Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI)

From the 2025 Guide, pages 32–37. 3 listings.

Please remember that attending classes at the Institute is a privilege and not a right. All classes are taught in English. Students should have a working vocabulary in English and have listened to the many available CD's of Prashantji and Geetaji's classes to familiarize themselves with their pronunciation and use of terms. Knowing the Sanskrit names of all asanas is required.

Before entering the Institute building, shoes must be removed and placed in the metal racks provided for that purpose. Please do not put your shoes in a bag and take them into the Institute.

Checking In

• The Institute is closed on Sundays (except for the children's class and the Sutra class on Sunday morning).
• You will be assigned to the classes that Kunal has selected for you based on whether you are a first-time student or have attended previously. You will also be given a schedule for practice times in the asana hall. Certain classes are set, e.g., all female students must attend the Wednesday and Saturday women's classes.
• The Institute would prefer you keep to the schedule that has been assigned to you. If you would like to switch or be added to another class, please get permission from the office first.
• Never try to take a class that you haven't been assigned to. The Iyengars and Kunal will be informed, and they will not appreciate it.
• Pay Kunal for your course, the amount owed after your deposit. Class tuition may be paid in credit cards or cash—rupees, dollars or euros.

RIMYI fee increase

Please note that the fees for attending General classes for a month at RIMYI has been increased (at the time of this writing) to USD 590, to include service tax etc.

You can ask permission to observe classes while you are visiting. For this, an additional $50 will be charged for the entire month. Observers sit at the back of the class or on the windowsill and take notes but do not participate or interfere in the class.

RIMYI Store

Store hours are from 9 am to 12 noon and 4 pm to 6 pm on weekdays and Saturday. The Iyengars are wired for amplification and sound recording in the asana hall. CD's of some of their classes are available at the store. Also available are DVD's (when the class has been videotaped), books and props.

When purchasing items from the store it is preferred you pay in rupees. At least once a week there is a man who comes to the institute to exchange currency. If you wish to purchase items from the store in US dollars it should be on a day when the currency exchange man is there.

The store carries an extensive collection of books written by B.K.S., Geeta, and Prashant Iyengar. They also carry some guidebooks including My Pune Travel, published by Elephant and Maratha Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, 2006. Also available at the Institute store is a new edition of the Pune Tourist Guide and Map.

Props are available for purchase and you may choose to buy a cheap suitcase and carry them home, or have them shipped. The name listed below is a man who hangs out in front of the institute on most days. He can handle the shipping for you and will even come to your house to pick up the items. His estimates of shipping charges are remarkably accurate.

Protocol Before and During Class

If you want to assist in the medical class, ask Kunal first.

Students foreign to India, who arrive at the Institute without having been booked through the usual channels, may be offered other alternative classes. Beginners and intermediate level classes are held every day except Sunday, when the Institute is closed. Participation in these classes is entirely at RIMYI's discretion, so it helps if the student is not insistent. It also helps if the (non-beginner) student mentions the name of the Iyengar teacher with whom he or she has been studying. The program starts on the first of the month and ends on the last day of the month; it may also be extended for more than one month.

Please bathe prior to class whether you attend morning or evening class (and ensure your feet are clean).

Classes are large; come to the yoga hall early (10 to 15 minutes minimum) to claim a space. If you are late coming into the hall, sit by the door to chant invocation. If you are late, do not walk around the room looking for a spot.

If you don't fully understand English (or the Indian accent); make sure you have a friend translating for you during classes. Sit at the back, next to her/him and speak quietly in order to not disturb the other students or the teacher. Inform the teacher in advance that someone will be translating for you. Usually Sunita will get annoyed when someone doesn't follow their instructions due to language barriers.

During class, anyone who needs help jumping up into Adho Mukha Vrksasana or Pincha Mayurasana should line up against the rope wall and be ready when the helper arrives.

Avoid doing Adho Mukha Vrksasana on the platform with feet pointing up under the Shiva statue; take care that you are not touching the photographs of Guruji with your feet (this is particularly relevant in the area near the entrance to asana room). Also, do not put your feet against the base of the Patanjali statue.

During the months when classes are large, assistants will make certain that everyone has a place and the appropriate props (don't panic!). Whoever is teaching will not start until everyone is accommodated.

Find a place and position yourself in the vertical rows radiating from the center of the room, in front of the platform where the teacher begins class.

Talking in the asana room is generally kept to a minimum. Small talk is discouraged during practice sessions and while waiting for the class to begin. Confine your conversation to yoga-related topics.

A request to "alternate yourself" means that the person in the center vertical line in front of the platform should lie with his or head toward the platform and the persons to the left and right of him or her should lie with their heads facing in the opposite direction of the center person. Continue in this manner to the end of the line. In Savasana, this allows you to spread your arms without restriction by placing them between each of your neighbor's forearms and their torso.

