YogAfrica - June 2014 Newsletter by Plusto Limited

"The a im o f yoga is to c al m the c haos o f conflic ti ng i mpulses ." -B.K.S. Iye ngar

YogAfrica

June 2014 CONTENTS

Ed’s Notes

The Speaking Tree — BKS Iyengar

Atha Yoga Anushasanam — Raya Datta

Yoga and Me — Barbara de Jong

Ardha Chandrasana — Maria Apt

Courses

Notices

YogAfrica

June 2014 ED’S NOTES

RIVA H IRS CHOW ITZ Dear Me mbers, The change fro m a b iannual Magazine to a s maller, more frequent news le tter was discussed at the AGM earlier th is year. It was agreed that the re gions wou ld assis t w ith provid ing ar tic les for the newsletter. In i tia lly , the response to getti ng ar tic les fr om w as s low . H owever, th is mon th I received so many interes ting articles , tha t the news letter has beco me a l ittle longer tha t the orig inal 10 pages d iscu ssed. The ne wsle tter w il l be avai lable on the ww w.bks i yengar.coza websi te (go to the l ibrary l ink). The passwords have been de activated for eas ier access . I hoped to prov ide al l leve ls of readers some th in g that would interes t the m. W ith the kind co ntrib utions I have received , I think we have managed to do j ust tha t. I hope you wi ll agree. Should yo u have news in your reg ion tha t you w ould like to share, please send tha t on to your re gional chairs to pass on to me. Gauteng Western Cape / Eastern Cape/ Southern Cape Northern Ca pe Kwazulu-Na tal Swazi land

Carla Rech Eileen Weinronk

jacobsrech@gma il .com weincox@ iafr ica.co m

Martin Maree mareemartin9@g mai l.co m Stephan ie Alexander salamander@ha wkma il .co .za Mo Marshak moje mar@realne t.co .sz

All feedback is welco me and any sugges tions you have for the new for mat w il l be happ ily consi dered. Access is stil l through our websi te bu t i t is no l onger necessary to log in. The l ink provided take s you directly to the news letter.

Be in joy Namasté Riva

“It is through your body tha t you rea lize you are a spark of di vi ni t y. ” - B .K .S. Iyengar

YogAfrica

June 2014 THE SPEAKING TREE - Ski n

to Sel f an d Vi ce Versa

B.K.S. IYENGAR Heal th is of great importa nce – whether you wish to fol low th e science of dharma or duty , artha or earning a live li hood, ka ma or sense-enjoymen t, or moksha or liberation, says the Charaka Sa mhi ta: “Dharmar tha ka ma moksha m arogya m mula mutta ma.” The human being is a triune of body , mind and soul. The body is the outer cover of the inner person and is cal led kshetra or field , wh ile the inner be i ng, the sou l, d wel ler of the body, is known as ks hetrajna. Body and soul are woven together wi th the thread of buddhi or intel ligence and the need le of consciousness. The body is an essentia l veh icle for the ind ividu al to carry ou t h is du ty and fo llo w a reli gious l ife. To unite mind w i th sou l is th e un iversal rel igi on o f humankind . In order to un i te mind wi th sou l, the body, which is the founda tion , h as to b e kep t heal thy. Sages of yore divided the body , for the sake of convenience, into three tiers wi th five sheaths , to convey the dep th o f the abode o f the human . Of the three tiers, the first is the core o f the body or Se lf , the second is the men tal body , and the third is the gross or physical body. These three bodies are interwoven from the skin to the Sel f and from the Sel f to the skin through the thread of inte ll igence , so they can in terpene trate as one si ngle uni t through ci tta or the n eedle o f consc iousness. By nature the b ody is iner t, dul l and slugg ish; th e mind is vibran t, active and dynamic, and the S elf is luminous and il lumina tive . The practic e of yoga destroys sluggishness o f the body and bui lds i t up to become equa l to the ac tive and s ensi tive mind. T hen, bo th the body and mind are made to transc end to the l evel o f the il luminative Se l f, wi th per fect h ealth in bo dy, s tab il ity in mind , and c lari ty i n i ntel ligence. The h ands sign ify ing karma , hea d sign ifying jnan a, and heart s igni fyi ng bhak ti , are ma de to unite i n a hol is tic way of l i fe. If the mirror is clean, obj ects are clearly refle cted in i t. Yoga removes impuri ties of the bod y and causes the mind to reflec t lik e the mirror, ligh tin g the fla me of w isdom wh ich shines in body , min d and Self, so they move and work in u nison . Heal th is general ly understood as freedom from i llness , but it is actua lly a s tate o f physica l equ il i brium along w ith a perfec tly ba lanced d isposi tion of mind . Li fe is a combina tion of consc ience , con sciousness, in tel ligence , mind, senses o f percepti on, and organs of action . Heal th invo lves a treme ndous commun ication , so th at each cel l communes w ith the o ther. Th is canno t be purchased in a marketplace. It has to be earned w i th inspira tion , swea t, and toil . Yoga do es that. Yoga not only works w ith the body, it a lso develo ps the in tel ligence for the sigh t o f the Se lf. It con nects the ana tomica l and physio logica l bod ies , as wel l as mind and soul . It provid es even d is tribu tion of b ioenergy or li fe force, and cha nnels the mind to a state of cal mness so that y ou face l ife as ma ster of your circumstances . Yoga starts from th e heal th of the body and makes one c li mb the Everes t of spiritual con tentmen t, poise and peace We have been bestowed by the Creator wi th one and only capi tal – the body – for a worthy and useful li fe. The body is our temp le or kingdom. As i t i s the essential du ty of the dwel ler to keep th e house clean and tidy , i t is the d uty o f every human bei ng to keep the body hea l thy and cle an. Eth ics b egins from here. P ubl i c at i on: T he T i m es Of I ndi a P une: Dat e: F eb 2, 2012; S ec t i on: E di t ori al ; P age: 14

