by Jo Arganaraz
In December, I signed up for the 21 day challenge at the yoga room.
I have been ‘in the process of yoga’ for 15 years (since I was introduced to the Mysore Ashtanga system by Gingi Lee in London). Since my days in London, I have lived in Peru, Japan, Spain, India, Poland and traveled to many other places during time off. Although I certainly learnt the value of a self practice a long ago, when I left London, it seemed that I was never to live near an ashtanga ‘shala’ with a Mysore programme again.
Although I have practiced in plentiful group classes, retreats, workshops, visited Mysore and taken 6 teacher trainings (some longer and some shorter) in the last 15 years, consistency has been very elusive. My list of past teachers is quite a ‘who’s who’ in the ashtanga world with great yogis such as Nancy Gilgoff, Manju Jois, Ken Harukama, Mark Darby, Richard Freeman and John Scott. I also took a month off to go to Mysore where I practiced with Sharath and was fortunate to meet Sri K Pattabhi Jois. I have also mixed in plenty of other styles of yoga over the years (I practiced Jivamukti in Abu Dhabi, Hatha in Japan, Swasthya yoga in San Sebastian, Iyengar in Poland - in Polish!)
I used to feel pretty bad as an aspiring ashtangi that I could never get it together to practice at home. I’ve met people who are able to commit to a home practice very effectively but they tend to be fairly rare if I’m honest. So, I did as much yoga as I could in group settings with the best teachers I could find in the areas I lived and would always do retreats and workshops during my time off. It did not occur to me to wonder that ‘lack of consistency’ was not simply a wider theme in my life in my 20’s and 30’s. However, this is also what made my life so varied and interesting during this stage. I strived to ‘do things properly’ for a long time until I eventually came to terms with the reality and truth of my existence and my own preferences as an individual (variety and change).
Then, in 2013 something strange happened; an ashtanga yoga studio was established near my house – the first time in nearly 15 years I could go to a ‘Mysore programme’! I was thrilled to be part of the Yoga Room and very grateful for Joumana’s dedication in fighting the red tape. So, it was inevitable that I would get pregnant! I enjoyed quite a few classes at the yoga room during my second trimester as both a teacher and a student until a combo of the heat of the room and pregnancy dizziness led me towards a more relaxing prenatal yoga for the last few months.
So, 6 months later, our son Caesar is here. In somewhat bizarre circumstances I have now reestablished my Mysore self practice which has not been easy! I was very fortunate to start my practice off in Bali in September with senior teachers Prem and Radha who have a beautiful centre in Ubud. Post natal yoga is very challenging. It’s a question of going back to basics and certainly not being in a rush to ‘get somewhere’. It was almost like being a beginner again – shaking, wobbling and running out of energy pretty fast. It’s also taken me about 4 months to even do something resembling upward dog as my back hasn’t quite been the same since the birth. Even bizarrely savasana is now a challenge.
I don’t generally make it 6 days a week but over the past 3 months I have made time for 4 or 5 days of practice a week which I can say is a major achievement with a young baby. I don’t always come for one and a half or two hours – as I also teach my own classes in the morning and am training teachers at the weekend. I am very happy that Nea and the Mysore team are not ‘pushing me’ or over adjusting (given that it’s been quite hard the last few months for me) and I am pretty happy with where I am for now – back in a practice – and maybe for the first time – a consistent one. However, the encouragement, support and community is an invaluable tool. I have also banned myself from workshops etc this year to make a point (I am a retreat addict)!
So, it’s nearly the end of January and I don’t think I will have completed 21 days; I think it’s more like 18. But, I do feel blessed with the opportunity to have a Mysore programme on my doorstep and to have come to terms with my varied, and interesting (yoga) past and opened the doors to a bit of consistency. Practice however you can, as much as you can and if you can, do a self practice. If I can do it, so can you!
Jo Arganaraz travelled around the globe in her 20's and 30's as an English teacher. Now travelling the inner path, she has taught ashtanga, vinyasa flow, yin yoga and prenatal yoga in Dubai since 2010 where she lives with her Argentinian filmmaker husband and baby Caesar. Jo balances a yoga lifestyle with an eclectic interest in all aspects of culture, including modern art, film, poetry, music, gastronomy, craft, design and philosophy. She has a long term ambition to complete a PhD in Yoga and Cultural Studies when the time is right.