Yoga Experience at the ISCKON Center - Sarah Luchini

Yoga Experience at the ISCKON Center - Sarah Luchini

At first sight of the ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Center of Boston, I noticed two things: A message on the outdoor sign that read, “All Are Welcome” and an abundant pile of vacant shoes sitting upon the doorstep. Venturing inside, I found even more shoes scattered around, some neatly aligned against the darkly varnished walls of the small entryway, some thrown about in a chaotic manner. Surprisingly, a large percentage of the shoes were small and clearly those of little children. I would later come to realize that this intimate cluster of shoes – a seemingly small detail within such a beautiful center – enveloped all that I would come to feel for this peaceful and welcoming place.

With limited prior knowledge of this center, I was not aware that it was custom to remove one’s shoes before entering, but I did so, assuming as much from the shoe pile. When I entered, I was greeted with a complete frenzy of vibrant and lively energy, coming from people of all ages. Children were running all about, playfully bumping into anyone who might get in their way, giving me the impression that perhaps the children of this center were not just those of his or hers mother or father, but those of all the devotees. The strong sense of family and love and trust was thus present right from the beginning.

As I made my way through the entry hall, I noticed the high walls lined with several pictures of whom I could only assume was the center’s Acarya, or founder, “His Divine Grace” A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. At this point in my visit, I had very little idea of how important this man was in establishing the center, as well as in propagating knowledge and “[teaching] the science of Krishna consciousness throughout the English-speaking world.” (ISKCON brochure)

Getting more a solidified feel for the center, I found that the demographic of devotes seemed fairly diverse. Although I felt slightly ostracized due to my clearly Western heritage among so many that were of Indian decent, their welcoming smiles and kind faces made me feel much more at ease in the unfamiliar place. The clothing worn by the devotees was also an interesting aspect of my experience, as well as added to the diversity of the center as a whole. Some of the attendees wore plain street clothes, while others adorned the traditional Indian clothing. For the most part, it was the masters who wore only the traditional clothing, while some of the devotees wore a mixture of street clothes and the traditional kurta, pajama, and dhoti. In addition, the majority of all attendees also had a cream-colored painted emblem upon their nose bridge. There seemed to be a fairly even spread of middle-class citizens in attendance, and all seemed comfortable in their surroundings and with one another.

Because I did not yet feel comfortable exploring on my own and had some questions I wanted answered, I found ease with a smiling woman sitting at an informal desk heaped with brochures. She promptly offered me a stack of Lord Krishna prints, and when I, without thinking, asked if they were for sale, she looked both angered and confused, and shook her head. “No, no, just take!”

This interaction was a key turning point in my experience. I realized then that I had become so accustomed to our contemporary capitalist society and had forgotten the simplicity within a small gesture of generosity. This realization became just one of the many things I learned from attending the ISKCON Center – some about myself, some about the world of yoga and how it is presented in America.

Although I did not find much visual information regarding the history of the center, its website and brochure includes a great deal of information. According to the website, the center (currently also known as New Gundica Dharma) was one of the most prominent temples in the first years of the Hare Krishna movement. Upon voyaging to the Western world, Srila Prabhupada (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada) is said to have “first set his lotus feet on Western soil” (ISKCON website) on Boston’s Commonwealth Pier in 1965, when he was 69 years of age. Here, he composed his prayer “Markine Bhagavat Dharma,” which “[entreated] Lord Krishna for the deliverance of the western countries” (ISKON).

Srila Prabhupada spent many prosperous years in Boston, performing the first Brahmanical initiations for ISKCON and all western men and women, as well as establishing his original printing press for distribution of his transcendental literature. Srila Prabhupada’s goal was to fulfill his spiritual master’s longing to spread the teachings of Krishna consciousness throughout the Western world, which, to this day, remains one of the purposes of ISKCON. During the twelve years Srila Prabhupada spent in America before passing away in 1977, he published over seventy volumes of Sanskrit translation and commentary on India’s ancient Vedic texts. One such volume of commentary was the Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Srila Prabhupada’s perspective on the Gita, a sacred Hindu scripture that is considered one of the most important texts in the history of literature ad philosophy (Bhagavad-vita). Bhagavad Gita As It Is became the principle text for the Hare Krishna movement, and so, the principle text for ISKCON.

In addition to his other accomplishments, Srila Prabhupada also toured the world fourteen times in his last years, establishing over one hundred temples, schools, and farms. He became the focus of more than 40,000 disciples. Although Srila Prabhupada has not been a part of this physical world for over thirty years now, his disciples and members of ISKCON continue to work toward his original mission. According to the brochure, ISKCON now consists of more than 400 centers and has distributed more than 400 million of Srila Prabhupada’s books in over seventy languages.

I found ISKCON’s mission to be very clear – to spread Krishna consciousness throughout the greater Boston area, as well as providing spiritual strength and inspiration to its members. As the brochure entails, one of ISKCON’S purposes is “educating all people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life,” and to achieve “real unity and peace in the world.” Another mission of ISKCON is to unify all its members together with the “prime entity” Krishna, and thus develop the notion within the “members of humanity at large that each soul is part and parcel of the quality of Godhead (Krishna).” Thirdly, the center is committed to teaching and encouraging Samkirtana, a movement involving congregational chanting of the holy names of God, as revealed in the teachings of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Samkirtana, or Kirtan, which is Sanskrit for “to repeat,” is a call-and-response method of chanting performed in many of India’s devotional traditions. It is one of India’s many yogic traditions that has traveled to the United States and adopted in many Western yoga practices. The person performing the chants is commonly known as a Kirtankar. The practice involves chanting hymns or mantras, which in the case of the ISKCON Center would be the Hare Krishna mantra, or the Maha Mantra (“Great Mantra”). This is a sixteen-word Vaishnava mantra that is intended to bring him or herself closer to Krishna consciousness or unity. It also envelops their desire to bring one another closer together “for the purpose of teaching a simpler and more natural way of life.” (Brochure) Because the Hare Krishna’s also follow a Karma-yoga philosophy, they believe we are all pleasure-seekers, and that we are all indirectly or directly seeking Krishna; therefore, by chanting the mantra, it brings us closer to Krishna. The mantra goes as follows:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare

