To my students

We will be meeting classes the week of July 8, rather than July 15. Monday night home class, see you 5:45pm Monday, July 8.

Paul

My husband, Paul, is a quiet man who works very hard without expecting recognition or praise. But I can’t let it go unsaid what a yeoman’s work he did with Molly over the last month. From day to day management of her medicines and food, and trips out to potty, to getting up with her several times last night as I was in deep sleep from my travels from India, to digging the earth today for Molly to be laid to rest, he gave Molly the very best love and care, never complaining. Though words likely are not sufficient, I just wanted to publically thank him from Molly and me.

Home

After getting bumped from the last leg of our journey, Newark to Charlotte, and having a little bit of a meltdown as Bill and I stood in a very long line for United Airlines Customer Service, I thought I wouldn’t make it back to see Molly in time. But through an act of Providence, we managed to get two seats on a small jet to Charlotte in a few hours. We arrived home about 5:30pm Saturday. Molly was still holding but it was clear that she didn’t feel too well. Her eyes seemed to be a little de-focussed as if she were looking into another world. When our cat Shiva walked by, she focussed again on this world. I gazed into her eyes as I talked to her and loved her. During the night she was not comfortable and this morning, Paul and I decided to have her put to rest. The vet told us that Molly would have made it only a couple more hours this morning anyway. Maybe she was doing me one more kindness in waiting for me, I dont know. But, I am incredibly grateful that I got to hold her and talk with her one more time. At the same time, I don’t think I have absorbed it – so quick the return from India, being zoned from the travel, and dealing with a fever, sore throat, congestion for a few days now. Time and yoga heal though.

My trip to India was rich and tough and wonderful. The instruction of the Iyengar’s is beyond compare. The time to devote to yoga there is a huge gift given the busy world we all live in. I am grateful and honored to have experienced it.

To my students: as I have arrived home a week early and my classes are already covered for this week, I will not plan to teach this week. Next week is family reunion at Garden City Beach. I look forward to seeing you the week of July 15. I hope to have some pleasant surprises in store for you.

Love, light, and Namaskar,
Jan

Thank you

Thank you all for your continued support during this challenging time. As of several hours ago, Molly is hanging in, although quite weak. Paul is a saint for the care he has given her and we’re trying our best to get to her. Yesterday, our hero Nana, who happens to be the rickshaw driver for institute students, took Bill and I to a Lufthansa office (that no longer exists), to the Pune airport twice, once at midnight last night, and other places all over to get our tickets changed. He also talked with our emergency contact in India and in general helped us incredibly. About 2am this morning we learned, as we sat outside the Pune airport which you can’t enter unless you have printed tickets, that the Pune Lufthansa office can’t print tickets which we needed to get on an earlier flight at 5 am this morning. And it was one of those snafu’s in which the India Lufthansa folks said they couldn’t change our tickets because they were purchased as part of a special deal and only our travel agent could make the change. And our travel agent said she couldn’t make a change because we had already flown one leg of the trip and also due to Indian security issues. A senior Lufthansa official was going to override the red tape however Pune airport can’t print tickets. Long story, right? Well short version,we are back at the Hotel Chetak, we have a ride to Mumbai and flight out at 11:30pm tonight on United Airlines, set up by our travel agent who was able to give us a credit on the purchase of those tickets. Only thing left to do is to walk to a place where we can print e tickets.

In reflection, I was glad to make it to Prashant’s last class of the month yesterday and what turns out to be my last class of this trip. The hanging Sirsasana (variation on headstand) along with the work on pranayama (breath extension) was very soothing. On the other hand, I’m sad about Molly, I’m sad the time at the institute is ending so abruptly, and I’m sad not to make the trip to Kolkota with my brother. Bill is so sweet that he is fine with this change in plans. The yoga sutras describe pratipaksabhavinam which means to go against the grain. In the midst of sadness or another emotion that can throw you way off, practice the state that would be opposite to it. May we all benefit by that suggestion. Attached is a photo of Nana and Bill from the other day when we were at the lotus garden.

PSS

For those of you who don’t know her, I post a picture of Molly. She’s hanging in so far. Thank you all for your support.

