The Lion of Pune/ Day III Sequence
"For two days I have been the gentle teacher," said Sri Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar. "But today," he added with a huge smile, "today I am the harsh teacher."
Today, Guruji showed us how he earned the title "The Lion of Pune." That sobriquet demonstrates not just the immeasuable respect and affection we feel for the man we call Guruji, but also the humor and the slight tinge of anxiety that his fierceness sometimes inspires.
And that reaction is probably exactly as he wants it. That little tinge of fear helps keep his students on their toes, totally focused on their practices, when he is in the room.
"Yoga is vast," Mr. Iyengar said. "And time is precious. A person who loves a subject cannot bear to see people wasting time when they have the chance to do auspicious work."
"People say, 'Oh, Iyengar hits his students.' But when I hit, how I hit teaches the skin, the body, how to act. My students know this."
Mr. Iyengar reminded us that yesterday he spoke of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer. "Even the gods divided their jobs," he joked, "but the yoga teacher has been given the job of all three divisions. He must destroy students' vicious thinking so they do not fall from grace with the art [of yoga]."
In this morning's session, Mr. Iyengar and his senior students presented asana instruction at an intermediate level: very detailed and passing over the more preliminary instructions given to beginners.
Even more than in the other two classes, Mr. Iyengar conducted most of the session, presenting not just the poses but a master class on how to teach them. The senior teachers would begin to present a pose, with Guruji coaching them in how to pace their instruction and what points to present. Often Mr. Iyengar would take over and give complete instruction for an asana. Then he would turn the microphone back to a senior teacher, who would lead the class through the pose.
"Since time is short," Guruji said, "Let me be harsh to my senior teachers--I ask them to forgive me--so I can be generous to my students." Mr. Iyengar noted that he suffered much in his practice because he had no one to guide him. "That is why I am so compassionate"--why he care so much about giving us knowledge--"so you do not have to suffer as I did."
Here's today's sequence:
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose)
Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend)
Sirsasana (Headstand)
Paschimottanasana (Intense Seated Forward Bend)
Bharadvajasana I (Twist Dedicated to the Sage Bharadvaja)
Marichyasana III (Twist Dedicated to the Sage Marichi)
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog Pose); demonstrated by senior teachers but not practiced by students
Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow Pose)
Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana (Two-Legged Upward Staff Pose)
Savasana (Corpse Pose)
After our practice, Guruji bid us farewell. "I wish you good luck," he said, as he urged us to continue to practice. If he did not still practice, he reminded us, he would not have had the energy to spend so many hours for the past three days passing his knowledge and wisdom to us.
"Keep practicing what you know until you are conscious of your last breath," Guruji exhorted. "Plant the seeds so that they may germinate--in the next life, if not in this life."
Guruji smiled. "I will not achieve moksha [liberation] in this life. I love my pupils too much. I am still practicing so that if God gives me a next life, you will all be my pupils."
