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IYENGAR YOGA NEWS The magazine of the Iyengar Yoga Association of the United Kingdom
ISSUE NUMBER 13
AUTUMN 2008
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IYENGAR YOGA ®
ASSOCIATION (UK)
President: Yogacharya Sri B.K.S. Iyengar
www.iyengaryoga.org.uk
IYENGAR YOGA NEWS
Issue No.13 Autumn 2008
E D I T O R I A L It is our honour to devote this issue of Iyengar Yoga News (UK) to the celebration of Guruji’s 90th birthday as a tribute to his devotion and gift to us through his yoga. Assembled in these pages are articles and photographs that demonstrate our gratitude for his divine inspiration. Apart from the usual reports there is the fourth part of the series written by Richard and Kirsten Agar Ward, and tributes to his legacy from several of Guruji’s oldest friends and senior teachers amongst other interesting articles. Guruji will be delighted to know that IYA(UK) has around 2500 members across the UK and Ireland amongst whom about a third are teachers. It is this impressive amount of teachers who spread Iyengar Yoga across the country. On a daily basis these teachers attract more people to the understanding of the yoga that Guruji teaches and so his wishes for mankind can hopefully be assisted to fruition - that there is peace and harmony throughout the world. Many thanks to all of you who submitted articles and photographs for this commemorative issue. There are many photographs that are undated and without title, so please forgive us if you are not credited for your photograph.
Guruji, On the very special occasion of your 90th birthday, all your students in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland would like to wish you a very happy birthday celebration in good health, with every happiness in the years ahead. We owe you so much. You are our inspiration and our guiding light. You have transformed people’s lives around the world. Each one of us is a better person for having come into contact with your teaching. We are humbly grateful for everything that you have given us.
With love from us all
Editorial Board: Sharon Klaff, John Cotgreave, Philippe Harari, Judith Jones, Rachel Lovegrove, Lucy Osman Layout & Design: Rachel Lovegrove, Sharon Klaff and Lucy Osman Articles to: sharon.klaff@btopenworld.com Advertising: John Cotgreave jcorgreave@hotmail.co.uk Printed by: Blueprint Press, Cambridge, on paper made using wood from sustainable forests and without the use of chlorine ® used with permission of BKS Iyengar, Trade Mark owner
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Focus on Guruji 2. Guruji - Profile of a Yogi 4. Iyengar the Yoga Master 6. BKS Iyengar - His Legacy 8. RIYMI - Opening Ceremony 10. Tribute to Guruji on his 90th Birthday 41. Birthday Tour Itinerary 47. Indian Yoga Association
Features 18. Yoga and Children 20. Light for Bellur 28. Actual Yoga and Virtual Yoga 40. Obituary
Regular Features 24. Desert Island Asanas 26. Book Review 36. IYA (UK) Convention 2008 41. Q & A 42. IYA (UK) Convention 2009
Member Information 44. Reports 48. Sustainability Policy 49. Professional Development Days 50. Teacher Trainers 51. Assessment Results 54. Executive Council 55. Committee Members 56. Institues and Events 58. Advertisements Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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Guruji Profile of a Yogi Richard and Kirsten Agar Ward Part 4 of an occasional series taking a look at Guruji: a yogi in all respects. The way Guruji lives his life is a shining example of how we should strive to live in a yogic way. As Geetaji has told us, we should imitate Guruji, not just in posture, but in character, his devotion to yoga and his philosophy of life.We would like to use this series to help you to get to know Guruji, the man. Part 4 explores Guruji’s ancestry and family history that has taditionally included scholars and devotees of God. Guruji’s family can be traced back to connections with Sri Ramanuja a great saint, scholar and social reformer, founder of the Bhakti movement, who is said to be the Avatar of Lord Adisesa. Guruji’s life’s work continues in the tradition of his forefathers. His vision and dedicated efforts to open up the study and practice of yoga to all humanity shares interesting parallels with the life of Sri Ramanuja and his disciples who led the way in ’spiritual liberalism’ to overcome barriers of caste. The Ancestry and family connections of Yogacharya BKS Iyengar and the parallels of history While it is common in Western countries for family records to have been reposed with public authorities, in India families have traditionally kept their own records. It is fair to say that many families in Western countries would be unable to trace their ancestry beyond the past few centuries at best for a variety of historical reasons. In India family records remained in the hands of the head of the family, in old times on leaves, latterly on paper. Guruji’s Vamsha Vrksha (family tree) goes back to 1361 AD but connections can be traced back to the times of Ramanuja in the 11th Century A.D some 19 generations back. 2
Guruji’s family is a Vedic family. They have traditionally been scholars and devotees of God. Savitaji told us how her father’s great grandfather was a scholar who went to Gujarat, how the family tree has always fostered a scholarly gene and they have always been involved with education. Guruji’s family belongs to a very orthodox Brahmin community of Srivaisnavists of Tamil Nadu, South India. The ancestry of Guruji’s family is traced back from Sri Ramanuja’s brother-in-law, Mudambi Varadacharya. One of his descendents was Anna, who as a very young man was brave enough to take on a renowned and learned
scholar in a philosophical debate. Although much younger than his opponent Anna was able to win the debate and so converted his opponent to Visishtadvaita (the doctrine propounded by Sri Ramanuja, a great Acharya). Anna’s Guru appointed him his successor. Since then the family has been known as the Prativadhibhayankaram family. The beautiful morning prayers, Suprabhatam, (composed of Venkatesa Suprabhatam, Managalasanam and Prapatti Stotram) sung at Tirupati every morning were composed by Anna who is still held in high esteem today. Our Guruji is the 14th generation descendant from Anna. Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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The Prathivadhi-bhayankaram family spread the teachings of Sri Ramanuja around India, including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. Five generations on from Anna the family moved to Bellur. The ruling king at that time gifted the village to the head of the family, Anantachar, in respect of his knowledge and learning. Another forefather, Srinivasachar, toured Gujarat and Rajasthan with his teachings and had lots of followers known as Annan Dasans. As well as the historical links with Sri Ramanuja, there are interesting parallels between his life and teachings and those of our own Guruji. Guruji struggled for years in the face of great obstacles to spread yoga before his meeting with the great violinist Yehudi Menuhin led to the opportunity to take Yoga far and wide. Also, during his life Sri Ramanuja faced much opposition and hostility. Yet nonetheless, as was the case with Guruji, he overcame the obstacles and had a tremendous impact. Sri Ramanuja did not believe in caste-ism. He struggled against it all his life and was the first to open temples to Shudras (the lowest of the four major castes). Over time the caste system had become something set by birth rather than as a reflection of personal evolution. Previously, for example, if you were educated you became a Brahmin, rather than being ascribed such a caste by birth. There is no evidence of caste-ism in the Ramayana & Mahabharata. Valmiki was himself of low caste yet became a sage and wrote the Ramayana. Ascribing caste rigidly by birth might have arisen during the Buddha period although it is not entirely clear why. One suggestion Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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is that a society under threat from disintegration during periods of repeated invasions chose to bind itself together with sufficient strength through concretising class, social relationships and roles. Sri Ramanuja said the imposition of a caste structure in this way was wrong and that each and everyone should pray to God and surrender to God. Sri Ramanuja valued spiritual attainment above birthright. Guruji has never restricted his teaching according to caste or class and has been largely responsible for the spread of Yoga since the 1950s first to the West and then across the whole world, realising that Yoga is a universal science and art. He has seen how people of every different kind, creed and race have taken to Yoga. Sri Ramanuja famously climbed to the top of the temple tower and gave all the people the sacred and secret mantra. His Guru told him he had committed a sin by doing this and Sri Ramanuja said: “Let me have the sin, but let the people have the mantra.” Guruji Iyengar was himself challenged by yogis for his teaching. One example of this is how he taught that in śavāsana a blanket or support could be used for the head and neck in order to relax the throat. He was criticised for revealing what some held to be a secret strictly for yogis, but Guruji’s concern was for the well being of his pupils. Sri Ramanuja revitalised the Vedic tradition with his doctrine of Vishistadvaita and writings. and strongly influenced Indian philosophy and consequently Indian life as a whole. Guruji Iyengar remains Srivishnaivite by family tradition and has not created a new stream in Indian
philosophical and religious thought, but in his teaching has been, and continues to be, hugely influential. In his turn he has made the A ā ga Yoga of Sage Patanjali as expounded in the Yoga Sūtras comprehensible and accessible to people across the world, above all by his study of yoga as a practical subject over a period of over 75 years. Thanks to his efforts Yoga is likely to remain a very important influence in 21st century lives around the globe. Sri Ramanuja’s legacy of influence on Indian culture has been enduring. Guruji’s legacy will also be enduring. Like Sri Ramanuja, Guruji believes that spiritual life is open to all and none are excluded. Like Sri Ramanuja he had a mountain to shift though it was the mountain of indifference to and ignorance of Yoga rather than the mountain of caste-ism and philosophical opposition. Like Sri Ramanuja he has had a profound effect on the lives of millions, not only in India but across the world, and like Sri Ramanuja has revolutionised the understanding of traditional spiritual practices. Although he does not claim to be a scholar, Guruji has achieved great standards in the publication of Light on Yoga, Light on Prā āyāma and Light on the Yoga Sūtras of Patanjali , which have all become modern classics. With thanks to Mrs Savita Ragu for her invaluable assistance. Savitaji’s thesis is on the family’s distinguished ancestry. (10th century onwards). Suggested Reading: Family Background of Our Guruji Mrs Savita Ragu in Seventy Glorious Years, 1990; Life of Sri Ramanuja Swami Ramakrishnanada Sri Ramanuja: his life, religion & philosophy; Swami Tapsyananda Ramanuja Amar Chitra Katha illustrated classics.
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Iyengar The Yoga Master Kofi Busia Excerpt adapted from Iyengar: The Yoga Master, edited by Kofi Busia, © 2007. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications Inc., Boston, MA., www.shambhala.com.
