you have to find out . . .
Chai before practice with Faith Russell and Chris Saudek.
As I head off to my last class here in Pune, I can’t help but feel like a sponge that has soaked up as much as possible, dripping, unable to absorb more. One might question, why go to another class if it’s not possible to take in more? There is a reservoir to catch all of what can’t be gotten in one go. This reservoir will fuel my practice for months to come.
A few gems from this past week:
Sunitaji, with all her knowledge, after a lifetime studying with Guruji and Geetaji, demanding “You have to find out for yourself.” We like to go to class to be told what to do and how to do it, but ultimately, we need to know for ourselves, and this can only come from practice. What makes time at the institute so special is the time for practice. Each day there is ample time set aside for practice. Classes are inspiring and I’m grateful for all of the classes I get to participate in while I’m here, but it’s practice time—charting my own course or working with others, inspired by what others in the hall are doing, or revisiting sequences or concepts from a class—this is what I love most about my time here.
In Prashant’s class on Monday, he made us all laugh when he talked about “yoga lifestyle”. Style is for public display. If you make yourself up, put on mascara and lipstick, do you do this when you know you won’t be seeing anyone and are all alone? It’s really something you do to show others. A yoga lifestyle is a display of “yoga”. What we should really be pursuing is the cultivation of yoga values.
I’ll be back at the studio next week and eager to see you all. On Friday, the long-promised Beginning Pranayama series will begin. In these classes, we will look at ways to bridge the gap between asana and pranayama. The class meets in-person weekly with a video recording to help support your practice.
March 15 & 16 is the next session of Iyengar Yoga Studies. This is an opportunity to learn about various aspects of yoga—asana, pranayama, chanting, the yoga philosophy—all the ways of practicing that will help you cultivate your yogic values. This class has a minimum enrollment threshold; if you are interested in participating, register by March 8.