Lifelong Practice: Eric Small – Janet Lilly

ERIC SMALL

By Janet Lilly

Ihave had the pleasure of sitting on the

IYNAUS Board of Directors with Intermediate Senior II Iyengar Yoga Instructor Eric Small for the past two 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?

Eric Small: I started with an early student of Mr. Iyengar’s, Indra Devi. I was using two canes at the time. [Eric was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 22.] After six to 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 a garage out back where I could have a studio for my practice (my grandfather wasn’t too pleased with this arrangement because he had a beautiful Packard car stored in the garage). I would use the Packard’s hydraulic lift and some plywood as props to practice yoga.

JL: Can you share a favorite memory from the early days with Mr. Iyengar?

ES: In 1974, after studying with Indra Devi for two and a half years, she told me that I should try and see Mr. Iyengar when he came to Berkeley. Unfortunately, the event was sold out, and there wasn’t a mat to be had, but I found a way to watch Mr. 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 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 still have a fairly complete practice. These days I do some of my asanas in my pool. For example, I practice Pascimottanasana (forward bend), Upavista Konasana, and my standing poses using floats. During each of the decades of my life, I have been able to sustain a practice because I adjust my

When you go to class, that is not practice. You are learning something that you will do in your practice.

practice to what I need at that moment. My practice has not always been the same, but it has always been inventive.

JL: How have you seen the Iyengar Yoga student population change over the years?

ES: The students now are far more are perceptive. I believe they perceive that with Iyengar Yoga you just get the truth—there are no distractions, manipulations, or merchandising. As students of Iyengar Yoga, we are learning from Guruji the truth about what Hatha yoga really is.

JL: What do you see as most important for the Iyengar community today as compared with the 1970s and 1980s?

ES: I believe that the future of Iyengar Yoga is with the therapeutics work. The appendixes at the back of Light on Yoga show us how to save our own life.

JL: What interferes with your practice?

ES: My household and my life are built around supporting my practice. For me, my practice space is sacred. I have a fountain and an outside shady area where I can do my pranayama. I know that many don’t have this luxury, and I encourage my students to commit to a dedicated space and time to practice for themselves.

JL: How do you find enough time to practice with your teaching schedule?

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 makes our certified Iyengar Yoga teachers different; we are there to share and inform students about Mr. Iyengar’s system. What makes Iyengar Yoga teachers unique is our ability to inspire students to look within and become observant of what they are actually doing.

Guruji teaches us how to be generous, how to be conscious, and how to realize consciousness.

I just started a class at the Iyengar Institute of Los Angeles because Mr. Iyengar requested that I do so. I complete an intake session with every incoming student. I ask incoming students general health and experience questions, such as, “What are you looking for? How can I be of service to you?” The session only takes 10 minutes, and it helps me make good decisions while teaching the class.

JL: How has your relationship to eating and/or sleeping changed as your practice has matured?

ES: With multiple sclerosis, sleeping is an issue. I used to have to take a lot of drugs to sleep. Supported forward bends such as Janu Sirsasana or Pascimottanasana with head support and inversions help with sleep difficulties, as does a meat-free diet.

JL: How do you juggle your work and administrative responsibilities with your practice and your teaching?

ES: The most practical answer is that I delegate the responsibilities for my various philanthropic organizations. The M.S. Yoga Foundation, my Adaptive Iyengar Yoga Program for the M.S. Society, also supports the Eric Small Iyengar Yoga Program Achievement Center at UCLA, USC, and at Rancho Los Amigos (a state rehab center for rehabilitation). My Stress Control Systems Trust handles my classes and teaching, publications, and public appearances. I am also on the boards of The L.A. Philharmonic, The L.A. Opera, The Thornton School of Music, USC, Doheny Eye Institute, and Saint Johns Health Center.

JL: Any final thoughts that you would like to share with our readers?

ES: Guruji teaches us how to be generous, how to be conscious, and how to realize consciousness. When I look back at my life, I remember being told that with multiple sclerosis, I wouldn’t want to be alive. Instead of accepting that statement and just sitting around on my tookus, I have become self-reliant. A longtime yoga practice makes you very self-reliant, and in turn, you live to give back what you have learned from Guruji without expectation of rewards.

Janet Lilly is president of the IYNAUS Board of Directors. If you have recommendations for future Lifelong Practice interviews, please email them to Janet at lilly.janet@gmail.com.

Eric Small in Adho Mukha Svanasana

“YOU ALL COMPLAIN THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE TIME TO PRACTICE, BUT THE TRUTH IS YOU DO NOT MAKE THE TIME. ONCE YOU MAKE THE TIME TO PRACTICE, YOU WILL FIND YOU HAVE MORE TIME FOR EVERYTHING.”

—PRASHANT IYENGAR

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