a series of Saturday classes on how to use props at Clear Spring Studio in Austin. Anne-Marie Schultz (Introductory II) maintains the Iyengar Yoga in Austin blog as well as a Teaching Philosophy and Yoga blog. Both blogs (iyengaryogainaustin.blogspot.com and teachingphilosophyandyoga.blogspot.com) have more than 1,000 views per month.
many people are turned away from their creativity as children. Many never know the beauty that lies with them. Yoga unlocks this inner beautyand connects us to our soul.
IYASW
On Nov. 34, 2012, Open Spaces Yoga in Pinetop, Ariz., hosted the first membership workshop for the newly formed Iyengar Yoga Association of the Southwest (IYASW). Taught by certified instructor Josephine Lazarus, the workshop theme was Opening to Transformation, based on a sequence developed by B.K.S. Iyengar and Manouso Manos. Thirteen students attended the workshopmany of which were new to yoga or the Iyengar method. Senior teacher Caroline Belko taught a weekend workshop at Scottsdale Community College Feb. 2224, 2013. Caroline is a regular instructor in the ongoing teacher-training program. Tucson is not the dry desert after all. Life-giving showers have supported the B.K.S. Iyengar Studio in the form of a Rita Lewis Manos workshop in February. Just back from Pune, Rita shared the messages from Gurujis morning classes. Dean Lerner will offer a workshop at B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Tucson in October, marking more than 20 visits to this studio. Everyone in Arizona appreciates the willingness of senior teachers to come to a small community over many years to share their knowledge.
IYASE
A member studio of the Iyengar Yoga Association of the Southeast (IYASE), Audubon Yoga Studio in New Orleans hosted Karin OBannon for a teacher training in January. OBannon is an inspirational trainer of teachers and a yoga practitioner who urges us to teach from our intuition. Give up your analytical mind, she says. Be one with your students. OBannon (Intermediate Senior III) has taught yoga in Los Angeles; Rishikesh, India; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Brazil; and most recently, China. Since 2009, she has been traveling from her current home in Shreveport, La., to New Orleans to conduct teacher-training workshops five times a year at Audubon Yoga Studio, which is owned and directed by Becky Lloyd. In January, OBannon gave participants in this years teachertraining program an open-ended assignment: Look at all parts of citta, and come up with a way to relate them to each other. Be creative, she said. Make a chart, a poem, a play, or a picture.
Students participate in the first membership workshop in the Southwest region.
Journey to India Journey Within
Westernized. Being in Pune with the Iyengars and the Indian teachers and students gives me a perspective that I just couldnt find anywhere else in the world. The journey, like yoga itself, is like a mirror, reflecting back exactly where I am and who I am at that point in time.
By Tori Milner
hen I reflect on my five trips to India so far, I am most struck by how each trip is different. Each time I go, I am different. India changes and becomes more
Illustration by Curtis Settino Photos by Tori Milner

6 Yoga Samachar Spring/Summer 2013
When I first began taking yoga classes at 25, I really wasnt looking for a journey inward, nor did I think I had any interest in visiting India. I had done yoga out of books with my mother as a child but nothing that stuck. Then I saw my friends 65-year-old mother do a headstand and variations at a party to entertain her grandchildren. I was fascinated. She looked so graceful and stable. I was completely inspired. I had a motivation to begin: I wanted to be able to do what she did with her body and look as graceful. But there was something else; I wanted to be able to concentrate like that. The closest yoga center happened to offer Iyengar Yoga. I took one class a week for about six months. Then it crept up to two, three, and four classes, and before I knew it, I was completely hooked. My first teacher, Joe, used to tell very funny stories of going to study with the Iyengars. I never imagined I would go at some point. years of seeing him in black and white in Light on Yoga. His skin I wound up moving to New York in 1999 and had the good fortune to begin studying with Mary Dunn. She had the most unique, inspiring way of speaking to the wholeness of our humanity as she taught the mechanics of the postures, not only instructing us how to do but also how to be. She opened a window into a view of myself and taught me how to relate the asanas to life. She taught me how to use my arms and legs to serve the greater whole, and also how to use my senses to discover the core of my being. I realized that asana was not only about doing but also undoing and even not doing. I began assisting classes, shifting from doing to observing, and realized the incredible range of ways people can (or cant) move. In 2001, just a few months before 9/11, I decided I wanted to teach, so I quit my job and enrolled in the two-year program in New York. I arranged dates to go to RIMYI and study with the Iyengars June and July 2004. Mary suggested going at the start of their new session in June and that two months were better than one. When I arrived at JFK airport to embark on my trip, a miniature India was taking place in the Air India section. What first appeared like a line was a chaotic frenzya cluster of activity that gave me a taste of where I was headedfar away from the familiar, straightforward, organized ways of my American city into the mysterious ways of the East. I arrived a few days early to acclimate myself and went to the Institute to watch Geeta teach a class. As I sat on the stairs, I craned my neck to see the entire room, and suddenly, there he was. He was on a Viparita Karani box in the middle of the room, and I couldnt believe my eyes. Im sure I held my breath. It was captivating and thrilling to see that B.K.S. Iyengar was real live, three-dimensional and in full Technicolorafter all those Someone told me that if you brought a letter to Geeta, she would give you a sequence of your very own. Innocently, one night after class early the first month, I went up to her, got on my knees and slipped her a letter that I had written. When I raised my head up, she was looking right into my eyes. I had never felt so seen by another human being. It felt as if she could see straight into my soul. Not sure whether to cry, smile, or run, I was determined to stay put and look neutral. I immediately sensed that she would not be giving me a personal sequence. As the trip went on, I realized she was giving me something far greaterher time, her energy, her love of teaching, and her devotion to the subject of yoga. By absorbing those, I would receive my answers. That first trip, Geeta had recently hurt her arm and was not teaching all of her usual classes, so I got to experience a range of teachers. They made it so simple! There were so many poses! When I observed classes, there were so many things that they were letting go. Some of the headstands I saw would have sent an American teacher into a panic, I thought. And Prashants classes were a lively forum for doing, knowing, and looked soft like a childs, his body even more supple than the youngsters in the room, and the energy he radiated seemed as bright as the sun, lighting up the hall. I was mesmerized. Many days I would set up near him during practice to catch what was happening and with the exciting and terrifying hope that he might notice me. After two months there, I realized that whether or not he noticed me was not the point. I was there to take note of him and what he was teaching, how he was practicing, and how he transmitted information to the students he was working with.
I went up to him to pay my respects, and when I lifted my head back up, he looked at me sternly and said, So, did you catch something?
understanding the asanas from his wonderful perspective of marrying the mind and breath to the body. On that first trip, I was extremely extroverted. I shopped a lot for myself and bought scarves and jewelry. I went to the German Bakery on Sundays. I took side trips to Mahabeleshwar and the caves. I ate the spicy food regularly and got sick quite a few times because it was so delicious and I just couldnt restrain myself. I planned and held parties to meet my fellow Iyengar Yoga practitioners from around the world. It was, after all, my first trip. So I stepped onto the mat right in front of Guruji, feeling more vulnerable than I have ever felt. I tried to be brave and did my best, but I didnt feel anywhere near ready to go all the way back to touch the floor, and I didnt. I didnt In spite of all that, I had a profound experience in the practice hall and felt truly changed by my first experience in India and with the Iyengars. It was early August when I arrived back home to hot summer in New York City. I was shocked by all the cars, stores, and peopleand the amount of skin they were showing! Every time I saw an Indian person or family on the subway, I wanted to rush up to them and explain how I was just transformed by their country. I wanted to tell them I understood India! Luckily for them, I restrained myself. My fifth and most recent trip was this past October. I went for one month. I lived right next door in my favorite apartment where I have become a regular. It was a relatively quiet month in the practice hall. I did not plan any parties or do much shopping. I wanted to immerse myself in the practice more than ever. I enjoyed morning classes with Prashant, ladies classes with Guruji and Abhijata, and pranayama with Geeta. I also went to the library and helped out in the medical classes. Because I have been there quite a few times now, some of the teachers have gotten to know my name. I made several attempts from this new position at the wall. It One day, mid-month, after a morning class with Prashant, I went back to my apartment to have a leisurely cup of tea and some banana before returning to practice. When I got to the hall around 10 a.m., it was fairly busy, so I set up in the middle. I then went to use the ropes because I was planning to do backbends. I was doing simple Ropes 1, static and swinging, as well as some work they had shown us in the ladies class. One of the Indian teachers was doing graceful drop backs from Tadasana a few mats down. Guruji was practicing in his usual spot. I heard him say something. Suddenly, the Indian teacher leapt over to me, and said, Tori, you have to come over here all seemed to go in slow motion. It was surreal. At one point, I noticed that a large, blurry crowd had gathered around us, but I was barely aware of them. During one of my attempts, Guruji finally came over. I was reaching for the floor, upside down, and saw only his legs coming toward me over on my right-hand side. Im sure I tensed up, afraid that he was going to break me in two! He pushed me down and pumped several times on the right side of my diaphragm. Then he walked around and did the same on my left-hand side. As strong as it might have looked and as loud as I yelled out, it didnt hurt. I think my shouts came more from a place of visceral surprise as he showed me a Guruji had the assistants tie me incredibly close to the rope wall with a short belt and then insisted that I reach back and touch the floor. I am only five feet tall, and while I am certainly flexible, I was probably at least six inches away from touching the ground. He yelled instructions as I went back, Press your heels and make your middle fingers HEAVY! Go down from the latissimus! Elbow joints back! I tried, but they still didnt touch all the way. I quickly came back up. Ah, see, he said to Abhijata and the assistants, that is called escapism. I tried again, determined to touch the floor. I still couldnt reach all the way down. This time, he said, Lift your kidneys to come back up! It felt more supported. want to sacrifice good form just to drop. Truthfully, I hadnt gone from Tadasana to Urdhva Dhanurasana in quite a while. I had had a lower back issue flare up about a year and a half prior, and I was rebuilding my flexibility, strength, and courage. As Guruji revealed to me that day, it probably had most to do with courage. My generation has not had the experience of studying directly under Guruji. But we are getting a taste of it in the ladies class over the past few years. He came to New York to see us perform on his Light on Life book tour and bless our then-new institute in 2005. Of course, I had seen him on all my trips to Pune, and I had met him in New York, but I wasnt sure if he had any idea who I was. and drop back. He pointed to the mat right in front of Mr. Iyengar. I looked around to make sure nobody else named Tori was standing behind me. I looked at the mat he was pointing to. Right there? I asked, incredulous. Yes, you have to, he said, pleading with his eyes but not his voice.
glimpse of my bodys true potential, and it was fierce! Finally, I touched the ground! He walked away and surveyed his work. She has improved, he said. See how much is the fear complex. They moved me into a different position on the rope wall hanging over a rope swing with my shins on the wall and I reached over backwards toward a rope attached to the bottom hooks on the floor. You have to bring life to the back ribs and pacify the lumbar, Guruji said. This is why all of them complain of lower backache! After some time there, I went to Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana at the wall, and by now it had been over an hour. I was tired but determined to understand, so I kept working. I saw them finally put him in Savasana. Oh good, its over, I thought. Just as I was about to start winding down, Abhijata said, Tori, come over here and do Kapotasana ! My heart began racing again. Come and do! He remembers you from the New York demonstration! she said. She adjusted me adeptly with the fat round ruler to keep the tailbone lifted so the outer hip sockets and buttocks would not drop. In the center! Tied again to the ropes. More and more! Then, suddenly it seemed the hall was half-emptied out, everyone left was in Savasana, and somehow I made my way to Ardha Halasana over a bench for some relief. I was exhilarated and quite tired. I went back to my apartment, and after one of the deepest naps I have ever taken, I wrote Guruji a note thanking him for what he had shown me. I went to the library that afternoon to give him the note. He wasnt there. As I came up for the medical class, I saw him and handed it to him. He didnt acknowledge me, but took the letter. The next morning, after the ladies class, I went up to him to pay my respects, and when I lifted my head back up, he looked at me sternly and said, So, did you catch something? Yes Guruji! I exclaimed. So, when you go home, teach like that! Yes, Guruji, I said, and as I walked away, I was stunned that he hadnt said, When you go home, practice like that. He said teach like that! So I began to reflect on what that meant and what a big responsibility we have as Iyengar Yoga teachers and students. What was that teaching like? The approach was clear, direct, and demanding, from a place of understanding what the student was capable of, to help him or her overcome the fear complex. The students job is to catch, receive, and break through perceived limits. Gurujis teaching married intensity with intelligence to a level that was transforming. It drove me deeper and deeper inward beyond the dualitiesthere simply wasnt room! Under the right conditions, I can experience this quality of transcendence in my practice, and I strive to transmit that to my students. Geeta once said in Savasana to go to the place
where you are no one and you are nothing. And there are times when I really can feel that humble, quiet place inside, unsoiled by my wants, worries, and the outside world. I am struck by the difference between this last trip and my first trip almost 10 years ago. I can see that my reflection in the mirror is a little older, but also wiser. My motivations and expectations are more aligned with the present moment and less intent on getting it for some external praise or recognition. On any given day, I attempt to explore the vastness within through the incredible practice of Iyengar Yoga, not just through the asanas, but also through studying the philosophy. Just before I left, I asked Prashant to sign a book for me. He wrote, Wishing you motivation without motive in yog. Now, I understand that concept and aim to loosen my grip on those motivations as much as possible. Although my practice is far from perfect, it wouldnt be anything like it is without the guidance of the Iyengars. Being there and having direct contact with them has shown me what I think it means to experience involutionto take the journey inward. Classes are simple, profound, pure, and transformative. Being a learner in their presence and under their influence uplifts the level of my practice, and when I return, my teaching is uplifted as well. Many of the typical obstacles I face, such as laziness, fear, doubt, and restlessness, go into remission under their guidance. I contact the depth and breadth of my being, transcending my limited perceptions. And that, for me, is the deeply powerful beauty of Iyengar Yoga and the reason I am still hooked on learning and teaching it after all these years.
Tori Milner (Intermediate Junior III) teaches at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of New York.
Early Days At RIMYI
Public Classes in Poona

