Out of Darkness comes Light - A Tribute to B.K.S. Iyengar

Highly creative and charismatic individuals with an abundance  of energy and intensity, both Robin Williams and B.K.S. Iyengar created light and touched the lives of millions. They were geniuses, highly innovative and gifted. Academy Award nods and a Nobel Peace Prize nomination, both men will undoubtedly have their art influence future generations. Sadly, Williams succumbed to the darkness but Iyengar, until his last breath on August 20, continued to be the distiller of the darkness.

B.K.S. Iyengar, or Guruji as he is affectionately called by many, has taken his final journey. In the days following his death, and on the anniversary of my 30th year since I first discovered Iyengar yoga, I am inspired to reflect on Guruji’s role in my yoga journey. I feel incredibly blessed because in addition to all that I have learned from him, Guruji has shined his light directly upon me in the past year. Today is celebratory in nature for it marks the termination of the traditional 13 days of mourning after Guruji’s death and signifies when the soul is to be liberated. I celebrate and commemorate his tremendous contributions to the world with my sentiments, memories and words.

In 1993 when my son was eight months old, I left him all day for the first time in order to attend the Iyengar conference at Glendon College in Toronto. I was finally to encounter the 74 year old man whose work had been so impactful on my life for the past ten years. Watching Guruji take command of the room and hearing his first instructions, I was simply in awe of his prowess. When Guruji asked for someone to demonstrate Sirsasana, or Headstand, I was standing right in front of him and volunteered. He nodded and I went up into Sirsasana. Guruji gave a few instructions and then placed his thumbs deeply into my ears. I felt the intense pressure of his thumbs pressing inward and then firmly pulling and lifting upwards. He intoned strongly, “If you don’t learn to do this pose from inner intelligence and not just from physical strength, you will have trouble with your ears.”

Twenty-one years later, I continue to feel the indelible imprint of his thumbs. When I practice Sirsasana, I often recall his touch and sharp words and try to understand and implement his message. Guruji’s insight was profound because over time I actually developed tinnitus and a hearing loss. Guruji’s intention for his students is to reside in our inner knowing. I continually strive to develop greater intelligence in my body and I try to guide my students to develop this as well.

In 1997 I had the good fortune of studying at the Iyengar Yoga Institute in Pune, India for the first time with B.K.S. Iyengar, his daughter Geeta and son Prashant in the 3-week Canadian Teachers Intensive. This was the last Intensive that they would teach together. As I prepared for the trip, weaning my youngest child was a poignant part of my pending separation. But when the students arrived on our first afternoon and chanted om together, I experienced shivers of excitement and tears of gratitude for being in India at this time. During the teaching of backbends in the middle of the Intensive, Guruji demonstrated on me several times. Like the lasting impression of his thumbs in my ears, I have retained the memory of his slap on my outer thigh and hear his compelling instruction: “This is dead! Wake it up!” Guruji’s vision, his words, his touch, his presence … they were of a magnetism and sleight of hand that is difficult to comprehend. During this trip to India I also took the initiative and asked to meet with Geeta. She agreed and generously gave me an hour of her time, mentoring me to become the first Iyengar yoga teacher to formalize and help spread children’s yoga in Canada. My gratitude to her for this is immeasurable.

I returned to the Institute to study with the Iyengar family on four more occasions, each time leaving my three young children to embark on another important leg of my yoga journey. On one of my latter trips to Pune, as I was going up the stairs to the Hall I crossed paths with Guruji on his way down. I immediately moved over to the side to let him pass and he paused to thank me. I replied, “No, Sir, I thank you!" I then began to express my appreciation for all that he has given and describe  how deeply he has impacted the lives of my children, my students and myself. I told him how grateful I felt and he thanked me again. In that narrow stairwell, we shared a smile and a simple, warm and genuine exchange.

As I became more experienced in my teaching, I began to assist in daily Medical classes at the Institute. In June 2013 I was asked to work with an American woman who presented with multiple issues. When Guruji commandeered Medical class twice weekly, he also gave this student a lot of his attention and I was most fortunate to assist him in his work with her. In addition to getting the props that he requested and helping to set her up in the asanas or postures correctly, Guruji would also instruct me on how to physically adjust her. I felt incredibly privileged to be guided by Guruji in this very important work.

