We Are Here!!!!

Hi Everyone,

We made it to Pune! The flights were long but uneventful! The taxi ride from Bombay to Pune was intense. Lots of flooding! We are in the Hotel Chetak for a night and move into the flat tomorrow. We have our class schedule. We ate Indian food and walked around. More later!

must run.

Anne

Twelve Hours until I leave Waco

Well, I'm in the pre-travel anxiety phase. What have I forgotten? Is everything really going to be fine while I'm gone? But mostly I'm just excited also.

Here's a lovely picture of B.K.S Iyengar.

Next update will be from Zurich or India.

Stay tuned!!!!

and ready to go !!!!

My student, Ann Alridge sent me this picture, titled "how to weigh correctly." urdhva prasarita padasana comes in handy it appears.



I just had the last Tuesday class before the hiatus. It was a little sad. It will be weird not to teach yoga for a month and a half. Actually, it is just weird to leave your life for a month...

but we did sun saluations, the happiness pose (parsva dhanurasana), and some restorative things at the end. Denise gave me some very handy travel items and Alexandra gave me some chocolate... Really sweet!!!

Mostly, I'm just in the sheer excitement, ready to go phase. I'm completely packed. Tomorrow, I have a really full day: massage, trip to the vet, writing, several meetings on campus. I need to practice at some point. and then the last wednesday class, then the day of departure.

A couple more hints on home practice. Do restorative poses. Think how much you love legs up the wall pose (viparita karani) or supta baddha konasana or setu bandha, why not do them every day???

I am packed

Well, I'm packed and ready to go. I have some consulting work to do in Dallas the next couple days so I had to get everything ready. It is weird to think I'll be gone for a month and I'm only bringing one backpack. It is the same backpack I took when I spent a semester in Greece and the summer backpacking in Europe. It's been on a few trips to Mexico and central America, even on a trip to Costa Rica without me !

Here's a picture of me and my godson H.W. He is totally cute. He is chewing on my keys. H.W. gave me the hot pink yoga mat that I use in class last Christmas. I don't really think of myself as a hot pink person, much less a hot pink mat with paisley prints sort of person. But shortly after I got the mat, Christina gave me a hot pink yoga mat bag, with the magic money pocket, as Marie calls it, so maybe it is one of those Nietzschean things where you become what you are. I did choose hot pink as the background color for the blog. Hmm... I also didn't think I was a mini-van person, but a free Honda Odyssey from the parents is hard to turn down and even though I'm not a soccer mom, it is useful for hauling props around and as Alexandra Foley says, I am "yoga mom to many."

Fall Session Dates

Fall Yoga Classes Start August 20 and 21 and Sept 5


To reserve a space send a check to Anne Bowery, 511 Wayne Drive, Waco 76712.

Mondays 6:00 PM at Lakeshore (Beginner) NOTE NEW START TIME
Tuesdays 10 AM at Lakeshore (Beginner) Finally, A daytime class !!!
Tuesdays 5:30 PM at Lakeshore (Intermediate)
Wednesdays 6:30 PM at Salon Adeva (Beginner)



Monday Session Dates

Session 1 8-20 - 10-15 (no Class Labor Day) $80
Session 2 10-22 -12-10 $80

Tuesday Morning Session Dates

Session 1 8-21 - 10-16 (No Class 9 -25) $80
Session 2 10-23 – 12-11 $80

Tuesday Evening Session Dates

Session 1 8-21 - 10-16 $90
Session 2 10-23 – 12-11 $80

Wednesday Evening Twelve Week Session $120

9-5 - 12-12 (No Class 9-26, 10-17, and 11-21)

Iyengar Yoga helps Breast Cancer Patients

One of my students, Dee Blinka, gave me an article (Science News vol 171, May 12, 2007, p. 301),
about a pilot study on the effects of Iyengar Yoga on Breast cancer patients. THe study reports that women who practiced Iyengar yoga after completing cancer treatment had lower levels of depression, more ability to cope with the "demands of illness" and perhaps mostly amazingly "40 percent less of the immune system agent NF-kappa-B... which is linked to the production of inflammation aggravating chemicals."

Pretty impressive findings!

Establishing a Home Practice

The absolute best thing you can to for yourself is establish a home practice. Your home practice is where you find your own yoga. Yoga classes are great for learning about yoga poses and for inspiration and energy, and for experiencing the community of yoga, but the real benefits of yoga are found through the internal exploration that a home practice brings.

