Its 2011 and with it an Attempt to Log My Runs and Yoga Practice

Its a new year. But its also a new decade.
And one of the things that i plan (we all plan, lets see how much of the plan gets done)
is to maintain a log of my running and yoga practice. The goals are simple

1. Running Goals for 2011
a. log 750 miles for the year - that s like 2 miles a day - very doable (if i manage to run every day)
b. Run the bridges in the city - i have been doing that but this year the goal is to get through all of them. There is Williamsburg Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan bridge, George Washington bridge and i am sure there are another dozen or so that one can run across.
c. Run in all the five boroughs of the city

2. Yoga Practice goals for 2011
a. log 400 hours of practice
b. maintain a unsupported head stand for 5 mins
c. complete the level two schedule of the 'light on yoga' practice schedule

50 weeks to go - the log starts!

Screening BKS Iyengar's "Yoga: The Ultimate Freedom"

I recently attended a special screening of a vintage video tape showing an hour long yoga demonstration by one of the worlds greatest Yoga Exponent, BKS Iyengar. This black and white recording, titled "Yoga: The Ultimate Freedom", showcases the worlds foremost yoga expert, BKS Iyengar demonstrating a variety of yoga poses. The video was shot in 1976 and is considered the best recording of this great yoga teacher.

Note, Mr. Iyengar (affectionately called Guruji by his students) was 58 years old then! He is almost 90 now and still practices hours of yoga in his home/yoga institute in Pune, India.







As you can see in the pictures below, these are very advanced and technical difficult yoga poses that require years of dedicated practice. But as Mr. Iyengar himself goes on to say in the video and elsewhere, yoga can lead to the Ultimate Freedom of the body, mind and spirit. He also emphasizes that even though the poses may look tough, if you start and view yoga as a life long journey then the poses will begin to flow. Mr, Iyengar himself is a living example of such a transformation - when he started practicing yoga at the age of 15 he could barely bend down enough to reach his knees as he suffered from Tuberculosis which greater limited this spinal movements!

I have been practicing yoga for 15 months now and attend a weekly class of 90 mins. The class goes through a series of poses with intense stretching and focusing of the mind that makes one realize one's own body. And yes, with each class the body begins to open up and the stiff joints and muscles begin to loosen up. The relaxation and lightness that one feels after each class can only be experienced.



Hope you consider embarking on this lifelong journey of discovery, freedom and joy!

Awe Inspiring Yogathon at the Iyengar Yoga Institute

The Iyengar Yoga Institute organized its 5th annual Yogathon today. Just like a walkathon or a marathon, the Yogathon challenges one to go test the limits of their endurance and willingness as participants (read serious and regular practitioners) hold tough (and mind contorting) yoga poses for long minutes, in some cases the minutes almost become hours. And the yogis friends and well wishers pledge donations for every minute the pose is held.

This was my second yogathon and i was looking forward to it (i have been practicing at the institute for a year and hope to make it a lifelong habit) It truly was an experience and an inspiration to see yoga as a life of continued practice and learning. Enjoy these pics and marvel at the poses, the flexiblity and the wisdom from which this practice emanates.

The yogathon started with Matt Dreyfus doing the head stand and a series of inverted twists.




Then Tori Milner began her series of the back bends such as The dhanurasana, culminating with the toughest pose rated in Iyengar Yoga. This is the Nataraj pose - the classic pose named after Lord Shiva and rated 60 on a scale from 1 to 60 ).




As Tori was doing her backbends, Dmitri was holding the Utitha Asana for 15 looooong minutes. This pose looks deceptively simple but is really tough to hold.



Other highlight of the day included a series of really leg bending poses,





And then a 45 mins shoulder stand by Eve Holbrook.



And an amazing sequence of poses by three Women on the Ropes (laura brunn, naghmeh ahi and michelle) !