As usual when I return from an oddesy I go into a sort of black hole and I don't want to come out. It's laboreous. I ventured out to the grocery store today and was struck by the sterile atmosphere in the land of plastic bags and tomatoes that don't taste like tomatoes. I miss the veggie woman who always gave me a free handdful of something. But, it is so convenient and so easy to shop here. I get in my large car and drive home with my booty, stuff for veggie soup. My mood matches the day -slate gray. The weatherman has warned us to stock up on provisions because there might be snow flurries. The house is messy and there are loose ends everywhere like tenticles - scraps of paper with emails and names and phone numbers, representing people most of whom I will never see again, my Auredevic food chart, no I won't be giving up limes or spicy food, 2 pair of not flattering bloomers, the Pune blankets i lugged home, why?....to hang on to something which can never be captured by possessing any thing.
I'm off to listen to Geeta on a DVD. lk
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
What Have I learned in Pune?
1. If you prctice 3 hours a day what you have been taught in class you do improve.
2. I am terrible at forward bends and it is ingorant to push myself beyond "my limit" if I'm unable to maintain the extension, sacrificing the entegrity of the pose.
3. Americans appear to have a huge number of excellent teachers compared to other parts of the world and our students shine.
4. We are lucky at BKS. Some students I've met here don't know how to use the ropes or other props because their studios don't have them and have not had the benefit of studying with senior teachers on a regular basis.
5. There is nothing to fear in coming to Pune. I've had a lot of help from the senior Indian teachers who are wonderful.
6. Yoga is not a physical exercise and it's goal is not to make us fit or remove aches and pains. The reality of life is pain. (Geeta says this frequently. )
2. I am terrible at forward bends and it is ingorant to push myself beyond "my limit" if I'm unable to maintain the extension, sacrificing the entegrity of the pose.
3. Americans appear to have a huge number of excellent teachers compared to other parts of the world and our students shine.
4. We are lucky at BKS. Some students I've met here don't know how to use the ropes or other props because their studios don't have them and have not had the benefit of studying with senior teachers on a regular basis.
5. There is nothing to fear in coming to Pune. I've had a lot of help from the senior Indian teachers who are wonderful.
6. Yoga is not a physical exercise and it's goal is not to make us fit or remove aches and pains. The reality of life is pain. (Geeta says this frequently. )
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Thursday
Well we are without the Iyengars cuse the are gone til Wednesday to a wedding. So I'm going to the Kare spa where I intended to go when I arrived.
Classes are wonderful and I love all the Iyengars. Geeta does scare me a bit with her yelling and punitive ways but she is a brilliant teacher, if only I could understand everything she says.
I saw Laurie Blakeney yesterday and she gave me a big hug.
A woman got reamed out for being in a class she was not supposed to be in yesterday. She said she had misunderstood Pandu. Geeta went on an on about how she was not being honest, etc. Another woman was repremanded repeatedly for letting her sacrum kick forward even thoiugh she was as tiny as Paula. I had cleverly positioned myself out of Geetaji's range of vision on that occasion, but I suspect Geeta is a reincarnation of the goddess Kali and has 1000 eyes only 2 of which we can see.
I got singled out in class the other day but Geetaji was not mean. We were doing Maha Mudra which is very difficult for me. I hardly go forward at all when I do it. So she kept saying ,"hold the strap closer to the foot" and so I did. This was not wise on my part because it made my back round and I was probably red in the face and I know I was straining. Geeta told Eddie to take me to the horse and she had me sit facing the back of the chair seated on a bolster and a blanket or 2 with my legs spread and my feet on bolsters. My upper arms were on the back of the horse and my dorsal could not round. My sacrum was against the horse. I then did jalindara banda. She did not seem angry and did not say "WHO IS YOUR TEACHER"? I will never comprimise the integrity of the pose againby going too far. Eddie said she was not talkinfg to me when she said hold closer to the foot and I should have known that. it was fear that made me go too far. I was happy to go to the horse and I've been practicing on it ever since.
I am kind of lookinf forward to the birthday on the 14th but I hear we have to sit for ages oin our dress up clothes , which are HOT and the Iyengars won't allow fans for some strange reason. I nearly melted at the Philosophy talk last week and my back was hurting and it was only an hour! I plan to arrive early and try to sit against a pillar.
I am knocking myself out to try and find a nearly dead dog with the mange so I can feed him and give him a worming pill every day. I got stuck withn this task because Doris, my friend from Canada, had taken care of him and asked me to take over. He lives in a garbage dump next to the park. It seems futile somehow because when I go nobody will be there to carry on.
I'm visiting an orphanage/day care center next week. My friend Ricardo from Spain adopted a child from there for $200.00 per year. It's like the kids from Slumdog Millionaire. They are givrn medical care and food. The older ones are given schooling. The ones with a parent stay in the creche during the day so mom can work.
I have an appointment to talk with Prashant about philosophy. He said anyone could ask to talk with him so I did. LK
Classes are wonderful and I love all the Iyengars. Geeta does scare me a bit with her yelling and punitive ways but she is a brilliant teacher, if only I could understand everything she says.
I saw Laurie Blakeney yesterday and she gave me a big hug.
A woman got reamed out for being in a class she was not supposed to be in yesterday. She said she had misunderstood Pandu. Geeta went on an on about how she was not being honest, etc. Another woman was repremanded repeatedly for letting her sacrum kick forward even thoiugh she was as tiny as Paula. I had cleverly positioned myself out of Geetaji's range of vision on that occasion, but I suspect Geeta is a reincarnation of the goddess Kali and has 1000 eyes only 2 of which we can see.
I got singled out in class the other day but Geetaji was not mean. We were doing Maha Mudra which is very difficult for me. I hardly go forward at all when I do it. So she kept saying ,"hold the strap closer to the foot" and so I did. This was not wise on my part because it made my back round and I was probably red in the face and I know I was straining. Geeta told Eddie to take me to the horse and she had me sit facing the back of the chair seated on a bolster and a blanket or 2 with my legs spread and my feet on bolsters. My upper arms were on the back of the horse and my dorsal could not round. My sacrum was against the horse. I then did jalindara banda. She did not seem angry and did not say "WHO IS YOUR TEACHER"? I will never comprimise the integrity of the pose againby going too far. Eddie said she was not talkinfg to me when she said hold closer to the foot and I should have known that. it was fear that made me go too far. I was happy to go to the horse and I've been practicing on it ever since.
I am kind of lookinf forward to the birthday on the 14th but I hear we have to sit for ages oin our dress up clothes , which are HOT and the Iyengars won't allow fans for some strange reason. I nearly melted at the Philosophy talk last week and my back was hurting and it was only an hour! I plan to arrive early and try to sit against a pillar.
I am knocking myself out to try and find a nearly dead dog with the mange so I can feed him and give him a worming pill every day. I got stuck withn this task because Doris, my friend from Canada, had taken care of him and asked me to take over. He lives in a garbage dump next to the park. It seems futile somehow because when I go nobody will be there to carry on.
I'm visiting an orphanage/day care center next week. My friend Ricardo from Spain adopted a child from there for $200.00 per year. It's like the kids from Slumdog Millionaire. They are givrn medical care and food. The older ones are given schooling. The ones with a parent stay in the creche during the day so mom can work.
I have an appointment to talk with Prashant about philosophy. He said anyone could ask to talk with him so I did. LK
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