Lately I have been asked to be featured/ interviewed for several articles. I have been writing down ideas for themes, attempting to think of something that might have meaning to the reader. But who am I to try to say something that has not already been said? And then I remember that it is the state of the listener (receptive or closed) that might allow the message to get through when it has not in the past. So after I get over my insecurities, I then think about what has meaning to me- what is alive in me at the moment. Mainly I think about my relationship with my teacher, Kausthub, as he has been on my mind since our friend Jayanthi died last week. I think about how he has tested me.....and how I have fought back over the years. I think about his kindness when George and I got engaged. Kausthub and his father Sri Desikachar took the two of us into the Sannidhi (Krishnamacharya's final home) and gave us many blessings. Over the years of George and my marriage, Kausthub has helped me to understand the true meaning of Pratipaksa Bhavanam- to take the other person's point of view.

So this is what yoga is all about- relationship to others and self. Yoga is about getting a clearer perspective on life, understanding the causes of pain and suffering and hopefully not repeating them, connecting with loved ones at a deep level, and ultimately understanding who I am. Just a few days ago my mom sent me a package of old report cards, pictures I had drawn as a child, stories that I had written. It was really strange to see that I am not so different from that little 9 year old girl. Little Amy loved nature, animals, helping others, was horrible at spelling and good at science. She loved physical movement and her teachers called her "sunshine". There was even a story about me going to India, playing with the Indian children and finding a King Cobra Snake. The details of the story were incredibly accurate, so many feelings that I now have when I am in India. For example, when Little Amy decided to come home she yelled, "Hooray, hooray- back to the USA!". I am always so ready to come home and regenerate after an extended stay in India.

So what has meaning? Your relationship to yourself, your loved ones and society. Yoga helps me be at peace and balance all three!