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Mysore Diaries – Day #11

December 10, 2015

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This morning’s practice was a bit different. Saraswati walked around adjusting people while loudly giving me instructions from her location. So she was essentially shouting at me from wherever she was standing. I didn’t know whether to be embarrassed about being picked on or whether I should feel ‘special’ that though she was adjusting others, I commanded her attention more than anyone else in the room! She reiterated that we need to go step by step through the sequence instead of randomly doing asanas. And she ended with telling me that in the ‘led’ class this Sunday I can take two more asanas.

Lately, I’ve become increasingly interested in the philosophy behind yoga. Not just traditional philosophy, but also the views and opinions that contemporary (and I use this word very loosely) teachers. Yoga has changed over time. And over the years teachers have understood the need for yoga to evolve. Whether it is T. Krshnamacharya or BKS Iyengar or Pattabhi Jois, everyone has contributed to ‘modernizing’ yoga. So for instance, T. Krishnamacharya started to teach women. Pattabhi Jois has also categorically stated that now women can do all the asanas because now women are strong. BKS Iyengar himself personally taught his daughter and granddaughter to carry on his legacy. During my time here I’ve had the chance to meet and interact with people who are very deeply immersed in the practice. Many are advanced practitioners and have been through a fair amount of yoga theory and philosophy. It’s interesting to listen to their ideas. Yoga is evolving and there are many rules and conventions which are now obsolete. It’s interesting to see how these young yogis are thinking and evolving and finding how to live their lives within the confines of the philosophy, yet by applying thought to it. Here I find that people are endeavouring to find a way to live the most authentic life consciously by questioning and reasoning to conclusions.

As the year draws to a close, I’m wondering what lesson exists here for me to carry into 2016 with me…

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Mysore Diaries – Day #8

December 7, 2015

The first day of the week should be easy and relaxed. For me, the more intense the practice, the more relaxed the day. As though all my latent energy gets pumped into the practice, leaving me with a pleasant ‘ease’ that I then carry along with myself for the rest of the day. In this one week I’ve noticed that I feel taller and straighter somehow. It could be the yoga, the sleep, the rest or a combination of all of these. I would suggest two weeks like these once a year to everyone!

After yesterday’s ‘led’ class, I was excited to try the new asanas today. So I actually practiced all the way up to the Archa Baddha Padmottanasana! I felt a sense of major achievement. And except for the Cakrasana, I did the entire closing sequence and then had an amazing Savasana.

Today we had the dreaded chanting class too. Thankfully it’s only half an hour long. I got through it somehow, chanting out of tune and turn sometimes because I wasn’t paying attention. I wonder if I can skip these classes all together…no one takes attendance J.

Once the class was over I contemplated going to the Lalita Mahal Palace. We stood around having our naariyal paanis and talking about it, but I was itching to get back to my book. Today was a slow lazy day, the hot sun making it more so. I came back, had a heavy lunch and then lost myself in my book until long after the sun had set.

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Mysore Diaries – Day #7

December 6, 2015

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Today was my first ‘led’ class. A led class is basically one in which the teacher leads the entire class through the usual routine. The class started promptly at 5 am. As usual, by the time I got to class, most places were taken. (And I get to class at least 15 minutes early!) However, I was happy that I found place. Some people end up practicing in the changing rooms! The nice thing about a led class is that it allows you to explore asanas that you may not have done in your daily practice. So I actually went beyond the Parsvaottanasana. And also, while I haven’t done any of the finishing postures, in today’s class I did quite a few of the closing asanas as well. I’m assuming that I will be able to practice all the ‘new’ asanas in tomorrow’s practice session.

Sharath and Saraswathi have different off days. While mine was yesterday, a bunch of students had their off day today. So a lot of people were in the weekend mood. And where does that mood take you to in Mysore? To the palace of course, to see the lights. The last time I saw the palace lit up was 10 years ago. Over the years I’ve tried to plan day trips form Bangalore to see the lights, but somehow the trips never materialized. I was really eager to see the palace lit up (for some reason more eager to see it lit up, than during the day). For some reason I had assumed that it would be really crowded and noisy. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t too crowded. We were able to walk around without having to elbow through a crowd and were able to see the palace from different angles. And we took the obligatory pictures.

After the palace we headed to Mylari, a dosa place which I’ve only just heard of, but which is very popular. They only have plain and masala dosa on the menu (Rs. 35). The dosas were fresh, soft and delicious.

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Incidentally, Mylari closes at 8 pm, but our cab was on its way at about 8.10 pm. When we suggested that we wait outside, the owner and the waiters told us that it’s ok if we wait inside. We decided to find out a bit more about Mysore from the owner. We found out that Mylari has been around for 75 years and is named after the man who started it. Currently there are 2 Myalri hotels in Mysore.

Remembering my quest for RK Narayan’s house, I asked the young owner of Mylari if he knew where it was. He seemed taken aback by the question and said he doesn’t know. Well, at least he knew who RK Narayan was. When I asked him if he knew who Shri Pattabhi Jois was he said he didn’t!

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I simply love the colors in this photograph.

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Mysore Diaries – Day #5

December 4, 2015

The irony of practicing here is that even though the asanas are the same every single day, every day is different from the one before. So today was an exceptionally long practice session for me. I started with the warm up and then started practicing the asanas. It felt like it was a long time before Saraswati came to me and taught me the Utthita Hasta Padangushthasana. And then she left me to practice for what again felt like a really really long time. When she finally dismissed me for the Savasana, I was surprised to note that I didn’t feel tired. Instead, despite the intense practice, I felt stronger. Maybe now I’m getting attuned to the subtle changes happening in my body.

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We had chanting class again today. So far we’ve just practiced chanting from the same handouts. Some of the shlokas are ones that I’ve done before in other classes/workshops, but for some reason I’m not too crazy about the slow sonorous pace at which we chant here.

Also, I’ve finally started to read ‘Yoga Makarand: The Nectar of Yoga’ by Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. This book has been on my TBR list for so long and I finally pulled it out because what’s a better time to read it than when you’re immersed in Ashtanga yoga in his ashram. The book has a forward by Shri BKS Iyengar! And it has an interesting foreword (yes I read books cover to cover). The foreword covers the history of how T. Krishnamacharya started to teach. It mentions titbits about the attempts of translating his works by his students. It has old pictures!!! I have this book on my Kindle, but I think it’s worth getting a hard copy as well!

Saturday is a holiday at the shala so I think I’ll spend the rest of the day parked in front of the TV binge watching Bollywood movies!

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Mysore Diaries – Day #4

December 3, 2015

I’ve been sleeping so much during the day that I’m unable to fall asleep in the night. When I finally fell asleep last night it was after 12 and I only got 4 hours of sleep. The funny thing is that I was still able to give a 100% during class. I didn’t feel fatigued or tired. Plus, I got there early enough to not have to place my mat right in front of the door!!! I pushed myself through the 20 Surya Namaskars, practiced the Pada Hastasana (from yesterday). As if on cue, Saraswati appeared to guide me through the Utthita Trikonasana (Triangle Pose), Utthita Parsvakonasana (Side Angle Pose), Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide Legged Standing Forward Bend), and the Parsvottansana (Intense Side Stretch). I’m glad we’re not doing more than an asana a day! During the practice a lot of questions fill my mind. The style of teaching here is very different from what I’m used to. In my Iyengar class we pay minute attention to detail. Here we focus on breath. There we use props, here the most I’ve seen people use is a yoga towel. There the teacher demonstrates, here the cues are all verbal. There the instructions are detailed and very specific, here the cues are not even complete sentences. The differences are more than I can verbalize, but the interesting thing is that these differences don’t dim my enthusiasm for the classes. I’m still eager to learn and internalize and haven’t dismissed this style as ‘not for me’. I’ve read in other blogs that there is an energy and a power in this place that transfixes you. Maybe I’m under the spell?

And truth be told, I’m kind of surprised at my approach to this class. I’m sort of a type A personality. There are always a million books to be read and many more to be written. There are 840,000 asanas to be learnt! My practice barely scratches the surface. However, here at ‘the source’ of Ashtanga yoga, I’m completely laid back. I only practice once a day, I’m hardly reading about the practice and philosophy, and I’m not even badgering the teacher to teach me MORE. I’m kind of allowing the teacher to set the pace for me. And today, post the Savasana, when I heard another student asking Saraswati to teach him specific asanas he was interested in, I realized what was the matter with me.

I believe a yoga teacher is a yoga student too. And a good student is a good teacher. I’ve noticed that over the years I have become intensely selective about the yoga classes/workshops I attend. If my heart is not in it, I won’t go. The teacher may have a large following and might have a million publications. The teacher may have huge hoardings all over the city and lots of endorsements. However, I will only go to a teacher who I feel a sense of grounding with. A sense of living in this world in spite of the problems, and not as a means of escaping from the problems that plague our world. And over the years I feel I’ve managed to ‘hear’ such teachers out and I’ve tuned out the rest of the din. And I’ve tried to cultivate a practice which rings true with me, under the tutelage of all the teachers who I resonate with. After all, if you want to build something, the most important thing you need is a strong foundation. So perhaps it is with this mind-set that I came here. I know all these teachers are experienced and reputed. I’ve read a lot about the lineage and the method (although I’ve discounted stories about how ‘power’ and the ‘energy’ and the ‘vibe’ because that’s purely subjective). And when I finally applied to practice here, I came as a student would come to a guru. For guidance. Because I don’t ‘try’ teachers or ‘experiment’ with teachings, I feel that when I go to a teacher I’m open and receptive. I feel that it is not for me to question the teacher or to tell the teacher what they should tell me. As a student I listen a lot and I will do whatever the teacher asks of me. As a thinking person I sift through what the teacher has imparted. Some things I retain and incorporate into my personal practice, while others I retain as philosophies that also exist. I’ve read somewhere that a student has to surrender completely to a guru. I think that makes sense to me now. When I go to Saraswati’s class I’m just a student awaiting guidance. She has been teaching for long enough to be able to observe a student and guide her accordingly.

