I’ve been lucky enough to do my yoga practice in a pretty idyllic spot the last few months. My instructor, a young Indian woman called Samantha, teaches all over the city. One of the women she gives private instruction to lives in a beautiful bungalow in Worli, right on the seaside. The home actually has a lawn in the back, and a wooden terrace overlooking the rocky coast and the waters of the Arabian Sea. Twice a week she lets Samantha teach an open class there. It is an amazing setting for a yoga practice. We begin at 7 pm as the sun goes down, the breeze picks up, and the tide rolls in or out on steady waves.
Samantha is a good instructor who leads a challenging practice. My ability and love for yoga have grown a lot, even in working with her a short time. Her focus is on the asanas, the body positions, which doesn’t seem all that common with other yogis here in Mumbai. Some of the other branches of yogic practice—breathing, meditation, etc.—get a lot more attention here than in the U.S. (Which is quite cool. Walking down Marine Drive the other night we saw a man sitting in lotus, pinching his nostrils shut in an alternating rhythm.) So although Samantha’s classes are familiar to me, who was introduced to yoga in the west with our focus on the body, she does incorporate breathing exercises and chanting into all of her classes. I think this is quite rare in the U.S., although some of my readers could correct this assumption of mine if I’m wrong.
But like many Mumbaikers, Samantha is taking a short vacation during the end of May, after which she is actually setting up shop in her own space. No more traveling all over town to teach classes. And the studio will be quite close to our flat which I’m happy about. But I will definitely miss practicing at the idyllic bungalow! Om…
2 comments:
Generally speaking, yes, westernized yoga focuses on the body first and foremost; some teachers never even mention the breath, god forbid chant. Which actually raises the question of whether or not they are actually teaching yoga at all. BUT, you know you've found a good studio when they combine all three. Yoga Works (where John and I practiced in LA, and where I later taught) really emphasizes a focus on breath in the teaching of asana as the connective force between mind and body. Or it used to, at least. The studio (or MANY studios now. Yeesh) recently went "corporate," so to speak, and has a chain of studios (MCDONALDS-style) on the east and west coasts, which churn out new teachers left and right. So, I'd be curious to see how the focus of their classes has changed.
Samantha does run some really good classes. I think it will be better when she is at the studio b/c then she will committed whereas at the Bungalow you never know if she is having class or not. Plus, as you rightly said, it is close and gets us out of our damn heads. you will be ripped this summer.
love you, john
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