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The Standing Asanas – Day 17

September 17, 2016

It’s been raining non stop in Pune for the last 3 days. The last time I experienced rain like this was in Wellington. There the rain was accompanied by mist and the smell of Eucalyptus and Citronella. Here I’m hurrying to RIMYI as quickly but as carefully as I can so as to make it to class on time while avoiding getting muck on my shoes and clothes.

The 7 am class this morning was taken by Abhijata. We started with the Uttanasana and the Adhomukha Svanasana. We frequently start classes with these poses. Then we were asked to get bricks and then started the series of standing poses. We did all the standing poses without a break. We did the entire sequence on both sides taking a break in between. It took us only about 10 minutes. Abhijata then told us that we can do the entire sequence of standing poses every day and in only 20 minutes. In Iyengar yoga we start with the standing poses. These poses are sort of like the entry point to other poses and also the entry point to start correcting alignment issues. Structural and postural defects can be corrected only once the corrections from basic standing asanas are experienced by the body.

Another reason we begin with standing asanas is because while doing the asanas you focus on nothing but the asana. It’s difficult to think about how much you hate your boss when your thighs are screaming in Virbhadrasana 1. So for 20 minutes (while you are performing the sequence of standing poses), you get a mental break from whatever thoughts disturb you for the rest of the day. This state of focus and concentration is what meditation tries to get you to. In Iyengar yoga we use the asanas as a means to attain the meditative state.

When you try to sit and actively concentrate on emptying your mind or focusing on an object/word/thought, it’s difficult. It could lead to frustration as well (the opposite of what we hope to achieve through meditation). However, practicing asanas with consciousness and with an attention to detail ensures that for the time you are practicing you are also in a meditative state.

Perhaps this explains why I feel a sense of lightness here. (Starting to wonder if I want to make it back to Bangalore….)

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Nightlife of a Different Sort

September 13, 2016

Lord Ganesh would probably be the poster boy for Hindu mythology. I’ve rarely met a foreign yogi who hasn’t heard at least one legend about how he got the head of an elephant. I’ve rarely been to an Indian or an Indophile’s house which doesn’t have a picture or a statue of Ganesh-ji. I don’t profess to have more than a rudimentary knowledge of Hinduism and am not in the least iconoclastic. But I also have a beautiful statue of Ganesh in my house. One of my favorite pieces of jewellery is a gold Ganesh pendant that a friend of mine gave me when I was about to embark on an import journey in life (thanks Lakshmi).

I guess it was destiny for me to come to Maharashtra when the most special festival is going on. Ganesh Chaturti here is celebrated like Dusshera in Mysore. The festival has been immortalized in numerous Bollywood songs and last night I had the pleasure of visiting the 5 famous Ganesh mandals here in Pune. These are so famous in fact, that it is rumoured that Bollywood celebrities come all the way here to offer their prayers. Going to the old city and walking through the crowds to make your way to the Ganpatis is no easy feat, and I guess it was destiny once again that I had a group who was kind enough to think of me when they made their plan. Had it not been for Hariharan, Shivangi and Subbu I don’t think I would ever have had the chance to participate in the festivities.

The route.

We had a very capable and organized navigator. Hariharan did the groundwork. We had the names of the famous Ganapatis and the walking route printed out. We knew that it was going to be crowded, so we left our bags behind in the car and ventured out on foot. Don’t get too close to the venue to look for parking because you won’t find any. We parked on the other side of the Mula Mutha river and crossed the bridge. The area is cordoned off for vehicles.

Have to go back to this. I’ve heard there is a sound and light show here. Also, it looks very different from how it does in Bajirao Mastani. I will have to go back for a closer look.

The Ganapatis we wanted to visit were:

Kasba
Tambdi
Guruji Talim
Tulsibaugh (we missed this one)
Kesriwada

So the Ganapatis, in no particular order are:

The oldest Ganapati.

While here I want to make sure that I have as much vada pav and pav bhaji and other local fare, and in keeping with that we stopped at JumboKing for their famous Wada Pav Burger.

Mario Miranda on the wall.

