Wag-a-Yoga: Healing & Revitalization with Kay T Ananda Yoga Therapy

Did not realize you can actually get a PhD in yoga study from an Ivory Tower of a school like Cambridge University … or at least, have never met a dedicated yogi with one until now. I did not even know who he was until Richard Rosen in his usual casual low key manner plugged the workshop – so last minute to squeeze the 2 days, ended up missing half of the 4-part? series but … hope to borrow notes from somebody who was there?

What he covered was so fascinating, I am now planning on reading Mark Singleton’s book (after I finish 3 others I should not have started at the same time…too curious and greedy… I know) which I understand is quite academic but in the meantime this article on Yoga Journal touches on what he covers in the book.
Apparently what he covered in the latest workshop is a material for the upcoming book he’s working on so … what a relief! My notes have a lot of holes now that I review them…
Here is what I imagine is a taste of what that earlier book covers – Click here.

This explains why older schools of yoga in Japan is different as whoever went to India to study had a different set of teachers and … different interpretations, brought the teachings home and customized it to fit the needs of that unique land. Seems like from what I hear, a lot of yoga schools in India caters to the Westerners and forefingers who come on a quest to find Self … and oftentimes looking for the exotic … not sure if that’s really the “original” or the “classic” yoga or more a yoga-tour package in exotic lands, prepackaged to answer to those needs of the wide-eyed seekers. In other words, depending on the reputation, that ashram could be another form of a tourist trap…or a retreat for the affluent.(& nothing is wrong with that – I wish I was there too – just talking about authenticity or whatever he’s talking about.)

Of course Western yoga has been exported to Japan as well so there’s probably an interesting blend taking shape there… In the end, it’s that particular people’s interpretation and the actual practice on the individual level that matters. In the end it comes down to knowing what your your body needs in order to achieve the “cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.” … I prefer more the harmonic balance than a forceful unification of mind-body because for me, the third element – the spiritual awakening – is only possible through peaceful means – and staying true to our role as a woman that only a woman can fulfill vs. a role of a man, perhaps a man would fill more instinctively and naturally – I am not saying a woman cannot do what a man can do but there are functions only a woman can fulfill because of our makeup… and what a natural process might look like.

Name of a juice bar across from the yoga studio … called “Crush”…

I don’t know about you but many of us can only take yoga classes either early in the AM or later in the evening unless on weekends… & in yesterday’s case, EARLY Sunday morning as well – up at 6am – self-practice then off to a 8:30am class… it’s nice to yoga early and late. Perfect way to start and end the day – dealing and readying for all the things that go on in-between. Here, I am not counting the yoga classes I teach as that’s not about me but about service so others can live more freely in their body-mind and come to a place of serenity and peace. I am not practicing my own yoga – I am serving as a guide there… I am talking about yoga classes for ME – so that I can in turn be more giving and … joyful.

From a more Japanese ? perspective, if you are pursuing a certain path, one should always have a teacher, no matter how “advanced”, no matter how far along the way you are on that path … Without a teacher, you are like a “ronin”, a warrior without the lord, a higher purpose, a knight without the … reason to be a knight … without a teacher, without the mirror he/she holds, you can’t really see yourself. BUT that’s the old days ? and today, everyone appears to be their own guru? and on an individualized quest like a lone wolf? Now we can attend one workshop with some master teacher, & then with another … with no one particular adherence other than for the style whether it originated from the BKS Iyengar tradition or Pattabhi Jois tradition, & then there are many branches and styles … I prefer the old world – I prefer having a mentor or a master teacher that I can check in with …& study with on regular basis – kind of like an older sister or brother type respected figure (in the yoga world context) who are dedicated and further along… Maybe some FT instructors no longer take other classes perhaps because …it’s all self-home-practice … but just like many professional chefs who spend their off-time to eat out at different restaurants (one chef said that his day off is spent trying out peer’s eateries to keep abreast of what’s out there… to keep up the skill level, to continue to be stimulated and enthusiastic, VIBRANT- never going stale), I only have time for just 1-2 group classes and rest are self-directed and I think most regular practitioners too, their schedule is such that 2-4 times a week at most? SO finding the right class is important to me – exploring.

Bringing this up also because of what I over head after my 8:30am class a girl waiting in for the other class to begin talking; “I lost 56 lbs since December…” she says. I had to rethink if this class she’s waiting for is the hot and sweaty power yoga class that burns mega-calories … wait, no, it’s a class called “yoga for flexibility”, a Hatha class. She goes on “Yoga has really helped.” I was just pouring a cup of tea on the way out but … I had to look at her. Like, REALLY look at her. There sat a regular not fat, not thin woman in her 20’s or 30’s? Questions ensued by her friend “so are you buying new clothes?” … I walked away with a smile on my face. To witness a transformation before my very eyes, even though I had never seen her “BEFORE”, it’s just so so so lovely. Made me feel SO happy for her. Hummed all the way home.

Still integrating into my own practice some ideas learned at a master workshop from couple of weeks ago with RAMANAND PATEL, a very senior and respected Iyengar school teacher …who was recommended by Richard Rosen. (this is both the charming and cool thing about Richard – he never talks about the books he’s authored … kind of has this humility about him but always recommends others such as recommending Mark Singleton’s workshopthis weekend that … iSAD missed half of… fascinating subject ! Feeling blessed to find teachers pointing the way to the light …) Ramanand Patel is known for creative use of props for therapeutic purposes but I had actually signed up thinking he was teaching something else he’s also known for – yoga and sound – but this was about penetrating the layers …

delicate neck …TLC … Feel the forehead, the temples …yes, it’s all connected.

setup correctly please.

never thought of using straps in this manner… eye-opening for me; obviously hip opening for her… she’s already plenty flexible (probably an instructor) but some people are not… it’s harder, haha, I mean, more difficult to loosen the “grip” when one is very tight – so this aides the slow opening of areas that are rigid and hardened over years of molded behavioral shapes. If you can’t loosen even if your mind commands it – you need a little help.

Loved his T-shirt “FEARLESS” and what a dry wit … I love the Iyengar teachings because you really learn to embody your body, allowing it to think. Nothing appears automatic and everything seems deliberate. Both and mind and body thinking and feeling. When you get in, stay in, and then come out of the pose, all the sensations are felt – you really FEEL alive in your body temple, tapping into your own abundance through your intentional breath. Your senses come ALIVE when you pay attention – it’s like a body-mind tuneup. Then you are ready to go … do anything – dance, run, hike ? Oh, yes, even that power yoga! Whatever…you desire, you can do it much better since your body had its tune-up. I feel better now. How you feel is not just mental or spiritual – it’s closely connected how your BODY feels. You are not going to feel mentally well or spiritually uplifted, at the basic level, if your body, your home is not well tended. Caring for the whole takes training, as it starts from each part making up that whole. Living in a well tended body brings more ease … and better rest.

My next read: Wonder if there’s a book club that’s on this genre … i.e., books for readers crazy about all things “yoga” lol (BTW, per Mark Singleton yesterday, “”yoga” is not what you do but a state of mind, isn’t it?”) It’s a “crush” extracting knowledge from all these good reads … integrating them into my own essence. Will cover Mark Singleton’s enlightening sessions one day after all that chanting stops echoing in my head …