Monday, July 9, 2007

A New Week

Dear Friends,

I am loving being at home. One day at a time and one hour too. This quiet time is just what I need.

One of the interesting things is how time changes when it is not filled to the brim. The silence is impressive. And the spread of time from moment to moment.

I am doing what the doctors order and what I know to be healing.

Looking forward to being with you all in body as well as spirit as the time becomes right.

Love,
Mary

42 comments:

Chris Nounou said...

Dear Mary,

I've just returned from 3 weeks away and I am so happy that you are now at home beginning the healing process. My thoughts and prayers have been with you these 3 weeks. The outpouring of love on this blog is extraordinary. I firmly believe that this love will heal you and you will be soon be able ready to once again carry on your life's mission.

Much love and strength,

Chris N.

lesjmanes said...

sounds great...and i cant wait to be with you in body as well as spirit. lots of xxooleslie

naghmeh said...

dear Mary, welcome home! I wish you endless, long nourishing moments of healing. sending you love and light, daily. naghmehxox.

laura shapiro kramer said...

I think of you always as your example is the most profound teaching of all. love, laura

jimmy said...

hi mary

just wanted to share something

these are the new 7 wonders of the world

1. The Great Wall of China
2. Rome’s Colosseum
3. India’s Taj Mahal
4. Peru’s Machu Piccu
5. Brazil’s The Statue of Christ
6. Jordan’s Petra
7. Mexico’s Cichen Itza pyramid

wishing you very well

love jim sarfati

Linda Hays said...

Hi Mary,
We are praying for you in all our sweat lodges this summer, another one tomorrow

We are dedicating the follies to you and Howard is singing show tunes for you.

I would love to do anything I could to help you. I know lots of people in NY who would be so happy to bring you great take-out for instance. I know a great macrobiotic place. This is just for you to think about - let me know if you'd like to take advantage of all these friends who would love to bring you food.

Patricia and I will also create a ceremony around health and healing for you.

Much love,
India and Howard and all at Feathered Pipe

Jay said...

Two gifts the process of healing gives to us:
a true appreciation of time,
and, the lesson of patience.
Hence, the medical name for us: patients!
hugsasana, breathe, and hugsasana again,
Jay A.

Unknown said...

Dear, dear Mary!
Happy to hear that you are home.
I follow your blog, follow your voice in my home practice, and follow your teaching...
Adho Mukha Svanasana (with belt)and everything else.
Thinking of you all the time and wish you plenty of rest to heal.
Lots of love and gratitude,
Masha

sonia said...

Dear Mary,
I have only studied with you a couple of times - but enough to have seen and feel your incredible light.
My prayers of a speedy recovery and all good things are coming your way (all the from California)! love, sonia

MelanieNYC said...

Dear Mary,
I, too, have only taken your classes a few times, but your warmth and strong spirit are easily apparent (even to us novices!). Several of my dear friends have been fighting a similar battle to yours (seems to happen in 3s, for some reason...), and I just wanted to send you my heartfelt warm wishes and deep breaths of peacefulness.
Yours in thought,
Melanie R.

laurie white said...

hi mary,
just recently learned of your healing journey and wanted to let you know that we folks here in your hometown (especially the Iyengar yoga community), are all rootin' for you. let us know if there are ways that we can support you and/or your family during this time. it would be such an honor to return some of the love and energy that you've so generously shared with us (and so many others).
keep taking good care, and we hope to see you around these parts 'ere long.
sending you healing hugs and misses,
laurie

Unknown said...

Hi Mary, So glad you are home and getting the quiet and the rest that you need right now.
Whenever I go on silent retreat I always ask myself, "Why don't I do this more often?" I find it so essential to my sanity, health, and relationships. I hope you find the same! Loving and Healing thoughts comin' your way, Maureen

Linda said...

The first thing to do in the morning - checking out your blog.
So happy that you're in good spirit...
Wishing you a quick recovery,
Lots of love,
Linda M.

Linda said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
abbeyhope said...

