22 hours with Mary Obendorfer

     Donna Moresco, owner of YogaSalah hosted a workshop with Mary Obendorfer -- a Senior level certified Iyengar Teacher, who has been practicing yoga for 30 years and traveled to India 14 times. Mary O as is affectionately called has quite a presence. However, it isn’t her six-foot-plus stature, as much as her command of Iyengar Yoga along with her ability to teach with grace and laughter that’s so striking. Her laughter is infectious and it brings light into the dark places we are called to explore. These unilluminated areas in our bodies seem virtually indiscernible to us, or so constricted no “light” can enter. As a practitioner, it is our goal to bring awareness to these areas and “create space” as Mary O advises, so the necessary intelligence develops to facilitate progress.

      “Be careful of what you practice,” Mary O explains, “Because you will become good at it.” That means, if we are insistent on continuing our bad habits, we are guaranteed to become experts at those as well. What a waste of a yoga class. The last three of the nine obstacles to yoga according to Iyengar’s “Light on Yoga”: Bharānti Darśana, Alab adh Bhūmikatva, and Anavasthitattva speak to the false knowledge, illusion, and inability to attain continuity of concentration, or instability in being able to sustain concentration during practice. Our own egotism or Asmitā plays a big role, of course --we think we know what we’re doing. Besides, we’d much prefer to stick with what brings us pleasure and not go into areas that might cause us discomfort or pain.

     Mary O reminded us that there is always a trade-off when we push into a posture without awareness of our habits or our weakness. Sometimes it might be a very high price to pay. It is our job to coach the body and the mind into better patterns of thought and action to create healthier habits. To do that, we can’t force it. We have to be honest with ourselves about where we are. Satya, truth-telling is the second discipline of the first limb of yoga called Yama (what we should and should not do to others as well as ourselves).  That honesty isn't about giving up because we know we are no where near the full posture. It doesn't mean we can allow our Ālasya: laziness or our Styāna: lack of mental disposition to work to take hold either. It simply means we have to be where we are and gently coax our body into right action. We have to check in with the state of our citta: mental consciousness. Are the vrttis, oscillating random thoughts throwing us off of our task? Focusing on one area of the body is a way to quiet our thoughts. With small concentrated effort, we can bring about miniscule awakenings of the dark spots that are sustainable and build a stronger foundation for progress.

      Mary demonstrated many, many ways to create small openings of concentrated effort.  She  began with something as simple as a rocking action in Adho Mukha Śvānāsana: downward dog. The rocking action gave us a touch-and-go opportunity to recognize our habits; and then by slowing the rocking action, it allowed us to almost reprogram our body and mind with better habits. Using our Smrti or memory, we can create new samskara or impressions that will help bring this new habit into our daily practice.

      B.K.S. Iyengar said, "When stability becomes a habit, maturity and clarity follow." There is power in the pause. It allows us to use our Svadhyaya, self-study to evaluate our tendencies and compare them to right actions and make corrections. Needless to say, this doesn’t happen over night or within the over 20 hours of a fabulous workshop. It happens with years of Tapas, a burning desire, and persistent concentrated effort with a great Iyengar teacher like Mary O as your guide.

     Mary is now teaching with her husband Eddy at Kalaheo Yoga Center in Kauai. In Atlanta, we have Kathleen Pringle and her spectacular teachers at Stillwater Yoga. In Duluth, we have Donna Moresco and her wonderful teachers at YogaSalah. To find an Iyengar teacher near you visit: bksiyengar.com/modules/teacher/teacher.asp

       Whatever you do, don’t miss the opportunity to turn on your light and light the way for others to do the same. Every moment in life offers a new choice.  Time is precious. Choose wisely.