VOL. 23, NO. 2
Fall 2019 | Winter 2020
Geeta S. Iyengar December 7, 1944 – December 16, 2018
In memory of Dr. Geeta S. Iyengar Thank you for teaching us the art, science and philosophy of Yoga. We will carry the samskaras (imprints) of your teaching in our hearts always. Namaskar, Your students from Pine Tree Yoga Props
www.pinetreeyoga.com
Serving the Iyengar yoga community since 1995
YOGA SAMACHAR’S MISSION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Yoga Samachar, the magazine of the Iyengar Yoga community in the U.S. and beyond, is published twice a year by the Publications Committee of the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the U.S. (IYNAUS). The word samachar means “news” in Sanskrit. Along with the website, www.iynaus.org, Yoga Samachar is designed to provide interesting and useful information to IYNAUS members to:
Letter from the President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
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Promote the dissemination of the art, science, and philosophy of yoga as taught by B.K.S. Iyengar, Geeta Iyengar, and Prashant Iyengar
Invocations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Letter from the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Message from Prashant Iyengar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Geeta S. Iyengar: A Multifaceted Gem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
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Communicate information regarding the standards and training of certified teachers
Yoga, for Serenity and Sanctity of Mind — Chris Saudek . . . . . . 6
Medicine, for Perfection of Health — Lois Steinberg, Ph.D. . . . . 10
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Report on studies regarding the practice of Iyengar Yoga
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Provide information on products that IYNAUS imports from India
Grammar, for Purity of Speech — Patricia Walden & Joan White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
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Review and present recent articles and books written by the Iyengars
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Report on recent events regarding Iyengar Yoga in Pune and worldwide
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Be a platform for the expression of experiences and thoughts from members, both students and teachers, about how the practice of yoga affects their lives
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Present ideas to stimulate every aspect of the reader’s practice
IYNAUS BOARD OF DIRECTORS CONTACT LIST
Laurie Blakeney certification.chair@iynaus.org Sandy Carmellini yogasandy@rocketmail.com Gwendolyn Derk grderk@gmail.com Michele Galen michele.galen@gmail.com Gloria Goldberg yogagold2@icloud.com Susan Goulet ethics@iynaus.org Don Gura don@dongura.com Chuck Han chuck@iyisf.org Scott Hobbs sh@scotthobbs.com Randy Just president@iynaus.org
Tributes from Long-time Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Tributes from the Regional Associations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Back Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
YOGA SAMACHAR IS PRODUCED BY THE IYNAUS PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE Committee Chair: Holly Kostura
Fall 2019 | Winter 2020 Amita Bhagat amita@sadhanaayoga.com
Geetaji’s Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Lisa Jo Landsberg lisajland@hotmail.com David Larsen david.larsen814@gmail.com Laura Lascoe lrlascoe@gmail.com Christine Miyachi chrisyogini@gmail.com Paige Noon paige.noon@gmail.com
Guest Editor: Gloria Goldberg Editors: Jerrilyn Crowley and Holly Kostura Art Direction and Design: Don Gura Copy Editors: Holly Kostura, Lee Raden and LeeAnn Woodrum Proofreading: Leslie Ballard Advertising: Sheryl Abrams
Nina Pileggi ninapileggi@gmail.com Denise Rowe deniserowe.IYNAUS@gmail.com
ADVERTISING
Jean Stawarz jeanstawarz.iyanus@gmail.com
Full-page, half-page, quarter-page, and classified advertising is available. All advertising is subject to IYNAUS board approval. Ads are secondary to the magazine’s content, and we reserve the right to adjust placement as needed based on layout needs. Find ad rates at www.iynaus.org/yoga-samachar. For more information, including artwork specifications and deadlines, please contact Sheryl Abrams at 512.571.2115 or yogabysheryl.tx@gmail.
Stephen Weiss stphweiss@gmail.com Director of Operations Mariah Oakley director.operations@iynaus.org
Contact IYNAUS Daniel Khalaf Daniel.Khalaf@morganstanley.com P.O. Box 184 Canyon, CA 94516 Holly Kostura hollywalck@gmail.com 206.623.3562 www.iynaus.org
Cover photo: Raya UD
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IYNAUS OFFICERS AND STANDING COMMITTEES President: Randy Just Vice President: David Larsen Secretary: Michele Galen Treasurer: Stephen Weiss Archives Committee Scott Hobbs, Chair Certification Committee Laurie Blakeney, Chair Nina Pileggi, Chair Elect Ethics Committee
Letter
FROM THE PRESIDENT
November 20, 2019 Dear IYNAUS Member, For the majority of the IYNAUS community Geeta Iyengar was one of our main teachers. In the mid 80’s, when Guruji retired, she began teaching the intensives and the daily classes even though he continued to teach and guide the teachers for many years to come. Geeta’s main purpose in life was to disseminate the teachings of her Guru and father B.K.S Iyengar. Her foundation was rooted in the tradition of her family and she considered the worldwide community of Iyengar Yoga practitioners to also be her family. Her devotion to the Iyengar community was exceptional. Geeta was fierce, full of passion and compassion, supportive, loving and caring for us all.
Susan Goulet, Chair Events Committee Randy Just, Chair Membership and Regional Support Committee Paige Noon, Chair Outreach Committee Denise Rowe, Chair Publications Committee
She said it was not possible to repay the debt of gratitude she felt to her parents and Gurus but that she would make the commitment to following the path of Yoga taught by them. Her desire for all of us was that we would have a holistic and honest approach to the practice and teaching of Yoga. It is with a humble head and a grateful heart that I write my first letter to the IYNAUS membership in this special issue of Yoga Samachar which celebrates the life and work of Geeta Iyengar. It is with great honor that I dedicate my term as President of IYNAUS to the inspiring memory of this great Soul.
Holly Walck Kostura, Chair Public Relations and Marketing Committee Amita Bhagat & Laura Lascoe, Co-Chairs Iyengar Registered Trademarks Committee Gloria Goldberg, Attorney-in-Fact for the Iyengars Systems & Technology Committee Jean Stawarz, Co-Chair Daniel Khalaf, Co-Chair Yoga Research Committee
In Tree of Yoga, Guruji writes, “Yoga is firstly for individual growth but through individual growth society and community develop.” Let us uplift and inspire one another to follow the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar and Geeta S. Iyengar. Use your Yoga Sadhana to promote individual health and to improve the health of your local Iyengar Yoga community. That honest and holistic approach will seep outward and envelope the national community. Consciously extend to one another the same support, love and consideration that Guruji and Geetaji benevolently offered you through their teachings and from those teachers who learned Yoga from them. Discover pathways to unite together towards common goals and a shared love for Yoga. Be a “pioneer” to blaze new trails and find ways to meet your fellow colleagues through this commonality.
Gwen Derk, Chair Past Presidents Organizational board–1991 Mary Dunn 1992 – 1994 1994 – 1998 1998 – 2000 2000 – 2002 2002 – 2004 2004 – 2006 2006 – 2008 2008 – 2012 2012 – 2014 2014 – 2017 2017 – 2019
Gloria Goldberg Dean Lerner Karin O’Bannon Jonathan Neuberger Sue Salaniuk Marla Apt Linda DiCarlo Christopher Beach Janet Lilly Michael Lucey David Carpenter
For a full list of committee members and volunteers, go to our website https://iynaus.org/board-and-staff
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Patanjali gave us Yoga for serenity and sanctity of mind. As Geeta writes in Yoga: A Gem for Women, “Peace and health can be achieved without the aid of drugs and tonics but through Yoga. It is the answer to health, calmness of nerves, alertness of mind, and ultimately spiritual repose.” We have been given the tools and skills to proceed on the Yogic path by this esteemed teacher. Let us unite together through our commitment to Iyengar Yoga and all that those two words encompass in their meaning. I stand on this indestructible foundation and look outward across the landscape of our current community. I turn my eyes upward for inspiration and look forward to being a part of the future growth of the IYNAUS community. Yours in Yoga, Randy Just (CIYT Intermediate Senior I) IYNAUS President
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INVOCATION TO PATAJÑALI yogena cittasya padena vācāṁ malaṁ śarĨrasya ca vaidyakena yo ’pākarottaṁ pravaram munĨnāṁ patañjaliṁ prāñjalirānato ’smi ābāhu-purusākāraṁ śankha-cakrāsi-dhāriṇam sahasra-Śirasam śvetam praṇamāmi patañjalim To the noblest of sages, Patanjali, who gave us yoga for serenity of mind, grammar for purity of speech and medicine for the perfection of the body, I salute. I salute before Patanjali whose upper body has a human form, whose arms hold a conch, and disc and a sword, who is crowned by a thousand headed cobra. Oh incarnation of Adisesa my humble salutations to thee. Translation, Geeta S. Iyengar
INVOCATION TO THE GURU gurur brahmā gurur viṣṇu gururdevo maheśvaraḥ guruḥ sākṣāt parabrahma tasmai śrī gurave namaḥ The Guru is the creator, the Guru is the sustainer, the Guru is the destroyer. The Guru is the infinite essence of all three. Salutations to that Guru. Translation, compiled from various sources
THE BHAGAVAD GĪTĀ brahmatṇy ādhāya karmāṇi sañgam tyaktvā karoti yaḥ lipyate na sa pāpena padmapattram ivāmbhasā Offering [their] actions to Brahman, having abandoned attachment, [One] who acts is not tainted by evil any more than a lotus leaf by water. Translation, Winthrop Sargeant (V. 10)
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Letter
FROM THE EDITOR
November 20, 2019 Dear IYNAUS Member, I began studying with Geeta in 1986 and, although I did not know it at the time, I was in the presence of a multi-faceted gem. This issue of Samachar is a tribute to a woman who showed her students over decades of teaching how to be a transparent jewel reflecting its purity (YS I.41). Yoga is the process of purification required to reach the Soul. In every class she taught and each lecture she offered Geetaji integrated the totality of the petals of Kryia Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga to purify our organs of action, senses of perception and consciousness. She told us at the Woman’s Intensive, “I love God.” Having had the privilege of serving and traveling with Geetaji while she taught in Europe and the U.S., I became acutely aware that she lived her life devoted to the teachings of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, The Bhagavad Gita and of B.K.S. Iyengar. Her love for and devotion to God and her father, who was her Guru, could be felt through her dedicated practice of each of these teachings. She transmitted the art, science and philosophy of Yoga with brilliant purity to all and for all.
The main articles in this issue highlight Geetaji’s immeasurable contributions which mirror the treatise attributed to Patanjali: on grammar for right speech, on Ayurveda for health and on Yoga to culture the mind. We hope you will learn about Geeta’s pioneering work in the fields of Yoga for women, Yoga therapy and how she elucidated Yoga as taught by B.K.S. Iyengar. The individual tributes, written by long-time students of Geetaji, tell stories of their heartfelt connection to her. Those tributes that were unable to be printed will be disseminated in electronic format early next year. I am grateful to each Regional Association who supported the publication of this issue and my heartfelt thanks to the Publications Committee for their selfless service to Geetaji and the IYNAUS membership. It has been an honor to be the guest editor of this tribute issue dedicated to a woman I love and who lives through my practice and teaching. I bow to her. Gloria Goldberg (CIYT Advanced Junior II) Guest Editor, Yoga Samachar
Photo: Nancy Stetchert
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“What to do?” ADVICE FROM GEETAJI AFTER GURUJI'S PASSING
ONWARD... A live pillar who was enlivening us, bringing life in us is no more with us. We have been left lonely is the fact. Yet, the memory (smrti) is such a gift for us … it is an akishta vritti (fluctuation of the mind that is conducive to the goal of Yoga) right now, it’s not a kishta vritti (fluctuation of the mind that is not-conducive to the goal of Yoga). In our heart, in our brain, in our breath, in our body, Guruji exists forever while we are on this earth. …somewhere deep inside the heart he left a Yoga samskara (impression) for which we have to be grateful forever. Patanjali has used the phrase krthartham: the prakriti (attachment to the material world) leaves that Sadhaka (seeker of the Soul) who has understood the Soul within, (s)he becomes a krthartham*. In that sense we have become krthartham also because [Guruji] left a deep imprint in our life which will never go for all our coming lives Guruji will be deep in us which we may not recognize because of our own avidya (ignorance) but he will be there. …the fact remains we are all supposed to carry the message coming as close as possible to Guruji. [He] won’t be here to see with his naked eyes what we are doing but from that world he will be definitely looking. Let us remain honest to his teaching. Whatever we know, whatever we can do, we should carry this fact: that whatever Guruji has taught with all the honesty and the justice to the subject we should carry it out.