Decisions

In the movie “A Passage to India,” Mrs. Moore says to Miss Quested, that India has a way of making one see oneself face to face, and sometimes what one sees is disappointing. It seems that another way of putting this is that India presents one with challenges that test one’s strength. The challenges I have found in addition to water/parasites, pollution, and insects include being without running water for several days, losing our cook, and getting another cook but walking a little distance to another location to eat her food. The latest is that my beloved dog, Molly, soon to be 17 years old is not doing very well. She is not eating much, not taking many of her medications, with the arthritis in her back knees standing is increasingly difficult. I just face timed with my husband, Paul, who is keeping me updated and letting me see and talk to her. It seems as though she is in her last days.I knew this was a risk but I had hoped she could make it until I returned. she has been my best friend, Paul notwithstanding, for 17 years. I am inquiring about returning home in the next few days thus missing my trip to Kolkata with Bill and thankfully he understands.

As for the institute, it has been pranayama week. Have had two classes with Prashant and I have found them incredibly soothing to my angst’d mind. He says the breath is a cardiologist, an endocrinologist, a psychiatrist – healing at a deep level. I find it so true and it helps me face myself in tough situations. Love to all.

New Arrival

Greetings!
Today, Friday June 21, my brother Bill arrived about 4 am in Pune! It is so great to see him after having seen no family in three weeks. While he rested in the flat, us yoga students had personal practice time from 9 until noon. I worked on the poses on the Junior Intermediate II syllabus including lotus, fish, garland, a two foot arm balance, among others, and also inversions like head and shoulder stand. It’s just so nice to have three protected hours with no other obligations other than to be at the institute and practice yoga, and to have Guruji present in the hall doing his own practice is just beyond belief. I hardly know how I will practice at home without him there! Later, at 6 pm, we had a pranayama class taught by one of the Iyengar teachers, Raj Laxmi. The in depth Savasana was the highlight for me as I am feeling a little tired this evening. Much better though after the class.

Bill had his first home cooked Indian meal today. Photo below – he looks pretty good after two days of travel! Also, Anita showed us how she makes chapatis, an Indian bread. In one photo, you will see one chapati on the pan and another on the flame, puffed up. Until next time, namaste.

PS

Here are two photos of the way we walk to the institute, FYI!

Thursday June 20

Hello all,
Today Prashant taught a 7-9am class and we did similar poses to last week: back bending over a chair, chest openers using the wall ropes, seated twists, hanging headstand, bridge,and corpse. This week he has been addressing the will to do, the will to know, the will to become, and the will to be. The will to do is exemplified by practicing asana, the will to know is to learn more about the nature of the poses, the will to become is reflecting on the pose for example comparing how one has changed in the pose over time. The will to be is equanimity, equipoise, equilibrium, contentment brought by yog. He enjoins us to know the purpose not just the how-to’s. After class there was personal practice so you can do whatever poses you want. And there are all the elaborate props you can use! and Guruji is in there the entire three hour period practicing! Later, from 4-6pm is the medical class where people come from all over to be treated for various ailments by yoga poses, many of which are restorative.

Outside of class, I finally met the great Nana, rickshaw driver for students of the institute. He took me to a shop that had been recommended. It was fun to be on wheels after walking so much. the traffic is completely crazy! I attach a photo of the shop. Unfortunately, my roommate has been sick today and stayed in until now when she wanted to come “internet.” If she’s not better tomorrow, we will search for a doctor. Thankfully, we had running water all day today which is a change from the past several days. On top of all that, my brother Bill arrives early tomorrow to spend my last week in Pune with me and then fly to Calcutta to visit sites related to the great Indian writer, Rabindranath Tagore. Please send good health energy!

Food in Pune

One of my students asked me to blog about what our cook prepares for us. We lost our first cook, Latika, sadly, due to her mother passing away. Now we have Anita who is pictured with her niece below. Today, she prepared with minimal water as our water has been off most of the day, a delicious dal (a staple here) and what she called stuffed eggplant. It had potatoes, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and ground peanuts. We had some leftover paratha from Saturday – it looks like a chapati but has chilies and various herbs in it. Tonight it will be a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!!