Yoga for the Traveler: Part 1

Hours in the air and in the airport waiting to fly can be tough on the body and the mind.  Over the years I've cultivated and improved on an airport and airplane practice which I recently taught in several of my classes.  

I had two LONG flights this trip, so I did the Pre-Boarding practice at the first airport and the On Board practice on both planes, and it was very doable.  Several flight attendants and passengers wanted to get in on the game!  Of course, you can do other poses than what I have listed in my sequence here and may find other ways to do them.  Click the link below to access the sequence.

Airport - Airplane Sequence

Let's have a little fun with this:  Announcing the Airport/Airplane Photo Contest!  

Send me a photo of yourself doing a yoga pose at the airport or on an airplane by November 26.  You can email the photo to me (rosie.richardson726@gmail.com and do let me know if it's ok for me to share it on a future blog post at the end of this journey).  I'll bring a special gift to the first 10 students who send me their entry.  For those of you who are not my students, play along anyway!  

Here are a few samples of the poses I did on the plane in that little hallway between sections.   

 

    

Being "At Home"

Raise your hand:  Who remembers encyclopedias?  

When I was kid, we had shelves full of these gorgeous bound volumes, and I would spend hours getting lost in them.  At the end of most articles was my FAVORITE part:   "See also...fill in the blank", directing me to further exploration. 

Now, we have the internet as a seemingly infinite "see also" encyclopedia directive.  A search on the phrase "at home" revealed uses familiar and antiquated:

• Present or here
• In one's own place, community or town 
• A sports team's venue
• Comfortable, relaxed, content, confident, safe, 
• At ease in one's surroundings
• Ready to receive visitors and entertain (think British period dramas)

We spend much of our life "at home"...in our comfort zone, if you will, and when out of those boundaries, naturally, seek to find our way back in.  

As yoga practitioners, however, we are by nature explorers, expanding the boundaries of awareness.  We learn through the practice of asana that the feeling of place is wherever we are today in a pose.  The more we practice a pose, the more we learn about ourselves in it, and the more comfortable we get...until we spy that little reminder to "see also" in that asana where we are again faced with the opportunity to know more. 

And in this way we expand our awareness of and openness to the idea of a greater sense of the infinite within.

Traveling and learning to live away from home offers that same opportunity for expanding the sense of what "At Home" can be.  Here in Pune, we took care of the necessary first [food, water, shelter, internet :-) ] and now are looking around to appreciate the setting.  More on that in another post.

Classes will start today, but yesterday was spent settling in and of course, that means PRACTICE.  I truly do feel at home in the practice hall at RIMYI now.  I chose to do a sequence Guruji gave for Jet Lag (I'll share it in another post).  And even though one really CAN stay in one's own place during a practice in a busy room full of others doing the same, it is lovely when something unexpected draws you out.  Toward the end of my practice, the sounds of Guruji's great grandchildren's laughter in the courtyard came bubbling up through the grilled windows.  

On the way out, I noticed among the shoe shelves something I had missed coming in...a reminder that the Institute is not just a place of learning, but also a HOME!  

Another Opening, Another Show

Dear ones, 

I'm finally off to Pune again!  Stay tuned to this site for future musings, photos, sequences and links.  

Those of you receiving this blog for the first time, when you go the actual website for the blog,  please select the "FOLLOW" button on the right in order to receive notices of new postings.  It will guide you in next steps.  There is also a way to follow through email. 

In the meantime, here is a video from the asana performance for Patricia Walden's 70th birthday...you'll recognize a number of Down Under teachers (I'm in it), either demonstrating poses or narrating.  If you receive this as an email, to see the video you will need to select the title of the post which should be highlighted in blue.  

Asana Performance for Patricia Walden's 70th

Moving the Skin You're In

What does it mean to you to "practice yoga"?  

I know...that is a BIG question, so when I was asked today how LONG I had been practicing yoga, I had to think about what those words really meant.  

But before we get into that, let me tell you about our last class today.  