…it is our duty to carry on in the same intensity in the same depth of understanding so that we may be able to pass on the knowledge to the next generation who will miss seeing him. I will add a mantra from the Upanishads, in which it is said that when the students and pupils learn from the Guru, though we are not equal to the Guru but yet he has passed on the knowledge to us. We will carry forward, always remaining together. We will carry it further, with all that honesty in us and we will be always together. In simple words the mantra says: We will eat together we will be together and we will carry on this knowledge without having any kind of jealousy malice or any kind of Klesha (cause of suffering) in us. With the purity of the mind we will carry on the knowledge with our teaching process. Even if we are living on this earth in in different areas we have to have that feeling that we are always together. *krthartham pratinastam apyanastam tadanya sadharanatvat — Yoga Sutra II. 22 The relationship with nature ceases for emancipated beings, its purpose having been fulfilled, but its processes continue to affect others (B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali).
…AND UPWARD! The Sequence of Practice: Why We Start with Standing Poses
Human nature is such that in absence of Guru … we may divert our attention suddenly … and that will be an injustice. Once you have decided to follow the path shown by Guruji you should not give up, you should not leave it.
[Guruji said], to do pranayama first of all you have to understand your body and your mind should become light. You need lightness of the body and the mind has to be sharp and quick.
It is not merely the responsibility but in his own words it is the honesty from inside … and I pray to the Lord to give us the strength so that we remain on this divine path shown by [Guruji].
He used to make us do standing poses, inversions and then Savasana and he would explain whatever needed to be known for pranayama to form a base.
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[Guruji] knew very well that in a human being the fear complex exists so much [and] one needs inner courage, a positive mind, no darkness and you have to find out from the darkness the light so you proceed towards that.
What happens with the standing asanas, the feel of your body the freedom of your arms, legs, the lightness of the body which is otherwise heavy or when the brain is rigid, having certain ideas inside makes the brain heavy.
When you just sit quietly without having any background or experience of inner spirituality what will you look for? If that is unknown then the journey from the unknown to unknown will never give light to you.
All the beginners should do standing poses and understand the body which is very close to you- know this which is visually available to see which we can experience what it does with our minds then lightness comes. Otherwise, you are siting and breathing but you are not experiencing the breath. The idea remains just an idea.
Photo: IYNAUS Archives
The base is here in this: you do some asanas in such a manner that you understand where the pranayama begins. Now it is our responsibility when Guruji is not here, you as students of Guruji should understand that we cannot bring any change. If students are not attending your classes, if they are going somewhere else [to learn] you do not feel yourself small. [M]ake them understand the basics ‌ Unless the circulatory system, nervous system, respiratory system, glandular system come under control pranayama is not possible. [This] will give you some outline from where to start. From Geetaji’s Opening Remarks at Yoganusasanam (2014). Transcribed and edited for content and clarity by Holly Kostura (CIYT, Intermediate Senior I).
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Photo: IYNAUS Archives
“It will not be fair on my part to comment on how Geeta would want us to go ahead. I would only say that if you have drawn inspiration from her, you should do what you should be justifiably doing. The thing is you should not be taking advantage of her absence. Imagine she is still here, then I don't have to tell you what you should do.”
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—Prashant S. Iyengar, in a message to the IYNAUS membership
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GEETA S. IYENGAR: A MULTIFACETED GEM
Yoga, for Serenity and Sanctity of Mind BY CHRIS SAUDEK (CIYT Advanced Junior I)
G
eeta S. Iyengar became known to the world by her contributions in the field of yoga for women. Her book Yoga: A Gem for Women was published in 1983 and translated into Hindi, German, French, Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Polish, and Hebrew. Geeta had a kind heart and generous wisdom. For example, when asked what it was like to work in the shadow of a great man like her father, B.K.S. Iyengar, she replied that she did not work in his shadow but in his light. Though she initially learned under the tutelage of her father, she eventually earned a name for herself when her own light began to shine. She became an expert in the field of how yoga could benefit women in their daily lives as well as an expert in physical and emotional problems women experience throughout their lives. Geeta began teaching women when she was only 16 years old. She said that women were shy in front of Guruji, and, when Guruji started going to Europe in 1960, Geeta began teaching them. Then, in 1973, when the Institute opened, she had a regular women’s class. Some of the photos used in Yoga: A Gem for Women were taken before the Institute opened at the house the Iyengars had before moving to the house across the courtyard from the Institute. In corresponding recently with Sunita, I learned that when women students would ask Geeta questions she could not answer, she would ask her mother, and that is how she learned to understand things she might not have experienced. Geeta called her mother her Guru; but, even when her mother was no longer alive, Geeta seemed to have a special talent for understanding women’s problems and knowing how to help using yoga asanas. She felt that yoga had a special relevance for women, not only in the realm of health but also because she said they are strongly emotional people (from an interview by the BBC in 1999). She understood women’s strengths and weaknesses well, and Sunita said that it was because “one need not experience but needs a mother’s heart.” Geeta was never a mother and had never experienced married life and yet knew about all things related. Perhaps she had the ability to enter into another’s body at will as we read about in Vibhuti Pada, Sutra 39! After her mother’s death in 1973, Geeta was like a mother to her sisters. She helped them through pregnancy, delivery, and took care of all the babies’ needs and the mothers’ postdelivery necessities. I believe she also worked with all of the nephew’s 8
wives as well as Savita, her younger sister, to help them conceive. She supervised the yoga practice for many women with infertility, and, according to one of her longtime Indian students, almost all of them were able to conceive. One time in our women’s class, she admonished the Western women for being so concerned with flat bellies as she felt that holding the stomach tight was a big problem in the case of infertility and could cause other gynecological problems as well. For infertility she advised a lot of work with inversions to regulate the hormones and relaxing poses that kept the abdomen soft. There are many instances of how Geeta helped women. One in particular that I witnessed was a woman whose periods had stopped at the age of 35, and she was told she had no chance of having children. Geeta gave her a sequence of asanas, and the woman now has two grown children. In two cases of women whom I have worked with in the US, Geeta gave me sequences for infertility and advised that both the man and woman do the poses. I’m not sure that the husbands did, but both women did conceive. When I first attended general classes in 1980, women were put in a group at the back of the hall during their menstrual cycle and instructed to do mostly supine poses and forward bending poses. Geeta would get very angry if a student mentioned that she had her period only when it came to inversions. She was adamant about keeping the abdomen relaxed and only sometimes allowed standing poses if they were ones that opened the hips and were done with the support of the wall. I remember that, in the beginning of my visits to RIMYI, I was given Marichyasana I along with other forward bends. At some point it had been eliminated from the poses for menstruation, and I asked Geeta about this. She explained that, because of tightness in the groins that most women experience, they tend to use the abdominal muscles to go forward, which she felt should be avoided during the menstrual cycle. Therefore it had been eliminated. As time went on and the classes got larger, sometimes women with periods were not always on the side but told to do alternative poses when it came to closed twistings, abdominal poses, active back bends, and inversions. Geeta addressed many special issues that came up for women in her women’s classes on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. She also had a great sense of humor and made us look at ourselves and laugh. One time she went into a long description Yoga Samachar Fall 2019 | Winter 2020
appropriately, physically and mentally, and to continue to grow spiritually throughout life. I don’t remember actually officially meeting Geeta on my first trip in 1980. I don’t think first-time students were ever actually introduced to any of the Iyengars back then. You just knew who they were, and they knew who you were and who your yoga teachers were. I did see Geeta a lot in the practice room, and, once, she unlocked the Institute gate and scolded us for coming home late at night. I don’t recall ever talking to Geeta during that first visit. She seemed very aloof. The only times I saw her smile were when playing with her nephews. I think it took some time for Geeta to get comfortable with foreigners. Geeta with Chris Saudek at the 2007 IYNAUS Convention Photo: John Henebry, IYNAUS Archives
about how we put on our makeup, our lipstick, and spent lots of time beautifying ourselves. How she described this was hilarious. But then she said that was all on the surface and that we should spend more time beautifying our inner selves through yoga. In 1997 Geeta gave a special intensive for women. She organized it in such a way that she was able to very clearly present yoga practices appropriate through the stages of a woman’s life. Geeta was not one to compromise her beliefs and had a very strong commitment to teach what she felt was appropriate for women at all stages of life. She said, “we [women] don’t respect our nature when we practice. When we practice, we look at pictures, and we want to copy the person in the picture instead of practicing from a woman’s body. We are aggressive.” She taught us to pay attention much more to how the musculoskeletal system works and how what we do in poses affects the organic body. I remember that many of us felt a little discouraged when she would talk about all the challenges in our bodies that we women face as we age and how our practice would necessarily have to change. Some of us used to joke about how soon we might need to get a cane since she talked a lot about the changes our hip and knee joints would go through. Now that I am older and practicing differently according to many things she taught us in that intensive, I am infinitely grateful for having been a participant. Her work in the field of yoga for women has helped women all over the world to better understand their nature and adapt Yoga Samachar Fall 2019 | Winter 2020
My relationship with Geeta developed over the years, but I began to think of her as my teacher only sometime in the 1990s. Geeta was teaching a women’s class on Saturday mornings during my first visit to Pune, but I never attended those because I went to take classes with Guruji in Bombay every weekend. My first notes of classes that Geeta taught are from 1982, on my second visit to RIMYI. Just to give a sense of her classes, then, here is a sequence from Tuesday night advanced class from July 13, 1982: Adho Mukha Svanasana Uttanasana Sirsasana and variations Urdhva Dhanurasana, several and some on the ropes Mandalasana, attempt in middle Mandalasana part way with elbows at stage 25 drop backs from ropes, hands and feet on floor 25 drop backs from standing to floor or to wall 25 hand stands and drop to stage or floor (from stage come up and back to Tadasana) Virasana Janu Sirsasana Paschimottanasana Sarvangasana—long Halasana first and then variations Halasana and come down Savasana The class was extremely demanding and quite challenging for me!
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GEETA S. IYENGAR: A MULTIFACETED GEM
first classes with Geeta in 1982 to my last classes with her in February 2018, I watched her teaching develop. Though very much influenced by her father, and maybe because she had worked with yoga through so many of her own difficulties, she became a more and more astute teacher and could pick out exactly what each person needed to grow and develop in their own practice. Sometimes she would pick someone out as an example and teach them in front of the class while we all watched. At times it was difficult for a student to understand what she was teaching, but she never gave up and would help them until they understood.
Photo: Craig Carraher, IYNAUS Archives
In 1982, though I took a lot of classes with Geeta and Prashant S. Iyengar, I still thought of Guruji as my teacher. He was still teaching intensives and was very often in the room when Geeta and Prashant were teaching and would take over teaching at times. I remember this particularly being true during Geeta’s classes. I think we all thought he was still teaching Geeta how to teach, though she was already an amazing teacher. Her sequences were very similar to Guruji’s sequences that I experienced in 1980. During both the stay of two months in 1980 and in 1982, I took part in intensives that Guruji taught. I remember Geeta was often there, sometimes taking part, but always there very inconspicuously in the back of the room. She was often asked to demonstrate for Guruji. Sometimes she was helping on the side. But I remember her most as being a little in the background, sort of like an envious child with a great curiosity to know everything that was taking place among the adults. Even as late as 1991, during the back bend intensive, when Geeta was there working along with us and demonstrating often, she seemed very inconspicuous. But Geeta had technically taken over teaching the intensives long before that; of course Guruji was usually there and took over frequently. Often, in regular classes or intensives that Geeta taught, Guruji would be practicing over on the side and interrupt her teaching and start teaching himself. Or he might yell across the room, “Hey Geeta,” and tell her what to teach. From the
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Geeta began writing articles on yoga for women in local Indian papers in 1968. Between 1987 and 1992, she wrote a series for yogāsana during pregnancy, including a series on yoga after delivery and one on Prāṇāyāma for the pregnant woman. Sometime in the early 2000s, I discovered these articles in the library at the Institute and thought it would be good to put them into one document for Geeta. I didn’t have any intention of doing anything with them myself, but, when I gave what I had done to Geeta, she told me it was up to me to distribute this information in some form. That is where the Yoga During Pregnancy book that I compiled came from. I corresponded with Geeta many times during the compilation of that book, and she would approve the photos and sometimes write and tell me about something that needed to be changed. I remember specifically how she added a block under the pelvis in cross bolster Setu Bandha, saying that it was necessary so that the lower pelvic ligaments would not get too stretched but that the area would still benefit from the opening. She also helped me compile all the laminated sequence cards for special needs (menstruation, back problems, high blood pressure, headache, pregnancy, and general restorative). Geeta always answered every correspondence and would often add something relating to what I had written about my life. She once wrote to me: “I understand how much you are needed by your children. And this will be again an extra work. Do not be nervous even if children think that you are strict. They will value the strictness and discipline later if not now.” She of course was right! I got to know Geeta well during the time that I worked on the Yoga During Pregnancy book. She also came to my studio in La Crosse, gave a talk, and visited my home in 2001. One of my favorite photos is of Geeta relaxing in a chair on my deck, wrapped in a shawl I had lent her. My fondest memories of Geeta are the conversations I had with her at her table that she set up in the front room of the house next to the Institute. We had many talks about the hardships in life, and she became
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more like a friend and older sister to me. I was able to talk to her frankly about my challenges with family and the difficulties with dealing with my husband’s Parkinson’s disease. Her strength and perseverance enabled me to personally face my own life challenges, and I think about her and thank her every day. Geeta also told me about her life challenges. Prashant had a serious accident in 1989, and more responsibilities for classes and the household fell on Geeta. She shared with me that it was also a difficult time for her as she was going through some health challenges and perimenopause. She suffered greatly later from what was diagnosed as connective tissue disorder and had torn her rotator cuff at some point and never recovered from that. Yet she persevered and continued to teach even though it was obvious that she was often in pain herself. She suffered a lot due to physical ailments, but she never stopped practicing. Even when her neck and shoulder were very bad, she was in the asana room doing seated poses and whatever else she could manage. She continued to instruct in the medical classes as well, and I would often observe her frustration with not being able to physically help students as she had once done. I’ve often wondered if, when
her hip became very painful and even walking was challenging, she might have concentrated on pranayama more, as her teaching of pranayama became more and more subtle. Though there are now many publications about yoga for women, Geeta was the pioneer in this subject, and her work will always be a reference for all female yoga practitioners as well as all teachers of yoga. Before Geeta, most yoga students and teachers, at least in India, were men. In all countries now, women practitioners and teachers of yoga outnumber men greatly. Geeta felt that yoga had a special relevance for women, and she inspired women students to be sensitive to their special needs and qualities through yoga. It is my hope that those of us who teach women will study carefully all of Geeta’s contributions. We need to continue to observe, and delve into, our own practices so that we are able to help women students understand themselves in all aspects of their manifestation, through all of their life. Geeta has given us a great gift that we can now give to others. Through teaching and helping other women, we honor Geeta’s life and legacy.