YogAfrica

June 2014 ATHA YOGA ANUSHASANAM

RAYA UMA DATTA RI M YI, January 19 99. 9. 10 AM : I was about t o l eave t he I nst i t ut e af t er at t endi ng m y cl ass. "Ae Raya. " A voi ce cam e f rom nowhere. I l ooked he re and t her e wi t h di sbel i ef . "Com e here. " He was l ooki ng st rai ght i nt o m e. I got i nt i m i dat ed by t he si ght under t he bushy eyeb rows. He was st andi ng wi t h a t aut f ace and a sl i ght gri n. ' Di d he real l y cal l m e? Or was I da y-d ream i ng as al ways?' I l ooked at hi m . He was st andi ng out si de hi s hous e wi t h whi t e vesht y and t he crĂ¨m e ku rt a. The st udent s were gre et i ng hi m and t ouchi ng hi s f eet . W hy was he cal l i ng m e?

l had quit studies halfway. I was a drop out. People around me were worried that I was going nowhere. I was a lost person. I was t went y. I had qui t st udi es hal f way. I coul d be cal l ed a drop out . Peopl e arou nd m e were d eepl y w orri ed t hat t hi s chap i s goi ng nowher e, onl y wast i ng hi s t i m e. I was a l ost per son. I had st a rt ed wor ki ng at a d e sk t op publ i shi ng f i rm l i ke an off i ce boy and earni ng som e am ount of m oney. The ei ghti et h bi rt h day cel ebrat i ons were over a m ont h bef o re t hat . Duri ng t he cel eb rat i ons, I di d hel p wi t h publ i shi ng act i vi t i es and was al so a part of t he ki d' s dem onst rat i on. ' Com e here. ' He cal l ed m e agai n. I f el t l i ke runni ng away but I wal ked t o hi m and t ouched hi s f eet . ' What are you doi ng NOW ?' He asked. 'Not hi ng. Goi ng hom e. ' I answered she epi shl y. ' I m ean what are you doi ng NOW i n yo ur l i f e?' Hi s e y ebrows becam e even m o re cur ved a nd hi s eyes d ri l l ed m e. I n m y l i f e? W hat does one h ave t o do i n l i f e? Not hi ng m uch! I t hought . I sh rugged m y shoul d ers. ' I wor k wi t h t hi s f i rm ' I st art ed t el l i ng hi m m y dai l y rout i ne, ' I ear n m oney . . . "W hat i s use of t hat ?' He sl i ced m y a nsw er hal f way. I f el t li ke a bowl er t hrown over t he ropes b y Ten dul kar. ' W hy don' t you pract i se?' he as ked m e. ' I com e f or t he cl asses v ery regul a rl y. ' I was f um bl i ng over t he an swers. ' W hy don' t you pract i se?' He was not ba cki ng out . I was perpl ex ed. W here was t hi s co nver sat i on headi n g? Hi s next quest i on was l i ke a bol t . ' Do you know h ow t o pract i se?' I was dum b- st ruc k wi t h a bl ank l ook i n m y eyes. ' W hat am I here f or ?' W i t h one hand on hi s wai st a nd t he ot he r qu est i oni ng he ask ed. ' I wi l l t each you . You shoul d not wast e your t i m e here and t here NOW '

"You should not waste your time here & there. NOW.' Be DISCIPLINED. Atha Yoganushasanam!" I nodded yes. ' But what about m y j ob?' 'I s t hat your li f e? W hat respect do you have wit h t hi s j ob?' He was bom bardi ng m e quest i ons t hat I was runni ng away f rom . 'St art pract i se. That wi l l bri ng you som e g ood l i f e' ' A bet t er l i f e?' I w as re al l y sha ken wi t h what was happe ni ng. ' Be di sci pl i ned' He gave t he l ast boost wi t h a warm sm il e.

I had j ust st art ed get t i ng com f ort abl y num b wi t h t he l i f e I was l i vi ng. He chu rned m e i nsi de out . As I wal k ed ou t of t he I nsti t ut e gat e, I was shocked, surpri s ed and scare d wi t h exci t em ent . ' Di d t hi s act ual l y happen? Guruj i hi m sel f cal l ed m e by m y nam e. ' I pi nched m ysel f . El even yea rs have passe d. Guruj i i ni t i at ed m e i nt o t he pra ct i se. He as ked m e t o f ol l ow t he ' di sci pl i ne of prac t i ce' . I rem em ber t he conv ersat i on ver y vi vi dl y. Guru j i st art ed wi t h NOW and concl uded wi t h DI SCI PLI NE. Thi s di rect l y connect s t o what Pat anj al i has st at ed. At ha yoga anushas anam . Today on Pat anj al i Jayant i l et ' s l ook at t hi s sut ra . atha yoga anusha sanam at ha: Now, here on, here af t er yoga: uni on, t o uni t e, t o yoke, Sam adhi anu: t o f ol l ow som et hi ng, t o go af t er, t o t race behi nd shasanam : orde r, t rai ni ng, educat i ng, di rect i ng, rul e NOW begi ns t he exposi t i on of yoga. Atha - NOW : Such a m agni f i cent st art ! Pat anj al i does not ask, w hat have you done ea rl i er? W here do you c om e f rom ? W hosoeve r shows t he i ncl i nat i on and cou rage can wal k o n t hi s pat h. The da rsha n - subj ect i s avai l abl e as a g ui di ng l i ght . St art , at t hi s very m om ent . Not l at er. As you are! W it h what ever you have. NOW ! A f ew years ago a guy wal ked i n. Sm al l bui l t wit h anxi et y on hi s f ace and eyes st ress ed. He had f aced a com bat . He was HI V posi t i ve. Very hesi t ant l y he went t o Guruj i . ' Li f e i s not over. Don' t l ose your heart . W hat happened, happened! ' Guruj i consol ed. ' NOW on don' t mi ss your pr act i se. ' He i s st i l l wal ki ng on t hi s pat h. On num erou s o ccasi on s t hi s h al l has seen Gur uj i as k, ' can y ou t el l m e, whe re a re you not reachi ng i n t he as ana' ? W e general l y m i ss t he bus l ooki ng f or a cor re ct ' answer' - bot t om f oot or t he t op of t he head? W e f orget t he si l ent NOW i n t he quest i on. He i s as ki ng, ' wher e are you NOW ? I s you r awa rene ss spre adi ng e ver ywher e uni nt errupt edl y ? Are you awa re of NOW ?' Our answer i s based on ye st erday' s a nswer. Guruj i i s aski ng us i n t he present and we are react i ng f rom t he past . W e li ve i n yest erday. The NOW i s di sm ayed.