By Fred Smith
une in the late 70s and early 80s was a very different place than it is in 2013. For yoga students and everyone else, it was a much quieter and more beautiful city. In this way, it was more amenable to yoga study. My
I also enjoyed sitting beneath the big banyan trees that lined Fergusson College Road. Alas, they were chopped down about 15 years ago.
the last week. But any class could easily move into twists or advanced balancing poses. The Iyengars did not plan out their classes beforehand with written sequences. They ebbed and flowed with their knowledge, as perhaps only they could at that time. For me it was a joyful time, even if I was completely wasted after a difficult Saturday morning class. I frequently took off afterward to the Vaishali or Roopali snack joints, drinking two cups of their pudding-like milk chai and eating plates of idlis or sabudana wadas, the tapioca dumplings with ground peanut, coriander, and green chile that were characteristic of Pune.
position was quite different from many of the other students visiting the Institute. As a Ph.D. student studying Sanskrit at the University of Pennsylvania, I had a long-term grant for conducting research in India. Thus, I took public classes rather than attend the classes reserved for foreigners. I also did not mix with them socially because I had a full life in Pune and was committed to my work. I attended four classes per weekon Monday morning, Tuesday evening, Thursday evening, and Saturday morning. The Tuesday evening class was the most advanced class of the week, and Thursday evening was the pranayama class. Saturday morning
was a mens class, and Monday morning was a mixed general class. Most of the classes were taught nominally by Prashant, but Guruji was right there and ended up teaching most of every class. When I arrived, Guruji had not yet begun growing his hair long, but by the mid-1980s, he had. It did not change his demeanor much, but his leonine appearance added to his reputation for ferociousness.
I also enjoyed sitting beneath the big banyan trees that lined The sequences were varied, with the general pattern of standing poses the first week of every month, forward bends the second week, backbends the third week, and pranayama Fergusson College Road. Alas, they were chopped down about 15 years ago, sacrificed to the great god of modernity. Most of the beautiful old houses built in pre-Independence days, part of the Indo-Saracenic architecture that made Bombay and Poona so lovely (this was before Mumbai and Pune), have also been ripped down by the demons who stole away Poonanamely developers, who also destroyed about two-thirds of the big maidan or cricket field that gave Deccan Gymkhana its name. Those were good years to be in Poona; the Iyengars were in their prime, and the city was vibrant, beautiful, uncluttered, and relatively unpolluted.
Fred Smith, professor of Sanskrit and classical Indian literature at the University of Iowa, has been practicing Iyengar Yoga since 1980, six of those years in Pune at RIMYI, studying with the Iyengars. He has frequently lectured at yoga studios and yoga conferences on aspects
1977 International General Intensive (Photo by Lindsey Clennell)
of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and other yoga related topics.
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Pune Without Pullution (Almost)

By Joan White
ll never forget my first trip to Pune in 1976 (nor my husbands response when I told him I wanted to go in 1975: Over my dead body!) Well, fortunately that didnt have to happen.
It was 1976, and yoga was a four-letter word. Womens lib was focused on equality in the workplace, and I was mother to a four-year-old and had a husband who needed me to take care of them both. However, after not being able to go to Pune in 1975 when the Institute opened, I didnt ask anyones permission when I received the invitation in 1976 from Mary Palmer. I immediately sent her whatever money I had stashed away as a deposit. I didnt dare mention anything to anyone. It was our little secret. Of course as the time approached, I had to tell my husband, who, caught completely off guard, had no words at all to respond. It was the first time I had ever left him or our son for longer than a week. When the shock wore off, I told him I had some childcare in place and some food in the freezer. He was a professor of classical archaeology and could manage to pick our son up from preschool. I later learned I wasnt the only one who had a hard time getting away from home to make the journey. Some had childcare issues, one or more had to leave behind 25 frozen dinners, and others had to take bank loans in order to even begin the journeylet alone face what was awaiting them upon their arrival in Mumbai. Because it was my first epic journey, I thought it wise to ask my doctor for something that would help me sleep on the long plane ride. I met the Ann Arbor group at JFK, and we flew Swiss Air with a short layover in Switzerland. I dutifully took my pill at takeoff, and when we landed in Switzerland, I couldnt wake up. I have a vague memory of Mary Palmer shepherding me down an escalator, feeling kind of nauseated, and then boarding another plane. This was to be the cushiest part of my journey, and already I couldnt have made it alone. Nothing can adequately prepare you for the airport in Mumbai, which at that time was very rundown and smelled from years of mildew and squat toilets seldom properly cleaned. We arrived in the middle of the night, but the streets were full of After sleeping for only a few hours, I jumped out of bed so I could go outside and see what it was like. There were small shops everywhere selling old silver bracelets and even one weird coral necklace with tigers teeth between the corals. (I dont know where I put that one.) The streets were teaming with vendors. I went to see the gate of India only to discover From the airport we made our way to what was then the brand new Oberoi Hotel. People were lying on the sidewalks outside the hotel, too, but when we entered, we were suddenly transported into a world of marble floors, doormen, white uniforms with gold epaulets and turbans, fancy shops (not open in the middle of the night), and beautiful rooms with sparkling bathrooms. Mary Palmer thought it would be a good idea for us to spend a couple of nights in Mumbai to adjust before we headed to the Institute.
1977: Guruji is on the platform, adjusting someone in Sarvangasana. Hes working to move the students tailbone in. (Photo by Lindsey Clennell)
The Pune we saw then is almost completely gone.
people and lots of small shops were open for business. I had no idea what to expect, but somehow I never expected what I saw. Who shops at 2 a.m.? What was holding the shop owners wooden carts together? How did they manage to rig up lighting with only a single light bulb or some sort of flashlight configuration? Everyone seemed so poor. Slums surrounded the airport. They no longer
exist, but at the time, they were overwhelming. There were people sleeping on the ground, under blankets, shawls, or any sort of covering they could find. At first, I thought they were dead because you couldnt see their heads. We had been told before we left that sometimes dead people were left on the sidewalks, so how was I to tell if they were dead or not?
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Early Days At RIMYI Guruji started our mornings with dropbacks from Sirsasana and then followed them with
1976 International General Intensive (Photo by Lindsey Clennell)
Sunrise was the place to go for cereal or omelets. If you wanted something Western, you could find it there. We were expected to rest and take it easy during the day, and then we went back to the Institute for our late afternoon pranayama classes. Sometimes we stayed and took Geetas class at 6 p.m. if Guruji thought it was a good idea. We were not allowed to write anything down during classes, and there were no tapes available, so most of us spent a
Mandalasana.
that there were drug dealers everywhere approaching any foreigner who happened to be in their territory. I took a boat to Elephanta, which was fun and full of trash and monkeys. I walked into the Taj Hotel, which at the time was just the old section, and it was charming and beautiful. But like everyone else in our group, I was anxious to get to Pune. Finally we got on the road in a series of taxis. The road proved to be narrow with a broken up surface, and it was extremely dusty because this was the dry season. There were no super highways. It took more than five hours to get there, and our first and only roadside stop was at a small outpost, with the usual unspeakable toilet facilities, where they offered some sort of cooked food that we were all afraid to eat. We were all really glad when we reached the Amir Hotel, which was not near the Institute at all but down in the camp area. Why there, you might ask? It was the only hotel in town that had bathtubs, which Mary Palmer felt were more important than proximity. There have been several times since that I wished Id had the same priorities.
good deal of time writing notes in groups. It wasnt until the Japanese students started to come to the Institute that people were given permission to tape the classesbut still not us Westerners. Guruji was full of high energy and sometimes started our mornings with drop-backs from Sirsasana and then followed them with Mandalasana. This was our introduction to classes at the Institute. While riding to class, it was not uncommon to see people taking their morning baths and going to the bathroom across the street from the large slum we passed on our way. A huge bellows that was larger than the huts was used to get fires going. The air was filled with heavy smoke so that by the time we got to the Institute, it seemed like we were in the suburbs. It was not uncommon when riding back at night to see large rats. One time when I was coming back from a friends apartment, I saw a rat the size of a large rabbit! Which reminds me of another story. After my experience with the Amir where I stayed in 1976 and
Like so many things in Pune, the Amir Hotel no longer exists. The Pune we saw then is almost completely gone. Indias 70s and 80s streets were filled with cows or wandering members of a water buffalo herd that lived near the Institute. Getting to and from the Amir Hotel required a rickshaw ride of 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how many times we had to stop for cows or sheep or goats on the roads. Today it can take 45 minutes to an hour to make the same trip. In those days, we went to intensives that were taught by Guruji himself. Classes would start at 7 a.m. and usually finish around 10 a.m., when many of us would rush off to Vaishalis or the Sunrise caf to get breakfast. Vaishalis, which is actually still there, served Indian food in a lovely garden setting that had tables with large umbrellas to shield you from the weather. The
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1978, I switched to the Agit Hotel, which was across the street from the Deccan Gymkanna Club. Here Patricia Walden, Victor Oppenheimer, and a large contingent of English yoga teachers stayed for many years. We paid $7 a night, and it was a 25-minute walk to the Institute, which we often had to do if we couldnt find rickshaws at 6:30 a.m. I actually loved those walks because it brought us into contact with the old British bungalows built with stone in the Saracenic architecture style, which still exists in Mumbai. We also encountered vegetable vendors who came by with their bullock carts early in the morning and later in the afternoon when we were on our way back to the Institute. While staying at the Ajit Hotel in 1981, two rats buried themselves in my pillow, which I didnt discover until I leaned
back. They immediately jumped out squealing and started running around the room. I went down the hall to ask my friend Victor to come in and help, but he started shrieking his head off and jumped on the other bed when he saw the rats. Patricia came out into the hall and started shrieking as well. There I was, totally traumatized, having to calm the two of them down, while the rats, terrified of Victor, were running around trying to get out of the room. Apparently, the rats had climbed a tree behind my bathroom window, which, of course, was broken, and had come in that way. When I called down to the front desk to get someone to come up and do something, they said, Yes, madame. Coming, madame. It is only rats, madame. We will be coming soon, madame. Try to remain calm. They finally showed up with a piece of cardboard to shoo the rats out, and then covered the broken window with the same piece of cardboard and some tape. There madame, now you can go back to bed. They are gone now. The next morning I insisted on moving despite their assurances about the efficacy of the cardboard. We sometimes went up on the roof of the hotel to take advantage of the sun, and we would find nearly the entire contingent of British teachers up there as well. That lasted until the mid-80s when Geeta announced that if anyone showed up to class with a changed color, she would throw them out. Little did we know that she was saving our skins, literally.
December or January was at its best quality of the year. Because there were very few cars in Pune, we didnt suffer from street noise and could easily hear everything that was being said. There were no burning leaves outside the windows of the Institute. Bicycles were the mode of choice for 99 percent of the population. Several of us rented bicycles at least once to get around. The population of Pune in the 1970s was a mere 250,000 as opposed to the 5 million who live there today. The only five-star hotel was the Blue Diamond, built mostly out of wood that was painted blue. It took about 15 minutes to get there. A group of us would go there on Sunday mornings for brunch, which mostly consisted of baked beans on toast or some sort of egg combination. For those of you who have not been to Pune: Because of the terrible traffic and intense pollution, it now takes 45 minutes to get to the camp area and about the same to get to the Blue Diamond area. One of the things I miss the most about Gurujis intensives, apart from his extraordinary teachings, was the makeup of those classes. Forty people from around the globe were gathered to study with him. He corrected each of us individually in Salamba Sarvangasana. He demonstrated our mistakes on his body first, and if we werent getting it, he would take one of us up on the stage and demonstrate how and where to change what that student was doing. We would then go back and repeat. As a result of the diversity of the intensives, many of us formed
Those Saracenic stone bungalows no longer exist nor do the fields across the street from the Institute. The beautiful banyan trees that lined Fergusson College Road were torn down 15 years ago. Pune was a beautiful city in the early days. University students could be seen sitting outside on the grounds of their colleges. There were no high-rises or malls, and the air in
life-long friendships with yogis all over the world. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to have met so many wonderful people. Here are just a few of the people I remember meeting during those early years: Lillian Biggs, Lindsey and Bobby Clennell, Mary Dunn, Angela Farmer, John Floris and his beautiful wife Maria, Beverly Graves, Martin Jackson, Judith Lasater, Manouso and Rita Manos, Jean Maslow, Mira Mehta, Shaym Mehta, Silva Mehta, Victor Oppenheimer, Lisa Schwartz, Clay Soren and Nanda, his then partner, Karin Stephen, Peter Thompson, Victor Van Kooten and his wife Annameeka, Patricia Walden, and Judith from Bern, Switzerland.
Joan White has been a student of the Iyengars since 1973 and received her advanced certification from B.K.S. Iyengar in 1993. She gives workshops and classes all over the states and in Europe, and also runs the B.K.S. Iyengar yoga school of Central Philadelphia. She has an active teacher-training program at her school. She served for six and a half years as the national certification chair, served on the IYNAUS board, and has served continuously on the ethics committee since 2000. She was the first recipient of the Lighting the Way award.
1976: Guruji adjusting a student while he teaches Jalandhara Bandha. You can see the dust on the floor. (Photo by Lindsey Clennell)
Spring /Summer 2013 Yoga Samachar 13
Early Days At RIMYI
First Impressions
By Bobby Clennell
made my first journey to RIMYI in 1976 with my husband, Lindsey, and our two sons, Miles and Jake, who were 10 and 5 at the time. Lindsey and I have been back 20 or so times since then, but the memory of that first trip has remained
the strongest in my mind: The colors, sounds, smells, and tastes of India that year made a lasting impression on my senses. Most important and profound was the impact of Mr. Iyengars teaching. I had never met a teacher who demandedand receivedsuch undivided attention. When Guruji teaches, his eyes are everywhere. In his classes, he demands that one remain on the very edge of the moment. It is interesting to experience his teaching now, in February 2013, and compare it with what I remember of his teaching 40 years ago. Now he teaches through his granddaughter, Abhijata. In the ladies class, she hears his voice but you dont. Strictly speaking, this is his practice time; he begins curved over the Viparita Dandasana bench. If you glance
1976: Guruji, Geetaji, and Prashantji always practiced their inversions together in the late afternoon, before the evening class. You can see the white dust on the sole of Gurujis foot and all over the mats from the polishing and smoothing of the marble floor. (Photo by Lindsey Clennell)
was confined to the portion of the floor that was dry. Guruji sternly announced that no one, NO ONE, was to drop one of the new white blankets onto the wet portion of the floor. This was nerve-racking. I was so nervous that I dropped my blanket right into one of the puddles. I froze. The entire class froze. Guruji looked furious. Finally, my dear husband, Lindsey, stepped forward, lifted the blanket out of the water, took me by the hand, and led me over to a dry spot. The class resumed. It was entirely different at RIMYI in the 70s. I found Guruji both alarming (make that terrifying) and utterly charismatic. He is still both, but now I understand him better. In those days, Guruji was addressed as Sir. In fact, I still find myself calling him Sir. Then as now, when he taught, he bypassed gender, age, and class. He demanded that all participate. All were subject to his penetrating attention. Most educational institutions I had attended had been happy to allow me to hide. Now I had to come out from the shadows. I remember every correction, every admonishment, and every adjustment. We had pushed up into what was, I think, our sixth Urdhva Dhanurasana. I was struggling to hold the pose. A voice from above roared, Dont die yet! You have two children. Stay up!! Once Guruji corrected my Ardha Chandrasana. In retrospect, I think he was being fairly gentle, as he said, You are a beginner arent you? My pose was corrected for the benefit of the group. That day at lunch with some of the students, I cried and cried. It was such a strong experience. I was absolutely overwhelmed. All I can tell you is that I went back the following year. I knew I had to.
over to his practice area at the end of the class, however, you see that he is now standing and watching the class. What hasnt changed is his absolute mastery as a teacher. Gurujis language, then and now, is pure poetry. Later Geetaji came along and taught in a way that made his teachings more easily and clearly understood, and that was marvelous. We began to absorb the information differently. But Gurujis instructions somehow bypassed the logical, computing brain, going straight to our innermost being. After each of those early trips, I would return to London with the sensation of floating and this would last for a good six months. I remembered a large group at the first intensive I attended. Now, looking at an old photograph, I realize it was small, certainly compared with the number of students in the asana hall these days. This past February, there were 200 students, and it took 1520 minutes to seat everyone. Various methods were employed to make room: Has anyone attended a class already todayeven the medical class? Does anyone have a bad cold? Is anyone coughing? OUT!! During that first intensive, the Institute had only just been built, so some things were not quite finished, and the marble floor was being polished. When classes werent meeting, huge, circular grinding machines were run over the wet floor again and again to produce the shine that we see to this day. Class
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Backbends, Balancings, and Props