Despite having limited prior knowledge of this mantra due to my research before attending the ISKCON Center, the academic aspect does little justice to actually experiencing a roomful of masters and devotees chanting it. When I entered the Temple Room after being summoned downstairs by the sound of a soft horn (I had been checking out the small library within the lounge), it was filled with joyous devotees, smiling and dancing to the chanting and instrumental accompaniment. I tried, but I could not completely lose myself in the mantras. However, to close my eyes and take in the scent of burning incense and the sound of such a harmonious repetition of words was altogether a beautiful experience, one that I will remember always. As the center’s outdoor sign states, “Chant and be happy.”

Unlike other yoga theories, such as Swami Muktibodhananha’s commentary, under the guidance of Swami Satyanandra Saraswati, in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, which states that the “body, mind, and spirit are not three, they are one,”

(Pradipika 9) the Hare Krishnas believe that the body is a “temporal materialization of the permanent soul.” (Chronicle) However, like the Hatha Yoga theory, the Hare Krishnas emphasize clean living and purifying the body. This is clearly at the forefront of ISKCON’s beliefs, for their bi-weekly feast is purely vegetarian and devouring meat is more or less considered sinful. They believe heavily in “going green,” so much that one of the main slogans on their website states, “Go Veg, Go Green.”

This is one connection to the rest of modern day culture, for within recent years, environmental awareness has been brought to so people’s attention it equates that of any modern day trend. Hopefully, however, this ‘trend’ will not falter.

All in all, what I stated in the beginning still holds true: all that I learned from this experience comes down to that intimate pile of shoes. At first sight, I knew it was going to be a place of comfort and hospitality, as well as a purely beautiful, welcoming environment. Some of the devotees were like the neatly arranged shoes, full of seriousness, purpose and devotion, while others were like the chaotically thrown about sneakers, brimming with energy and life and joy. Neither was better than the other, and only the two together could build such a pile.

WORKS CITED:

http://www.bhagavad-gita.org/

http://dukechronicle.com/ (online article)

http://www.iskconboston.org/

Hatha Yoga Pradipika by Swami Muktibodhananha

ISKCON Center of Boston Brochure/Catalog

Feeling of Home

The question of where home is has obsessed many people because on one hand home can be the physical house of the place where one grew up in. It can also be wherever one’s immediate family is. For me, for a long time, I believed that home is wherever my family is. However, when I finished high-school, I had six months of summer vacation and joined the army because it is mandatory in my country. I realized that home for me is the state of mind of feeling home.
What I experienced in the army cannot be put into a short essay of 5 – 7 pages because the amount of transformations that I went through then and the frequency of them, was too much. Sometimes I wanted the sun to stop shining on a new day. I wanted to slow down the pace of my life, so I could understand more, but this was out of my control. I was a number. Later, I came to be a leader of other soldiers (numbers), and I saw my role as a mission. I tried to always show my soldiers that I cared about them and that they had a shoulder to lean on for a while and an ear to listen to their lives stories.
The experience of the army helped me to realize, that I can do what I always dreamed of but was afraid of trying: leaving my family in order to study in the U.S. I’ve been in the States so far almost four years. It is not that there are no bad times and no huge feeling of homesickness, but mostly I feel satisfied with what and where I am and this is when I’m feeling at home.
From the beginning of this project, when we discussed venues, I thought about going to the Baron Baptiste’s Power Yoga center that is in Porter Square, but I was nervous about it. I was afraid that I would fall short of all the fit people there. For my surprise, it was quite the other way around.
I went to Baptiste’s Power Yoga on Saturday October 16th dressed as if I was going for a run – long sweat pants, undershirt, and sneakers. I called the day before and said that I was a student at Lesley University and part of my Yoga class was to come and experience yoga. The receptionist of the place was very welcoming and directed me on what to bring with me for tomorrow’s class and asked me to come few minutes earlier in order to fill a form and have a tour at the place. As soon as I arrived there, I saw a lot of people inside who were relaxed. No one looked in a rush to get out. The receptionist noticed me and assisted me with the payment and the form. An instructor came and gave me a tour. She also took me into the studio and helped me to settle in my spot.
The class started on time. They were people there of all ages, shapes, and ethnicities. I did not notice anybody out of the normal – no super fit or unfit people. I felt just like at home where I can be whatever I am without guarding.
The Cambridge Studio is one of the main studios for the practice of Baptiste’s Power Yoga which was first established by Baron’s father Walt at the year of 1955. Walt opened the first center for yoga of this style in San Francisco, California.
“More so than any other form of health and fitness, yoga practice is all about our transformation and our life stories” (http://www.baronbaptiste.com/pages/baron.htm). This is the reason for why I started the essay with the story of my early adulthood life. Walt Baptiste’s life was also focused on what he had as a goal for himself and the path he took to accomplish it. Walt was born to parents who recognized their son’s gift of education (or sharing as they called it) and supported him by providing him with his first studio space at their house. It was very modest there were only two rooms to have the students come there. From the age of fifteen to the age of twenty-six, Walt kept teaching others about the importance of maintaining a healthy body by practicing his technique of teaching.
“He [Walt] was among the first to promote a holistic type of Yoga in the United States, viewing it as a superb practice for ‘the purposeful evolution of consciouness’” (http://www.baronbaptiste.com/pages/famhist.htm). Walt received the title of Mr. America in 1949 and this reinforced for his students that he knew what he was talking about and that they should go in his path. Walt did not care about the body only, but he focused on the mind as well. Swami Muktihodhanada writes about this in his book ¬Hatha Yoga Pradipika, “the basis of this body is divine, and therefore, through the practices of yoga, a process of transmutation of the physical elements of the body into non-physical elements takes place” (9). The practice of the body is something that can bring results by itself, but adding yoga on top of it brought results that were considered impossible or unknown before.
Walt and his wife Magana expanded their family size with three children. The Son, Baron is the creator of Baron Baptiste’s Power Yoga which continues his father’s foot-steps. Baron is a world- known yoga instructor, whose expertise is athletes. It was not always the case that Yoga welcomed everybody. “In the early 1930s, Yoga was by and large still treated as an esoteric tradition requiring initiation and membership in a society. Walt opened the doors for everyone and has likely introduced over one hundred thousand people to Yoga” (http://www.baronbaptiste.com/pages/famhist.htm). Like, his father, Baron also introduced a diverse group of people to the yoga practices and now every year he has yoga boot camps according to his technique. In those camps, as he says in a short video that is on his web site (http://www.baronbaptiste.com/pages/boot.htm), he is trying to always make people think after they do yoga because yoga is not only physical form, but it is also a very mental exercise for them. J Krishnamurti writes about this mind clarity in his book This Light in Oneself- True Meditation, “to mediate is really important, because a mind that is merely mechanical, as thought is, can never come upon that which is total, supreme order, and therefore complete freedom” (p. 26). This was the reason why I wanted the time on the watch to stop ticking when I was in the army. I felt that I was disordered in my life. It all changed every time that I reminded myself that this period of the army and what I was doing was not about me or for me, but it was about my country and what I could give and do for it. My way of meditating during the army was listening to people who had just joined the army and were still confused about where they are and how they should behave. I reshaped these individuals with maintaining their personality, which is something very important in yoga.
There are all kind of yoga practices and gurus. One can choose from a wide variety of options that are out there in the market. The yoga culture is even getting larger every day. So how one could know that he reaches the type of yoga that is right for him or her? Everyone has to put for themselves the same goal at the end of the yoga practice which is to get into the stage that this individual has” become free of all desires that prey upon the mind, and who is content and at peace. When unpleasant things do not disturb, nor pleasures beguile, when craving, fear, and anger have left, such a one is a sage of steady wisdom,” (9) writes Ravi Ravindra in his book, the spiritual roots og yoga – royal path to freedom. This should be our daily goal for practicing yoga. For me, the goal is to feel this way longer every-day because I am just a beginner in terms of practicing yoga and I think that every person should not think of yoga as a one time amazing experience, but rather, a process that if one focused on it, he or she can achieve this goal for lifetime.
Yoga is all about how the self feels within the person that experiences life. One does not need to have money, property, or any other artificial subject in order to experience yoga. All what one needs to have in order to experience yoga, is the ability to quite his or her mind and listen to the unheard before, and this is the greatness that is in Yoga.

