Category: Yoga

Vignette from Cherry Blossom Festival somehow made me recall Ramanand Patel’s words about how we need to keep reminding ourselves a certain truth when we practice…and why we or at least why I practice…all through life, we are eager to find one’s authentic identity …sometimes, imaginary world is where one finds that identity. That’s one of the reasons why the game industry continues to grow. According to Forbes, it is reported that the global market for video games is expected to grow from $67 billion in 2012 to $82 billion in 2017. It’s virtual world taking over more from the real world …and time away from living a real life in the short life span we have … it replaces real experiences so…I am not sure what to make of it.

I am not passing any judgement as we all need leisure, recreation and entertainment time … if that engagement leaves you feeling refreshed and invigorated and “happy” then good. If it’s not an addiction, then, it’s not an affliction but just concerned that life may just pass you by and one day you look in the mirror and find you are 10 years, 20 years and 30 years older realizing that you hadn’t really lived. You hadn’t really rendered any acts of random kindness to make any difference if you lived or not …it doesn’t have to be anything big – just making someone feel a little better is enough – it’s the small little stuff we do that matters…But maybe video games also fills a need like help someone who is physically confined to a wheel chair; maybe it helps the sick forget about his troubles… makes possible what seemed impossible in the real world – so while I rather go hiking in the forest or swim in the rivers, lakes and oceans …but maybe access to nature is limited when living in the city with a demanding job and other commitments that ties you down … so hope we can just strike a good balance and a mix to live our lives to the fullest – richest. Here’s a wall hanging from a yoga studio in Mt. Shasta – Words of Dalai Lama:

KOSUPURE? Can you name these characters from the costume they are fashioning? Living in a fantasy becoming a character out of anime…
Super cute – Kawaii ! Nice hair color … ha ha.

So Pretty! Kirei! Well-done. When a non-Japanese does such a fine job putting on a yukata, I am so impressed.

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Physical practice, while nothing wrong, has nothing to do with yoga.
… It may be gymnastics, it may be acrobatics – all may be good but it’s not yoga.
Remind yourself, if your mind keeps forgetting who you really are … Your ability to think comes from immense amount of conditioning through evolution BUT it is not you. You are _____ (not giving the answer away here – you need to practice your yoga to find out:)You can never become unhappy when you know who you really are.

– Ramanand Patel

From the workshop, “Penetrating the Layers”, came away recognizing how so many people have such thick layer of ego and then layers and layers to dig under to unearth a find, that gem … in the rough at first, then to be cut and to be polished… it’s a labor-intensive process to find the brilliance for some and for some, its within reach easily. Knowing who you are; then to be authentic helps to bring out the radiance, as Jean and Brenna say, the “Sri”:)

Subbed a class this morning … it’s nice to be able to cover another instructor’s class so we give each other some freedom to miss a class while the students not lose out – and get a different take on a same style of yoga for variety. I like subbing (practically prefer it) – it’s a mind game of expectations. Fun.

Ramanand Patel’s profile goes something like this:

“initiated into yoga practice by his father at the age of thirteen, studied from may different teachers culminating in finally becoming a student of the renowned yogacharya Shri B.K.S. Iyengar in 1968. He is a founding member of the Iyengar Yoga Teacher Training Institute of San Francisco, where he was known as the teachers’ teacher. As a senior yoga teacher he is highly respected in the Iyengar community. He is respected as an innovator in the use of props and working with students who have special needs. He combines this vast technical expertise with knowledge of Vedanta philosophy and sarcastic sense of cynical wit in his instructions on various asanas.”

Just went to Ramanand Patel’s workshop over at what used to be Piedmont Yoga studio originally founded by Rodney Yee and Richard Rosen. It’s now a new studio with a new name and new owners who have made the space and feel, quite lovely:)

I actually thought I was going to a workshop called “Yoga and Sound” so I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t but … I enjoyed his dry sense of humor and his teachings as brief as it was for having to leave early… (sad) It’s always an honor to learn from someone with so much life experience and dedication. It was insightful how he explained “happiness” and that in a child and how we forget who we really are as we grow into an adult, brainwashed from years of conditioning. It was funny to think I start out thinking I am attending a workshop called “Yoga and Sound” only to realize no, it’s a workshop called “Penetrating the Layers”? How did that happen? … twilight zone…did I misread something? Had to leave early so regret missing the last portion which probably was the meditation portion of the workshop, the part I needed the most.

As much as I enjoy vinyasa flow style, I really get so much out of Iyengar system because the practice really makes you think about what your body is doing (or in many cases, not doing). That attention to finer sensation of the body forces me to pay attention and focus. I hope to explore more and more this “Thinking Body”… and like he said, happiness is when you forget all your troubles completely. And under all the layers, our true Self, at the very center is … happy to the core, needing nothing.

Sharing some notes later on but for now – pause…

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