Geeta taught an asana sequence intended to quiet the mind and nervous system before teaching some of the subtle work of pranayama and dhyana.  For those readers newer to the yoga scene, these are three of the 8 limbs (ashtanga) in yoga.  They include:

• Yama - a code of ethics...no lying, violence, stealing, coveting or sexual misconduct

• Niyama - personal practices - cleanliness, contentment, sincere effort, self-study of yoga and texts, and surrender to the Self

• Asana -  the Posture practice

• Pranayama - Breath Control practice

• Pratyahara - Withdrawal of the senses

• Dharana - Concentration

• Dhyana - Meditation

• Samadhi - A profound state of meditation where one "meets the soul face to face" as Iyengar described it.

You'll note that meditation is way down on the list as it is considered a more advanced practice in yoga, BUT even a newer student begins to taste a bit of it in an asana class, where one is essentially practicing meditation on the action or stillness in the poses. 

But just sitting or lying down to meditate? Either my swirling thoughts get in the way, or I drift in and out. 

Today's class was the culmination of a week of Asana and Pranayama for Meditation.  Toward the end of class today, I reached such a profound state of relaxation during the supine pranayama that when she instructed us to "move the skin" in one direction or another, I had so much spaciousness and sensitivity in my physical body that I COULD feel the skin respond.  My nervous system was QUIET, my senses were NOT directed outward (though technically I was listening to Geeta), my thoughts were NOT swirling, my mind was completely present on the very experience she was teaching and my body relaxed and responded.  

It was very, very interesting.

WELL, I probably lost you when I said "SKIN MOVING", didn't I?   

When I first ventured down this road, I recall hearing a teacher giving a skin-related instruction and thought to myself how impossible that seemed!  As I walked home through the usual cacophony of traffic sounds and smells, completely aware but undisturbed by any of it, that memory came back to me and I had to laugh at myself...it IS possible after all! 

Back to the question at hand.  When some one asked today, "How long have you been practicing yoga?" I said, "Well, it really depends on how you define it."

Like many, I came into my first class with curiosity, hoping to feel better, get stronger and more limber.  In 1998 I would have said I was "taking a yoga class", not practicing yoga.  When I enrolled in the teacher training program 10 years later, I'm not sure that I could call what I was doing then "practicing yoga" either as I really only knew about the Asana practice at that time.  

Lynn, an Australian yoga teacher who lives here, noted gently that even though it wasn't in my awareness yet, I was starting down that path back then, and that it takes years to build to an experience and awareness like today's.  

It's a bit like learning to read and write. 

We learn to read and write at say, age 5 or 6, but the type of reading and writing then is not the same as when you are 10 or 20 or 50.  Before you can write a dissertation, or even understand one, you first need to learn your ABC's -- How to recognize the letters, write them, say them. Then learn to recognize words, read and write simple words and sentences and books...then harder words, complex sentences, advanced books and so on.  

Equally, in a yoga practice, you have to learn your ABC's...First there is asana.  You can't learn to stand on your head until you understand how to stand on your feet and legs.  You have to learn learn how stretching and straightening the arms and legs stretches the spine.  You have to learn what Geetaji calls "the gross actions" of the body before you can learn more subtle and detailed ones.    

Little by little, you begin to develop awareness of the outer layer of the physical embodiment, moving gradually through the layers of your being, all the while, cultivating the discipline to meditate.  BKS Iyengar has referred to the asana practice as "meditation in action". 

So many years of exploring this, both in and out of class, on and off the mat, learning to appreciate and live the lessons in the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, trying and failing and trying again and succeeding, rinse...repeat...this is what "practicing yoga" means to me.  

This final post brings me back to the very first one. The intense experience of learning daily with the Iyengars and the many hours of practice in the hall every day have transformed my awareness, moving it along the continuum.  

As for my next visit, perhaps I'll take some inspiration from the Vibhuti Pada, the third chapter of the Sutras which describes the special powers that come to yoga practitioners....Invisibility has a certain appeal! 

Thanks for coming along on my journey of transformation this month.  

Please - Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section on what practicing yoga means for you.  

Ganesha -- the connection to Yoga

Walk down any street in Maharastra state and within a few blocks you are likely to come across a small, medium or large enclosure with a familiar elephant-headed god inside.  Meet Ganesha, the Lord of Success and the Destroyer of Obstacles.  He is one of the five major deities in the Hindu culture, the other four being Shiva, Durga, Surya and Vishnu. 

This antique representation above, held in a private collection in Pune, is perhaps one of the most elegant and subdued versions I have seen in my two visits.  In smaller roadside enclosures as well as larger temples, the depiction is very colorful...