Mulabandhasana Photo: IYNAUS Archives
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GEETA S. IYENGAR: A MULTIFACETED GEM
Medicine, for Perfection of Health BY LOIS STEINBERG, PH.D. (CIYT Advanced Junior II)
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he Rumi quote aptly describes Geeta S. Iyengar: she was not a drop in the ocean, but the ocean in a drop. She fulfilled many demanding roles with love, compassion, and generosity: yoga student, practitioner, interpreter of Iyengar Yoga, teacher extraordinaire, promoter, mentor, foster-mother, daughter, sister, aunt, cook, hostess, comedian, writer, editor, lecturer, listener, director, and traveler. She was impactful, and purposeful. She also was an Ayurvedic practitioner and a leader in the therapeutic application of Iyengar Yoga. The eldest daughter and student of Yogacarya B.K.S. Iyengar, her position in life had been in the spirit of a phenomenal devotion to yoga. Like her father, she had fostered, mentored, and developed thousands of yoga practitioners and projects, putting aside her own needs in the process. Her actions were pure and spiritual; she followed the path of a karma yogin.
Serendipity first brought Geeta to yoga as a toddler, often imitating him while he practiced. As a young girl, before Light on Yoga was published, Geetaji emulated pictures of her father’s yoga poses without instruction. Her mother, Ramaamani, intervened when she observed her daughter’s dedication and began to correct her practice. A weak constitution compounded by a congenital kidney disease led Geetaji to practice yoga more seriously after she found it improved her health. In Geetaji’s early teenage years, Guruji only occasionally taught her directly, whenever he had time to spare from teaching his other students. Later in adolescence, Guruji explained asana in more detail to help Geetaji correctly demonstrate for T. Krishnamacarya (Guruji’s guru) when he lectured on yoga. Ultimately, Geetaji joined Guruji’s classes. Geetaji taught yoga for nearly six decades. In addition to conducting mega-classes at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune each week, she conducted five weekly medical classes and trained teachers in the art of yoga therapy. In front of the teachers she would interview the student and then proceed to guide them to improve their condition and quality of life. She would see things no one else could see, deep beneath the surface of the suffering student, and guide them to a more healthy state. Geetaji helped innumerable women resolve or alleviate problems from menarche to menopause. She evolved the practice of yoga for women into an art of its own. In addition to the countless women she helped personally, her valuable book, Yoga: A Gem for Women, first published in 1983 and reprinted many times, has enabled women the world over to practice yoga in harmony with their cycles. Geetaji had a keen memory for each of her students. Once a new student in class told Geetaji that she was menstruating every 23 days. Geetaji instructed her to practice a certain way from then on. When this woman menstruated again Geetaji commented to her that it was a good thing that her cycle had lengthened by three days. Geetaji recalled how many days it had been without the woman telling her. While teaching she did not miss observing a single student, corrected the student teachers, and conducted the individual practices of students with special conditions. Every class was a
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Geeta in Utthita Hasta Padangustasana variation. Photo: Lois Steinberg
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Therapy held in 2010, Portland, Oregon. In addition to educating the Certified Iyengar Yoga Teachers, there were many instances where “miracles” would happen on the stage as she corrected student’s practice for their conditions.
Geeta and Lois Steinberg in Namaskar. Photo: Lois Steinberg
major, earth-shaking event. As a strict disciplinarian, one with compassion and heart, Geetaji commanded and demanded attention to learning and understanding. Classes were grueling and her lucid insight invigorating. She may suddenly break out into a comedic routine to parody our habits and give us a big laugh. For long-term students at RIMYI she did not necessarily teach anything “new,” but the way that she taught and the way that she nailed you to your actions was novel and fresh. Students left class feeling grounded, whole, introspective. One felt grateful and blessed.
In addition to authoring Yoga: A Preliminary Course and Basic Guidelines for Teachers, Geetaji continued Guruji’s work by directly educating yoga practitioners in how to share our knowledge with students. Unknowingly, her last year of life corresponded to Guruji’s Centenary celebrations. Throughout the year each month special intensives were held for newer practitioners from countries that needed translation. Geetaji would conduct part of these intensives, often running over the allotted time, despite her deteriorating health. She added a therapy intensive for the teachers at RIMYI the month before the 10 day course for 1200 practitioners would be held. She stated that she only wanted to live to Guruji’s 100th Birth Anniversary and she did. The evening after the celebratory event she stated, “My work is over now,” and it was.
Her women’s classes were particularly extraordinary. In the early days at RIMYI it was atypical for women to do yoga. The women who joined may have been quite brave, but they were very disorderly. Much of the class time was spent getting the women to be quiet and pay attention. Guruji would help Geetaji control the class. He would instruct the women who would not stop talking to do extra urdhva dhanurasanas. Today, thanks to Geetaji’s direction, many of the students in the women’s classes have progressed into dedicated practitioners of yoga and have learned how to practice or women’s health. Geetaji’s pranayama classes were a much anticipated event. Geetaji began and ended the class with dhyana as well. Her refined instruction took you deep inside yourself. Each week she continued the thread from the previous class to help students achieve a deep understanding of the practice. Geetaji traveled to conduct conventions worldwide starting in 1996 in Estes Park, Colorado, to educate teachers. Therapeutics was naturally a part of the teaching and it culminated into a dedicated convention for Iyengar Yoga Yoga Samachar Fall 2019 | Winter 2020
Photo: Lois Steinberg
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GEETA S. IYENGAR: A MULTIFACETED GEM
and oversaw at least a dozen students in the back doing their own programs. She allowed me and others to help, and Geeta kept an eye on the helpers as well as the students! When did you start working as an assistant in the medical classes? My early studies of Iyengar Yoga included going to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to study with the first generation of US teachers (the late Mary Palmer, who was Mary Dunn’s mother, Susie Vidrih, and the late Priscilla Neel). I was always interested in therapeutics and helping people, and they had classes geared towards that. Photo: IYNAUS Archives
Was Geeta an assistant in medical class under B.K.S. Iyengar’s tutelage? Did you ever observe them working together? If so, can you describe that dynamic? We were all under Guruji’s tutelage, but I would never have thought of Geetaji as an “assistant.” Geetaji ultimately taught in medical classes independently of Guruji, and it was often confusing when one would give opposite practices to the same student. For example, Guruji would have the student with legs together in various poses and Geetaji would change the legs to wide apart. When did Geetaji assume responsibility for the medical class? During 1993 and 1994, there were times when Guruji did not attend the medical classes. I was told that he was not available. Geetaji then assumed responsibility for the class. In subsequent years, it was often the case that either Geetaji or Guruji was not in the class, and Geetaji ran the class when Guruji wasn’t there and vice versa. It always seemed when one of them was up, the other was down. Also, even before Geetaji assumed responsibility for medical classes, she had been designing programs for individuals with medical issues and overseeing them, without Guruji’s direct oversight, in the general classes and particularly the women’s class. Individuals with issues would be set up in the back of these classes. Could Geetaji multitask! She conducted class
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When I then arranged to spend 1983 at RIMYI, my US teachers told me that I would not be allowed to help in the medical classes during my first time at RIMYI but that I could observe. But when I was watching a medical class early in my stay, Guruji summoned me. I chickened out and no longer wanted to help! I pretended not to hear him because he was on the far side of the room. He then sent Prashant over to say he was calling me, and I still pretended not to hear him and looked away. My heart was beating so fast. Prashant came closer and repeated that Guruji wanted me to help. I had no choice, and I went. It was early in class; not enough assistants were there yet, and he needed help with a man paralyzed from the waist down who was to practice standing poses at the trestle. I had to hold his forward shin in Vīrabhadrāsana II, and then Guruji got angry at one of the other assistants. I think he was showing me that if I did not help properly then I would be yelled at as well. Then he sent me to work with the rope wall people to teach them standing poses. I was needing to do this because Shah (a longtime devoted student of Guruji who recently passed away) had usually worked with them, and he wanted Shah to do other things instead. The medical classes back then were held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and, on every Tuesday and Wednesday for the next year, I taught those rope wall students with Guruji breathing down my back, telling me how to teach and with all the other assistants observing him guiding me. I have a lot of stories from those times! After a medical class at the end of my first year at RIMYI, one of the teachers said to me, “He likes you, you know.” I was flabbergasted. I said, “No,
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he doesn’t like me. He is so demanding on me all the time.” But the teacher said, “Yes, he does. The only people he helped today were you and Geetaji.” That really touched me! Did you observe Geeta working directly with patients in those classes? Of course, we all did. In fact, I had one especially unique opportunity to watch her and learn from her. I married one of her students from the medical class. She had me work with him after we were married. He could not stand it. I had to go to her and say, “He wants you, not me!” She marched over to him and immediately worked with him again. I was able to observe closely and see where I was lacking in my adjustments. When you were in medical classes with Geetaji, what were your observations of how she worked with the students? It varied a lot with each of the students. It was amazing to watch her work with complicated cases and observe how she clearly saw the physical and emotional state of the students and how to build them up. She exhibited such complete confidence and mastery that the students instantly trusted her and overcame their fears. Sometimes, Geetaji would primarily interact not with the students but with me and the other assistants in order to help us all learn. Could you please expand on your description of Geeta as a teacher of yoga therapy?
Geetaji worked with me and guided me so beautifully that I was pain-free from the fibroids after only a month. But she just didn’t teach me how to improve my own health. When I started Iyengar Yoga, we did not have a clue about how to practice when we were menstruating. I had learned to practice differently from my first year-long stay and a couple of fourmonth courses, but it was only when I was at RIMYI in 1993–94 that I learned more thoroughly how women should practice with their menstrual cycles and also learned how to help with pathologies of the female endocrine system. I then wanted to share with the world all this knowledge she passed on to me. That led to the Women’s Intensive Course, in 1997. We put on a program during the annual day celebration entitled, “The Role of Yoga in a Woman’s Life.” Geetaji wrote the script, and it was a lot of fun rehearsing it. Unfortunately, the performance had to be truncated at the annual day celebration because the lengthy annual report was read to us. That reading became a publication after that year. But I was disappointed that the entire program was not run and that many things no one knew got left out. For example, at that time, no one knew what cross bolsters were, not even the advanced teachers when I had asked them. I also felt a lot did not get covered in the Women’s Intensive Course itself. I asked Geetaji to write another book because the information about yoga and woman had evolved so much since the publication of Yoga: A Gem for Women. She told me to write it. We went back and forth until I was the one who had to write it.
Very similar to how she taught general classes. Even though the classes were chaotic, she nailed you to your actions, students and assistants alike. She did not miss a thing. She also put the interests of the students ahead of her own interests. Teaching in these classes was physically and emotionally taxing. No matter how exhausted she was, she never gave up. She worked tirelessly to help students overcome their suffering, even at the expense of her own.
