Today, December 7, I read that if Guruji is the soul of Iyengar yoga, then Geetaji is the heart.
Forty years ago, this coming January, I made my first of what would become many pilgrimages to Pune, India. The year was 1986. Upon Guruji’s alleged retirement from active teaching in 1984, Geeta Iyengar had assumed that role for us eager Western students.
Geeta was Iyengar’s first of five daughters. As the first born, upon the death of her mother in 1973, she oversaw the household, raised her sisters and brother, and continued her intensive practices with her father. Born frail and with one kidney, her father challenged her to heal through practice rather than be subjected to a life of medication. Like her father, her health issues invoked from her an empathetic sensitivity to the struggles of every person, but women in particular. Her rigorous studies included Ayurveda, which she incorporated into her writings and presentations. For me, Geeta was my first introduction to how an understanding of Ayurveda could enhance my practice.
Geeta wrote YOGA, A GEM FOR WOMEN in 2002. This was the era when yoga was fast becoming the health path du jour, and young women flocked to the mat. Geeta explained that, in yoga, we respect nature, its systemic balance and cycles. As a young woman, then, I wanted to know for myself. I practiced a ten minutes Sirsasana on the second day of my cycle. The flow stopped, and did not begin again until the following month. There have been studies (I will research if anyone needs verification) of athletes who took a few day off of training during their monthly cycle and those who trained throughout the month. Statistically, those who rested fared better in competition.
Geeta also advised on how to address pregnancy, and menopause. While she was writing A Gem, menopause was rarely spoken of. In nature, giving birth is associated with survival of the species. And in the act of procreation women were often used for the mere pleasure of men (historically, before the Women’s movement). Perhaps the “older” woman, who would no longer function in these ways, were less coveted and hence marginalized. Even now, it is often hard for older women to be seen and heard. In indigenous populations, the older woman was the elder, the wise one. Geeta recognized the emotional and physical changes that women go through in this stage and addressed them.
Women are the backbone of society, says the Bhagavad Gita. Geeta was the backbone of the family and the teacher training programs. She wrote the Preliminary Course and Intermediate Course books to build upon the material in Light on Yoga. She supervised the networking and growth of Teacher’s Training and the assessment process worldwide.
A remarkable woman indeed. I was lucky enough to be present for Guruji’s 80th birthday. I was held at the Institute. Geeta took the week off; we did not see her until the final day of celebrations. When she approached the microphone, she walked slowly. I was spellbound as she began to apologize for her lack, as she explained, of proficiency in her asana and practice. She told us that, in preparation for the festivities, her duties had kept her in the kitchen and that she was really tired. What was unsaid, but loud enough for me to hear, was that her dedication to building and supported the teacher training programs worldwide, her regular teachings in medical and daily classes, her travel to help promote local communities and to spread Iyengar yoga had worn her down. Geeta is my heroine.
Leadership.. thoughts on receiving an award where I have done only what the universe asked of me. The cliché “follow your bliss” sounds hollow, except that it is the only way to feel like I have lived fully, unapologetically; as if stumbling through to the next opportunity/challenge. Made popular by Frank Sinatra, the lyrics to “I did it my way”, whether in French, by Elvis, or Franky, this song accompanied me when I divorced my first husband to follow a future in yoga. It was 1982.
The training intensive was fabulous! One unexpected boon to the “commercialization” of yoga, is that, with YogaWorks, there was a professional business behind the teacher trainings. They would handle marketing, formatting manuals, registration, all of the business issues that support an effective program.
Teachers from New York joined us. You may recognize Natasha Rizopoulos, Julie Kleinman-Woods, Jenny Arthur, James Brown, Jasmine Lieb, Malachi Melville, Vinnie Marino, John Gaydos, Birgitte Kristen, Sonya Cottle, Thomas Taubman, Rasha!, Casey Coda, Russ Pfieffer (shout out, check out his FB group Psychology of Anatomy), Jessica Smith, Amy LaFond, 
teaching for over forty years. He has studied Sanskrit and Indian philosophy at Oxford University and taught yoga in Oxford for more than 20 years. Kofi is one of very few teachers who seamlessly weaves wisdom teachings in a practical and contemporary way through out his classes.
a culture. What makes culture, or a culture? The dictionary says: “the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group”. Who is to say that birds do not have customs? Or that the relationship between trees, bugs, birds, and seeds is not a social institution? I love the idea of the culture of nature. Perhaps if we study the natural world we may find an organic rhythm that flows, ebbs, rises and subsides. Of course, taking a bird’s eye view of history we will see these tides of change rise and fall. Ours is but a breath in the life of the history of our people. Yet every breath counts!
What do we do when confronted with suffering, when we are disillusioned with life, when someone betrays or harms us, when the unimaginable happens? Losing our footing – as we say- and slipping into despair, frustration, anger or grief is a natural reaction when life throws us a curve ball. We tend to think of this as a personal phenomenon, but we are experiencing cultural and global grief on a scale not seen in nearly a century.
The Rhythm of the Universe, HaTha Yoga