Feeling of Home

Liz Shear's Yoga Experience

Elizabeth Shear

Yoga: Theory, Culture, and Practice

10/18/2010

Soni Yoga

As I walked through the back door and only entrance of the small studio, I’m hit with welcoming warmth, and the scent of incense. An older woman greets me at the desk in a pink fluffy North Face jacket. After singing in a getting settled with my “tools” I took a gander around the classroom. There were only five of us, and an obvious wide range of age and ability. There was one woman propped up against the wall with an assortment of pillows who I would soon learn is to some extent physically disabled. She moved through the poses in the “gentle hatha” class a bit slower than the rest of us, but with the same determination. The instructor both encouraged and assisted in her effort. After my initial experience I was left with mixed emotions, but it wasn’t long before I realized I had stumbled upon something special.

The “gentle hatha” class was not particularly challenging, but I didn’t expect it to be, as that was how it was advertised on Soni Yoga’s website. The instructor, Jackie, was a very sweet older woman, but it was apparent that her experience was limited. The poses seemed chopped together and she read them from a small piece of paper she kept on her mat. I would later learn that she is still taking classes with the studio’s owner, Soni, and will be graduating within the coming weeks. A particular instance that sums up the experience pretty well was when while seated in shavasana (Muktibodhananda, p. 98), she instructed the class to roll our necks around and around, an exercise which she has coined, “snap-crackle-pop asana.” Though entertaining and sweet, it was not the experience I was hoping for. As I was leaving class I stopped to talk to her about getting in touch with the owner. She told me I had to take her Sunday morning class in order to understand what Soni was all about, and so I did.

As I entered the studio filled with people, it felt like a different place. Everyone was stretching, meditating in shavasana or talking with Soni, a bubbly Indian woman dressed in flowing white garments. The room carried and energy and excitement that wasn’t present in the class I had taken on Thursday. Before class begins a woman walks around with a box of tissues and advises everyone to blow their nose before we begin in order to prepare for the pranayama (Muktibodhananda, p.149) practice.

Soni begins the class will a welcoming smile, asking everyone how he or she feels. She asks who is tired, and when half the class raises their hands, she assures us that this time will pass. She explains that in the fall, we fall. We are not as sharp as we are in warmer months of the year, but not to worry, everyone else is going through the same thing, so no one will even notice its happening. She advises everyone to start eating warm foods and trade in their cold foods like ice cream, and granola for soups, cinnamon and cloves. This attention to a practice as important to bodily health as the exercise we are about to engage in was a surprising but welcome addition to the class.

As everyone entered sukhasana (Muktibodhananda, p. 630) Soni led the class in a chant. We then begin a practice of Vatakrama Kapalbhati (Muktibodhananda, p. 221), which is rapid and forceful breathing, with emphasis on the exhalation. She lightly explained the idea that this exercise would balance the prana, or positive energy force, within our bodies by cleansing us of negative toxins. After the breathing exercises we began moving from one asana to the next. There was no rush between poses, in fact quite the opposite. I have had the experience before where moving between asanas felt like a race, I fell behind, and therefore felt like I was someone less competent than the rest of the class. This was certainly not that experience. As I had observed in my pervious class Soni Yoga welcomes all people of all abilities and experience. Soni later told me that even teachers who take her beginner class each week could learn something. Everyone must find ease within each pose, whether it is the simplest or most advanced version, everyone must find ease.