So I started work on what became volume I of Geeta S. Iyengar’s Guide to a Woman’s Yoga Practice. She made one big change to an early first draft by having me provide only one practice for the regular menses. After I gave her a full draft of the entire book, she handed it back to me, and I was shocked because there were only a few corrections. I asked her if she was sure, and she nodded yes. I then said to her, “You mean I actually learned something after all these years?” She nodded yes. I was thrilled!
What did you personally learn from her?
Is there a volume two forthcoming?
When I decided to do another extended study at RIMYI (1993– 94), this time I arrived a broken person. I had been overworking for the past decade and had some personal losses of family and friends. I had chronic pain that felt like a knife stabbing in my lower abdomen and then being dragged across it 24 hours a day. The pain was from fibroids.
Volume two will be on pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause. I cannot state when. Each book takes years. I would say the women’s book took 15 years. How would students learn about the healing taking place in the medical classes at RIMYI? Primarily word of mouth. Geetaji also published reports in the local Marathi-language newspaper.
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GEETA S. IYENGAR: A MULTIFACETED GEM What was the admissions process? Pandu decided who was admitted to the class, but a word from someone important would be very helpful, and it also helped if the applicant was a VIP or military man. If an applicant provided medical information, that was always desirable and helpful. Would Geeta assess the students herself or with other teachers? She almost always assessed them herself. If she did not, it was because she was not available, and one of the assistants would develop a general program. But Geetaji would later evaluate and individualize those programs, usually in the presence of the assistant. But sometimes Geeta would do the assessment by herself and then look around the room to find the assistant and call him or her over, provide the evaluation, and have the assistant get started under her watchful eye. Needless to say, assistants who developed programs would be anxious until they received Geetaji’s guidance. The medical classes were not primarily meant to educate the assistants; they were to alleviate the suffering of the student. Of course, the assistants learned by keenly observing what
she would do and then taking over with her watching. It was mostly trial by fire. But the last year or so of her life, she knew she needed to impart more to the teachers, especially those teaching at RIMYI. You knew she would be in the class when her table was set up, and new students would be lined up to be interviewed. It was a gift whenever I was asked to take on a student. In June 2019, she called me over, asked me to interview a student, and observed me conducting the interview. That had never happened before in that way. Of course, we were all asked to find out how the student felt in poses and report back. But it was the first time she observed me interviewing a new student. After the interview, I had to say, based on the interview and looking at her, what I would do with the student. Then Geetaji gave the okay to get started. She called me back with the new student and asked me to do very specific modifications and adjustments in front of her. It was wonderful to learn that way. Did she write the sequences herself? Describe the process that would happen once a student was admitted. Yes, she wrote the sequences. Initially, it was a single sequence, but, in later years, the sequences included poses from all categories to be done on different days of the week. You had to figure out how the poses should be done for that particular person and what your capabilities as a teacher were. You have treated patients who come to you with serious conditions. You have also written many books on the therapeutic application of Iyengar Yoga, which have, in turn, helped thousands of teachers help their students find relief from the pain they are experiencing. Clearly, you gained insight into the therapeutic nature of asana and pranayama from your own sadhana. You also spent years as a student at RIMYI studying with Guruji and Geeta. We understand that you have also had medical issues and have received the healing effects of yoga from Geetaji. Please describe those experiences. First, “patient” is an incorrect term. They are students. I dislike calling the students patients because, in my opinion, it creates a mindset for the student that is not supportive of becoming a practitioner of yoga and ultimately practicing for the joy that it brings and not just for healing a condition. Second, all my work is built on what Guruji and Geetaji taught me. I earlier described how she helped me with the intense pain from my fibroids. She also helped me in countless other ways.
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Photo: Jake Clennell, IYNAUS Archives
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For example, she often had me oversee and teach the menstruating students to follow along with me during the general classes. In one back bend class, she had me conduct a large group of menstruating students and added other students from the class who were not able to do the back bends. She had me take everyone to the rope wall and guided what I should do with everyone, as well as doing the poses myself. She had me guide rope work that was surprising to me to do during menses. Then we continued with back bends using the chair and even Kapotāsana on the chair. The latter was really surprising because we had to drop back and come up repeatedly. She told me everything to do with them. I was so surprised. When she walked by me, she said softly to me, “You take care now,” Photo: IYNAUS Archives because she knew about my heavy bleeding. Amazing! The extreme back bends with movement resulted in my period being lighter. I was very aware also of the entire class watching because it was so unusual. To this day, colleagues often reminisce about how Geeta had me oversee this group in that back bend class. You mentioned “miracles.” Describe the therapy classes in which you assisted Geeta treating patients with serious problems. Give an example of a patient who had a serious structural and/or organic problem who received healing. Countless students had miracles with structural, organic problems, or both. Many come to mind, and are all so different. This one is not necessarily a miracle but is certainly noteworthy. A woman traveled from Bangalore after having a radical mastectomy there followed by radiation. Fluids were oozing from where she had been over radiated. Her husband, a doctor, dropped her off for a month with her young son. They were desperate as she was not well, had a terrible cough, which was also from the excessive treatment. Geetaji did not assign me to her, but I took an interest and started to help her because it seemed the other assistants were afraid of her condition. I learned a great deal from Geeta’s guidance on how to help someone with late-stage cancer. When Geetaji was not in the class on particular days, I took the initiative to add things to the student’s program. I was very pleased that Geeta was okay with my additions when she later saw me working with the student. Over the course of the month, the student
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started to improve in range of motion with her upper body, and her cough and oozing lessened. Another student lodged in a room next to hers reported to me that she was coughing less at night. I never knew what happened to her when she returned to Bangalore after the end of the month, but it was a lesson for me. I saw how one could improve and be more comfortable with a ravaged body and a wretched outcome. Your teaching is influenced by your teachers’ guidance and your own practice. Parampara is one of the hallmarks of Iyengar Yoga—the transmission of teaching from a teacher to a student in one generation, who then, through their own practice, develops into a teacher and so on. Please inspire the CIYTs of the next generation, and let them know how they can honor Geetaji’s devotion to the therapeutic aspect of Yogic Sadhana. The best thing is to go to RIMYI and study there for an extended period and observe the medical classes. However, do not ask what is wrong with someone. If that person continually must explain what is wrong with them, it can cause them to identify with their problem. Better to study the classic asanas and know the beneficial effects and all the ways they can be modified. Then, from the sidelines, observe one or two students in the medical class and how the classic poses are being modified and what part of the body is being affected.
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GEETA S. IYENGAR: A MULTIFACETED GEM
Grammar, for Purity of Speech BY PATRICIA WALDEN (CIYT Advanced Senior I) & JOAN WHITE (CIYT Advanced Junior I)
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he idea for this article emerged from a series of phone calls between Patricia and Joan in summer 2019. Joan met Geeta in 1976, and Patricia met her in 1977. Their first impressions were very different. Patricia’s first glimpse of Geeta was watching her do a freestanding handstand in Padmasana. Joan first encountered Geeta when B.K.S. Iyengar asked her, with no warning, to teach the American teachers who were in Pune for his intensive. Although Geeta was the youngest person in the room, she demonstrated tremendous strength, control, and tenacity while teaching a very rigorous class. Both of us felt inspired by her, one for her practice and the other for her teaching. We would like to express special thanks to Sunita Parthasarathy, Geeta’s sister, who took the time to answer our questions so generously. Geeta was born on December 7, 1944. Her sister, Sunita, said that she was a born “brahmacarini, sannyasini, and yogini. She was a pure brahmacarini in body and mind.” This means that Geeta was born for the pursuit of knowledge, not for complicated relationships (brahmacarini); she had a natural tendency for withdrawal from the world, to dedicate herself to her practices above everything else (sannyasini), and to become a master of yoga. Geeta had a strong independent mind of her own, telling her parents at a young age that she had no intention of getting married. When given a choice of sarees as a youngster, she always preferred white. Sunita said the following when we asked her about this: “Looking back, today I feel that it was the reflection of her consciousness— pure, sattvic, and divine.” Geeta told Joan that she began yoga at the age of three. She said she was fascinated by her father’s yoga practice. She participated in her first demonstration at the age of seven. Though she had never dropped back into Urdhva Dhanurasana from Tadasana, when asked by Guruji to do so during one of his own demonstrations, she performed the asana without hesitation—such was the power of her trust in her father and his knowledge. Her devotion to Guruji and to preservation of his work was her passion and sacrifice. She gave her life to yoga, to her father, who was her Guru; to her family and to every student of Iyengar Yoga until the day after the completion of the 100th anniversary tribute to Guruji, when she left her body on December 16, 2018. 18
Prashant S. Iyengar gave a talk at the public event at the end of the 13 days of mourning called Sraddhanjali (last-rite benedictions with palms together in reverence). He said, “There are many people who are dedicated to Guruji, have love and reverence for him. Those are different things. But, in her case, it was her faith and belief. Her perceptions had a very strong foundation in this faith and belief. This implicit trust was her foundation stone. She had her own thought process, but this thought process was enormously influenced by her implicit faith in Guruji’s words, deeds, and actions.” Guruji called Geeta his “best student,” the one who understood him the best. While she may have felt unworthy of that honor, we agree with him. Geeta was a daughter, a student, a caretaker of her father, and their family after her mother left her body. Geeta was a fierce protector of her father’s legacy. She took on the additional roles of observer, teacher, editor, notetaker, demonstrator, assistant, and event planner. She oversaw all the special days. She gave talks on different yoga subjects. She organized all the intensives. While doing all these tasks, she also ran the household. She gave a hundred percent to everything she did. She never took anything casually. Geeta put her entire being into everything she did while suffering her entire life from serious health issues. She took on tremendous household responsibilities after her mother died. We wrote to Sunita to ask how things were at that time. The following are the questions and the answers that she wrote back. Joan and Patricia: Did Geeta actually do the cooking for the family after her mother passed away? Sunita: Yes she did. We used to help her in the work. After our mother passed away, we were studying in college. Vanita was already married and was in Gujarat. Our aunts, my father’s two sisters and one of my mother’s sisters, stayed with us for a month or so. Then, it was Geeta who was taking care of the home, to run it smoothly. We all were very close to each other. We always took her advice after our mother passed away. Then, when our formal education was over and we had free time, we started taking care of cooking, trying to give her time for her practice. As I got married, Suchita took over. When Suchita got married, Savita took over. When Savita got Yoga Samachar Fall 2019 | Winter 2020
never took time for herself. She found time to go to the family temple and to pursue her devotion to God. Geeta opened the women’s intensive in the 1990s with the words, “I love God.” Later in her life, Geeta gave spiritual talks on the Yoga Sutras and other topics at the Institute, instilling in the students an understanding of the holistic meaning of Yogic Sadhana.