I had also reached out to Guruji during this visit seeking his support regarding a challenging part of my journey. One afternoon his secretary Pandu informed me that Guruji would meet with me the next day at 5 p.m. I was nervous and humbled. In sharing my truth with him, he responded to me as my Teacher. I am not sure why he chose to give me his attention but Guruji was compassionate towards me during my time of need. Perhaps he recognized my devotion or potential and wanted to help bring light to the darkness that I was experiencing. I am most fortunate to have been touched by this connection.

One year later, just two months before his passing, I was again blessed when Gurujji replied to a letter that I had recently sent him. In his letter he provided me with more  feedback to implement in my practice and he expressed his stated intention for me with these words: “so that the integration of the mind in each and every part of the body is expressed.” Guruji asked me to work hard for a year and then to reconnect with him. He also instructed one of his most senior teachers in the world to help me to continue to develop my practice and gave her specific directives. The tone of his letter was stern and critical, written in his brutally honest manner. Because of ego, it was initially challenging to read and hard to accept it as the gift that it was. Guruji signed off “With love and affection.” This both surprised and pleased me. I came to appreciate that this guiding light was continuing to direct me towards my inner light and by helping me to remove the darkness of ignorance, B.K.S. Iyengar was truly my guru. Sadly I will no longer be able to communicate with him; however, the higher intention that he has held for me (and for all of his students) will guide my inward journey and his light will continue to shine brightly for all.

I have had the privilege to say that I have studied with B.K.S. Iyengar, to be able to call myself his student and to have assisted him directly in Medical classes. I celebrate my relationship with him and his caring for me so near the end of his life. I was not among the first wave of his teachers in the Seventies nor was I a root of the Iyengar tradition in Canada. But I am a strong limb in the continuance of this incredible lineage, and an active part of the evolving vibrant living legacy of yoga, of Guruji’s work.

It is with great reverence and humility that I pay tribute to this prodigious visionary who taught us that yoga doesn’t just change us but transforms us. One way that I can express my gratitude for the many gifts that I have received from Guruji is to continue to embrace the privilege of being a part of someone else’s transformation process and to help their process of transformation as it has helped me. I pay homage to Guruji with my unceasing commitment to disseminate his profound teachings, to guide my students towards their discovery of the true essence of yoga and to spread the light.

“Yoga does not just change the way we see things, it transforms the person who sees." - BKS Iyengar, Light on Life

The Art of Finding Balance and Unity in Everyday Life

The first instruction children hear when learning to cross the street is “Stop, look both ways and wait until the road is clear.” However, if children in India listened to this advice they would grow old waiting to cross! There is an order to the endless flow of traffic (cars, scooters, rickshaws, bikes, cows, buffaloes, goats and people) that ensures safety. Once one has started to cross, one must keep going and crossing on the diagonal seems to work best! Indeed, there is a balance underlying the chaos.

My time in India continues to be filled with several hours of yoga each day - in class, one learns and thinks while during practise, one studies and feels. The yoga process is about evolving consciousness and here in India, learning to mitigate the contrast between my inner world and the outer world is a part of the learning experience. The quietude of the mind, the stilling of consciousness and the intense inward focus one strives to maintain during practise enables one to penetrate deeply inward and block external distractions in spite of the ongoing honking, birds or voices that came be heard through the open windows of the pavilion. Thankfully, yoga has taught me how to access my center so that I am better able to merge my inner world with the outer one without losing my balance or stability regardless of the intensity of the situation at hand. My center is like the fulcrum of the teeter-totter.

Studying here at the source of yoga, and with the source of Iyengar yoga is a double blessing. While assisting in daily Medical classes, Mr. Iyengar has had his eye on the woman that I have been working with this month. He has been designing sequences for her and I have been actively involved in implementing these sequences including his prop setups and verbal instructions. During Medical class, poses are fully supported with multiple props and many of the therapeutic postures are restorative ones. Although there is a bustle in the Hall filled with dozens of patients and teachers, there is also a sacred quiet focus. Stepping out onto the street afterwards, one experiences an immediate sensory overload of the never-ending cacophony and constant motion. The 6 p.m. rush hour after Medical class is such a contrast to the inner sanctum of the Institute. And again, yoga’s lessons on how to remain calm and contained even in these contrasting moments of extreme intensity are applied and appreciated! Yoga, or Yug, means unity. Without the valuable lessons of yoga which include being able to experience unity of mind and body, walking down the main street at this hour would likely result in a very jarring effect on the nervous system. This balance is the baseline upon which I walk.