This is the tender connection between Patanjali and Guruji. What Patanjali has said centuries ago, Guruji is reiterating now.

Thi s i s t he t ender co nnect i on bet ween Pat anj al i an d Guruj i . W hat Pat anj al i has s ai d ce nt uri es ago, Gu ruj i i s r ei t erat i ng now. Af t er at ha-NOW , t he next t erm i n t he sut ra i s yoga. Yoga i s t o uni t e. To yoke. To j oi n. The second sut ra def i nes Yoga about whi ch I wi ll not go i nt o det ai l s. Anu — to fol l ow: The t erm anu f ol l ows yoga! Anu m eans t o f ol l ow. Pat ańj al i ' s obj ect i ve approach i s cl ea rl y exp ress ed i n t hi s word. He does not di re ct us t o f ol l ow any hum an. He onl y poi nt s t o f ol l ow t he subj ect - t he darsha n. He t ranscends t he bound ari es of per son- nat i onal i t y-et hni ci t y-rel i gi on -t radi t i on- cul t ure. The yoga -sūt ra -s l ead us l i ke t he road m aps. Guruj i t el l s us, ' keep t he pract i se on t op of your pri ori t y l i st . Ot her t hi ngs wil l f ol l ow.'

Anu means to follow. Patanjali only points us to follow the subject - yoga. Guruji tells us to give priority to practise. I he rest will follow. M r Jogl ekar, al m ost 6 f eet t al l , a broad m an bent t owards hi s l at e si xt i es. The t hree m en who brought h i m i n, sat down gaspi ng. He suf f ered f rom a m assi ve st r oke - pa ral ysi s. ' Can I get any bet t er?' W i t h hi s sl i ppery t ongue he asked Gu ruj i . ' Yes' Guruj i sai d. M r Jogl ekar pa ral ysed f ac e em ot ed sl i des of di sbel i eve-hope det erm i nat i on-wi l l -negat i vi t y and posi t i vi t y. ' From NOW on, if you are ready t o f ol l ow pract i se you wi l l get bet t er' . Guruj i gave hi m an ‘ anushāsana' . M r Jogl ekar st art ed com i ng re gul arl y m ont hs on end. One day I overheard hi m t el l i ng Guruj i ' I drove t he car t o t he i nst i t ut e.' Hi s voi ce was f ull of j oy. For m e i t was unbel i evabl e. I t hought , Guruj i j ust asked hi m t o f ollow t he di sci pl i ne. I t encouraged hi m , gave hi m conf i dence t o st and by hi m sel f . The ent i re proces s was anush ās ana f or hi m . Once I was si t ti ng i n t he l i brary readi n g som et hi ng. A coupl e of peopl e wal ked i n. They had bui l t a hal l for āsana-cl as ses. They we re aski n g f or Guruj i ' s gui danc e on t he essent i al s t o conduct a cl as s. They t ol d Gur uj i t hat t hey have t he g ri l l , t he ho rse, ropes on t he wal l bu t not hi ng el se. `Do yo u ha ve a ny st ud ent s?' Gur uj i asked t hem . They nodd ed, yes. ' Then t hat ' s i t ' , Guruj i l ean ed bac k i n hi s chai r. ' Al l you need i s st udent s w ho want t o l earn. Rest of t he t hi ngs a re n ot of i m port ance. T he y can be m anag ed wi t h o r wi t hout . ' Guruj i poi nt ed t owards t he core. Fol l owi ng yoga i s goi ng t owards t he core. Anushāsa n a t akes us t owards t he core. W e l ook at t he word anushasana wi t h a very l i m i t ed perspe ct i ve. W e t ake it as di sci pl i ne. By act i on Guruj i has expanded t he m eani ng and adde d wi sdom t o t hat . End of sum m er. I was ri di ng bac k f rom Rai ga d at ni g ht si nce i t i s a ve ry pl easi ng e nvi ro nm ent t o ri de at n i ght . I t ook an uncom m on r oad and cl i m bed t he di f f i cul t W arndhaa ghaat . I par ked m y bi ke an d st ood at t he cl i f f and i n t he f ront , t he val l ey spr ead down. I coul d o nl y hea r t he wi nd hi ssi ng. The s hades of dark ness we re s prea d acros s. I cl osed m y e yes. The shade s of da rkne ss e ven m at ched. Sudde nl y a l ong spa rk c rac ked i n f r ont of m y cl osed eyes. Li ght m oves f ast er t han sound. Thunde r f ol l owed. The eart hy sm el l f i l ed t he am bi ance. Rai n drops st art ed washi ng m y f ac e. I st ood t here. Eye s cl ose d. Ear s open. Ski n soaki ng i n t he cool nes s. I was on t he edg e of t ran si t i on. Nat ure was t urni n g t he wh eel . Sum m er wa s l eavi ng and rai n s app roachi ng. A l i ne, an edge bet w een sum m er and rai ns. Ther e i s none. I t i s boundar y-l es s exi st ence. I t was an experi ence of a nat u ral pheno m enon. A f eel i ng and an i nner under st andi ng of on eness. Everyt hi ng exi st s i n rel at i onshi p. A prof ou ndl y dee p rel at i onshi p. The appa rent se parat e e nt i t i es f ol l ow one shāsana. Nat ure i s i nt ui t i vel y i n harm ony. The harm ony i s i nt ernal coordi nat i on. From t hat com es spont anei t y, nat ural i t y, i nt ui t i on. To achi eve such si m pl i ci t y and ease i n l i vi ng, anushāsana has t o be obse rved. W e st ore everyt hi ng i n m em ory. M em ory shadows s p ont anei t y. M em ory l eads t o habi t . Last year Abhi j at a spoke about how a ' habi t i s a di sease' . W e are al l di seased . Let us t ake t he exam pl e of Ar dha Chand rās ana. Ho w do we do Ardh a Chand rāsan a? Keep a si de t he t e chni cal det ai l s. The m om ent I hear ' go t o A rdha Ch and rāsa na’ , m y m em ory st a rt s i nt erv eni ng. I get ent rapped i n com pari son. Com pa ri son of yest erd ay' s A rdha Cha ndr āsa na and t oda y' s Ar dha Chan drā sana. A j udg em ent al o pi ni on erupt s. I am doi ng su peri o r or i nf eri or or e qui val ent t han yest e rday. The com pari s on cea ses i f t he co re of ardh a chandr asana i s rea ched. I woul d not be doi ng a rdha chand rāsana. Th ere wo ul d be onl y A rdha Chand ras ana! I t woul d be boundar y-l ess e xi st ence i n t he present . The ot her day Guruj i cam e ba ck f r om Bangal o re. He cam e i n at 2 i n t he af t ernoo n. At 2. 45 h e wal ked i n t o t he l i brary. Som et i m es I t hi nk he f orget s hi s age! Toda y , I push m y work t o t om or row. I post pone m y t oda y t o t om orrow. 8

