The Gift of Yoga - Honouring BKS Iyengar at the Centenary Celebrations in Sydney
At present in India, Centenary Celebrations are being held in honour of BKS Iyengar. In Australia we held our own Centenary Celebrations for BKS Iyengar in each capital city to mark 100 years since his birth. I attended the Sydney celebration at Opera Australia in Surry Hills on Sunday 11 November. The Sydney celebration started with a 2hr Led Practice led by a representative from Sydney and each regional area in NSW. I attended as the representative for the Central West and led the adjusted sequence for anyone who was pregnant, menstruating or had injuries. The atmosphere was friendly and the energy in the room was beautiful as we all practised together for the 2 hours, each individual adjusting their practice as needed.
After the Led Practice we had morning tea and talked to old friends, met new people and drank seriously good chai!
We then sat for an hour or so to listen to stories and perspectives from four Senior Iyengar Teachers who started travelling to Pune to learn from Mr Iyengar in the 1970s. They were among Iyengar's first students and most of them have travelled at least once a year to learn from Iyengar and his family every year since then. Their stories were full of funny anecdotes and reflections on their time in India. They all have enormous gratitude and respect for Iyengar's generosity to share his knowledge with a sense of humour, and his passion to bring yoga to the West so it was accessible to everyone.
Pooja was held in honour of Guruji where 100 candles were lit by almost 100 attendees to give thanks to Guruji and his life of teaching. It was a moving and joyous celebration and a reminder that yoga is a gift. If we treasure, nurture and put the time and effort into our practice, we will receive all it has to offer us.