When the desperately needed monsoons arrived ten days ago, a driving relentless rain persisted for four days straight! My daughter and I were walking through a local market called Lakshmi Road when the rains came and we were caught in it, unprepared. Finding a store to purchase a rain slicker for her we stood four layers deep with people doing the same thing. Unable to find a rickshaw to take us home later that evening and laughingly trekking through what seemed like small lakes instead of streets, we were caught up in the energy of the monsoons. Lying awake that first night listening to the rains, walking around with wet clothes and wet feet (and with a broken umbrella to which I have since become very attached), and hearing words of gratitude spoken by many local people for the arrival of the monsoons fully awakened me to how very precious water is for the billion people of India. It also served as a strong reminder to appreciate our blessing of the abundance of fresh water available in Canada. With the arrival of the monsoons, I again noted extremes, and the balance to the inhospitable dry hot climate that had prevailed for so long.

Over the past several years, I have casually studied the science of Ayurveda medicine. My friend Sonali, a very accomplished Ayurvedic doctor in Pune, gives me treatments when I am visiting. Ayurveda has been practiced in India for at least 5, 000 years and is a form of alternative medicine – it is the oldest surviving whole body system of healing and health. Ayurveda seeks to prevent and treat illness by maintaining balance in the body, mind and consciousness using a comprehensive holisitic approach that emphasizes diet, lifestyle, yoga, meditation, massage and herbal remedies. Because of the importance of balance and promoting positive health, the universal principals and practices of Ayurveda holds great appeal for me. It is also the other side of the yoga coin.

A few years ago I had a very interesting conversation with a family member who did not agree that balance was attainable. However, it is my belief that by embracing the Eight-fold Path of yoga and by implementing Ayurvedic practices, the possibility of successfully creating a state of balance on a day-to-day basis is within reach. During the past few years, I have had to navigate difficult challenges including various hospitalizations of three different family members, and a very disturbing experience with a professional association. But by practicing yoga and utilizing Ayurvedic principles, I was better equipped to access inner strength and maintain my stability while managing these life hurdles. Studying yoga in India, while it nurtures my passion, solidifies my commitment, and deepens my understanding, it also enables me to restore and rejuvenate my mind body and spirit. In my ongoing quest for integration and balance, I continue to learn how to trust in the universe and experience the interwoven fabric of reality.

Temporarily pausing normal routines and responsibilities requires support and resources and spending time studying in a foreign country is a veritable treat to be savored. Learning the valuable lessons of how to merge our inner world with the outer one, identifying personal imbalances and symptoms in order to take care of one’s needs and promote positive health, and recognizing the underlying balance to everything, need not only occur when visiting a foreign land. Attempting to maintain one’s awareness of the yug, or unity of all things is an ongoing process regardless of where one is. But travel is an exercise in mindfulness training and provides a way of shifting perspectives with open eyes and an open heart. With new eyes that are wide open we are able to find or rekindle a balanced way of moving through our days and of observing the unity that exists everywhere.

When I return home I will no longer be wearing my travel lens but I will continue my efforts to maintain the perspectives that India has helped me to have. Undoubtedly many things will arise that will require balancing, including my own state of being. Starting the day with a very mindful sip of coffee and returning over and over again throughout the day to this kind of quiet and appreciative focus and presence – be it on my mat, in my creative pursuits, or in my interactions with others - will continue to be very important. Engaging in the simple practise of being mindful during my daily activities and practices combined with maintaining my intention to evolve consciousness and health will help me to create and experience unity and balance in everyday life – yoga, both on and off the mat.

Temmi Ungerman Sears

June 27, 2013

“Pilgrim, pilgrimage, and road – it was but myself toward my Self,

and your arrival was but myself at my own door.”