Hi Mary,
This note is coming from Carolyn and Abbey in Pune, thinking of you always. We wanted to let you know that we requested Victoria Austin to guide us in a prayer / meditation to support you in this healing process. Sunday morning Lou Hoyt from Atlanta, Joe Climi, Cheryl Malter, and Paul from New Zealand met with us. First we placed a picture of a Buddha (to represent the teachings) and a picture of Lou's yoga students (to represent the community)on the alter, then we placed food and water offerings on the alter. Victoria, Carolyn and Abbey made three prostrations to Awakening, the Teachings and Community. Victoria then asked us to describe you; first body, then speech, and finally your mind. When we had all shared our visualizations of you it seemed you'd been conjured up: your smile, your open (Pune) chest and shoulders, your fortitude, your clear and articulate speech, and your expansive, teacher's mind. We then chanted, from the Bhagavagita:

Sukham atyontikom yat tat buddhigrahyam atindriyam
-Gita 6.21
Ultimately, happiness comes through awake intelligence, not the senses.

Then we sat in silence.

Love from Carolyn and Abbey
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Unknown said...

Hi Mary,
How lucky you are to have an excuse to stay indoors in this beastly weather.
I was in class with Brooke the other day & a large yellow butterfly flew in the open window & circled around her before flying out again. I thought it must have been your spirit paying a visit.
Much Love from Lisa M.

Peewee Nyob said...

Mary,
May the light of yoga burn bright to restore, rejuvenate and return you to the Iyengar Studio with new insights of purpose and practice.
Healing feelings from the garden - Namaste!
Peter & Jack

Sandra said...

Dear Mary,
You are greatly missed. We fill the vacuum by sending you love and prayers for your recovery, and by keeping your teachings always with us Sandra

Anonymous said...

Hi Mary,
I was on a boat early Sunday morning with the water wizzing by and the sky full and open and I thought of you as I do often and did tadasana, thinking of when you were talking about standing firm on the subway. We are standing firm for you.
Win

jenni fox & paul gould said...

Does your first yoga teacher ever know how important she has been in your life...giving birth to over 20 years of practice?
"Extend those arms, Jennifer!" I can still hear that ringing in my ears. (I'm still trying, Mary.)
I used to say, why did I wait until I was almost 40 to start...now I say thank God I started when I did...and how lucky I was to start with you (with Phyllis Pilgrim at my side grunting along with me).
I hope you can feel through this blog the love and appreciation that pour through me to you. I am quite affected as I stare at my computer as this beautiful, smiling face looking back at me. Thousands and thousands of dog poses and asana hours later, I have so much gratitude, Mary. Thank you for being instrumental in helping change my life. No doubt you will heal incredibly with all the love and support that surrounds you.
Jenni Fox

simone zez said...

Hi Mary,
Thank you setting a wonderful tone to our teachers meeting with your beautiful message. The mood was light and playful yet of course we got some work done. You have gathered such a disparate group and allowed and encouraged us all to find our way...our voice, as teachers as beings.
You are missed.
V

p.s. I have sent you some photos and there is a beautiful gift for the institute from the students in the deaf class. I can't wait till you see it

bonnie said...

Dearest Mary,

I remember the stillness, the quiet, the spread of time and lovely, healing supta baddhakonasana nourishing me during my treatment -- my thoughts, my love, my prayers to you dear Mary.

Bonnie

Richard Jonas said...

Dear Mary,

Every time I go to the Institute, to teach class or to take it, and whether or not the class sequence includes Malasana, the pose is with us. Everyone in their practice is preparing a Garland for our teacher, with blossoms of love and devotion, caring and concern, prayers and good wishes. Salamba Sarvangasana comes in nearly every class, of course, and here too we celebrate you, performing the mother of yoga asanas for the Mother of our practice and our community, nurturing, strong and sustaining, and the queen of the asanas for our leader and inspiration. Some people chant for you, some devote a pose or a meditation to you; everyone thinks about you, and we're all so encouraged by your writing and the good news and optimism you send our way. We miss you and we send you in return-- with every asana, every day -- our very best. Love, Richard

Diana Drake said...

Dear Mary,

Once, you taught the 'Art of Teaching' class at the 2004 convention and I thought, ah-ha, of course it is Mary teaching this. Sitting on the platform radiating encouragement and possibility. There she is and there it is...the artist who is the Art, the teacher who embodies so beautifully the Teachings, and the class was just that, artistry and refinement.

Now, I follow with much concern and hopefulness your blog site. Imagining you resting in the great nest of home, silence and time. I hope that you can still hear two soft sounds as you sleep......one is the sound of all the hearts that are opening to you on this site, the other is the quiet rustle of deep, deep healing--the cellular letting go and the microscopic knitting together again, Anew.