Where to start? Just do what you remember from class. Those of you who have been taking from me for a while. You have all the knowledge you need to practice at home. Don't worry if you are doing everything right. Just start doing something every day. You have to have faith in what I've taught you, faith in your abilities as practioners, faith in the practice of yoga itself. I know it is hard to find the time. Everyone is busy and life is full. But all the more reason to get yoga into your life every day. It gives you the energy to experience life to the fullest.

Find out what your hindrance is. When I first started a home practice, I wouldn't go get my mat out of the car... So I bought another mat for the house. At the time, I didn't have a separate yoga room and sometimes I'd practice in the bedroom and the living room and if the house mat was in the living room and I was in the bedroom I wouldn't practice. Finally, I bought three mats and that seemed to solve that obstacle. I practiced with yoga videos and tapes for a really, really long time.

here's an easy way to start practicing at home. Do some seated poses while watching tv. or everyone loves supta badha konasana and legs up the wall pose. Just buy a bolster (Or make one out of some blankets you have) and do those poses every day. Its a start! and that's what's important.

Here is a list of yoga books and videos. Many of the books have sequences in the back that you can follow week by week. I've starred the ones that are most helpful for home practice. Ho

Books by BKS Iyengar.

Light on Yoga (the Bible of any yoga practice, B.K.S Iyengar’s first book, published in 1966, lots of detail, lots of pictures. EVERY IYENGAR YOGA PRACTIONER MUST OWN THIS BOOK)
Tree of Yoga (A collection of essays about the philosophy of yoga and yoga practice)
******Yoga: A Path to Holistic Health (nice coffee table book, accessible pictures, lots of sequences for specific ailments in the back)
Light on Life B.KS. Iyengars’ newest book. Lots of information about the psychological effects of yoga. It has a great sequence in the back of the book for emotional stablility

By Geeta Iyengar

Yoga: A Gem for Women. Good information on yoga generally and specifically geared toward issues that are important for women.


Books about Iyengar Yoga

*****How to Use Yoga by Mira Mehta Very accessible introduction to yoga, very helpful for establishing a home practice.
****Yoga: The Iyengar Way Silva Mehta, Mira Mehta The next step up, more difficult poses, more detail.
*****The Woman's Book of Yoga and Health : A Lifelong Guide to Wellness by Linda Sparrowe, Patricia Walden

Other Yoga Books

****Yoga Explained. By Mira Mehta et al, very good intro to yoga, yoga philosophy, and also very helpful for establishing a home practice.
***Relax and Renew by Judith Laster
Yoga from the Inside Out by Christina Sell (who happens to be my sister and there are pictures of me in the book as an added bonus)


Yoga Journal's Yoga for Beginners DVD ~ Patricia Walden (2002)

Yoga For Beginners II (Yoga Journal's Yoga Basics) DVD

A.M. and P.M. Yoga for Beginners DVD

Yoga Journal's Yoga Practice for Relaxation VHS ~ Rodney Yee (1992)

Yoga Journal - Yoga Practice for Flexibility DVD (1992)

Yoga at the Crossroads

My friend James just sent me this link to this inspiring article titled yoga the Crossroads of the World

About 80 people woke up extra early to practice yoga in Times Square.
They do this each year at the solstice. Next Year, I'm going up there for it.




The photo is particularly amazing. Pantajali, the sage who is credited with "inventing" the
art of yoga defines yoga as "stilling the fluctuations of the mind." He
goes onto say that "when the mind is still, we become aware of our own true
nature (which is divine)."

At other times, he says, "we identify with the fluctuations of
consciousness."

The photo is this great juxtaposition of stillness in the midst of all the
flux that the world can muster.

I leave in one week two hours and twelve minutes... I am quite excited
about it. hard to sit still and write about Plato.

The last monday Class and Yoga in Waco

So Today was the last Monday class before I go to India (10 days until departure!)

In an upcoming post, I will talk about resources for establishing a home practice, but I thought I'd compile what information I have about other places to do yoga in Waco while I'm going.

In terms of health clubs with yoga, Elba and Cathy are joining Gold's Gym. They have power yoga there. There is also yoga at the Waco Family Y. Diane teaches there. She took yoga from me a long time ago. Mary Chase teaches yoga at WRS.

If you are a member at Ridgewood, they have yoga there. I just took a class there with Pam last week. IF you are affiliated with Baylor, there is plenty of yoga via Bearobics.

