On October 13th, Dr. Greene brought in another guest teacher, this time for Iyengar Yoga. Our instructor, Amita Bhagat, informed the class not only about herself, but about B.K.S. Iyengar and the contributions he made to yoga that helped define it as the practice we know today. In this blog, I am going to discuss both Bhagat’s comments on this matter and the practice we engaged in during class, with particular emphasis on the seated asanas and their impact on my physical and mental experience of yoga. Additionally, the idea of community as it relates to these group practices will be discussed and elaborated upon (and this theme will also be present in my experience with the in-class Ashtanga yoga session that I did this week, which will be up on the blog this Sunday!)
Bhagat made a point right at the beginning to talk about the difference in one's alignment and how it evolves as one progresses through Iyengar yoga. In the beginning, one’s alignment is external; the asanas are at the forefront of thought and maintaining them is all one thinks about. However, as one progresses, the alignment becomes internal as thoughtfulness of moment begins to take precedence over physical awareness. Bhagat, who taught in her own New York studio for five and a half years before leaving to train more in India, is knowledgeable and passionate about the subject, and her patience with all of us in the class put me at ease. Firm but kind, Bhagat gave us a bit of history on B.K.S. Iyengar, explaining that he “spent 80 years of his life using his body as a laboratory for his [yoga] practice,” and “spent 10 hours every day doing yoga in addition to teaching.” That kind of dedication to a craft is both admirable and frightening, and during the practice I kept considering the years of dedication Iyengar gave to his craft, and how much he endured just to share it with the world.
This thought process amplified when, at the end of the practice, Bhagat explained that when Iyengar started, he couldn’t even afford “a cup of chai,” and that it was his will and determination to help both himself and others that pushed him forward. Another thing that we had learned in class but Bhagat reinforced was that Iyengar was the one who invented the props that are found in many yoga studios today. In fact, the reason for the props was originally to help those with injury or disability be able to experience the healing benefits of yoga (for the circulatory, respiratory, and nervous systems, as well as the muscles, mind, and so on). Though he was initially criticized for his introduction of props, even becoming known for a time as the “furniture yogi,” Iyengar never lost sight of his goals to make yoga accessible to all, and eventually he was hailed as one of the greatest instructors of all time.
Geeta Iyengar, B.K.S. Iyengar’s daughter, was also a leading yoga instructor who specialized in asanas designed to relieve issues particular to those assigned female at birth, such as menstruation, pregnancy, and postpartum depression. Iyengar, and his kin, helped many through their practices, and continue to do so to this day. Instructors like Bhagat carry on his teachings and his history, both of which are important to the student and how they begin to perceive the asanas. Bhagat also encourages her students not to give up, even if some of the asanas seem impossible later down the line — her two biggest pieces of advice were to keep pushing through and to “reflect on how you feel now versus how you felt at the beginning of practice.”
Extremely informative and powerful as the history and Bhagat's wisdom are, I will now move on to highlight four of the asanas that we did during this practice. Each pose was powerful and impactful in its own way, and while we started off in the introductory series, a lot of the asanas were further modified so that one could do them with or without props due to the unique learning situation we are in. I personally used a foam block, which I will describe when relevant, and all of us used a wall when instructed to.
Quick note: I want to say that Bhagat was amazing with announcing every single asana’s name prior to and upon completion, yet as I was doing the practice I did not recall how to write each of their names, so any asana that is unnamed here is by no fault other than my own. Now, the first asana I want to focus on is one where we jumped into a spread-out position, almost as if going into Warrior II. Subsequently, we were instructed to bend over and place our hands on the foam block, if we had it, and then move over to the right, slightly, head straight ahead. Following our group instructions, I moved to the right again except this time, with my right hand still flat on the block, I lifted my left leg straight out and tilted my torso towards the sky, my head turned toward the earth as I fought for balance. At the beginning of our practice, Bhagat had said that the four corners of the feet are key to balancing in all of the asanas; the big toe mound, little toe mound, outer heel, and inner heel. The same was true for this asana, as without all four corners digging into the earth, my balance was lost. If I relied too much on my outer heel instead of my inner, I found myself falling forward in the direction of my chest. The first two attempts, on my right side and left, I lost balance. When we did it again, subsequent to Bhagat’s reminder about the four corners, I found balance much easier. I do not know if it was her words or my actions that made the difference, but I do know that visualizing my feet as pillars which were built on those four components helped me successfully complete the asana.
The second asana that I want to highlight is Downward Facing Dog, but against the wall. I had not used a wall for any asana up until that point, but when I used it as the base to lift my heels off of, I did feel a difference. Unlike when I do Downward Facing Dog in the middle of my practice space, I did not feel tension in keeping my foot flat because it was pressed into a physical object, one that was propelling me forward and allowing me to immerse myself entirely in my thoughts. The use of the wall as a prop was brilliant and allowed a new experience of a common asana to become transformative in the best way possible.
Thirdly, the seated asana Paschim Namaskarasana, or Reverse Prayer Pose (my favorite one, actually!) left a profound impact on me. Starting with the simple motion of moving my arms behind my back, I clasped my hands to form an upside-down prayer form. Then, hooking my thumbs together, I tried to turn them up simultaneously to form a proper prayer behind my back. However, it took a few demonstrations from Bhagat before I did it in any semblance of a fluid motion; yet when it finally clicked, I felt a rush of adrenaline spike, even though it was a rather easy motion and certainly an easy asana. The fluidity of it struck me as beautiful, and throughout the day, following the practice, I would relax my shoulders back and try the asana again, just to relieve tension. The higher up you can stretch your arms and shoulders, the more relief you feel post completion. Bringing my elbows together and closing any gaps, I allowed my shoulders to roll back and then reach up as my elbows pushed down, my chest raised upwards and my hands still pressed against one another tightly. Upon release, I felt energetic yet calm, and the tension in my shoulders eased immensely despite the fact that the hold had initially been painful.
Finally, the fourth asana that stood out to me was Gomukhasana Arms (full). Seated with my buttocks resting on my feet, I reached my right arm behind my back, elbow at level with my head and arm stretching as far as it could reach. My left arm and hand bent below to reach up and meet my right hand, the fingers clasping in a joyous reunion, tightening together. The stretch in my left arm was incredible, and though it was tough at first to get my fingers to interlock fully, with some deep breaths and release of tension, it became feasible. Then, rolling my left shoulder back causing it to lift up in front, I allowed my left shoulder blade to touch my back ribs, and felt the impact of the motion take over my body. Repeating on the other side, I found it much more difficult to reach my right hand with my left arm, as if that side were more restricted for some reason. It was interesting, and the challenge of pushing myself in a seemingly simple asana proved to be very rewarding.
Iyengar Yoga was a slow and steady experience, with a lot of particular motions and a great deal of fluid, yet powerful movements that built on one another, ranging from simplistic to complex. Nonetheless, Bhagat’s words, specifically in building on the history of Iyengar and the purpose of sharing a community and creating a space for those who may not have one, made me feel as if I, too, were part of that community. During the practice, looking at a plethora of screens, some with names and some with people, while the instructor is pinned to the main one does not always create the greatest sense of camaraderie. Yet, when we sat to speak or Bhagat took a moment to really explain how an asana is done properly, I felt like everyone was together, in that moment, taking in her words and soaking up her knowledge. And, in that one singular point in time, we were all part of the same community, striving to learn and be better alongside one another. My main takeaways? The power of actions coupled with words is the power of community, and the promise of a practice that allows all to thrive is what makes Iyengar Yoga so unique.
Until the Next Reflection,
Moujnir
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