Also, at some level I feel that if you bring the ‘I’ to a teacher, then you are at some level obliterating the teacher. And that’s a pretty valuable thing to obliterate. Which is why I don’t go to teachers to tell them that I can do so and so asanas. A good teacher can tell. In fact, a good teacher will make you realize that you can do even that which you weren’t aware you already could.

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Mysore Diaries – Day 2

December 1, 2015

When it comes to classes with old and traditional Indian teachers, the first class is always a bit unexpected. This morning I woke up at 3.59 am (thanks to my body clock). I promptly got ready and drove off towards the direction of Saraswati’s class. In the dark all the houses in Gokulam 3^rd Stage look the same. I asked a lone man on a walk about where #55 3^rd main was, and he told me he had no clue. Finally, I met two people on a moped carrying yoga mats, and I flagged them to help me out. Seeing that I was new, somewhat flustered and utterly confused, they decided to take me there! Grateful that they did because I would never have been able to find it.

From the number of people I had seen at the registration, I had expected a large crowd converging to the institute. But I only saw a couple of mopeds parked outside. I climbed up to the 1^st floor of the house and let myself in. The room was full of A bunch of students were already there in various asanas. I looked around for what to do next. It didn’t look like these students had just started their practice, but I thought the first session started at 5 am. Plus there was no space to place my mat. The room was stuffed with people and reminded me a bit of the Bikram Yoga studio I went to a couple of months ago. Not a pleasant feeling. I spotted Saraswati in the centre of the room, busy helping a student. Once she was done, I went up to her and told her that I’m new and had no clue what I should do. She pointed to a room and said, ‘You wait there.’ I did as I was told. After some time, she told me to place my mat in front of the door I had just walked in from. I’m knew a lot of students were going to be coming in through that door, and I’d have to watch that the door didn’t slam into me every single time. What can I say? Yoga teachers and their eccentricities. I did what I was told.

I sat on my mat and started stretching. Finally Saraswati came over and asked me if ‘I knew anything.’ I told her no. So she stared by teaching me a very basic Surya Namakar which she asked me to do 5 times. After a while she came to me again and taught me another version of the Surya Namaskar and asked me to do it 6 times. After some time she came up to me again and asked me if I knew how to do the Padmasana. I told her yes. She explained a variation of the padmasana to me and told me to practice that. After some more time she told me that this is it for me today. Tomorrow I have to start the class by doing each Surya Namaskar variation 10 times. I nodded my head. She then pointed to a room on the other side of the main hall and said ‘Now you go there.’ I did a little Savasana and then left. I saw some people that met yesterday. Once I was done I came back to my room and for some reason slept for about 3 hours!

My friends have booked me into a guesthouse here and I moved in today. As it turns out, this new room is closer to Saraswati’s class, so it works well for me. Once I checked into this room I slept again for a couple of hours and woke up to polish off every single thing that was placed before me during lunch. So I basically woke up, did yoga, slept, woke up, slept some more, indulged in some more gluttony, read, slept, woke up, had coffee and now I’m blogging with a rerun of ‘Desperate Housewives’ in the background. Before starting this break a student of mine gave me an article that talked about leisure for the sake of leisure. According to the article, the art of leisure has been ignored over the ages to the point that now people don’t take vacations to indulge in leisure, but to ‘do’ something. I think I pretty much nailed doing nothing today.

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Mysore Diaries – Day 1

November 30, 2015

I have to admit I was sort of nervous about driving all the to Mysore alone. All kinds of doomsday scenarios kept on playing through my mind (from a flat tyre to horrible accidents). I’m glad that I pushed the negative thoughts aside and drove down. It was fun to listen to music and just think and get excited about POMELO_20151130105401_save[1] what lay ahead. I made it to Mysore on time and managed to find KPJAYI easily. Basically everyone seemed to know where it was. There were throngs of people who were already there before me to register. Registrations for the advanced class had started, and I had to POMELO_20151130201506_save[1] wait a while before I could register for Saraswati’s beginners’ class. I joined a queue of people who had never practiced Ashtanga before. We sat on the cool marble floor of the office and shared our pens to fill out our registration forms. People have come here from far and wide. Some have even brought children along!

Once I turned in my form I was given a class pass. You must keep this pass with you at all times. I have to report for the 5 am class tomorrow.

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