Late July this year provided an opportunity not to be missed for me, when two of the respected teachers from the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune came to teach for 4 days at the “Yogapushpanjali”* camp in East Sussex.
It was a privilege to spend a little time in the company of Dr. Rajlaxmi and Sushama, as well as assuring to be once more under their wing in the twice-daily sessions. Just hearing their voices was enough to transport me back to classes in Pune.
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One focus was on shoulders and arms, taught in response to stiffness problems, and another on the lift of the sternum - and more specifically the curve of the top of the sternum (the manubrium), the shape of which the chin and nose should follow for backbends, with the eyes looking in the direction to which the tip of the nose was pointing, instead of rolling the eyes back.
Balancing the shoulders on tall bricks for Chaturanga Dandasana was a challenge at first, but has since been well received in my classes!
In Prasarita Padottanasana, we had to release the back of the skull further “towards Halasana“, as in the photo below from Light on Yoga.
There were chuckles practising Urdhva Hastasana when one participant, obviously not accustomed to “Pune Speak”, was encouraged to “break the belt” on her wrists. “Break the belt?” she said, incredulously. “How??”
With a wide range of abilities and experience amongst those participating, the atmosphere throughout was encouraging and supportive.
At the end, I thanked Dr. Rajlaxsmi and Sushuma for making me feel that Guruji and Geetaji are still with us.
🙏🏻
Mary Heath (Dorset teacher)
*”Yogapushpanjali” is a week-long Iyengar yoga event held annually at the Michael Hall Waldorf Steiner School, on the edge of Ashdown Forest in East Sussex. It is suitable for all, including families, as it offers adult yoga classes and also children’s yoga, story telling and other activities for them; and some families choose to camp in the beautiful grounds. Meals were included and the vegetarian and vegan food was delicious. The event organisation was excellent.
For more information about the July 2026 event, go to:
🕉️
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