Adventures in Parisian Yoga: Rasa Yoga Rive Gauche

As you all know I've been slowly making my rounds through the Parisian yoga scene, trying classes here and there to get a taste of what it's like to practice in this city. My ventures these past weeks have been two great studios, Rasa Yoga Rive Gauche and Be Yoga. 

Rasa is simply a beautiful space. It's located near Metro Saint Michel, on the left bank in the Latin Quarter. This section of Paris is home to the Sorbonne and has been the hub of student culture in Paris for centuries. The studio, like many in Paris, is nestled in a courtyard, between buildings. I really like this about Paris...the street view is never the whole story...there are gardens and calm alcoves located just between the exterior facade.

Once inside Rasa is bright, white and calming. There's a large retail and reception section, with chairs and benches. The main studio has windows right into the lobby area, so you can actually see what's going on in the class. I stopped by for a late evening led Ashtanga class with Charley, an American teacher, who also runs their morning Mysore program.

The class was quite full, but not overcrowded, and I enjoyed the energy of the other students. Charley keeps a great pace in his class...pretty fast, but not rushed at all. In fact, the class is scheduled for an hour and 45 minutes...and we used the time! He challenged us with specific details on refining our jump backs and throughs, something that weaves his strong teaching style together. 

The next week I got a message from my teacher Lara telling me that her dear friend Dorion was in Paris teaching. I was excited to make it over to Be Yoga for her evening led class. Be is really adorable. It's located in a cobble stone alley off the main road, and is covered in a perfect little arch of trees. The front of the studio is painted a jovial green color and it was the perfect, warm, welcoming place to end up on a rainy Parisian night! 

Dorion is just about one of the loveliest ladies I've ever taken class with. I was happy to catch up with a friend of my teacher! Her class was smart and detail oriented. We took the Ashtanga standing series and some of the primary seated series and slowed it down a bit, to focus on the ease of each posture. I was really happy to see the joy, lightness and care she takes in teaching.

Last week we moved apartments, from the super trendy Oberkampf area in the 11th district to the Gambetta metro stop in the 20th district. It's a little further out of the center of the city, but still super accessible. I love our new apartment, which we're renting from the acting coach from Michael's production. It's got a great energy partly because it's been arranged using the principles of Feng Shui, something I've always been interested in, but never taken the time to implement fully. I challenged myself to take home practice this entire past week, and have really enjoyed it in this space. This week, however, I think I'll venture back out to practice in some more studios around Paris! 

Photo of the Day: I AM

C'est moi! Ad for I AM.

"Smile, Breath and Go Slowly" - Thich Nhat Hanh

Photo of the Day: Space

last practice at our first Paris apartment...moved to a new place yesterday.

Eye pillow from Yoga Concept, mala from Mysore, candle from Paris. 

I like how the colors mix well.

Conference 8.26.12 - Better late than Never!

So I’m a little late in posting about the last conference while I was in Mysore. I’ve been traveling and then was feeling a little sick. I’m finally settling into life in Paris and wanted to catch up on the blog…so here they are…notes from the last conference:

Four weeks. Four conferences. It’s always better to leave wanting more, a friend reminded me, and I am definitely feeling blessed and full of good vibes. I leave on a high note on every level. Though I’ve been dealing with some new knee pain that limits my left lotus, my physical practice felt great. My mental focus was clear. I got a lot of writing done. I had totally difference experiences this time in Mysore than on my last trip. I lived closer. I met more interesting people. I got to travel outside the city. I felt less like an outsider.

This particular Sunday Sharath began by talking about the importance of asana in our spiritual journey. Asana is a tool, he said, to get the mind and body to become stable. There are hundreds of thousands of asanas, as many as there are living beings on this earth: plants, trees, animals and humans. In this life, we just focus on doing as many as we can safely master, and shouldn’t worry about doing so many of them.

Asana is useful for several reasons. It purifies the nervous system, brings flexibility, brings health to the body and is an accessible tool to reach higher levels of spirituality.

Sharath spent time again reiterating the unity in yoga. Yoga can only be one thing. We talk a lot today about different styles and varieties of yoga, but there is only one true yoga, and if we practice that authentic yoga then change occurs in us. And this change is more than just physical.