I n Guruj i ' s dai l y l i f e, anushāsana and at ha ha ve i nt erchang ed t hei r pl ace! W e have t o st a rt wi t h now and f ol l ow t he di sci pl i ner. Then com es a st age af t er f ol l owi ng the di sci pl i ne com es t he NOW . That NOW whi ch i s a poorn a - com pl et e.

In Guruii's daily life, anushasana and atha have interchanged their place! We have to start with now & follow discipline. Then comes a stage after following the discipline comes the NOW I n m odern t i m es, peopl e behave as i f t hey are at war wi t h t hem sel ves. I n such con di t i ons, we get di scon nect ed wi t h oursel ves. W e f eel an urge, a need of i nt ernal harm oni ous di al ogue. Yoga-dar shan gi ves a di rect i on, a hand f or st oppi ng t he dam age and f al l of onesel f . M any of m y f ri end s wor k as sof t ware prof es si onal s. Ti m e and ag ai n I hea r t hei r di scu ssi ons about ch a ngi ng j obs and m ore sal a ry. I a sked one of t hem , ' why d o you ha ve t o chan ge t he j ob so m any t i m es?' She sa i d, ' t o see m ore' . M ore? I di d not exa ct l y unde rst and, what m ore? M ay be m o re was wi t h respe ct t o t he sal ar y c om i ng i n! W e want m ore. W e ask f or m ore. W e j um p up wit h t he i dea of havi ng m ore f or t om orrow. W e keep on wanderi ng. A wanderi ng swi ng m ani f est s bet ween t he past and t he f ut ure. The ot her day, Guruj i sai d, ' wanderi ng m i nd di ssi pat es ene rgy. One poi nt ed m i nd ret ai ns ene rgy. ' I f wanderi ng i s bet ween past a nd f ut ure, t hen bei n g on e poi nt ed i s i n NOW . Pat anj al i asks us t o f ol l ow t he shāsana t hat l eads t o one poi nt ed m i nd. I s i t onl y t he m il i t ary order, t he anushās ana? W hen we accept t he shāsa na, i t i s not an ext ernal l y i m posed l aw and orde r. I t i s not t he st ruct ure of c ri m e and puni shm ent . Guruj i speak s about t he open chest - ope ni ng t he m i nd. Act ual l y, he rem ov es t he s epa rat i on of ' on t he m at ' and ' of f t he m at' . He j oi ns t he āsana- prāĦā yām a l earni n g t o t he way of l i f e. A Tri koĦāsana or a vi l om a prāĦ āyām a becom es a m et aphor. As we observe ever y pause we t ake i n vi l om a caref ul l y, si mi l arl y every m om ent we l i ve, we need t o be aware. Ri di ng m y bi ke t hro ugh t he ran ges of Hi m al aya, I was i n Lad akh. Th ree of us. You m a y cal l us t he t hr e e m usket eers or t hr ee i di ot s! W hen we were t here, t here was a cl oud burst . Al l t he roads we coul d have t aken t o ret urn were bl ock ed. No one knew when t he roa ds wou l d reopen. The si t uat i on was com pl et el y out of our c ont rol . On t he ot her si de, t he ' t im e-out ' f rom responsi bi l i t i es was get t i ng over. W e had t o l eave t he bi kes back t here. One of m y f ri end s was com pl et el y dej ect ed. He was not read y t o l ea ve t he bi ke. Fi nal l y we f l ew ba ck a n d af t er m uch awai t i ng, t he bi kes t oo f ol l owed. Our em ot i onal g ri p di d not want us t o l eave t he bi kes ba ck. W e of t en st res s real i t y i n s uch em ot i onal i t y. Anushāsan a gi ve s u s cl a ri t y and co urag e t o get ov e r su ch an em ot i onal i t y whi ch onl y bi nds us. Eve ry m om ent has i t s own t rut h. There i s no conf l i ct i f we conf ront i t . Harm ony surf aces. El even years ha ve pass ed. The pat h whi ch began wi t h Now and Di sci pl i ne i s not a li near road anym o re. I t i s a wi de spread spa ce. At ha yoga anushās anam

