Reflections on Karin O’Bannon – Christine Stein

Reflections on Karin O’Bannon

By Christine Stein

Karin O’Bannon, a dedicated student of B.K.S.

Iyengar and one of our senior teachers, left this world in June 2013. She was 76 years old.

Both her life and passing affected so many people all over the globe. To remember Karin O’Bannon in Yoga

Samachar is fitting and truly honors her memory.

Those of us in Los Angeles remember when Karin walked through the door of the B.K.S. Iyengar Institute of Los Angeles in 1984. She had just returned from the San Francisco Convention and was inspired by Guruji’s teachings.

At the time, Karin’s children were grown, and she had entered a Jain ashram, where the yogic discipline of devotion and nonviolence were deeply practiced. She said that she entered the Jain ashram to study and practice yogic principles and to have association with others who were practicing in community. This was Karin O’Bannon: a true seeker. She understood the value of human life, the value of receiving this human form of life, and the responsibility that goes along with it. She was fully involved in looking for the answers to “Who am I?” and “Why am I here?” She chose the yogic path to find these answers.

At one point, she left the ashram to share her knowledge and began teaching at the B.K.S. Iyengar Institute of Los Angeles, which was a great boon for all of us. Her teaching was pure and infused with the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar. Her personal lifestyle was one of a true yoga practitioner. She started her day before sunrise, which is called the Brahma Muhurta hour (the most auspicious time for meditation and yogic practices). She chanted, she read, she practiced. During her day, she taught her students and always had time for them. Her association and her advice were sought by all of us who taught and practiced at the Iyengar Institute.

She understood the value of human life, the value of receiving this human form of life, and the responsibility that goes along with it.

Photo by Effi Gang.

In one of her writings, she gave advice on teaching yoga:

Teachers Teachers have to set a good example for students, And students keep teachers on the right path. Wherever we are, we are representing yoga. To be a teacher requires vigorous discipline of one’s own self.

Be one with the students.

After many years spent training the southern California teachers, Karin made a decision to leave Los Angeles and live in Hrishikesh, next to the sacred Ganges River. She continued to study and teach yoga to international pilgrims who visited Hrishikesh.

During this time, she met very sincere students from Malaysia. They were inspired by Karin and asked to her to come to Malaysia to teach. She appreciated the mood of the Malaysian people: Their attitude of respect toward tradition and their humility in the face of knowledge resonated with Karin. She loved Malaysia and always considered living there. One of her dedicated students, Vivien, wrote, “Karin was the first certified Iyengar Yoga teacher that I met in Malaysia. This meeting changed my destiny. Karin’s knowledge, her precision in teaching, her humble demeanor, attentive and affectionate care for her students inspired me. This deep impression that came forth inspired me to teach and study in Pune. Karin has planted yoga seeds in Asia and influenced many students of yoga. Her spirit lives forever in our hearts.”

When Karin received the diagnosis that her health was failing and that she would be leaving this world shortly, her demeanor was one of a true yogi. She said, “I have had a good life.” With a short time left, she prepared for leaving this world. Her mind was steady, her wisdom profound, her acceptance and devotion to God kept her strong until her last breath.

By the grace of God, she had time to write a small book, Reflections: A Yogi on Her Journey. In one beautiful passage, she writes:

Heart Space There is within my heart the same joyful awareness that makes the bird to sing and the snake to slither the sun to shine and the rains to fall.

When we come to that heart-space we find the same truth in all. Let my words be soft but always true. Let my heart be open and never broken. Let me, let me, be all that I am. Her last wishes were that her ashes be given to the sacred Ganges in Mayapur, the Holy Dham of Lord Krishna.

Karin took her last breath at home surrounded by family in a state of peace and calm. Her last wishes were that her ashes be given to the sacred Ganges in Mayapur, the Holy Dham of Lord Krishna. It is a peaceful place, where the Ganges flows into the sea, and where sunrises and sunsets are the most beautiful over that holy river. One can sit and meditate on the beautiful chants and hymns that resonate from the nearby temples along the Ganges.

Karin was a true seeker, a true teacher. Thank you, Karin, for your association. As she said many times in the last months of her life, “We will surely meet again.”

Christine Stein (Intermediate Junior III) lives in Los Angeles and teaches at the B.K.S. Iyengar Institute of Los Angeles. She also teaches at Yogaworks and her own studio, Govinda’s. Karin was a mentor and close friend, and she was an inspiration in guiding Chris in her teaching of Iyengar Yoga.