I know her now for many years. We originally met at the first studio of Mandala Jóga in Budapest, where I learnt yoga, primary as a fellow practitioner. Later on, when she has held her first flow classes, her name was related to dynamic yoga practice in the studio. More and more people came to practice with her, many praised her. Then the mysore practice got into the studio’s schedule. When I asked, what is ‘it’, she just smiled and gave me the following advice: “feel free to come into the classroom, you’ll be fine …” I think the first time I felt much like the author of the next article, but since then a lot has changed. And I think it’s really fine. I’ve found the following interview with Gyöngyvér on http://budapestyoga.tumblr.com/, the author is Orsi Fellegvári (bpy). Read on!

Gyöngyvér Pápa
Read about her more in here: www.mandalajoga.hu

“The girl, who began to see …

years ago, when I did not even know what the fluff of ashtanga yoga is, somehow I found myself in a Mysore class. I do not understand how … Gyöngyvér has held it.

my exercise was wasted, but Gyöngyvér absolutely fascinated me. I felt she is the one who is capable of anything. whom nothing is impossible.

it explains why she can screw herself into any asana. In anyway, in spiritual way… I always looked up to her a bit. I still do it  … now she tells what yoga means for her.

bpy: What is your first memory of yoga?

GYP: At the age of eighteen, I went to yoga for the first time. I just moved from a small town to Budapest (capital of Hungary – edit.), and I’ve tried pretty much everything. Yoga was one of those. I was first in a class of Gergő Németh. I just couldn’t do any asanas properly. The headstand was the most feared for me, it was inconceivable that I would ever … At the end of the class we all sang the ‘om’ mantra. The experience was so great, perhaps primarily due to this I stayed with yoga. I still remember to this day.

bpy: Then you started to practice constantly?

GYP When I arrived in the city, as eighteen-year-old university student I had very little money. I had to wait half a year, until I got a scholarship and private students for English language as well. As my income has raised, so to speak, after half a year, I went straight back to buy a monthly pass at mandala (Mandala Yoga Studios, www.mandalajoga.hu – edit.). Practice has begun here.

I was in a lot of classes, because the three/four of us lived in a dorm room, so self practicing was very difficult for me for a long time.

bpy: Did you began with yoga for the spine instantly?

GYP: That time there was absolutely no yoga for the spine. Originally I started with raja yoga. But it soon became clear that I am not the only one who cannot do the exercises. So Geri began to cut the ones that did not went through the people. This way slowly but surely he developed yoga for the spine. Like I did hatha yoga by that time, which slowly evolved into yoga for the spine. Then I’ve crawled back to hatha.

I’ve tried pretty much everything. I went to other studios and also to other teachers. I also tried ashtanga very early, only that time it seemed for me too much, it just terrifyed me. Just like my first yoga class ever. But as I’ve stayed sticking with yoga, so with ashtanga as well.

bpy: Since when do you ashtanga?

GYP: I was first in one of Judi Sebő’s class  when she was still teaching. Seven or eight years ago. By that time it was too much for me. Since 2010 I’m regularly practicing.

bpy: Do you teach ashtanga since than?

GYP: No, just a couple of years I teach ashtanga. Preceded by a very long private practice.

bpy: How long have you teach anyway?

GYP: At that time there weren’t teacher trainings. Once in a camp I was asked to hold a class. Then I got lot of constructive criticism. But it was not a test, it was not at stake. Then I started to teach yoga for the spine for beginners.

bpy: Is it ever occurred to you that once you become a yoga teacher?

GYP: No, never.

bpy: What is your profession originally?

GYP: I could never decide what I want to do. I am – I was – a geek type. From the Medical University till the University of Technology and Economics everything went through my head. I could not decide basically. Hamlet is my favorite piece: the man who cannot decide. I think it’s usually me.

Finally I applied for faculty of arts, to English-Italian branch, as a way I could push out the final decision. Meanwhile yoga has become increasingly important in my life, so I started to teach. I did not think this will be my life calling. I was just making sure that I keep it for me. Whether as practicing.

I thought, I’ll be a translator-interpreter. Because this job is more informal, I’ll have a lot of time for practicing. After finishing university I applied for a European Union simultaneous interpreter training. I enjoyed it, but in the end I realized that it did not work the way I thought.

Point was finding a job. As I held a couple of classes, financially I always made it the end of the month, did not have to find a job at any price. At one time, when we were sitting together with Gergő and others in a coffeeshop, they asked after me. I told them that I am still looking, but it’s really nothing more. Gergő then asked me what about to work at Mandala?

bpy: And you stayed there …

GYP: I stayed. That was so five years ago.

bpy: Do you like to be there?

GYP: Very much I like. I do not think about other things.

bpy: How came ashtanga than?

