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

Riding on the waves

Occasionally, my husband of almost twenty-five years will tease me by declaring that I am never in the moment. I think to myself, “And who is the yogi here? And who is the yoga teacher?” But when I separate his words from my ego, I get their meaning and I have to admit, if only to myself, that at times my husband is right in some of those moments in time! I am always appreciative of him and especially for his nudges and encouragement to me to keep evolving. Practising being fully present requires diligence and commitment as does remaining consistent in one’s yoga practice. When life gets in the way it is all too easy to slip from these practices but as greater symmetry is developed between life both on and off the mat, mindfulness envelops us in most of what we do. And herein lies the inspiration to keep plodding along.

For weeks, I have been struggling to figure out what feels right to write for my blog. I have missed my connection with my students through my written words, and even with myself through the creative process of writing. For during this past year various demanding situations claimed my attention and absorbed my motivation for writing, even at times influencing my yoga practice. Each challenge seemed to touch my body mind and spirit and brought me head on into the present moment. It dawned on me that writing about what has challenged me, what has sustained me, and where I am right now would make the most sense as I would then be sharing from a place of truth and honest intentions.

After returning home from travelling to India with my daughter last summer, I discovered that I had become afflicted with various intestinal issues and parasites. It took several months and various courses of antibiotics before I regained my health. My yoga practice was compromised because my body simply knew that it wasn’t interested in nor capable of moving in intricate ways. Recognizing that to everything there is a season, patience and acceptance guided me during this time of modified practise. In addition to these physical challenges, my family of origin became immersed in a very emotional business transaction. This stressful situation took an incredible amount of energy and time while I was concurrently preparing over several months for my role as a chaperone on a Holocaust educational trip. This journey was very impactful and truly dominated heart and spirit. While in Poland and Israel this spring with 300 sixteen and seventeen year old teens and eleven Holocaust survivors, we visited cemeteries, ghettos, death camps and death facilities, memorials and mass graves in forests. This was a deeply disturbing and powerful experience. As a chaperone on the March of the Living, I was responsible for the participants while simultaneously living history and experiencing these horrors through my own eyes.

On my personal march through these various transformational experiences something was required in order to manage it all. That something was my yoga. Thirty-two years of devotion to yoga practice has formed a foundation for my life and supports me with what I need in order to feel a sense of well being, wholeness and joy even while coming up against a challenge. Many of the lessons learned and the skills honed over the years from yoga practice enabled me to successfully navigate through the turbulent waters I faced during the past year. For yoga has taught me how to remain present and centered for the ride and I am able to do this because my life and my yoga merge into a single path. When I am riding on the waves I move completely into the present moment. It is my belief that in ways well beyond my comprehension, I was also being asked during the past year to simply trust in the universe and to trust in the Truth.

Processing these recent impactful situations will take a long time. However, finding my passage onto the yoga mat and back to the keyboard feeling inspired and excited, it seems that my creativity is again being sparked. This makes me very happy for I have longed for stillness and solitude and presence in moments that are unbridled with external stressors. By tapping into an authentic and honest place, I can remain true to myself, listen and nurture my spirit and sit still for my creativity to surface. Thus, yoga, mindfulness and creativity are all practices that are inextricably bound to every aspect of my life and for this I am most grateful.

 

Temmi Ungerman Sears

August 4, 2014

 

“Remember, the door to the sanctuary is inside of you.”

- Rumi

The Value of Teaching Yoga to Children in our Western Culture

Having taught yoga to children for over fourteen years, I wish to share my perspective on the cultural differences that I have observed between students in India and Canada, as well as highlight some of the changes that I have witnessed over time. Just prior to launching the YogaBuds for Kids program in 1997, I began my mentorship with Geetaji in Pune, and have been most fortunate to have her guidance and blessing.

One of the earliest surprising discoveries was that the most frequently requested and favored pose was, and continues to be Savasana! Geetaji felt strongly that Savasana goes against children's nature, but ultimately I followed the children's guidance. Perhaps our over-programmed Canadian children's desire for Savasana indicates a need to learn relaxation skills, and this may reflect a cultural difference. At RIMYI, children's classes are taught in a very fast-paced, dynamic fashion. Though our children enjoy this, I have found that they respond equally well to a focused and slower class. Another difference is in the student-teacher relationship. In India, students demonstrate reverence towards their teacher, whereas on occasion, I have had to address a child's lack of respect and their attitude of entitlement.

Children are an absolute delight to teach albeit being a very challenging population to work with. Their infectious joy, love of movement and body, and their unlimited potential for change and growth result in wonderful experiences for all. The double blessings of being able to share yoga with these young students combined with being an intrinsic part of their maturation process is a true gift of teaching yoga to children. I am extremely gratified to have taught several children who have transitioned through the Children's' and Teen classes and have then become regular members of my adult classes!