Props

• Props for the asana class: The prop room is at the opposite end of the hall from which one enters. Prepare for the invocation by providing yourself with a sticky mat and the appropriate number of blankets (if really necessary) to sit on.
• Props for Pranayama class: Make sure your fingernails are clipped before class. And have a handkerchief (tissues are not permitted in the class), in case you need one.
• When props are requested, they can be passed out of the prop room to the students. This applies to chairs, belts, blocks, bolsters and blankets. For efficiency and speed in collecting the props you need, it helps to be friendly with your neighbor and agree to watch props for each other and share the task of collecting them.
• Sticky mats are very valuable in Pune and the Institute takes great care to preserve them. Do not place wooden props or chairs on them - sticky mat pieces are available for this purpose. Please do not fold the thick mats, even when carrying them or putting them on the floor. Many students bring their own sticky mats and donate them to the Institute at the end of their stay, and this is much appreciated.
• FEET NOT ALLOWED ON THE BLANKETS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!
• Setting up the mats for Sarvangasana: Pair up with another student and carry the required number of the big black thick mats between you. Generally, four rows of mats are placed in straight lines, parallel to one another. The first row is placed three feet from the front of the stage and successive rows are arranged with three feet between them. The piled mats provide the base for Sarvangasana. More height (a folded sticky mat and blanket) may be added if required. You may be asked to "alternate yourself" for Sarvangasana, particularly if you are going to do the variations. Do not, however, assume that the setup for each class is exactly the same. Listen carefully to the teacher and assist one another so the class can proceed smoothly.

Do not leave the hall until all the props are put back in the closet and the windows closed. Endeavor to put away more props than you used. This will ensure that cleanup is quick and easy. All the belts should be stored hanging with the longest loop.

Observing Classes

• When observing a class, do not leave until it's finished! In addition, be aware of how you are impacting the students taking the class. This is of utmost importance. If you are sitting at the back of the room near the windows, act responsibly by moving to make space for those attending class.
• If you are sitting in the stairwell observing, you must allow students to enter and exit the second-floor classroom. The stairwell is circular, therefore it's dangerous for all concerned if you stay on the staircase when classes are changing. Come down off the stairway until all students have left the upstairs room and then next class students have gone up to their class.
• Taking photographs is strictly forbidden, either of classes or of the students in the practice session. However, permission may be granted in certain circumstances; ask Abhijata if you wish to take a picture or two of the children's class.

Guidelines for Women

• Menstruating women are assigned to a designated area at the back of the asana room where they follow a sequence of poses. Tell an assistant that you are menstruating as soon as you arrive at class. Do not join the class if you are having your period and then drop out during inversions, i.e., don't wait until Sirsasana to tell someone you have your period. It is very distressing to the teacher when someone decides they don't need to be "on the side." This is considered very rude.
• Dress respectfully for class, e.g., a short-sleeved T-shirt, not a close-fitting tank top or camisole with spaghetti straps. Remember to tuck your t-shirt into your shorts (the t-shirt will need to be long enough for this).
• If you have long hair, tie it back (both sexes).

Tradition, Etiquette and Other Helpful Tips

• While waiting to enter the hall for class, stay to the left side of the stairwell so those leaving class can descend.
• If you are unwell, e.g., if you have diarrhea or a migraine, you should tell an assistant immediately upon arrival to class and follow their instructions. You won't remain in the regular class but will join a separate group and practice a modified sequence. If you have a fever, bed rest is best—stay at home.
• When sitting facing the stage listening to a discourse by the teacher, do not display the soles of your feet. Unless told otherwise, cross your legs or fold them to the side, or sit in Vajrasana or Virasana.
• Gifts of food to the Iyengar family must be pure vegetarian (even "fancy" chocolate contains eggs) but really, it is best not to give food of any kind, especially left-over food. Cash donations are always appreciated as they benefit the needy and go to fund many projects in Bellur.

Holidays at the Institute

(Check Google for exact dates for a particular year.)

• Republic Day — January 26.
• Gudi Padwa — in March (as Hindu calendar).
• Hanuman Jayanti — in April (as per Hindu calendar).
• May — Institute is closed for the entire month.
• Guru Purnima — in July (as per Hindu calendar).
• Independence Day — August 15.
• Ganesh Purnima — September (as per Hinducalendar)
• Daserra — September/ October (as per Hindu calendar)
• Patanjali Jayanti — November; no evening classes on that day.
• Diwali — a five-day festival in November. Expect the Institute to close for at least three days. There will be non-stop fireworks in the streets the week before and after Diwali.

Many of us left town during Diwali because of the noise and smoke in the neighborhood. Goa is a good Diwali-break destination — one hour by plane from Pune. Other students headed to the KARE Ayurvedic retreat at Mulshi Lake, an hour's drive from Pune.

— a student

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