Bend it like Rose
Happy end of August! I don’t know about you, but I am ready to be in one place for more than a few days at a time. But, that isn’t going to happen anytime soon. This coming Tuesday our youngest heads to college, far far away. The other two kids are back at school. We plan to visit each of them this Fall. You’d think we might want to travel now that the kids are away, but you’d be wrong. My husband and I are excited to just hang out for a while. Go out to dinner. Play some golf. Tennis. Try on this new phase we find ourselves entering.
For years life’s been like being on a conveyor belt in a factory. The “Lucy and Ethel working in a chocolate factory” skit comes to mind. You start with a blob on the belt (you) and then each worker does something to the blob (life’s experience) to form the end product (life). The blob takes different forms as it rolls along the conveyor belt. But the belt keeps speeding up and the workers get overwhelmed by the speed and volume of blobs. Eventually a crazed middle aged woman picks you up and stuffs you in her mouth. Game over. Or, you keep rolling along for a while til you fall on the floor or get put in a box.
I know it’s going to be weird and sad to not have a dependent on two legs still in the house. But, will it? Let’s put aside the cleanliness of the house. Obviously, that’s a win. But there is also: completing a thought, having a good night’s sleep, making last minute plans, worry free (out of sight out of mind)! Reconnecting with friends you haven’t seen or spoken to since the kids were little. Thinking (I know I already said this). Relaxing. Reading a book. Enjoying your clean home. Cruising the house naked. Joking around. Eating cheese and crackers for dinner. You get the idea. But, I hear the first week is super sad. So, just get ready for some sad sad posts next time.
I met Rose about ten years ago when she was teaching at Balance Bethlehem. I had done some yoga here and there. Just the average run of the mill prenatal or Flow. I kept up my flexibility from when I danced as a kid and really loved Rose’s classes because they reminded me of classical ballet in a way. There is a discipline to Iyengar Yoga and specificity of how a pose is held. I can’t seem to meditate but I sure can focus on whether my body is in line as it should be.
When COVID hit, Rose went online and I became a regular. From Boston. I generally still am! I have to say a big ‘thank you’ to COVID for creating the parallel universe of zoom and in-person teaching. Rose is incredibly adept at teaching via Zoom. She looks at her monitor and tells us individually to pull a hip in or straighten a knee while teaching her live students as well. She is a gift! If you have any interest in yoga, dance, or droop over your computer or phone for that matter you ought to give Rose’s class a try (Link)! Please welcome….
Maven of the Week: Rose Goldblatt!
First, Rose’s Path so far in her words:
I was born in Littleton, NH and though I have traveled a lot and in some ways could see myself living in a different place this local community has always been home to me and I felt like establishing my practice here made the most sense. I am a very loyal person and having parents who were here and also older when they had me made me feel like leaving was not the appropriate thing but instead putting family and local community first was where my heart lay.
My dad had a small studio in his barn where I taught for years, also in local gyms and schools. When I started to outgrow my space one of my students built Balance Bethlehem, a beautiful large studio and offered me a wonderful opportunity to teach my classes there which definitely opened my classes up to a much larger group of people. It was very exciting to see Iyengar yoga which is at this time a less known form of yoga reaching so many people.
After four five years at Balance I was presented with the opportunity to open my very own studio in Littleton in a building which was a collaboration of teaching arts and sciences. This felt like a perfect fit for Iyengar yoga and also a smart idea for me to have my own space. The studios were not finished and each tenant was responsible for the fit up. My students were incredibly generous with contributing to my Go Fund Me which allowed me to make an incredibly beautiful space with hardwood floors, a rope wall, hand made lighting and all the props we could need. Here is her web site! Iyengar Yoga North .
When the pandemic hit I had to shut down, which I did for over a year. Within the first week of shut down I was offering my entire schedule live on zoom. It felt important to me to maintain the schedule and only teach live verses offering recordings. I felt like people needed to stay in their routines. This worked!
I was overwhelmed with the support and continued attendance of my dedicated students. Since reopening I teach all of my classes as I hybrid, so students can be in person with me or live on zoom. This has its challenges for me as a teacher but I am so so grateful for this option as it's really working for my students. And once again even in a small town I feel like Iyengar yoga has the ability to reach many. This is really my life's work and dream as I feel so strongly about the practice.
You were the youngest person to become a certified Iyengar yoga teacher. Tell me about how this came about?
It was the 1970s when my father lived in London and he was introduced to Iyengar yoga there with students of BKS Iyengar as his teachers. I was really into dance and when my dance teacher moved away my dad suggested I do yoga. I loved it and came to all his classes.
