This is the 2nd part of our mini series on the 50th Birthday Celebration, with Zoe Hobbs’ impression of the celebrations!

Be sure to read the other impressions in the series too!

Written by Zoe Hobbs, Dorset Teacher

“Welcome back, did you have a wonderful/great/amazing/relaxing/exciting holiday in India?”

People kindly asked the above question in various ways on my return from Pune in January. I tried to answer as honestly as I could to explain it was not a holiday but an intensive two week course to celebrate the 50th year of RIMYI. I was searching for a word to describe it.

How about three words, exhausting, insightful and challenging?

This was my fourth trip to Pune, previously going for a month at a time, attending one two hour class a day, having time for personal practice, time to make notes and reflect on the class, and observation of other classes. But this intensive was a new experience for me, see the class timetable, no time to gather your thoughts, it felt at times quite relentless, and back at the hotel in the evening trying to write down what concepts I believe I had understood and what unfamiliar instructions for a familiar pose I had grasped.

And I felt I was prepared for the noise, non-stop traffic hooting and tooting, the nerve wracking challenge of crossing the road safely, walking carefully on the haphazard pavements, the multitudes of people from every social level, the litter that adorns the streets being daily swept into piles that don't seem to be collected but get redistributed by the street dogs looking for food, and the air pollution exacerbated by all the new buildings being constructed, but somehow it all felt exhausting.

But of course there were insightful moments, when I felt I had understood what was said and it made sense to me, a glimmer of understanding shone. For example, on the very first day with Prashant he gave us two formulas for yoga, one of them was “P P C” standing for Purpose, Process and Consequence.

Understandable when written like that, but the sound system was not very clear, so when he kept saying “ What's the P P C” I had no idea what that meant as I had missed the explanation (I was not alone!) But as the time went by, collectively, we worked it out, as he quoted it a lot.

On another day, Raya spent over an hour extolling the brilliance of Light on Yoga and we should all read it thoroughly and understand what Guruji was offering us, if we are “able to read between the lines” So grabbing my battered and well thumbed copy, I saw Prashant's “P P C”. The Purpose is explained under the name of the asana, the Process is under the technique and the Consequence is under effects. I felt I'd married up those two lectures, quite obvious really, but it needed pointing out so I could see it.

Then the challenge of the classes, finding a place for your mat and props amongst the other 250 participants, it was wonderful to be with students from every corner of the world, on the first day I was sandwiched between a Mexican and a Russian, all there to celebrate the 50 years of RIMYI and learn together. The event was held at a cricket ground, on the sixth floor of their very big pavilion, as the Institute building was too small for everyone. I did have two classes at the Institute, seeing the new entrance, spacious new loos and statute honouring Guruji and Ramamani together.

We were taught by four members of Guruji's family namely Prashant, Sunita (Guruji's daughter) Abhijata and Shrineet (Guruji's grandson) as well as Raya and Nawaz, each having their own way of showing us the Iyengar way.

In one of Prashant's morning classes we did a standing up Sirsasana, feet together with the heels on a brick, hands clasped behind the head, standing tall, before doing Sirsasana as least five times, up and down, each time concentrating the breath on different parts of the torso, each time we came down I thought we'd finished but no, up again “use your breath” He said too many of us are “asana-ists” and not enough”pranayama-ists”

That same afternoon with Shrineet, who taught in a structured understandable way, we did Sirsasana four times, this time concentrating on the back of the legs in sections and then finally the soles of the feet, where we had to imagine a crystal ball and keep it balanced perfectly steady, should you waver, the crystal ball would become cloudy and fall down. So many headstands in one day, nine in all, but as effortful as that was, for the final one, I felt my crystal ball was safely held aloft and I was calmly stable.

In another class with Abhi, we'd repeated Vrksasana, Ardha Chandrasana and Virahbadrasana 3 a few times, including Ardha Chandrasana with the lower hand in line with the foot and only using the very tips of the fingers, not cupped hands. And then did them all again but on a brick, certainly concentrates the mind.

We were told to approach the more complex poses because if we don't “they'll become extinct” so here are the three I have never even attempted, in the course of different classes, we were offered Vatayanasana (Plate 59 in LOY) Mandalasana (Plates 526-535 in LOY) and Kala Bhairavasana (Plate 375 in LOY) The phrase “going toward” describes my attempts, but pleasantly surprised how far I did manage to travel.

Nawaz gave us a most wonderful pranayama class, simple, clear and achievable. “let the prana spread all over you, like the sun rising in the east touches all in its path” I felt quite emotional afterwards, so needed to thank her in person for the beautiful clarity, she just smiled and said, pointing to the photographs of Guruji and Geetaji, “Don't thank me, thank them”.