Geeta and Patricia Walden. Photo: Chris Saudek
married, it was Geeta who took over again, taking complete care of our home and our father. And then of course the next generation also stayed with them for their educational pursuit. Joan and Patricia: We know that she took over the responsibilities of running the household and managing the family. She said that she had to make schedules so that all of her siblings went to school and college, which must have been a huge job. What was she like at that time? Sunita: Yes, she adjusted her practice time and classes timing accordingly. For all of us, it was a big calamity, a void in the house and in our minds. But, as our mother used to give freedom to our father to do his mission, we followed with Geeta. She used to be calm, quiet, and ready to do whatever responsibility was there. Vanita was pregnant when our mother passed away. It was Geeta who took care of Vanita and baby Kaushik. There was tremendous physical, mental tiredness for all of us. She was very loving and taking care that everything ran smoothly. She always looked tall, composed, and a very mature person. Geeta told her parents at a young age that she had no intention of getting married. Though she never married, consistent with the life of a brahmacharini, children were one of her loves, and she devoted as much time as she could to all her nieces and nephews and then to their children. As each sister sent their children to live at the house in Pune, Geeta would take on the role of a mother, seeing that they were successful in school and were happy living away from home. Geeta constantly adjusted her practice to fulfill the needs of her family and the Institute, which she accepted as part of her duty. She almost Yoga Samachar Fall 2019 | Winter 2020
Prashant tells us that Geeta began teaching at the age of 16. She did not even know English at the time. “Through her total dedication to yoga, she was able to apply her intelligence to learning the language,” he said. Sunita shares her memory of Geeta’s early teaching: “When Guruji would travel from Pune to Mumbai to teach, he would put Geeta in charge of the classes.” In the 1960s, Geeta was already writing articles about women and yoga for the Pune Marathi-language newspapers. Her capacity to teach the techniques of yoga with clarity to those who lacked understanding, both in person and through her writings, helped her develop into a gifted teacher of teachers who ensured that Iyengar Yoga would be passed on to the next generation of practitioners. We asked Sunita how she thought Geeta found her own voice, how she developed as a sadhaka. Sunita explained, “She was very close to Guruji in his yogic path. She started practicing at an early age. She observed his practice and got involved in it and in his way of helping people. While practicing with him, she used to watch his every action and movement, including all the subtle changes. She used to analyze and reflect, which resulted in understanding.” Sunita generously shared other memories of Geeta. She reports, “Guruji gave her two books, one on Patañjali’s Yoga Sutras and a book of lectures by Vinoba Bhave on The Bhagavad Gita. She also was given access to Guruji’s album of the asanas he practiced, complete with photographs.” Sunita explains further, “Our mother was her first teacher, as she says in her book. She helped Geeta in learning many asanas. So many things she learnt from her.” In addition to learning asana, Sunita tells us that her mother also taught Geeta how to treat women’s problems. Her mother also taught Geeta stories from the Ramayana and The Bhagavata Purana. All this contributed to her yoga sadhana. Sunita emphasizes, “With her own sadhana, she developed herself. She had her own 19
GEETA S. IYENGAR: A MULTIFACETED GEM
experiences. Evolution and involution both took place.” Sunita also reports that her mother encouraged her to write a book on yoga for women: “This is how she got a voice of her own. What a great soul, a great yoga sadhaka and teacher from the core of her heart.” She was a fierce protector of her father. She was the first editor of all that he wrote. His manuscripts were filled with her red-pen comments. In turn, her manuscripts would be full of his red-pen comments. She would never publish anything unless she had his approval. She was determined to give all the credit for anything she did, to him. Geeta was the teacher’s teacher. Her teaching was a beautiful complement to Guruji’s work. She was different from him because she had the benefit of many years of observation and assisting in his classes. When he taught he liked to focus on those students he called “the racehorses.” By this he meant those who could do the asanas easily and caught on quickly. The racehorses kept him stimulated as a teacher. Guruji would take the most able–bodied students and show how he could improve their practice of the asana. He was incredibly quick to catch everything anyone was missing or needed to perform in an asana. He would take the most able–bodied students and use them to demonstrate. He would say that their pose was “okay.” He then showed how he could make their poses better and deeper. No matter how well a student performed, he always found a way to improve their pose. Geeta also found ways to help us improve our practices, but she did so in a different way. When she noticed our difficulties, especially after she began teaching the intensives, she did not go for the “racehorses,” like her father did, but went for the “tortoises,” focusing on those who couldn’t do the asana and determined to find ways for them to learn the essence of the pose, even if they could not complete the classic pose. When Guruji taught a pose, such as Utthita Parsvakonasana, he would keep us in it for extended periods of time while he gave point after point. He would often repeat the pose again and again until he achieved some sort of unity in the class. When Geeta taught an asana, she would watch to see if people understood. She wanted to learn what problems the slower students were experiencing. Rather than repeat that same pose again and again, Geeta would create a sequence of poses to help the students learn. Her sequences would often include poses from other categories. She would backtrack and teach the other poses that taught the movements we were missing, then put them together when she returned to the original asana, and we would all understand the mechanics of that asana better.
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Geeta with Joan White at the 2007 IYNAUS Convention in Las Vegas. Photo: John Henebry, IYNAUS Archives
If she saw that a student was not getting the basics, she would stop teaching the entire class and focus solely on that one student until they “got” the lesson she wanted them to learn. Those present who were also teachers would pay attention because we knew that this was a valuable lesson for us as well as for the student. Essentially, she was doing teacher training as she was conducting asana class. Guruji was always asking us to observe which way the skin was moving and whether we could see or couldn’t see. We would sometimes struggle to understand what he wanted from us. For example, sometimes it was easier for those in the front of the room to see these subtle movements while those in the back of the room could not see those smaller movements. However, what he was really asking was for us to become adept at observing extremely fine movements on the skin of the practitioner. Unlike Guruji’s more esoteric use of language and skin movements, which frequently eluded our comprehension, Geeta would state things clearly and simply so that everyone could understand. This concise and clear use of language, coupled with her special way of sequencing, became recognized hallmarks of Geeta’s own unique method of teaching “Iyengar Yoga.” Geeta developed her own way of teaching while remaining absolutely true to Guruji’s method. She cared about everyone. She wanted people to see that people could do things. She had such a strong sense of duty to see that everyone in the class was learning. Geeta’s sense
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of duty and compassion really came through in the medical classes. Patricia remembers a time when Geeta worked with a woman with arthritis in her fingers. The woman’s hands were on the platform. Geeta raised each finger up and placed them back down. She stayed with her half an hour. Geeta’s concern for her was so concentrated and tender, and it was very moving that she spent at least half an hour with her working on this small but meaningful practice. One time, Joan remembered, when Geeta was teaching Padmasana, she saw a student in the front row that was not attempting to do the pose. Geeta asked her what the problem was that was preventing her from practicing with the rest of the class. She was told that the student had never been able to practice Padmasana and so was not even going to try. Undeterred, Geeta immediately began to break down the pose into more easily achievable actions required by the individual parts of the body that would be needed to create the shape of the asana. We stretched our hamstrings. We did Upavistha Konasana to open the groins. Then, we did Baddha Konasana to open up the hips and soften the knees. All this was going well, and the woman was following. Then, Geeta had us lie on our sides and bring one leg almost into Padmasana without even using the name of the pose. From that half Padmasana, she then instructed us to do a similar movement with the other leg and then had us sit up. We were all in a loose version of Padmsana, even the woman who said it was impossible for her to do it.
During one of the women’s classes, when it was necessary to move all the props out of the hall, Geeta said the youngsters should move the heavy props, and the “gray hairs” should move the light props. Then, she paused and said, “and those of you who dye your hair can make up your own minds.” Geeta’s unique capacity to teach precisely what the students needed shone through in her approach to pranayama. After observing us in Guruji’s classes, she realized that we needed to be in a relaxed state of body and mind to be able to do pranayama. It was difficult for us to relax because Guruji would have us sit up, and he would go around and correct each of us from the back. Pranayama was difficult for Guruji, and he worked hard at it. That is partly why he taught pranayama in the way that he did. Geeta had compassion for us and started combining the teaching sequences of supported poses before having us attempt pranayama. Geeta took us through each layer of the body, one at a time, deep inside ourselves until we reached beyond the body and the mind and touched the core of our being. Geeta initially started teaching Thursday evening pranayama classes. Later, when the public classes in Pune moved to the weekly rotation of poses that they now have, pranayama was the focus of the last week. This rotation system for the public Photo: IYNAUS Archives
She was a very strong teacher. In her classes, Geeta would focus on a certain student if she thought they were not paying attention or working to their capacity. She could see in a second if someone was not focusing. Yoga came first, and Geeta did not hesitate to make that point clear, which was sometimes interpreted as a lack of compassion on her part. However, this was not true. She taught by different standards than we were used to in Western culture. Geeta had so much compassion that she took the time to ensure that each individual student learned from her even when they acted as an obstacle to their own progress. As she grew older, her health worsened. Her pain level increased, which often caused her to lose patience. She was tired because of her health challenges, but her sense of duty drove her to teach the students who had come from near and far to study with her. There was a lighter side to Geeta both in class and outside of class. She had a very good and sometimes surprising sense of humor.
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GEETA S. IYENGAR: A MULTIFACETED GEM
classes helped us structure our own practices. The weekly rotation of poses gave us a sense of stability, which helped our pranayama. During the last week of the month, classes would be half asana and half pranayama. This made the practice of pranayama more accessible and built up a deeper interest in pranayama in the larger Iyengar Yoga community. She would always speak about God in these pranayama classes, and it inspired us to work at a deeper level. Geeta would also practice Dhyana in pranayama. She helped us focus on keeping the brain and the mind in the heart chakra. Geeta often used evocative metaphors. She talked about the chest opening like a hibiscus flower. She would often compare the inhalation to a sunrise and an exhalation to a sunset. She used so many images from nature. She also used food images to stimulate our imagination. She talked about the process of stirring a pot of soup. The flavor is only right when everything all blends together. That gave us a concrete sense of integration. Language can inspire. Her language was inspirational, particularly in pranayama. She became both more poetic and more devotional in her descriptions. Geeta also wove philosophy into her pranayama classes. She would work concepts from The Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras into the classes. She had high expectations that we would understand the references with ease, and this motivated us to study the philosophy with more intensity. Early in her life, Geeta had a wonderful and inspirational asana practice. This continued until the early 1990s. As Geeta’s health declined and she became menopausal, she turned more and more to her pranayama practice. Both Geeta and Guruji said that when a woman enters menopause, her practice would slow down, and that it should not be looked on as problematic. It’s normal. In Geeta’s case her ligaments began to weaken and eventually failed to support her joints. Though she missed her asana sadhana and what it gave her, her ability to focus on pranayama led her deeply within. After she lost her asana practice, she turned her attention to pranayama. It was here that she found her solace and that in turn was reflected in her teaching. This immersion in pranayama is partly why her pranayama classes were so legendary. She was totally absorbed in the practice. Once, in an interview, Geeta was asked the question, “What is yoga?” She responded, “Yoga is total involvement.” Her work with pranayama is an excellent example of what total involvement means.
When Guruji wrote the original manuscript for Light on Yoga, it included much more detail. Unfortunately, the details were removed by the publisher, who thought that the reader would not be interested. However, by the time Geeta wrote Yoga: A Gem for Women, she included many more details about each pose, as she did in her teaching, what a practitioner who could not achieve the classic shape of the pose could do to move their body in that direction. She also offered alternative poses wherever necessary. Geeta wanted her students to be devoted practitioners of the method and also wanted those who were teaching to learn how to teach the method. Many of the ideas about students and teachers that Guruji expressed in his book, The Tree of Yoga, she turned into building blocks for teachers with her Basic Guidelines for Teachers of Yoga. She wrote this book because she saw the need for direct guidance from the source of the methodology. Guruji expected us to learn purely by his example, while Geeta understood that some teachers needed written guidance, and this was necessary to spread and preserve the method throughout the world. Not all teachers around the world would have the opportunity to come to Pune. By writing this book, she brought Pune to the teachers. She followed this book up with Yoga in Action: The Preliminary Course and The Intermediate Course. Had she lived, we believe she would have continued with guidelines for therapeutics and for adjusting people in asanas. Geeta took on the arduous task of writing these three books. She did this important work not only to teach teachers, but also to ensure that the integrity of her father’s method would not be lost over time. This contribution may well be her primary legacy, the one she ultimately will be remembered for across the globe. Finally, we want to emphasize how grateful we are to have had the privilege of being Geeta’s students for many years. Our relationship with her developed and deepened over time, as it has with the rest of the Iyengar family. She, along with all the Iyengars, became another family to us. We want to thank the following people and sources for their contributions to this article: Professor Frederick M. Smith for his translation of the Sanskrit terms and his help in editing the final draft; Carol Gaines for editing; Anne-Marie Schultz and Holly Walck Kostura for their help in consolidating our thoughts; the British yoga magazine Dipika for permission to use the incident about Geeta and the props; and, lastly, Joan’s interview with Geeta on her practice, which was published in the 2016 convention magazine.
Geeta with her sister, Sunita, and her niece, Abhijata.
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“Yoga bestows upon us firm determination, stamina and great willpower, which are essential for reaching the highest pinnacles in any field. Yoga welcomes all races, religious and ethnic groups, and renders them into one single bouquet consisting of a vast range of flowers. Yoga unites the world in its soul . . . Thus, Yoga truly has the ability to convert this earth into heaven.” — Geetaji Iyengar
THE IYENGAR YOGA ASSOCIATION OF LOS ANGELES and THE IYENGAR YOGA INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 1835 South La Cienega Blvd. l Suite 240 l Los Angeles 90035 l 310 558-8212 l www.iyila.org
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“The children always stand the tallest in this world.” —Geetaji, Yoganusasanam 2014 (Day 7)
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Photos: IYNAUS Archives
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Tributes
FROM LONG-TIME STUDENTS
Wanting to preserve the quietude after Geeta S. Iyengar’s weekly pranayama class, I avoided making plans for postpranayama Thursday night dinner outings. We would emerge from her class as if from a trance and compare notes to verify that we had indeed been together in the same room, on the same journey, one that felt so profoundly personal. In those classes with Geetaji, she would hold us with her entire presence as she led us on a pilgrimage to our inner selves. Her words, her senses, all of her faculties would skillfully guide us through penetrating the layers of our existence. I could rarely recall the linear structure of her instructions. Instead, she encouraged us to join, rather than document, the voyage. She began by steering the relaxation of all outward expressions of personality, gently coaxing action and observation that transcended identity. Her sharp eyes caught the moment the mind slipped or when unnecessary tension arose and its exact manifestation in the body. She not only saw our challenges but also had the solution. She was able to articulate every stage. It felt as if customized to my exact experience. She was able to describe the precise feeling of each step, the signposts, the places of freedom, the places of holding, and the pace. She could articulate the experience of energy, how to acknowledge it, manage it, observe it, and wonder at its magical presence without grasping. She often used the image of inviting the breath and the energy of the breath as one would invite a guest into our home. She taught us how to prepare the abode of our body and mind to receive the divine guest. The beauty of being alone and yet together in the space of her classroom was made possible by her ability to carry us all in each step of the process. —Leslie Bradley (CIYT Intermediate Senior I)
I find it close to impossible to write this—that she is gone is unfathomable. I can hear her saying, “Don’t cry,” and yet I am crying. Her profound impact on yoga generally, and in our community specifically, will be felt for generations. It is her work that, for me at least, unlocked B.K.S. Iyengar’s genius, that made it more accessible. She methodically taught my generation and those after how to teach and practice under Guruji’s watchful eye. She was humble, yet sure. She was practical, funny, and lived with complete clarity even in the face of tremendous life challenges. She gave us all a lifetime of devotion filled with her fire and grace. Her humanity, both frail and strong, inspired me to practice and to teach, as best I can, on any given day.
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I miss you so, dearest Geetaji. —Anna Delury (CIYT Intermediate Senior II)
My first trip to study with Geeta S. Iyengar and B.K.S. Iyengar was in June 1987. During those days, American students were able to study at RIMYI by going to a three-week intensive offered by a senior teacher. On my first trip, I traveled with the group led by Ramanand Patel from California. During those three weeks, the regular class schedule was altered to accommodate our group of about 40 students. In this intimate setting, Geeta taught us asana and pranayama every day, and Guruji attended the morning classes, addressing us from the other side of the room so that, in effect, we were hearing stereophonic instructions! In these classes, Geetaji taught us not only how to do, but how to SEE and how to teach from this understanding. Geetaji demonstrated on her own body and often asked us to touch her in order to feel exactly the effect of the action on the body. She demonstrated on OUR bodies and did not miss a thing. She saw my scoliosis and observed the shape of my cervical spine, showing how to work with the shoulders, arms, and chest in Sarvangasana. Geetaji reminded me of an eagle in the way that she studied us and observed our practice. Nothing escaped her vision! Based on her observations, she would teach us where we were going wrong. In fact, she would observe our comings and goings from the Institute and lecture us the next day about staying out in the sun, depleting our energy by excessive shopping, or chastise us for overeating mangoes at the expense of our digestive system! She became like a mother to us, as she kindly dispensed Ayurvedic wisdom, and sequences for diarrhea. She taught us to relax and curl our tongues in order to cool the heat from our bodies and to soften the eyes and temples to minimize headaches. In this way, she opened her heart to us and taught us how to care for ourselves. Geetaji’s sequences were magical! Often, we never knew where she was going to end up when we began practicing. She was able to link body, mind, and intelligence in such a way that the body opened at just the right time, and the intelligence spread beyond what we had yet experienced. Each pose effortlessly connected to the next and the next like a beautiful strand of pearls. Her pranayama sequences felt like a mother singing a lullaby to her child. They penetrated deeply, and, at the end, I felt inexpressibly quiet and loved. At such a time, Geetaji too, looked at us with eyes of love. —Peentz Dubble (CIYT Intermediate Junior III)
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teaching was so strong and brilliant, it would open up places in my body and mind that would bring me to tears. What I have come to appreciate even more than the stellar instruction in asana, however, was her fierce, fearless ability to “keep it real” and say it plainly; that is, she never failed to remind Westerners that we were visitors to India and to RIMYI. She never failed to put us in our place as needed. What some may have heard as harshness, I heard as loyalty to Guruji and protectiveness of Indian yoga tradition. Geetaji was willing to be bad cop to Guruji’s good cop.
Photo: Juliana Fair
I was in a pranayama class at the Institute, in 2010 or 2011, and we were practicing digital pranayama. Geetaji kept repeating, “Use the right hand,” and I was thinking to myself, that Geeta was trying to help someone who was not hearing her. Fast-forward to 2014: I was practicing digital pranayama at home when the realization struck me like a thunderbolt that I was using my left hand, believing it to be my right hand! I very often make this mistake because I am left-handed. I was transported back to that class with Geeta and suddenly understood it was me that she was trying to help. Later that year, during the first Yoganusasanam conference, we were told Geetaji would be available for students to show their respect and appreciation. I simply had to share this story with her and thank her for her efforts to help me—what appeared to be—a mindless student. True to her wonderful sense of humor she laughed out loud. When Geeta was teaching, I found myself holding my breath and not blinking for fear of missing an important point. Geeta’s every word was valuable. She never wasted words. —Juliana Fair (CIYT Intermediate Senior I)
By the time I started going to RIMYI in 2005, B.K.S. Iyengar had stopped teaching. He was still ever present in the hall, and, every once in a while, his famous passion and temper would flare, especially in medical class. But mostly he was a kind, grandfatherly figure, watchful and generous. Geeta S. Iyengar, on the other hand, was our teacher and disciplinarian. She commanded unwavering attention and provided class after class of incisive, crystal-clear insight and depth. Often, her
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She was willing to point out to Westerners their blind spots regarding privilege and entitlement and make us understand how important it was to be humble, in order to learn. She demanded that we Westerners leave our egos at the door. Geetaji never let us off the hook. For your fierceness and unwavering truth-telling, I will always be lovingly humbled and grateful, beloved Geetaji. —Hong Gwi-Seok (CIYT Intermediate Senior I)
In 2001 I spent several weeks in Pune studying at RIMYI. Geeta S. Iyengar was teaching consistently with B.K.S. Iyengar commanding instructions from the back of the hall. It was marvelous! But, for pranayama classes, it was all Geetaji. What a magical wonder it was to receive her blessings in those classes. Before class one day, I wrote a card to Geetaji to share how her pranayama classes made me feel. It was as if the sun came out from behind clouds and pushed them aside to reveal an open, perfect, brilliant blue sky. No more storms, no more darkness. I read it to my roommates to see what they thought. They loved it and said they were sure Geetaji would enjoy it. During our next pranayama class, Geetaji described the sky inside us, that our breath would move the clouds aside; the sun would shine and open up that space inside to reveal the vastness of the sky. After class my friends came up to me and exclaimed, “Wow! She must have loved your card! The class was all about what you said!” “But,” I replied, “I haven’t given it to her yet… ” That was Geetaji. A mystical yogini. Powerful. Always in my heart. —Lisa Jo Landsberg (CIYT Intermediate Senior I)
Geeta had an uncanny way of teaching directly to you in a class of 100 or 1,000. Many people have commented that they felt she was teaching the class just for them and their personal needs. Geeta’s asana teaching was sublime and transforming; pranayama with Geeta was life changing.
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Tributes from long-time students continued
of Being. Geetaji had that capability. As the adage suggests, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree… of yoga! —Dean Lerner (CIYT Advanced Junior I)
Geeta with Dean and Rebecca Lerner at the 2007 IYNAUS Convention in Las Vegas. Photo: John Henebry, IYNAUS Archives
One of my last classes with Geeta was a pranayama class. Her exceptional teaching on that memorable night is a gift that has altered my practice immensely. To this day I feel her presence and guidance each time I sit. Here is an example of that class: “The Ribcage is the mantra. The chest lifts an idol. Svadhyaya istadevata samprayogah. The idol your deity comes close to you. Slowly inhale. Have a thoracic lift, Isvara lifting. Have that firmness. No dullness can enter. Have a good lift. Broad mind, broad chest, broad mind, broad chest. The mind cannot become narrow. Have that firmness. Occupy that area. Don’t allow the sternum to go inside. Inhale and exhale. This is how Hanuman tears the chest to show Rama in his heart. The Lord has to be in your heart. The chest is prepared. Have a lift, sides ribs spreading as if the breath is going to tear the chest in two. Head passive.” Geeta is my spiritual teacher and lives in my heart; her teachings remaining pure and constant. —Rebecca Lerner (CIYT Advanced Junior I)
“Slowly inhale, slowly exhale. Sun rising up from the ocean. Sun setting down into the sea. Manifesting. Unmanifesting. Nothingness.” Arising from a deeply silent state after her pranayama class, I asked, “How did you do that, Geetaji?” She laughed and said, “How did you do that?”
“You have to aim at it!” These words we heard so often from Geeta S. Iyengar, prodding us, propelling us on, encouraging us, and inspiring us to raise our eyes, to sight the goal, and to make deliberate attempts to reach it. The goal would vary: sometimes it was to attain a difficult asana or freedom or even a state of integration such as body breath and mind in pranayama. She saw, from our presentations, that our aim was too low, too shortsighted, too starkly physical. At those times we would hear the forcefulness of those words coming to support us, consecrating our efforts, making them meaningful, purposeful. She was spiritually enthused, electrifying us with her voice, charging and exhilarating us with her intent, inspiring us to go beyond our limitations. I remember one time I heard those words after a number of repetitions of some difficult back extensions. The class was tired, moaning, and you could feel the mood dropping in the room. All of us, with our energy flagging, dreaded yet another attempt with no end in sight. Then, a pep talk from Geetaji: God will not reveal himself to you so easily if you do not make the effort. If you make no effort, it is not a problem for him! It is we who must make the effort to reach God. “You have to aim at it!” And with that direction, the mood changed. We were charged by her words that rang so true from someone who… ...had more than been in our shoes, faced her problems each day and rose above them, never gave up, and yet rose above them, showed positivity in the face of great difficulties, transcended her own sufferings. With such an example, we could… go beyond our tiredness, leave behind our divided mind, escape our small self, sight the goal, push up once again with zeal in our hearts. In loving gratitude to the one who inspires me still as the living embodiment of duty, purity, persistence, devotion, and piety. —Eddy Marks (CIYT Advanced Junior I)
One measure of a yoga teacher is the ability to use words as pointers to express and guide the seeker to experience the joy
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My first experience of Geeta S. Iyengar came in 2006. I was jet–lagged, a little uncertain of what I was doing and questioning my decision to come and leave my young daughter for a month, but also excited to have this chance to study at RIMYI. I hoped that this time would give me a chance to focus on healing because I was plagued with intermittent back pain as the hip injury I had sustained as a teenager had migrated into my back after the birth of my daughter. I entered my first class and set up right in the front row. It was only a few minutes into the class and I was standing in Tadasana when Geeta made her way over to me, adjusted my pelvis and told me to do that action in each pose. Without having said a word to her about my back issue, Geeta had clearly seen something in my body that was collapsing. I did exactly what she told me to do and, for the first time in a long time, I felt both stability and space in my low back. It was a life-changing experience. At the end of that class, I humbly knelt at her feet to give my thanks. I worked with her instructions throughout my stay and still carry them with me today. This trip marked a beginning towards healing for my back. A year or two later, I studied with her at her intensive in Canada. She gave me a similar adjustment in Supta Tadasana and later gave me precious words of wisdom on how to sit for pranayama to alleviate numbness that radiated from my back, down my leg. My chances to study with her were not very numerous but each time I have had the privilege to do so I walked away with a clearer sense of purpose in my practice. Geeta has been a steady source of inspiration, encouragement, and strength. I am forever grateful. —Aretha McKinney (CIYT Intermediate Senior I)
“How are you feeling?” This is the compassionate question Geetaji would ask every time I arrived in Pune. It is also a familiar question, as it has been asked ever since I started Iyengar Yoga and when I couldn’t feel my body due to multiple sclerosis. Beyond tactile feeling, what is feeling? Perhaps Bhavanan, as Geetaji often referred to in her teaching, covers it best. Bhavanan implies sensation, awareness, understanding and reflection. Every time on my way to India I would experience the feeling of excitement just knowing I would be revitalized under Geetaji’s exacting, watchful eye. There were also feelings of exhilaration, energized exhaustion, or blissful calm at the end of one of Geetaji’s evening classes. A feeling of honor, gratitude, and service was prevalent after being guided by Geetaji to help ease others’ suffering when assisting in the medical classes. I felt cared for when being reminded to practice and teach according to my capacity and to take support, or rest, according to how I was feeling on any given day. “Who has to take care? You have to take care!” she would say, adding, “Now you find out for you!” Under her skilled and compassionate guidance, Geetaji cultured a feeling of belonging and being seen, independence and strength and being transported closer to one’s Self. Reflecting on our conversations over the years, I am especially grateful for the unexpected time we spent chatting the Saturday afternoon before Geetaji left her body. When she left us early the next morning, it was a heartbreaking, shocking surprise to receive the news. At the same time, there was an extraordinary feeling of peace and completion. Bound to return to the US that same day, it brought to mind my first trip to Pune. As the time to leave drew nearer on that first trip, I was both overwhelmed with gratitude and emotionally torn. When it came time to say goodbye, Geetaji graciously comforted me with her sage and compassionate counsel as I fought back tears. She smiled a smile that penetrated to the depths of my being and her immense compassion took up immediate residence in my heart. Geetaji simply said, with her no-nonsense candor, “You have to leave to come back.” I will miss her physical presence but the feeling of her presence and teaching remains eternally embedded in my heart and the hearts of many others. —Garth McLean (CIYT Intermediate Senior III)
Geeta with Garth McLean. Photo: Peter Thomson
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My relationship with Geeta went beyond teacher and Guru. To me, Geeta was like an older sister. This feeling did not grow over time, it was there in our first meeting during the first class I had with her in Pune, back in 1986. During that first class, we had circled around B.K.S. Iyengar because he was using a student to refine Sirsasana. He was pointing out different actions, and I did not understand the rhythm of his speech, so I raised my hand and said, “Excuse me, but I don’t understand.” Well, I was surprised at Mr. Iyengar’s response. Geeta noticed my confusion, came up behind me, placed her hands on my shoulders, and guided me back to my spot. It seemed to me that from that moment on Geeta watched over me.
discover what the action created, caused, linked, and opened. It was a pathway to discovery, where the initial action is only the beginning—a starter fluid which ignites a fire inside. Her admonishment to be present, to be doing AND reflecting, leads the practitioner inward toward unexplored layers, subtleties, and a complex, intriguing web of connectivity. How very fortunate and unexpected for my life path to cross with hers. To my teacher, my mentor, my guide I am unendingly grateful. —Mary Obendorfer (Advanced Junior I)
There was a time that, if you studied in Pune for more than two months, the weekly classes were cut to three. I asked Geeta if I could assist/ apprentice for two classes and she granted me my request. In one Ladies Class, Geeta Photo: Jaki Nett was teaching Halasana and she saw me give an adjustment that was not acceptable to her. After she instructed me on how to do the adjustment correctly she made me start at the beginning of the first row and adjust everyone in class. The students could not come down until I adjusted them—three rows of women in Halasana! After the last one, I looked at Geeta who looked back at me with her deep, glowing eyes, smiled and said, “Now do you understand?”
It was 2008 and my first visit to RIMYI. I had heard many stories of what it was like to study with Geeta S. Iyengar, and I was terrified that I wasn’t ready. As I sat in my first class and Geeta led the Invocation to Patanjali, I had one thought— coming to Pune to study had been a huge mistake. But then we got up and started with standing poses. Geeta’s instruction soon had me mentally and physically focused in the moment, and my fear dissipated. However, I would set my mat up in the last row for every class, seeking anonymity. Sometime in the third week of the month, Geeta announced she was tired of seeing the same faces in the front row. She said she would not start class until we had all switched places, with those in the front going to the back and those of us in the back coming to the front. My plan of staying in the back was foiled! I did as she asked and ended up front and center of Geeta. What a class! The intensity of having Geetaji teaching from three feet away altered my perceptions of what was being taught. I experienced both her love and her expectation that I would learn. I haven’t forgotten the way her eyes penetrated mine as she taught. I felt pierced to my Soul. Thank you, Geetaji. —Nina Pileggi (CIYT Intermediate Junior III)
—Jaki Nett (CIYT Intermediate Senior I)
“If you take it for granted that you have done, then the door of knowledge remains closed.” Geeta S. Iyengar spoke these words directly into my heart. I keep this quote along with a photo of Geetaji on the desk at our center. It is a gift from a colleague. Her words are a call to reflection: to act in my practice and then to feel, sense, reflect. At first, I interpreted her dictum at its most basic level—to question myself after doing an action, to ask, “Did I really do that?” But soon I realized that the query guided me inward to 32
In an afternoon session at the 1996 Teachers’ Exchange in Estes Park, Colorado, Geeta S. Iyengar asked teachers to come onto the stage and teach a pose. One teacher was told to teach Ustrasana. Standing on the stage, she began to roll out a drumbeat of instructions, one after the other, until, after a few moments, Geeta shouted, “Stop! Now do the pose, and tell me what you are doing as you do it,” Geeta said. Step by step, in very short, simple sentences, the teacher stated what she was doing as she arched back into Ustrasana, took her hands to her feet, adjusted the pose, and rose back up to kneeling position. Yoga Samachar Fall 2019 | Winter 2020
“Can’t you teach like that?” Geeta asked. “Don’t teach from your brain,” she said. “Teach them what to do in the pose by teaching them what you do in the pose. Teach from your own experience!” In my experience with her, this was classic Geeta. Clear, straightforward, incisive. I miss her. I am grateful for her many gifts. John Schumacher (CIYT Advanced Junior I)
I met Geeta S. Iyengar in January 1973 at my first yoga intensive at the Institute in Pune. To be going to India to study with B.K.S. Iyengar was a sacred dream. Iyengar was, of course, the masterful, powerful teacher, and also intimidating and scary. Geeta was in the intensive, and, in Geeta, I found a refuge that I internally turned to, thinking, “Wow, this woman lives in this profound atmosphere every day.” She gave me courage to stand stable in front of Guruji. Guruji often used Geeta to demonstrate a pose or explain a detail. She was young and supple and seemed to do exactly what he wanted us to see. He was also teaching her how to teach. Several years later, I was again at an intensive, and Geeta was to lead the intensive. She was teaching, and we would be following her; then, from the other side of the room, Guruji would shout out something. All our attention would turn to him. Then Geetaji would call us back over to her. Again Guruji would point out something else, and back we would go to his side. This happened over and over. Each time Geetaji’s voice would get stronger, her instructions clearer and more demanding that we stay with her. By the end of the three-week intensive, Geeta had won us over, and Guruji was fully supportive of her teaching. Geeta was so humble and self-effacing. She would rarely acknowledge her own abilities and skill. I am not sure she knew how much she was loved. One year we wanted to celebrate her birthday. She would have nothing to do with it, saying only the Master should be celebrated. When a cake was brought to her, she was mortified and embarrassed but gave us a big thank you anyway. Once, during a practice session, several British women and I were studying for our Senior I exam and were working on Chakrasana. We were in the corner near Patañjali statue, and Geeta was practicing near us. At first we were a little nervous, practicing right in front of her. Then she began to talk to us, encouraging us, and giving us helpful hints. We all ended up laughing at our attempts. I felt as though we had bonded in sisterhood. I often felt that Geetaji was the interpreter of Guruji. He would go so fast and take me to internal spaces that I would never Yoga Samachar Fall 2019 | Winter 2020
achieve on my own. But I did not understand and could not replicate the instructions. Geeta was able to take the steps apart and explain in a way that I could recreate the space, and understanding would come. She was the genius of the medical classes, understanding the problems and giving sequences to so many people. I would help in the medical classes, not knowing what I was doing, following instructions the best I could. A woman had a prolapsed uterus. She was on the back bender, and I was told to put a slant board under her sacrum. Geeta came to watch and told me in no uncertain terms that I was doing it wrong, Couldn’t I see! Didn’t I know where to place it? Obviously not! She took my fingers and placed them first on my own uterus, and then on the woman’s. With her guidance and explanation, I was able to feel the difference and then understand how to place the board. Geetaji had her own struggles with her body. I have no idea how much pain she was in. I met her for a talk just after she was released from the hospital. She told me that her body was finished. However, she knew her mind was crystal clear, and she would finish her duties to her students and to Guruji. It seemed she did just that. What a brave and courageous woman. I thank her for all she gave. Nancy Stechert (CIYT Intermediate Senior II)
In The Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krsna advises Arjuna that the true yogi sees the soul in every living entity, in every form of life. I met my teacher Geeta S. Iyengar in early 1990 and had the honor of being her dedicated student of yoga. I also had the honor of cooking for her personally during the US conventions. This Bhagavad Gita verse always reminded me of her. Whether Geetaji was teaching or simply having a conversation with someone, she always “saw” the real person. Her perception was deep. She saw the potential and was able to extract that potential for the person’s highest benefit. She took the time to write to me on my 60th birthday and give advice on what it means to reach this age. She imparted her wisdom to each of us, knowing what each individual needed at that time. I learned so much from Geetaji. During those cooking times, we had conversations about philosophy, about my personal life, and even about cooking sattvic foods. She always took care of me in my personal practice but gave this same attention to all her students. 33
Every time I teach, I think of this quality of Geetaji, and it has made me a better teacher. I feel she is with me during my teaching, and I strive to embody that quality of hers: seeing every student as a spiritual spark of God. Geetaji truly embodies this mystical quality that Lord Krsna speaks of in Bhagavad Gita. I pray that I can learn from her day after day, that she may be pleased with my effort. Thank you, Geetaji! Christine Stein (CIYT Intermediate Senior I)
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GEETAJI, GOLDEN Painting by: Avery Janeczek Kalapa
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Tributes
FROM THE REGIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
IMIYA The IMIYA region is planning to hold an event to honor Geetaji in December 2019 or January 2020 in Denver, Colorado. We will be hosting a practice to a recording or video from one of Geeta’s classes to allow attendees to experience the brilliance of her teaching. Following the class, we will serve refreshments and provide time for people to gather and visit.
IYACSR The entire IYACSR community has celebrated Geetaji throughout the year with our personal and class practices. In October, Isabela Fortes taught a “Free4Members” workshop titled, “Geetaji: Her Life and Practice” and in December Stephanie Lavender will teach our final Free4Members workshop of 2019 in honor of Guruji and Geetaji’s birthdays.
spoke about the ways in which they were mentored to become better teachers and stronger individuals, or extolled her impact on women through her books and teachings. Chris explained how Geetaji told them of Vapu and Vani. Vapu is when you are with the Guru physically, and Vani is the instruction that remains. Anna Delury explained how seminal— in fact, revolutionary—Geetaji’s work was for women. Marla and Linda shared their experiences with Geetaji in her last days and hours, helping us to all feel the intimacy and profoundness of her passing—leaving this world in a yoga pose, in a forward bend in which she finally surrendered. Linda shared some teaching highlights: “You are all full of fear—have some courage! We are all getting older and have injuries; take some courageous actions, and deal with it. You have to have the effort to go to the light; the Lord will not be able to remove the obstacles if you do not make the effort.” The evening culminated with a puja complete with Vedic chanting, flower offerings, and a tasty catered meal. Geetaji would have been pleased to see a community gathering with generations of veteran practitioners and children all filling the room in her honor.
IYANC
Photo: IYASCR
IYALA With Geeta S. Iyengar’s passing, teachers across our region dedicated their classes to our beloved teacher and mentor by featuring her work, her words, and her worship of Iyengar Yoga. Geetaji’s legacy now lives alongside that of B.K.S. Iyengar’s. In February The Iyengar Yoga Association of Los Angeles held a Celebration of Life at our Institute. Over two hundred people were greeted by a room full of flowers and teachers chanting the Yoga Sutras along with a recording of Geetaji. The event featured tributes by senior teachers Marla Apt, Anna Delury, Linda Nishio, Eric Small, Chris Stein, and Lisa Walford. Some 36
By sheer strength of will and devotion to her father’s teachings, Geetaji fulfilled her heartfelt wish to celebrate B.K.S. Iyengar’s 100th birthday. As news spread of her passing early morning December 16th, many in the Northern California region set up altars and organized events to honor her. Iyengar Yoga communities gathered to celebrate the life of Geetaji on the traditional 13th day after her passing. At IYISF, all were invited to share remembrances, chant, and participate in a group practice led by Victoria Austin and Theresa Marks of one of the last sequences Geetaji taught in Pune. Other events in our region included chanting, stories from Geeta’s life, videos of her teaching, and recollections by Heather Haxo-Phillips (at Adeline Yoga) and Tessa Manning (at Westside Yoga) of their personal experiences being in Pune for Geeta’s last days. In early spring, students from around the region gathered for “Learning from Geeta S. Iyengar,” a free community event held at IYISF. With a video on big screen of Geeta teaching at the 2015 Yoganusasanam, students participated in the “class” and were able to experience and remember her presence.
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Tributes from the regional associations continued
at IYISF. With a video on big screen of Geeta teaching at the 2015 Yoganusasanam, students participated in the “class” and were able to experience and remember her presence. In June IYANC celebrated 45 years of service at our Yogathon event and the afternoon program was dedicated to Geeta S. Iyengar. Victoria Austin delivered a keynote address highlighting Geetaji’s immense contributions to the whole of yoga. Janet MacLeod, Jaki Nett, Nora Burnett, Kathy Alef, and Ruchi Murlidhar shared their reflections and experiences, and asana demonstrations featured Geeta’s sequencing.
