Walking into a firestorm - Yoga is your shield

My last post concluded by the brief mention of the fire storm I was just about to walk into. Here is the complete episode. I finished my observation of Prashantji's class from the stairwell and walked out to see Mr. Chandru little I knew what a grave error I had committed. It now feels like he was just waiting for me to come out. He immediately pulled me aside and asked "which floor were you instructed to take class in?" and took me to his office. I was confused but overcome with intense fear. I replied "2nd floor". Then I added that the class got over at 8 instead of 830 am. "That was the wrong class" he replied.

Then came an earful on how I had committed a grave blunder by sitting on the stairwell to watch Prashantji's class. I was given a schedule and I was expected to follow the schedule. If my class was on the second floor I had no permission to observe anything from the stairwell. No one was allowed to do that. That must have been a new rule I said to myself. I had no idea as I had watched classes before with others sitting in the stairwell.

I got 30 minutes of lecture of how rules need to be followed at the Institute. It was very disarming but at the same time I realized what a blunder I had committed by not checking first with Mr. Chandru. Ignorance is as bad breaking rules. The message I got was "please take permission" if you are to do anything at the institute outside of stepping in and out of class and the 2 hours of library access. I profusely apologized and realized why these rules were necessary - they have 1800 people in the institute taking classes every week. Rules are important to be followed - I just didn't know where to find the rules. So you learn as you go.

Remarkably I handled this with grace and strength. And this was not a closed door reprimand - people outside could hear everything. To some this would be quite humiliating. The drill down didn't bother me, I had found strength from what I had learnt from the teachings of the institute. I had heard about such reprimands from others, so it was my time to learn a lesson and I did.

As I waited for my car to pick me up I cooled down with two delicious drinks of coconut water and "malai", the soft white flesh of the coconut seed. Today was a big test of what I have learnt in the last two years from practicing yoga. I think I passed it.

Namaste

The Yogi

The Inconsistent Yogi - I need more practice!

I missed yoga all last week. I blogged, reflected and enjoyed every moment I had with the kids, but physcially there was no yoga, not even a short walk or stretch. So today was the day to get back into the yoga class. Monday nights is advanced class with Nina at Sunset. But today it was Terry Peterson substituting. Its been a while since I attended his class, so it was a pleasant surprise. Terry has a very unique style - gentle but firm, with lots of Iyengarisms blended in. His demonstrations are Nuvaneseque - highly precise and you can see it all in the book "Cool Yoga Tricks" that both he and Nuvana have been photographed in as models.

Today's class was mostly forward bends, but with a twist - they were longer and supported with props like blankets and chairs. My favorite was the supported Uttanasana. I immediately went into calm mode and it is excellent for my high blood pressure. His words "let go of your thoughts and simply observe yourself in the pose" helped me be calm and perform the poses without feeling like I had to bend more than I should. I simply enjoyed what I could do given the tightness I have developed over the last two weeks. I balanced on my head for the longest I can remember - a good 2 minutes off the 5 minutes.

On the way out Terry and I chatted briefly about my time with Nina and Manu Shahani in Pune. Terry had stayed in their holistic heaven twice before I did. I found out about this place next to the RIMYI center through Terry last summer. He asked if I enjoyed the food. "Enjoyed" was an under statement. I simply loved it I said! I can't thank enough the old lady who so humbly made the daily meals and walked up a flight of stairs to serve it to me on a tray or in a container called tiffin. She would also make a bowl of fresh yogurt every morning and remind me to finish it or it would become sour! Its the best yogurt I have ever tasted.

I came out of the class feeling like I had a new family - familiar faces, with greetings and hellos. I felt a sense of calm and relief from the turmoil I face every day - at least temporarily. I savored every moment of that calmness as I drove home. I was really enjoying the moment and truly in it. I am not sure what tomorrow holds. Whatever it is I hope to handle it with a calm, thoughtful and pleasant disposition. There is no other way. I need to practice my yoga every day so I can get better at being more observant of my life, so I can accept what it has to offer with calmness and contentment. I hope you will too.

Namaste

The Yogi