You have heard a lot from me in the last 28 days, I’d love to hear from you.

This is your chance to tell me anything related to yoga or not…

Like this PEE SAFE bottle, I found it in the chemist… only in India!

The phrase Index pose has been repeated often this month.

Have you heard this term Index Pose?

I instantly knew what it was, but had not heard this phrase before.

My last class was at 5.45am with Raya. My bags are packed and full!

The rest of my sharing will be on the mat in 2020.

But let me finish with notes from my class.

It seems that each time I visit RIMYI there is a clear thread being delivered by all the teachers across the month, and each time (well twice) it seems that this thread is undoing something that has previously been done.

What I am sharing below is a paraphrase from what I heard in class with of course my own slant.

How often do you sit tall and straight like a statue for the invocation?

In the practice sessions quite often people buddy up and practice together.

It is a great opportunity to tackle some of those more challenging asana, especially if your practice buddy is more experienced than you.

I was in class with Sunita (Iyengar’s daughter) the other day and she said something like your brain is conditioned’ which means we see or experience things a certain way.

When I first started Iyengar yoga the beginner’s class was 1.5hrs.

It was slow and methodical. It sometimes felt like we spent more time getting props and watching the teacher demonstrate than actually doing active yoga.

When you enroll at RIMYI for the month you can pay to just do classes or pay a bit extra to observe classes as well.

Of course, I am here to observe as much as do!

I observed a class today which Abhijata was due to teach and an unexpected thing unfolded before my eyes.

I got sick today!

No not Delhi Belli thank god, I have come down with a head cold.

I never get sick. Honestly, this is the first time I have been sick in 2019.

There are endless ways to practice one pose and I mean endless.

I have talked about the practice hall being a pool of inspiration but it just reached a new level.

I mentioned in Day #16 post that there were many stories shared about Geeta.

I was reflecting on one story in particular in which Geeta had been watching a student struggling with her practice in the practice hall.

Actually I have a couple of confessions.

Confession #1, today I skipped class!

Give me a class any day, yell at me, tell me what to do, tell me to do things I never do or don’t want to do.

I’ll do them! I am at your mercy. I trust you.

This evening event was to remember Geeta and her contribution to the Iyengar community.

I only met Geeta once, 2 years ago when I first came to Pune, she conducted the medical classes and taught a few classes at the Russian intensive which general students were invited to join as well.

No words are needed, this demonstration says it all.

Abhijata gave a talk on the Core of Iyengar yoga.

The idea to talk on this topic came to her because she often gets emails from students and teachers around the world who are confused about what classifies Iyengar yoga teaching.

There has been a great deal of talk about what makes a good teacher this week in the context of the seniors/assessors meeting.

It has been made loud and clear that just because you can do good postures it does not mean you are a good teacher.

I was pleasantly shocked to learn that there is a teacher within me that is adequate for this journey.

In today’s class, Prashant suggested we are “teacher bound in class” meaning we have lost trust in ourselves and lost touch with the teacher within.

In today’s class, Prashant had two yoga practitioners on the stage to demonstrate a point and that is what I want to share with you today.

He had one practitioner over a back bender bench in a supported Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana and the other practitioner in an active Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana.