THE RESULT OF TAPAS

I will start by saying, there is nothing like studying with an Iyengar. This past week 900 of us got to study with Abhijata Iyengar BKS Iyengar's granddaughter) at a National Yoga Convention in Dallas, TX. 
The brilliance of her teaching brought each one of us deep within ourselves - not only physically, but on a soul level - she transmitted true yoga, which touches you on every layer of your being (kosas). 
There are 2 particular experiences I wanted to share that I find myself experiencing when; 1. I am studying with an Iyengar (or a Senior teacher in India) 2. I am practicing in a large group of yoga practitioners. 
The first experience came to me while in Supta Baddha Konasana on day 3 of the convention. After standing poses Abhi had us lay on our backs in Supta Baddha Konasana. 

We began in the variation flat on your back, grabbing your shins from underneath. Next she had us but a vertical brick underneath our feet and observe our groins and hips. Then she has us roll a blanket (can be done on a thinly rolled mat as well) and put it under our tailbone with the feet up on the blanket. We stayed in each variation for a few minutes and observed the openness or lack of openness in our groins and hips. We were about to come up when she asked us to do it with no support to feel what the props had done to our pose. As I laid flat in Supta Baddha Konasana it was as if I was in a different body. My thighs went so close to the floor!!  I experienced immense freedom in my groins and hips. It was so freeing and different I felt a sense of bewilderment and fear that made me question if I was residing in my own body. I was SO open, so surrendered I had to double check my ego structure - am I still ME? That is the power of the practice and genius teaching.
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Tapas means burning desire. And we need this in our practice to break through our physical limitations, and ego structure. I experienced true tapas after my 20 Urdvha Dhanurasana on the last day of the convention. I came in soar and exhausted. Exclaiming to my peers, "I have no idea how I am going to have any energy for backbends!" Within 1 hour Abhi had us going up in Urdvha Dhanurasana. We started by working on pushing up diagonally towards the feet to truly use our legs and get out of our spine in the pose. We kept going - another, another - as she weaved more actions in each progressive backbend. As we were getting close to 20 (we spent time in each!) I thought back to the mind I had entered class with. That was a different mind. All of a sudden I had immense energy - I was present and ready for another. I felt the true meaning of tapas and how it burns away the impurities for our deeper being to be revealed. 

There is nothing like studying with an Iyengar. I am grateful every single day to be walking this earth with masters.