The teaching was exciting and strong and instilled much confidence into us students. A mens class was taught by Mr. Shar. It was a tough class, but women who were strong enough
During one restorative class, we held Urdhva Dhanurasana for an incredible seven minutes.
were welcome. Shar also taught some of the regular classes. During one restorative class, we held Urdhva Dhanurasana for an incredible seven minutes. In back-bending classes, Guruji would line everyone up in a row and drop each person back from Tadasana to Urdhva Dhanurasana. I was beginning to come out of my shell. It worked for meI was only 30 years old. He made you do things you didnt imagine you were capable of. There were fast-moving and very lively
Guruji, Geetaji, and Prashantji, to discuss the interface of medicine and yoga. Prashant organized a photo shoot depicting the use of props for various ailments. The photos were displayed giving us teachers our first solid guidelines on yoga for medical uses. These pictures were crude by the standard of todays teachings, but that event was another of those turning points in Iyengar Yoga history.
Colored Paper, Chips, and a Conch Shell

I was working with a team of volunteers to decorate the Institute on the eve of a celebration. It was late. We were sitting on the floor, cutting large mandalas out of colored paper. The floor of the Institute was strewn with paper, glue, scissors, pencils, and the like. A pair of feet that was unmistakably Gurujis appeared in front of me. Guruji disappeared, then moments later, tea and little bowls of desert were brought to each worker. Another year, I was making paper cutouts of yoga poses as decoration for another celebration. Guruji appeared again and began correcting my drawings. At the opening of the original London Institute, one of my cutout decorations was of RIMYI. Guruji wanted to make sure that I included the Hanuman statue that rests atop the building. For our first two or three trips, Lindsey and I stayed at the Ajit Hotel, Deccan Gymkhana. On that first trip, much to my childrens annoyance, I had brought to Pune brown rice, miso paste, umaboshi (salted) plums, and Japanese rice noodlesall the ingredients needed to make macrobiotic meals. I was in my macrobiotic phase (later came vegetarianism, raw food, and sprouted, living food). I prepared our macrobiotic meals on a one-ring burner, purchased locally, on the floor of our hotel room. Our children ate very little of this. Because they were still hungry, we would then take them to the Pune Coffee House (no longer in existence), for finger chips (deep fried potatoes), which they dipped into sugary, tomato ketchup. Among my most treasured memories of those early days was how much access we had to the Iyengar family. Mr. Iyengar would often come and join the group for a meal in a hotel or a restaurant. At the end of each intensive, we would be invited to a meal in the reception area of the Institute served to us by Geeta and some of her sisters. Geeta would urge us to eat more, especially the delicious and syrupy gulab jamun, which she assured us would heal us of practically any ailment. One evening, a group of students, including our sons, Miles and Jake, were sitting in Gurujis house. Guruji began talking about the conch shell that lay on a cabinet. Not everyone would be
jumping sessions led by Guruji. There was so much laughter and so much happiness in those jumping sessions. One year we stayed for two months. Between intensives, we were taught in small classes of eight or nine. Thats where I learned the balancing poses. Although this was a profound experience, I didnt really understand then just how special those tiny classes were. In the early days, there were fewer props, but over the years, the prop collection expanded and developed. In 1988, a medical symposium was staged. Up on the platform, an assortment of doctors and healthcare practitioners assembled, along with
1976: Guruji adjusts a students head in a supported variation of Viparita Dandasana as Prashant looks on. (Photo by Lindsey Clennell)
able to get a sound out of it, he said. Guruji explained that the
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Early Days At RIMYI

conch, or shankha shell, is used as an important ritual object in the Vedic tradition. It is an auspicious instrument and is often played in pujas in temples or homes. Vishnu, the god of preservation, is said to hold a special conch that represents life because it came out of life-giving waters. The sound of the conch is believed to drive away evil spirits. Blowing the conch requires tremendous respiratory power. Blowing it daily helps keep the lungs healthy. Guruji blew into it, and a long, low, melodious note emerged. He passed it around the room, and no one else could get a sound. Finally, Guruji passed it to 10-year-old Miles. Miles put it to his lips and blew. The sound was beautiful! Guruji laughed and laughed. His eyes twinkled. A young boy was drawn into a group that he had been somewhat on the outside of and made to feel welcome and validated. It was a wonderful moment. Bobby Clennell (Intermediate Senior II) is the author and illustrator of The Womens Yoga Book and Watch Me Do Yoga.
1976: Guruji adjusts the head and shoulders of a student in supported Savasana. Perhaps the thick mat that has been rolled up for support pre-dates bolsters? (Photo by Lindsey Clennell)
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diary excerpts
Gifts From the Source

By Sharon Conroy
eventsa brothers death and hurricane Katrinainspired me to reevaluate how I spend my time and whats most important to me. Since 2005, Ive studied at RIMYI annually. Doing so has transformed my practice as well as my teaching. The primary thing I cherish about these visits is being taught by a member of the Iyengar family. Their instructions are precise, and their language is both potent and elegant in its simplicity. Their words transform the mind as well as the body. A few years ago, throughout a backbend class, Geetaji brought our attention to various places in the body and asked us to sanctify those places with our presence. With one well-chosen word, she transformed the way our minds received the actions she was giving our body. Years later, I still treasure Geetajis use of the word sanctify. While its true that my mind spreads and penetrates inward whenever Im able to maintain multiple actions in the body simultaneously, my practice takes me even deeper when I can, at the same time, see myself as sanctifying the body with my presence. By working in this manner, we transform the body and the mind. And, in our daily lives, we begin to live in the sacred fullness of the present moment. The Iyengar familys teachings abound with such treasures. In 1998, the first time I visited RIMYI, I recall Prashantji saying in almost every class, You people are always doing, doing, doing. Asana is a state of being, not a state of doing. In a similar, and at the same time different way, this teaching transformed the mind with which I practiced asana. With just 12 years of experience, I was very focused on maintaining and refining the actions I was given by teachers. I had not been asked, nor had it occurred to me, to simply be in a pose. However, Prashantji was inviting me, at some point in the practice of each asana, to make a conscious decision that I had done all that I could do and, maintaining the actions, simply be in the pose receiving the effects of what I had created. Like Geetajis use of the word sanctify, from the moment I heard Prashantjis perspective on practicing asana, it began to inspire my practice and has been a gateway into the spaciousness and silence within.
lthough I began to practice in the Iyengar tradition in 1986, I studied at RIMYI only twice during the first 17 years. A variety of seemingly sound reasons kept me awaywork, family, finances. Then, two life-changing
Ive heard Geetaji say more than once, I give you the clues; the work is yours!
Sometimes, the gift I take home from RIMYI is from a class. At other times, its something that Ive heard Guruji say when he breaks from his own practice to teach a longtime student who is working nearby. Over the years, again and again, Ive heard Guruji lament that even his most senior students work mechanically and practice yesterdays pose today. Instead, he wants each of us to be absolutely present and see the effects of the
actions we give our body as well as observe our own habits and tendencies. Only then can we refine our poses and, over time, change the tendencies and habits that work against us. Working this way takes tremendous curiosity and discipline, both of which appear to abound in our beloved Guruji, even at the age of 94! While there is no question in my mind that Im a beginner, the reminder I hear year after year at RIMYIto see the effects of the actions I give my bodyhas inspired and informed my practice and teaching more than any other treasure I have received there. Most recently, the gifts Ive brought home come from classes that Abhijata teaches with Guruji guiding her from the sidelines. In December 2011, we were given simple actions for the feet that I practiced and taught throughout 2012. What amazed and delighted me all year was the
Guruji in the library (Photo by Tori Milner)
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diary excerpts I had not been asked, nor had it occurred to me, to simply be in a pose.
way such seemingly basic actions could intelligize the entire leg. I call such actions elegant because while they are simple, when used intelligently, their effects are farreaching, making other leg actions superfluous. Even my tendency to hyperextend the knees is corrected because the actions in the feet have the effect of sucking
persist and am committed to working toward that end, slowly but surely.
I.14 sa tu dirghakala nairantarya satkara asevitah drdhabhumih