YogAfrica

June 2014 YOGA AND ME

BARBARA DE JONG Af t er m y f ourt h chi l d wa s bo rn, whe n m y el dest was j ust f our yea rs ol d, I ne eded a b rea k f rom our o ri gi nal pl an f or si x chi l dren. I n order t o rec ove r m y heal t h and t o have t i m e f or m ysel f , I st art ed at t endi ng Yoga cl asses, and f r om t hen on, and t hroug hout m y l i f e, Yoga has bee n an es sent i al dai l y com ponent of m y he al t h regi m e. I n 1968, af t er t he bi rt h of m y si xt h chi l d, I had t he oppo rt uni t y t o enj o y t hr ee wee ks of st udy wi t h B. K. S. I yengar, t he f orem ost exponent of Hat ha Yog a, and t hat was a def i ni ng experi ence f or m e. That f i rst cours e wi t h hi m, i n M auri t i us, convi nced m e t hat Yoga was t o be part of m y l i f e, and t he begi nni ng of m any years of st udy, and, l at er, of t eachi ng. I n 1970 I began t eachi ng i n earn est , and cont i nued t o do s o unt i l 20 03 whe n t he di agnosi s of M ot or Ne uron Di sease di ct at ed radi cal change s t o e very asp ect of m y l i f e. I chose t o st op t ea chi ng b ecaus e t he d em on st rat i on of post ures, whi ch had been so f undam ent al t o m y t eachi ng m et hod – t aki ng apart each pose a nd at t em pt i ng t o depi ct physi cal l y what I was descri bi ng i n words – was no l onger po ssi bl e. Because of t he nat ure of t he di sease, t here was a sl ow di m i nut i on of m y o wn abi l i t y, not onl y i n m y cl asses a s a t eache r, but i n m y person al perf orm anc e. I di d not , however, st op doi ng Yoga. I n f act , as m y abi l i t y “t o do” l essened, m y unde rst andi ng of t he esse nce of t he basi c pose s seem ed t o i nc rease. I f ound I c oul d vi sual i se how ea ch m uscl e sh oul d beha ve as I at t em pt ed t o m ove i nt o po ses. L oss of bal anc e l i m i t ed “doi n g”, b ut even t oday, af t er l i vi ng wi t h t he cond i t i on f or t en yea rs, when I am l yi ng i n bed I can f eel cl ea rl y when I am pe rf ect l y bal anced on m y ba ck, and m ake sl i ght , al m ost i m percept i bl e, adj ust m ent s, unt i l t hat bal ance i s achi e ved. I ca n t hen vi goro usl y e xt end m y l egs, at t em pt i ng as best I can t o st ret ch t hem equal l y, and t hen st ri vi ng t o f eel on t he l ef t exact l y what I f eel on m y ri ght si d e. I t hen st ret c h m y a rm s out t o t he si des, f i rst pre ssi ng d own wi t h m y hand s, and t hen t ur ni ng t hem up and sl owl y m ovi ng m y arm s upward al ong t he edge of m y bed, unt i l I am f ull y ext ended i n Tadasana. I n m uch t he sam e way, when I am seat ed i n a chai r (as I am now f or m ost of m y waki ng hours) I f eel and adj ust t he wei ght of m y bod y ont o m y si t t i ng bones an d f eel m y spi ne ext end upward as I chec k t hat m y w ei ght i s di st ri but ed eve nl y f rom t he si t t i ng bon es as I pre s s m y f eet i nt o t he ca rpet . I can t hen agai n, as wh en l yi ng down, ext end m y a rm s f rom t he si des an d m ove t he m sl owl y upward, pul l i ng t he t rapezi us m uscl es d own an d l i f t i ng t he st ernum . Even t hough I have l o st som e o f t he “st ret ch ” i n r ecent yea rs, t hi s m ovem ent st i l l gi ves m e a sense of l i berat i on, and because of m y Yoga t rai ni ng I at l east know what I am TRYI NG t o achieve. Physi ot herapi st s cal l t hese “r ange of m ot i on” m ovem ent s, but I know t hat f or m e, wi t h m y Yoga b ackg ro und, t hey are f ar m ore t han t hat . Even t hough m y bal ance i s seri ousl y di st urbed and I have been unabl e t o wal k wi t hout ai d f or about seven years, I ' m st i l l abl e t o pl ace m y f eet ca ref ul l y i n f ron t of m e whi l e seat ed, shi f t m y wei ght sl owl y o ver m y f eet and st and wi t hout a ssi st ance f o r a m i nut e or t wo (un t i l m y weakened qua dri cep s m uscl es gi ve u p), si m pl y by usi ng m y Yog a-t rai n ed b rai n t o f o cus on bal an ci ng m y wei ght evenl y. Thi s dem ands eno rm ous conce nt r at i on, but I wi l l cont i nue t o pract i se t hi s si m pl e exerci se every da y. So, i n repl y t o t he of t en asked quest i on, “Do you st i l l pract i se Yoga?” t he answer i s, wi t hout hesi tat i on, “Yes. ”

A NOTE ON BARBARA DE JONG. W hi l e Barbara i s wel l -known t o an d bel oved b y m an y of t he l onger- st andi ng m em bers of t he I nst i t ut e as col l eague, m ent or, f i ne Yoga exponent and speci al f riend, som e newer m em bers m ay not recogni se her nam e f or, as she i ndi cat es i n her art i cl e, she has been un abl e t o part i ci pat e i n t eachi ng and i n I nsti t ut e aff ai rs f or som e 10 yea rs. She i s a f oundi ng m em ber of t he I ns t i t ut e who served o n t he Cent ral Com m i t t ee i n i t s earl i e r years, an d who i s rem em be red es peci al l y f or he r i nvol vem ent (wi t h Joyce St ua rt ) i n t he a rran gem ent s f or B. K. S. I yengar' s 1979 vi si t t o Sout h Af ri ca, hi s t our of t he Republ i c, t he l ect ures and dem on st rat i on s he gave, and t he t i m e he spent i n Pi et erm ari t zburg, when he i naugurat ed and bl es sed t he I nst i t ut e bui l di ng. 10

