Lifelong
E R IC S MA L L
PRACTICE
By Janet Lilly
I
have had the pleasure of sitting on the IYNAUS Board of Directors with Intermediate Senior II Iyengar Yoga Instructor Eric Small for the past two
When you go to class, that is not practice. You are learning something that you will do in your practice.
years. I always look forward to his stories about his early studies with Mr. Iyengar. At 81, Eric has been practicing
Iyengar Yoga for over 50 years. He is a master storyteller and we had such fun with this interview! There were so many wonderful tales to recount that I could have written at least two more Lifelong Practice columns!
Janet Lilly:
How did you discover Iyengar Yoga?
practice to what I need at that moment. My practice has not always been the same, but it has always been inventive.
How have you seen the Iyengar Yoga student population change over the years? JL:
ES: The students now are far more are perceptive. I believe they perceive that with Iyengar Yoga you just get the truth—there
Eric Small: I started with an early student of Mr. Iyengar’s,
are no distractions, manipulations, or merchandising. As
Indra Devi. I was using two canes at the time. [Eric was
students of Iyengar Yoga, we are learning from Guruji the truth
diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 22.] After six to
about what Hatha yoga really is.
eight months of study, I went from two canes to one, and in another six months, I was able to venture out on my own without my caregiver. Within two years, I was fairly independent, so I moved out of my grandmother’s house into
What do you see as most important for the Iyengar community today as compared with the 1970s and 1980s? JL:
a garage out back where I could have a studio for my practice (my grandfather wasn’t too pleased with this arrangement
ES: I believe that the future of Iyengar Yoga is with the
because he had a beautiful Packard car stored in the garage).
therapeutics work. The appendixes at the back of Light on Yoga
I would use the Packard’s hydraulic lift and some plywood as
show us how to save our own life.
props to practice yoga.
Can you share a favorite memory from the early days with Mr. Iyengar?
JL:
What interferes with your practice?
JL:
ES: My household and my life are built around supporting my practice. For me, my practice space is sacred. I have a fountain
ES: In 1974, after studying with Indra Devi for two and a half
and an outside shady area where I can do my pranayama. I
years, she told me that I should try and see Mr. Iyengar when
know that many don’t have this luxury, and I encourage my
he came to Berkeley. Unfortunately, the event was sold out, and
students to commit to a dedicated space and time to practice
there wasn’t a mat to be had, but I found a way to watch Mr.
for themselves.
Iyengar from a propped-open door in the hallway. I was sort of flopping around out there, and on the second day, Mr. Iyengar came out to see what I was doing. He said, “Everyone in there is
How do you find enough time to practice with your teaching schedule? JL:
here to show me what they know, but you are here to learn what I know.”
JL:
How has your practice changed over the years?
ES: I wouldn’t have a life if I didn’t have my practice. When you go to class, that is not practice. You are learning something that you will do in your practice. Class is where you gather information and acquire knowledge. That is what
ES: I still have a fairly complete practice. These days I do some
makes our certified Iyengar Yoga teachers different; we are
of my asanas in my pool. For example, I practice
there to share and inform students about Mr. Iyengar’s
Pascimottanasana (forward bend), Upavista Konasana, and my
system. What makes Iyengar Yoga teachers unique is our
standing poses using floats. During each of the decades of my
ability to inspire students to look within and become
life, I have been able to sustain a practice because I adjust my
observant of what they are actually doing.
Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar
29