GYP: Csabi (Csaba Hargitai, yoga techer of mandala yoga) and some friends were traveling in India, and somehow they landed in Mysore. Which is like a parent home to ashtanga. They practiced there for a month. When they came back, all they told the whole thing about was actually three sentences. But then I decided over ten minutes to go. Around me, everyone had their own way, there was a strong impact on me. Which is very good from one side. But on the other side I knew I must find my own voice. And I felt like, for this I have to go.

I started to act: I went to beginner’s classes of Kati Szil and István Szalai. I’ve worked on my practice, for when I go to Mysore, I’ll carry it. We went to Vienna for a workshop of Sheshadri, which I very liked. Then I followed him to Mysore, but in a funny way I did not felt good over there. Finally, I did not even practiced ashtanga, but prana vashja for a month. Let’s just say it is very similar to it.

That was when I started to walk my own path. This is how I met ashtanga.

bpy: Who was your chosen master in those?

GYP: For a long time I could not find that teacher, whom I can rely fully. I did not liked the way, that everywhere I went, it was all about the fitness communication. Despite feelings that all this is very well put together, they have very good effects: I’ve got tired, I felt it is a little bit strained. I couldn’t find the yoga inside this approach anymore.

Then came Andrea Lutz. Her personality is not really warm, such a prussian style. She opened up her workshop with the question what kind of practice we do: I said I do hatha, ashtanga and also prana vashja. She began rambling a huge hard. Sounded roughly like this: what do I think, why am I here. She uttered, she doesn’t want to get into details, but I can stay.

Thus began a whole. I would say humanly she did not found her way into my heart. However, with her, ashtanga was real yoga. I felt there was a confident knowledge that is authentic. She is someone from whom you want to learn. I usually can differenciate between emotions racionality so I swallowed hard and learned a lot from her.

Then I met Manju over Andrea, which was love at first sight. Later, I’ve met Nancy (Gilgoff-edit.). Since then, I’ve been here and there, but not encountered such a high profile instructors. Of course I can understand that everybody approaches ashtanga differently. Each has its own place. What these people do, clearly fits me, I can integrate it in my practice.

bpy: Are you considering them now as your masters?

GYP: Manju primarily: he is all over the top. And Gergő: he always supported all of my search from hatha right through the advaita. The two of them.

bpy: How is your practice made up of?

PGY: One day I practice the primary series, the other day the second series and I add the third. From Manju I have learned a pranayama practice too, which also need to be build up. After every practice (six times a week, one day of rest) I’ll do the pranayama, too. And I’m sitting.

bpy: What tradition you follow in your meditation?

GYP: We follow the advaita. I do not practice any imaginative meditation. In the past, I was sitting a lot: it is a silence, a state without thoughts. There was a witness and I tried to be quiet. I tried to let go of all the upcoming things. This was my meditation practice.

But now I’m back from visiting Ganga, whom I was seeing for almost three weeks. This changed my attitude to meditation and yoga quite fundamentally. I am even try to find myself again a bit. I did not think ever that this few weeks are going to be so strong. I feel like I’m in a Monty Python movie, sometimes this all seems so unreal to me. My ashtanga practice is not affected by this experience, but probably I will not sit so long anymore.

bpy: What does yoga means to you?

GYP: Lifestyle, for sure. But I think it is always changing, what exactly it means. Much has been reported. It’s funny that you ask now, when I’m in such a transformation.

Until now, it was a tool with I could open up my mind for advaita for example. In ashtanga I also liked what it does with my mind. I’ll tell you, so I do not care about the poses primarily. But with practicing ashtanga I made the same experiences, and went through the same conditions during exercise when I was sitting forty minutes, three times in a row in the past. It gave me the same. I became curious, what is coming now.

Now, after meeting Ganga I’m still transforming. For me ashtanga is like a daily hygiene. It’s part of my physical and mental health. Sure, that helps and supports the way which I go. But I do not have cramps. I practice every day, but I do not feel a strained attachment to my practice. I practice, but I don’t live for practice. Yoga is therefore only a tool.

bpy: How did it change your relation to yourself and the world over the years?

PGY: This is hard to separate because it is so intrinsically part of my life. But after high school when I came to Budapest, must have been a natural personality development, which was greatly assisted by yoga.

Which I’m sure that I can thank to yoga: the openness. Not only to the people. It’s essential that you are questioning things on the basis. There are no material desires, I do not insist on external objects. Yoga made me realize that the world is in me, and I’m not in the world. It can be quite different when you read things, or if it’s an internal experience, when you catch up things. And a lot has been catched up by yoga.

bpy: Are there any long-term plans?

GYP: Making decisions is not my strength, so I used to figure out everything  to the last detail. Of course it never happened, as I figured it out. So I did let go of this strain that I can decide anything seriously. I’m trying to do my things right. This is what I can do. There are no specific long-term plans. I just want to be more free.

bpy: Do you continue teaching?

GYP: I do not insist. I love it, but my self-development is more important. If I were forced to choose between to lead a class, or practice, then there would be no question.

bpy: Can you put in one sentence, what is yoga?

GPY: The road to samadhi.