...and in the larger temples, he is festively adorned, and receives many visitors, offerings and prayers.  

Near most temples or enclosures, one can find a stall or two with a vendor making flower garlands to bring and adorn Ganesha or another god. 

Ganesha's head symbolizes the atman or the soul, which is the ultimate supreme reality of human existence.  As many of you gentle readers are yoga practitioners, you will recall that the practice of the Eight Limbs of Yoga is geared toward stilling the fluctuations of the consciousness so that the true self or soul can be glimpsed or revealed.

Let's take a pictorial tour of Ganesha's other symbolism.  His form is a short, pot-bellied human with the elephant's head, and you'll notice that the trunk doesn't always point in the same direction.  When it points left, he is reaching for a sweet treat called a ladoo, which represents the fruits of our labors.  Ganesha is telling us that we should enjoy those!

When the trunk is turned to the right, it is reaching for a pot of nectar, representing the bliss attained in the 8th limb of yoga, Samadhi, the ultimate liberation.

Ganesha may have as few as two and as many as 18 arms, but most commonly has four in which he holds a noose, a goad, as tusk and a ladoo.

• Noose or rope to pull one nearer their highest goals
• Goad or axe to cut the bonds of attachments
• Broken tusk a reminder to retain the good and discard the bad
• The ladoo the rewards of our hard work

His big belly is to "digest" all the good and bad in life, and the large ears and small mouth to remind us to listen more and talk less!  Love that one!

Ganesha can also be seen, but rarely, in other poses, like this graceful dancing version...

...Or this protective version defeating an enemy.  

The remover of obstacles, the god of beginnings, patron of the arts and sciences, of letters and learning, surely Ganesha has been with me on this journey here and watching over my blog.

Food, Glorious Food!

When it comes to foreign travel, I am no sissy in the food area.  I go all in with the local scene, exploring markets, looking for new ingredients, taking restaurant recommendations from locals.   We students refer to our much vaunted Pune Guide, a compendium of recommendations from previous Institute visitors as well. 

So, let's go shopping...

During the Pune Heritage Walk our first Sunday morning, the market in the Old City pulled us in with its vendor calls and vibrant colors. 

This 8-sided building has been in continuous operation for over a century, built by the British in concentric rings to house the vendors indoors.  Demand is so great for foods and other things, that the market place spills out into the streets, sometimes smack dab in the middle.    This photo courtesy of our tour guide.

Spice gal just spreads her sheet on the ground practically in the middle of the street and sets up shop. I picked up a large handful of cinnamon bark for our chai for 12 cents...I probably paid too much!  Yoga Students:  Note the casual use of Malasana!

Inside the market building, the vendors arrange themselves in concentric circles according to the type of food.  Some are quite artful in their presentation.  

Bindhi is my absolute favorite here...Okra or Lady Fingers

Cilantro for days...

Our local apartment arrangement comes with a cook (par for the course here) who makes a meal for the 6 of us to share at mid-day.  I'm not going to lie...it's pretty nice to have someone else cook for you every day!  Chef makes a dal or yogurt-based soup, a fresh vegetable, and a bean or sprouted bean dish every day.  There is always rice and fresh chapattis as well.  He is very gifted with the spices.

And then there's eating out.  

A Maharastran meal must is thali, which literally means "plate".  At a thali place, you sit in front of a stainless steel tray with little bowls which are then filled up with a variety of soupy dishes.  The servers come through and add to the empty spaces of your plate different types of breads, condiments, vegetable dishes, and of course, rice.  Servers stop by frequently offering to refill your bowls or serve more of the other foods or breads. 

Did I mention that they keep serving you until you say "whoa"?  This photo above is from one favorite establishment where the $5 tab is considered pricey.  Tonight we ate at super local spot, Asha Dining Hall, where the servers are in uniform but barefooted, and the thali price was $2.15!  

Another scrumptious item is the dosa, which is a slightly soft, slightly crunchy pancake made from a fermented batter.  Urad dal (lentil) and rice are soaked, then blended then left overnight to ferment.  

Cooked like crepe, the finished product is crunchy and buttery.  It's served with a delicious potato filling and coconut chutney and tomato sambar.  One takes off a bit of the dosa, scoops up some of the potato and then garnishes with the condiments.  They often come flat or folded in half, but special super large dosas that feed a whole table come looking like this: 

The roomies enjoying a "paper" dosa. 

