Geeta Iyengar in Austral ia

australian yoga life • december-february 20101

gGeeta Iyengar has practised and taughtyoga all her life, in India and across theworld, under the tutelage of herlegendary father, BKS Iyengar. Given herauthority and experience, it’s no wonderthat on Geeta’s two previous visits toAustralia – in 1996 and 2003 – herworkshops were booked out. This thirdvisit was no different: despite thesignificant price tag you’d expect for asix-day event at the upmarket TwinWaters resort in Maroochydore, all placeson the retreat had been filled by the closeof early bird registrations in May.

For Iyengar yoga practitioners, theGeeta retreat was possibly a last chanceto receive the wisdom of the Iyengartradition directly from BKS Iyengar’sdaughter. Geeta, now 65 and facingher own health challenges, indicatedat the retreat that she will soon retirefrom teaching.

She said it was for this reason thather focus was strongly on teachers andhow Iyengar Yoga should be taught.More than 60% of retreat delegates wereeither certified Iyengar teachers orteacher-trainees. The remaining delegates

– who required a referral from theirteacher to attend – were Iyengar studentsof more than eight years’ practice.

‘All I want to do is more yoga’With three sessions and up to six hours’yoga practice each day, this was anintense and demanding retreat that islikely to leave its mark on yoga inAustralia and New Zealand for years tocome. One delegate summed up theretreat’s inspirational impact: “It was sointense. I’ve never experienced anythinglike it. It was really hard. I didn’t thinkI’d get through it. But now all I want todo is more yoga!”

Practitioners, including those lessexperienced, were particularly struck bythe clarity, depth and comprehensivenessof Geeta’s teaching. Her instructionextended beyond the asanas, pranayamaand remedial teaching to includechanting and Sanskrit pronunciation,with frequent references to the YogaSutras of Patanjali.

Geeta’s emphasis on the classicsources and ritual practices of yoga werewell received by delegates. In the 1960s

In September 348 delegates from seven countries attended a six-dayresidential retreat taught by renowned Iyengar yoga teacher, GeetaIyengar, daughter of revered yoga master BKS Iyengar. Former Iyengarteacher Michael Hollingworth attended the first two days of theQueensland retreat and interviewed Geeta Iyengar for AYL.

Open your toes, open your mind.

Geeta Iyengarin Australia

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and 1970s, Westerners attracted to ther igorous, powerful teaching ofBKS Iyengar were at first, less interestedin the non-physical aspects of yoga. Butyoga practice in Australia has matured.One trainee teacher commented: “It’sgreat to get back to the Sutras”. Anotheradded: “I was inspired to know moreabout the Sutras.”

Geeta taught with fierceness andtenderness , displaying anuncompromising commitment to havingall pupils penetrate their bodies, minds

and spirits. In the sessions on asanas,practitioners experiencing difficultywere instructed and corrected in front ofthe roomful of delegates. One man, whohad an unbalanced gait due to legdamage from a bone graft as a child, wasshown how to work with his shoulderblade and foot. “She left a real imprint,”the student said later. “Her instructionswere very clear. Through the clarity,repetition and the way she approached itfrom different angles, I got a reallyrounded idea.”

Carmela Daly, an Iyengar teacherfrom Darwin, felt that Geeta had aspecial talent for bringing out the best ineveryone. “We all gave our best and weall did better poses,” Carmela said. “Ourlevel of penetration in getting into theposes and the alignment was amazing.”

To support her in the demandingdaily schedule, Geeta brought assistantswith her from the Iyengar Yoga Institute inPune. Geeta’s sister, Sunita Parthasarathy,led the chanting, while Abhijata Sridhar(BKS Iyengar’s granddaughter) and Raya

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Geeta Iyengar in Austral ia

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Uma Datta, representing the youngergeneration of teachers and assistants activeat the Institute, demonstrated poses andsupported Geeta’s instruction. With theirenergy, alacrity and accuracy, they promisea bright future for the Iyengar tradition.