When I was 15 he brought me to a workshop with Patricia Walden. She couldn't have been more inspiring or welcoming to me and at that point I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up. I just stuck with it and she trained me to become a teacher. I traveled to india 5 times to study with the Iyengars. I met BKS Iyengar himself! and at 24 become the youngest certified teacher. I then completed a total of 5 levels of vigorous testing and am now considered a senior teacher.
Were you interested in other forms of yoga?
No, she said. She was introduced to Iyengar and it was all she knew until much later. Her instructor, Patricia is what yoga was to Rose. She is like a god in the practice.
Does your mom do yoga?
NO. I am hoping to get a photo of Rose’s mom as an Iyengar model for pregnant yoga. But, no she is not involved in the practice that Rose and her father follow and teach daily.
Thoughts on yoga?
Rose aims to bring her students into the present moment, to focus. The practice sculpts and strengthens the body and mind. Not in an aesthetic way. But in order to facilitate proper meditation. Running and other physical exercise doesn’t require the same focus as Iyengar yoga.
Does your significant other also have a practice?
No. But, I hope he will.
Rose says she has started a class for men only in their 70s’ who have never done yoga but have a lot of aches and pains. They are converts!
Is there a hierarchy within yoga? Like in Dance?
YES. She likens Iyengar to classical dance/teaching. For those who know the different types of yoga, Iyengar is thought to be the most rigorous in its training, like classical ballet. The instructors are thought to be the “meanest” due to their strict teaching of the asanas (poses). I for one find Rose to be an angel, sent to help me focus and strengthen my body. I come from a classical ballet background and Iyengar scratches that itch I need for discipline and perfection.
(The Iyengar “asanas” (poses) are designed to merge meditation and physical strength. Iyengar believed that one can reach enlightenment in a pose and not solely through seated meditation.)
What is your least favorite pose? Favorite?
My least favorite pose is Virabhadrasna 2. Warrior 2 its so hard to hold and get proper alignment in. It's one of those poses that I can only feel eese for a moment.
Though I love backbends, my favorite pose is actually Sarvangasana shoulder stand. It's so nourishing for my body and mind. The thing about having a practice is that we are not the same from day to day and our practice needs to allow us to realize that. We are always changing. It is impossible to say which pose we like or dislike because we change daily. Plus yoga teaches us not to view the world in one way but more to notice differences without judgments.
Five Stock Questions:
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I don't remember when I was growing up if I had something I knew I specifically wanted to be or do when I was an adult but from an early age I knew I wanted to pursue yoga as my career. I even quit my job which I loved in a local coffee and floral shop in order to force me to make a living teaching yoga.
What are you excited about now?
Right now I am most excited about the house I am building on a beautiful parcel of land I purchased about 7 years ago. It's a timber frame and has a lot of beautiful local green products in it. Currently I am most excited about my kitchen which is starting to come together. I have been cooking in a temporary kitchen in the basement where I have been living for the past 7 years. Being able to cook with my view will be amazing! I also grow most of my food on my property for the year so having this homestead is an exciting dream for me.
What books are on your bedside table?
I love to read just about anything from spiritual texts to novels that can carry me off for hours at a time. Honestly in the summer when I have the garden and property to take care of I rarely have time to read and just end up going straight to bed.
What do you do to relax?
Aside from my practice to relax I love to take a slow walk through the woods. This is true for me anytime of year in almost any weather conditions. I love the woods and find them to be healing and calming.
What category/subject would you add to the Guide?
8 stages of yoga
8 Limbs of Yoga: The Path of Enlightenment in Patanjali's Yoga Sutra (yogajournal.com)
A Recipe You Won’t Hate: Beet and Feta Burgers
Ingredients send grocery list
3 cups grated beets (about 4 to 5 beets)
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil (we prefer cold-pressed)
2 organic eggs
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (gluten-free if you prefer)
7 ounces sheep's feta cheese or firm tofu
1 handful fresh basil, leaves picked
1 pinch sea salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons coconut oil, ghee or olive oil, for frying
Directions
Peel and grate beets, onion, and garlic on a box grater or use a food processor with the grating blades attached.
Place the grated vegetables in a large mixing bowl.
Add olive oil, eggs, and rolled oats and mix everything well.
Add sheep’s cheese or tofu, basil, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
Set aside for about 30 minutes, so the oats can soak up the liquid and the mixture sets (this step is important for the patties to hold together).
Try shaping a patty with your hands. If the mixture is to loose, add some more oats.
Form 6 to 8 patties with your hands.
Grill the burgers a couple of minutes on each side – or fry them in a frying pan by heating a knob of coconut oil or ghee and fry until golden on both sides.
Serve with grilled sourdough bread and toppings of your choice (lettuce, cabbage?, mango, avocado?, tomatoes?, sprouts, and onions).
That’s all for now. I did not go into the Giverny trip but I will at some point. It is so much more than the Lilly pads.