Phil visits Bellur
Would I recommend a trip to Bellur? Absolutely
by Philip Morris
I WAS THINKING ABOUT A YOGA TRIP TO INDIA AND MY teacher, Lisa Wylde, suggested going to Bellur, as it was 50th anniversary of the Bellur lyengar Yoga Center. I booked a week under the instruction of Corine Biria who studied with BKS iyengar himself from 1983 in Pune. I felt honoured but apprehensive to be accepted. I also booked a two week tour to the Kerala region, followed by another week of lyengar yoga with Stefano Bendandi at Gokarna. Lisa beasted me through the weeks before I left to make sure I could pass muster.
I arrived very early in the morning at Bangalore airport not having had much sleep. I hung around for a few hours until I spotted a group of women who looked like yoga students. A few more people arrived and we gradually coalesced as a group, waiting to be picked up by the minibus to Bellur.
The reception at the Institute was friendly and efficient. The accommodation was simple but clean, with the use of communal toilet and shower facilities on each of the three floors. The food was vegetarian and varied and the quality was outstanding. The kitchens used water from an industrial size reverse osmosis system.
Surprisingly, I was the only Brit, the other attendees being Australian Russian and South African with a few Europeans. There were 23 of us in total and at least half were teachers. Only three were men, and people were of all ages; I, the oldest at 68.
The institute at Bellur is gated for security and includes a school and hospital alongside the rather splendid marble-floored practice hall which is lined with pictures of BKS. There were three yoga sessions each day, the first being prānāyāma. Corine used a lot of visualisation techniques to assist with the pranayama instructions: the tortoise and the mountain with the snake rising; then a bird with muscles on its back preparing to launch into flight; thirdly a transparent lake which can see itself top and bottom. It all made sense at the time!
The āsana classes were tough and Corine didn't miss a thing, showing no mercy to the more experienced teachers among the group. She definitely comes from the BKS (Bash Kick Smack) school of encouragement! She made allowances the less experienced and older students, suggesting modifications and the use of additional props where necessary.
The instruction was detailed and the poses were held for lengthy periods. Two classes per day for six days was extremely taxing and I slept very soundly.
A satisfying moment for me was when we were doing Ardha Chandräsang against the wall, and I heard Corine shout across the hall: "Yes, Philippe!" in her strong French accent.
Towards the end of the week we were treated to a yoga exhibition by the school children, some of whom were very acrobatic. It was also lovely to hear their young voices across the campus reciting the invocations in the mornings
Would I recommend a trip to Bellur? Absolutely - the food, the accommodation and the organisation and transportation were all great and tuition was all right on the mark.
It was a great way to start my four weeks in India and something I will
never forget.