Soni walked around the room and helped everyone get into the correct form. She also told the class what part of their body was being focused on, and the benefits of the exercise—all the while concentrating on the breath. Breath is the life force, without it we would not exist. In each pose, when she began noticing a struggle she would remind the class to “come back to your breath.” She reminded everyone that you always have your breath to come back to, no matter how stressful your life becomes, you have your breath, and you know it can bring you back to peace and balance.

Peace and balance seem to be the foundation on which Soni Yoga stands. Soni, and her husband (and co-owner) David, have made a studio that not only offers yoga, but ayurveda counseling and life coaching. Soni and David wish to give their students all of the tools to build a healthy and balanced life, and have worked hard to create a peaceful environment for their students to do so. Soni told me, “A peaceful place makes for a peaceful mind.” Everything about the studio is relaxing. From the light green walls, and warm inviting temperature, scents, and people, I immediately felt like this is a place I could fit into, a place where I could really experience peace and balance, and a place where I could learn.

As the class entered the final mediation, Soni tells us to use the energy in the room to find peace, to feel the spirit of the person next to you. This sense of community, and people working together towards betterment of themselves is another aspect Soni knew she wanted to incorporate when she built the studio three years ago. She told me that it was one of her most prominent goals. She wanted to make a peaceful environment for music, kids, family, and friends. She wanted to make a yoga studio that was a social place, not just “push the people in, and push them out.” This sense of community was something I gathered from the first class I attended. The instructor knew everyone by name. Even Soni greeted everyone who came into her class, though there was a lot more, by name, knew about what was going on in their lives, and was genuinely interested in conversing with them. In my past experience, Boston yoga studios are stuffed to the brim with people, and I have never learned an instructor’s name, nor they learned mine. The community aspect is enforced through activities Soni Yoga hosts, such as kirtan every Saturday evening and an annual trip to India with Soni and David. Soni yoga is a community everyone feels they can be a part of—it is a diverse group of people all with life improvement on their minds. Soni also makes herself very available to students who have inquiries. I asked after class about a problem I was having with the practice, and she gladly answered my question.

As I looked around the studio, and examined the tongue scrapers, neti-pots, and mala prayer beads sold by the front desk, it posed an interesting contrast to the Lulumon products generally advertised by popular Boston yoga studios. I could tell that yoga was a much more integral part of Soni’s life than simply something she picked up at one point or another, so I inquired as to her history with the practice. She told me she was “born into it.” Her grandfather learned from his father and grandfather, who studied in Bihar, India under Sri Swami Satyananda Saraswati himself. To understand how significant this information is, one would have to know a bit about the Bihar School of Yoga. Essentially, Sri Swami Satyananda Saraswati interpreted ancient yogic teachings into what is modern yoga practice. The school teaches an, “integrated yoga system which incorporates practical philosophy and a holistic lifestyle” (www.yogavision.net). He believes that yoga should focus on three entities, mind, breath, and body, and this is the mantra that Soni has adapted.

When I asked Soni why she opened a studio she told me “it was time for me to do something for myself.” It was odd to hear that response because the things she does for others is so obvious to anyone who has met her. She is truly dedicated to sharing a genuine yoga experience with as many people as she can. She told me her ultimate goal is to “bring yoga, bring that sense of union, and knowledge of self healing.” It is her belief that through yoga, and attention to the mind, body, and breath, one can heal themselves of most anything. It is in her deepest beliefs that “If you are going to live a nice long healthy life, you need to focus on your breath, your mind, and your body—eat right, sleep, and be sure to nurture this body.”

When I began this project, I did not expect to have the experience I have had. I set out to feel what I thought to be a genuine, personal, yoga practice, and I feel as though I have succeeded. Soni wants her students to make yoga a part of their life, not just a class they attend every week. She and her husband genuinely want to be a part of their students lives and help them. The studio doesn’t run like a business, and I could see when I mentioned the word in our interview, Soni was displeased. She told me she was never interested in earning money when she opened the studio. Although I’m sure it offers her and David a comfortable life, I honestly believe they have set out to help and enlighten people. I can honestly say this is a place I will return to. I know they will remember my name, and I know I will learn so much more than simply how to move from asana to asana. As I left the studio, Soni said to me “peace” and the word has been ringing in my ears since.

Works Cited

Anderson, Soni. Personal interview. 10 Oct. 2010.

Muktibodhananda, Saraswati, and Saraswati Satyananda. Hatha Yoga Pradipika: Light on Hatha Yoga. Munger, Bihar, India: Yoga Publications Trust, 1998.

"Yoga Vision." Bihar Yoga. 18 Oct. 2010 .

Tracy Potter's Midterm Paper- Baptiste Yoga

Baptiste Power Yoga

I knew exactly what yoga studio I wanted to attend as soon as I heard of the project, Baron Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga in Cambridge. I have heard that many athletes enjoy this hot yoga. Since I am an athlete I thought this would be the perfect match. I looked into the background by searching the website. I found out that when I attend the class I need to bring lots of water, a towel, my mat, have an empty stomach and fifteen dollars to pay for the class. I also learned about Baron’s background by reading his profile they have on the website as well about his father, the founder of Baptiste, Walt. I also read about the teacher that I was going to have during the session I was attending, Sharon. While looking into my teacher I read about how much effort, time and money goes into becoming a teacher. In order to be a certified teacher you have to apply to even get into the program where they teach you to be a teacher and critique the students, how to move their body and lead the breathing and other aspects of the class. Attending Baptiste made me realize about the history of Walt, Baron, its influences from culture, who it serves, my personal experience and comparing it to our class.