On a personal interaction level, it was great to travel with Giulia and Beth and to discover that Semra and Suzie were in the same hotel, all the Bournemouth teachers together. And that Cara (she was, for a time, the membership secretary when I was the treasurer of DHIY in the early days) who used to live in Bournemouth before she returned back home to Texas to study, was also there with her mother. And it was lovely that we were able to introduce ourselves to Garth Maclean, who is coming to Bournemouth in June to do a weekend for us.

I'm glad I went to experience the intensity and as time goes by and I reflect on what I can recall and truly feel, then getting together with my travelling companions to practice and share what we did, I know it has enriched me, and as my teacher Mary says “ you're never the same after you come back from Pune” As teachers, we were told to work cautiously with the students but courageously with ourselves.

So I'll end off by using and combining some of the words, phrases and sentiments Prashant uses when he starts his classes before the invocation, and hope that my few observations will encourage you to practice courageously.

“All of you, settle down, sit straight, close your eyes, bring your palms to the centre of your chest. Look for sanctity, honesty, sagacity, purity, acuity and sensitivity. Find the connection, the integration, the collective dynamic and community of your body, breath and mind. Then silently utter OM”

In January, RIMYI celebrated their 50th birthday in Pune, with an intensive programme for yogis who wished to attend. Some of our members attended, and they’ve shared their thoughts in this short series of articles. In this article, Giulia shares her impressions of the celebrations.

Written by Giulia Howard-Hole, Dorset Teacher

Image of — Busts of Smt. Ramamani and Guruji side-by-side in Pune

In early January this year I, together with friends, attended the 50 th Birthday Celebrations in Pune to acknowledge the establishment of the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute. It was my first Intensive. Although I had seen the schedule shortly prior to departing - mostly three sessions a day for two weeks - I’d not appreciated just how busy and packed those days would be, and consequently what a different experience it would be from my usual prior visits attending the Institute.

On a sunny morning the day after arrival, we went to RIMYI to register. The reception teams were warm and welcoming. The atmosphere felt different; you could almost sense a celebratory mood in the air. The event was held in a lovely hall on the top floor of the PYC Hindu Gymkhana, also the home of Pune’s cricket ground. The atmosphere on the first day, with people arriving, unpacking their equipment, finding themselves a place to put their mats down, was charged with an excitement and buzz amongst the 250 participants. A large contingent came from the UK. It was interesting meeting others from around the world, as well as seeing some familiar faces. We very quickly settled into a routine of classes, which ended each day with a welcome cup of chai or coffee and some Indian snacks, enabling us to mix and chat after the last class. The two weeks flew by with little time for anything else.

Abhijata, who welcomed us that first morning, explained that although the celebrations were not being held at RIMYI, they wished nonetheless to convey the spirit and ethos of the Institute. Various senior teachers would be teaching us for the duration of the Intensive. These were, Prashant, Abhijata, Raya, Navas, Sunita, and Srineet, a grandson of BKS Iyengar. She also acknowledged there was a big group of first-timers. For them, a few classes at RIMYI would also be held, to enable them to experience the atmosphere there.

Beth Perrior (Left) and Guilia Howard-Hole (Right) beside an image of Guruji

The classes varied, some slower paced, and others extremely fast. Numerous asanas were covered, with some more challenging than others. Emphasis was placed on the tradition and methodology of Iyengar teaching. We were regularly asked to study the set of large photos of BKS Iyengar on the walls, and Light on Yoga was frequently referred to. We were urged to not just do the poses we found easy or liked, but to explore other poses within the same ‘family’ group. We should not disregard/avoid more challenging asanas, but embrace them. Asanas such as Visvmamitrasana, or Supta Trivikramasana, to name just two, could all be broken down. It was important to at least attempt them in the early stages. Considering the range of age groups amongst the participants, from their twenties to eighties, and their corresponding abilities, allowances were made for everyone to work as well as they could. If the final stage of the asana was out of reach, you worked on the preparatory stages. There were several assistants - trainee Institute teachers - who were able to assist you if needed. It was important to try and explore what could be done, to challenge yourself. It was wonderful though, to see some excellent yoga practice in the hall.

There was much to learn in those full few days, which will take time to assimilate into my own practice, and eventually pass on. This two week Intensive was different from going for a month at a more leisurely pace, time for personal practice, and time for a teacher to observe classes, if desired. Personal time was much more limited, but even so, I was happy and grateful to have been able to immerse myself for two whole weeks in the practice of yoga.

I came away as always, with a sense of ‘getting back to base’, and of ‘being recharged’.