This is the last night of the workshop. As always, I feel like I’m taking a lot back with me – things I may not even be aware of yet, but that will manifest themselves in my practice, my studies and in my life.
Something I really like about classes at RIMYI is that they aren’t so much about learning asanas, but about the wisdom woven into the teachings. Students often ask
How do I practice?
How do I know I’m doing it right?
How do I sequence?
There’s a pigeon who has laid eggs outside the window of my bathroom. Every time I open the door of the bathroom, no matter how quietly, she gets disturbed. I feel bad, acutely. When I was shown into this room Dheeraj told me they noticed the eggs for the first time when they came back from Diwali break, and they didn’t have the heart to push them out. Every time the pigeon flutters in alarm and walks away from her eggs I feel an ache in my heart. I know how the pigeon feels. I don’t want to be responsible for its fear, I want it to know her eggs are safe.
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.
Most of my practice is accessible now. I miss taking yoga photos everywhere I go and am consciously trying to do it again. It used to be fun.
It was Ratha Saptami today, the day when yoga students and teachers honor the Sun god with (usually) 108 repetitions of the Surya Namaskar. Lately my days have been a balancing act between motherhood duties (in the absence of a permanent nanny), work and a workout (perhaps a workin is in order). However, I managed to put together a program to pay homage to the Sun God in the hopes that he continues to shine his benevolent light on us.
After the session, I was scheduled to attend my regular RIMYI class. The Tuesday morning class was the only one that fit into my schedule. TBH, I’m not too thrilled about it. I’ve attended the teacher’s classes before, and have never been able to connect with her. But I didn’t really have much of a choice so every Tuesday I find myself using every ounce of discipline I’ve cultivated over the years just to make it to savasana. Today it was different though, today that boring yoga class was one I didn’t know I needed.
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