Walt and his wife Magana founded the first yoga studio in San Francisco in 1955. He had been practicing yoga his entire life before he decided to open a studio. When he was a teenager he use to call his teaching of people “sharing” instead of teaching. At first he used to just practice with people in his house in rooms that his father let him use, then his followers were actually the ones to get him his first studio space. His practice is influenced by the teachings of Hatha Yoga by Krishnamachar. “The main objective of hatha yoga is to create an absolute balance of the interacting activities and processes of the physical body, mind and energy” (Muktibodhananda, 7). This definition of hatha yoga clearly states the main purpose of Baptiste. Since the practice is not only about the spiritual health, but the physical health too, the practice takes place in a 90-degree room now. This helps people’s physical body sweat profusely and cleanse it while doing so. Walt and Magana taught their beliefs to their two children. Both of them still practice yoga and are well known yoga instructors. Baron continued in his parent’s footsteps by making yoga studios and teaching. Baron now runs Baptiste Yoga, the yoga his father started in the studio in 1955.

Since Baron has taken over many things have changed within the practice. Walt and Magana used more candles and did more spiritual practices whereas at the Baptiste studio it is not filled with candles and lots of spiritual aspects now. Walt tried to help people clear their mind since “the human mind is in disorder” (Krishnamurti, 26). All the spiritual aspects of Walt’s practice were designed to help the body and mind both. Now in the class with Baron there is less of an aspect on the mind, it seems to be more about the body. There is some chanting at the beginning and end of the class, but very briefly. However if someone is interested in the more spiritual side of things they can attend a workshop or boot camp. Here the people work intensely to connect to their inner being and spiritual self. They also learn more advanced positions. Baron has become famous for his teachings. He has created movies and books to help people practice and understand the practice. Baron has also worked with many celebrities and changed their lives through the practice. Another difference since Baron has taken over is the price change to attend the classes. When Walt first opened his studio it cost five dollars for a month. When I attended just one class it was three times as much as it use to be for an entire month. Not only that, but if you want to attend a boot camp or workshop it is thousands of dollars.

I believe that this style of yoga has been very westernized since its foundation and changed to fit in with American Culture. Walt use to practice much more spiritually than it is done today. In America spiritual rituals are not seen as the norm. I believe the hotness of the room is something that is westernized. America is based on people’s appearance. If you are sweating more while tightening your muscles and toning your body then you will lose more weight. Another aspect that has been westernized is how Baron is selling movies and books. America is not only about appearance, but money too. Baron uses his yoga practice as a way to make money and sell many books and movies. In the past people have never done that. In class we touched for a moment that in order to practice yoga you do not have to be in skimpy, tight clothes. While attending my class I felt like that’s what I should have been wearing. All the women in the class were in tight spandex pants or shorts and wearing either a sports bra or a sport tank top that revealed their stomach. This part goes back to America being very into people’s appearance. Lastly while I was at the class I realized that many people were pushing themselves to the most advance stage of a pose, even if they could not hold it. For example, when we were doing either a bridge or a wheel everyone tried to do the wheel. However they could not hold it for the long duration of breathes that we were doing it for and would fall to their mat midway. This relates back to America’s culture and how everyone tries to push themselves farther than they are capable of going. On their website it even states that Baptiste Yoga changes constantly to keep up with society.

This practice of yoga is said to serve anybody. On the website it says that age, size, fitness level etc. do not matter, that anyone can do power yoga. They say that you just have to be aware of your body’s physical condition, body’s alignment and spirit. Although the website says that it is doable for anyone I did not see this diversity in the class. Everyone in the class was small and fit. I would say that not one person in the class was even the slightest bit on the heavier side. The only diversity that I did notice was the age range. I would say that I was one of the youngest people there, but there were people who looked much older than me there, I would say in their fifty and sixties. The only other thing I noticed was the ratio of men to women. There were seven men in the class and twelve women. That is a pretty close ratio considering most people in America think that yoga is only for women.

While attending my class I got quite nervous right before it started. As soon as I walked in from the lobby after getting the low down of what was going to happen in class, I immediately felt the massive temperature change. By the time I walked across the room to put my bag and shoes in a cubby I was sweating. I also knew I was in for a very difference experience than I had ever had before while attending yoga. I went and placed my mat in the back of the room. When I got there people had been there for over a half hour getting use to the temperature in the room- they were just laying on their mats sweating. The teacher came over before starting the class and introduced herself (Sharon) and told me that if at any point I needed a break to just go into child’s pose. A few minutes later the class started. It was a very fast pace compared to other practices I have done. At the beginning we did a short chant. Then we did no other chanting until the very end. There were a couple instances where I had to use the child’s pose- warrior two and frog stretch. I sweat more during this yoga class than I did during soccer preseason. The sweat was actually dripping off my body onto my mat. My feet and hands got so slippery that they were sliding all around the mat. I looked around to try and figure out how other people were not having this same issue; I realized you had to put your towel on top of your mat. We only did a short mediation, maybe only one minute, then did the final chant. This yoga class was a great experience; I am hoping to continue to go after my soccer season is over when I have more time.

This yoga experience was different than the practice we have been doing in class this semester. In the class we have been doing our practice at a very slow pace. We also start the class with a much longer chant than we did at Baptiste. Another difference that stood out to me was the breathing. At Baptiste we would take deep breaths in and then sigh out. It seemed to get more of my air our and release any tension that I had from the pose that I had just been holding. This relates to Hatha Yoga Pradipika when Muktibodhananda says “you are stopping nervous impulses in different parts of the body (151). Here he is talking about how breathing stops these impulses, which is what I felt with that tension release with the sigh. Also, throughout the class we held all the poses for certain amount of breaths. We also did a clearing of the lungs exercise that reminded me of the deep hard breaths we did in class when we pushed the air out of our lungs to get the old air out. Clearly the temperature difference was a major difference in the experience I had. While doing the hot yoga I felt like there was a ten-minute span where all I was doing was wiping sweat off myself and drinking water. The last big difference for me was it was the longest time span I had ever practiced yoga. It was a ninety-minute class, in drastically hot temperature moving at a fast pace. This class was much more difficult and harder than the practice we do in the class. One thing that happens in both of the practices in the teacher going around helping people move into the correct pose. It may not seem like a big difference, but it is. The slightest more or less of a twist can completely change a pose.