The years of st udy she m ent i ons i ncl ude, besi des t h e M auri t i us course, cou rses i n Swazi l and, as wel l as several i n Pune, an d sh e was awa rded an Ad vance d t e achi ng c ert i f i cat e by I yenga r hi m sel f . She i s an ext r aordi nary exem pl ar of t he way i n whi ch dedi c at ed and i n t el l i gent work i n Yoga can p rovi de phy si cal and em ot i onal sust enance, a nd act as a bul wark agai nst f ea r and def eat when conf ront i ng a d ebi l i t at i ng and i ncur abl e condi t i on. St ephani e Al exander.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;You mus t p urge yoursel f before findin g faul ts in others. When you see a mistake in somebody e lse , try to find i f you are makin g the s ame mis take. This is the way to take judgment and to turn i t in t o i mprovemen t. Do no t look at o thers' bod ies wi th envy or w ith su periority . All peop le are born wi th d i fferen t cons ti tu tions . Never compare wi th oth ers. Each one 's capac ities are a func tio n o f his or her in ternal streng th . Know your capaci ties and con tinua lly i mprove up on the m.â&#x20AC;? - B.K .S . Iyengar

YogAfrica

June 2014 ARDHA CHANDRASANA

MARIA APT The Sanskri t word ch andra refers to the bri l lianc e of the moon . In a pose like Ardha Chandrasana (Ha lf Moon Po se), the ex tension o f your torso in one direction and the up li fted leg in th e other draws a line tha t represen ts the fla t edge of a hal f moon , while the energy in your extended arms and s ta nding l eg radiate out like bea ms in the n igh t sky . Ha lf mo on pose is a grea t asana for learning how to ba lance and grow awa reness in wha t can at first see m a d isorien ting posi tion. The pose can also ease low er-back problems , re liev ing sacrum pain , sci atica pa in, and lu mbar aches . No te, th ough, that U tthi ta Trikonasana (Extended Triangl e P ose) is bo th the en trance and t he ex it to Ardha Chandrasana , so you 'l l n eed to be co mfortable wi th tha t pose first. Because o f the ex ternal rotation of the stand ing leg , open ing o f the ches t, an d la teral ex tensio n of th e spine , Ardha Chandras ana is like a balanc ing vers ion o f Triang le , and you ma y just find tha t your Triang le improves b ecause of Ha lf Moon. The idea of "radia ting ou t" in a balanc ing pose may soun d o ut o f reach . Bu t I've found that if yo u concentrate on creating stabi li ty in your stand ing l eg, hip , should er b lades, and ta ilbone , you' ll h ave a strong founda ti on from which to extend and exp and in al l direc tions . The varia tio ns here wi ll he lp you build tha t founda tio n so you can ba lance wi th co nfidence and sh ine in a ll direc tions . In the first variation , w ith your back aga ins t the wal l, yo u can ex perience the shape of the pose w i thout h aving to s truggle to keep your ba lance ; in the secon d var iation , you 'l l focus on the s tretch o f the torso an d top leg in opposite directions . In the fina l pose , you can p ut al l o f the co mponen ts tog ether , so tha t w ith strength and sta bi li ty, you can s tretch and expand l ike a b rill iant moon. Pose Be nefits: Helps wi th some kinds o f lower back pa in Strengthe ns back , legs , h ips, and abdo men Increases flex ibi li ty of spina l musc les Eases premens trual te nsion Contraind ications: Recent hip or knee replace men t Osteoporosis High blood pressure or eye s train (avoid look ing up) The Great Wall Doing th is pose w ith your b ack aga inst a wal l gives you a ch ance to feel the shape w ithout much o f the chal lenge of balancing , al low ing you to work on th e proper al ignmen t and the musc le ac tio ns in the legs , hips, back , and shou lders. The wa ll can also al le viate any fear of fal ling backward, and thus bu ild con fid ence in the po se. For th is varia tion I recommend using a block for your ha nd. The bloc k is help fu l if you have a sti ff back or ti ght hams trings . It essen tial ly r aises the floor so tha t you can li ft your torso and exper ience the ligh tness and sense of expansion o f Ardha Chandrasana.

