Yoganusasanam -- Melissa Lorraine Hagen

Yoganusasanam

BY MELISSA LORRAINE HAGEN

After more than two days of half-sleeping in airports and on planes, the taxi ride from Mumbai to Pune was like a dream: the speed at which we drove, racing tiny rickshaws, familiar plants that I recognized from home—esperanza, bougainvillea—but massive because they never have to face a freeze. Everything looked slightly different: the tall brown and grey stained buildings, laundry strung out on lines, the English advertisements for cleaner living in fancy condominiums, the lack of sidewalks. I had never imagined I would have the opportunity to come to Pune so soon!

In January 2014, I had decided to go up for my first assessment. It was scheduled for September, but last summer, Geeta announced her Yoganusasanam intensive. When I casually expressed that I wished I could go, my mentor, Peggy Kelley, lifted her chin slightly and said that I should. It seemed impossible to me at first; my part-time job barely covered the cost of my teacher training and the extra classes I was taking. But Peggy said we could do some fundraising, so I submitted a hopeful request to IYASCUS for a scholarship. (Thank you, South Central association!)

For me, the theme of this entire trip was community. I couldn’t have gone without the support of my teachers and students, and once I arrived, I was immersed. Each morning, the gymnasium slowly filled with people, laying down mats, taking photos, and making friends. I was thrilled to be among my tribe! Austin has a relatively small Iyengar Yoga community, and it was lovely to share ideas and stories and talk endlessly about my passion with people who feel the same way, have read the books, and have put in the practice. Some who even met the man himself. To many, he was real. He was flesh and bone, fire and fury, on and off the mat. Many had made the journey to Pune before I was born and were now sharing treasured memories of his grace and gratitude.

The asana classes were, of course, brilliant. We worked primarily from the Introductory syllabus, and each day after lunch, we assembled for presentations. What an honor to see Geeta in action, explaining with clarity what is required in even the simplest of asanas: skin of the back moves toward the front, skin of the front lifts, eardrums soften and recede, shoulders down away from the ears—then drawing our awareness inside in preparation for the invocation. Her eagle eye could spot a misalignment from across the room, and we held poses while she directed the nearest volunteer in how to help, sometimes calling the person on stage so we could all learn from them. I asked one of the tight hipped French men what it was like to be up there. He said it was terrifying, and her voice was stern, but he could see a little twinkle in her smiling eyes.

Geeta seated at the 2014 Yoganusasanam intensive Photo: Nancy Baldon

Abhijata impressed us all with wonderful metaphors and storytelling. Her first lecture was on the speciality of the Iyengar system. She explained that yoga is the individual consciousness merging with the universal consciousness. She told many stories of Guruji, including one where he had slipped and fell in the library during monsoon season and hurt his knee. He didn’t say that it hurt, but she could see it in his Virasana and in his eyes when he practiced. She told him to take a day off from medical classes and to rest, but he insisted on going. He said, “Yes, my knee has a pain, but I am fine!” This story came into my mind many times during the following week as I was doing my best to take care of a recovering injury in my thoracic spine that mostly didn’t hurt but always felt tight and induced anxiety when I thought about having to do Sirsasana without ropes or chairs. On Day 5, we did a lot of Eka Pada Sirsasana work, and from the very first one, there was a lingering dull pain beneath my right shoulder blade. After these, I did take full Sirsasana without much problem, but it was already too late. I was fearful that I had reinjured my back. I felt lucky to be able to ask a few senior teachers for advice: Should I avoid deep backbends? Is Sirsasana harmful?

Laurie Blakeney told me that when someone experienced pain, Guruji would say to give it a few hours to settle and not to worry too much right away. She also reminded me that when we have had an injury for a long time, it can be more helpful to work the areas around the injury instead of the injured place itself. The biggest lesson, though, was to not be so attached to the pain I was experiencing. I came to realize that my injury is a strength—a teacher—and not simply a weakness that prevents me from standing on my head for five minutes at a time. I have to be sensitive and aware enough to protect myself, while not beginning every practice with only the memories of yesterday’s asanas. I was able to adjust my spine in Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana and a long Paschimottanasana the next day, and I didn’t have too much trouble for the rest of the intensive. Upon returning home, I began doing Sirsasana again, this time counting to 60 in my head, and coming down gently without pain.

My first trip to India was more amazing than I can possibly find words for. I returned home full of gratitude for my path and for my community, and excited to take on Introductory II this fall!

Melissa Lorraine Hagen has studied Iyengar Yoga in Austin, Texas, for over four years and will take her Introductory II assessment in the fall.