‘Totally successful!’Current President of the BKS IyengarAssociation of Australia, senior teacherPixie Lillas, was pleased with theretreat’s outcomes. “The retreat was ahuge success,” Pixie said. “People wentaway excited – but also with principlesthey felt would work in their lives foryears afterwards. And it was great to seethe senior teachers also contributing andcreating the community.”

Iyengar teacher of 30 years,Alan Goode, agreed that a key source ofsatisfaction was seeing the contributionto emerging teachers. “For them it’s areal affirmation of what they are doing.And Geeta is so skilled and sophisticated– but also absolutely uncompromising ingetting her message across.”

Organisation of the event wasundertaken by a group of senior Iyengarteachers, whose efforts were appreciatedby a l l delegates . Carmela Dalycommented: “The venue was amazing –a major resort set on a lake, close tothe ocean, with beautiful room facilitiesand wonderful food. Full credit tothe association – it was a totallysuccessful event.”

Geeta respondsDespite her busy schedule, Geeta foundtime to answer our questions. Michaelbegan by asking what she hoped to

achieve through the intense residentialformat of the retreat:

GI: I want to give them as teachers asmuch as possible, as they will be guidingthe future generation. From morning toevening I will be close to them, so they willunderstand how yoga has to enter intotheir blood, so that they are able to give itto the coming generation.

MH: Many people are not teachers andare not able to devote two hours or morea day to yoga practice. How should theordinary person practice?

GI: Always when we have to work, be insociety, concentrate on our profession,limitations will be there as far as time isconcerned. Certainly they have to startyoga from the health point of view – tokeep the body fit for whatever they havechosen as a profession. [But] yoga has tobe adapted to follow their life in asmooth way, because a professiondemands a lot from a person. Forexample, people who are working on thecomputer – everybody has neck pain,they sit in an air-conditioned room forhours and their fingers, their neck, theirspine, everything suffers . Anyprofession, even that of the housekeeper,demands physical strength, mentalstrength, or a kind of balance … Thatthings are progressing is understandableand we have to react to it; we have to bequick about it. But why should we goaway from that life which our forefatherslived, where there was quietness,smoothness, simplicity? So through yogawe have to make them aware of it … thatwe should have that simplicity.

MH: How should practitioners approachthe most demanding poses, such asbackbends and balancings?

GI: (In yoga) we cannot forget that partwhich is difficult, which requires tapas(discipline), which is complex, whichreally demands the discipline. So as youcome to backbending or balancing, it’ssomething which is demanding. Youneed to be really strict with yourself,where your daily life, your routine, yourfood is concerned. You have to giveyourself to these practices, or sadhana,which demands that kind of innerdiscipline … When you strictly have todiscipline yourself, these asanas, thoughthey look like asanas, are not just simplyasanas.

Backbendings and balancings havea tremendous effect on the physiologicalbody, and in a way the spiritual body …Effect-wise to a general public you mayexplain it in a simple way. What does thearm balance or what do thebackbendings do? You may say yourspine remains straight, your respirationwill improve, your arms will improve,muscles will be developing – all these areanswers for those people who don’tunderstand the depth of yoga.

But for people like me, who havetaken it inside, definitely it has a differentmeaning. Balancing poses orbackbendings, they go somewhere deeperinside. They are taken inside, in whichthere is pratyahara (withdrawal of thesenses), there is dharana (concentration),there is dhyana (meditation) … Forteachers it is very important to know that’s

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how they can penetrate into that. Forbeginners, it is not necessary – that’s whywe have different levels of teaching.

MH: As people grow older, how shouldthey deal with their reduced stamina andstrength in practising the asanas?