Heal deep.

Love,
Diana D.

Diana Drake said...

Dear Mary,

Once, you taught a class called the "Art of Teaching" at the 2004 Convention. I walked into the room and saw you sitting on the platform radiating possibility and encouragement. I thought of course it is Mary teaching the class! The teacher who embodies the Teachings and the artist who is the Art. The class was artistry and refinement.

Now, I follow your blog site with concern and hopefulness. Imagining you resting in your nest at home in silence and time. I hope as you sleep you can still hear two soft sounds.....not loud enough to wake you but enough to be a lullaby...the sound of all the hearts on this blog site opening to you each day and the quiet sound of deep, deep healing, the cellular letting go and the microscopic knitting together, Anew.

Heal deep.

Love,
Diana D.

lisa rotell said...

dear mary,

on saturday 7.7.07 i planted a young plum tree in our garden. the spot has remained empty for 2 years. as we placed the last touches on the planting, i spoke to my son, matthew, expressing the layers of significance behind planting a tree. we have named the tree mary. it is with great pleasure and interest to wait and watch its existence thru time and space. you are rooted within all of us.

love, lisa

Robin Janis said...

Hi Mary, thinking of you...

Poem

The spirit
likes to dress up like this:
ten fingers,
ten toes,

shoulders, and all the rest
at night
in the black branches,
in the morning

in the blue branches
of the world.
It could float, of course,
but would rather

plumb rough matter.
Airy and shapeless thing,
it needs
the metaphor of the body,

lime and appetite,
the oceanic fluids;
it needs the body's world,
instinct

and imagination
and the dark hug of time,
sweetness
and tangibility,

to be understood,
to be more than pure light
that burns
where no one is --

so it enters us --
in the morning
shines from brute comfort
like a stitch of lightning;

and at night
lights up the deep and wondrous
drownings of the body
like a star.

Mary Oliver

Unknown said...

Hi Mary,
Rest, rest, rest. And leave the rest to God.
Love, Bill
Oh, and to quote our Jay,
"Have a namaste!"

Barbara Nicol said...

Dear Mary,

The great saint, Ammachi, is here in NY today and I will bring a picture of you for her blessing.

Glad being at home suits
you....

Love,
Barbara

Catherine said...

Hi, Mary, I just last night heard about your recent cancer diagnosis, and (like many others, I see) wanted to send you all the positive energy I can. I am impressed that you seem to be approaching everything with patience and equanimity; I only hope that my yoga practice would prepare me to do the same if I were ever in a similar situation.

I have never studied with you, but I feel as though I have, having studied with Karen Allgire for about seven years. She is a gem, and I want to thank you for all the knowledge and wisdom you have shared with her over the years to make her such an excellent teacher.

I am confident that your grounding in yoga will help you fight your cancer, tolerate the effects of the treatment, and experience every day fully along the way. You will be in our thoughts and prayers every day.

Namaste,

Cathy

anna and art said...

love to you today!

xo anna

John said...

Dear Mary-

Each time I try to write something here I get stuck, since there is simply so much to say. But in thinking about it comes down to this: I have had many great teachers in my life, but you are the best ever. The very first time I took a class with you I had tears in my eyes, not out of sentimentality or release of negative emotions, and not even really out of happiness in any normally understood sense. It was because I had never heard anyone speak in such a way that made ideas go into the very fabric of my body. Since that time I have learned more than I ever could have asked for from you. I am dedicating my practice to your recovery, and can't wait to have you back teaching. In the meantime I wish you lots of love.

John D.

Mary Beth Early said...

The spread of time...it reminds me of a poem by Kenneth Rexroth about old friends meeting to walk again as they have walked before, with lines that I might misremember: "…we come back…the signs of time upon us…in the pause of fate, the threading of the year".
I am learning from you, Mary, always, and now in your blog about the great presence of time.
You have made me think of nests, and two days ago when a lost (not really lost, as you will see) dog appeared on our steps, I thought of you in your nest and of Kevin’s dove, Grace, in hers. Dora (her tag revealed her name) was reunited with her person, whom I phoned, and he said that she "thinks she's a stoop dog", meaning that she wants to sit on a sunny stoop on a hot July morning to observe the passing scene. That's one version of nest (Dora is into that version).
The current issue of Scientific American, which includes in an article by Tsien a photo of a smart looking dark haired mouse in a petri dish lined with cotton, asserts that mice (like Dora) have a nest concept. They react with "nest" neuron activity to anything that has a depression into which they might settle their little bodies. But, put a piece of glass over it (really, you have to be a brain research person to think of these things), and they don't see it as a nest.
I mean by all of this rambling narrative that I am thinking of you in your nest, posing and reposing into supta baddha konasana and/or the other healing reposes. Wishing you repose and healing and with intense gratitude, and love,

Mary Beth

Unknown said...

