Iyengar Yoga ~ with Qusai Kathawala ~
~ Fall 2006 ~ 8:00 - 9:30 ~ 09.19 / 09.26 / 10.03 ~
Qusai was the only participating member in the Sundown Schoolhouse (besides Fritz) who assumed the role of both teacher and student.
This was of special interest to us at the Schoolhouse as we talked over and over again about what an "alternative" school really looked like and we often arrived at this very criteria: that an alternative school allows for the role of student and teacher to be fluid, challenging the traditional hierarchy of a school and also reminding each member of the school that they have something to both offer and learn. (Note: some instructors, like Emily Roysdon, did stay on for other instructor's classes as students.)
Qusai began our school day for three weeks with solid, foundational yoga poses and detailed, articulate instruction. He went into a lot of depth for every pose and, Michael said, emphasized that the most simple poses are often the most difficult. All of us sweat profusely.
"My yoga teacher in India says that holding one standing pose correctly is like walking five miles," Qusai said when he saw that our muscles were shaking.