Namaste
This newsletter features the third article in the series of the life of BKS Iyengar, and a video showcasing Dr Geeta S Iyengar’s surgeon-like accuracy in aligning the body, teaching trikonasana at the Iyengar Institute in Pune.
There are still some places available for the Bali Retreat in June. Book now!
Any comments, suggestions please email me. Maurice
Now is the time to practise Yoga…
Contents:
Video of the Month – Trikonasana with Dr. Geeta Iyengar
Article of the Month – BKS Iyengar; Widening Recognition
Upcoming Events;
Bali Yoga Retreat,
2016 Beginner Courses
Yoga Students “off the mat” – Jamie Agius
Patanjali Yoga Sutra of the month
Quote of the Month
Previous newsletters
Yoga Video of the Month: Trikonasana with Dr. Geeta Iyengar
From the Road to Bliss series of videos. Their description identifies the aim of the video to give you a taste of the uniqueness of Dr Geeta S Iyengar’s teachings. Not so many have the opportunity to go to India and experience the Living Tradition of Iyengar Yoga as taught by the Masters themselves. Notice how Dr. Iyengar brings to her teaching of Trikonasana the concept of Ekagrata (one pointedness of the mind). To quote her brother, Yoga Master Prashant Iyengar: “the mind needs to be taught the pose since the mind has to assume the pose too.”
Click here to view this video.
Article of the Month – BKS Iyengar; Widening Recognition
This is the Third of a series of articles we will run on B.K.S. Iyengar, paraphrased from the book 70 Glorious Years of Yogacharya B.K.S Iyengar (Commemoration Volume), Light of Yoga Research Trust Bombay 1990.
This third article covers Iyengar as a family man and his character
Yogacharya as a Family Man (Yogacharya: the respectful title for a teacher of yoga)
Guruji, unlike many other yogis of India, was a family man who had six children. (Guruji: a guru or spiritual teacher.) While the world may associate the saffron and white attire as the symbol of a true yogi and of spiritual liberation, Guruji showed that a real Sadhaka did not need to be a recluse who turned away from the turmoil and temptations of the world but could be someone who strengthened their spiritual mettle by facing and overcoming such problems. Guruji successfully combined family with yogic life. (In Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism, a s?dhaka is someone who follows a specific way of life in order to achieve an ultimate ideal.)
Fiercely dedicated to yoga, he nevertheless did not neglect his responsibilities to his family and friends. In 1952, he declined an invitation to accompany Menuhin to Europe because his family needed him in Pune.
Character of Yogacharya
Guruji was a man who was ‘fresh’, always free from bias, a man with unparalleled courage and optimism. Fear, lethargy, depression and despair were not words in Guruji’s vocabulary. At an age when other boys played and laughed and were carefree, Guruji’s calling was to far-off places where he was to teach people double or treble his age as well as socially and economically better off. Economic hardship, indifference, neglect, ridicule and humiliation did not cause him to deviate from his chosen path – the pursuit and propagation of Yoga.
Guruji wandered like a stranger through the cities of the West wearing scant clothing and eating little food. He faced freezing cold conditions, and chilling indifference. He would perform difficult poses on steep cliffs which people were afraid even to climb.
While Guruji was tender-hearted and kind, in class he often displayed a stern exterior and apparent temper. They were just masks to intimidate students out of their fear and lethargy, pushing them to do their best. He sometimes had to appear cruel to be kind.
Fame and prosperity did not make Guruji forget his days of wilderness living. He continued to live a simple and unassuming lifestyle and, remembering his early poverty, he donated generously to worthy causes, including to educational institutions and humanitarian and cultural activities and charities.
Guruji popularised the subject of Yoga throughout the world with some help from well-known artists and musicians. This allowed him to carry his Yoga to the poor and the unknown, irrespective of their socio-economic status. He resisted the temptations of staying in contact with the rich and famous.
Next month’s article: Developing a system of practice, and the creation of an art form
Upcoming Events
2016 Bali Yoga Retreat
When: 13th to 25th June 2016
Where: Nusa Lembongan & Sideman, Bali
Price: Full Price AU$2,090 Shared or AU$2,390 Single
Retreat practice gives you the time to rest and to let go of your normal day-to-day routine. It gives you an opportunity to nurture yourself, restore a sense of balance and well-being.
Click here for more details, or Email us. Or call 0431 837 244 if you have any questions.
2016 Beginner’s courses
When: Starting Tuesday 26th April and also Wednesday 18th May
6 week course
Where: Yoga Room, Burleigh Heads
Price: $95
For anyone who has never done yoga before or is new to the Iyengar method.
Book now! Places are limited. Call 0438 837 244, or email
Our Yoga Students “off the mat” – Featuring Jamie Agius
In this section of the newsletter we introduce Yoga Room students showcasing some of the amazing things they do off-the-mat and encourage you, where possible, to support their endeavours.
Jamiehas been practising yoga, along with his wife, Jacqui, for about four years, when they began a beginner’s yoga course with Maurice at The Yoga Room. He attends around two yoga classes a week.
Leading a very active lifestyle, including practising martial arts and going to the gym for many years, along with working in a physical job, Jamie realised he needed to stretch more and that he wasn’t doing enough of this after exercising.
Some of the benefits Jamie receives from practising yoga include feeling very relaxed after a class, and noticing that his shoulders, which are always tight, much more open. His general feelings of wellbeing also increase. He finds yoga beneficial even at work, as he often has to get into really tight or awkward places or positions and being over 6 foot, being able to bend and stretch helps prevent back or other injuries that people often get from working in physical jobs.
While Jamie currently does not practise yoga at home, he does do some stretching.
Originally from Broken Hill, Jamie has lived on the Gold Coast for most of his life.
Jamie is a self-employed licensed plumber/gas fitter with a restricted electrical licence. His business, J & J Plumbing, covers all areas of the Gold Coast. He has been running his business for about the same time as he has attended yoga classes, around four years. If you would like to contact Jamie, call him on 0423 147 166.
In his spare time, Jamie enjoys surfing and skateboarding and hanging out with his gorgeous wife!
Patanjali Yoga Sutra of the month
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Chapter 2 Verse 27
tasya saptadh? pr?ntabh?mi? prajñ?||27||
“Through this unbroken flow of discriminative awareness, one gains perfect knowledge which has seven spheres.”
BKS Iyengar. Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Pg 130
Quote of the month
“The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.”
Bob Marley
Yoga Room Burleigh Heads
www.yogaroom.com.au
info@yogaroom.com.au
+61 438 837 244