Fortune tellers, old and new friends, phenomenal yoga teachers and amazing practice sessions…what else will Ganesh-ji bring my way during the rest of my Pune travels and in my life?

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RIMYI Experiences

The Yoga Mat

September 12, 2016

A photograph at the institute.

A tip for all of you travelling to Pune to study at RIMYI: Don’t take your yoga mat. I know many people are attached to their mats, and they can’t imagine practicing on any other mat. (Letting your yoga mat go would be a good lesson in Vairagya or non-attachment.) Anyways, I was unaware that mats are available in the institute, so I brought along my own. But I find I’m too lazy to lug it to the institute daily, so now I just use the mats there.

The institute has a wide collection of mats. So depending on what you want to practice,

Electric salad and Top Hats @Malaka

you can choose the thickness and stickiness of the mat. The thing is, my mat gets very dirty (maybe because of my park classes), and I simply can’t get over how clean these mats are. Even though hundreds of people use the mats daily, the mats are clean and tidy, so you don’t feel all icky about using them.

You probably use your mat daily. Probably sweat on it a lot. Probably walk across it with dirty feet, or others will walk across it with dirty feet. No wonder people find their hands and feet slipping in Adhomukha Svanasana. But a little care for your mat can ensure that it lasts for a while.

If you use your mat in the park (like a lot of my students do), then try to wash your mat weekly. The best practice to wash your mat is to lay it down on the floor and wipe it down with a sponge and soapy water. And then rinse the soap away using the same sponge. Be gentle, because you don’t want to loosen and weaken the fibres of the mat. I suggest you be eco-friendly and use water and vinegar mixed together. In Wellington I used to spray Eucalyptus oil on my mat which would keep it smelling fresh and energizing. You could also spray some essential oil on your mat. Leave it out to dry. Also, try not to use too much soap as you don’t want any residue on your mat.

Don’t wring the mat. Again, it may loosen the fibres and you may end up wringing the mat out of shape.

I know there are special yoga mat wipes which you could use to clean your mat. I know of one case where someone used baby wipes, which was a bad idea because it moisturized the mat. Which is not ideal if you want to practice Adhomukha perfectly. Some people use witch-hazel as well. I’ve never done this.

What I usually do is put my mat in the washing machine and leave it out to dry in the balcony. Simple and time effective. However, I learned the hard way that you shouldn’t put in anything else with your mat. One of my mats came out torn on one end. Learn from my mistakes.

Sunday agenda: Catching up on rest with Aston and scary movies on Netflix.

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Stretching – Then and Now

September 11, 2016

@Malaka Spice

It’s been close to 10 days here and my routine here is as challenging as ever. I realize that if it’s your first time here, then it does take a while to adjust and adapt. The first time I had a 4 hour practice I was incredulous … and didn’t know how to deal with it. Rather, I didn’t know how to make the most of it. When I practice at home it’s only for an hour and a half, and by the end of it I’m drained out. So the first few days here, I was always exhausted. So much so that I felt I couldn’t give the best in the asanas and always felt sloppy and ungainly throughout the practice. Mondays and Tuesdays specially, since practice on those days is almost 4 hours long, and by the time I’m done with practice its an ordeal just to walk home. My fantasies these days centre around buying an apartment next to the institute so that I can crawl home in no time and surface again only for the next class.

However, now I’ve started to get used to the routine. I’m actually able to make the most of the extended practice sessions. In fact, 2 hours is just about enough time for a satisfying practice…how I’m going to sustain this when I’m back in Bangalore is the stuff other blog posts are made of.

Yesterday I had my class in the evening (where I’m referred to as ‘Bangalore’, and another

girl is called ‘USA’, oh and then there’s ‘Madam China’ in the 6 am session). It was an amazingly intense session. The class was fast paced with a focus on stretching the lower body (Janu Sirsasana, Paschimottansana, Baddhakonasana etc). Finally we did the Upavista Konasana, which is a challenging pose for me. I slowly made my way down and eased my torso onto the floor. I remember the days when I started practicing yoga and this pose was a big challenge. I wouldn’t be able to extend my back and my hip joint was stiff. As the years went by, I was still pretty reluctant to practice this pose because it didn’t come naturally at all and it was frustrating. Even now, sometimes I’m able to execute this pose well, and sometimes I feel like lead.

