Monday, December 6, 2021

Father Joe

Father Joe is a Catholic priest and Iyengar teacher who founded the Kripa Foundation in India. 

The foundation works with those suffering from addiction, including sex workers and AIDs patients, to introduce them to the healing powers of yoga and encourage practice. Father Joe was mentored both by BKS Iyengar and Mother Theresa on this spiritual journy.

I'd heard of Father Joe, and learned a bit about his mission in a documentary about Iyengar. One night I saw something in my Insta feed that there would be a three day workshop starting the following day and signed up right away. 

Each session was two hours. Poses were held anywhere from 1-5 minutes and were all supported. The sequences demanded concentration and physical effort, while the support helped to sustain the poses. I felt myself drawn inward as I explored effortless effort. Often the sequence would be designed to help you go deeper,  for example with uttanasana and dandasana. 

One phrase that stuck with me - Don't "work out" - work in.

Have already incorporated some of these into my morning routine.








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