In Part 1 of this 8-part series, Aadil Palkhivala talks about his childhood as Iyengar’s very first child pupil.
More from Jason Scholder, 3ME owner and inventor:
“When I first met Aadil, I was in awe of his style and his vast knowledge. I still am. We developed a relationship through the Three Minute Egg®, for which I am very grateful. Aadil is as heart-centered in person as he seems in these videos. He even graced me once with a one-on-one yoga lesson to help my back. In this video, Aadil talks about how he got started in his yoga practice as a boy. Aadil’s stories are engrossing; I hope you enjoy listening to them as much as I did.”
I believe it was David Byrne (it’s possible he was quoting someone else) who said, “Rich people will travel great distances to take pictures of poor people.” Certainly by local standards, this was me.
The last few weeks have been some of the most evolutionary of my recent life. For those of you following along, you know I’ve been through some harrowing times and some adventures, had a good deal of fun and done some great shopping. A friend of mine from home, who has been coming to India for 40 years and still finds it quite challenging said, “India is relentless in its pursuit of forcing you to become who you really are.” His words carried me through much of this journey.
My Ego was obliterated on the mat and my days made needlessly complicated by the simple lack of infrastructure this country suffers. I was forced to phone a friend for some emotional support for what I was experiencing. And yet somewhere around day 13, I came through the dark night of my own soul and emerged happy, energized, and excited to go to my next class, buy yogurt from the little store on my way home, and cross the death-defying 6 lanes of traffic that separated my neighborhood from that of the Iyengar Institute in Pune. India has a pace all its own and it clearly took me some time to adjust. As I get ready to leave, I am simultaneously relieved and sad and anxious to come back, though next time I will make a point of staying longer and seeing more of the country. There is just way too much good stuff here not to spend more time.
I made some friends here who I will miss very much. Parvez and his wife Zarin sell CDs and books in the institute. Parvez was a pharmacist for years and evidently sleeps on my Eggs to help the severe curve in his back — perhaps from years of hunching over to fill prescriptions? He and his wife love the Eggs so much they want to be my Indian distributor. Rima tailored a dozen articles of clothing for me by way of contributing to my Indian makeover. And Nana, oh, Nana. Everyone needs someone like you if they’re going to come someplace like this. When Nana was with me, life was smooth. When he was absent, life was much more… real.
I have some parting advice I’d like to offer for anyone coming here in the future. Feel free to ignore it. (more…)
One of the more interesting days we spent in Pune was trekking around to see different temples. One of them was made entirely out of Silver and Gold. It was right in the middle of the city and to me this was mind-blowing. Surrounded by a questionable neighborhood, and visited by poor people casting their hopes and prayers and flowers on the monuments (I wasn’t allowed to to take pictures) there was this small but ornate and exquisite temple made of precious metals. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that.
Below you will see pictures of the temples and caves I was able to photograph. The one with the round top and pillars, along with the images that follow, is all carved out of one piece of stone. Can you imagine that kind of planning? The same is true for the Caves. Little or nothing is added. the entire structures are created by removing and retaining certain parts of the rock. I find that to be mind-blowing.
Joan and I went to the vegetable market for the sole purpose of taking photographs. Not only are the fruits and vegetables beautiful, but the people who sell them are marvelous to look at. I am continually blown away by the colors of India and the quality of the light. Hopefully it is adequately captured for you here. I could photograph Indian people 24 hours a day and not get bored. I don’t know what it is about their faces but I find them endlessly enthralling.
Most people in India seem to be vegetarians, and as a foreigner living in fear of unwanted stomach viruses, I adapted easily to the vegetarian lifestyle. (By the way, you should stay away from salads and other raw foods unless the come in a peel you don’t eat (like a banana) or you have the opportunity to wash them yourself, in filtered or bottled water. I ate salad at some of the nicer restaurants and was fine, but it was risky and probably not a great idea.)
I found it interesting that restaurants quickly identified themselves as “Veg” or “Non-Veg.” We don’t really have that in the States. Most restaurants serve meat as well as dishes without meat, and only those that are vegan, vegetarian, or gluten free really to out of their way to advertise as such. I have developed a gluten intolerance (probably due to my excess Pizza Karma) but somehow the Chapati in India didn’t bother me. It appears I have a worse reaction to bleached, enriched and processed flour. This is fortunate because I LOVE Chapati. That and the fact that Indian meals really need to be enjoyed with some kind of starch to soak up the sauces. I found it an interesting side note that the Indians do not eat rice with their meal. They eat it with Daal and they eat it separately — usually after the meal (I don’t know why this is) but not usually during.
Something I forgot to mention while talking about my Ayurveda Getaway was what I learned about placing food on the plate in preparation for eating it. Evidently they place what which you should eat first (dessert — and only at lunch) closest to you at approximately 6:00 on your plate. Then they start placing things in the order of importance for your diet beginning on the right side (assuming your right-handed) and moving counter clockwise in descending order of relevance to your dietary needs. The theory is to make the right foods more accessible and the less critical foods more discouraging to place on your fork. I thought this was brilliant.
