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I might not be keeping the order of what we do when, but we did these eye exercises to create an alert mind: eyebrows up, head level, and direct the eyes upward and open them wide.

I’ve been practicing that when I feel sleepy. Then we argued into eye exercises for glaucoma prevention.

We did standing twists, seated forward bends, and seated twists. The twists are a foreshadowing of backbends to come. Geeta has a lot to say and keeps us in the asana for a VERY long time. It’s almost humorous.

She has been talking of tapas throughout. Today she said, ‘get purity, little by little.’

She also has been meaning asking of svadhyaya, studying the self. Learn the Self.

Pranayama was interesting again. We took two blankets and made a thick roll and lay over it vertically. The head to the tailbone was up and the legs were off, extended out straight to make space in the abdomen and pelvis.
The roll was not even so I felt lopsided and that was distracting a bit. It was an exploration nonetheless.

I’ve been doing intermittent fasting. And keeping my meals simple, eating a lot of yellow dal and rice. (I have not had any fresh vegetables or fruit without a peel at all.)

However, I missed my food opportunity and after class I had to scurry to pick something up. When the Uber didn’t show, it was a low blood sugar moment. I finally finished my errand, and the traffic is so unbelievable. It took almost an hour and a half to go…not very far.

Words cannot really adequately describe the utter chaos of the cars, rickshaws, and the thousands of scooters. Nobody follows the lanes. It’s complete madness, but the Indians somehow seem to make it work. It’s just too difficult to get around which is a huge change from the last time I was here. Oh, and parents squish their child between them on these scooters to secure them.

One more day!

Geeta continues to be energetic, dynamic, and demanding. I have no problem with long inversions, which we continued on with.

She spent a bit of time with some neck and pelvic issues with some students on the platform, in both Asana and Pranayama.
We did open eyes seated Pranayama which was quite different and, of course, interesting. The practice REALLY made me use my mind’s eye even more than with the eyes closed. And we practiced Bhrameri Pranayama, the bumblebee breath, from different parts of our throat.

I asked the driver Gaude to come and take me into town. Using Uber here is, uh….third world.

They are everywhere, thankfully, but they don’t always get to the location! I had to cancel several. And the app will say, 3 minutes; then six minutes; then stay at six and never get any closer. Well, not to dwell on that. I am happy to be staying near the venue, in the end.

On my way back from class, I walked back quickly on my own to meet the driver; I was pondering the life of children in India. And I wasn’t paying attention, so I fell, flat on my face! I really hurt my knee. But alas, I picked myself up and continued on. I haven’t fallen since….the last time I was in India. I had tripped and fell off the curb that time. I wonder if that means anything in the Universe.

Here are a few photos of my journey into town.

So much happens in a day here it seems. I have been waking before 5 am, not optimal when you have a quiet place all to yourself for the first time in over ten years 🙂

When we entered the Hall, the middle of the room was cleared out and there were about sixty empty mats set up. We all had to fit around that. There was going to be a surprise (which I pretty much figured out). It was Sunday morning and in squirmed sixty kids from the children’s class at the Institute. They were adorable. So, we did the children’s class! We did jumpings, not traditional surya namaskar though there were some chatarangas in there. It was really fun and interesting. And I learned some things as well. I will continue to practice aspects of that sequencing. I am not taking notes, as I think I mentioned.  Thankfully so, because Geeta isn’t happy when she catches someone writing things down. But then it’s hard to remember what you did in the moment, right?

The kids left and we continued on with inversions. The instructions are clear. Different. Affirming. Challenging.

I feel gently asleep again during reclining Pranayama. Sitting Pranayama is much better than reclining for me right now.

As we get ready to sit and people are still getting into the room. Someone on the microphone always says, “settle down now.” I think it’s humorous to hear that being told to adults. But what it reminds me of are the skits from Saturday Night Live (from way back when), “Simmer down now”  Do any of your remember that? It must be from twenty years ago.

A couple of small observations: When we sit at the beginning for the ‘prayers’ – invocation, Geeta says bend your right leg and your left shin under the right.  Even I had to think about it.
And she was not happy when people didn’t get it. We all are sitting up on a lot of height. Four folded blankets. It’s not very comfortable for me. It bothers my left hip To be up so high. But I am working with it and trying to figure it out.

Also, in standing poses, ponder this: Turn your right leg out and your left foot in (to go the the right). Turn your right foot in and your left leg out (to go to the left).

The afternoon session has been for two days about Certification across the world. It’s been interesting, sort of.

Each day is a new day for the practice of Yoga. Clear your mind.

Greetings and Namaskar again!  Geeta taught today and she is as inspiring as ever.  She, as Prashant also did, discussed how they learned yoga. They watched their Father, they practiced, AND they listened to what he said and also listed to what he was trying to convey.

In those days, there were no books.  Guruji hadn’t written them yet!  And Geeta became interested in the Yoga Sutras, so she read, if I heard correctly, lectures that had been given on the Sutras.  What inspired her most were Yoga Sutras II.1-2:

II.1 tapah svadhyaya ishvara-pranidhana kriya-yogah
Yoga in the form of action (kriya yoga) has three parts:
1) burning effort to purify the body, mind, senses – tapas
2) self-study in the context of teachings (svadhyaya), and
3) devotion and letting go;  ishvara pranidhana.  This Kriya Yoga is the yoga of action and it begins with the body and asana.

II.2  samadhi bhavana arthah klesha tanu karanarthah cha
That Yoga of action (kriya yoga) is practiced to bring about samadhi and to minimize the colored thought patterns (kleshas).

Geeta discussed Samadhi, and in the most basic and thoughtful terms says it’s finding equilibrium – a balanced state of mind.

And it’s the kleshas! The kleshas which mush be brought under control. I have studied and written about the kleshas.  There are five kleshas –colorings of the mind.

Avidya, or ignorance about the true nature of things. All suffering stems from avidya.
Asmita, I-ness, individuality, or egoism (asmita),
Raga, attachment in the material world, to mental impressions or objects,
Dvesha, aversion to thought patterns or objects
Abinivesha, love of these as being life itself, as well as fear of their loss as being death.

And so, she talked a lot about Abinivesha, fear.  Fear in our practice, in our minds and bodies.  This came up later in Sirsasana, when she said students put their legs forward and buttocks out, which show fear. Fear of falling over. Fear.  I do see that in many of your Sirsasanas.

We did a variety of standing poses, working on the back leg hip; spreading our consciousness to the left and ride side, to spread awareness.

She is strong in her words and very witty.

Besides the wonderful morning of class with Geeta, I met up with an long time friend.  I had stayed in the early days in a flat next to the Institute, owned by a long time Pune family. Vinod, the owner, has been a good friend. He came and we went into town. As I have said, traffic is bad and parking is even more difficult. He wanted to go to a rooftop restaurant, but I said that wouldn’t work with the pollution.  He says, Indians know their lives might be short with the circumstances they live, but they live life to the fullest while here on Earth.

So, we started at was in essence a brew pub!  They were playing Dire Straits and Led Zeppelin.   How amusing to be among locals with such an American essence in this restaurant.  We then went to dinner and had some wonderful ‘veg’ food.

Again, more later!

The group shot is from a student from another country that I am sharing.  Also, I was invited to be part of the California teacher photo. I was pleased to be included.  Gotta go!