Kofi Busia by Hilary Nichols
In 1960 a yoga master named Sri Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar gave a lecture-demonstration in Highgate, London, attended by 200. In October, he gave his first real class in the West in the home of Ayana Angadi, director of the Asian Music Circle. There were only three people but their enthusiasm knew no bounds. All his other Western students are descended from them. The received wisdom is that their names were Diana Clifton, Beatrice Harthan, and Angela Marris. On Tuesday 20th June, 1961, Ayana Angadi and Angela Marris started regular classes. The morning one included Beatrice Harthan while the evening one consisted of Patricia Angadi, Diana Clifton, Angela Marris, Silva Mehta, Eilean Moon and Daphne Pick. On Tuesday 18th July, 1961, Beatrice joined them for their weekly practice. Some say this was the official beginning of “Iyengar Yoga”. In 1962, BBC TV broadcast “Yehudi Menuhin and his Guru”. Iyengar followed it with his first public classes, held in North London. Such was the demand that he authorized Diana Clifton, 4
Beatrice Harthan, Angela Marris, Silva Mehta and Eilean Moon to begin teaching in his name—as long as they taught in pairs to support each other. They were the first “official” Iyengar teachers. I was blessed to meet them all except Eilean. In 1963-4, Angela and Beatrice raised enough money to bring Iyengar back. In 1965, the stunning Light on Yoga was published by George Allen and Unwin. In 1966 he returned and taught 100. In 1967, he began training teachers for London County Councilwhich would only accept yoga teachers personally authorised by him. In 1968, he gave a demonstration at Spurley Hey High School, Manchester, attended by 500. In 1969, yoga classes for the general public specifically taught in “the Iyengar method” were introduced into the adult education curriculum of the Inner London Education Authority. They were the backbone on which Iyengar Yoga was built. “Unofficial” teacher-trainings were already happening in London and began later that year in Manchester and the North. Under ILEA’s auspices, the first “official” Iyengar teacher-
training programme started in 1970 in the College of Physical Education, Paddington, taught by Silva Mehta. Iyengar Yoga was now growing at phenomenal speed. Sri Iyengar’s gratitude to these early students and teachers knows no limit. One of them was my own teacher, Penny Nield-Smith, whose name still brings a smile to what must surely be half of London! She filled huge classes with a rare and infectious enthusiasm. Eternal Salutations go to her from me and my Ancestors. And so, in 1969–70, I stood in my University Gym as my friend Jeremy happened by. “What are YOU doing here?”, I said, surprised. “I’ve come for a yoga lesson”, he said. I was filled with mirth. “Well, I really think you should have a lesson before you react like that”, he continued. I picked up my badminton kit and followed. Three weeks later, he deserted me for a brief flirtation with Scientology. He never came back … but I never looked back. A year later, Penny signed me up for classes with “BKS”. She handed me Light on Yoga to peruse, but I couldn’t be bothered to even look Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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at the Introduction. She’d wanted to sign me up for his beginning classes, but since they’d all filled she’d signed me up for three intermediate ones plus three advanced ones for good measure. Anything Penny wanted was fine by me. When I showed up for my first Intermediate class, I didn’t really care who this BKS Iyengar person was. I’d only gone because of Penny. She introduced me to him and said: “This is my pupil Kofi. I would like him to become a teacher”. I was startled. This was the first I’d heard of it. He looked me up and down and smiled wryly. Obviously, I didn’t look much like yoga teaching material. I was going to have a little “discussion” with Penny later.
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When he asked me to place my forearms on the ground, kick up, and balance, nothing moved. Actually … it did. My head went down at high speed. Had it not been for the concrete bedding in my shoulders, I would surely have broken my chin. That’s how it felt, anyway. A tall willowy lady, Angela, tried to show me what to do. Her legs went flying up with elegance and grace. She was the first in a line of people I met there hewn from alien materials. Another, Agnes, came along. It made not the slightest difference. Dona, Maxine, Victor, Silvia, Silva and a host of others all tried. They were kind and understanding … but my body was locked in the only condition it
The class started. I couldn’t understand a word of this man’s instructions. My only headstands had been when Penny had taken me up by a wall. “I think it might be a good idea if you learned this one, Kofi”, she’d innocently said about two weeks before. At one point this man who later became my Guru glowered at me: “So … you want to be a yoga teacher?!!!” I denied all. I pointed straight at Penny. I couldn’t find her anywhere when the class finished, so we never had that little “discussion”. Next day, I showed up for the “advanced class”. Ignorance is bliss. I had absolutely no fears or expectations. There’s not a lot anyone can do to you when your body won’t go where he summons it. I smiled a lot. If I had known how, I would gladly have been putty in his hands. Putty can at least be shaped. Since that wasn’t an option, I just let this “Mr. BKS Iyengar” pull anything he wanted any which way that struck his whim. If my back wouldn’t move, how was that my fault? If he wanted to expend energy needlessly, why should I worry? If he wanted to waste his time, why should I care? I just laughed and left him to it. Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
knew. A lot of hauling about and smiling went on that day. He did the one; I did the other. The next time I saw Penny she was lucky I was still talking to her! When she sweetly asked how I’d got on, I looked at her pointedly and said “Fine”. But then she did her usual trick of bypassing everything, and going straight to the devotion I inexplicably still bore for her. She was that kind of teacher. She told me she’d asked Mr. Iyengar what he thought of her “Kofi-for-yoga-teacher” campaign. He’d apparently grunted and said: “He’ll do”. My future had been
decided without anyone consulting me. Penny gave me a signed copy of Light on Yoga to mark the occasion. It meant nothing to me at the time … but I still have it. One day, Penny suggested that I “assist” her in her classes. It never occurred to me to wonder why a woman who could keep perfect control of a class of over 50 should suddenly be needing “an assistant”. Shortly afterwards, she telephoned and said that “something” had suddenly come up, so would I please teach her classes, due in a couple of hours, for her? I refused. But I didn’t have much choice. People were already on their way, and it was either teach or leave them disappointed. I apologized that Penny was not there; reassured them she would be back next week; and taught my first yoga class. It is one of the humbling treasures of my life that some of those people still call themselves my students. I have reached the age that many of them were back then, and I want to thank them meaningfully, sincerely, and from the bottom of my heart for that honour. By 1977 the BKS Iyengar Yoga Teachers’ Association had been formed. To my amazement, I was one of the founder members. I even helped write the Constitution. The first Iyengar teaching certificates were signed by Guruji himself and do not carry a date. I got one of those. I had also started going to study in his brand spanking new Institute. While there, I took sitar and Sanskrit lessons. On some days—apart from Guruji, Geeta and Prashant—I was the only person in the room. The really smart thing to have done, I suppose, would have been not to tell anyone else. But as with all others who went there, I made the mistake of telling as many people as I possibly could about Guruji and his teachings. I shall go on doing that until the end of my days.
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BKS Iyengar - His Legacy Suzanne Newcombe Iyengar has many testimonials of those who have been ‘forever changed’ by the experience of his yoga. What is impressive is how Iyengar has influenced the way āsana are practiced, providing an international standard. The two major innovations that cemented these achievements and both were the result of an Indian-British collaboration and single Iyengar out as more influential than other popularisers of yoga. The first was the publication of Light on Yoga in 1966 and the second was the standardisation of a teacher-training syllabus. The latter was based on principles and technique rather than reliance on the teacherstudent interaction. It took at least six years for Light on Yoga to travel from conception to publication. A student of Iyengar’s in Bombay, Mr B I Taraporewala, first showed photographs of Iyengar to a publisher in 1956, but work on the book properly began in 1960. Taraporewala reported that: “Every few weeks Iyengar would come to Bombay with handwritten notes… Every Saturday evening after the āsana sessions, Iyengar, a friend or two, my wife and I would proceed to the flat of Smt Martha Wartenburger... There, after refreshments ... we would read the typescript prepared by me” (from Iyengar’s notes) (Body the Shrine Yoga Thy Light). The group would then consider together which words best conveyed Iyengar’s meaning. The collaborative input at this level was so significant that Iyengar asked for £250 of his royalty money to be 6
paid to Taraporewala. When the time came, Iyengar’s manuscript was not sent to an Indian publishing company, but instead found a British publisher and international distribution. In 1962, a student of Iyengar’s and member of the Asian Music Circle in London, Beatrice Harthan, provided Gerald Yorke with Iyengar’s manuscript for a comprehensive instructional guide to yoga āsana that she had begun to type for Iyengar. Yorke was an agent for Rider and Allen & Unwin publishing houses and had a long-standing personal and academic interest in Buddhism, yoga and esotericism. Over the next few years, Yorke made extensive suggestions for revision of Iyengar’s work. Iyengar later reflected on Yorke’s influence: “In his admonitions about my style, Mr Yorke was as forceful as my guru, Sri T Krishnamacharya, was about my yoga... His encouragement was my touchstone, spurring me to express my thoughts in as exact and precise a form as possible. ...I hold him to be my ‘literary guru’” (Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali).“ Light on Yoga became so successful in part, because of the collaborative effort involved in writing and editing this English-language manual. Although the introduction outlined the religious and philosophical context of yoga, Light on Yoga delineates practical benefits without reference to anything overtly ‘magical’ or religious. This was important in establishing the credibility of the book internationally.
Susanne Newcombe
The result was a highly successful book that was referred to as the ‘Bible’ of yoga āsana soon after publication. Elizabeth De Michelis argued in A History of Modern Yoga that Light on Yoga: ‘played a major role in raising postural practice standards to higher levels of performance’ and became ‘the acknowledged point of reference in the sense that no modern postural yoga practitioner or school could afford to ignore its existence. What moved Iyengar’s yoga tradition beyond isolated small-group teaching and self-study with Light on Yoga, was the introduction of Iyengar-trained teachers into the British adult education system. Adult education was extremely popular and important during the 1960s and ’70s, holding subsidised courses with implicit government approval. In 1967, the same year that The Beatles began their association with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the first yoga class was held at the Inner London Educational Authority (ILEA). Peter McIntosh, the Chief Inspector for Physical Education at ILEA, was particularly interested in the potential of Hatha Yoga as a form of physical activity uniquely suited to the needs of Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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London’s elderly population, which he felt were illserved by the existing courses. Even before McIntosh had been introduced to Iyengar Yoga, he had decided that he was interested in finding a ‘master of Hatha Yoga’ who would be willing to confine the material taught in classes to “āsanas ” and “prā āyāmas ” and did not cover ‘the philosophy of Yoga as a whole.’ After a series of inspections and discussions with Iyengar, McIntosh approved ‘gurus trained by Mr. B.K.S. Iyengar, the author of ‘Light on Yoga’, a recognised authoritative book on this subject’, to teach yoga for the ILEA. In practice, McIntosh approved the yoga teachers that were put forward by Iyengar’s appointed trainer in London, Silva Mehta. She gave weekly yoga teacher-training classes at the ILEA Physical Education College in Paddington from 1971-1979. During this period, three ‘grades’ of progressively difficult āsanas developed with Iyengar’s consultation for the ILEA classes. For the first few years there was no standardised syllabus of postures or contra-indications for specific medical conditions. ‘Graduation’ to the level of teacher came when Silva Mehta, or Iyengar himself, decided a student was ready to teach a class. By 1979, approximately 200 yoga teachers had been trained on the London course. Manchester students also developed a teacher-training programme. The Manchester yoga teachertraining programme started in 1971-72. It was open to those who had taken yoga classes under a ‘recognised teacher’ for at least two years. The course lasted 34 weeks at four hours per week, with Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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an emphasis on physiology and anatomy. The purpose of this focus was to ‘safeguard against physical injury which can be incurred if the complicated posture exercises are taught by a person uninstructed in this direction’. The successful passing of a written and practical assessment in front of yoga instructors and ‘educational experts’ would result in a diploma recognised by the Manchester Education Committee. Iyengar did not personally select teachers, but as in London, he was consulted on the syllabus. As the 1970s progressed, Iyengar teachers in both London and Manchester began to work together to create a national assessment body which issued certificates. In 1975, it was reported to Iyengar that two people in Oxford were ‘taken to hospital from yoga classes’ and Diana Clifton was asked to conduct three yoga teacher-training classes at the Oxford College of Further Education. She designed a syllabus with ‘an emphasis on safety’ and sent it to Iyengar for approval. The course in Oxford involved observing a yoga class for beginners. The teachers would be taught under Clifton’s guidance ‘to assist so as to get an understanding of how to teach beginners’. This teaching method – to observe and improve incorrect physical action in āsana – quickly became the focus for the ‘Iyengar’ teaching method in Britain. From June 1978, formal assessments of all Iyengar-trained teachers in Britain were made nationally by a professional organisation of Iyengar teachers, the newly founded B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Teachers’ Association. At the end of a training period students would be
assessed by a panel of previously qualified yoga teachers whom they did not know personally. The certificates issued in various grades (initially there were three distinguished by the titles Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced) that further standarised principles of teaching and assessment and the model. Due to the distant personal contact between Iyengar and his students in the UK, a system of assessing standards of teaching yoga āsanas developed that was not personality -dependent. This development was crucial to the popularisation of yoga in the Iyengar tradition and has influenced the shape of other traditions of yoga teaching globally. This system, which originated in Britain, soon facilitated the spread of Iyengar Yoga Teacher Training programmes across the world. For example, the BKS Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States began assessing teachertraining candidates in 1985, using the English syllabus. There are currently close to 1000 qualified Iyengar Yoga teachers in the UK, and over 600 in the United States, with several more hundreds across the world. A fusion of traditional and modern, Indian and British teaching models has resulted in the worldwide distribution of Light on Yoga and has internationalised Iyengar Yoga teacher-training. There have been popularisers of yoga, but few have made such a profound and personal mark on humankind. Iyengar’s innovations have ensured a focus on excellence in the technique of āsana not found in other forms of yoga certification.
