Mary Flinn

ONE DAY THE SUN ADMITTED,

I AM JUST A SHADOW.

I WISH I COULD SHOW YOU THE INFINITE  INCANDESCENCE

THAT HAS CASTE MY BRILLIANT IMAGE!

I WISH I COULD SHOW YOU,

WHEN YOU ARE LONELY OR IN DARKNESS,

THE ASTONISHING LIGHT OF

YOUR OWN BEING.

Hafiz

When I first met Guruji I was very skeptical.  I had already been practicing Ashtanga for a number of years.  I didnt believe that I would ever have a Guru.  I thought it was just a ‘cool’ thing to know Guruji, like it was cool to know Sting or Madonna or someone.  I went to a few of his led classes in NYC and then tried his led 2nd series class at the Puck Building.  A few weeks before he arrived or I even knew he was arriving I had set my alarm to wake up for class.  I really didnt want to get up.  I fell back to sleep and was woken up by a voice in my head(or outside my head) that said “wake up, wake up you have to be ready”.  I woke up and thought to myself , Ready for what.  Beside myself I got out of bed and went to class.  When I got in I saw a flyer announcing Pattabhi Jois would be teaching in NYC in two weeks.    I thought it was curious if this was what ‘ready’ meant.

The night before the led second class I had a dream very vivid dream that I set my mat up in class and next to me were two of my first teachers Chris and Eddie.  I dreamt that guruji was yelling at me about my postures and then asked me who I studied with right in the middle of  teaching class.  I woke up.  Remembering the dream but as I entered the studio was totally absorbed in the buzz of the room and anticipation of our Guru to enter the room.  I set up in the second row , noticing that one of my teachers was in front of me and consciously not setting up besides him like in the dream.  When Guruji stepped in he asked the first row to back up and to either side of me where my first two teachers Chris and Eddie.

During class Guruji counted  in front of me and helped me posture after posture from , yelling at me and helping me.  At 90 years old I jumped into crow posture and he held me up for a slow count of 5 which seemed like 25.  I was mored worried about him as I was getting tired thinking of him holding me.  At Dwi Pada I heard him say somthing that I thought was asking me who my teacher was.  Then Sharath came running over and asked me to go back.  After class I went in the que and when it was my turn to prasad to Guruji he asked me who I was studying with.  At that point I already knew he was going to ask,  I wish though that I had prepared my answer as I began the list of teachers getting all of them in trouble.

This was the beginning of my relationship with Guruji.  I was rarely at his house for coffee, but as his student I felt his love and faith in me as a student and seeker.  He pushed me in postures that I never believed were possible and helped me to build more faith and love in myself.

Thankyou Guruji for your love and devotion to the practice and your students.