I wish I knew more about cooking Indian cuisine, because then I w0uld have known what to buy at this incredible market. Instead I just took dozens of photos. Enjoy the show!
My favorite thing about Pune, is leaving town for the weekend. As much as I like this amazing city, the noise, the pollution, and the constant hustle get to me after a while. I’m just not used to it and as anyone who’s been here will tell you, India is relentless. So taking a break and leaving the city for the weekend is always a good idea.
One of my dear friends, someone who was really there for me at a time in my life when I needed him, has long since retired and left the U.S. for Asia. I remember when I met Barry that he would leave, and in fact did leave, for an ashram in India every year. But I was 18 years old at the time, Yoga studios did not adorn every town, and Eastern culture was somewhat obscure and synonymous with hippies — an era of my life yet to come — so I had no idea what he was talking about.
Barry is a Baba-Lover, and Baba-Lovers believe Meher Baba was the most recent incarnation of G*d — on par with Jesus, Mohammad, and Buddha. (more…)
I returned from my Ayurvedic weekend with an odd combination of dread and resolve. The threat to move me back to the beginners’ class was looming from Friday’s session, and the beating I took from the teacher at the spa had left its scars. But I was determined to stay in headstand for the full 5 minutes.
The class started at 7:00 am with handstands at the wall. Seriously? Handstands? What happened to a gentle cat/cow or some breathing exercises? We then moved into downward dog and some forward folding for at least a few minutes before the teacher announced it was time for Sirsasana – headstand. Having failed to tuck in my shirt for Handstands and never fully regaining my composure after that, I approached headstand with a combination of caution, care, and resolve to do it right. I would press into my forearms, extend through my heels, separate my hips from my ribcage, and lengthen my shoulders to avoid placing too much pressure on my head – all while maintaining one point of focus and smooth easy breathing. I began feeling fatigued after about 90 seconds into the pose. My neck was starting to hurt and my arms were shaking, but I looked across from me at an upside down man who seemed to float effortlessly on the other side of the room, and I decided that if he could do it, so could I. (more…)
India is wonderful, but India is stressful. Once Naana got me settled into my apartment with my basic needs taken care of, he resumed servicing others and I was left to handle India on my own. It hasn’t been easy. After a week in Pune, I decided to take a much-needed break and go to an Ayurvedic spa for 30 hours of rest, relaxation, and remedy.
Ayurveda is East Indian medicine, and the main focus lies in prescribing a combination of diet, herbs, oils, and treatments appropriate for balancing what they call your Doshas. There are three Doshas: Vata (wind); Pitta (fire); and Kapha (water). Most people are dominant in one of these three, and many have the strong influence of a second. Your dominant Dosha is determined at birth, but during the course of a day, week, month, or year, the Dosha that dominates your physiology can change. It’s ideal to maintain a healthy balance of all three Doshas, so once they determine your constitution, an appropriate regimen is prescribed just for you. (more…)
I have now been in India for one week, and today was both the best and worst day I’ve had in terms of yoga. It was the best day because we had yet another amazing teacher and for me it was our first time in the same room. All of the teachers here are excellent, and this woman has certain qualities that make her shine. She is beautiful, confident, her smile is disarming, and she loves to yell and hit. In this last way she is not so unique. If you come to India to do yoga; tuck in your shirt, suck in your stomach and keep your knees and elbows straight. Or, be prepared to suffer the consequences. Today, I suffered quite a bit. (more…)
I’ve been ruminating all week on how yoga in the East differs from yoga in the West. Many teachers have told me that most Westerners wouldn’t actually enjoy taking yoga in India. As much as I am benefiting from these teachings, I can understand why. Life here is difficult. Yoga here is difficult. And living your life is living your yoga, because even the most mundane things, like drinking water, are not easy.
The Iyengar family takes teaching yoga very seriously, and they train their teachers to be tough. They are on time, so you should be on time. They work hard, so you should work hard. Much is expected of you in return for the privilege of being here. I happen to think that’s completely reasonable.
So if I had to boil this difference down to one word, that word right now would be (more…)
There are really only two ways to travel in India: luxury class, or sense-of-adventure class.
*For the record, I actually prefer the latter as I enjoy seeing the people, being among the people, and talking to the people whose country I am visiting. So I want to preface the rest of this blog by noting that I am not complaining one bit about having taken the train and walked a half-marathon to get there. It was a really fun day.
Led by a budget-conscious Dutch yoga teacher (Pascal) who wanted us all to have a real Indian adventure, we set out today for a trip to the Karla Caves about 90 minutes outside Pune by train.
I was under the impression that we’d hired a car and this trip would be easy. I had forgotten something of critical importance: India, while wonderful, is seldom easy. We spent most of the day walking, waiting and/or negotiating with people from all walks of life.
TOP 6 EXCUSES A RICKSHAW DRIVER MIGHT GIVE FOR DENYING YOU A RIDE: (more…)
