Moment by Moment in Yoga
After over a month away from home – Italy, Vipassana Meditation 10-day course, and the Iyengar Yoga Convention in San Diego – it is time to settle back in at home, reflect on what has been experienced, and look forward to what is to come. Many of your Yoga Place teachers and a couple of students were all in San Diego enjoying the beautiful and profound teachings of Abhijata Iyengar. Those who were not able to join in person were there online – around 1000 attendees in total, half in person and half online. As always, it is so amazing to have our greater Iyengar Yoga Community in practice together.
The week always begins with a meet and greet, and as luck would have it, many of us were sitting and standing right at the entrance to the room where Abhijata entered (see familiar faces in the photo from the IYNAUS Facebook post). My heart melts a little just seeing the light of her smile. The energy of anticipation for classes and the excitement to be together after 4 years and a pandemic was high; I think many rode that energy the whole week through.
There is no way to convey each class in full. I urge every single one of you to purchase the recordings if and when they come available to experience them. Abhijata’s teachings are not just for teachers. She brings an approachable depth and inspiring energy to every class no matter how long you have practiced. There were many who were at a convention for the first time. All I can say is that Abhijata, like her aunt and uncle and grandfather before her, is a force of nature in her own specific way. Being a mother of two, a leader of the institute back in Pune, and a person with the weight of a legacy so huge on her shoulders, Abhi carries all of it with grace and beauty and still has so much energy and love to share.
Outside of class, conventions are a reminder that there are so many to share your love of yoga with and a lot of yoga happens off the mat as well. I have traveled a lot, moved a few times, and volunteer in service for regions and our national association. My circle of “Iyengar People” reaches pretty far and wide and I feel richer and so very blessed because of it. This past week was a time to tap into the knowledge and experience that we all have to share and to hopefully grow our community into the positive force for change we all know is possible through yoga. Make sure to ask your teacher how you might get more connected with our community if you are so inclined.
From the meetings of Certified teachers to the general Q&A to the luncheon with our teacher assessors, the theme I feel of this convention was to “come together in yoga”. Abhi urged us over and over to get together to practice, to learn from doing, to be back in person and back in class. In her “key note address” she spoke on the idea of “resolve” (or sankalpa, the printed theme and title of the convention). Guruji BKS Iyengar had great resolve in the sharing of yoga – even when logic and reason seemed against it. Resolve comes from the heart and not the head, is fueled by passion and underlies every aspect of life. Abhi quoted Guruji as saying he was “moment by moment in yoga”, and I will carry that thought and nurture those roots I also feel within me.
As always, The Yoga Place is YOUR place to meet, gather, and join in nurturing your love of yoga. We all do our best to pay forward what we have learned. Summer is here, but there are always so many ways to be connected – sign up now for regular class schedule, Yoga Sadhana Summer Camp, and our Summer Book Club .
