Me and my pals Caitlin and Helen in an impromptu utthita hasta padangusthasana on the fountain at Dupont Circle

Caitlin and Helen were interested in attending a couple of classes at the conference, but were stymied by the idea of bringing their own props.  (Note for the non-Iyengar peeps out there –  attendees to Iyengar events that are held at venues other than a studio are generally expected to bring their own props:  3 blankets, 1 strap, 2 blocks, and your mat. Optional = a bolster.) So they elected to do a tour of local flow studios, and even did a barre yoga class. (which, apparently, did not include actually using the barre. What’s with that?)  The idea of bringing props to a yoga conference was a foreign one to these two hardcore vinyasa flow yoginis. They were curious as to how, exactly, one would transport all these props.  So, for their (and your!) edification, I’ve elected to share a few images from the conference, of Iyengar yogis and their props conveyances…

The most popular conveyance seems to be the extra large rolling suitcase:

Here's a photo of my own teacher, Cindy Dollar, in front of a wonderful photo of BKS Iyengar, with her rolling suitcase o' props.

This is followed in popularity by the giant Ikea bag(s):

This very sweet yogini delayed her mad dash to class so I could get a photo

Some bags are heavier than others:

This is Greenville, SC Iyengar teacher Suzanne Spitzer, mugging for the camera with her beautiful purple bag

And some folks bring in moving dollies full of props!

Volunteers from Unity Woods Yoga, in DC, who graciously provided bolsters and chairs for the conference

I also have a great image of his n’ hers rolling props bags which, sadly, I shot as a video.  And which I can’t post here, for some reason.

So, for all you Yoga Journal Conference attendees, Wanderlust adventurers, and Omega, Kripalu, and Yogaville workshoppers, here’s a slice of life from Iyengar world. I neglected to get a photo of my own props bag (of course I had a bolster in there!) – but I’m sending out apologies to everyone who was on the Green Line metro car with me from Union Station to Columbia Heights last Friday. I lost count of how many people I ran into with my giant bag.  I think I’ll be investing in a rolling bag before the next conference.

Those of you who remember me from the early days of Twitter and Facebook know that reading is one of my passions. Yes, I’ll admit, I do have a bit of a tabloid magazine habit.  But I’ve given up my subscription to National Enquirer, and I haven’t read an issue of People in weeks now.  I have no idea what’s going on with J Lo or Brangelina.  Believe me if you will.  Or not. I have, instead, been engaged in some quality reading of late. My friend Steph Keach and I trade books back and forth, and one of her standout faves is this one, Shantaram.  I must admit, it’s a lengthy book at 900+ pages.  But hey – I was an English major.  If I can read Joyce’s Ulysses and not run from the room screaming, this will be a piece of cake.  And it was…

Shantaram is a semi-autobiographical tale of an escaped convict from Australia who flees to the streets of Mumbai in an effort to blend in with the crowds and avoid capture. Upon his arrival in Bombay, Lin has the good fortune to meet up with Prabakar, who becomes both his guide and his faithful friend.  It is the first of many fortuitous (and a few not so fortuitous) occurrences for Lin.

With Prabakar as his guide, Lin enters Bombay’s shadowy world of gangsters, prostitutes, sadhus, Bollywood directors, and expats. He suffers some existential angst due to his life on the lam (he must be on guard at all times lest his true identity be uncovered), but finds love and acceptance amongst both the slum dwellers and the mafiosi alike. He goes on to run a medical clinic for his fellow slum dwellers, visits Prabakar’s childhood village (where he receives the name Shantaram, which means man of God’s peace), goes to prison, is tortured there, becomes a gangster, makes a few enemies, makes a few friends, and goes to war in Afghanistan. Whew!  He’s a busy guy!

This novel is all-encompassing.  It would have benefitted from a little editing, I think.  And the plot and characterizations were a bit predictable.  But the big takeaway for me is Lin’s (and the author’s) abiding love for Bombay and its inhabitants. If you want to learn more about India (especially the underworldly side) or have a hankering to visit Bombay, this book will slake your thirst. And the other good news is this:  this book is part one of a proposed trilogy!  So, if the first book is any indication, that means 1800 more pages of larger than life adventure of a larger than life guy who’s on the lam from prison in India.  Jai Ho!

Angela will be attending Cora Wen’s upcoming workshop at Holy Cow Yoga in Charleston, S.C.

www.holycowyoga.com

Angela will be attending this workshop!

Order between now and April 29, 2011 to have your products delivered to you at the workshop.

Sandbags can be ordered for this workshop.

So I’m blogging as “KaphaGirl.” For those of you not familiar with ayurveda, I’ve borrowed heavily from my friend Vishnu Das’ website (www.bluelotusayurveda.com) to define the word “Kapha” for you. I’m pretty sure Vishnu was holding a picture of me in his mind as he wrote this description:

People with a Kapha dosha have:

• An (insatiable) desire for sweets and cold drinks (like iced lattes!)
• Dense pads of fat
• Minds that are cloudy and foggy in the morning, which often leads to a desire for coffee as a stimulant to start the day.

Kapha peeps love:

• Sitting, sleeping, and doing nothing. All day long.

Kapha people tend to be of “larger proportion,” with a “robust” frame and “padded” joints.

Geeta Iyengar, the ultimate KaphaGirl - she's my hero!

And… (this part is my favorite!) Kapha molecules tend to stick together to form dense masses and give the body a “chubby” shape.

So, as you can probably intuit, KaphaGirls are rarely asked to grace the cover of “Yoga Journal,” or any other publications, for that matter. We have trouble finding yoga duds that fit. People raise their eyebrows when we show up at Baron Baptiste or Anna Forrest intensives. We worry about our chunky bellies showing when we’re doing inversions. We have trouble with paravritta paschimottanasana. In short, our yoga experience is a bit different from, say, PittaGirl Yoga or VataGirl Yoga. Or even KaphaGuy yoga. But while we may not have a closet full of size 2 Lululemon knickers, we do have our Kapha attributes of good humor, loyalty, a slow and steady work ethic, etc. to fall back on. And we love to meet for coffee and conversation after class!