Overall my experience at Baptiste was amazing. I learned so much about it’s history and how it started. I learned about its mission to be happy both physically and spiritually. I saw the connections and differences between this style of yoga and the practice we have been doing this semester. I realized a couple of connections to our readings and class discussions that helped bring together some of my ideas. I recognized how the American culture has influenced this practice.

Works Cited

Baptiste Website. http://www.baronbaptiste.com/index.htm

Krishnamurti, J. This Light In Oneself. Shambhala. 1999.

Muktibodhananda, Swami. Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Yoga Publications Trust. 1998.

Midterm paper- Soma

After doing some research on what style of yoga I would like to experience and where I would like to go, I chose to go to Soma in Newport, RI. The reason why I chose to go to Soma was because I was very interested in attending a class at a studio that was outside the Cambridge or Boston area to add some depth to the class presentations. I also discovered that they were offering a Hatha yoga class on Saturday mornings. Hatha yoga was of interest to me because I fully enjoy our Hatha experience in class, feel comfortable doing the breathing and movements, and wanted to explore it further. Soma opened its doors on September 10, 2001. Tonya Zaloumis was the original owner who claimed that she wanted to open the center to create a peaceful sanctuary for yogis to study and practice yoga in the local area. Tonya has since sold the studio to pursue her yoga studies and to have the freedom to travel (M. LeBlanc, personal communication, October 18, 2010). From entering the studio, I completely sensed what Tonya Zaloumis wanted to establish, a peaceful sanctuary.

When first entering Soma, I was welcomed with large, lush plants, decorative pillows, and a statue of a happy Ganesh. I automatically felt comfortable as I kicked my shoes off, and talked to the women at the desk regarding the morning class. When I arrived, a class was already in process and the sound of chanting was coming from the other room. The studio consists of two quaint rooms separated by glass French doors. The first room held the front desk, a lounge area on the floor, yoga mats, and some merchandise. The second room was a larger room where the classes took place. When I entered, I filled out the necessary paper work at the front desk and got a chance to talk a bit with the instructor for the class I would be taking, the Hatha Yoga class. I was quite nervous because I have never taken an actual yoga class in a yoga studio before and don’t feel that I am the most flexible when it comes to the positions. I was assured by my yoga instructor, Meredith LeBlanc, not to worry about my insecurities, that it will all be fine, and that it’s more about “being flexible with the mind rather than the body”. This made me feel much more at ease and comfortable with starting the practice. Once the early morning class was finished, we were able to enter the other room and begin to set up for our class. The studio room was larger than the first, painted a pale blue with a large Om symbol and a prayer painted on one of the walls. On the other wall, there was a built in table that seemed to have some sort of alter set up. Placed on the alter, there was incense, lit candles, and a cute picture of a golden retriever. The ambience of the room was extremely calm and welcoming and seemed to fit nicely with the style of yoga that the instructor would be teaching.

Though the center offered many different yoga classes and different styles, my instructor, Meredith LeBlanc, focuses on the practice of hatha yoga. The text Hatha Yoga Pradipika describes hatha yoga in their glossary as “science of yoga which purifies the whole physical body by means of shatkarma, asana, pranayama, mudra, bandha, concentration, as a prelude to raja yoga and samdhi” (Muktibodhananda, 1993, p. 614). Muktibodhananda also describes the objectives of hatha yoga in the following:

The main objective of hatha yoga is to create an absolute balance of the interacting activities and processes of the physical body, mind and energy. When this balance is created, the impulses generated give a call of awakening to the central force which isresponsible for the evolution of human consciousness. (p. 7)

The class that I took really seemed to focus on this “philosophy” of yoga style. Throughout the process of the practice, emphasis was on the breath and focusing on the energy flow throughout our bodies to try and reach this level of concentration and awareness. During the exercises and poses, the instructor would ask us to focus on our breath and the awareness of the different chakras. This was the first time that I have done chakra work in yoga. Muktibodhananda describes chakras as that circular motions or wheels that collect energy in swirling masses (p. 161).There are seven chakras in the body that each focus on a different function. Our practice started with Aura Sweeps that cleansed negative energy from our body and mind, Sun Salutations that helped heat up the body, standing poses that focuses on the first chakra (Root Chakra) leading up to the second chakra (Navel Chakra), twisting poses that focused on the third chakra (Solar Plexus Chakra), back bend poses focusing on the fourth chakra (Heart Chakra), 2 inversion poses that run up the chakra system, and headstands which focus on the upper three chakras (Throat, Brow, and Crown Chakra). During the practice, Meredith would describe to us what each chakra represented and wanted us to focus on the energy building up in the chakras purifying our bodies as well as our minds. We ended the practice with breathing exercises and the chanting of Gayatri Mantra. This mantra’s text was what was painted on the wall of the studio under the Om symbol. The text said “Om bhur bhuvah svahta savitur varenyam bhargo devasya dhimahi dhiyo yanah prachodayat”. My instructor sent me her favorite translation of this mantra interpreted by Christopher D. Wallis. The interpretation was “Om. Earth. Atmosphere. Heaven. May we focus our awareness on the alluring radiance of the rising sun, the Vivifier; may it inspire our thoughts and meditation” (M. LeBlanc, personal communication, October 18, 2010). Not only did the practice seemed to embody the hatha experience, Meredith’s yogic philosophy also embodied this approach. Meredith described her Hatha teachings as based on a quest to find our true essence. She described how that was what her first teacher had taught her and what she will continue to share with others. Her path of yoga was defined as

the path of self-discovery and energizing the divine light inside. Through the physical postures (asana), thoughtful breathing (pranayama), relaxation, proper eating, positive thought and meditation I believe that we get down to our core essence, shed off the distractions, and be present with the flow of life. We answer the question Who Am I? I Am That, I Am That, That I Am. (M. LeBlanc, personal communication, October 18, 2010)