There is yoga with Thomas Marvin at Crestview Church of Christ and also at MCC. I believe he may also teach Classes at Providence hospital.

Theresa Surley teaches classes at her massage studio, The House of Healing.

Now you know what I know about yoga in Waco.

My classes will start back August 20 and 21 and sept 5

Mondays 6:00 Pm at Lakeshore (Beginner)
Tuesdays 10 AM at Lakeshore (Beginner)
Tuesdays 5:30 PM at Lakeshore (intermediate)
Wednesdays at 6:30 at Salon Adeva (Beginner) Starts sept 5 Twelve week session $120

The Yoga Song

In most Iyengar Classes, we sing an invocation to the Sage Patanjali. For a variety of reasons, teaching in a Baptist Church, living in a conservative town, teaching at a conservative school, and just also not wanting to sing in public, I've never really done the chant. I've come up with my own invocation, reciting the first five lines of the Yoga Sutras which I feel is in keeping with what the Iyengar's want from the chant and that was sort of that.

Until Marie and Pam come back from dinner Friday night and say, "why haven't you taught us the yoga song?"

So here's the link to the yoga song.

and here is what Geeta says about why we should chant

"We chant so that at the very beginning that feeling of sanctification comes from inside, with the feeling of surrendering oneself, because nothing can be learned in this world unless you have the humility to learn. So the moment you think of the Lord at the beginning of doing a practice, you know that you are very small in front of that greatest soul. Once that is understood then the other problems which always arise while practicing, mainly concerned with the ego, will be affected. You know that you are "coming down" to learn something. And you can't learn anything unless you come down; if you think you are on the top and you know everything, then you are not a learner at all. In that sense, the chanting helps.

We decided to chant these two slokas from the very beginning. When Guruji asked us to practice yoga we started with this recitation. But we didn't do it in the classes because when people came as beginners, they had the idea that it is a religious prayer of concern only to Hindu's. It took people a little while to understand. Whenever we had some public program, a celebration such as Divali or Guruji's birthday, we would recite these prayers. People started taking interest and asking us what the prayers mean. When it was understood, everybody accepted it. For several years now we have been chanting these prayers before classes."

Two weeks and two days until departure

Well, I'm gathering additional things to pack, getting more excited, still worried about Christina's visa woes, but remain optimistic that it will all work out.

Spent a great weekend down in Austin at Mary and Eddy's workshop. Four of my students, Marie, Pam, Jessica, and Nancy went to the workshop. They all did an amazing job. Mary and Eddy are great. They have been a huge part of my assessment process, Mary was my feedback assessor for TT and Eddy for Intro and they've been in texas so much the past two years, so I've been enormously fortunate to be able to study with them so intensely. They have just taken an enormous interest in my yoga practice. If you ever get a chance to study with them, seize the day.

Backstory

My mom, Andrea Frosolono, practiced yoga in the 70s. I remember waiting for her yoga class to end at the YMCA in Willoughby Hills, Ohio. She also practiced at home pretty regularly. She had this butterfly quilt, a metronome, and Richard Hittleman’s Yoga 28 day practice book. So even leaving aside, past life karma (as George Purvis says, "do a triangle pose, you’d be happy to come back to"), some yogic samskara was imprinted early on in my young life. I was also a vegetarian for a few years in high school, but other than that I was more into sports and aerobics and never actually did yoga.

Fastforward to 1994. In the past ten months, I had finished a dissertation, got a tenure track job, moved toWaco, got married, had a new husband, a ten year old step daughter, and a lot of stress. My parents came to visit for Thanksgiving and my mom saw a sign for yoga lessons with Walter Reece in the Lake Air Mall. She said, “Anne, I think you would really like yoga.” So being the dutiful daughter that I am, I called Walter and he said there was class Saturday. So I started Yoga the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I give thanks for many things that I have in my life, but my yoga practice is something I am particularly grateful for. This Thanksgiving, Devon, Michelle, Christina, and I all practiced at the San Marcos Studio.

Anyway, I went to Walter’s classes at Lake Air Mall and then at MCC. One year later, I just remember being so aware of what yoga had given me. I gave a little testimonial in class about how much I loved yoga. I told everyone I could actually stay in Savanasana, now. That was the hardest thing when I first started, to be still. It just seemed like an enormous waste of time to lay there and do nothing. (N.B. B.K.S Iyengar says savanasan is the most difficult pose.)