The detrimental impact of technology on these young bodies has been evidenced in my students. Since initiating kids and teen classes, there has sadly been an increase of complaints of headaches, back and neck pain, from children as young as five years of age. I have observed tighter hamstrings, and less flexibility in general, and an increase in symptoms of generalized anxiety and psychosomatic issues. It is likely that the decrease of activity/mobility and the increase in hand-held devices (teens toting their Blackberries into class) have contributed to the worsened posture in young people. Thankfully, the yoga process addresses these concerns and many improvements are made over time.

It is my fervent hope that more children not only find their way to class but develop a lifelong commitment to yoga. It is only over time that the invaluable life skills, self-awareness, self-acceptance and self-management, improved posture and other transformational effects can be truly learned.

Note: to watch a recent Global TV news spotlight on Temmi's YogaBuds class, go to http://www.globaltoronto.com/video/index.html?releasePID=U7hHU7HpOUISPfHJYFKlfk_BPvTv4jBb

From Injury to Alignment, Winter 2010

At the end of a full week lived with my usual fast pace, I strained a muscle in my lower back. All plans for the day came to a halt and I immediately put myself into yoga postures as part of a specialized back recovery yoga practise that would help facilitate the healing. One of the stressors that contributed to my injury was visiting with my uncle the previous day, and observing his rapid loss of quality of life, descent into dementia and inability to get out of bed. Saddened by this and also focused on other family issues while managing all aspects of home life and work, my body was containing many intense feelings. I was primed for it to respond as it did. No matter that I have studied and practiced yoga for more than half of my life, my own vulnerability and susceptibility to stress still occasionally manifests itself in familiar yet painful ways.

I felt intense pain in my lumbar spine but knew that I would be able to ride through it over the course of a few days if I trusted the yoga therapy process. I needed to continue to honour the pain as my teacher in order to learn what I needed to at this time. Iyengar yoga is so powerful in all ways and especially in its therapeutic application. My friend, (not a yoga practitioner) dropped in just as I was working through the correct sequence of poses coupled with the necessary usage of props and adaptations, and was amazed at how I knew what to do for my injury, and at the yoga postures themselves.

Iyengar yoga is different from other systems of yoga in many ways. Though not everyone is drawn to this fantastic methodology developed over a lifetime of devotion and work by BKS Iyengar, it cannot be disputed that Iyengar yoga is a gem for everyone. There likely isn’t much that Mr. Iyengar’s brilliance hasn’t addressed and healed in over seventy-five years of experience. During my ordeal with pack pain, I was so gratified to have been taught how to work in an integrated way with limitations, injuries, conditions and pain. When I apply the potent therapeutic application of Iyengar yoga to work through my own issues, I am then more able to support the process of my students and clients. For this opportunity, to heal and to learn for myself and for others, I am most grateful.

The lesson is given to me, yet again, on how the body speaks out loud. It carries and conveys the stress, the emotions, and the challenges of our lives. Our inherent areas of weakness react. Listening to what my body has to say, and working with it, offers an opportunity for personal and professional transformation. As I listen and respond both intuitively and intellectually to the needs of my body, I offer it what it needs to heal through the specialized sequence of yoga postures, conscious breathing, and mindfulness. Again, I live my life in tandem with my yoga. After my injury, my practise was refined to meet the needs of the day. I simply adjust my practise, and apply my yoga in a way that is health promoting in order to bring my mind, body and spirit back into balance. As I work to realign my Self, I bring alignment to my life.

Celebrate yourself everyday...

During the past week we have felt that first bite in the air. The new sharp crispness combined with diminished daylight hours means that fall is upon us, and that the winter months will soon be here. Putting aside our sandals for boots, summer harvest for more dense root vegetables, and preparing to mentally and physically slow down and become more introspective in the coming months are some of the ways that the transition into fall occurs.

Whatever your pleasures are, assess which ones take precedence and try to ensure that these include healthful and wellness promoting activities. Put these on your "to-do" list. Tune into your heart, listen to its messages, and to your body (it sends you messages for what it needs to be in balance and to function well), and commit to self-nurturing activities every day. Occasionally, I am challenged when someone questions me on whether those fifteen-minute blocks of time for oneself can really make the difference. I invite you to make the commitment to create time for your Self each day by choosing something that really speaks to you - a small yoga practise, a walk in the fresh autumn air, sipping a cut of hot tea or coffee, or just simply relaxing. Discover how this commitment to taking care of yourself on a daily basis will transform your health and well being.