Mary dear.
I cannot add anything to the beautiful comments of your multitude of friends. Must be something about yoga that makes poets of teachers and practitioners.
Please be assured that your family in NC are with you like breathing as you muster your resources for the good fight.
We love you and are sending you our best and strongest wishes for your comfort and health.
Love and peace,
Rooney

Zip the Lip Never said...

Hi Mary, I don'w know you but I was checking it out the Iyengar institute in NY when I faced your blog. Good lucky on your treatment! Also, if you can, please find out about a Brazilian author that writes about the connection of our subconsciousness in relation to our health issues. Her name is Cristina Cairo and she is amazing! My best thoughts for you! Carolina

Aman said...

Mary, after hearing you cut all your hair off, I couldn't help but go back
to the time that I was waiting my turn to teach in the first Jr. Intermediate
assessment. While waiting outside in the sun, you had one of the other teachers make sure I got the message, "keep your hat on so you don't burn your head!" So I am just reminding you to keep your hat on and not to burn your head as we think about you everyday in our hearts and minds. Your name is being mentioned at the Zen Center every Saturday during the service for your well being. Love, Aman and Sunny and all the students from Full Circle Yoga Institute

Unknown said...

Mary,
I was saddened to hear of your illness, but delighted to find your blog and read about your progress (and see your smile).
Thinking of you...
Charlie Levi

Jackie said...

Hi Mary! Gosh. It's tomorrow but still working on last night's work, so poised between two days, in the fulcrum of night, just thought I'd stop typing, and send my love.
xx Jackie

kate veitch said...

Dear Mary -
It strikes me that we are seldom given the opportunity to express our best feelings for our friends and teachers, nor to receive them. Your illness, and your marvellously creative response to it, has allowed this to happen, for all of us (including the Iyengar community in far-off Australia), and for you.

As Shakespeare said in As You Like It: "Sweet are the uses of adversity."

with love and gratitude,
Kate V

Kevin said...

Dear Mary.
I thought it impossible to be so still and so awake as Grace.....Amaizing...undesturbed intensity...powered down.....no lunch....all week. She seemed to have lost weight. gotten smaller. a kind of maximum density of feathers..."Corpus Condensus and Feathers Afluffus" I thought perhaps it wasn't Gracie doing all that alone but unbeknownst, "George" had morphed in for a shift. But George was across the street in the bird gallary yukkin it up.
Then a sudden flutter of activity... pecking underneath poking her head deep into downe and coming up munching...I thought...Bugs! Then later on there was a perfectly symetrical half egg shell pushed to the side and in her beak was the tiny one, pink and naked... like a wet rag...all corpus and no fluffus...only little yellow stubbles that one day will carry her high above the buda trees. Some strange kind of inversion had taken place. Grace looked at me knowingly with her wisdom full of stamina, steady and soft as if to say: ..." to be born means...no hair!"
Here's to Freefall and Fluffy feathers...and teaching us all to fly.
All Love, dear
Kevin&Erika...
George&Gracie

Kevin said...

see you very soon now.
Kevin

Roddy Wares said...

Dear Mary,

I was reading the book, Spiritual Literacy today. I came a cross a piece about enthusiasm and it made me think of you.

“Enthusiasm means ‘one with the energy of God.’ It derives from the root words pointing to being inspired and possessed by the divine.”

A quote from Louis Pasteur: “ The Greeks have given us one of the most beautiful words of our language, the word ‘enthusiasm’ – a God within. The grandeur of the acts of men are measured by the inspiration from which they spring. Happy is he who bears a God within.”

Thank you for your enthusiasm and inspiration.
Wishing you r'fuah sh'leima (complete healing)

With love,
Roddy Wares
Ann Arbor