Long, uninterrupted, alert practice is the firm foundation for restraining the fluctuations. When we are fortunate enough to study with the Iyengar family at RIMYI, above all else, they teach us how to practice. May we work with dedication and discipline and put their potent and eloquently spoken words to good use back home. Sharon Conroy (Intermediate Junior III) founded the Iyengar Yoga community in New Orleans where she once more resides and teaches. Her email address is [email protected].
the back of the calf into the bone. In addition, the defects in my right leg show up clearly as I attempt to find the actions in my right foot. Could these actions be one of the missing puzzle pieces for me? Can I become as proficient with them in my right foot as I am in the left? As Ive heard Geetaji say more than once, I give you the clues; the work is yours! I dont know how many years it will take to make my right leg as intelligent as the left, but I intend to
Finding the Grill

By Vicky Grogg
froze when I heard the words Adho Mukha Vrksasana. Still sitting after the invocation, my deepest fear about classes at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute had come true: the call to do full arm balance.
The pose simply scares me. My failed attempts to kick into full arm balance have left me injured, and more than once, my frustration has escalated to the point of making me want to quit my yoga practice altogether. As I considered a trip to Pune to study at the Iyengar Institute, one of the first things I noticed was that full arm balance was not on the list of required poses. Still worried about the dreaded pose as I prepared for my month-long trip, I talked to several people who had studied at RIMYI. I always asked them, What if I cant go up into full arm balance? Everyone told me to simply go to the back of the room near the grill. The grill is a grid of metal bars that cover the windows at the Institute. There, I could join a group of Indian ladies who need help kicking up at the wall. Most people reassuringly added, Its no big deal. After taking a couple of deep breaths to try and calm myself, I looked toward the back of the room for the ladies. From my position near the props room, I could only see Guruji, upsideWith this knowledge firmly planted in my mind, I thought I was prepared for my first class taught by B.K.S. Iyengar and his granddaughter, Abhijata. I was wrong. When full arm balance was called, any glimpse I had at contentment, or santosha, was lost. I simultaneously feared the pose, desperately wanted to find the ladies at the grill, and wished I could run out of the room unnoticed.
The outside gate and Institute building with Vicky in the foreground, standing on the opposite side of the street (Photo by Keith Morese)
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Vickys paper schedule for her month at the Institute, with class and practice times (Photo by Vicky Grogg)
one of the first things I noticed was that full arm balance was not on the list of required poses.
down in a deep supported backbend. He was in front of what looked like a grill on the wall. Now quietly panicking, I decided it probably wasnt a good idea to move anywhere near Mr. Iyengars practice space. As I froze, the class turned into a chaotic dance of people taking
women, and I lifted one leg to the wall. Instead of feeling a metal bar, the back of my ankle caught a curtain rod that protruded about five inches from the wall, just above the grill. Another kink in my plans. Before I could revert to full panic mode, one of the ladies reassured me it was okay and encouraged me to lift my second leg to the curtain rod. It actually didnt feel okay, instead it was quite wobbly, but at this point, I was simply relieved to find the ladies and finally make it into a modified version of full arm balance. Fortunately, the full arm balance gathering area shifted to a slightly different area during each class, so the curtain rod was not always in my way. Throughout the month, I found myself relaxing and even looking forward to the pose. I knew exactly where to go and what to do. And most of all, I enjoyed being in a group where everyone took turns with the pose, gave encouragement while telling you if you were straight or crooked, and assumed the all-important job of holding the horse in place. It turns out that walking up the grill with the ladies who
turns hurling themselves at walls while others scrambled to find space or avoid getting kicked. A stray foot that breezed by my head brought me out of my daze. I quickly stepped through the crowd of about 125 students and frantically searched the room for the ladies at the grill. When the teachers shouted instructions for students to switch places at the wall, I kept my arms in my best Gomukhasana and pretended that I had already gone up into the pose. The room at the Institute is curved. On one side of the back wall, women who are menstruating gather together for class so that teachers can identify them and instruct them in alternate poses. When Guruji is there, hes on the opposite side of the room. From where I stood, all I could see were menstruating ladies and Guruji. Continuing the charade of pretending I had already gone into full arm balance, I moved toward the middle of the floor. Here I finally spotted the ladies at the grill, a small group pressed into a corner behind the menstruation section. Relieved, I let go of my Gomukhasana arms and hustled over to them. I saw they were taking turns kicking up from a large wooden horse to a metal grill that covered the windows. A new fear silenced me. I expected to face the wall and walk up the grill backwards, a much easier move for me than having my back toward the wall while lifting one leg at a time from a free-standing wooden horse. The ladies ignored me. Not knowing what else to do, I stood quietly until one woman looked at me and hesitated before saying, Do you want to try? I took my turn and did my best to imitate what I saw the other ladies doing. I placed my hands on the floor, took both of my feet to the wooden horse that needed to be held in place by two
regularly take classes at RIMYI was a real privilege. I had a glimpse into an everyday aspect of classes that most students who come from other countries dont get to see, all while working at my own pace. And that, after all, was a big deal. Vicky Grogg was hooked on yoga after taking her first class in the Iyengar tradition in 1996. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, dog, and two cats.
Vicky and Nana, the infamous rickshaw driver who caters to Institute students (Photo by Keith Morese)
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diary excerpts
Traveling to India: Two Trips in One

By Siegfried Bleher
different part of the world and the psychological adjustments that this entails, plus the immersion into the deep ocean that is the Iyengar method at its source. I will share just a few journal entries from a blog I wrote while in Pune during the month of November 2010 (siegfriedbleher.blogspot.com). I was able to go to India through the generosity of a scholarship from the Southeast Region (IYASE) and many kind friends.
raveling to India is never simple; at least it hasnt been for me in three trips. In my experience, a single trip has so many dimensions that it can feel like at least two separate trips in one: the physical relocation to a
cultivating wisdom.
Thursday, Nov. 4A Day Off From Classes

No class today. The Institute is getting ready for Patanjali Jayatri, a celebration of Patanjali just before Diwali festivities. I took a walk through a park near the Institute and enjoyed the quiet of the park as well as the exotic trees and plants. That was good preparation for what came nexta stroll to Fergusson College Road, one of the busiest in Pune. In the evening, two of Gurujis students spoke. The first on yoga sutra I.1: atha yoga anusasanam, the other on sutra I.2: yogas citta vrtti nirodhah. Then Guruji spoke about the aim of yoga, how we may touch each layer of the being through asana, to reach the soul, to recognize the expansive nature of our minds, to come to realize cosmic consciousness. We begin by spreading our minds evenly throughout our bodies. [March 2013: I remember feeling transfixed while Guruji spoke, as though he had created an environment outside of time during which I could absorb his words and his presence. I think this is a glimpse of yoga!]
Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010First Day of Classes

Actually the first day of classes was Monday, Nov. 1. Mine was Nov. 2 because I was laid out the first day by gastritis. My landlady took me on the back of a scooter to a local hospital Monday morning after it reached a crescendo. But I was well enough by Tuesday morning to attend class. No matter what anyone else tells you, dont try gastritisnot at all recommended. First class with Prashantexcellent metaphors to teach us not to get too much into performing poses and actions for their own sake, or automatically and dogmatically. See the poses as ways of culturing the breath and the mind. Be aware of the action you are performing, where it is initiated, what its purpose is, and what its benefits are: Notice which are the benefactors, beneficiaries, and benefits for each action. This makes practice less about the body, more about the mind and
Monday, Nov. 8Class with Prashant

Discern between I and mind when you practice. Use the breath in different modes, for example, as an agent for acting on the body, for acting on the mind, or as the recipient of action performed by the mind and by the body. Prashant calls the breath participant when it is an agent or benefactor; when it
The front of the RIMYI main hall during Patanjali Jayatri (Photo by Siegfried Bleher)
20 Yoga Samachar Spring /Summer 2013
It seems to take at least a week to sort out all the things that are needed to be able to settle into a routine
is a recipient or beneficiary, he calls it adjusted. We tend to practice only as participants (doers), which over time wears out our bodies. We need to include an equal amount of adjustedness in the pose, which means instead of doing, we are done. There is a rhythm in the shift between using the breath in its participatory role, especially on the strong exhalation (he calls it uddiyanic breath), and in its role
Shopping on Laxmi Road (Photo by Siegfried Bleher)
as adjusted/done/beneficiary on the inhalation. The shift is to exhale more forcefully, using the breath to act on the body, then let the breath be done and adjusted while you use the body in its role as agency or participant to maintain the doneness of the breath. While going through the rhythm of this cycle, be aware of the difference between your mind, which perceives, organizes, and shifts the focus to deepen the embodiment, and your selfthe Iwhich is present and unperturbed by the flows within this cycle. Dont practice postures, which is just practicing for the body, but practice asanas, which is practicing for your entire embodiment (mind, breath, body, emotions).
May 17, 2011Follow-up Six Months Later

It has been six months since I returned from Pune. It didnt take long to get used to being home, but there was adjustment mostly getting back up to speed after having a very different pace in India. What remains after six months, or at least what is most noticeable to me, is the feeling that I am more deeply integrating what I learned there into my practice and teaching. For example, what does Prashant mean by uddiyana kriya? As I understand Prashants instructions, uddiyana kriya is the practice of exhaling deeply and forcefully, as one might during the initial stage of uddiyana bandha. But instead of completing the bandha by holding the exhaled breath outbahiya kumbhaka we perform only the action (kriya) of exhaling sharply, without holding the breath. This serves the purpose of deepening the links between the actions in the legs and hips and those in the arms and trunk. Such links then become evident in both pranayama and asana. I also realize what a tremendous gift it is to be able to travel to Pune and learn from the Iyengars.
Thursday, Nov. 11A Day of Routine

It seems to take at least a week to sort out all the things that are needed to be able to settle into a routinepaying for classes, moving into an apartment (which is often a few days after arriving), figuring out Internet access, getting money exchanged into rupees, figuring out where to buy groceries, etc. And then there is the need to adjust to the class and practice schedule: If you take a class from 79 a.m., and practice time is 9 a.m.noon, then youd better figure on having a good breakfast before class or doing lots of restoratives at practice time. Or what I have been doing is going back to my apartment, having a second breakfast, then returning to the Institute for a 2-hour practice. This only works if you are very close to the Institute. So by now I have the comfort and predictability of routineor I should say some routine preceding the inevitable unexpected thing. [March 2013: The best change in my thinking came in the third week when I came to accept that I was in Pune not to catch up on unfinished projects from home but to fully experience being in Pune and at the Institute.]
Siegfried Bleher (Intermediate Junior III) runs Inner Life Yoga Studio with his wife Kimberly in Morgantown, West Virginia. He is also a physicist who lectures at West Virginia University and is interested in the physics of nonduality. He is currently writing a book on the Science of Breath and another on Yoga as Transformation.
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History and Highlights of the Pune Guide

By Denise Weeks
obby Clennell went to Pune for the first time 40 years ago. It was a great leap in the dark, Bobby recalled.
So much has changed in Pune in the past 40 years, Bobby reflected, changed beyond belief. Now you can find organic food and toilet paper, for instance. The modern world has made its way in. The only thing that hasnt changed is the Institute. Though the guide is full of tips for shopping and travel and how to get connected via email and the Internet, the experience of going to the Institute is still about the yoga. Bobby said, Its not a spa; its authentic. And when you go there, they expect you to give (if you are certified at a level that qualifies you to help in the medical classes, for example) in the same way they give. You need to go, Bobby said. You need to see it in context. Bobbys words and the encyclopedic guide are certainly encouraging. She said, Everyone comes back transformed.
You were going as far away from Western civilization as you could go. Twenty trips later, she can still feel some of that early terrorlike when you arrive at the airport and wonder what youll do if your cab driver doesnt show up. To help ease the fears and make the trip more accessible for the roughly 2,000 students who make their way the Institute every year, Bobby put together an invaluable resource: the Pune Guide. Available online at http://iynaus.org/study-india/study-india, the guide began as a short document, just a few pages long, nearly 15 years ago. As it grew in length and scope, the guide continued to reflect Bobbys interest in having something very practical, organized, and up-to-date. Now 73 pages long, the guide provides details on everything from visa requirements and lodging to where you can have a bolster cover made. Each entry provides as much contact information as possible, including, in some cases, walking directions that use familiar landmarks such as facing the Commonwealth Building, down a small alley, next to the night dresses. Its the second tailor upstairs on the right.
Enticing Tips From the 2013 Pune Guide