The Vaishali Special Masala Dosa

Last but not least, beverages.  I've mentioned the post class fresh coconut water for rehydration, and of course there are drinks made with yogurt like sweet or salty or mango lassi, and local fruit and yogurt shakes are nice, but my favorite tradition is a quick cup of chai.  

Black tea brewed in milk with spices like fresh cardamom, ginger, lemongrass, cinnamon or clove in any combination and with a little sugar.  Do it yourself is good, but I love the little cups served by our favorite chaiwala on the side of the road for 10 rupees...15 cents.

Until next post, cheers!

One-on-One with Geeta

You may have experienced it in a yoga class or workshop.

It's that delightful moment, as in a magic show, when something is revealed IN you or is transformed in another right before your eyes.  

Watching another student have his or her pose transformed under Geeta Iyengar's direction has that quality.  As a student and/or a teacher, you know when you see that new awareness come, and while the change that it brings it ISN"T magic, it is magical.  

Yesterday, though, I wasn't the watcher.

Warning:  The following paragraphs involve sanskrit yoga speak, with some photos from Light On Yoga (where else!) to help illustrate. 

We began with a gentle vinyasa holding the poses: 

Adho Mukha Virasana

Adho Mukha Svanasana

Uttanasana

Adho Mukha Svanasana

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana

Then straight away into headstand and variations:

Sirsasana

Parsva Sirsasana

Parsvaikapada Sirsasana

There was a break while we learned how to teach those new to the pose at the wall and how to teach those doing in the middle of the room before repeating the poses ourselves. 

We stood up to do Tadasana and then arch back as if to do a back bend, when she suddenly stopped and called me to her, and had me do the pose while holding the middle of my back and then brought me up and asked,

"Why is your head crooked in Sirsasana?" (This isn't the first time some one has told me this...At home I practice this pose in front of a mirror.)

"I have crooked neck", I said with a smile.  

She smiled back, and said, "Guruji would say "Crooked neck, Crooked mind!!".  Big laugh from everyone.  

She then had me turn around and face everyone so they could see my crooked neck (it tilts to the right), and then asked me if I could tell which eye was dominant (it's the right one).  Then she asked me to look out of the upper corner of my non-dominant eye. Judging by the class reaction, my neck straightened!

Where they eyes go, the body goes.  You may have experienced that when driving if you take your eyes off the road you drift in the direction you are looking.

Satisfied, Geeta returned to the back arch, had me do the pose several more times to teach what she was really interested in showing...how to go back without hardening the back muscles.  

• Taking the feet as wide as necessary so the tail bone goes in and the back muscles soften and spread to the side rather than hardening.  
• Maintaining the leg/back actions, lifting the spine to go back, hands on the back of the thighs to push them forward.

• Coming up, keeping the spinal muscles broadening rather than jamming in.  

She asked me what I had felt, and since my back was to her, I twisted to the right to answer her question, and she busted me again, "SEE!  Always to the right!"  

So I QUICKLY swiveled the other way to the left to look at her, and we all laughed.   Habits are so deeply ingrained. Developing new ones means creating awareness, then practicing to build the new neural pathways. 

We all practiced the actions in back arch and then continued from there with a similar theme -- 

keep the legs the width of the mat, outer heel pressing and thigh ACTION (not movement) pressing outward to keep the lower back from taking the heat, and keeping the collar bones spreading so that the chest (as in Upward Dog) could come through.  

Here's what we did...each of these was repeated a minimum of 4 times. 

Urdhva Danurasana

• Urdhva Danurasana

• Urdhva Danurasana bringing the head down behind the hands and moving the chest forward.

• Urdhva Danurasana bringing the hands into Sirsasana position, beginning to approach Viparita Dandasana.  

• Viparita Dandasana  

• Setubhandasana - elbows to the wall, rolling on to the forehead, walking the feet out.   We did not take our hands off the floor! 

Setubandhasana

All in all, it was a great class, and when we returned later that afternoon, one of my flat mates and I practiced the head stand variations again to see if my head would stay straight....it's a bit like a rubber band that keeps going back to it's original shape!  I'll have keep working on it. 

Next post will definitely be on food...all this asana practice makes a girl hungry!