Bellur was fantastic of course. We stayed in a run down but wonderful hotel – wonderful because it had monkeys, a waterslide and pool, table tennis and badminton. We met some lovely Americans, Russians, Latvians, Aussies, and Indians. Luke played water polo with some young Indian men and posed for lots of photographs. Bellur is a small village […]
The King is dead, Long live the Queen!
“You people,” (it’s a pejorative), “a grave mistake that you people make is to make the body narrow,” booms Geeta from the stage. And she is so right, as she is about everything at this Convention. Someone told me that she’s been practising all year to prepare for Yoganusasanum, and her teaching certainly has that […]
Spread your body like butter
Now that I’ve been sick I feel like my fear has gone and I’ve surrendered to India. I can stop fighting it and just go with the flow (so to speak!). After two days in bed I finally lifted the phone and whispered “doctor” to the guys at reception. The lovely doctor said “classic food poisoning” and gave […]
Dawn of a new era?
Prashant’s Class I’ve been listening to Leonard Cohen and reflecting how Prashant gives us the same permission to be mere humans – with all our frailties – that Leonard Cohen does in songs like “I’m Your Man”. Aspiring to perfection but accepting the reality of our human imperfection. In this morning’s class Prashant said […]
Trying to understand India…
This is the life. I can understand why Leonard Cohen spent so much time in the Chelsea Hotel! We’re living the yogi, family version though of course here at The Hotel Ketan! No domestics to do, just yoga, reading, writing and facebooking! India is amazing – truly beautiful and yet it’s concerning what’s happening to […]
Being or becoming?
This morning was my first class back at the Iyengar Institute (RIMYI) after 14 years. Even though I was here in Pune, India last year for the Geeta Convention, I didn’t attend classes at RIMYI. Some things have changed – no more squat toilets – but mostly it feels the same, my feet opening on the marble floors just as they did all those years ago. Prashant looks older of course, more like his father. Let me predicate this blog with a disclaimer – this is my interpretation of what Prashant said – and as he said, we are all making our own recordings of what’s going on according to the quality of our equipment!
Peace in Paradise at Emu Park Yoga Retreat
Practice Makes Perfect
Active Body, Still Mind
Have you noticed that after yoga you come out of class more centered and calm? Your mind at peace, resting a moment from the incessant activity that often occupies it. Patanjali wrote about this phenomenon thousands of year ago in the yoga sutras, short aphorisms describing the yogic path. Sutra 1.2 yogah cittavritti nirodhah is […]