Preparing to go: In your visa application or interview, do not
mention that youre going to study yoga or take classes; always state that you are a tourist. If consulate officials learn youre studying yoga, they will assign you an (X) visa for yoga or Vedic studies, which requires you to register within two weeks of your arrival in India, with the Foreign Registry Office (FRO) at the Pune Police Commissioner, where youll receive a Residential Permit. If you dont register there, you may have trouble later on leaving the country. [Page 6]
Simple things that bear repeating: When calling RIMYI, Pandu,

Bobby updates the guide every year when she goes to Pune and asks for input from fellow travelers as well as local Indian service providers. The information in the guide is democratic, Bobby said. It belongs to the community; she is not judgmental about what people submit for inclusion. She hasnt had time to develop anything like a rating system, but she would be happy to delegate some of the work of maintaining and developing the guide to those whod take responsibility for some specific part of the task (editing, for example, or checking phone numbers, which seem to change
Pune Central, the eight-story shopping center just around the corner from the Institute (Photo by Vicky Grogg)
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tel (91-20) 2565 6134, may be reached during the following hours: From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday; and from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. [Page 40]
The What to Bring list, with these helpful details: Look for
RIMYI on Google Earth. Print out a map of the immediate area, especially the triangle between Ferguson College Road and University Ave. The neighborhood is not laid out on a grid and can be disorienting. [Page 8] Glue stick. Envelopes do not come with glue on the flap; likewise, stamps are not provided with glueand post office glue is not reliable. [Page 8]
Helpful Just in Case options: If your ride to Pune fails to show,

there is a reliable car service that operates out of Mumbai Airport. As you leave customs, the Authorized (not yellow) cab office is on the right-hand side. [Page 14]
every five minutes).
Protocols at the Institute:

A request to alternate yourself means that the person in the center vertical line in front of the platform should lie with his or her head toward the platform and the persons to the left and right of him or her should lie with their heads facing in the opposite direction of the center person. [Page 29] When observing Guruji in the practice sessions, please do not take notes! [Page 32]
Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum, one collectors extensive and eclectic collection of folkloric and spiritual artifacts from all parts of India (Photo by Bobby Clennell)
Editors note: When booking your apartment, ask your landlord or landlady if the apartment has Wi-Fi. If it doesnt, move on! Its common for apartments to offer Wi-Fi these days. [Page 42] The Ambassador Hotel provides Internet access at 200 rupees per use, and although its expensive, it saves you a trip to the Reliance on Fergusson College Road, where you pay a fixed rate of 300 rupees each time you log on. [Page 42]
Tell an assistant that you are menstruating as soon as you arrive at class. Do not join the class if you are having your period and then drop out during inversions, i.e., dont wait until Sirsasana to tell someone you have your period. It is very distressing to Geetaji when someone decides they dont need to be on the side. This is considered very rude. [Page 31] Do not leave the hall until all the props are put back in the closet and the windows closed. Endeavor to put away more props than you used. This will ensure that cleanup is quick and easy. [Page 30]
Getting around Pune in an auto rickshaw: Auto rickshaw driver

Nana is recommended by Iyengar students. He speaks English and is reliable and punctual if a booking time is confirmed. If the time is not confirmed, and you are told to call him when you are ready be aware that he may not be available when you call. He also can arrange for airport transfers and take you to unfamiliar locations in Pune, and hell wait while you sightsee, shop, etc. He charges metered rates. Nana has made many foreign friends. On one occasion, he took some teachers on a Sunday morning, out-of-town, bird-watching expedition. [Page 33]
Simple pointers about food, as well as a long list of restaurants:

Sticky mats are very valuable in Pune and the Institute takes great care to preserve them. Do not place wooden props or chairs on them. And do not fold the thick mats, even when carrying them or putting them on the floor. Many students bring their own sticky mats and donate them to the Institute at the end of their stay, and this is much appreciated. [Page 30] There is a large vegetable Vegetarian food in India includes milk and milk products, but not eggs, which along with seafood are considered to be nonvegetarian. Prepackaged foods are marked with either a red or green dot in a square frame, denoting non-vegetarian and vegetarian food, respectively. [Page 52]
Everything you need to get online and stay in touch: The RIMYI
will ask you for a passport-sized photo of yourself. Bring a few if you are thinking of purchasing a cell phone card or dongle device for the Internet in Pune. [Page 8] You can use your GSM cell phone internationally, but it is cheaper to buy a local SIM card (this is the chip that gives you phone service). A store assistant at a cell phone store can unlock your cell phone to enable you to use an Indian SIM card, but it is more reliable to do so at home before you go. You pay about 20 rupees for the SIM and then the same number of rupees per minute, so if you pay 375 rupees, you get 375 local minutes. Be sure to ask for full talk time when buying minutes. When you call outside the country, the rupees-tominutes ratio increases. In 2012, it cost about 12 cents a minute to call the U.S. from a cell phone. [Page 40]
market, which is fairly amazing, called Mandai market. It is located next to Tulsi Baugh. The architecture of the building the market is in is also interesting. The vendors inside are more expensive while the quality inside and outside seem to be the same. The best days to go are Saturday and early Sunday, as early as 8 a.m. In Tulsi Baugh, one can find almost anything. It gets extremely busy on the
Jake Clennell relaxes in the foyer of the Chetak Hotel. (Photo by Bobby Clennell)
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weekends. Most stores open at 10 a.m., which is the best time to go. Most shops will close from noon to 4 p.m. generally. [Page 59]
extra. Speaks good English, and his work is excellent. Sticks to deadlines. The student who recommends him has been going to him for 25 years. [Page 66]
Places to visit in Pune:

A must see for those interested in the cultural history of Pune and beyond: Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum, one collectors extensive and eclectic collection of folkloric and spiritual artifacts from all parts of India. Website: http://www. rajakelkarmuseum. com/index.asp. [Page 34] Parvrati Hill. A collection of about five temples high up on Parvrati Hill. The best time to go is 5 p.m., when the sun is down. At the top, you can see the whole of Pune. Its a 15-minute rickshaw ride from the Institute. [Page 34] Shindes Temple located at Shinde Chhati, Wanowrie: As one student put it, one of the most peaceful and beautiful temples I visited in Pune. [Page 34]
More shoppingeverything you could want, plus tips on getting it all home: Bagwan
Aum Market. Laxmi Road (next to the Commonwealth building). A great collection of dupattas and scarvesa
Geeta Bhojwani, owner of Arnav (Photo by Bobby Clennell)
veritable feast for the eyes. Bring anything you want to color match. Second from the last shop on the left and across on the right. Ready-made dresses and western clothes (currently very popular in India). [Page 61] Karachiwala. 4 Moldina Road, Near Coffee House, Camp. Indian
Confident tips to the aspiring adventurer:

Agra. Fly to Delhi, and then drive to the Taj Mahal. [Page 36] Darjeeling. Drink first flush tea in the Himalayan Alps. [Page 36]
handicrafts; wholesalers, retailers, and exporters of fine jewelry, arts and crafts, etc. Ganesh, Patanjali, Krishna, Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva statues. Bronze, brass, sandalwood carvings, also scarves. [Page 63] Arnav. Geeta Bhojwani has been shopping for yogis for a long time, and she knows what we want. Her home-based, one-stop store is an Aladdins cave of hand-selected works of art, jewelry, and handicrafts from all over India. You will find lots of interesting gifts, some made by award-winning artists, including beautiful screen-printed paper, gift cards, goodquality woolen and silk stoles and scarves, Patanjali statues and embroideries. I advise that two or three of you go together. Slow down and enjoy a cup of chai as you browse. If you call before you go, you can be picked up and dropped back home afterward. [Page 61] Mr. Sanjay Lopes, at Smita Paranjapes apartment, opposite the Model Colony Post Office (look for Ravi Pavanjape on the outside wall of the building). Enter through the gates of the driveway where a car is parked. Mr. Lopes provides excellent packaging services, particularly catering to yoga students shipments abroad. Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed Sunday. [Page 72] Editors note: I myself have never experienced any problems at Mumbai airport with customs, but I have heard of students being asked to provide receipts from goods purchased in India. So, a word of warning: Save your receipts! [Page 60] Denise Weeks (Introductory II) teaches at Yoga Northwest in
Recommendations clearly based on personal experience:

Maharashtra, The Parade, just around the (Toyota dealership) corner from Hari Krisna Mandir, has fresh milk, yogurt, ghee, spices, rice, mung dal, etc. They are very helpful. Dont be thrown by the line cutting. [Page 58] Gatik Ventures. Navin Pandey. Highly recommended travel agent, based in Delhi.
A large statue of Ganesh lovingly touched up with fresh paint, ready for the Ganesh festival (Photo by Bobby Clennell)
... Arranged a few days of travel in Gujarat and Rajasthan. He solved
some nasty, last-minute problems for us very well. If I ever need a travel agent in India, I will call upon him again. [Page 37] Vama and Kajree. Kute Chowk, Laxmi Road. Silk saris, wedding saris, salwar-kurtas. The salesmen will parade hundreds of items for you if you dont stop them. [Page 64] Satish Pise: Krishna Ladies Tailors He will happily come to your apartment in Pune, but if he does this, pay him a little
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Bellingham, Wash., and is currently serving as secretary on the IYNAUS board. She is also the copy editor of Yoga Samachar.
Gurujis Birthday Gifts and Maitri in Bellur

By Gaye Painten
Gurujis childhood home in Bellur, India (Photo by Gaye Painten)
celebration, held Nov. 2628, 2012, in accordance with the Hindu calendar, coincided with the consecration of a newly restored Rama Temple in Bellur and the dedication of a newly erected junior college, Bellur College, Gurujis most recent gift to his childhood village. Bellur means silver in English, Guruji said at the colleges dedication ceremony where he spoke on the importance of education. School children honored him and entertained hundreds of guests under a huge tent, with yoga demonstrations and colorful, lively song and dance. This agrarian village once shone like silver in the 12th-century Hoysala Dynasty and is said to have held an important place in Indian mythology. During the time of the Mahabharata, the village was known as Ekachakrapura. Judging from what I saw during my trip to the village for the festivitiesa village primary school, the Ramamani Sundararaja Iyengar Memorial High School, the Ramamani Sundararaja Iyengar Memorial Hospital, clean drinking water,
ho says you cant go home again? Last winter, Guruji traveled back to his birthplace, the small village of Bellur in the South Indian state of Kanartaka, to celebrate his 94th birthday. The
Bellur means silver in English, Guruji said.
healthy sanitation facilities, and the impressive Sage Patanjali templeit is Gurujis intent through the Bellur Krishnamachar and Seshamma Smaraka Nidhi Trust (Bellur Trust) to restore this humble village to its former glory.
It was an auspicious sign when I discovered in early November that a trip to India I had already planned would coincide with Gurujis birthday fete. If I could get to Bangalore, I could be part of the celebration. I hastily altered my plans. Arrangements were made in a modest hotel in Bangaloreabout 150 miles from Bellurfor the small group of foreigners from all parts of the world who had traveled to India for the celebration. Each day, armed with cameras, iPhones, iPads, sunglasses, bottled water, mosquito repellant, and lots and lots of humor, we pilgrims traveled by mini-bus along the bustling, dusty road to Bellur and adjacent Ramamani Nagar, the 15-acre campus for religious ceremonies. On our first day, we toured the small village. We were greeted with heart-warming smiles from villagers and lots of requests to take my picture, take my picture. I paused reverently in front of Gurujis childhood
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Before leaving, I taught the kids how to give a high five, smacking each little palm.
the warm Indian sun. Back at the Ramamani Nagar, I was walking along the path to the dining hall when an Iyengar Yoga student from the U.S. asked if I had ever met Guruji. No, I replied, thinking that it had always seemed an impossible dream. Well, if you want to meet him, he is right up there on the veranda, she said, pointing to a residence at the top of an incline. Suddenly, my two feet took on a life of their own. They turned and started up the slope while my head and body followed until I was standing at the edge of the porch, face to face with the venerable Guruji. He was relaxing on a long sofa, one leg crossed on top of the other, a few devoted yoga students sitting on the floor at his feet. For one split second our eyes How humbling it was to be part of Gurujis religious life. Each day, temple priests, musicians, friends, and family bearing gifts for offerings arrived at the dining hall or Patanjali Temple to honor Guruji by observing the ritual of puja. Puja is the devotional act of showing reverence to a god or gods using music, water, incense, and offers of flowers, food, or clothing. I was taking photographs during one of the puja rituals when I noticed a little boy, about 10 or 11 years old, trailing me around the hall like a shadow. I turned around and smiled, but the boy didnt smile back. He was serious about something, and his dark penetrating eyes were pleading. What could he possibly want, I thought. I had seen him sitting with another photographer earlier that day. From afar, it looked as though the photographer was giving the boy a lesson on how to use his camera. Finally, I got it. I slowly took the camera strap from around my neck, leaned down, and placed it around the childs. Then I watched with motherly pride as he meandered around the grand hall taking snapshots of the puja with the intensity of a seasoned professional. The next morning, the boy brought his mother to meet me. Words to communicate failed again, so we smiled awkwardly and nodded at each other (maitri, friendliness, without words). She was beautiful, and I wanted to take a portrait of her, but when I held the camera aloft she quickly put one arm in front of her mouth and demurred. I think that she was ashamed of her teeth. More smiles, then the two of them disappeared into the crowd. home, then proceeded down a narrow lane past impassive chickens, apathetic goats, lazy dogs, and dispassionate cows to the Sage Patanjali Temple in the back of the village with its exquisitely carved, black stone statue of Patanjali in the inner sanctum. Along the way, I paused to befriend a young lady squatting in front of her house, doing her Monday morning wash under locked. I caught a twinkle in the soft brown eyes peeping out from under his bushy white eyebrows before instinctively prostrating myself at his feet. I muttered something about being from Philadelphia and that it was a true honor to meet him. He allowed me to take a picture of him, and minutes later, I floated back down the jagged path and headed to the dining hall where hearty South Indian fare was being served on banana leaves. During lunch, Guruji appeared in the dining hall with several members of his family. For the next three days, he often graced us with his presence at meals, and whenever he did, mealtime took on an air of sacredness.
Guruji and family watch as the temple priest makes offerings to sage Patanjali. (Photo by Gaye Painten)
Village boy before the start of pujaa budding photographer, perhaps? (Photo by Gaye Painten)
But in Bellur, I saw a