-Rumi

In the Spirit of the Times

Arriving back in India last week and stepping out of the airport at 3 a.m., the heat, smells, sights and sounds were strikingly familiar although it had been a few years since my last trip to the Iyengar Yoga Institute to study. As the taxi left the Mumbai airport for Pune, the necessary combination of the patience of a saint, a good sense of humor and just the right amount of assertiveness was soon required. First stop, air for the tire. Second stop, pulled over by three policemen hoping to find a reason for baksheesh (a tip). The last stop en route was at a checkpoint where we were held for having “invalid papers” during which time at least eight men gathered around to discuss the situation. After a total of 27 hours of travel, I finally arrived in Pune, and unpacked in my rented apartment only to discover that the electricity is shut off all day on Thursdays. No ceiling fan but LOL, I was back!

India is a total experience. It is an assault on the senses, and is colorful, diverse, crowded and magnificent. It is a land of contrasts from the squalid to the luxurious. Colorful and fragrant flower offerings are for sale on every corner (instead of our Starbucks) and these are created daily to be offered to the plethora of deities that are worshiped and revered in India. In addition to the many gods and goddesses, intricate images and sculptures, sacred texts, the diversity of religious denominations and the ritual of puja, there are of course, the holy cows that roam the streets.

In a place where spirituality is infused in daily life, and where tradition underlies everything, I was immediately struck by how much has changed here yet how little has changed as well. The last time I had seen BKS Iyengar he was still in his eighties and now he is 94. Although his appearance has changed, he continues to practice a wide range of poses including advanced backbends and inversions. His postures are fully supported with props and he holds them for long durations. I feast my eyes upon him during the practise sessions and I am intrigued, inspired and humbled by this man, a veritable genius in our time.

Assisting in the Medical Class, I feel honored to be able to help facilitate healing in others and to also observe BKS Iyengar working the room as if at a party. He is like an athlete in the zone, flowing from one person to the next, fully present. One minute “The Lion of Pune” is barking a command or pressing with such force on someone and in the next moment, he is bending down to kiss a young girl all the while leaving his indelible mark as he touches with pure brilliance.

Herein lies the mystique and transformative power of yoga. BKS Iyengar has made yoga accessible to the world and while the practise is bound in tradition, it is also constantly evolving. As I observe him practicing or teaching, I glance up to look at the hundreds of photos that adorn the walls of the Institute and I am transported across the lifespan of his practise. Change is truly the constant.

There is more traffic in Pune and available rickshaws are harder to find. I used to visit the Internet café in order to stay connected with home. Now I have Wifi. The rickshaw driver pulls out his cell phone. Walking to the vegetable market to select my produce sill holds an allure but there is now a “supermarket” in the new Pune Central department store just minutes from the Institute. However, staying true to tradition, each day I still buy the un-pasteurized “cow milk” (to be differentiated from the available buffalo milk) and boil it for my morning coffee. This has been something that I have enjoyed doing during every trip I have made to study here. Boiling the milk and using a percolator on the stove takes time and slowing down is a part of the learning for me here. I don’t want to give up this simple ritual. The coffee also tastes better.

Within Sacred India, many changes have arisen including technology, the emerging middle class, and the more common style of western clothing. Yet there remains an incredible sensory experience. Constant noise and movement threaten to overwhelm the visitor but the bombardment is offset by choosing to focus on the surrounding beauty including the rich jeweled colors of the saris, the sweet smell of the jasmine, the deep chants of the religious, the lyrical songs of the birds, the intense flavors of the food.

It is a privilege to return to India to study yoga at the source. I am grateful that the universe has at this time supported this experience for I am once again blessed to learn from the living masters of our time. As I open myself to all that this incredible country offers and in particular, the rich teachings of the Iyengars, I simultaneously open to my yoga practise. And change is what permeates both my inner and outer worlds. And just like India, where tradition underlies the changes, the constancy or ritual of daily practise provides for the ongoing process of change for the yoga practitioner. As I embark on this new-old journey, I reflect on the many changes that have occurred during my thirty-year yoga history and ponder what new changes will undoubtedly unfold.

Namaste,

Temmi

June 6, 2013

“I’m living in the moment, I’m living my life

Easy and breezy, with peace in my mind

Peace in my heart, with peace in my soul

Wherever I’m going, I’m already home”

Jason Mraz from his new album, “Love is a four letter word”