Mom was living in Miami and doing Bikram yoga then and so she gave me Jimmie Barkan’s practice tape (he was still a Bikram instructor then) and the Bikram book and I did that at home for a while (One of the real benefits of living in Waco without ready access to yoga classes every hour of the day is that I had to have my own practice if I wanted to do yoga every day which I did. I also did Power Yoga for awhile. There was a woman who lived in town and taught it for about six months and we would practice together some.

So I went to Walter’s class, and practiced and did tapes at home for a long time (Eric Schiffman, The Living Arts tapes with Patricia Walden and Rodney Yee and Richard Freeman's Asthanga Series were all part of my early home practice). Then in 1996 Christina was living in Austin and taking classes with Devon and Peggy when they had studios above the old Whole Foods (now REI) and Manouso Manos came to town for a workshop. Christina called me Saturday and said you’ve got to get down here Sunday if you at all can, this guy is amazing, intense, but totally amazing.

So I went to the Sunday class (which I later learned he really hates it when people only come to the advanced class, but he was remarkably nice to me) and I was just amazed. He was my first introduction to Iyengar Yoga and was quite an introduction. His force, his intensity, his dedicated to the practice, his absolute uncompromising stance as a teacher… if this was Iyengar Yoga, I wanted to do it. I went home, bought a copy of Light on Yoga (finally) and spent the next year trying to figure out what he had taught… Then I went to another workshop and bought his practice tapes then spent another year trying to figure it all out and maybe another. At some point, I realized there were other Iyengar teachers (Ramanand Patel, Dean Lerner, Chris Saudek, and George Purvis were early influences after Manouso) and a whole Iyengar communities in Dallas and Austin. Around 2000, I started going down to Devon’s classes on Saturday and I learned a lot more about the details the poses and was pretty well committed to only doing Iyengar Yoga by then. Then Geeta Iyengar came to the USA for the 2001 IYNAUS convention. I was planning to go to a Manouso intensive that summer and I asked him which I should do because I couldn’t do both and he said, “there is no question. go to the convention.” And I did and that really solidified my journey on the path of Iyengar Yoga. She was such an intense presence. I’ve never had anyone make you pay attention the way she could with a room full of hundreds. It was also just impressive seeing the whole complex pagentry of Iyengar Yoga.

After that convention, I did decide to pursue certification in the Iyengar system (more on that in a future post). I had been teaching for a while, but was really avoiding plunging into the method in an official way… Not long after that I met Laurie Blakeney and really resonated with her teaching style and her approachability and I decided to have her as my mentor through the certification process.

At some point along the way, I realized people went to Pune. Most of the senior teachers go every year… . I remember Manouso looked right at me at a workshop in Dallas once and said, when you go to Pune, remember this, of course I don’t remember what I was supposed to remember, but I do remember this and he said, “notice I said, when you go to Pune, not if…” And I knew then that I would go at some point. I also remember Manouso giving a lecture at the next convention in 2004 about why you should go to Pune.. And he said, if you were hesitating because life was too complicated and how can you get away for a month, that you should just go ahead and get your application together and apply. It gives you two years to get your life in order to go." It took me another year to decide to apply, but I finally. Christina and I gave Marj our money and application form when she went over on her first trip. Manouso was right. My life did get in order and I am going….

Upcoming posts: More on going through the Iyengar Certification Process, Teaching Yoga in Waco, and Resources on developing a home practice.

A new roomate for the trip

I was up visiting friends in Dallas this weekend and Randy asked if Jaya Waters could room with us. Jaya has been living in India on Amma's ashram about 11 years and has been to the Institute many times and it seems really ideal to have someone like her showing us around the Institute. Of course, we'll be there for ten days before she arrives. Jaya is an amazing yoga practioner. Her tapas is awesome in all the senses of that word. and she is just completely uncompromising as a teacher.. It can be a little daunting to be around, for instance, the fact that I cannot do some of the most basic standing pose actions became abundantly clear to me in her classes this week. Sigh. Good training for Pune..

Randy, Michelle, David, and Jaya gave me a really cool Prana travel belt/bag thing.

Christina's visa woes continue. She did finally talk to an actual person at the Embassy. I'll let her relate that story on her blog. However, on the upside, the hold up with the visa means she will get to go to the Mary and Eddy workshop this weekend.

Well, I am off to teach class. It is standing pose week!

Related Blogs

Christina has started her own blog about the summer trip and not to be out done by the technological advances of his daughters, my dad has started one as well.