On the second afternoon of the fete, while the sprawling grounds were being decorated in anticipation of the grand celebration, another Iyengar Yoga student invited me to take a rickshaw back to the village with her to teach an English class at the primary school near Patanjali Temple. When the class wasnt ready for us, we sat on a rocky ledge in the schoolyard and waited. Soon we were surrounded by a mob of little children. Whats your name? Whats your name? they all chirped over and over and over. Lets sing the ABC song, my friend whispered to me. So we laughed and sang and watched as the crowd of children grew larger and larger. Finally, it was time to go into our classroom for the lesson. Before leaving, I taught the kids how to give a high five, smacking each little palm. I looked back toward the school yard before entering the classroom and caught sight of little arms still stretched high, the high five mantra filling the air. We returned to a magically transformed campus. Sweet anticipation filled the air. Metal security detectors had been erected at the entrance to the tent. We took our seats among hundreds in the audience and listened that night as the governor of Kanartaka and a host of dignitaries took turns praising our beloved Guruji for his work in education. Bellurs favorite son had come home again and brought many of his friends with him. And so for three days, Guruji presided over his 94th birthday bash where villagers mingled with foreigners, and maitri, the spirit of friendship, ruled. What a birthday gift for us all! Gaye Painten has been an Iyengar Yoga student since 2007, studying primarily with Joan White in Philadelphia. When I reflect on B.K.S. Iyengar, I am reminded of all that he has done for the advancement of yoga in the world and the many people who have benefited from his teachings. I hear the name B.K.S. Iyengar, and I think revered teacher, wise scholar, erudite author, world-traveler, celebrity, philanthropist, and strong-willed taskmaster. But in Bellur, I saw a different Guruji. I saw a humble and gracious man, a loving and kind father and grandfather figure to us allan ageless man, pure like silver, spiritual, and devoted to his God. I saw a benevolent and generous man who has high hopes and dreams for the children of Bellur and neighboring villages. That the poorest of the poor, the lowest of the low to be educated so that they can come to the level of the enlightened people of the cities. ... that by perspiration and inspiration [they will] become crystals in the field of education. These were Gurujis expressed wishes at the dedication of the Bellur College. He has given so much to the world. Now he wants to continue to give to children, such as the budding photographer and high-fivers I met, opportunities that he never had as a child.
different Guruji.
Students from the Ramamani Sundararaja Iyengar High School greet visitors with Namaste. (Photo by Gaye Painten)
Spring /Summer 2013 Yoga Samachar 27
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Paksha Pratipaksha on Results-Oriented Versus Indifference

Interview by Robin Lowry
As part of my dissertation research on yoga curricula for young people, I interviewed Dr. Geeta S. Iyengar several times. This segment is the last in the series.
Some consider that a goal or result of yoga is social harmony, that yoga can help humans get along.
Robin Lowry: Geeta Iyengar: Results-oriented teaching! You know children
will always want to know the effect-wise result: What happens if I do this? If it is cold outside and you tell them to put on woolen clothes, they will ask, Why? They want the answer given in such a manner that they are convinced. If they do not wear woolen clothes, what happens? Again, they are looking for results-oriented answers. So this inquisitiveness is always present in childrenor anyone: Why should I do this? But it should not be used to tempt with reward or to punish. Inquisitiveness should be replied to so that [the inquirer] develops the right and correct attitude. For instance, to ask students to do Sirsasana and tempt them with some reward, that is not right. You should certainly inform them that Sirsasana is going to help them in the future to retain a balanced nature, calmness, quietness, sharpness etc. but not give them an expectation of definite reward. But to your question, is social harmony merely to be nonviolent, noncovetous and so on? To impart moral training is one thing, but how are you going to make students realize that problems are rooted in us? The deep-rooted sorrows, pains, and fears. Human nature is of that type; therefore, we need to create awareness first.
joy of the game. That affects the players and brings not just physical breakdowns but mental breakdowns as well. The balanced state of mind is important.
RL:
Whereas with games for children, which should be fun, we can teach how to share, how to play hard but not aggressively.
GI: Yes. I think if children are taught in that manner, they are
playing the game for the games sake.
RL:
But can one also use games to act on or cultivate the principles of Yama and Niyama?
GI: Yes. You have to certainly guide them on the track of Yama
and Niyama, but when the emphasis is on achievement, it goes back to your question about results. These nerve-wracking kinds of achievements are not good. Today I have to do something for the great achievement, and then afterwards I am nowhere. What is the point in having such attitudes? So these demonic ambitions should not be there. One should have healthy ambitions, of course, but one should be fit enough to stand up to whatever you really need to achieve. This is when the contradiction comes. All games cannot be of the sober nature. It is not the fault of the game but the human beings.
RL:
In the field of physical education we teach sports and games. Would you consider sports and games practical ways to teach the Yamas and Niyamas? That through these sports and games you can learn about yourself?
RL:
GI: Oh yes. Yamas and Niyamas are universal disciplines,

adoptable by one and all. We find that even on the national and international levels, cutthroat competitions go on, fights and murders at stadiumsof course, this is not good. You have to definitely introduce Yamas and Niyamas. Healthy competition is good. International competitions have to take place, but not with the killing instinct or like today where sports are played for the sake of entertainment. Players dont enjoy the games when unhealthy attitudes develop. One is always thinking of doing more and more, not for improving skills but for winning. The craze of winning overshadows the
Ive come upon a book called the Kama Shastra, which lists skills like stitching, bridgebuilding, and word games that are said to be necessary to learn before studying the Kama Sutra, and I see that your yoga curriculum for school children is also called a shastra, the Yogshastra. What is the relationship between a shastra and a sutra?
GI: Shastra is science, methodology, doctrine, and sutra means

aphorism. Sutra will have minimum words, making the statement clear. Shastra contains the science with details. Sutra is a concise form of literature. So it is a way of writing an explanation. One could write the Yogasutras in the form of a novel, too. One can put the science of yoga in the story form, too. I once arranged a demonstration in Pune based on the idea of purusha and prakriti that was story-like, novel-like. A shastra puts everything in the form of science, which is based on a
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foundation of principles. Yoga is a spiritual science, as physics is a physical science. In a shastra, you put every topic systematically with definition as well as details. You explain every aspect and the subject matter clearly. You bring the proper connection in the topic. You explain the methodology, the purpose, and the aim of the science. You explain the utility of science. You deal with the opposing views or objections taken regarding the science. You give proof for its rationality and practicality. You explain the journey of science from start to end.
GI: Yes. So in that context, when you

read it, it becomes a shastra. You understand the spiritual approach scientifically. In this manner, you can go right up to the end of the book.
RL:
So like a study book?

Patanjali statue at RIMYI (Photo by Tori Milner)
Gurujis sequential syllabi that we study to become certified in his teaching method are so brilliant. I find so often in my studies, for example, that my problems with Malasana II have a root back in previous syllabi poses that I honestly never grasped fully.
RL: GI: Yes, exactly. When the body
performs, we do, and if it performs well and it presents itself, then we know. But when it doesnt do, we have to penetrate and find out why this is not happening. That means actually your penetration increases. If you would have just dropped into your Malasana straight away, your penetration would not have been there.
GI: Yes, a study book. And that is why

Guruji has always said when you are
studying yoga, you have to start with the Sadhana Pada (on practice, the second chapter of the Yoga Sutras), and the 13 sutras of the Vibhuti Pada (on properties and powers, the third chapter), then go to the Samadhi Pada (on contemplation, the first chapter). Why doesnt he first teach Samadhi Pada? Because first you should know what sadhana is. You do sadhana (practice) for what purpose? And knowing the purpose or touching the goal, some questions arise. There is a purusha (the seer, the soul); there is a prakriti (nature). Why are we attaching ourselves to drishya (the visible, perceptible) and forgetting our drishta (the knower, the seer)? So in this manner, each aspect, when dealt in details, it is shastra. To know about the soul, the elements, the evolutes of prakriti, the consciousness, the intelligence, mind, I-consciousness, the organs of actions, the organs of perceptionall such things come under shastra, including the bones, muscles, and anatomy and physiology of the body as well as psychology.
Today I have to do something for the great achievement, and then afterwards I am nowhere. What is the point in having such attitudes?
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RL:
And I wouldnt know anything.
GI: Yes! But now when you have to go back, you know exactly
where you are stuck. So in that small area, whether it is the groin or the root of the thigh or your knee or your back or lower spine, then you work on that region specifically for that region.
RL: Guruji gives the order for exploration in these syllabi. GI: Yes. But no one understands why it is given in this manner.
The syllabi are scientifically based.
RL:
I have created a self-inventory for teachers, not just yoga teachers, a list of statements that get to some behaviors and attitudes that may relate to specific kleshas (afflictions), or perhaps a conjunction of two or more kleshas.
GI: Cooperation is a human necessity. It is good. You have a

range for them to answer, and this range is showing that you have a level on which you can work. Sometimes they are feeling cooperation or tolerance is necessary, but if they are saying sometimes yes or they are saying always when you dont really need always, or rarely, then that means you have a
RL:
So you get the context from Sadhana Pada from which to study the other padas (chapters).
So by indifference there is compassion; there is patience; there is also understanding of what is possible for such individuals.
discrimination, that means paksha (to espouse) pratipaksha (opposite thought/action) comes there. Again, you can have tolerance when a student is doing wrongly and not trying to pick up what has to be done. You may have tolerance the first time and the second time, but then you realize he is doing this on purpose, and then obviously you have to lose your temper over there. And that is really what you can study, so this is good.
GI: Yes. So as a teacher, you have to know such things, that they
are not going to improve or adapt. So by indifference there is compassion; there is patience; there is also understanding of what is possible for such individuals. All students are not of the same level.
RL:
Well, Geetaji, this leaves me with a lot to contemplate. Thank you so very much for your time today as well as all your hard work everyday for your students.
GI: Thank you!
RL:
This brings up the idea of indifference. Guruji has written that the qualities of a teacher include compassion, patience, and tolerance, but also indifference. Please explain how this indifference works.
Robin Lowry has been studying in the Iyengar method since 1987 and is certified at the Intermediate Junior I level. She teaches at her home yoga studio in the historic Germantown section of Philadelphia. She has been a public school health and physical education teacher for 18 years and currently teaches at the K6 level. Her dissertation, A Survey of Youth Yoga Curriculums, was completed in August 2011 at Temple University in the Kinesiology Department.
GI: I will give you an example of indifference. In my ladies

class, there is an old lady who comes. She had been doing very well with the group, doing everything. Even with her arthritic knees, she was following everything. She is about 70 plus. Last year she had an eye operation for her cataracts. Cataract surgery is not a big operation, but after that operation, when she came to class, she was totally lost. She could not remember anything. So the first two days, I gave her the sequencewhat supine poses, which forward bends she should do, and what she should avoid. I introduced her to Setubandha Sarvangasana and Halasana. But now we notice that she is becoming thin, yet no one has come from her family, so we dont know what is going on. She is forgetting everything. She has a sort of dislinking, a withdrawing, and so what can we do? She comes regularly, and all by herself. And she is doing mechanically. The brain is certainly affected. So as a teacher, I think, I should allow her to come as long as she can manage. I may not continue to adjust her. She is coming, and that is enough. I show indifference yet with compassion.
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RL:
So you see the students capacity not just on the physical level. You cannot push even though we may think we know what she should do, we have to be indifferent so that we dont get in the way of her or get caught up.
Samachar
Sequence
Jet Lag Sequence