My personal experience during the practice was quite positive. Meredith was nurturing and conscientious in her instructions. My cousin, who has severe asthma and knee problems, came with me to the yoga studio that day. She was instructed by her doctors that it may be good for her and she wanted to give it a try as well. Meredith was very helpful in providing and modeling modified versions of the poses so Amie could benefit from the practice. She was also very encouraging without making us feel uncomfortable if we were unable to do any of the poses. Blocks and straps were provided, which are part of Iyengar yoga style. These props were very helpful to remain present with the postures without worrying about the difficulty of achieving them. It was the first time I ever used these props and found them to be not only helpful to achieve the physical postures, but valuable in my personal experience to stay with the poses in a meditative way. I was also completely amazed about what I was able to achieve throughout the practice. I have always felt very unfit and out of shape, but I was able to do every single posture in ways I didn’t imagine and felt very comfortable while doing them. I was even able to achieve a headstand for a short amount of time. I felt very impressed with myself for being able to do so well in the class, but give strong credit to the instructor and the class environment. The group consisted of 7 women of all ages and had a sense of acceptance and non-judgment. I felt like I was in such a safe space, that I was able to achieve to the best of my ability. Throughout my studies in Expressive Therapy, the idea of a “container” or a safe space is something of great importance when working on our own personal expressions as well as working with clients. I compared the safe space I felt during the yoga practice with the idea or concept of the “container”. From my understanding of the “container” in my academic studies, providing a safe and supportive environment allows for the individual to have a sense of trust and comfort within the space to express themselves and reach certain levels of awareness in their personal growth and healing. I felt this during the yoga practice and was able to reach a higher level of awareness in yoga than I ever have since I started taking this class.

I was also able to tie in my expressive therapy personality by taking the time after the class to journal in an artistic reflection about my experience. I always feel that I am able to connect with my experiences, whatever they may be, more clearly if I am able to express them using the creative arts. I chose this time to use visual arts and oil pastels to journal around my experience. When I finished the practice, I felt so invigorated and full of heat and energy. I felt my body to be filled with this energy as well as radiating with heat. Even though my physical body felt so fire-y and alive, the world and my mind felt so calm and peaceful and relaxed. Taking these feelings, I drew a dark figure representing myself radiating this energy using warm colors like reds and yellows surrounded by cool peaceful and relaxing colors like blue and purple. By doing this art piece and look back on it days later, I am still able to connect with my experience and what my body and mind was feeling and communicating.

Overall, my experience was extremely positive and I feel that I was able to learn quite a bit from my class at Soma in Newport, RI. My yoga teacher was not only supportive in class, but was also extremely helpful and open to my questions and discussion. I feel from getting another perspective on hatha yoga, I was able to broaden my knowledge on the subject and feel a closer connection to the practice. I do hope to visit this studio in the future and to take other classes as well to learn more about the many different styles and aspects of yoga.

References

Muktibodhananda, S. (1993). Hatha yoga pradipika. Bihar, India: Bihar School of Yoga.

Iyengar Yoga at Brookline Yoga Studio

by: Roxanna Minor

I have always believed that my first Yogic experience was when I worked as an assistant teacher at the New York State Summer School for the Arts. The director, Randy Williams, and I always conversed about Buddhism, the Tao te Ching, and meditation. At times, he would instruct me to sit still with my eyes closed and focus on the fluctuation of my breath. If I have not introduced myself well enough before, then let me start from the beginning. Hello, I am an anxiety-ridden young adult who suffers from asthma and, sometimes, an extreme lack of attention. I do not normally sit still unless I am working on something tedious, zoning out, or cuddling up with my cats. My idea of meditation is the conscious state of floating midway between sleep and alertness. I try very hard to keep my thoughts in the positive because I am a believer of certain energies attracting other energies that link to people and events.

My limited knowledge of Buddhism and the Tao attracts me to the philosophical aspects of Yoga. While searching for a venue to visit for this midterm project, I kept this in mind. I finally stumbled across the Brookline Yoga Studio and thought, ‘Great! Something close by that sounds stereotypical, let’s check it out.’ When I clicked on the website (brooklineyogastudio.com), I didn’t find a lean young woman flexing in a pretzel-like pose. I found a small Iyengar Yoga class that welcomed beginners and quoted The Four Agreements: a Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz. Upon extensive research, I found that this was the venue to visit.

Manju Vachher, the manager and teacher of Brookline Yoga Studio, has a Ph.D. in clinical and forensic psychology. She has studied with Patricia Walden since 1999 and assisted teaching classes with her since 2003. She began Brookline Yoga Studio in 2007. The studio serves residents of Boston who would like to learn more of this practice and theory through asana, pranayama, and meditaion. Anyone can attend this Yoga class. Manju takes annual trips to Pune, India to study yoga at the Iyengar Institute under the guidance of Yogacharya Sri B.K.S. Iyengar and his children Geeta Iyengar, and Prashant Iyengar.

That sounded interesting, so I searched Yogacharya Sri B.K.S. Iyengar. This man is 91 years old, began Iyengar Yoga, and has taught eminent celebrities such as J. Krishnamurti, the author of This Light in Oneself. He continues to practice and teach Iyengar Yoga with his children. One of his students wrote on his website (bksiyengar.com), “B.K.S. has been teaching us how the performance of an asana needs disciplines enacted by yama and niyama, how the body needs to be guided in asana, the role of the breath (pranayama), how the complete involvement of the senses of perception (pratyahara), and total concentration (dharana and dhyana) help to attain Samadhi.” Samadhi is the highest level of concentrated meditation.