It’s also important to note that asana is not just the act of bending and twisting the body. Using vinyasa with asana is integral to the system. It is when we add the breathing that the mind and body can change.

Asanas should be “stirya sukkha asanam,” or stable and comfortable. Because the next limb of our practice is pranayama, which requires a lot of still sitting, it is important to practice the movement in asana to gain stability and comfort in sitting.

Sharath then wanted to reassure us that though asana is very important, what is less important is what pose you are practicing to. He says that whether you are practicing half primary series or all the way to 5^th or 6^th series, benefit can be gained. The important thing is that no matter what pose you practice to, you must understand the deeper reason for doing it!

In the yoga sutras, there are only three sutras on asana. So some people misinterpret this to mean that asana is not important. But Sharath reinforced the idea that there are other important texts, like the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, which are important in understanding asana practice.

A student asked about practicing yoga and its relation to Hinduism. Sharath explained that yoga is not bound to one religion, nor does it need to be practiced along side any religion in particular. God didn’t divide up religions, people did! He thinks of Krishna when he practices, but assured us that yoga is a personal experience within each of us and we can believe whatever we want.

Sharath said that for him, teaching yoga is learning. Though he sometimes wonders why he gets up at 1am, he said that teaching is very rewarding. To be with different people, energy, shapes and starting points and to see change in students makes it worth it. He reminded us that to be a student is the best life, though sometimes it is a little painful ;) I couldn’t agree more!

Conference 8.5.12

As my first week wore on, I was really looking forward to Sunday and the first conference I would get to attend while in Mysore. As Sharath sat down on the stage to speak, the buzzing conversation in the shala fizzled expectedly. We were ready to hear what advice and insights he had this time.

But his delightful son, Sambav had other ideas. I’m not sure how old he is, because he’s pretty small, but it’s clear that he absolutely idolizes his father and relishes in the attention he gets from being adorable. For at least ten minutes Sharath sat patiently while the little one literally climbed all over him. Sharath laughed, and funnily enough, eventually began to talk about the obstacles we face in our yoga practice.

According to Sharath there are several obstacles or distractions (no, adorable children aren't officially one of them ;) in fact, family is something that this tradition really values) we face as we embark on our yogic path:

Sickness

Sickness is the first obstacle to tackle, and the reason we begin our yogic journey by doing asanas. Asanas heal the body and make it sable and strong so that we can sit comfortably and concentrate.

Doubt

Doubt is an extremely important factor in our practice. If we constantly doubt the practice or the teacher, the teachings can never really sink in. Any yogic journey requires surrender. Practice is dangerous if done with misgiving and disbelief.

Carelessness

Carelessness leads to injury and is dangerous for the practice, Sharath warned. If we lack attention it’s possible that the body will be here doing asana, and the mind will be somewhere else. This is when injury occurs most often. Beware!

Laziness

Sharath didn’t elaborate too much about sloth or laziness, which is probably the most difficult obstacle for me. “Only lazy people cannot practice yoga,” as Guruji said…so get off your couch and get to practice!

Lack of Determination

Your determination must be stronger than your distractions. Yoga practitioners need a lot of determination, especially because this is a lifelong practice, which can often feel slow and long. It becomes difficult to concentrate when we see distractions, but determination gets us through the years.

Confusion

One topic I hear Sharath talk about quite often is confusion. It’s a big problem with modern yoga practitioners, he says. Because yoga is becoming more and more commercial and body-centric there are a plethora of teachers with their own rules, style, system and philosophy. Too many teachers and options confuse students. It’s important that we know where our practice comes from and should stick to one method. He quoted Guruji: “Two gurus, one student is dead!”

Improper Grounding in the Practice

The foundations of our yoga practice are really the most important part. The basics, the introduction, the initiation. If these are strong, everything else can safely grow from there. We should want to become a student first, and then perhaps...once the foundation is strong and we are grounded, a teacher.

Lack of Concentration

Modern technology is distracting. Facebook, blogs (!), twitter, and ipads distract us. It’s not that they’re evil; they should just be a secondary, occasional concern. Sharath said we have to work to develop concentration and that focus improves our ability to take knowledge in and learn daily.

