Essentialyogastudio's Blog

Benefits:
· Helps to fight disease
· Relieves tension in the chest and face
· Face, throat and eye muscles are strengthened
· Reduces eye strain
· With continued practice speech becomes clearer making Simhasana a beneficial exercise for individuals who stammer or have Parkinson’s Disease.

Kneel on the floor and cross your right ankle over your left behind you. Sit back and allow your perineum to rest on the top of your right heel. Press your palms against your knees and spread your fingers wide. Inhale through your nose, open your mouth wide, stick out your tongue, and curl the tip down toward your chin. At the same time, open your eyes wide, focus on the spot between your eyebrows, and exhale with a loud “ha” sound. Do this three times, then switch the cross of your legs and repeat three more times.

Modification for individuals who cannot sit on the floor:
Sit in a chair with your knees directly above your ankles and your feet flat on the floor. Continue with above instructions.

I attended a workshop with Father Joe Perriera, a Sr. Iyengar Teacher from India. He is also a Catholic priest. I never imagined a priest quoting Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. His perspective on yoga and his teachings are very different than my North American teachers. I found the stories of his many years of travel with Mother Teresa and his longtime friendship and teaching with BKS Iyengar inspirational.

One of the stories he told us was when he broke his back working with Mother Teresa. The doctors informed him he would need surgery and permanent metal supports would be inserted to steady his spine. He thanked the doctors and took the scan to BKS Iyengar. Mr. Iyengar looked at the scan and said, “26 asanas” and wrote the asanas right on the scan. Father Joe practiced these 26 asanas everyday for an hour and a half. He hung ropes and placed props outside the rectory. Mother Teresa got many comments from the villagers asking, “What kind of priest hangs from ropes like a bat?”

One of the students in the workshop asked how long it took to heal his back with these asanas. It took 2.5 years. The students gasped. He replied by saying that we North Americans don’t have fidelity in our practice. We want things fixed right away – resulting in a high percentage of shoulder surgeries, knee replacements and back surgeries in our country. The discussion went on, but it was his comment about our need to fix things quickly and our lack of ‘fidelity’ or commitment that struck me. We move so quickly through our lives, we have a need to do everything now, the need to be first in line, the need to rush through the light before it turns red, the need to place the hand on the floor in Triangle pose (Utthita Trikonasana) before our bodies are ready…….We need to learn to be present.

From the movie Enlightened Up!

Why do you take photos and videotapes of your practice?
When Mr. Iyengar came to Boston and spoke at the Majestic Theatre, one of the things he talked about was his wife Ramamani. His wife helped him deepen his yoga practice by being his mirror. He wanted to learn what his body was actually doing in asana, not what his mind thought he was doing. So he had his wife watch his practice daily and he would ask her questions. What is this part of my body doing? She would reply and he would adjust so the mind body connection would come together.

He states in “Light on Life” that we must create a marriage between the awareness of the body and that of the mind. He discusses how we use our bodies so little that we lose the sensitivity of our bodily awareness. We move from the bed to desk to car to couch, but there is no awareness in our movements, no intelligence. There is no ‘action’. Action, stated by Mr. Iyengar, is movement with intelligence. Yoga teaches us how to infuse our movements with intelligence, transforming them into action.

Since my husband would rather have his fingernails pulled out with pliers than watch and help me analyze my practice, I began videotaping my practice, using it as a tool to help me develop this ‘intelligence’. I am often amazed by the disparity between what my body is doing and what my mind thinks it’s doing.

And why do you post them?
I post some as instructional videos to help my students remember what we have practiced in class. My personal practice videos are to show students that a yoga practitioner’s/teacher’s practice is always evolving and hopefully they will be encouraged by my practice.

I thought you didn’t like people watching your practice, witnessing your struggles?
Yes, this is true and sometimes I feel uncomfortable posting them. However, it is much easier having an inanimate object taping me than my students/teachers watching me in person. This is something I will have to overcome when I am in Pune.

One of my teachers Zoe Stewart demonstrated one of the most inspirational practices I have ever seen. It was a celebration of her 30th teaching anniversary. Part of the celebration was a demonstration of her practice. Her movements were so fluid and there was complete lightness in her body. Her eyes were open but her mind was drawn inward. There was a room full of students and teachers but she didn’t see us, she was inside herself in a different space.

I was so moved by her practice and I hope that I and my students can find this in our own practice.

I enjoy the humor in this video. So often, the fun get’s lost in a challenging practice. Leave the ego behind and just smile 🙂

I have been thinking about going to India for a long time. I have always made excuses about why I could not attend: It’s too far, my kids are too young, it’s a burden on my husband to leave for a month, etc. However, after listening to Manouso Manos and Patricia Walden telling us not to miss an opportunity to attend the institute while Mr. Iyengar is still with us, I decided to apply. I am happy to announce that I have been accepted to study Iyengar Yoga at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune, India. I will be attending the Institute June of 2011.

Students have asked me: “What are your expectations?” Honestly, I want to see Mr. Iyengar practice his art before he passes on to his next life. He is 91 and still filled with amazing energy and has a continued yoga practice that awes all that watch! I also expect to delve deeper into my yoga and Pranayama practice and bring what I learn back to share with my students.

At the Institute you are expected to attend a two hour class then go to the ‘practice room’ and practice in front of other students and senior teachers, for up to three hours. In my 22 years of practice, I have never had another person, other than my children, watch my practice. It has always been something I’ve considered private and personal and to have others present is like having someone view you from the inside aware of all your thoughts and struggles. I think that will be a big adjustment for me. I am looking forward to this wonderful opportunity for growth and all it has to offer me.

BKS Iyengar at the Yoga Journal Iyengar Conference in Russia, humorously torturing Manouso Manos 🙂