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Ramamani Iyengar Yoga Institute OPENING CEREMONY - 1975 Sasha Perryman
The opening ceremony of the RIMYI Pune in January 1975 launched the first of many 3 week intensive courses led by BKS Iyengar. At 19 yrs I was the youngest in the group and felt very privileged to attend. Prior to that I had experienced Guruji’s teaching in London as part of the Teachers Training Course run by Silva Mehta. Under Silva’s auspice – some of us went out to attend this ceremony and intensive. Jeanne Maslen also brought a group from England and other people came from around the world. This first trip to India was an extraordinary and life changing experience for me – and it began as it continued… dramatically. On the bus journey up to Pune 8
from Bombay airport most people were (fortunately) dozing. I was far too fascinated to sleep and watched in horror and amazement as the bus driver drove head on towards other oncoming buses. It seemed there was some kind of contest going on – who would ‘chicken out’ first. There must have been a duel in this case as we crashed head on. Glass shattered onto those at the front (who lucky for them, had their eyes shut). Apart from superficial cuts and bruises it was the driver who suffered the most. We all got off the bus, the driver clutching a bloody cloth to his head, and sat waiting by the road while another bus was summoned from somewhere.
Reaching Pune we headed to our accommodation – an old fortress owned by an ex British colonial – a series of rooms in a compound. Everyone rushed to claim their room, whilst Silva (who always had a restraining influence on me) and I and a fellow Quaker ‘friend’ from my home town held back. The only room left was the end room which had no furniture so we had to bed down on the floor. By the morning we understood that the large holes in the floor boards provided the start of the rat run that ran through all the adjoining rooms. All night we’d felt little footsteps running over us. Lots of people left the next day and found hotel rooms. The rats had got the better of them…me and Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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Anne Clarke were able to move into rooms with beds. Silva however stayed where she was – I’m not sure, but at the time I thought she was making a point amongst all the fuss that a few rats were no big deal The Intensive began the next morning at 8am. I’m not sure what the timetable was – but often the morning class went on until 1pm – 5 hours at a stretch! In those days BKS Iyengar was known as a tiger. Perhaps this phrase was coined by the fact that when confronted with his teaching you did your utmost to keep out of his path by ardently following his instructions. This I learnt from day ine when his face suddenly appeared above mine, whilst in triko āsana , with quivering eyebrows he glowered at me: ‘You are the one who never listens’. That was enough warning for me. Wherever he was in the class from that day on – my ears were finely tuned to his direction. The amazing thing (for me) was how you loose your sense of being split into separate components under his direction – as all dualities join together in giving your maximum effort and attention. As the Yoga Sūtras explain, the practise of the āsanas is to uncover your inner self and reveal your true nature. All the fire and energy he directs at us is (in my opinion) for this purpose alone. The group consisted of a wide cross section of abilities and experience. Victor Van Kuten was there and so was Anne Clarke (a fellow Quaker from my home town – Anne had learning difficulties and very little experience of yoga). I remember a woman from the British Wheel of Yoga who seemed to be having some kind of breakdown – sobbing and crying at every Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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opportunity. There may well have been others I dont recall but apart from Jeanne Maslen and Silvia Prescott there is no longer anyone else still alive or present in the national Iyengar scene (IYA(UK). The classes were unbelievably demanding, I remember crying and laughing even when on the point of exhaustion…and again the quivering eyebrows and glowering look appearing…giving me an instant ‘second wind’. Other memories are of Silva’s face shining, her hair askew from her bun, so happy in the presence of her Guru. All of us in paschimottānāsana and Guruji jumping from back to back. Being picked up from vīparita da āsana and repositioned elsewhere (how??) Tough as Guruji’s teaching was – he could also be very tender and inspire confidence in those who had little – the Quaker friend was picked out as an example ‘This girl knows more than all you people’. Anne was very natural and brave – she had no guise or pretence about her. I found myself drawn to Gitla Turner – the ‘rebel’ of the group. She would light up her cigarettes as she left the Institute commenting: ‘Yes yoga is good – I like yoga but I also like swimming and tennis – that’s also good for you’. She said this out loud to Sir!!! There was a silence…..how will he respond?
Sasha Perryman mother and shared their grief with us. It was all very moving. The whole trip was a life changing experience for me – the path my life would follow began to be carved from then on. India has such an enormous effect – your feelings are stirred up and your passions kindled. You love it and/or hate it but you’re never indifferent. I think this can be said of our Guru – once you’ve encountered him – whatever your reaction – he has a life changing impact .
Guruji roared with laughter and slapped her on the back (Did he like a strong character? Was he irritated by all the adulation? I wondered….) From my young eyes it was all intriguing. The ceremony took place and priests performed the puja – chanting and incense. Many different people got up and spoke about the wonders of Guruji and also about his beloved wife who had not managed to live to see the RIMYI completed. Geeta and Prashant also spoke about their 9
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Tributes to Guruji Edited by Sharon Klaff and Diane Maimaris As part of our tribute to Guruji on his 90th birthday we asked some of his long-standing students to respond to a questionnaire about the impact he has had on their lives. We asked them to tell us about their first encounter with him and what drew them to him, how they thought his teaching and practice had developed over the years, and how they assessed his legacy to the world. Much has been written about Guruji and his achievements are well documented. In this feature, we offer these personal tributes from some of his students who in turn, as teachers have the honour of continuing to bring Iyengar Yoga to the next generation.
Rajvi Mehta In the early 1970s, my father started attending the Sunday morning class that Guruji conducted in Mumbai and felt this was something all his children should do. So he first enrolled my elder sister Neeta and my brother Birjoo to join the Sunday class. I was very young then and would sometimes accompany them to watch the class. That was the first time that I saw Guruji. I used to be so scared that I would just stand for two hours in one place during the class. Eventually, I too joined this class and later my youngest sister. I attended the Sunday class because I was asked to, but I didn’t have a clue about what yoga was and who Guruji was. I don’t think any of us had any special interest in yoga. It was something that we had to do and we did attend the classes regularly. Today all of us teach. I just tried to do the āsanas which were just poses for me then) and used all my will power to stay as long as he asked us to. I was possibly too scared to come out of the pose! Earlier, there were not many props, at least in Mumbai. We just had blankets and Guruji would make each student do the poses independently while he used his 10
own body as a prop. Apart from that, he used to give a lot of subtle explanations, which I never understood in my early days as a student. You asked whether there have been changes in his teachings methods and his practice. I don’t know whether it is his teaching that has changed or our understanding of his teachings. I think he teaches according to the level of understanding of his students. I can’t comment on his personal practice when I first became his student, although of course, the intensity of his practice was reflected when he demonstrated the āsanas during classes. However, once I started going to Pune more often, I would see him practice in the hall. I think that with time, he has gone deeper into his practice. He often seems in a state of dhyāna in many of the āsanas . It is unbelievable when we sometimes see him in āsanas like kapotāsana for 15-20 minutes! And, sometimes, with such humility he says, I learnt something in triko āsana today. Guruji has assisted so many people in so many ways. In one of the medical classes, he asked me to make this person with an amputated leg do ardha chandrāsana . I made him do it on the ‘good’ leg and then just stood there. I was
stunned at how Guruji made this person do ardha chandrāsana (on the wooden leg). It is amazing how fast and quick he is in his observations and corrections. He sees things in our bodies much before we can. I think Guruji was already over sixty when I first came in contact with him. He is a tremendous personality, awe-inspiring and very powerful. I cannot imagine my life without yoga and for me, yoga is synonymous with Guruji. I think its practice inspires tolerance, patience, clarity of thought, self confidence and courage. It is so much a part of our family. Today, we have three generations often attending the same class. I used to attend Guruji’s Sunday morning classes in Mumbai at the behest of my father. I do not think Guruji even noticed me in the class for the first seven years. Then one day, my friend and I decided to go to Pune to attend regular classes at the Institute for a week. On the second day, we were in vīparita da āsana on the chair. Suddenly Guruji came towards us, scolded us and pushed our chins down towards the floor. We were so thrilled that Guruji scolded us because we were so happy at being noticed at last. I think I became a Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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on his 90th Birthday
Guruji and Rajvi Mehta
little more serious with my practice after that.I started reading more about yoga and my interest in the subject gradually grew. My personal interaction with Guruji increased after the starting of Yoga Rahasya. I realised that there are many people who excel in their respective fields. But, the better I get to know Guruji, I realise that he is more than an ordinary mortal. His simplicity and humility is so humbling. He practices what he advises. He is so encouraging when he sees that you are willing to work. His enthusiasm and energy are that of youth, but at the same time he can be unruffled and detached. The efficiency and speed with which he works is unbelievable. He is not casual about anything and never leaves anything for later and is so particular about the smallest of things. Just being in his presence is so inspiring and motivating that often, I just like to go to Pune to get refreshed and recharged even if it means going there only for a few hours. Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
Legacy He has revived this ancient science of yoga and brought respect to our country and this subject all over the world. If it was not for his passion and determination for yoga, yoga possibly would not be where it is today. Secondly, his teachings have broken all the barriers: be it geographical, political, economic, social, religious, linguistic or cultural. And, all this without any preaching! He has united the world, which is no small achievement in this tormented, divided world.