Being here in India, studying yoga at the source makes these distractions easier for me to deal with. I’m here to focus and devote myself to the practice for a period of time. It’s when I get back into the bustle of daily life that I really need to cultivate the determination, focus, motivation and concentration to support my practice. On another note...if anyone has the Sanskrit names for these obstacles, I'd really like to know them and add them to the post. He mentioned all of them but I wasn't quick enough!

A Girl’s Guide to Mysore, Part Three – The Shala

Walking towards the KPJAYI for practice at 5:40am I’m greeted by Sharath’s familiar and unwavering voice: “three…four…five. Sapta come through…” It is Sunday, and he is leading the 4:30am class through the Primary Series. We wait in still darkness on the terracotta steps. Our group will practice the Primary Series at 6:00am, and one more class will roll their mats out for Intermediate Series at 7:30am. Like living gargoyles, we’re perched on the steps in between shoes, potted plants and mat bags. Finally we hear the students inside begin their closing mantra and while they om, we reanimate, ready to take our places for practice.

Pattabhi Jois open his first yogashala in 1948 in the Mysore neighborhood of Lakshmipuram. There, at his Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute, he taught Indians and westerners traditional asana and pranayama practice for many years. In 2002 this beautiful new shala was opened in Gokulum. It’s a slate grey colored, multi-level building, like many in the residential neighborhood. Something about it’s angular design permeates a stern yet welcoming energy. Inside, on the ground floor, the studio space is filled with pictures of Guruji and his wife Amma, Sharath and his family, Krishnamacharya and Ganesh. Striped Indian rugs cover the tile floor and a small stage in the front of the room still displays Guruji’s favorite chair.

This time of year (November) the shala is very busy. I believe it is filled to capacity! Students from all over the world study here: I’ve met people from the U.S. Canada, England, Sweden, France, Portugal, Australia, Japan, Korea, Mexico and other parts of India. Sharath also teaches a smaller group of locals in the afternoon. His mother, Saraswati, also continues to teach her students in the shala and at another location in Mysore. In order to reserve a place, you register with the Institute online several months in advance. Once in India, you register in person during an afternoon before your first practice. Sharath will give you an ID card, a Mysore-style (Monday-Thursday) start time, and assign you to one of the Friday/Sunday led classes. As a first time shala student during this busy time, I’ve secured a lovely Mysore practice time in the last batch of students at 8:15am. The more experienced students and Mysore regualars practice beginning around 4:30am.

Once in the building for our led class, we each place our mats and rugs at the ready, and then head to the locker rooms. There are small lockers on the upper level of the changing rooms, and I always secure my belongings. These led classes on Fridays and Sundays are a bit hectic because large groups of students are trying to move about at once…during the week, in Mysore-style practice, the flow of students in and out is a lot more fluid.

Back out at top of our mats, Sharath calls us to samastitih and we’re off and breathing! His family lives on one of the top floors of the shala, and often his wife or daughter will be around and in and out of the practice room. Currently they’re building a new home two doors down, so soon the entire shala will be a study space. But on this particular Sunday his irresistibly adorable son, Sambhav, stops by to see dad at work. As Sharath counts us through the vinyasas his son takes a go at it, mimicking his father.

Sharath: “One.”

Sambhav: “twwoooo…!”

Sharath: “Two”

Sambhav: “Treeeeee…!”

After an hour and a half of sweat, good quality family time, and what seems like an hour-long utpluthih, we’re back in samastitih chanting the closing. Fresh coconuts meet us outside; their water re-hydrates our drenched-in-sweat bodies, and we smile and go about our day. Some of us take rest. Some might choose to sightsee. A few students will work on their lap-tops for jobs “back home,” and some even have jobs here in Mysore at one of the café’s in the area.

Most Sunday’s Sharath holds Conference at 4:00pm. He talks about the Yoga Sutras, practice, devotion and distractions. Lakshmi, a Sanskrit teacher, gives us our chanting lessons three times a week at 11:00am. This week, I’ll start in his Beginner Sanskrit class in the evening.

As I walk towards a fruit salad breakfast at Anoki Garden, I think how blessed I am to be able to study this lineage at the source, to witness its evolution and find stillness in its tradition. This really is an extraordinary place and an extraordinary practice…