What did you think of your experiences at RIMYI?

Leah:  My favorite part of the trip was being at RIMYI. Yoganusasanam was amazing, but the time at RIMYI during this trip had an extra special place in my heart. One thing that I had always heard about RIMYI was that you need to be prepared to have your props ‘disappear’. You learn quickly to not be attached to the props you have at the beginning of class. It was a lesson to quickly accept the situation and move on. Props come and go, they get swapped, and they even get presented to you at the most needed moment. As the new RIMYI t-shirt quotes Guruji: “Body is my first prop.” 

 Everything just seems to move together in that room. It all becomes very cohesive. It never felt like a situation was forced or that we had to do something that was not conducive to our abilities. Abhijata allowed a lot of room for choice. I also attempted poses that I've never done on my own before.  It was an experience of what complicated or challenging for me poses could be, with the correct perception, conception, approach, and confident help. Abhijata and RIMYI teachers allowed me to see that potential.  

I've wanted to be in that room for so long as an observer. The hybrid beginner classes are open for teachers to observe. Watching those classes each week, I always feel like I need to do and feel the instructions she is giving beginners. Observing in person, I had the opportunity to really see - to see the students’ bodies in that classroom. I feel lucky to have been able to see in person how asanas are taught to beginners and how the information is presented and received. To see the willingness and openness of the students in RIMYI is inspiring. It's amazing to see how Abhijata moved those beginners. Their poses were not perfect. The goal is to move and learn how to use the legs and arms to extend and learn about their bodies. Students work hard, and you can really see the transformation from week to week.  

For both newer and more experienced CIYTs, I highly recommend signing up for the hybrid beginner class with Abhijata because it really shines a light on how to approach teaching beginners in a way that is fresh, interesting, and practical - a way that will keep them interested in learning more and continuing with their practice. 

If you come for Yoganusasanam, I would definitely recommend building some time into your plans to take and observe classes at RIMYI, if possible. It’s a great opportunity. There's nothing like RIMYI.  

Susanne:  It is impossible to say enough good things about the RIMYI faculty and staff.  It was so much fun to visit the store for books and props. We were granted permission to take or observe our regular online classes in person with Abhijata while we were there. That was such a treat. There were a few props that were new to us like the flat pillows. In Abhijata’s Wednesday advanced class, therapeutics with Sunita would spontaneously pop up in a section of the room. At one point, I remember Abhijata announcing full arm balance in a very full class following Yoganusasanam. That was a moment when time kind of stood still for me. Scanning the packed room, thinking “Where on earth am I going to find a smidgen of wall to kick up?” In those moments, you really have to relax and allow yourself to calmly scan the room. Space is there. Just wait and take turns.   

It’s difficult to precisely describe what it is about the space that makes it so magical. I felt so encouraged during the classes, like I had an invitation to try some new more advanced poses or to go further in a pose than I'd ever gone before. I was pleasantly surprised how much I was able to do from the very first class the day after arriving in Pune. I anticipated being tired and stiff from the extended travel, but that simply wasn’t the case.  

In addition to taking classes at RIMYI, we also got to observe a couple of Abhijata’s classes. She continued to teach her regular evening classes even after teaching event classes during the day. We would grab a rickshaw to RIMYI, dash up the stairs to the classroom, and set ourselves up by the windows to observe, notebooks in hand. The beginner class is fast-paced, and she covers a lot of poses in sixty minutes. I noticed fewer adjustments and corrections in the beginner class compared to the intermediate class, and there were very few “stop and watch” demonstrations. Without pausing for demonstrations or stepping in to correct all the things that could be corrected, Abhijata allows beginners to have the experience of doing the yoga without disrupting their attention. Students feel the benefits of being in the class and doing the asana, and develop that important early relationship with the practice that will hopefully blossom. All very fascinating to observe.