Jawahar Bangera I first met Guruji in 1969 after leaving boarding school. The rest of my family (my parents and three younger brothers) were already attending Guruji’s classes in Mumbai. In those days Guruji visited Mumbai to conduct weekend classes come rain or shine. But my initiation into Iyengar Yoga did not come directly from Guruji, who was then teaching in
Europe, but from his senior students Sam, Freny, Burzo and Dhun. Boarding school had its routine of PT in the early morning and sports in the evening, compulsory for all students irrespective of capability or talent. After five years of this, I was looking forward to lazy Sundays, and now I was being dragged to Sunday morning yoga classes. That was unpalatable but, along with other youngsters who had parents in the class, I joined in. My parents had the hard-back copy of Light on Yoga and I was fascinated by the photographs of Guruji. Some of the balancing poses looked similar to gymnastics at school. The pictures got my attention and the teachers in the Iyengar Yoga class used to make us youngsters practice them as well as the back bending poses. When Guruji returned, I was pleasantly surprised to meet the man in the pictures in Light on Yoga and I was officially allowed to join his class. When I found out there was a Saturday afternoon class as well, I asked Guruji to let me attend that class instead of Sunday morning an unabashed act of laziness! Guruji has always been a taskmaster. But boarding school already initiated me into the rigours of discipline. I was not the rebellious type, so following a regime was second nature to me. Here is someone who not only knows what was good for you, but also how to extract it. He is all authority in class and absolutely unassuming outside class. Though he gives the impression in class of being a ‘no nonsense’ person, he is as simple and elegant outside class. He is firm and unshakeable. There is an inexplicable majesty about Guruji. It is very hard to put into 11
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Jawahar Bangera
words the respect you feel for such a person. How do you describe the methods of a genius? He just comes down to your level. He descends to accommodate us dull students without being condescending. Only a true yogi can show this compassion. He goes to any length to make his teachings simple to those who do not comprehend. He can also be scholarly. It is his humility that comes out when he is teaching. He has every right to be arrogant; but he is not. Where we are unable to do, he shows us our potential by personally coming to each one of us in class. Where we are able to do but show no intelligence, he explains how we are able to do what comes easily. Where touch is necessary, he gives it. Where it was not, he gestures! Often his words are enough to get the effect when it doesn’t work, I remember one of his famous quotations from Sparks of Divinity; ‘Stay away from the wall. I may have to kick you!’ Impact Where does one begin? I do not think there is a single person in this world who has been his student and has not felt the impact of Guruji’s teachings. The impact has not ended. It is still in the process of producing results. It will 12
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take several lifetimes to realize the impact that Guruji has had in one’s life. Here is a person who has practiced what he preached. Here is a person who is all genuineness and who speaks only from the heart. Here is a person who has foresight and who intuitively knows the shape of things to come. He is a hard working genius, who is down to earth and approachable to his students. He keeps no secret of his art and gives freely, expecting nothing in return. All he expects of you is your dedication to the subject and practice. He wants all of us to benefit as he did. You cannot fathom his selflessness. His practice speaks for itself. If you ask him, he will reply that Light on Yoga was the base. The maturity has come with practice and renunciation. The shape, form, grace and adamantine hardness that Sage
I had no idea of his existence, you can imagine how startled I was when I heard a bloodcurdling scream! Patanjali describes in the Yoga Sūtras is clearly visible. The result of non-duality, again from the Yoga Sūtras , is present. He lives and breathes the subject. He is in the world and not affected by it. Again I can only think of the word
“majestic”. He is the emperor of the world in the subject of yoga! There have been many and still will be many who have been and will be helped by Guruji. In the early 1970s when I still had no inkling of what the practice of yoga would lead to, there was (still is) Parvaz! He is suffering from ankylosing spondilitis. I had never seen a man suffering of this disease before. When he came to meet Guruji one Saturday afternoon, I said to myself (ignorantly) ‘What a funny looking man!’ When he left class, out of curiosity I went to the class window and looked out for him to see one more time the ‘strange’ gait. The next week, unknown to me, he was in class, at the back. As I had no idea of his existence, you can imagine how startled I was when I heard a blood-curdling scream! It is difficult to forget that because one will only realize the suffering such a person goes through when they scream! It was heart-rending. There he was, Guruji, with Sam, moving the seemingly immovable. Even a fraction of a millimetre brought out such sounds of agony that the entire class just froze and looked in the direction of Guruji and Sam straining to bring some visible movement in Parvaz, movement that we tended to take for granted. In London, October 1984, at IYI (MV) I saw a woman (Odette, I think) walk into the hall on crutches and walk out after an hour or so without them. There is no personal story and then again there is nothing that can be non-personal when you are in contact with a great yogi like Guruji. He is there for you as a father-figure without you knowing it. He always has words of wisdom for all who come to him irrespective of status, gender or class. One can feel the awe of his presence. It is imposing without being overbearing. Even if he is overbearing, you know it is for your good; it is Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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for your benefit; then it cannot go wrong for you. In the Indian tradition, we have a saying that our parents give us life, but our Guru shows us how to live. Our Guruji is a living example of a holy man. Hence the Guru Vandana, “Guru is verily, Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh! Guru is verily Supreme! To such a Guru I surrender.” Legacy Guruji’s legacy is that he will have by his teaching transformed mankind to “humankind”. The process has already started. It will fructify in this life and lifetimes to come.
Jaki Nett Guruji has given me a lot of personal attention when I asked for his help and also when he saw that my body and mind needed it. Sometimes I did not and still do not understand his actions, but given time and space, I have come realise that his actions were correct. Just studying, practising and teaching the tenets set down by Guruji has made a positive impact on my life. I did not meet Guruji until 1987 when I was part of a three-week intensive in Pune from the US. What brought me to him was that I was a new student and it was understood that to see and study with Mr Iyengar was part of the learning process. My first impression of him was that he was a mean old man! I was disappointed because I had a mental picture that was fixed in my mind as to what a Guruji would be like. He did not fit that picture. I was so upset by what I saw in his behaviour I actually had to do a lot of soul searching to see if I wanted to stay with this system. The conclusion I came to was that the Iyengar system was the best Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
Jaki Nett photo by Brock Palmer
yoga system I had studied. To leave this because I did not understand the actions of Mr. Iyengar was like the old adage, throwing the baby out with the bath water. I am glad I stayed. I am totally impressed with how this very poor Indian boy had the tenacity to persevere, I am sure it seemed at times through insurmountable odds, to bring the practice of yoga to the general population in his country. With the social, economic and political climate of his youth and early adulthood, it had to be a special man with an unwavering will to soar to such heights as he has achieved.
I remember one day I just happened to walk into the library in Pune when the German magazine Der Spiegel was interviewing Guruji. I do not know the question that was asked, but he was talking about his evolution in perfecting the āsana . He was talking about the importance of training the eye to see the pose and improve on what you see. He said that when he first started teaching yoga, to attract students he would give yoga demonstrations. He said that those demonstrations were showmanship. ”I had to get the attention of the people”, he said. But even though it was showmanship, he always wanted to improve on the execution of his postures and he looked at and studied photos of himself. To make his point understood, he laid-out and showed us three books. The first book had pictures of his Guruji Krishnamacharya, the second book had pictures of him as a young man and the third was Light on Yoga. He remarked that when he practiced he strived to bring his poses as close to perfect alignment as possible. He pointed at a picture of Krishnamacharya doing utthita pārśvako āsana . Then he showed us the picture of him in his early years doing utthita pārśvako āsana and then the same pose in Light on Yoga. The three pictures showed a marked progression in the alignment and refinement of the pose. Then he flipped through Light on Yoga and pointed out pārśva śīr āsana . He said that when this was taken it was an improvement on his earlier pose and good for its time. He asked for The Art of Yoga to be opened to pārśva śīr āsana . Then he put the two pictures together. The picture in “The Art of Yoga” showed hugely more intelligence in the pose. It was obvious to me that he had matured in his awareness of his postures just as he had matured in age. In this beautifully aligned posture his hair was longer and streaked with grey. 13
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Lorna Walker I started yoga in September 1970. I had a marvellous teacher, Penny Nield Smith who was inspirational and, as Guruji recently said, had been very influential in his success in London. I had been studying dance and wanted to improve my alignment and flexibility. Penny was very keen to spread yoga. She said “You can’t change other people, you can only change yourself. If you change yourself you change the world”. She encouraged me to join the teacher training class in the PE College in Paddington Street, London which I did in 1972, two years after I started classes. My first impression of Guruji was not encouraging. We were allowed six classes in all. We could be students in three classes and watch three. At my first class as an observer, Guruji had an elderly lady lying back off a P.E. bench. She lay there just in front of me with tears streaming down her face. I thought it was awful that she was left in such pain. The following evening, I arrived feeling rather nervous for my first class as a participant. At the door of the changing room I met the lady ‘of the tears’. She was beaming. She said that she was in less pain than she’d known for years. She looked radiant. I saw Guruji as a teacher and was impressed with his teaching. I knew very little about yoga, but he made it interesting and showed me how to improve. My first trip to Pune was 1989. That was when Prashant was injured and Guruji taught the intensive course as Geeta had to teach her own as well as Prashant’s classes. I had no idea that one could work so hard. I never quite managed to reach that level of intensity again. Once, Guruji and his helpers were putting the class in padmāsana in śīr āsana . I was always very nervous in head balance, so Guruji came to me very 14
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early and left me in a perfect head balance in padmāsana . I had never felt so comfortable or balanced. For the side I got one of the helpers to help me into padmāsana . The helpers were experienced students, but I immediately fell out of the pose!
fracture and he hastened to get a wooden block to support it. He didn’t even wait for someone to bring a block, but got one himself. He showed me how to practice and I now can straighten my arm.
Guruji with Lorna Walker
Impact I couldn’t say that Guruji had a huge impact on my life until I was injured in a fall in 1999. I fractured my elbow badly. The doctors could not straighten it and were going to leave me with a permanently bent elbow. I was distraught as I thought it would be very difficult to teach with a permanently bent elbow. I would also not be able to perform many yoga poses. I wrote to Guruji who replied with advice and said he would help me when I arrived in Pune in August as planned. I had to persuade my consultant to remove the pins in my elbow before I went to Pune as they had only been in for six months and he wanted to leave them for nine to twelve months. He said I was at risk of a further fracture. I discovered that that was no idle threat. When I got to Pune, Guruji was showing me how to work in dog pose. He said “Don’t move” as my elbow could Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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Judith Jones The first time I was in a class taught by Guruji was in Cheltenham Town Hall in, I think, 1986. I had been practicing yoga for a couple of years and loved studying the images of the great yoga master in Light on Yoga, so of course had to take the opportunity to see the man himself. What struck me then, and still does, is that although Guruji is not a tall man he has such a huge presence and from the platform his penetrating eyes seemed to reach into me even near the back of hall. On that occasion a lot of his teaching washed over me - a combination of inexperience and not having my ear tuned in to his pronunciation. I just managed to keep up with everyone else who all seemed to know exactly what posture we were being told to do and to be able to see and feel the things we were asked to. But I knew I was in the presence of a master – testing, demanding, jovial, reprimanding, caring, tireless, frightening, inspiring, humbling. I hoped I was well hidden behind the person in front! A few years later I attended classes when Guruji taught in Aberystwyth, London, and Paris and have of course been to the RIMYI several times. Guruji is like a magnet. He attracts you to yoga and once charged you cannot pull away. Although I had been to Pune where one can see Guruji practicing, or sitting outside his house in the evenings, or at his desk in the Library, and one might greet him with Namaste, I had never spoken to him until 2002 when I became Chairperson of the newly formed IYA (UK). It had been agreed that any new Chair of the IYA (UK) should go to Pune to introduce themselves to Guruji, who is the President of our Association. So Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
Iyengar Yoga Institute Maida Vale will be running a series of events Sunday 14 December, including a class for members taught by Silvia Prescott to celebrate Guruji’s 90th birthday. Maida Vale will also be offering free classes and demonstrations in the week leading up to Guruji’s birthday. For details nearer the time, please check the website: www.iyi.org.uk with some trepidation I got on a
Munich For one week around Guruji´s 90th birthday students and teachers will meet to practice together. Everybody is welcome to join. As space is limited, we appreciate a call in advance. Contact: YogaZentrum Schwabing Simmernstr.1, 80804 München Luise.Woerle@t-online.de Tel: +49(0)89-3617635 or +49(0)1577-198 83 11 plane to India. It was the occasion Kent IYI will celebrate Guruji’s birthday by promoting the uninterrupted practice of a pose from Nov 14 to Dec 14 and we are looking into producing a car sticker of that pose.
