By James Tennant
In October 2001 Andrey Lappa led
a weeklong workshop at Moksha Yoga that truly inspired me and
catapulted my practice to new heights. After my first
conversation with him, even before class started, I
intuitively knew that I was going to study with him beyond the
one-week period. As the week went on, my feelings were only
confirmed and my aspiration to travel to Kiev, Ukraine, and
study with Andrey grew. Andrey's Power of Spirit and
self-developed style of asana intrigued most yogis in the
workshop, inspired a considerable number, but seemed to
overwhelm the majority. By the middle of the week, however,
there was a small group of us that was motivated enough to
follow him halfway around the globe. Before we knew it, we
were making plans for a six-week program with Andrey in Kiev,
and I was at the Ukrainian consulate getting visa
applications.
Daren Friesen, Jim Bennitt, Anna Peters and I were among
the seven going to Kiev who decided to spend New Year's Eve
with Andrey in Crimea--a short holiday break before the
intense training began. The others would meet us in Kiev in
January. As our flight from Frankfurt, Germany landed in Kiev
(Kyiv in Ukrainian) on December 25th, Jim was faced with a
dilemma. He had not applied for a visa in advance, hoping he
could get one at customs… it didn't work. So Jim was on the
first flight back to Frankfurt--to be tempted with beer and
sausages--while the rest of us met up with Andrey, who was
waiting for us at the gate.
From the airport we headed to a
restaurant for our first Ukrainian meal. Although vegetarian
entrees are fairly limited in the Ukraine, we enjoyed many
vegetable side dishes such as potato pancakes, which are
popular there. That first night we ordered grilled eggplant in
a tomato sauce and cauliflower with cheese sauce. For dessert
it was steamed dumplings stuffed with cherries with a dash of
sour cream. We loved everything! While we ate, we were
serenaded by flute-playing musicians dressed in traditional
Ukrainian warrior costumes.
A few days after we had settled into the apartment Andrey
had set up for us, we were off to Crimea (the peninsula that
juts from the southern part of Ukraine into the Black Sea and
the Sea of Azo). There we witnessed the most amazing ruins of
an ancient city built by the Greeks in the 4th century and
Spanish forts dating back to the 6th century. Andrey took us
on a highly memorable hike through the snow-bleached,
mountainous forests bordering the Black Sea. The scenery and
the hike were breathtaking. The damp weather didn't seem to
sway the New Year's celebration, as a huge bonfire and
fireworks lit up the sky to welcome in 2002.
A few days later we were on a train heading back to Kiev to
meet Jim, who had finally obtained a visa after contending
with many obstacles and language barriers. Lourdes Paredes and
Carmen Aguilara were going to be flying in the following day.
As we came together, it all started to become more real to me;
a new portion of the journey was unfolding.
We had great apartments to live in--close to the city's
center (Kiev is the capital and largest city of Ukraine, with
a population of 2,616,000) and not far from our practice
space, which was in one of the gyms that Andrey owns. The
practice room was set up for gymnastics with a padded floor,
which challenged everyone's sturdy vrksasana (tree pose), let
alone our handstands. Everyone there practiced with socks on
for sanitary reasons. That which didn't kill us made us
stronger! Just one more adjustment to life in Kiev…
Andrey's students in Kiev created a very focused and driven
vibration that was exhilarating yet calming at the same time.
We were in a country where if you were practicing yoga, you
rarely told anyone. To me, it had almost an underground
feeling. Our classes were composed of truly dedicated people
who were open to anything that was put in front of them. The
practitioners there had tapas (heat, or discipline) that
pressed them forward in their practice. It was an amazing
group to work with. So, even during the two-minute chatarunga
dandasanas (four-limbed staff pose) and after the second round
of scorpion, you felt the group energy hold together. All the
sessions were inspirational, and they seemed to just keep
bringing me deeper and deeper into myself. (Going deeper
within myself meant letting the people who I was living and
traveling with see that self, which wasn't always my "best"
self.)
And we all had our moments as we traveled with Andrey to
Russia for workshops in Moscow and St. Petersburg. I felt very
fortunate to be experiencing all of these remarkable places,
so rich in culture, art and fascinating history. From being
enveloped by frescos of ancient cathedrals and absorbing as
much art as possible at the Hermitage Museum, to having an
after-class chat over tea with some local yogis in Moscow, the
experiences seem limitless as I try to condense them into one
article.
Through all the disagreements, misunderstandings and
occasions of frustration within ourselves and among one
another, Andrey was steadfast in keeping us as one. He was
much more than our yoga teacher for those six weeks, and as
busy as his life is, for him to take as much time as he did
for us was above and beyond… Even to the very end, when we
were preparing for a workshop in Egypt, he was determined to
have us all there to have a grand finale that would be
unforgettable.
Unfortunately, Carmen returned
to the U.S. before our travels in Russia, and Lourdes couldn't
make the Egypt workshop due to prior engagements. Mark
Klemmen, however, flew from Chicago to join us in Kiev a few
days before we left for a week in Egypt, and an unforgettable
trip it was. Just being in temperatures over 1 degree Celsius
(34 degrees Fahrenheit) was energizing, as we practiced asana
every morning surrounded by the scent of exotic flowers and
the crashing sounds of the Red Sea…not to mention the
humongous breakfast buffet that the resort offered.
The rocky desert is absolutely mystical, and a spiritual
vibration permeates the air. It was all quite enchanting, even
our heated debates with taxi drivers and camel guides up to
Mt. Sinai. The bargaining game, I found, can sometimes get
rather tiresome; I know now why price tags were invented!
Sherad, the owner of the local teashop, was probably the
toughest to talk down just because we were always hanging out
in his shop.
One day we chartered a boat and went scuba diving and
snorkeling. At dusk we all met out on the beach for the Dance
of Shiva. We all had a magical hike up to the peak of Mt.
Sinai, where Daren and I camped out for the night with the
local Bedouins in order to witness the magnificent sunrise the
next morning. The others made a day trip to Cairo, which
almost turned into a two-day trip when the tire blew out on
the way back to the resort.
After Egypt, Jim, Daren, Anna and Mark spent their last few
days in Kiev, seeing the sights they had missed and practicing
their last few sessions of Universal Style Yoga (until May
anyway, when Andrey will be back in Chicago). I decided to
stay in Kiev for another five weeks to continue my studying,
which is a whole other article in itself.
I'm still
absorbing and integrating, as I'm sure everyone else is. And
as that integration takes place, I'm reminded of all the life
lessons and humorous details that had to be left out of this
article to protect the innocent (or not so innocent). They
will be with me for life, and my gratitude for the opportunity
is endless.
James Tennant is a teacher at Moksha Yoga Center, Lakeview.