January 11th 2025 - Day 6 - 50th Birthday Celebrations

I woke up feeling a bit frazzled today - I'm really missing the time to do my own practice. The teaching and classes are honestly brilliant - inspiring - but it's my own quiet, inward practice that really nourishes me and it's been far too long since I've had time to do it. This is partly self-inflicted (blog writing) and partly just the difference of having two to three sessions per day rather than just the one, plus the to-ing and fro-ing in cabs between home and the venue. I LOVE being taught and learning from other teacher's perspectives, but I've learned it needs to be alongside my own practice, not instead of it. I'm really glad that I'm staying until the end of the month so will at least have some time to delve a bit deeper into my own explorations once we get back to the normal RIMYI timetable. And of course, tomorrow is a day off, so I'll be on the terrace practicing to my heart's content.

Sunita taught an excellent class on twists and forward extensions this morning. The stand out for me was when she strongly encouraged us to (extremely reluctantly) give up our blankets and do Trianga Eka Mukha Pada Paschimottanasna without any support - always a disaster for the poor alignment of the Virasana knee and the off-balance base that has you keeling over to one side. The details are below, but holy moly, she actually instructed this so effectively that I was nailed into the right position! a first for me. As always, she taught with an incredibly strong presence and a voice that compels you to listen - but also these days, a twinkle in her eye.

She also made me smile with her directness. She said people are complaining that Iyengar Yoga is boring. It is you!! (meaning us foreign teachers) YOU have to give life!! You are making it (boring)!! If you dilute it so much, it will go off!! She was referring to the fact that often teachers are skipping the classical pose of Pasvottanasna with hands folded in Paschima Namaskarasana in favour of the more accessible hands to support, when teaching perfectly able-bodied students.

In the afternoon the old-timers (those that have been to RIMYI more than 4 times) had a much needed pranayama session with Navaz at the intensive venue, whereas the newer students (many of whom are on their first ever visit to Pune) were having a class at RIMYI. Her deep resonant voice lulled us all into a state of quiet relaxation and I'm delighted to say, I took zero notes and just immersed myself into the experience.

I've had a distinct lack of photo taking opportunities, due to getting a cab to and from the venue, so it was with great pleasure I took the 30 minute stroll home through FC College grounds back to Model Colony. There is such visual richness everywhere you look that I was spoilt for choice.

I rounded of the day with dinner at The Ambience with Justine, Bobby Clennell and Joan White and we shared a pleasant meal while Bobby and Joan reminisced about old times in Pune and Justine and I caught up on news of our mutual friends from Le Tardoun.

11th January 2025 – Day 6 =- Session 1 - 50th  Birthday – Sunitaji

• Swastikasana invocation and Guru chant – Sit tall, lift yourself from the base. Get composed with your inhalation and be humble with your exhalation.

• AMVirasana – Lift the head slightly up and bring your side body forward. If you cannot extend forward because there is stiffness, turn the palms to face each other and in that manner stretch more forwards.

• AMSvanasana

• Uttanasana

• Parvatasana – Palm has to face the ceiling – Lift the heels so that the whole body naturally lifts up higher and then MAINTAIN the position of the crown of the head and l-e-n-g-t-h-e-n the heels down, without allowing the head to drop it's position at all. See the length that has to come on the anterior spine.

• AMSvansana – Do not push the floating ribs down, they should not push into your T-Shirt at the front. Do not push the shoulder blades in, but LIFT them UP (towards the buttocks) Whole pose has to lengthen upward. Kidney band has to lift up. Lift the heels and get that height – The front of the leg has to lift to the SOCKET and the back of the leg has to stretch to the heel. MAINTAIN that height to extend the heels down.

• Uttansasana

• Trikonasana –The dorsal is the brain of the pose, the chest the eyes.

• Parsvakonasana - Learn to turn the whole leg as one piece rather than bending the knee to turn the foot and correcting the turn of the rest of the leg after. Lift the toes off the floor and pivoting on the heel, turn the whole leg out 90 degrees. Now the turn has come from the socket?  LENGTHEN side trunk to go down LENGTHEN! LENGTHEN! LENGTHEN! The whole side trunk has to rest on the thigh, it has to TOUCH! Whole trunk has to REST! And then rotate. Back leg inner thigh, inner knee has to LIFT!

