Back to the Mothership – RIMYI After 7 Years

Back to the Source

In 2019, on my last trip to the Iyengar Yoga institute in Pune, I would have never thought it would take me 6 years to come back to the Iyengar institute in Pune. Over the years many visitors I was in touch with have told me about the changes – there’s a new entrance, even a waiting area. The old order (Pandurang Sir), has given way to the new.

A pandemic and a baby later, here I am, back in Pune’s verdant climes awaiting the commencement of the weekend workshop at the Iyengar Yoga Institute in Pune.

The Prep to Visit RIMYI (the Iyengar Yoga Institute in Pune)

I have spent the last two weeks making this trip happen. I have fine-tuned nanny, house help and cook schedules so that there is alway more than one person around Kalindi. A baby can be a handful, and its always good to have a backup. With two people on duty, I feel less anxious. (Is this normal new-mom paranoia?)

My ‘village’ for this weekend includes our two nannies (one staying over night and the other covering a slightly longer day shift), our house help (who is also staying over night and will come for a few hours during the day too) and our cook (who will keep an eye on Kalindi when he’s around. Mothers leaving their kids to travel for  the first time will know how I feel. In fact, here’s a snippet of my conversation with Rosa Santana where she’s talking about coming to RIMYI for the first time, leaving her three children behind.

The First Goodbye of Its Kind

This morning started early. I had cancelled my morning classes. I didn’t want to be in a rush. Although I tried my hardest not to behave differently around Kalindi, I think she sensed something was different. Animesh told me that she got a little sad when she saw me leave in the taxi until they were finally able to distract her.

I’ve been reading The Abandoners: On Mothers and Monsters by Begoña Gómez Urzaiz (a book translated from its Spanish original by Lizzie Davis). As if on cue, this is the passage came up:

 

I don’t think this has my experience. In my one and a half years as a mother, I’ve never felt shackled by my baby. Yesterday I met a friend after years, and we spoke about those difficult initial months when her writing had saved her.  I, in stark contrast, have never felt the need to be saved. I drifted in the flash flood of life, belly up and curious.

Back Home

Some time ago I glanced at our nanny cam. I saw Kalindi busy with her toys, our house help teaching her how to fix the pieces as the nanny tidied up her toys. My friend Ambika had dropped in on a whim, and she was encouraging everyone to help themselves to dinner. This is perhaps the scene I want etched in my memory forever.

My village ♥️.

Settling In @RIMYI

I’ve completed the registration formalities, involving identification checks and other paperwork. I’ve bought a pack of green tea for the evenings. I brought my own sachets of Third Wave Coffee from Bangalore, there’s no way I’m risking being stranded without my morning fix. I had a particularly heavy lunch at a coffee shop I discovered nearby and now I’m in my room at Jay Apartments (a gem I discovered on a Facebook Iyengar Yoga group). Once I’m done posting this blog I intend to turn in early so that I’m well rested for an experience I’m truly grateful for.

Tomorrow I go to my mat with my body and soul. Tonight, I rest.

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This is the first in a three part blog about my first visit to RIMYI after 7 years. The next blog in the series is ‘Day 1: A Full Day of Practice and Learning‘.