Eileen Cameron will be holding a class in honour of Guruji’s birthday on the 14th of December, 10.30am- 1pm. For details contact: Eileen on: Tel: 01 2841799
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of Guruji’s 85th Birthday, therefore a festive time and I was able to stay in Pune for ten days. My meeting with Guruji lasted all of three minutes, but my nervousness and apprehension immediately faded and I found him very easy to be with. Being Chair of the IYA (UK) made it necessary for me to write regular reports to Guruji, especially during the first few months when I had several questions to ask and sought guidance from him. He was always patient and took time to respond. There were some tricky things to deal with during my three years, but Guruji was always helpful and I always found him approachable. It was an honour to hold the position of Chair and I feel very blessed that it brought me into contact with Guruji. I have developed the deepest love and respect for him. Impact Guruji has had an enormous impact on my life in that through yoga he changed its direction, or rather gave it a direction and enabled me to find a way.
Richard Ward I was 20 years old when I first saw Guruji. A group of students were given the opportunity by Kofi Busia, my teacher, to attend one of his classes at Cecil Sharp House near Primrose Hill in North London in 16
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the summer of 1976. We were learning “yoga as taught by B.K.S. Iyengar”– it was not yet known as “Iyengar Yoga” so we wanted to see him in person. He entered the room unobtrusively and unannounced as we were gathered together before the class and I just happened to be looking in that direction at the time and noticed him. I surmised that that person must be B.K.S. Iyengar. I noticed he was dressed colourfully in a Hawaiian shirt with a bold pattern of palm trees – not what I had expected from my reading of Light on Yoga and his status as a great yoga teacher! I suspect that he had arrived in England fresh from a trip to the United States. Remarkably, as soon as he removed the shirt I had a very direct and strong intuition that he was completely genuine and that he could be trusted completely. As a teacher, Guruji had a reputation as a strict disciplinarian. One of my friends who had seen his teaching in the morning class was alarmed and terrified. Once I saw Guruji though, I was reassured and had no fear myself. It was clear that he was burning with a love and devotion to yoga, so I tried to go along with his teaching as best I could. Impact Guruji has tremendous authority and I think his approach is how best to guide the people who have presented themselves in front of him. He seems always to teach according to his direct perception. What I do know is that his teaching, which is always based on truth, is always a revelation. As he says, yoga is an eye opener. I firmly believe in his genius. I continually reflect on him and I continue to be astounded by what he has done and what he has become. Guruji’s life is still reverberating through my own. He is definitely the single most important influence of my adult life and he has revealed so
much of the potential a human being has for evolution. Guruji manages now to penetrate and interpenetrate the poses to an even greater depth than he did in the past - this despite the challenges of old age - though I would not really claim to be able to evaluate his practice as his level is far beyond mine. Legacy I think that Guruji is delighted with the recognition that yoga is now getting and which he has worked so hard for all his life. What is truly remarkable about him is what he was to start with and what he became through his own efforts and by the grace of God. Wherever yoga is properly appreciated and followed then it is enormously to his credit. People such as he are only born every few centuries, if that. His legacy to mankind is truly vast, without limit. To a large extent we, his pupils, are his legacy.
Leo Mineur I met Guruji for the first time in 1982 in London his teacher training course with my wife agnes. My first impression was of a very dedicated teacher who impressed me with his fire and enthusiasm. When somebody did an āsana wrong, he could say that in a very clear and loud way. He gave everyone who he assisted the same intensive directions to improve the āsana , sometimes more loudly when he thought the person did not listen or understand him. I remember these kind of situations, but not the persons and āsanas . In the beginning he was harder and tougher when teaching than nowadays. He is now more mature and practises in that way, but still intensive, always trying to get more information about the poses. At this age the fire of the past is replaced Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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people from the earlier days like Faeq Biria and other friends were studying there. Everybody was serious and silent. When we came in Guruji looked up and with a broad smile he said loudly: ”look he has not changed at all”. It was nice to see him again and talk later in the court on the chair in front of his house about yoga, people and how they (re)act.
Guruji with Leo & Agnes Mineur
by the wisdom of elderly people. As a person he was fast laughing and full of humour. We were staying at Angela Marris’s place which he visited many times. We went with him to other well known yoga teachers in London for dinner and chatting. There he was like a family man. The same when we were sailing on a boat in the Netherlands when he was kind with our little kids. On the other hand, he is 1000% dedicated to yoga His way of yoga teaching was a solution for my serious back problems after several hernia-operations - never a new operation after doing his yoga. As a consequence I could work and practise my yoga without big problems, however I can’t do all the āsanas nor can I do them as well as Agnes. He was always taking me as an example as I am 6 feet 9inches tal. When I bowed down to him, he clapped very hard on my breast and shouted: “stand straight up!” Of course I could not see him then in that upright position looking at the horizon and then we laughed much to each other. Last year we met him in Pune in the library where he was writing a new book of memories and other Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
Legacy Yoga is a gift to mankind, specifically the way Guruji teaches.
Agnes MineurHillen My first meeting with Guruji was in July 1970 in the teacher-training class in London. Dona Holleman, who was my first teacher since I was12 years old in my hometown Breda Holland, asked me to come with her to London. I was overwhelmed by his teaching. Full of love, never showing any tiredness, so fast, selflessness, but roaring like a lion. Guruji is a very true and honest person. He is always working very hard, climbing up to the top, but through that he felt very lonely, because nobody was reaching that far. He is a fighter and very hard on himself and therefore very hard on his students. In my prayers as a yoga student, in my practise as a mother, as a wife, for my pupils and in my family life Guruji is always there. Because of my busy life I practise in the kitchen, garden and everywhere e.g. leg stretchings, correcting my postures, how to stand and walk. So, I do yoga all the day, this is what Guruji gave me: be aware of your being. Guruji grows every day. He moves fast. His method and his technique change all the time. For instance:
triko āsana . First the feet were 3 feet apart, now much, much more. He corrects himself in his practise, so you can see improvements. His practise is so intense, so deep, so inner developed by the grace of God, that we, normal students, cannot follow his enormous personal practise. The wisdom he gave in the classes from the Yoga Sūtras of Patanjali together with his wise words just throwing them to everybody’s ears is like to be in heaven.
The fire in Guruji has never changed. Young or old he teaches so powerfully with so much intelligence. He teaches from the depths of his soul. Guruji told me many years ago: “in my dreams, in my meditation, through my prā āyāma and blessed by the Lord, I could grow every day to develop yoga. This is for mankind; they can take it all just like that. I have gone through all the difficulties for all the students. So they don’t have to find it out themselves.” I have seen a lot of students, who had many different problems who were repaired by Guruji. For instance: my problem was my period. By doing head and shoulder balance every day with all the variations the problem was solved. In the book Iyengar the yogamaster, edited by Kofi Busia, page 11, I wrote a story about “YOUR PUPIL IS YOUR GOD”. This meant your pupil is the most importing person you have to look after. Guruji meant for me in the yoga class: my respected teacher. But in free time in the early days after the classes, he could talk and talk, telling many stories. He was like a father to me.
Legacy Guruji has showed us all the way to light and relaxation, the way to God, the way to oneness, which means yoga. So yoga is Guruji and Guruji is yoga. 17
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Yoga and Children Angela Hulm My dream for children is good health. Health is the wealth of the nation. The country will not prosper if the health of the children is not attended to... My vision is that children should be made to grow up to be healthy and have a mentally balanced character... If that happens... we will not only be materially prosperous but also spiritually strong. My vision is that all children of our country whether they live in the affluent area or in the villages should get to learn yoga. By practicing yoga at least for forty-five minutes to one hour, their inner system is given a clean bath through circulation. As we use soap to clean the external skin, the energy which is accumulated by the practice of asana, cleanses, washes the inner body and throws away the toxins. ...that is my vision. BKS Iyengar Yoga Rahsya Vol. 6 No: 4 1999
“I’ve got ugly feet. I’m not taking my tights off, my legs are hairy.” These were the worries of teenagers coming to yoga for the first time. I’m a secondary school teacher teaching yoga after school but at school to 14-18 year old girls. They mostly come because they want to relax, but get anxious that they’ll laugh when we sit still and sing the Oms at the start of class. The girls are stiff compared to my private children’s class aged 912yrs. I rarely use any props beyond walls and partners in my children’s class. Teenage girls are quite different. They have mostly finished growing and have better balance than younger children, but need bricks for example in prasārita pādotānāsana as they’ve got longer legs than adults but their legs and backs haven’t yet developed the strength to extend forward fully. Ever image conscious it was a few weeks before all would wear suitably covered tops, and short enough trousers – long baggy tracksuit pants and spaghetti strap vests have been replaced by cycling 18
shorts and aertex tops by most, which has helped them to stretch further without slipping or losing coverage. Partner work is loved by my children’s class. The teenagers prefer to stay on their own mat, but are keen to look at how every-
have been candid asking, “Where is my pubis? Is it here under my arm?” Periods are becoming okay to talk about now, but for the first few weeks I only introduced poses that can be practiced during menses. They are achieving their goal of
body else is doing. Being ‘picked on’ as an example of a correct action at first led to discomfort, but as the class has tuned in to what yoga’s about, they’ve enjoyed seeing that we are all different and can learn from looking at bodies.
relaxing, feedback invariably asks for a longer relaxation. “Yoga’s cool Miss. It was soooo relaxing. More of us are coming next week.” Attendance has been very erratic, reflecting the changing school calendar, so few attended those key exam weeks as the gym was being used and every week had a different timetable. Working with teenagers is exciting – they wear
Oh no! I used an embarrassing word. Predictably mentioning buttocks gets a giggle, but the girls
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Bath Iyengar Yoga Centre
their heart on their sleeve, letting you know if they feel uncomfortable. I’m so glad I started yoga aged 19, I am proud to be part of the move to include yoga as part of the curriculum not just after school, and since becoming a teacher 6 years ago have regularly included some yoga in both my Health & Typing classes and been a visitor to other’s classes to give a practical session on stress relief and relaxation. My after school class has been made possible by development of the Sports Department to have more space available after school, and I’ve even been paid enough through a ‘Key stage 4’ Sport For All policy to buy equipment for classes of 24. The government is keen to promote yoga in schools and your local school maybe looking for a teacher, so do make sure that your local school knows about Iyengar yoga and how to find a teacher.
Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
Kirsten & Richard celebrate Guruji’s birthday on Sunday 30th November 2008 from 10.00am-10.00pm 10.00am-1.00pm Chantings & 90 āsanas led by Richard & Kirsten 1.15 - 2.30pm Bring & share celebratory vegetarian lunch 2.30pm - 4.00pm Film of Guruji & Yoga demonstrations Contact: Kirsten or Richard Agar Ward Tel: 01225 319699 email: office@bath-iyengar-yoga.com All proceeds to the Bellur Trust All day: £25.00 or raise sponsorship Lunch, film & demonstrations only: £5.00
IIYS Celebrates in Sussex Sunday 7th December 10.00am – 3.00pm at Brighton Natural Health Centre Brighton BN1 1UL The day will be a celebration of Guruji’s life featuring exhibitions, videos, men’s arm balancing and remedial demonstrations, a short class and birthday cake. Free entry open to all, but a donation to the Bellur Fund would be appreciated Contact: Brian Ingram Tel: 01444 236714, email: brianiyoga@tesco.net
ESIYI celebrates in Edinburgh on Sunday 7 December2008 2.00-5.00pm Lesley Johnston, Annamaria Sacco and Clare Stephen will celebrate Guruji’s birthday with asana practice followed byrefreshments Fairmilehead Parish Church Hall 1A Frigston Road West Edinburgh EH10 7A Contact: Marianne Farish mazvingo@hotmail.com Mona Hislop mona.hislop@btopenworld.com web site www.eastscotlandyoga.org
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Light for Bellur Judith Jones With information resourced from the booklet “Light on Bellur” 2006 & Yoga Rahasya
On 14th December 1918 in a small village in southern India BKS Iyengar was born. The son of the headmaster of a local school, a weak sickly child, this boy grew from humble beginnings to become the world famous Yogacharya, known as Guruji to his pupils, a legend in his own lifetime. It is an amazing story, an unlikely story, and possible only because of BKS Iyengar’s strength of character, his fortitude, perseverance, dedication, insight.. Bellur is situated only 40 kilometres from Bangalore, the “silicon valley” of India, but in 2003 nothing much had changed in the village for decades, the people poor, underprivileged and their life extremely hard in this remote area of flat, dusty, boulderous countryside. The main employment for the villagers was breaking stones – hard labour for minimal wages. The poverty was evident from the way the villagers dressed and lived. With dismal prospects and no means of betterment, alcohol abuse had become a problem. Houses were ramshackle, streets uncared for, and there was a state of general neglect and dereliction in the village. The only amenity was the Primary School which had been built in 1967 by Guruji in memory of his parents. Children could only attend there until 7th grade when most would give up 20
because of the expense, difficulty, and even danger of daily travel to a school further afield to continue their basic eduaction, especially for the girls.
A fund-raising appeal was launched at Guruji’s 85th birthday celebrations, inviting Iyengar yoga associations and supporters world wide to become involved. Guruji’s plan for Bellur and his desire for the young people of India to practice yoga as part of their general education had taken off. Now after much persistence and patience with beaurocracy the BKSSNT, or the “Trust” as it is
Not that Bellur had always been so impoverished. Ruins of ancient temples with decorative carvings in the stone suggest that the village had once known better times. From his home Guruji could look out onto a Hanuman Bellur Hospital 2006 temple with a large, beautifully carved relief sculpture of the god over 1000 years old, now cleaned and rehoused in the new temple complex. But over the centuries the village suffered called, has been accepted by the archaeological, cultural, ecomomic Indian Government as an official and social ruin. This was the situacharity. tion in Bellur in 2003. Despite his own success and fame In 2004 the Krishnamachar & Guruji remains humble. He lives in Seshamma Smaraka Niddhi Trust a modest house adjacent to the was established by Guruji and his Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga family, with the aim of improving Institute building in Pune. His life is the quality of life of the villagers of simple. He is steeped in yoga and Bellur and other rural areas, mainly lives by its principles of yama and through providing health care, niyama. Fame has brought him education, vocational training, basic some fortune but he is generous amenities and general “upliftment”. and benevolent. He and other
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members of the Iyengar family have added to the donations received from individual donors and associations by giving enormous amounts of their own income to push forward the plans so that an amazing amount has been achieved in 4 years. Guruji is inspirational and his energy infectious and he has energised people to pull out all the stops for Bellur. In 2004, after much negotiation, 16 acres of land were bought just outside the village, a bare and uninspiring plot – but Guruji had a vision ! Rock is a resource which Bellur has plenty of and it was about to be put to good use. Building work began at an astonishing pace providing employment in construction work for the villagers and by 2005 The High School opened its doors to the first group of students who were enthusiastic to continue their basic education. Guruji wanted to give Bellur’s children every opportunity possible to lift themselves out of the poverty trap. As India races along with technological change its poorest communities are in danger of falling even further behind. The situation is similar to the Industrial
Guruji in Bellur Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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Revolution in this country, but in India it is a Technological Revolution. Education is a the only way for the young people of India to have a chance in the world in which we live. The High School is a life line not only for the children of Bellur but the surrounding area also. Students receive free uniforms, books and other educational necessities, and a free mid-day meal – without food they cannot learn. This is also a great incentive for families to allow their children continue at school. This year the first batch of 170 children will sit the Secondary School Certificate exams. This is a test not only for the children but also the Trust and the teachers, to see how well the school is preparing the students for further education and jobs which would have previously only been a dream. Jobs are difficult to get in the area and previously those who did manage to get an education would move to find employment further afield. The intention is that as the young people acquire skills they will generate their own employment, earning a living by providing services and education so the whole community can benefit. The future of Bellur is in the hands of its children and continuing support is needed. Apart from education, good health is vital. In 2004 due to successive droughts the water supply was inadequate, so the Trust searched for ground water
and when located erected a huge storage tank to supply clean drinking water, a very basic but essential provision, not only to the entire village but to the neighbouring villages also. To keep the children and adults healthy regular yoga classes are held in the new yoga hall at the Primary School and at the High School. Yoga has become part of the children’s daily life and they appear to thoroughly enjoy it! How lucky they are to have this legacy from Guruji. Some students with ability will be given training in Bangalore or Pune so they can teach yoga themselves. However to cater for more specific health issues the provision of medical care was necessary. Seriously sick people had to be taken by their relatives to the nearest hospital many kilometers away on foot. Less serious but still uncomfortable or painful conditions were often endured. So a Hospital was built, also using local labour, and inaugurated in 2005. It has modern facilities and has been impressively equipped. Villagers no longer have to ignore or suffer their health problems and all treatment is free. There have also been medical camps set up to provide specialised check-ups and after care. One was in collaboration with an eye clinic in Chennai to test villagers for eyesight disorders. Those who needed prescription specs were sent home with a pair made on the spot. Some people with cataracts were sent for treatment at an eye hospital. The most recent camp in March 2008 was more varied. Seventy medics and para-medics from Kolar Hospital took over the classrooms at the High School providing diagnosis and treatment in entomological, paediatric, gynaecological, dental, orthopedic, and 21
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pathological conditions. The older children escorted their grandparents around the different departments, showing them where to go, reading their prescriptions and treatments for them. Guruji’s vision for Bellur is to rebuild and revive a neglected community close to his heart, to restore self-esteem and give hope for the future of the children, to nurture the seed of yoga. That seed is indeed flourishing, but his vision is not completed yet. There is still much to be done and much to be maintained. Already the quality of life has changed and a more positive attitude already evident. The change is remarkable. Future building projects on the land, now known as Ramamani Nagar, include a Technical College and Nursing College for vocational and technological training. In Bellur there now stands an impressive and colourful temple, built by the people, given to them by Guruji. It is the first and only temple in India and the world dedicated to Sage Patanjali. It is a religious, cultural and community centre at the heart of the village and is a symbol and reminder of Patanjali’s teachings which Guruji lives by. Guruji’s life is a shining example of what can be achieved with some insight, a good measure of courage, faith, hope, a sense of humour, abundant generosity, and a lot of endeavour.
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Ireland Celebrates Guruji’s birthday Sunday 14th December At East Clare Yoga Centre Co. Clare, Ireland 10.30 am - 12.30 pm Asana class 1.00 pm Lunch 3.00 pm Film All proceeds to the Bellur Trust Contact: Susanne Tel: 061 640923 email info@eastclareyoga.com
IYCE has been celebrating Guruji’s birthday all year in Essex! Our activities have included: prā āyāma workshops with Susan Long, a yoga day on 14 June with Lois Shilton, a yoga day on 9 July with Susan Long at Brentwood ACL,a weekend of yoga on 12 and 13 July with Jayne Orton,a children’s course (summer term)at Bicknacre Primary Schooldemonstrations and stand at the Body, Mind and Soul Exhibition,Brentwood in March. Our annual birthday celebration in December will be an extra special event this year, contact IYCE for details. Our celebrations have been of a practical nature and have been well attended and enjoyed by all.
NEIYI - In celebration of Guruji’s 90th birthday a demonstration by teachers and session of yoga, led by Margaret Austin, followed by good food and an opportunity to meet and talk with friends is planned by the North East Institute of Iyengar Yoga for Saturday 13 December.
As Guruji has said “Giving does not impoverish. Withholding does not enrich”.
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Bellur - How can I donate? “Giving does not impoverish. Withholding does not enrich� BKS Iyengar
You can send your donations to the IYA(UK) and this will save you the extra expense and trouble of obtaining a foreign cheque made out to the BKSSNT (Bellur Trust). You can be assured that your donation will be forwarded to the Trust at the earliest opportunity and your name will be included in the list of donors that we send to Mr Iyengar - a record is kept of all the people who have donated to the Bellur Trust.
High school girls in Bellur
How to send your donation Please post with your donation to: IYA (UK), 15 West Grove, Bristol, BS6 5LS All cheques & postal orders payable to: IYA (UK). Euros can be accepted from Rep of Ireland only. For all other overseas payments please contact the main office for advice on the best way to send your donation
High school boys in Bellur
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Please provide your name (can be individual name or organisation), address with full postal code, telephone number and email address. Please make sure to state clearly whether or not you wish to make your donation anonymously or whether you wish your name/organisation to be listed for the donation.
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Desert Island Asanas with Alan
Brown
interviewed by Laura Potts
Birjoo said something like that at the convention, didn’t he; about how we should always come to an āsana as though it were new. So what would you take next?
Alan Brown
Imagine that it’s your first morning on this desert island: what āsanas would you want to take? Well, I think it’s a bit like life really, being marooned on a desert island: in life you have to make do with whatever you’re given, and it’s like this with our practice too. We start with whatever’s most accessible to us, which is different for each of us; we have those basic tools to build up a practice, like we might use the driftwood found on the beach. So where do I begin? I suppose with something accessible to me: adho mukha śvānāsana I use again and again, and I often start my practice with it. It’s simple but there’s always something new to put in and to take out, and it’s always useful.