• AMSvanasana – Adjusted as previously as then those that could, had to press the anterior spine to take the head to the floor. Floating ribs stay into the body.

• Parivrtta Trikonasana – (Those with loose motions / period just quietly do Trikonasana and don’t expend maximum energy there). Starting from Urdhva Hasta to lengthen upwards. Don’t have the attention on the hand coming down to the floor, have the attention on the SPINE. Lift the whole body with the arms, sides of the navel LIFT and lengthen the spine UP to turn. LENGTHEN! LENGTHEN! Left shoulder blade has to roll down and cut in. Torso has to LENGTHEN! From pubic bone to navel, navel to sternum  and sternum to chin. Can you read the shoulder blades?

• We have to penetrate from the periphery to the core AND from the core to the periphery.

• Repeat Parivrtta Trikonasana – Same instructions – How do you know if you are in a correct pose? The left armpit and the left hip will be in one plane.

• Uttanasana - elongate the sides of the navel.

• Parivrrta Parsvakonasana – Starting from Urdhva Hastasana to lift UP, Arms UP to LIFT the navel, turn the legs to the right side for Virabhadrasana 2 and then arms outstretched in line with the shoulders rotate the whole torso into a Parivrtta Virabhadrasana 2 (contracts the kidneys, very beneficial). LENGTHEN to go to Pariv Parsvak. Cut the dorsal spine in and move the sternum towards the chin – it is the back that has to support the sternum to move forwards.  The back is the driver for the sternum.

  
  

• Here she spoke about how the lateral standing poses – Trikonasana, Vira 2 etc are beneficial for the Annamaya Kosha (Skeleto-muscular Body) but the Parivrttas work on the organ body and the Pranamaya Kosha (life force which controls biological processes). In the Parivrttas the organs of the back body – kidneys, liver, spleen pancreas are contracted to make them ‘pump well’. They are pumping all the time, but what makes this happen? What drives this? This is our search to find out.

  
  

• Hands in Paschima Namaskarasana for Parsvottanasana (Or Baddha Hastasana / fingers interlocked and drawing down as per your condition). Rolling the shoulders, elbows back, rising UP – independent extension of the abdominal wall lengthening upwards has to come - coiling back to look at the ceiling. Lengthening forwards and rolling shoulders back to press the palms, front of the leg has to lengthen up to the socket and back leg down to the inner heel. Then lengthen downwards over the front leg. Forehead to shin, chin to shin as per your capacity.

  1)Right side Coiling up 2) Extending forwards 3) Lengthening downwards with rotation from left to right 4) Stay down to turn to left side 5) Stand up on left side 6) Lift and coil back to look at ceiling 7) Extend forwards 8) Rotate right to left to extend down over left leg. 8) Come up and jump feet together. Keep chest LIFTED to release palms.

• Here she asked how many were teaching the classical Parsvottanasana in this way with arms in Paschima Namaskarasana. People are complaining that Iyengar Yoga is boring. It is you!! YOU have to give life!! You are making it (boring)!! If you dilute it so much, it will go off!! Learning to extend forward with the arms folded behind is important! It is a study – that is why Geetaji broke it down and explained it in Intermediate Course.

• Padangustasana – Encircle the big toes and extend forward to lengthen the body and concave the back. Then widen the clavicles, widen the elbows to the side and see how this draws the sides of the trunk downwards. Sideways space to go down. LIFT the inner ankles. Press down from the sacrum and tailbone to lengthen downwards. And then slightly roll the head in, so the ears roll from the bottom to the top and witness how this makes the brain quieten.

• Pada Hastasana – Insert entire palm under the foot, widen the elbows to draw down, elbows are the fulcrum and then roll the ears from the bottom to the top to bring the head in, don’t force on the neck, roll the ears to quieten the nerves.

