Penticton, BC - The gala evening included a dinner with Geetaji. The head tables were reserved for the guest of honour, her niece Abi, senior Iyengar teachers, and IYAC commitee members. Margot Kitchen, senior Iyengar instructor for Calgary, acted as emcee; Ingelise Nherlan, senior instructor from Vancouver, surprised the audience with a song. What a beautiful voice! Some women worn the traditional Indian dress, the salvar kameez, in numerous vibrant colours. I wondered why traditionally we Westerners shy away from such briliant tones. I made a private vow to eliminate black from my wardrobe.
Throughout the Conference, all meals were vegetarian and food was served buffet-style. The Gala dinner was no different except the chef had prepared special Indian-inspired dishes of curried vegetables and naan bread. Whomever said a vegetarian diet was tasteless and dull has never attended a IYAC Conference. We all mistakenly thought we would loose weight during the week. Harty, colourfull salads and bountiful legume entrees were difficult to resist, as were the deserts.
Calgary friends and fellow participants Sharoni, Shelly, Anna, Nimmi, and myself.
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Sunday, May 4th
A special mention to my brother who is celebrating a birthday today. Happy 37th, Pat.
Penticton & Kelowna, BC - The morning marked our third and final three-hour asana practice with Geeta. I can say without ego that this was the most difficult class I have taken part in during my 10 years practicing yoga. Geetaji pushed our physical limits. She asked us to repeat poses numerous times. When we thought we had gone as far as possible, her instructions allowed us to reach new heights. "Simple" seated twists like Bharadvajasana were now the most challenging. For days following, my back felt the aftermath of forward bends such as Triang Mukhaikapada Paschimottanasana and Janu Sirsasana. I didn't check but I'm sure I grew a few inches.
Once finished, Geetaji graciously and without fanfare ended the practice and hence the conference, but not before taking the time to answer questions prepared in advance by students. I could have used a few more days. I could have used a few more WEEKS of her teaching. If it had been possible, I would have transported my students there to experience her teachings with me. It was a milestone on my yoga journey I won't soon forget.
One last note: To Christine Brown, with whom I have more in common than I would have guessed, and to the lovely woman from Toronto (who's name I have forgotton), thank you for engaging me in such lively discussion at the Kelowna airport. Although we joked about it, I would have liked more time to get to know you both before dashing to catch my flight. Our hour sharing drinks was the perfect way to end the weekend. Namaste, Kim.
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1 comment:
Hi Kim!
Nice to see you in the blogosphere. You can find some pictures of you from the IYAC on my blog. I also added you as a link - I hope that's okay!
Namaste :) Anna
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