Iyengar Yoga, in the words of Manju Vachher, is the “tradition of yoga [that] focuses on the correct alignment to allow the body to move skillfully without causing injury or pain and progress safely from beginner postures to advance postures at one’s own pace as one gains flexibility, strength and sensitivity in body and mind. Iyengar method uses props to work with a range of motion safely and effectively to allow the body in correct alignment.” B.K.S. Iyengar expresses that Iyengar Yoga can be practiced by anyone and that Iyengar focuses on the specific postures of asanas. Iyengar Yoga is not only about the perfection of asanas, however, it is about maintaining equanimity and balancing the mind. He presents that, “the practice of yoga helps anyone attain good health, mental peace, emotional equanimity and intellectual clarity.” What won me over was the quotation on his website that stated simply, “Yoga helps endure what cannot be cured and cure what need not be endured.”

I also read about Sage Patanjali and his Yoga Sutras. He defined yoga as chitta vritti nirodha. B.K.S Iyengar explains this by stating, “Chitta is the consciousness, which includes the mind, the intellect, and the ego. Yoga is the method of silencing the vibrations of the chitta.”

After my long research, I decided I needed to visit this studio. I emailed Manju Vachher, registering for the 7:15 am class on Wednesday October 6. I received a very quick response, asking of my experience in Yoga and if I had any physical issues or concerns that would affect my practice. I wrote down the address and started thinking of questions to ask her. When Tuesday night arrived, I was incredibly nervous. The class is capped at 8 or 10, meaning that I would have a great deal of attention from the teacher. I can’t even touch my toes, how am I supposed to correctly position my body in new asanas? I woke up at 5:30, showered, and went on my 30-minute walk to the studio.

The directions I wrote down led me to a very quiet residential area. As soon as I reached this neighborhood, I thought of how easy it would be for me to spot the Yoga studio. After another 10 minutes, I figured out that the address actually pointed to a house and not a stereotypical “Yoga Studio”. I hesitantly rang the doorbell and Manju greeted me with her beautiful dog and directed me to a path that guided me to the backyard. When I entered the space, I instantly smelled burning incense.

The studio is a small, calming and welcoming space with heated bamboo flooring, cathedral ceilings, lots of natural light, a rope wall, bathroom, and Iyengar props. One other woman was in the space practicing downward dog on the ropes. I later learned that she is a sophomore at Boston University seeking a way to calm her mind and de-stress her body. I put the $9 student fee in the moneybox and entered the quiet space.

Manju immediately came to assist me and explained what the class was like. She showed me where all of the props were, and how to get myself prepared for class. She told me how to locate my sacrum so I can properly put on the belt to get into the first asana, Supta Baddha Konasana. As I got into position, another student, who looked much older, entered and got into position. The first asana was very relaxing. I just lay there silently as I waited for class to begin.

Manju began the class by talking to us about internal and external experience, starting from the intention of leaving for class to laying here now. She explained that the external experience starts as an environment, as our room, as getting ourselves to this space. Now the external only exists as our skin in this room and everything beyond that. Our internal experience is constantly fluctuating, but right now, it is everything beneath our skin and how we are responding to our environment and how we are laying on our bolsters. We got up in a seated position and chanted three ohms.

Manju carefully guided us through many asanas. Each position was a practice for the next. Her instruction was incredibly specific so that we could be aware of our own bodies. She would call attention to particular parts of our bodies, telling us, “bring your knees up” or “tuck your tailbone in”. We used blocks, our mats, belts, and blankets to make each asana more comfortable. Manju assisted each of us specifically to maintain the correct position to the best of our ability.

By the time we laid in Savasana, I was very focused on myself. Manju made my awareness ebb inward by telling us , “be with yourselves for a while” and continuing with a focus of our breath. I cannot fully describe it, but I felt as though nothing else on my body existed, I was just my breathing. After about 10 minutes, we sat up and ended with a “Namaste”.

After class, I spoke to Manju Vachher for a little while. I felt as though all of the questions I had thought to ask melted away. I had no longer had any questions. We started talking about the practice and how peaceful it made me feel. She informed me that she was drawn to Iyengar Yoga because of this aspect. The rest of my day was incredibly tranquil and lovely.

The second time I visited the studio, I went to the same Wednesday morning session. I was more serene while walking to class. When I arrived, I decided that I should practice my downward dog since I was so early. After a few minutes, Manju came to my side to assist me. I was having a great deal of trouble getting my heels to touch the floor. Manju immediately made me cease. She then informed me that I had hamstring issues. I had an “Aha!” moment right then. No wonder I couldn’t touch my toes! Now that the problem is addressed, Manju can help me slowly build flexibility in that area.

I laid in the starting asana, and we began class as usual, practicing different asanas for the hour. By the end of class, Manju carefully assisted me into a shoulder stand. We ended in Savasana and meditation.

Manju Vachher’s instruction is wonderful. Everyone is focused on the self during practice; therefore, embarrassment does not take place in the studio. Everyone is in a state of tranquility and focus. Manju is very experienced in Iyengar and is incredibly flexible, but this is not daunting. She advised us that she had a bit of knee surgery and needs the aid of a block in order to sit on her feet. My experiences here have been wonderful. I plan to continue attending class here on Wednesdays to further my understanding of Iyengar as well as maintain my serene disposition.

References

Baier, Karl. Iyengar and the Yoga Tradition. 2001. Retrieved from

http://www.iyengar-yoga.com/articles/yogatradition/

Goode, Alan. Yoga: A Study of Consciousness. 2001. Retrieved from

http://www.iyengar-yoga.com/articles/studyofconsciousness/

Iyengar, Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga and Our Guruji. Retrieved from

http://www.bksiyengar.com/

Taylor, Cedric. Biography of B.K.S. Iyengar. Retrieved from

http://www.iyengar-yoga.com/bks/biography/

Vachher, Manju. About Iyengar Yoga and Yoga Reflections. Retrieved from

http://www.brooklineyogastudio.com/

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Retrieved from

http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras.htm