To beg in , stan d wi th your back aga inst a sturdy wa ll . S tep your feet wide apart, place a block i n between the ou ter edge of the righ t foo t a nd the w all , and ex tend your arms to the s ides . T urn you r right foot and leg out 90 degrees so tha t the in ner ed ge o f the fo ot is para lle l to th e wal l. Turn the left toes in s li ghtly, bu t keep the back o f your le ft hee l in contact wi th the wal l. Exha le and ex tend the tors o over your right leg , plac e your righ t hand on the b l ock, and co me into Triang le Pose . Bend the ri ght leg deeply, and s tep your left foo t ha lfway toward th e righ t foo t as you move the ri ght hand and b lock abou t a foot (or more i f you're tal l) forward. Straig hten and firm the left leg an d ke ep the rig ht leg bent a s you li ft the le ft leg up un ti l the foo t is sl igh tly abov e the pelv is. Turn your righ t knee out, ai min g for the right foo t's l ittle toe , as you pul l the quadriceps u p and s traigh ten th e righ t leg . Press your le ft th ighbone and hee l in to the wa ll . Ex tend the back of your left hee l along the wa ll away from your head as you leng then your ches t away fro m the le ft hee l . Rol l the shou lders back and extend the le ft arm up in l ine wi th the righ t ar m. Do you fee l l ight and free? Or have you re laxed the musc les, co lla psed the ches t, and ben t the s tanding knee in order to balance? T o radia te extens ion, inhal e as you leng then your tai lbone and b uttock toward the le ft foot. Turn your ches t toward the cei ling and the le ft s ide o f the wa ist to ward th e wal l . Your head and le ft shou lder, arm, an d hee l sho uld be on the wal l. Your righ t buttock may be to uching too, bu t do n' t lean i t on the wal l. To come ou t o f the pose , exhale and bend the r ight knee deeply . Now reach b ack w i th the le ft l eg to place the le ft fo ot back do wn on the floor . Put y our right hand on your right ank le and s traighte n both legs, return ing to Utth ita Trikonasa na. Co me up on the inhala tion, and repeat on your left s ide . Movin g U p and Out In th is varia tio n, the wa ll does not aid wi th bal ance as much as it g ives the raised foo t some thing to press in to, wh ich hel ps bri ng more li fe in to your upli fte d leg and al ign i t wi th th e sp ine . Stand w i th the outer edge o f your le ft foo t agains t the wa ll and step your fee t apart so that the d istance be twee n the m is a li ttle less than it w ould be for Tr iangle . Your body is p erpendicu lar to the wal l th is time , no t le aning against it. Turn the righ t foot 90 degrees away from the wa ll . Pl ace a b lock on the ou tsid e o f your righ t foot. With your r ight hand on the b lock an d rig ht knee bent, step the left foo t forward to ward the righ t foot, and move the b lock forward 12 inches or more. Then ra ise the le ft leg a nd place the so le of the left foo t o n the wal l . Res t your left hand on your l eft hi p w i th your elbo w ben t. Take a look a t bo th l egs to make sure you 're set up properly. The le ft foo t shou ld be a li ttle h ighe r than the l eft s ide o f th e pelv is and parall el to the floor , w ith the arch in lin e w ith the right heel . The rig ht l eg should be perpendicu lar to the floor. If i t's no t, y ou may ne ed to s tep your rig ht foo t c loser to or f arther from the wa ll . Fina lly , take the back of your h ead in l ine wi th your bu ttocks . Once you 're se t up , be nd both knees . Turn you r right thi gh o ut so that your kneecap poin ts over the righ t toes . On th e inha lation, pu ll your righ t kneecap and quadriceps up as you s traigh ten your r ight leg, main tain ing the ro ta tion . Now push your le ft foo t in to the wal l and s traigh ten the le ft leg by pressing th e front o f the thigh back . As you leng then the le ft Ach il les tendon and inn er heel in to the wal l with the foo t flexed , leng then the en tire backsi de o f the le ft leg from the bu ttocks toward the wal l. Now ex tend your ch est and torso away from the wa ll . Take a look a t bo th l egs to make sure you 're set up properly. The le ft foo t shou ld be a li ttle h ighe r than the l eft s ide o f th e pelv is and parall el to the floor , w ith the arch in lin e w ith the right heel . The rig ht l eg should be perpendicu lar to the floor. If i t's no t, y ou may ne ed to s tep your rig ht foo t c loser to or f arther from the wa ll . Fina lly , take the back of your h ead in l ine wi th your bu ttocks . 13

Once you're set up , bend bo th knees . T urn you r right th igh o ut so tha t your kneeca p po ints ov er the right toes. On the inha la tion , pul l your righ t kn eecap and quadriceps up as you s traigh ten you r righ t leg, ma in tain ing the rota tion . Now push your le ft foo t in to the wal l and s traigh ten the le ft leg by pressing the front o f the thig h back. As you lengthe n the left Achi ll es tendon and inner heel into the wa ll w ith the foot fl exed, leng then the en tire backs ide of the left leg from the buttocks toward the wa ll . No w extend yo ur chest and torso away from the wa ll . Then, once aga in , bend the righ t knee and turn the righ t le g out as you len gthen b oth bu ttocks toward the w al l, away from your head . S traigh ten the right knee, keep ing the bu ttocks and outer righ t th igh turning toward the w al l as you pu ll the righ t th ig h muscles up fro m the knee to the h ip. Repea tin g this wil l help train and s trengthen your legs and hips , so th at instead o f sink ing i nto your hip and kne e , your join ts support the l ift o f the sp ine. Move your s houlder blad es forward in to the ches t, inha le, a nd revolve your chest toward the cei ling . If you feel ba lanced, turn your h ead to look up . You can h old the pose for 30 secon ds to one min ute; to come down , exhale an d bend the r ight leg , step the le ft foo t back to the fl oor a t the wa ll , and str aighten both legs be fore s tand ing up . Now turn a round and repeat on the o ther s ide. On Y our O wn When you do the fina l pose w ithou t the suppo rt o f a wa ll , you' l l combine the al ignme nt o f the back body tha t you le arned in th e first variatio n w ith the a lig nmen t o f the upl i fted leg that you learned in the second. The back o f the body needs to b e s trong to suppor t yo u as the wa ll d id . The sta nding leg and its h ip and the shou lder blades ne ed to be fir m to help you balance . Begin by coming into U tth ita Trikonasana . T hen enter the pose as you did for the varia tions . As you inha le, ex te nd the le ft leg ful ly and look stra ight ahe ad (not a t the fl oor), wi th y our chin in l ine w ith your breastbone. Le ngthen the ch est to the rig ht so that the r ight armpit co mes d irectly over the righ t hand. Keeping your le ft leg absolu te ly s traigh t and yo ur inner le ft th igh firm, inha le and l ift your le ft l eg up toward the cei lin g. Reach ou t from your inner left thi gh through your i nner hee l, broaden the bo ttom o f the le ft foo t, and ex tend the entire backside o f y our le ft leg . Star t wi th your foo t flexed , and the n press out through your b ig toe . Balance the we igh t evenly on al l four corners of your righ t foot, turn the r ight leg o ut, and p ull the quadriceps up as you s traigh ten th e righ t leg . R efine the w ork o f the sta nding leg by cu tting you r out er right hip , b uttock, and ta i lbone b ack away from your head wi thou t throwing the le ft le g forward or back. Now ex tend your torso to the ri ght as you leng then the r ight armp it forward a way from the r ight th igh . Inhale and extend the left arm up toward the cei l ing; use the pul l o f the le ft arm to draw the l eft s ide o f the ches t up and away from the righ t arm. Mov e the shoulder blades in to ward your ches t, an d open your chest as you turn your trunk to ward the ce i ling . As you inh ale , roll b oth shou lders back, th e way you did w hen you had the wal l beh ind you , and r evolve your chest upward . If you fee l s table , turn your head to look up a t th e top hand . Wi th your legs, hips , spine , and sh oulders al igned , you can elo ngate your lower back by le ngthen ing your top leg and your torso a way from one another. To come ou t o f the pose, bend your righ t knee deeply and reach b ack w ith the le ft leg to take a large step back wi th the l eft foo t. S traigh ten the r ight leg and return to Utthi ta Trikonasana . Repea t on the other s ide . See i f y ou can main ta in s ome o f the opening fro m Hal f Moon Pose a t th e en d in Trian gle so that the radia ting qual ity of firmness and expansi on of Ardha Chandrasana bec omes access ible in all of your yoga asanas . Marla Apt is a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher.

