Intensive Course November 2022
After remaining closed for over two years due to the Covid pandemic, the Center finally opened on Diwali, 24 October 2022. After opening the Center, the first Intensive Course took place from 9 to 17 Nov. The Course consisted of 12 Asana classes and 1 Pranayama class taught by Usha Devi and 2 talks on the Yoga Sutra 2.46 by Siddhartha Krishna. Daily beginners’ classes and Sunday children’s classes were taught by Ekta Ghale.
Shazia Omar
This week we were honoured to be in the company of Shazia Omar, the internationally renowned Bangladeshi novelist. Shazia came to Rishikesh to attend Usha's week-long intensive yoga course. Whilst here, she kindly agreed to give a talk about life in Bangladesh, a country that few of us have had the fortune to visit or hear about.
After an impressive academic career, (including an Undergraduate in Economics at an Ivy League University and then a Masters in Psychology from LSE), Shazia decided to quit the rat-race in order to deepen her yoga practice and explore her Bangladeshi roots. In Dhaka, she set up regular yoga classes and has been a pioneering figure in establishing yoga in the country. There is now a thriving yoga community which continues to grow.
Shazia talked to us about the national character of Bangladesh, how it is a very happy and hospitable country, in spite of considerable poverty. This optimistic outlook is perhaps what inspired her latest books, ‘Intentional Smile’, which explores the power of thought - how our thoughts become our reality. Her latest story for children, ’Sun, Moon, Secret’, also delves into philosophy and the nature of Samadhi.
Shazia’s first novel, ‘Like a Diamond in the Sky’, (published by Penguin), explores the darker side of Dhaka; the disenfranchised youth and drug culture that thrives there, the chaos and the loneliness faced by many in the metropolis. This novel established her as a leading contemporary voice in South Asian literature.
Her second novel, ‘A Dark Diamond’, sought to bring balance to the body of South Asian fiction, of which there were no novels that explored life in Bangladesh pre-1971, when the country gained independence. This historical novel, set in 1685, focuses on Lord Shayista Khan, the Mughal Viceroy who, during Aurangzeb’s rule, was one of the most powerful men on earth and was responsible for making Bengal the epicentre of commerce and culture.
Both these novels involved extensive research and considerable courage for Shazia to publish, given the prospect of a backlash from fundamentalist groups in the country. Her work is a testimony to her own strength of character and sincere efforts to shed light on this fascinating country.
Thank you Shazia for educating us!
Kids’ Performance
Light and joy: an inner child journey
After a more than two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Patanjala Yoga Kendra (Iyengar Yoga Center) in Rishikesh reopened its doors in late October 2022, and during the second week of November, an intensive course given by Usha Devi took place.
On the last day of the course, we were surprised and delighted by a wonderful yogasanas performance given by Ekta's young students.
The journey began with the thoroughly impressive and enlightening presentation of the different asanas groups given by Swati: a young girl that was capable of captivating us with her sparkling charisma and an impressive articulated use of English to stand grounded in front of 60 people, children and adults combined, without losing her focus and smiling eyes.
Just as the day begins with the rising sun, the journey started with a sweet and tender demonstration of Surya Namaskar performed by two lovely young female students, Diya and Aradhya.
Then our enthusiastic young guru presented the first group of asanas, Utthishta Sthiti (standing postures), performed by Sumit, in which we were able to experience the calmness and precision of movements and observe the softness and stillness of face and mind.
And whenever calmness precedes the storm, this was no exception: we were all of the sudden turned upside down and became witnesses of the human body's astonishing capability for flexibility and balance. Niraj and Suraj gifted us with a magnificent demonstration on Viparita Sthiti and Purva Pratana Sthiti (inversions and backward bends).
To conclude the moving journey and allow us to go deeper inwards, our presenter and Shivanshu showed us the soothing and relaxing power of Paschima Pratana Sthiti (forward bends) and Upavistha Sthiti (sitting postures).
The overall wonderful performance was an invitation to connect with our inner child and feel the playfulness that resides within the practice of yoga. Through extremely advanced asanas that require both flexibility and Dharana (concentration), the students touched our hearts and souls with both their physical and emotional developed skills. For a short glimpse, you would forget they were children performing and you would be immersed in their fully attentive sequence not once looking distracted or forgetful. They embodied discipline with lightness and joy.
Ekta, Marcello, and all the students have inspired us to go to our roots and light up that spark of joy back into our Sadhana (practice), and to remind us of the powerfully transformative action that yoga has from an early age and throughout all the stages in life.
By Andy Visacovsky
22/11/22
Rishikesh, India