In June IYANC celebrated 45 years of service at our Yogathon event and the afternoon program was dedicated to Geeta S. Iyengar. Victoria Austin delivered a keynote address highlighting Geetaji’s immense contributions to the whole of yoga. Janet MacLeod, Jaki Nett, Nora Burnett, Kathy Alef, and Ruchi Murlidhar shared their reflections and experiences, and asana demonstrations featured Geeta’s sequencing. As we approach the anniversary of her passing, our region is planning a special event at IYISF in early December to honor and celebrate Geetaji’s life and teachings. Her honestly, sadhana, devotion, and teachings continue to inspire each of us as they will the generations to come. May Geetaji’s journey be in peace.
IYANC By sheer strength of will and devotion to her father’s teachings, Geetaji fulfilled her heartfelt wish to celebrate B.K.S. Iyengar’s 100th birthday. As news spread of her passing early morning December 16th, many in the Northern California region set up altars and organized events to honor her. Iyengar Yoga communities gathered to celebrate the life of Geetaji on the traditional 13th day after her passing. At IYISF, all were invited to share remembrances, chant, and participate in a group practice led by Victoria Austin and Theresa Marks of one of the last sequences Geetaji taught in Pune. Other events in our region included chanting, stories from Geeta’s life, videos of her teaching, and recollections by Heather Haxo-Phillips (at Adeline Yoga) and Tessa Manning (at Westside Yoga) of their personal experiences being in Pune for Geeta’s last days. In early spring, students from around the region gathered for “Learning from Geeta S. Iyengar,” a free community event held Yoga Samachar Fall 2019 | Winter 2020
As we approach the anniversary of her passing, our region is planning a special event at IYISF in early December to honor and celebrate Geetaji’s life and teachings. Her honestly, sādhanā, devotion, and teachings continue to inspire each of us as they will the generations to come. May Geetaji’s journey be in peace.
IYANE Yoga Sutra III.23 indicates that an evolved yogi knows when their death will occur. This indeed seemed to be the case with our beloved Geeta S. Iyengar, who left her body hours after presiding over the Centennial Celebration and just before international students attending the event departed Pune for home. Patricia Walden, our region’s senior teacher and guiding mentor, was among those who stayed in Pune to pay their final respects in person. On the other side of the globe, in New England, we came together as a community on January 5th to mourn the loss and reflect on the many ways Geetaji has influenced our practices as individuals and as a global community. Throughout the year, we regularly followed along with recordings of Geetaji to chant all four padas of the Yoga Sutras. We also sang the joyous Patanjali Arti composed by Geetaji.
IYASCUS In celebration of Geeta S. Iyengar’s birthday, teachers within the IYASCUS region will host special tribute classes. On December 7, 2019 these teachers will celebrate the memory and legacy of Geeta Iyengar with their students: Anne-Marie Schultz will have a special tribute class at Austin Yoga Tree and Devon Dederich will dedicate her class at Austin Iyengar Yoga, Clear Spring Studio.
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The B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Studio of Dallas has expanded north to Plano, Texas. We had a free day of yoga to celebrate Geeta’s life and legacy on October 26th.
IYASW Geetaji said, “Yoga is like an elixir of life.” Students in the southwest are so fortunate to have amazing teachers who carry the torch of Iyengar Yoga so that they may benefit from this great elixir. Special celebrations are taking place throughout the region to honor her dedication to the practice of yoga and the wisdom she shared to inspire all of us. On December 7th, the B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Studio of Tucson is celebrating Geetaji and Guruji with a special class followed by a potluck meal and a restorative workshop is being held at the Iyengar Yoga Center of Scottsdale. The workshop in Scottsdale is FREE to all current members of IYASW.
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May we all continue to benefit from the enduring wisdom of Guruji and Geetaji through dedication and practice of Iyengar Yoga.
IYAUM The IYAUM website has prominently displayed Geetaji’s portrait on its’ homepage during the entire year. Last February we held a memorial celebration of Geeta’s life and contributions at the B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This special event featured senior teachers sharing stories about how Geeta positively influenced their lives, as well as video clips about her upbringing, training, and teaching. We are currently planning our annual December event which coincides with Guruji’s birthday. This year, in addition to a yoga class and our annual meeting, we will include a tribute to Geeta. This event is free to members of IYAUM.
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Classifieds JOIN IYNAUS To join IYNAUS or renew your current membership, please visit our website and apply online: https://iynaus.org/join. Membership fees begin at $60, with $40 of each membership going to support teacher certification, continuing education, and member services. BECOME A BOARD MEMBER Do you have organizational skills, financial skills, legal skills, experience with nonprofit or membership-based organizations, technical skills, skills with social media, public relations, or development skills? Are you a good writer or good at strategic planning? The IYNAUS Board needs volunteers with these kinds of skills. If you, a colleague, or one of your students are interested in serving on the IYNAUS Board, please write to us at president@iynaus.org. We’d be very glad to hear from you.
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"Yoga is not a three or six month course. It needs tapas. You need to keep doing in order to understand what is contains." Geeta S. Iyengar - Yoga Rahasya Vol. N0 3, 2012
With Gratitude from IYASE Iyengar Yoga Association Southeast
w w w.iyase.org
With gratitude to
Dr. Geeta S. Iyengar GEETAJI IYENGAR Blessed to Call her my Teacher Forever in my Heart
for her inspiration and lifetime of service.
A true master yogini like no other. honest, intelligent, illuminated, disciplined, devoted, humorous, keen, sincere, uplifting, creative, dedicated. Namaste, Deni Roman mauiyogapath.com Beachfront Studio Maui, Hawaii
B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Studio of Tucson iyengartucson.com Yoga Samachar Fall 2019 | Winter 2020
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Thank you Geetaji, for your wisdom, humor, and deep understanding of what it is to be human.
CLEARYOGA IYENGAR YOGA IN RHINEBECK CLEARYOGARHINEBECK.COM
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Geeta S. Iyengar Yoga sadhaka. Devoted disciple. Selfless teacher. Forever in our hearts, may her journey be in peace.
D E C E M B E R 7, 1944 — D E C E M B E R 16, 2018 IYENGAR YOGA INSTITUTE OF SAN FRANCISCO
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CATHY ADAMO, NAGHMEH AHI, NIL AKIN, ROSE ALEXANDER, ELENA ALIKINA, KEVIN ALLEN, BEHNAZ AMERY, LENA ANG-SILVERMAN, JEAN ARONOFF, WINNIE WAI-YU AU, JESSICA BECKER, KRISTINE BELL, AMY BLOCK-HAMILTON, JAY BOLSOM, BARBARA BORIS, SHEIL A BUNNELL, CAROL EUGENIA BURNS, DUSANKA CAIRNS, RENATA CARDINAL, GALIT CARTHY-KATAL AN, JANE CAULFIELD, ENRIQUE CAYEIRO, POM CAYEIRO, JOANNE CESIRO, CAROLYN CHRISTIE, JOSEPH CILMI, MARCEL A CL AVIJO, BOBBY CLENNELL, NORMA COLON, DANIEL COOGAN, CHRISTINE CORSA, NIKKI COSTELLO, SHARON COTUGNO, THEA DALEY, DONNA DEBS, DEIDRA DEMENS, JEANNE-MARIE DERRICK, DIANE DORAN-SHEEHY, MATTHEW DREYFUS, ROSE DWYER, DIANA ERNEY, RACHEL FEINBERG, COLUMBIA FIERO, JUSTINE FISHER, COLLEEN FONTES, ELIZABETH FRANZEN, JUDY BRICK FREEDMAN, ROI FRENKEL, JUDI FRIEDMAN, JANE FROMAN, JILL GANASSI, MARY GARBIESI, MARTHA GARVEY, BRINA GEHRY, ADINAH GHEN, MIKI GIFFUNE, PRISCILL A GILMORE, KATE GRAHAM, DEBBY GREEN, THERESA GUNYAN, JILL HAGAR, KARAN HASE, JOHN HAYDEN, SANTIAGO HERNANDEZ, ROBIN HERTLEIN CANDREA, SALLY HESS, MICHELLE HILL, ANNA HINDELL, EVE HOLBROOK, REBECCA HOOPER, ABBEY HOPE, HUI HU, JUDITH ISAACS, ROBIN JANIS, DEBRA JOHNSON, RICHARD JONAS, JILL S. JONES, JENNIFER KAGAN, ELLEN KAPL AN, GENEVIEVE KAPULER, NANCY KARDON, LEAH KATZ, NETA KATZ, KELLY KENNEDY, SHARIB KHAN, GINA KING, MARTHA KRAUSS, LINDA KUNDL A, MORAN L ANTNER, MICHELLE L ARUE, REBECCA LERNER, JEFFREY A. LOGAN, LESLIE LOWDER, ROBIN LOWRY, MAXINE LUNN, MIKE MACDONALD, CHERYL MALTER, LESLIE MANES, KATE MARSHALL-CHASE, HECTOR JAIRO MARTINEZ, PAUL MASSIE, MELVA MAX, ANN MCDERMOTT-KAVE, L ARISSA MCGOLDRICK, JOSEPHINE MCKENDRY, HUGH MILL ARD, TORI MILNER, BONNIE MOELLER, MARCIA MONROE, SANDEE MORETA, MICHAEL MORPHIS, KATHY MORRIS, TZAHI MOSKOVITZ, JAMES MURPHY, ELIZABETH MUZYKA, BROOKE MYERS, SHERYL NIGRO, DANA OLSON, CARRIE OWERKO, ELIZABETH PAGAN, MAIGA PALKAUNIEKS, KAVI PATEL, KATRINA PELEKANAKIS, SARAH PERRON, NANCY PRESTON, LISA ROTELL, IN MEMORIAM, THERESA ROWL AND, IN MEMORIAM, AMY RUMBEL, REBECCA RUMBEL, L ARA SAL A, JEAN SANDERS, SADIE SANDQUIST, JOSEPH SATL AK, ROSEMARIE SCHIAVONE, ANNIE SCHLIFFER, MICHAEL SCHREIBER, KOOS SCHRIJEN, L AUREN SCHUMACHER, PATRICIA SCOTT, VICTORIA SEFF, MARY BRUCE SERENE, VAL SHAFFER, HARSHAD SHAH, JULIA SHAIDA, DMITRI SHAPIRA, DANIEL SHUMAN, GABRIELLE SIGAL, ROBIN SIMMONDS, MYRA SLEPOY, GWYNNETH POWELL SOBEJKO, MARGARET SPEAR, CYNTHIA STITES, CARMELL A STONE-KLEIN, BERNADETT SZASZ, ELIZABETH TEMPLETON, L AURA THIECK, KATHERINE LIZA TOFT, DAN TRUINI, SUSAN TURIS, YURI UEMURA, GOPALI VACCARELLI, CATHARINE VAUCHER, MARIA VEY TSEL, LUCIENNE VIDAH, PATRICIA VIDEGAIN, MIMI VISSER, ADAM VITOLO, MEG WALSH-SINKEL, L ARA WARREN, CORETTA WASHBURN, MICHELE WEIS, JONI WELLNESS, LOREN WELSH, JOAN WHITE, IYENGARNYC.ORG SARAH WHITESIDE, CAROL WIPF, JON YAMASHITA
WITH PROFOUND GRATITUDE FOR ALL THE LIGHT GEETAJI SHINED ON IYENGAR YOGA TO GUIDE OUR SADHANA
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THE YOGA PLACE Geetaji_AD.indd 1
Yoga Samachar Fall 2019 | Winter 2020
REMEMBERING OUR TEACHER, GEETAJI THE YOGA PLACE TEACHERS
444 Main Street, Suite 204 www.yogalacrosse.com (608) 784-2622
10/3/19 7:58 PM
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“Be fearless and pure. Never waver in your determination or dedication to the spiritual life.” —The Bhagavad Gita, XVI.1
Dear Geetaji, Thank you for teaching us by your example how to live the Yoga of Action (Karma), Wisdom (Jñāna) and Devotion (Bhakti). With love and in gratitude, Holly Kostura, C.I.Y.T. and the students at The Iyengar Yoga Center of the Lehigh Valley
Image: Namaskar, by Aretha McKinney This image is available for purchase All proceeds benefit The Dr. Geeta S. Iyengar Memorial Scholarship. For more information: www.iyengaryogalehighvalley.com
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“He was always my Guru and I always followed him.” —Geetaji, on her father and Guru, B.K.S. Iyengar
Photo: IYNAUS Archives
B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States P.O. Box 184 Canyon, CA 94516 www.iynaus.org
Photo: IYNAUS Archives