After a typically convoluted journey to Pune to study at RIMYI, I arrived at the Surya hotel and prepared to settle in. Back in the day, the Surya was a favorite temporary home for the Institutes world travelers. Once inside my room, I opened the large vertical cabinet that provided a place to hang my clothes with an additional high shelf for my whatevers. As I pulled down the extra blanket and pillow, a single sheet of paper floated down as though from above. Its title was Jet Lag Sequence. I immediately recognized the familiar intelligence of the design of the poses. Thank you, Guruji. Julie Lawrence
Supta Virasana recline onto bolster

Roll blanket and place under feet and ankles in various ways to see effects.
Malasana on chair
1. Straddle and sit on the chair, facing the back of the chair. Press buttocks back; press chest to chair back. 2. Sit on chair, facing forward. Bend forward. Rest crown of head on blanket or bolster. Hold back chair legs. Rest frontal ribcage on seat of chair.
Adho Mukha Virasana

Place bolster or blankets under abdomen. Rest head, arms, etc. Notice how the groins soften and the ribcage relaxes.
Salamba Sarvangasana strap arms Supta Padmasana strap thighs

OR Hold for 10 minutes.
Ardha (half) Padmasana strap thigh to shin

Do for three minutes on each side.
Halasana strap arms

Hold for five minutes.
Supta Baddhakonasana recline over bolster, support head

Do for five minutes or more. Notice how this relaxes the groins.
Sarvangasana arms strapped:

Eka Pada Parsvaikapada
Uttanasana
Do for three minutes.
Halasana remove strap and do these variations:

Parsva Halasana Parsva Karnapidasana Supta Konasana Halasana
Adho Mukha Svanasana rest head on bolster

Do for three minutes.
Sirsasana
Do for seven minutes, then do the following variations: Parsva Sirsasana Parivrttaikapada Eka Pada Parsvaikapada Baddhakonasana Upavistha Konasana
Sarvangasana arms strapped:

Virasana Setu Bandha Sarvangasana one leg to touch floor, then back up; repeat with other leg; then drop both legs to floor and hold about three minutes. Eka Pada Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
Forward bends wrap eyes Adho Mukha Virasana Janu sirsasana Ropes: Uttanasana/Urdhva Mukha Svanasana/ Paschimottanasana
Do eight times slowly to open shoulders and release neck. Do for three minutes on each side.
Paschimottanasana
Do for five minutes.
Viparita Dandasana on chair

Place crown of head on bolster, legs parallel to floor, feet on wall, arms rest overhead or hold back chair legs. Place hands on abdomen if nauseous or flushed. Hold for five minutes. Julie Lawrence (Intermediate Junior III) is the director of the Julie Lawrence Yoga Center in Portland, Oregon.
Savasana keep eyes wrapped
2012 Iyengar Yoga Assessments

Here are the names of those who went up for, and passed, an assessment in 2012. Our method provides ongoing education for teachers at every level. Congratulations on your hard work and dedication!
Intermediate Senior I
Linda DiCarlo Ray Madigan Garth Mclean Kathleen Pringle Sue Salaniuk
Rose Goldblatt Heide Grace Lisa Hajek Robyn Harrison Karan Hase Susan Huard Keri Lee Carolyn Matsuda Becky Meline Tal Mesika Michael Moore Lori Lipton Ritland Pamela Seitz Diana Shannon Christina Sible Anastasia Sofos Tamarie Spielman Carmella Stone-Klein Susan Turis Manju Vachher David Yearwood
Elizabeth Hargrove Rachel Hazuga Michelle Hill Rebecca Hooper Terese Ireland Jenelle Lee Cynthia Licht Leslie Lowder Kimberly Z. Mackesy Victoria McGuffin Melinda Morey Tzahi Moskovitz Linda Murphy Chris OBrien Katrina Pelekanakis Martha Pyron Stephanie Rago Michelle Ringgold Lisa Rotell Mari Beth Sartain Paige Seals Robin Simmonds Lori Theis Chere Thomas Javier Wilensky Ibi Winterman Angie Woyar
Dahlia Domian Nathalie Fairbanks Daryl Fowkes Susan Friedman Jane Froman Marleen Hunt Susan Johnson Mary Ellen Jurchak Nadzeya Krol Linda Kundla Deb Lau Kristin McGee Olya Mokina Willamarie Moore Kathy Morris Beth Nelson Darcy Paley Scott Radin Laurel Rayburn Tara Rice Mary Rotscher Alice Rusevic Mary Bruce Serene Yvonne Shanks Mary Shelley Leslie Silver Coreene Smith Heidi Smith Kelly Sobanski Dan Truini Anne Underwood Tiff Van Huysen Amy Van Mui Levy Vered Tatyana Wagner Da Gang Wang Sachiko Willis Sarah Wilner Joanna Zweig
Intermediate Junior III

Christopher Beach Kquvien DeWeese Matthew Dreyfus Brian Hogencamp Anara Lomme Michael Lucey Tori Milner Athena Pappas Faith Russell Nancy Sandercock
Intermediate Junior II
Gary Jaeger Jill Johnson Kiha Lee Aretha McKinney Blevins Heather Haxo Phillips Anna Rain Todd Semo Lucienne Vidah van der Honing
Introductory II
Suzana Alilovic-Schuster Autumn Alvarez Cynthia Bernheim Olga Boggio Judy Brown Natasha Caldwell Waraporn N. Cayeiro Lynn Celek Karen Chandler Tehseen Chettri Thea Daley Charlotte Sather Davis Patrice Daws Jonathan Dickstein Amy Duncan Diana Erney Robert Gadon
Introductory I
Kevin Allen Nadya Bair Mary J. Bridle Kirsten Brooks Karen Bysiewicz Brendan Clarke Elizabeth Cowan Deanna Cramer Laila Deardorff Kathleen Digby Linda Dobbyn
Intermediate Junior I
Lynda Alfred Nichole Baker Sharon Carter Nikki Costello Mary DeVore Aaron Fleming Laurie Medeiros Freed Judith Friedman Jill Ganassi
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Musings
Memory
By Carrie Owerko
Sri Patanjali defines memory as the unmodified recollection of words and experiences, or he writes that memory retains living experience (Sutra 1.11). Patanjali also says that memory, like all forms of thought or mental activity, can be afflicting or nonafflicting. It depends on use. It depends on us. Geeta Iyengar once said that we always remember peak experiences. But why? Is it because perhaps, in those moments, we were more wholly present? Present with the totality of ourselves? Is it because, at those times, we were truly awake? Were we more open and receptive? Vivid memories or recollections often include our sense perceptions and emotions, and some proprioceptive and interoceptive sense of how we felt at the time. Perhaps our ability to remember is affected by how integrated we were at the time of the experience we are rememberingor by how integrated we are now, as we remember. When we are in a truly integrated state, our minds and hearts tend to be open and receptive, or inclusive. Fragmented states of being tend to exclude large chunks of experience, which are then less easily committed to memory. Sometimes this is born out of necessity, as a survival mechanism. Sometimes it is just how we tend to live and get by. Memories will often include how our senses, our bodies, and our emotions were at the time. They can be rich, multifaceted, and complex. They also can be difficult or, in some cases,
Perhaps our ability to remember is affected by how integrated we were at the time of the experience we are remembering
terrifying. But, whenever possible, to incline our hearts toward presence and invite the whole of ourselves into experience is to cultivate an integrated state of being. And when memories are integrated into our present experience, they can affect how we are now. Sometimes when we attend fully to some present experience, we are visited by the past. This may be an invitation toward integration, an opportunity to integrate our memories of past experiences into the present. Because we are never really without our past or without our future, even when we embrace the present moment. It is this knowing, this felt sense of how fragile and fleeting life is that wakes us up to the now.
A memory
Ever since I was small, I have had a fascination with and love for aspen trees. They stand in clusters or groves with their white bark, delicately mottled with black, like a small family
Photo by Curtis Settino

of friendly skeletons wearing coats of gold sequins. Their fragile beauty is especially brilliant during the few short weeks in fall when their bright, round leaves quiver and quake in the thin mountain air. Their leaves seem so delicate, almost fragile. The small teardrops are coated with a light waxy substance that makes them shimmer in the sunlight, shimmer like sequins attached by thread to cloth or bone. They appear to shiver. And then there is the sound. That sound of time, of heartache, and of love. My most recent memory of aspen trees (which we do not see in NYC) was evoked by seeing the birch trees last fall in Riverside Park. They share a similar white, silvery bark as their aspen brethren. That silvery white is so evocative of snow or bone. And then there is the gold of their leaves, the short but beautiful life of those golden leaves. When I close my eyes to remember the aspen trees, my heart literally aches. I can feel the cool, dry Rocky Mountain air on my nostrils, hear those leaves quaking, as if they were speaking some primeval secret of life. It is as if their leaves are softly whispering of what has been and what is to come. Listening to their quiet song was both sad and beautiful. It was like many a memory.
somewhere. Her fur was a beautiful pale gold and white. She reminded me of the quaking aspen trees that surrounded us. That day she would not leave our station wagon to play or go for a hike among the trees. She was terrified. So we stayed. We stayed with her and her fear. We surrounded her with love as she shook in anticipationor in memory. I remember how the light that day reflected off the shimmering sequins of golden leaves. And off the fur of my scared dog Allie. It was clear and brilliant and all encompassing like the air. The clean and crisp air that held light and sound, that held the smell that dogs emit when they are afraid. It held the sweet and yet frustrated voices of my parents and my brother. It held us all in the very breath that knows past and future are here, now, in this moment. And the breath that is inclusive of the complexity that is experience. And the breath that is inclined toward acceptance and love.
This is the use of memory: For liberationnot less of love but expanding Of love beyond desire, and so liberation From the future as well as the past.
My aspen memories include my family. They include our sweet adopted border collie Allie, a young stray that we had taken into our home and hearts. When we took a Sunday drive one fall afternoon to see the aspen trees, she became terrified. When we stopped the car, she began to shiver and shake just like the trees, perhaps remembering being abandoned on a road Carrie Owerko (Senior Intermediate I) is a core faculty member of the Iyengar Yoga Institute of NY, and she travels regularly to India to study with the Iyengar family. T.S. Eliot
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Book
Review
Yoga Philosophy On and Off the Mat: B.K.S. Iyengars Core of the Yoga Sutras
By Peggy Hong
As Iyengar Yoga students and teachers, we know that the practice is far more than physical. We have witnessed, in ourselves, our colleagues, and our students, the profundity of the practice. We know how it shapes our emotions, clarifies our intellects, and calms or stimulates our minds. Yet, in a yoga methodology known for its rigor, precision, and attention to physical alignment, how do we discuss or present these finer, more subtle aspects? Once again, Guruji B.K.S. Iyengar, now age 94, has come to our aid with a wonderful resource. His latest book, Core of the Yoga Sutras, penetrates the classic yoga scriptures (especially Patanjalis Yoga Sutras), grouping them thematically for understanding and application. In this way, Guruji thoroughly demonstrates how to approach We all know that understanding the yoga sutras brings a depth and richness to our practice, yet how do we share this? Core of the Yoga Sutras is the kind of book, after you read it cover to cover, that you can refer to daily to enrich your own understanding of yoga or to prepare to teach a class in which you share a seed of philosophy. The structure of the book is what makes it groundbreaking and ever so applicable to yoga practitioners. For instance, Chapter X, Klesa, Vrtti, and AntarayaAfflictions, Fluctuations, and Impediments, integrates these important concepts, tying them together with sutra references from all four padas (chapters) of Patanjalis Yoga Sutras, as well as The Bhagavad Gita. I imagine if we each had an opportunity to sit down with Guruji to have a philosophical conversation, he would share insights and explanations, sprinkled with sutra references, to connect and ground the discussion to the scriptures. Only a teacher with a sweeping knowledge of the sutras, who has studied them for decades, applied them to daily life, and keenly observed his or her own consciousness, could present such a book. For instance, in Chapter X, Guruji cites sutras I.33, III.24, and III.25 as sutras [to] help sadhakas directly build up the qualities needed to stop unfavorable thoughts and help in removing wants, desires, and impressions (88). He lists these sutras with brief commentaries, then explains how they connect to astanga yoga (the eight limbs of yoga, or Gurujis preferred translation, the eight petals). Maitri (friendliness) and karuna (compassion)
stand for Yama and Nyama, while mudita (joy) and upeksa (indifference) correspond to Asana and Pranayama. They combine to eliminate the nine antarayas (impediments). He continues: Sutra I.33 stipulates that these antarayas must be eradicated with the means of asana-abhyasa (I.32) [postures-practice] and, once cured, fixed, stabilised or under control, one must treat them with mudita [joy] and upeksa [indifference]. The latter means, in this sense, vairagya [renunciation]. Then from the next sutra (I.34) Patanjali introduces gradually and systematically the different aspects of astanga yoga [eight limbs of yoga] from pranayama [breath control] onward until dhyana (I.39) [meditation]. (8990)
the classic texts with an integrative mindset that reveals the relationships among the guiding principles of yoga. The back of Core of the Yoga Sutras is nearly as valuable as the main body of the book. It contains an extremely useful Sanskrit glossary, which goes into more detail than Gurujis earlier classic, Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. It also contains a sequential layout of Patanjalis sutras and its transliteration, so they can be easily referenced by chapter and order. This is a particularly useful format for chanting. The next appendix arranges the sutras in alphabetical order, so if you remember how a sutra starts off, instead of thumbing through an entire book, you can easily find its sutra number, as well as the page reference in the book. All serious practitioners who seek a deeper understanding of yogas underlying principles will find this book useful because it shows us how we can create more harmonious and more conscious lives through the study of yoga. Once again, we thank Guruji with our hearts and minds for continuing to shine the light on yoga. Peggy Kwisuk Hong (Intermediate Junior II) directed a nonprofit Iyengar Yoga center, Riverwest Yogashala, in Milwaukee for nearly 10 years. She recently moved to Detroit and is now helping spread the healing art of Iyengar Yoga through community classes at Yoga Suite Center for Yoga Studies as well as in homes, public schools, and neighborhood centers.
Classifieds
Yoga Sanctuary for Sale in New Zealand (Bay of Islands) 6-bedroom house
Separate yoga centre with 12-year clientele; 2.2-hectare property with river boundary, organic established veggie gardens and fruit orchards. P.O.A. mobile N.Z. 0274981018 For photos of the property, email Louisa at [email protected]. www.kerikeriyogacentre.com
Congratulations
to Abhijata Iyengar
on the birth of her daughter in April 2013. Happy wishes from the IYNAUS community.
A Call for Musings

