Impressions of India: Day 7

 

After the prayers on the second day of the intensive, Geeta asked us to get into Dandasana staff pose. She reiterated lessons from yesterday that involved lifting up the apana energy from the feet.  She furthered the concept today using the word Nadis or energy channels. As many of you know, Yoga is an art and a science, as well as a philosophy. In learning the art and philosophy of Yoga, you also begin to understand the science of Yoga.
 

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It is said there are some 72,000 Nadis in the body and throughout class she would refer to specific channels for us to bring our awareness to. She encouraged activation of the channel because by activating the pose long enough the energy becomes the pose - that is when, I suspect, we begin to reach the sensations in Sutra II:46 Sthira Sukham Asanam and move towards II:47 and II:48 (Yes, I want you to look them up). 

Alignment of body, mind and soul brings stability in a pose. It is there that we can begin to discover the infinite within. Geeta spoke about things like finding the infinity in the skin of the armpits. When we understand correct alignment and the directional flow of the pose, we begin to discover the infinite places we can go. Geeta demonstrated this several times over the course of the session by bringing students on stage and putting them in correct alignment such that they could actively work in the pose. She got them unstuck. Once we are unstuck, our mind opens to the possibilities.

She brought one student having trouble in Upavistha onto the stage. With the student's back to us she took the pose on stage. Geeta asked us to developed our yogi eyes as she pointed out the variations in the sacral and buttock area and explained how that was why the student was having troubles. The right side wasn’t working and the other side was. 

I am still very early in my yogic-eye development, but when she brought the variation to our attention I could see it. I could also see the change that happened when Geeta made a correction to the left side so that the right side would begin to work. Once the right side began to work - a light went on for the student - she was out of pain so she could begin working in the pose correctly.

Still not satisfied she had helped the student gain the understanding needed, Geeta had the student stand and walk the “cat walk”.  As the student walked, we were able to observe a very distinct difference between her right side and left.  Her right side shifted outwards and the left inward. Geeta helped bring awareness to the student of her natural tendency by having her widen her stance mat distance, and walk with her heels out slowly back and forth. The student’s new awareness enabled a correction to take place. But why all of this effort for one student? 

Because that is what Iyengar Yoga is all about. Geeta's work today set good examples of B.K.S. Iyengar’s dedication to making sure students have the right information in all stages of their practice to intelligize the body.  Students with wrong actions can't develop the asana.Therefore it is important to take the time to teach right actions.

When we got to Utthita Trikonasana, she corrected another student and asked, “who is your teacher?”  The student finally answered after trying to avoid the answer for a minute. Geeta asked the teacher to come onto the stage with the student.  She reprimanded teachers in general, not in a mean way, but in a deeply heartfelt and soulful way in order to impress upon us how Iyengar teachers cannot let even the smallest detail go unattended to, because it can turn into a big problem later.

The student with the hip issue earlier may not have pain today. She is young.  Geeta sited Sutra II:16 heyaim dukham anagatam, which B.K.S. Iyengar translates to be, "The pains which are yet to come can be and are to be avoided. It is the responsibility of the teacher to be sure the student is aligned correctly.  It takes time.  It takes patience.  It takes attention and an incredible yogi eye, but it takes what it is to be an Iyengar teacher.

She closed with a story about when her father was sick and not attending the classes. One day, he saw a student doing a wrong action through the window.  Mr. Iyengar couldn’t allow it. He wanted to go and help the student immediately. This was just before his passing, and yet he still felt a duty to correct a wrong action. 

 

Therefore, it is our duty as practitioners, as well as teachers to learn to see the corrections that are needed and make them. It is this kind of dedication that makes Iyengar Yoga Teachers such phenomenal guides in learning the benefits of the art, science, and philosophy of yoga.  

Thank you, Geeta.

Namaste.

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