YogAfrica

June 2014 COURSES VISITING INTERNATIONAL TEACHERS

2014: Raya Data: Johannesburg: Cape Town:

05 — 07 September 09 ― 11 September

2015: Corine Biria: Cape Town & Johannesburg:

March (dates to be confirmed)

BRI GI TTA’ S SATURDAY M ORNI NG W ORKSHOPS Brigitta Tummon will be leading Saturday morning workshops from 08:30 to 10:30 in Newlands at Seven Oaks, Main Street. The programme is as follows: 28 June

with a twist

19 July

building strength from inside out

16 August

deepen forward bends

30 August

arch to vitality

01 November

upside down

29 November

restore and renew

If you would like to attend please confirm with brigitta at brigitta.tummon@gmail.com or phone 083 2300047

YOGA RETREAT WITH BRIGITTA TUMMON

YogaPoise Retreat November 7-9, 2014 Bodhi Khaya Retreat Centre, Gansbaai For more information and booking please contact Brigitta, brigitta.tummon@gmail.co.za

YogAfrica

June 2014 IYENGAR YOGA IN OUDTSHOORN

The BKS Iyengar Yoga Centre, Schoemanshoek, Oudtshoorn, Klein Karoo South Africa June 2014

This Centre is dedica ted to the teach ings of Sri B .K.S.Iyengar Welcome to the B KS Iyengar Yoga Cen tre, nestle d in the bea utifu l and tranqui l Schoema nshoek va lley on the way to the famous C ango caves. Surrounded only by na ture and the majes tic Swartbe rg Mounta ins , the C entre o ffers the comp lete yo ga experience. O ur ful ly equ ipped Cen tre is des ign ed to give the Iyengar yoga practitioner th e opportunity to exper ience h igh-qual ity yog a tu i tion in a peaceful and pris tin e setting. Dav id and I are active ly invo lved in the teacher’s train ing progr am for bo th In troductory and Jun ior Interme dia te lev els. Train ing is do ne as a se mester-style program – more deta ils ava ilab le. For in forma tion abou t the 3 & 6-day retreats , regular workshops and our res identia l teachers tra ining program, please v isi t our webs ite, wh ich has been speci fica lly des igned to g ive you a compr ehensive p icture o f w hat the Yo ga Centre has to o ffer . The Schoe manshoek val ley offers a varie ty of su itab le accommodation to co mple te the exper ienc e. The town of Oud tshoorn comp li men ts this qu ie t, rural env ironmen t and George airport is a me re 65kms aw ay.

More abou t us a t h ttp://www .iyengaryogawi thdav i d.com Next retreats will be WINTER - Friday, 13th June 2014 to Wednesday, 18th June 2014 Friday, 18th July 2014 to Sunday, 20th July 2014 Friday, 29th August 2014 – Sunday, 31st August 2014

YogAfrica

June 2014 YOGA WIT H J UDY FAR AH

Dear Sadhaka s Herewi t h t he dat es f or bot h Sat urday Asana and Sat u rday Pra nayam a Cl asses unt i l t he end of 2014. Saturda y Asana Cl asses 08h30 - 11h00 (pl ease t ak e not e t here i s no Sat urday cl ass i n Jul y or Sept em b er) 14th June ; 16th August ; 4th Octo ber ; 8th Novem b er; 6 th Decem ber. Saturda y Pranayam a Cl asses 08h30 - 10h00 21st June ; 19th Jul y; 23 rd August ; 20th Sep tem er ; 11th October ; 29th Novem be r. I f t here are any queri es pl ea se do l et m e know. I n t he m eant im e m ay you al l cont i nue on your j oyous yoga j ourney. Ki nd regard s Judy 08282567 92

The m ore I work t he m ore i nsi gni f i cant m y eff ort s appears t o be. I have t o be cont ent wit h t hi s di vi ne di scont ent whi ch dri ves m e on. - BKS I yengar

YogAfrica

June 2014 NOTICES RENEWAL OF MEMBERSHIP FOR 2014

Annual subscriptions were d ue for renewa l by 31 s t January 2014 . If you have no t paid ye t cou ld you p lease do so a s soon as poss ible . Thank you . Banking deta ils can be found on the webs i te. Go to www .bksiyengar .co.za , cl ick on ST ART YO GA and th en on ‘J oin Our Ins ti tu te’ . The rates rema in the same as lev ied in the pas t three years. The ra tes are: Teachers: Studen t T eachers (who teach c lasses) Studen t T eachers Associate Members

R45 0* R30 0 R180 R180

(*Includes Certification fee .)

Newsle tter comp iled and ed ited by Riva H irschow itz . Typesetting by Stra tford Cann ing. Our sincere thanks to a ll who took the time and made the effort to con tribu te to the con ten ts o f this magaz ine . Anyone w ishing to con tribu te arti cles, pho tos, in forma tio n or s uggestions to th e newsle tter may contac t our ed itor : Ph 082 782 8275, ema il : r iva.h irschowi tz@g mai l .com

“Be i nspi red but not proud. ” –BKS I yengar