Yoga Samachar seeks submissions for our Musings column, which features a range of short thought pieces from members. These can be philosophical in nature or might focus on more practical topicsfor example, a great idea for managing your studio or for creating community in your home town. For this issue, Carrie Owerko (Senior Intermediate I) contributed Memory (see page 34). Please send your own Musings to [email protected] by Aug. 1.
Ask the Yogi

Beginning with the Fall 2013/Winter 2014 issue, Yoga Samachar will feature a new column, Ask the Yogi. Rotating senior teachers will provide answers to a range of questions submitted by IYNAUS members. We welcome your questions related to how or when to use props, how best to deal with specific health conditions, philosophical help with the sutras, tips on teaching or doing certain poses, and more. Please send questions to [email protected] by Aug. 1.
Volunteer Transcriptionist Wanted

Yoga Samachar is looking for volunteers to help transcribe interviews with senior teachers and other people in the Iyengar community. If you are interested, please contact Michelle D. Williams at [email protected].
2013 Convention Photos Wanted

Did you get some great shots at the conference or convention this year? Yoga Samachar is looking for photos of students and teachers in the IYNAUS community as well as shots of the various activities in San Diego. Space will be limited in the magazine for publication, but we will consider all that are submitted. Please contact Michelle D. Williams at [email protected] for details on how to submit.
YOUR AD HERE
Yoga Samachar accepts short, text-only classified ads to announce workshops, offer props for sale, list teacher openings at your studio, or provide other yoga-related information. Ads cost $50 for up to 50 words, plus $1 per word over 50 words, including phone numbers, USPS addresses, and websites. Please contact Michelle D. Williams at [email protected] for more information or to submit an ad.
37
treasurers
By David Carpenter financial condition.
ReportIYNAUS Finances
In the last issue of Yoga Samachar, I provided an overview of IYNAUS finances and the challenges that the association faces. I will devote this report to updating the data from the last issue and providing a little more information on steps that can be taken to increase the associations revenues and to improve its
months of the associations expenses. So we continue to operate with a very small financial cushion. Year-to-year comparisons are often instructive. Since last fall, we have prepared a reasonably accurate profit and loss statement for 2010, and we now obviously have figures for all of 2012. The following chart shows IYNAUS revenues and expenses for 2010, 2011, and 2012. To simplify the presentation, we have allocated all revenues and expenses for the 2010 Portland Convention to that calendar year. We also allocated all of IYNAUS expenses for IYAMWs 2011 From the Heartland Conference and for IYASEs 2012 Maitri Conferenceas well as IYNAUS 50 percent share of the profits or losses from these conferencesto those specific years. We also have shown the results when these event revenues are excluded.
As of March 1, 2013, we had approximately $90,000 in unrestricted cash on hand, and there is also roughly $70,000 of retricted moneys in the separate certification mark account that is jointly controlled by IYNAUS and Guruji (through Gloria Goldberg, who is Gurujis attorney in fact in the U.S). We also have inventory for the IYNAUS store and other illiquid assets that we carry on our books at $142,465. In our day-to-day operation, we can only use our unrestricted cash, and $90,000 is only sufficient to cover about four
IYNAUS Profit and Loss STATEMENTS

REVENUES Unrestricted Revenue Dues (less regions shares) Event revenues (including receivables) Store revenues (less cost of goods) Charitable contributions to IYNAUS Restricted Revenue Certification mark (less payments to India) Earmarked Revenue Assessment fees and manual Bellur donations TOTAL REVENUES EXPENSES Bellur donations Salaries and employment taxes Production expenses for Yoga Samachar Assessment expenses Legal fees Website design and maintenance IYNAUS board meeting travel expenses Bookkeeping Office supplies and expenses Merchant and bank fees (for store) Non employee insurance and taxes TOTAL EXPENSES NET REVENUE NET REVENUEEXCLUDING CONVENTION/REGIONAL CONFERENCES 23,726 79,864 24,044 48,108 12,358 46,659 10,304 12,750 7,487 27,212 7,054 299,566 85,533 1,020 7,658 76,807 22,012 52,470 13,919 29,002 12,035 5,475 6,004 22,565 5,612 253,559 952 -34,414 4,290 64,531 25,516 54,559 17,631 25,929 10,532 4,853 5,981 15,429 2,434 231,685 -42,677 -18,677 48,895 23,726 385,099 22,600 85,825 84,513 112,055 7,485 2010 2011 2012 84,920 -24,000 58,443 1,720 16,785 46,850 4,290 189,008
72,650 35,366 69,522 4,750 16,580 47,985 7,658

254,511
38
What these charts show is that in each of the past two years, IYNAUS annual expenses have exceeded its combined revenues from dues, from the IYNAUS store, from assessment fees and manuals, and from charitable contributions. While the 2011 IYAMW conference produced net revenues for IYNAUS, these were almost entirely offset by losses resulting from the 2012 IYASE conference. IYNAUS is financially viable today solely because the 2010 Portland convention generated more than $155,000 in revenues. We had $84,500 in net revenues from the convention itself, and the IYNAUS store made some $71,000 in sales at the convention. So revenues attributable to the Portland convention subsidized IYNAUS operations in 2011 and 2012 and provided us with most of the (relatively small) financial cushion that we now have. I understand that the experience of the past three years is not at all unusual, and that historically, profits attributable to our triennial conventions have supported the associations activities during nonconvention years. For this reason, it is fortunate that the upcoming San Diego conference and convention promise to be exceptional events, and our board has high hopes that they will be financially successful. But the experience with the Maitri Conference has taught us that events with well-conceived programs and stellar teachers will not always generate positive financial results. In the event that the San Diego conference does not generate substantial profits, the board will have to explore ways to enhance the associations revenues or reduce its expenses. Some such efforts are already underway. Because revenues from assessment fees and manuals have not covered the costs of assessments during each of the past two years, the assessment committee has increased assessment fees slightly this year (but these fees will continue to be held down by the fact that assessors all donate their time and that studios host assessments rent free). Also, in the past two years, our efforts to obtain federal tax IDs for Iyengar family members caused us to incur significant legal fees, and we are
hopeful that we can avoid these costs this year and in future years. We also will begin selling limited advertisements in Yoga Samachar. Further, even if the San Diego convention is very successful, there are reasons to consider steps to enhance IYNAUS revenues: to enable the board to do more to promote Iyengar Yoga, to support our certified teachers, and to provide other benefits for the associations members. For example, many are concerned that the value of Iyengar certification is not sufficiently appreciated by the public and government bodies, and they believe that the board should adopt other measures to enhance public understanding of the meaning of certification. This would require additional expenditures. Similarly, some believe that IYNAUS should make investments to foster research into the benefits of our method or find ways to better disseminate existing research. In addition, IYNAUS has performed an invaluable service by collecting and maintaining tapes, videos, and other materials from Gurujis early years, but it will require significant further investments to ensure that these archival materials are adequately preserved. These are just three examples of initiatives that IYNAUS might undertake that would require increased funding. The board is engaged in a serious strategic planning exercise to identify options and set priorities, and the outcome of this exercise may include efforts to increase IYNAUS revenues. One possibility might be for IYNAUS to begin making concerted efforts to attract charitable contributions, which would include the kinds of end-of-the-year appeals that are annual events for most other not-for-profit corporations. Another option might be a modest increase in dues. Still other options will be explored. Members should be assured that the board will not undertake these measures unless we are convinced that they will enable us to better achieve the associations mission of promoting Iyengar Yoga in the U.S. and that they will benefit Iyengar method teachers and IYNAUS members. Stay tuned.
David Carpenter IYNAUS Treasurer
Photo : Lois Steinberg
39
Photo by Tori Mllner
40
December, 2012, in the city of Varanasi, on the banks of the Ganges River (Photo by James Burton)
On the Rolling Seas

By Mary Ann Travis
Mary Ann Travis is a yoga teacher at Audubon Yoga Studio in New Orleans. She has passed the Intro I level of teacher assessment.
B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States P.O. Box 538 Seattle, WA 981 1 1 www.iynaus.org
A traditional Indian market (Photo by Vicky Grogg)

Spring - Summer 2013: Yoga Samachar: Bikram Choudhury

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Vol. 17 No.

Journey to India Journey Inward

Yoga Samachars Mission

Finding the Grill Vicky Grogg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Gurujis Birthday Gifts and Maitri in Bellur Gaye Painten . . . 25

Paksha Pratipaksha on Results-Oriented Versus Indifference Robin Lowry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Yoga Samachar is produced by the IYNAUS Publications Committee

IYNAUS Board Member Contact List

Cover photo by Jake Clennell

Spring /Summer 2013 Yoga Samachar

IYNAUS Officers and Standing Committees

from the President

Dear Fellow IYNAUS Members,

Elections Committee Ethics Committee

Alex Cleveland, Chair

Rebecca Lerner, Chair

Joan White, Sue Salaniuk, Michael Lucey

Nancy Watson, Chair

David Carpenter, Chair

Phyllis Rollins, Chair

Public Relations and Marketing Committee

Regional Support Committee

Alex Cleveland, Chair

Scholarship and Awards Committee

Service Mark & Certification Mark Committee

Systems & Technology Committee

Yoga Research Committee

IYNAUS Senior Council

from the regions

iyengaryogacenter.com. Also, IMIYA can provide marketing

25 Years Lighting the Way

from the regions

Yoga Samachar Spring /Summer 2013

Students participate in the first membership workshop in the Southwest region.

Spring /Summer 2013 Yoga Samachar

Journey to India Journey Within

Illustration by Curtis Settino Photos by Tori Milner

Spring /Summer 2013 Yoga Samachar

Yoga Samachar Spring /Summer 2013

Early Days At RIMYI

Public Classes in Poona

of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and other yoga related topics.

Yoga Samachar Spring /Summer 2013

Pune Without Pullution (Almost)

The Pune we saw then is almost completely gone.

Spring /Summer 2013 Yoga Samachar

Early Days At RIMYI

Backbends, Balancings, and Props

Colored Paper, Chips, and a Conch Shell

Early Days At RIMYI

Yoga Samachar Spring /Summer 2013

Gifts From the Source

Spring /Summer 2013 Yoga Samachar

I.14 sa tu dirghakala nairantarya satkara asevitah drdhabhumih

Finding the Grill

Yoga Samachar Spring /Summer 2013

Traveling to India: Two Trips in One

Thursday, Nov. 4A Day Off From Classes

Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010First Day of Classes