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I would want a standing posture, because the standings form a foundation for the practice, but it’s hard to choose just one for a balanced practice. I’m tempted to choose tā āsana as it’s a reference point for all the others, and from there I could build the others perhaps, like building from the beach driftwood. But if I can only have one then pārśvako āsana because it’s almost there for me but still a bit out of my reach whereas in triko āsana I can settle – not that it can’t still evolve though – but that would be my personal preference. And then, following the order of practice, it would have to be ūrdhva dhanurāsana as my backbend; it’s both accessible and inaccessible, and we have to reach to all the areas of the body in postures. Hopefully after doing pārśvako āsana a few times I would be sufficiently loosened up to attempt it. Young people can often do ūrdhva dhanurāsana because they have that flexibility, but as we get older we get a baggage of tension and anxiety and resistance, and so we struggle.
For real integration, it’s a wonderful posture: what the shoulders and legs and arms do, how my upper back is, with attention to all these there is always the possibility of climbing higher - up and up to a summit in it. ūrdhva dhanurāsana is to the front what adho mukha śvānāsana is to the back, and there’s plenty there for me to work on! Then there has to be some neutral pose before the forward bend so I need a twist, and I’d takeardha matsyendrāsana , just because I like it; it’s such an interesting knotty pose, with plenty to go at: It works on the legs, the hips, all the areas of the back, shoulders and arms. It’s a difficult pose but I could start from the most accessible point. I could simply sit on a log and cradle my knee with my arm – starting where I can and eventually going as far as I can. It’s difficult to choose a forward bend; they come more easily to me than back bends, so I could just settle into them. I ask myself if I need a challenge, to go into the interesting areas that the more difficult forward bends take you into? But perhaps I should take a more familiar one for anxious times when I need to calm my mind. I’m torn between paschimottānāsana and jānu śīr āsana , but I think I’ll Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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go for jānu śīr āsana , because you get the additional opening of the hips, and so it potentially opens more doors. Then we have to have inversions; as Mr Iyengar says, they are the mainstay of our practice and essential to it. śīr āsana and sarvāngāsana . I’ve got them and can take them with me as the core of all this. And I need a pose for prā āyāma and meditation so that I can progress and for that I would take padmāsana ; I have a rickety version of it that I can take with me to work on, so that I can learn to sit firmly and quietly. Then, finally, I would have to have śavāsana . We come into life and out of it, and often forget where we are in between; asanas are like the shape of our life, and śavāsana is the one that takes us out, our own personal real desert island. It’s a difficult pose, hard even to conceptualise what it means., as death is a mystery to us. With other āsanas , we work on the body through stretching, and find physical, emotional and psychological help with life, but śavāsana asks us, when you’re dead, what’s left? We forget the basis of our existence, and yoga is leading us towards that. From being caught up in the excitement and interest of other āsanas , śavāsana brings us back to that reality. Thanks Alan. You will have the complete works of Guruji, and Light on Yoga as your ‘bible’; what other book would you like to take with you, and what would you like to have as a luxury? Well with all these books to read I think my luxury had better be a Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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pair of glasses, or large print versions of the books! Or perhaps the bright tropical sunlight will help… I get the Yoga Sūtras in with the complete works of Guruji so my book would be a good Sanskrit Primer and Dictionary. As there are so many different translations of the Yoga Sūtras , all with their own slants and embellishments so I would like to just read what Patanjali wrote. I would have time on the desert island, perhaps, to learn and understand that better.
Guruji’s birthday celebration with ORIYI at
Alan Brown is a senior teacher from Yorkshire and is chair of the the Assessment and Teacher Training Committee of the IYA (UK)
New Year Yoga & Walking for Guruji’s birthday 30 December – 1January in Lyme Regis, West Dorset
Sarva IYI, High Wycombe on 14 December will be a day of fun & activities for the whole family, with yoga for children, beginners, intermediates creche : food : stalls : yoga demonstration : pantomine Cinderasana (Cinderella with a difference !) In aid of the Bellur Trust Contact Sarva IYI : 01494521107 or Judith Jones : 0148871838
Contact – Hannah Lovegrove via the web site www.hannahlovegrove.com or telephone 01297 489485. To celebrate the 90th birthday BKS Iyengar, we will practice yoga in a lovely hall overlooking the sea in Lyme Regis, celebrate the New Year with a walk along this glorious and world-famous stretch of coastline and dinner at the River Cottage Canteen. Non-practicing partners welcome, but spaces are limited. We at GWSIYI have a special fund raising event for Mr Iyengar's Bellur charity on 21st September in Glasgow, led by Elaine Pidgeon. We are looking forward to a good turn-out from all our members to a celebratory workshop with Jane Orton on 8th and 9th November also in Glasgow. Please see our website for details.
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Book Review BKS Iyengar Archive Project 2007 Reviewed by Laura Potts Published by IYNAUS Available from yogamatters, £19.95
Laura Potts
This handsome, glossy book is essentially a scrapbook, evoking memories and special occasions, celebrating great moments and including significant mementoes. But it is a curious hybrid construction: in part another yoga text, in part a photo album, in part hagiography. As such, it is both peculiarly intimate – photos of the Iyengar family growing up, of Guruji taking asanas against a background of gardens and domestic interiors, and determinedly public – an array of tributes and medals and plaques reminiscent of the staircase at RIMYI. And this is part of the defining narrative of Iyengar yoga, of course: at its heart the everydayness of practice, emanating from the dynasty of 26
teachers, gradually spreading out into the world and other lives. The book implicitly illustrates, too, how yoga is both individual and collective; the photos of conventions and classes show students practising and being adjusted, surrounded by others in the wider US and Canadian community. Along with the extensive section of newspaper cuttings from the 1950s to 1990s and beyond, they incidentally provide a rich socio-cultural history too (great to see the leotard in action again!). As a scrapbook, full of fascinating and attractive photographs, it first appears as a book to browse and dip into, rather than a book to read or study. And its size and format position it as a ‘coffee table book’ – or perhaps that should be ‘yoga studio reception area book’. Lacking an introduction from the compilers, the context and purpose are only explained in the brief note on the back of the book: that it ‘documents the various facets of BKS Iyengar’s presentation of yoga using rarely
seen archival pictures, documents and archives from the IYNAUS archives. This greatly expanded and enhanced second edition is being brought out on the occasion of Geeta Iyengar’s 2007 visit to Las Vegas, Nevada’. The credits indicate that a dozen or so people have contributed to compiling the book, which is reflected in the variety of modes of presentation and choice of material. The section on Healing Humanity, and Yoga Therapy, would need to be used by those with wider knowledge of therapeutic practice; the illustrations are illuminating, but obviously just a sketch of the real picture – and, the reader suspects, a convenient heading under which to collate some interesting photos. This section also includes eight abstracts of Recent Medical Studies, which would have benefited from tighter editing to sit more comfortably within this kind of a book. Only two are dated, and only one gives publication details, so it is not clear what the status of the research is. Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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Methodological detail could have been excluded and clearer indication of the results, and their implications, included. The photo sections on Prā āyāma , on Āsana : Compare and Contrast Through the Years, and Uninterrupted Practice offer a wonderful perspective on the evolution of the practice through Guruji’s demonstrations (although unfortunately a couple of the āsana photo captions are misplaced). And of course, behind the lens, there has always been the invisible, dedicated student, trying to better their understanding and communicate the practice to others. There is a peppering of epigrammatic quotations from an eclectic range of sources, which may inspire or irritate, depending on the reader’s disposition. The section on Children and Yoga is well-balanced and carefully put together: a brief photo-essay, and a variety of text from published sources, including an article from Yoga Rahasya about Growing up with Yoga.
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book too, with excerpts from classical Indian texts given as the history of yoga, and comparative translations of Patanjali’s Yoga Sūtras , by Iyengar, Feuerstein, Desikachar and Swami Prabhavananda with Christopher Isherwood, to which the reader is urged to ‘pay particular attention to the practical usefulness of the translation’. There is, however, more to be learned from this juxtaposition of interpretations: the insight into understanding revealed by each, and the choice of vocabulary, contribute to a deeper sense of the meaning and import of the whole. This book serves as a timely celebration of Guruji’s ninetieth birthday, showing the vitality, complexity, joy and sheer persistent effort that characterises the tradition he has established.
Beyond the browsing, there is a more substantive content to the
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Actual Yoga and Virtual Yoga In celebrating Guruji’s birthday we also celebrate life – the life that he enjoys as well as the life that he has given to us through his devotion to yoga. In our daily practice and classes we focus on the moment, but how often do we reflect on what this yoga is, how it came to us and what effect it will have on our lives? Guruji has gifted to us a means to seek enrichment of our physical being as well as our spiritual being, the part we can see and feel as well as the aspects that we sense, think about, talk about, but cannot see. In a sense we have actual yoga and virtual yoga. Actual yoga is learning the shapes our bodies can make and virtual yoga is what those shapes do for our health, our wellbeing and our spiritual being, how these harness energy to be diffused in a stabilising, thoughtful and meditative way. Encompassing all of this is the way we are in our daily lives - how we are to ourselves and how we interact with others.
