Quick Takes
Tom and Grace from Lakewater, FL have come to every single Yoga Journal Conference since the first one was offered in 1995. I asked Tom what he looked forward to most this year. He laughed, "Studying with Mr. Iyengar, of course. This is the third time I've studied with him. First in Ann Arbor for his 75th birthday, in Pune for his 80th, and now here."
I asked him what he remembered most about studying with Mr.Iyengar. "The time he shoved me in Triangle," he said smiling, "I'll never forget that." Did you learn anything from that, I asked him? "Yep," he answered, "That I have to learn to breath more deeply."
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On the mat in Mr. Iyengar's class this morning, a young woman sat next to me. She looked sad. I asked her how she was doing. She told me she was so happy to be here, on her mat, in this room, awaiting Mr. Iyengar to come in. But her grandmother was dying and that she felt conflicted being here. Her eyes filled with tears. "I don't even know you," she said, "and here I am crying." Yoga can do that. The practice opens the heart like few other disciplines. "How does she feel knowing you are here? I asked her. "She isn't conscious," she said, "but she would probably tell me, that life goes on."
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Jean from WI said she was surprised at how moved she was to be in the presence of Guruji. "Everything I learned over all these years, embodied in this man. He brings everything down to such a simple level. And with just a word, your whole pose changes."
