"My excitement was both in eager anticipation of what I would experience in the classroom with Pattabhi Jois, and a certain fear. I knew that I would probably end up facing a physical and psychological excavation that, in the process of healing, might be as painful as it was sweet."
This excerpt from the book Strength and Grace picks up on Lori's first practice in the old shala with Guruji......
My excitement was both in eager anticipation of what I would experience in the classroom with Pattahbi Jois, and a certain fear. I knew that I would probably end up facing a physical and psychological excavation that, in the process of healing, might be as painful as it was sweet.
When Guruji (he was already that to me) chanted the mantra, I felt immense power and charge in the room. I practiced what I thought I knew, and he adjusted and corrected the asana sequencing when necessary. When I got to ardha baddha padmottanasana, he stood behind me and firmly, yet compassionately helped me to accomplish this pose that I had feared would end my dance career. My hips and knees were resistant from the demands that years of dancing on hard floors had placed on them. But I made it through and felt his conviction that I could do these things which I never imagined possible.
"By helping me, he showed me that despite the discomfort of uncharted territory, I could. Slowly, I felt his conviction about my ability to surmount challenges become my own conviction as well."
Then at the end of my practice, I forgot again about my newly opened borders, and when Guruji told me to practice padmasana, I said that I could not do it. I amended that to, “maybe I could do it, but it would have to be with my more flexible left leg first.” In his firm way, he insisted that I do it the “correct” way, with the right leg first. By helping me, he showed me that despite the discomfort of uncharted territory, I could. Slowly, I felt his conviction about my ability to surmount challenges become my own conviction as well.
"Already I felt a deep change happening inside me as my physical limits and boundaries began to dissolve. With that, my own psychological constructs were expanding into a more vast idea of who I really was, beyond those borders"
Already I felt a deep change happening inside me as my physical limits and boundaries began to dissolve. With that, my own psychological constructs were expanding into a more vast idea of who I really was, beyond those borders. I was afraid of what I might confront as the lines that defined me became blurred. Was I still the clearly defined person who came there, or something larger that could not be so easily delineated? Did the labels about my job, appearance, and personality that I usually used to describe myself still apply? During that month, I felt the promise of understanding something deeper about myself.......
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Lori Brungard began her yoga practice in 1988 with Sharon Gannon and David Life in New York City. After moving to Pittsburgh for a full time modern dance position, she was without a local yoga teacher, so taught herself Ashtanga Yoga from videotapes. In 1996, she made her first trip to Mysore, where Sharon and David introduced her to Sri K Pattabhi Jois. She returned to Mysore more than ten times, spending over a year in India studying with her beloved teacher Guruji, and now holds an Authorized Level 2 teaching certificate through KPJAYI. She teaches daily Mysore classes at Ashtanga Sadhana in NYC, and also teaches at Jivamukti Yoga School