• Virasana

• Paschimottonasana – Loose motions take concave back only holding the belt. Don’t contract the abdomen. Flat supine poses are the best for this. 1) Arms up to lengthen 2) Encircle the big toes and lift upward in concave back 3) Widen the elbows to extend forwards, so the doors are open and the legs welcome you in! 4) Put the elbows on the floor – this fulcrum ‘safeguards’ the back and whole front body extend forwards 5) Lift the elbows wide and extend the shoulderblades to the elbows, back becomes flat. ‘Extend from the waistline to the armpit GO1GO! GO!’

• Janu Sirsasana 1) Arms up 2) Big Toe 3) Open gates – widen elbows 4) Elbows down 5) Elbows up. Tighten the thigh, especially the back thigh for the knee to descend. Bring right knee back and extend side trunk forwards. Turn ribcage from right to left side – inhale to rotate and exhale to move more forwards. Levelise the navel.

• Repeat Janu Sirsasana – the tailbone is not easily level like it is in Paschimottonasana, but you have to levelise it ‘Be on the centre of the nail!!’ Balance!! And the rotation will come. This was a noticeably quieter, more stable pose where the rotation came more effortlessly.

• Trianga Mukha Eka Pada Paschimottanasana – Don’t take the blanket – at least if you take it you have to use it knowlngly. Reluctantly we let the blankets go.

1. First give proper rotation to the Virasana leg, calf has to roll from inner to outer and outer thigh has to descend down, so small toe has the pressure. Bent leg buttock has to descend.

2. Take hand to the straight leg and firmly pressurise the inner shin so that it rolls from the outside in and the inner edge you are pressing down with your hand.

3. Maintaining the pressure of inner (extended) leg down, reach with your right hand to hold the outer edge of the foot. Re-press the inner leg down.

4. Levelise the tailbone and extend forward. Cut inner thigh down and once you have the balance extend the arms forward to catch the foot. We took elbows down as per Janu and then lifted them up to spread the torso wide. Between cutting the inner leg down and levelising the tailbone we were able to manage without the blanket.

• Ardha Baddha Padma Paschimottanasana – Holding the foot from behind. First turning to the rise side in an upright twist, then turning the trunk from right to left to extend 1) Upwards – Press the knee down to lengthen! Abdominal walls have to lengthen! 2) Levelise the tailbone, have that eveness there 2) Forwards.

  
  

• Ardha Matsyendrasana 2 – Lengthen! Lengthen! Rotating so shoulders should come in line with each other.

  
  

• Marichyasana 2 – Sharp exhalation and go! forehead over padmasana knee (or if padmasana not possible keep the leg in Baddha Konasana).

  
  

• Right leg Marichyasana 1 clasping for the forward bend. Throw the arm!

• Keep right leg up for Marichyasana 3 twist clasping. Throw the arm and make a fist to give strength to the arm to draw down as trunk rises up. Levelise the tailbone and balance there. Understand as you lengthen the trunk up, the convexity that will be in the back body. (Followed by the same 2 poses on the left side).

  
  

• Paschimottansana – Are you finding the abdominal freedom?

  
  

• Ardha Matsyendrasana 1 – we sat in Virasana with the toes turned in first to understand the placement on the blade of the outer foot. Then we sat on the blade of the left foot only and bent the right leg to Marichyasana, crossing the foot to the outside of the Virasana leg. We used our left hand to lift the outer knee ligament of the bent right knee.And then lengthen UP to turn to the right side, clasping where possible.

  
  

• Malasana – The shin has to push the armpit forwards to go, outer thighs rolling in. First extending forwards and then bringing head to the floor (or brick).

  
  

• Kurmasana from a wide leg Paschimottonasana, lift each knee to insert the shoulder under.

  
  

• Sirsasana – Raise the sides of the trunk and tuck the buttock in to lengthen up.

• Eka Pada Sirsasana touch the toe to the floor those that can, otherwise keep the leg parallel.

  
  

• Sarvangasana

• Halasana

• Parsva Halasana

• Karnapidasana

  
  

• Roll down carefully from Sarvangasana and go to Uttanasana – Roll the ears from bottom to the top, brain cells quiet. Don’t hold the neck tight. Don’t force – descend as the flower falls from the tree. We came up keeping the head down and quiet, chin slightly towards chest, unrolling the body to stand upright with the head down for a few moments longer and ‘feel the fullness there’ and then slowly raise the head up.