GI: If stamina has to be maintained, thereare certain asanas and pranayama whichare very essential to do … You have beentold as a student that you are supposedto do inverted postures every day. Atleast Sarvangasana (Shoulder stand), orat least Viparita Karani (Supported legs-up-the wall) … And then if you have halfan hour’s time you can finish off yourSirsasana (Headstand), Sarvangasana,Halasana (Plough), Setu BandhaSarvangasana (Supported bridge), andViparita Karani. These are the postureswhich bring the recovery, for retuningthe body. These are asanas whichrejuvenate, bring proper circulation,remove fatigue, and exactly balance, sothat over-exertion will be taken out andyou are able to relax. If that is followedproperly, I don’t think that problemahead for the aged group will come. And

with an aged group there are certainthings to do with the props, for examplelike Setu Bandha on benches, or ViparitaKarani on the bolster, or half Halasanaon the bench, or chair Sarvangasana.They are all possible for people to do.

MH: Is it appropriate to devote more timeto pranayama, while maintaining aregular asana practice?

GI: This is an absolutely subjectivequestion, what a person can do. So it’snot a comparison where you will do lesstime for asana and more time forpranayama. Earlier when I was doingpranayama, my timetable affected me – Ihad classes , household work,responsibilities, so that I had to [limit]my pranayama. But now the time has

Geeta taught with fierceness and tenderness,displaying an uncompromising commitmentto having all pupils penetrate their bodies,minds and spirits.

come where even my sister knows, don’tdisturb me when I am doing prayanamabecause I cannot set limits.

What we call spiritual practice issuch that we are now going somewheredeeper inside. Then you can’t just comeout from deeper inside to … put yourhead, or brain, or mind, into the outerworld. So I won’t say I will do two hoursof pranayama: it might take two hours –and then sometimes not take that muchat all … It depends upon your physicalstrength and physical energy.

But I would certainly say everyonehas to do pranayama, at least a fewcycles, to understand this. How will yougo to that depth unless you have done it?As you get the experience, then you cansay, OK I can do this much or this many

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cycles … You are not forced to do15 cycles, from A to Z, every time. Buttry to understand your body, try tounderstand the mind, try to understandyourself … The basic thing is that youpenetrate in yogic practice. It’s a freejourney from the body right up to thesoul. So how will you have covered thatjourney, whether you are doing asana,whether you are doing pranayama, ordoing meditation? You penetrate, youpenetrate from body to the soul … Andthen you totally understand that journey.

MH: How should people restricted byhealth or injury approach their yoga?

GI: According to yogic theory itself, karmawill always get in the way. It’s not asmooth path. We meet with an accident:we don’t know when it’s going to happenor how … So we have to face that karma.And that’s why Patanjali says tapahsvadhyaya Isvararanidhanani kriyayogah(burning zeal in practice, self-study andstudy of scriptures, and surrender to Godare the acts of yoga). He says thatknowing very well these hurdles will bethere, these karmas will be there, we haveto have that tapas (discipline). So whensomeone with injuries or the ageingprocess gets that limitation, one shouldnot be afraid of it. According to my age, Ican adjust. That’s why, when people comewith injuries, we have taught them.Because at least they want to learn howthey can lead a better life, and that ispossible. Instead of remaining in bed allthe time, saying “I cannot, I cannot, Icannot”, at least do this much. So if youmake it possible [for the student], if he’slying down, to sit, and if you make itpossible to stand … that is progress.

Geeta Iyengar may or may notreturn to Australia for future retreats,but the teachers she taught at the TwinWaters retreat will take back to theirown students her timely reminders ofthe essence of yoga. In Geeta’s words:“Patanjali says, knowing very well themind of the human being, that wealways race for the quick result. He saysin the path of yoga, do not expect that.The mind wants fruit, results, becausethe mind is unstable. He says wait,continue, without any break. It’s a longjourney – he doesn’t say how long!”

Michae l Hol l ingwor th, Iyengarpractitioner and past teacher learnedyoga from Donna Holleman in Italy,where he lived for 10 years. His life hasmore twists and turns than asanas.He began as a journalist, studiedliterature in Canberra and Italy, and hasworked as a translator, tourist guide,public relations consultant and trainer.He is now a facilitator of leadershipand change management programs.Michael@globallearning.com.au

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