Yesterday I was able to ease myself down and placed my forehead on the floor. I stayed there kind of happy and satisfied with myself. There’s always an element of pleasant surprise also, because some days your body can extend and some days it just doesn’t. This reverie lasted until I heard, “BANGALORE! You’re sleeping! Extend more! Walk forward with your hands!!! That’s it, that’s good. Trance mein chali gayi thi phir se.”

And I realized that for the most part, this is how I practice. I arrange myself into a pose and then my mind says, “This is it, you’ve done well. You’re done.” And then my pose goes dead, and progress stops. Or, as the teacher said, I fall asleep. So when I was told to extend more, I had to push through the limitations of my mind (kind of still the internal dialogue) and discover if I could, in fact, go further. I realized that I could, and for that little bit of time I experienced new life. And received a bit of enlightenment.

The Halasana is a pose that we do daily in class. We use props to ensure that the spine and neck are straight. The picture is of me doing the Halasana many years ago. When my internal dialogue was loud and overpowering. I’m sure it’s improved over the years. And after this class, I know how to work in this (and in all other asanas).

Halasana (Plough Pose)

How To

Lie down straight on your back making sure your head lies on the floor.
Exhale, bend your legs at the knees and bring your knees close to your chest.
Lift your buttocks off of the floor supporting your back with your hands.
Make sure to plant your elbows firmly on the floor.
Bring your body perpendicular to the floor, until your sternum touches your chin.
Gently extend your legs out behind your head.
Keep your face and neck relaxed.
Practice with your arms stretched out behind and fingers interlocked to relive pain and cramps in fingers, hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders.

Benefits

Relieves fatigue.
Helps to calm down the mind.
Relaxes your eyes and brain.
Controls hyper tension.
Improves digestion.
Lengthens the spine and improves alignment.
Reduces insomnia and anxiety.
Relieves stress-related headaches and migraines.

Contraindications

Don’t practice during menstruation and if you have cervical spondylosis.

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A Yogi in Pune – Day 3

September 3, 2016

I had a 7 am class this morning and boy was it jam packed! I think the practice hall can accommodate about 25 people comfortably but we crammed in about 50 people. We were told to keep our mats right next to each other. To adjust and to understand. In life and on the mat.

My self practice was in the evening today and it was simply AMAAAAAAAZING!!!! I had been avoiding practicing back bends for a while. I’ve analysed why in my head several times, however will take reams and reams of blog posts to get into why. Anyways, what I really like about the self practice sessions here is that the students come and practice with unwavering dedication, even though there are no teachers to help out or to guide. I come across so many people who say that they need to join a class else they slack off. Until now I understood this as a lack of inspiration to work out, to dance, to practice yoga etc. However, when I look around at the self practice room and see people practicing intensely, I have a new found respect for those who maintain a regular fitness regime. For myself, yoga isn’t a fitness regime. I’ll risk sounding clichéd, but it’s like brushing my teeth. It sets the pace of my days, it makes me feel balanced, it helps me focus and express myself. Yoga simply defines my days.

Soup of the Day: Tomato and Carrot

Today also marks the momentous occasion of me buying my very first Iyengar yoga shorts. There is a local man here (a Mr. Vasanth), who along with his wife makes yoga shorts and tees and props too. I’m going to upload his contact details here so that all who are interested can contact him. They customize the shorts as well, so I’ve asked for plain black. Until then I will make do with the blue tie and dyed ones I chose from amongst the ones he had.

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And finally my first weekend in Pune has arrived! Anuja and I are going out for a meal so that we can let our hair down and set the tone for the weekend. I have two complete days to work this exhaustion out of my system (maybe going out tonight isn’t in line with that goal…). Anyways, girls who work hard need to play hard too.

Also, we watched ‘Hush’ last night. Completely forgettable.

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