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.”
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.
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…)
I couldn’t believe it was already 9:22 when I woke up this morning, only minutes before my loyal Rickshaw driver, Nana, would arrive to fetch me and my suitcases in order to deliver me to my new apartment — just about 20 minutes walking from “The Institute” [i.e. the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, or RIMYI.] That doesn’t include crossing six lanes of the most terrifying traffic I’ve ever seen. There is only one way across. (Think Eddie Murphy’s special needs brother in the movie Bowfinger, trying to scurry across the 101 Freeway in Los Angeles, to complete a scene.) The fact that I was able to find my way back tonight was nothing short of a miracle. It really could have gone either way.
But, more importantly, today was my first Indian Yoga class!!! Mr. Iyengar is under the weather, and even if he were well, I am not experienced enough to attend his classes. One must apply two years in advance and have at least 8 years of experience in Iyengar Yoga. I have one. However, I have a ten-year visa, so there’s hope! Mr. Iyengar will be 101 years old by then. If he’s still teaching, I am SO coming back!
I learned a lot in tonight’s class, but before I get into the yoga, here are the most important things I learned: (more…)
Namaskar! Hello! Welcome to Mumbai. Taxi? Hotel? My friend. Tell me, do you have ticket?
India. Wow. I finally made it. And by finally, I am not referring to the 14-1/2 hour plane ride over two oceans. I mean more in the karmic, life’s journey, ahhh, India, kind of way.
I’ve always been curious what it would be like here, and in a positive way, I’m not the least bit surprised by what I’ve found. This is not a country easy to describe, and having been here for only 29 hours, I’m reasonably unfit to try. I will say this, however: (more…)
I couldn’t believe it was already 9:22 when I woke up this morning, only minutes before my loyal Rickshaw driver, Nana, would arrive to fetch me and my suitcases in order to deliver me to my new apartment — just about 20 minutes walking from “The Institute” [i.e. the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, or RIMYI.] That doesn’t include crossing six lanes of the most terrifying traffic I’ve ever seen. There is only one way across. (Think Eddie Murphy’s special needs brother in the movie Bowfinger, trying to scurry across the 101 Freeway in Los Angeles, to complete a scene.) The fact that I was able to find my way back tonight was nothing short of a miracle. It really could have gone either way.
But, more importantly, today was my first Indian Yoga class!!! Mr. Iyengar is under the weather, and even if he were well, I am not experienced enough to attend his classes. One must apply two years in advance and have at least 8 years of experience in Iyengar Yoga. I have one. However, I have a ten-year visa, so there’s hope! Mr. Iyengar will be 101 years old by then. If he’s still teaching, I am SO coming back!