Yoga and Ethics Julia Chandler As practitioners of Iyengar yoga we are all aware that yoga is an ethical system, not just a form of exercise. Yama and niyama are the first two limbs of yoga and ‘[p]ractice of āsanas without the backing of yama and niyama is mere acrobatics.’ (Iyengar, 1976, p57). How similar are yogic conceptions of ethics to those more commonly used in the West (Europe, America, Australasia) and how might this affect our daily lives? Firstly it should be emphasised that all these ethical frameworks rely on humanity’s essential rationality. In the West there are two main ethical systems – utilitarianism, which is a form of consequentialism and deontology – of which Kant is 28
the primary exponent. There is a third philosophy – that of virtue ethics, largely based on Aristotelian ideas, which has become more popular in the second half of the twentieth century. Utilitarianism is the predominant form of ethics in the UK, closely tied in with political liberalism which advocates freedom of choice for individuals as far as possible. This doctrine states that the ultimate aim should be human good or happiness. What is a good action is that which gives the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people. Good actions are therefore tied to good consequences. This, however, overlooks the fact that all pleasure has an element of
pain (Jacobsen, 1999). For the original hedonistic proponents of this theory such as Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), happiness was very much tied in with physical comfort (I include mental contentment here, as both the body and mind are prak ti — part of the material world). Utilitarianism is an attempt to create an ethical framework for a good and just society and provided that the members of the society agree to submit to the majority then it could be successful but for those of us who believe, like Aristotle, that the tēlos (goal) of humanity is more than physical comfort, utilitarianism is unlikely to produce a society of fully flourishing people. Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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Julia Chandler
The second common form of ethics in the West is deontology of which Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was the greatest exponent. Deontology is a rule based system whereby the rules of behaviour are derived through applying the ‘categorical imperative’. This is simplistically a ‘do unto others as you would be done by’ tenet. For example, a promise only makes sense if everyone in society understands what it means and holds by the rules of promising. If one wishes to break a promise, then one has to will that everyone should be allowed to break a promise – which of course makes the notion of ‘promise’ non-sensical. In this system the consequence of an act is not the basis on which one should act, it is the obeying of the categorical imperative that makes the act right, so that breaking a promise to a friend in order to, perhaps, attend to a sick child, would be wrong - the reason for breaking the promise is not taken into account. At first sight deontology seems closer to the ethics of yoga: there are universally applied rules which could be likened to the yamas and niyamas . But there is still no concept of people sharing a goal in life, only a right act or right intention. In yoga, the application of the yamas ‘vary according to one’s own circumstances and stage of progress’ Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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(Mehta, 1990, p169) and the fundamental principle is ahi sā (nonviolence) which takes precedence over the other yamas , so in the example above it would be the right thing to do to break the promise, as this action would cause the least amount of pain. This relies on the moral state of the individual to choose the right action, rather than a universal rule. So neither utilitarianism nor deontology shares an ethical framework with yoga. Both of these systems look outwards toward society with actions being guided by their effect on others; virtue ethics, in contrast, turns the gaze inwards giving precedence to changing the individual through acquiring virtues. This is based on ancient Greek philosophy: from Plato to Aristotle and later the Stoics. Rather than ‘happiness’ being humanity’s ultimate goal it was, for these groups, eudaimonia usually translated as ‘flourishing’. This state is arrived at by living life according to reason. By applying reason to actions people can, progressively, acquire virtues such as courage and wisdom. It is important to note that virtues have to be acquired by drawing out a latent potential within human beings, through both education and practice. The Stoics understood that pain that inevitably accompanies passion and attempted to overcome passion with reason, in order to avoid this. Virtue ethics is about becoming a certain kind of person, one who embodies the ordinary virtues of temperance, courage, wisdom and justice. This framework begins to come closer to yogic ethics in its focus towards the growth of the individual. There have been parallels made between the ancient Greeks and Buddhism
as well as aspects of Hindu philosophy. Yoga ethics are based on the yamas: ahi sā (non-violence); satya (truthfulness); asteya (non-stealing); bramacharya (chastity or celibacy); and aparigraha (non-covetousness). These would all be practised by anyone embodying the four virtues and, like the virtues, become an aspect of the personality of those who practise them. Also, like the virtues, they go far beyond their one-word definitions (see LOY introduction). But whilst the virtues are firmly embedded in the physical world yoga primarily prescribes a path towards individual salvation – through freedom (mok a ) - rather than a way of improving the world through moral duty (dharma ). Dharma leads to an improvement in the conditions of living beings through following the right ethical principles. Mok a leads to the freedom of the individual from rebirth, but not directly to an improved human society. Dharma is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for mok a but is striven for not for the sake of society but for individual liberation (Jacobsen, 1999). Ahi sā is the most important ethical precept in yoga. This is because of the pain that violence causes to others, and therefore ultimately to oneself. All ethical systems are concerned with the reduction of pain: the Stoics advocated overcoming passion in order to be rid of the pain that inevitably accompanies it; the virtue of courage treads a fine line between cowardice (the fear of pain) and foolhardiness (the ignorance of pain); deontology attempts to remove pain by treating others
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justly; utilitarianism promotes happiness, although in its emphasis on ‘for the greatest number’ understands that it is inevitable that some will suffer. But none of these other doctrines place non-violence at their centre. This may be due to the unacknowledged inevitability of violence in the world – living beings cannot survive without consuming other living beings. Perhaps, unable to see a solution to the problem, it is ignored; whereas yoga embraces the certainty of interdependency and pain and is thus able to ‘face it full on’ and, perhaps, overcome it: the perfect practise of ahi sā leads to peace amongst others – it is said that in the presence of a yogi even animals will not kill each other (Jacobsen, 1999, p340). This realism seems to be a decisive factor in embracing yogic ethical practices. In acknowledging the physical world as it is in all its interdependent, painful chaos, the yogi can also understand that it cannot be anything other than what it is. Each human being has the propensity, given opportunity and education, to see the world as it is and to change him or herself in relation to it, but no-one can change either the world or, directly, other people. Although an ethic based around individual salvation could be open to charges of selfishness, especially as many believe that actions must be wholly altruistic to be considered ethical at all, this is realistic and achievable. Whilst sages such as Patanjali, Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed can educate and give others the opportunity to make use of their knowledge, the nature of the world as a whole cannot be changed, but must be accepted. If we cannot make the world beautiful, we must revise our ideas of what beauty is. 30
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The fundamental difference between utilitarianism and deontology and virtue ethics and a yoga ethical philosophy is how the former focus on the act and the latter on the actor. Virtue ethics and yogic ethics put the person at the centre and believe that human beings share a common purpose in the world: a good person can be defined as one who fulfils certain functions in the same way that a good watch would be one that fulfils the functionality of a watch it tells the time accurately, is easy to carry around and so on. Utilitarianism focuses on the act and its consequences, not directly on the well being of the actor. This doesn’t allow for any overall human goal to be aimed at. Each person chooses their own ‘goods’ which do not have to have a longer term goal or part of a common humanity. Deontology also focuses on the act, although the intentions of the actor come into play more than the consequences. But a teleological (goal-oriented) ethics would argue that someone who embodies characteristics such as justice or non-violence would only commit acts that have good consequences. Deontology and utilitarianism allow people to live together without any fundamental agreement on what constitutes a good life for a human being. But without this basic shared understanding agreeing on what is, or is not, ethical becomes impossible. Vegetarianism, for example, is a personal choice which may be rationalised in various ways: eating meat is bad for you; eating animals is wrong; eating animals that were badly treated when alive is wrong; breeding animals for food means there is not enough food available to feed the world’s population, and so on. But there is no underlying ethical code
on which to base this choice: it is just personal choice and one is free to agree or disagree with each argument. From a yoga perspective eating animals goes against the observance of ahi sā ; if virtue ethics included animals in its area of concern it would be unjust to kill them for food unnecessarily. Yoga’s ethical precepts then focus on the person and their goal – that of mok a . This has similarities to the ancient Greek virtue ethics, currently undergoing something of a revival in the West. But the Enlightenment ethical traditions of utilitarianism and deontology do not give a firm foundation for a common ethical practise in our daily lives leading, according to some theorists, to a moral vacuum in modern society.
Bibliography: Blackburn, Simon (2001) Being Good Oxford: Oxford University Press Foot, Phillipa (2001) Natural Goodness Oxford: Oxford University Press Iyengar, BKS (1976) Light on Yoga London: Unwin Iyengar, BKS (2005) Light on Life London: Rodale Jacobsen, Knut (1999) Prak ti in Sā khya-Yoga Material Principle, Religious Experience, Ethical Implications New York: Peter Lang Publishing MacIntyre, A. (1984) After Virtue A Study in Moral Theory Notre Dame, Ind: Notre Dame University Press Mehta, Silva, Mira & Shyam (1990) Yoga The Iyengar Way London: Dorling Kindersley
Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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Yoga and Osteoporosis Jaki Nett
Jaki Nett photo by Brock Palmer
Osteoporosis occurs when there is a loss of calcium and mineral in the bones that weakens them, causing them to break easily. Losing bone density is a natural part of the aging process. Peak bone density occurs during the twenties and in our thirties bone density starts to decline. It is interesting to note that all living bones are in a continual process of losing and rebuilding density. The most common place of a fracture is a vertebra in the spine, the second area is the hips, and the third, in the wrists. Diet, weight-bearing exercise, and movement are prescribed for osteoporosis. Exercise cannot replace bone that has already been lost, but it can help maintain strength in the bones. Simple movement can bring softness and agility to the joints. Agility helps us to maintain balance to prevent falling as we age. Seated postures do wonders for the hip joints as they bring mobility and mobility is primary for agility. Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
Consider the range of movement and combinations of movements that occurs at the hip joint area in seated poses. The heads of the femurs have their range of movements and then when these are held stable in a pose, then the pelvic has its range and movements. The combination of range and movement brings mobility to the hip joint. Vīrāsana , siddhāsana , baddha ko āsana , jānu śīr āsana , marīchyāsana , upasvi ha ko āsana
and simple squatting are recommended to bring agility to the hips. Poses that demand the back muscles to contract and lift the body against the pull of gravity help to maintain the health of the spine. If the spine has developed kyphosis (excessive convex curvature of the upper spine; humpback; pott’s curvature) modify poses where the range of movement is determined by the strength of the muscles. As a counterbalance to the seated postures it is beneficial to do the following poses no matter how simple they may seem, because the action demanded of the upper back muscles of the spine counters the convexity the vertebral column is moving towards as they demand the spine to move into the body. Try poses that extend the hip joints. Start with simple poses when there is limited movement in the spine:
Śalabhāsana without lifting the leg; bhuja gāsana using supports for the arm; supported setu bandha sarvāngāsana with bent knees.
Deeper backbends like u rāsana , dhanurāsana , ūrdhva dhanurāsana can be painful and even cause injury if kyphosis is present. Let your observation be keen when you practice these poses. The body will try to make the move you are demanding, so if there is a blockage, movement will come from another perhaps weaker area that could cause damage. Standing poses are extremely beneficial because they are weight bearing on the large bones of the legs and hips and they promote flexibility. Let’s take a look at prasārita pādotānāsana . This pose is weight-bearing on the legs and feet, arms, wrists, and hands. It also requires that the hips rotate and the spine extends. From tā āsana , step the legs and feet wide apart – don’t jump in order to reduce impact stress. (The movement of the femur heads in the hip sockets is abduction). Separate the heels wider than the toes and place the hands on the hips. Spread the soles of the feet, and straighten the legs by lifting the kneecaps. Balance the pelvis on the hip joint for alignment and balance. Inhale and concentrate on lifting the upper back as you extend the 31
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spine. As you exhale, keep the spine extended and fold forward moving from the hip joint. The vertebral column is taken into and kept in extension. This strengthens the muscles of the back as the torso moves through degrees of gravitationa pull. The movement between the pelvic and the head of the femur brings mobility to the hip joints. Stop when the pelvic and the spine are at a right angle to the floor. Release the arms and place the hands flat on the floor or on blocks directly under the shoulder joints so that the arms are perpendicular to the floor. Balance the weight evenly between the feet and legs, the arms and hands like a table on sturdy legs. Keeping this stability, concave the spine taking it deep into the body and look up to also extend the back of the neck. Observe how evenly the muscles of the back body can contract. Observe also the hard to move
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places and easy to move places. Keep the soles of the feet and hands wide and balance the muscular contractions of the legs, arms, and spine. Hold and observe. Return to tā āsana on an inhalation.
This article is for general information only. If you suffer osteoporosis or have a student with this condition, always consult a senior Iyengar Yoga teacher
Use caution when moving in and out of poses. When we’re young our bones are stronger and can withstand sudden movements and even strong pounding like jumping in and out of poses, but with osteoporosis, this can exacerbate fractures. As we grow older and our bodies change, so should our relationship to our yoga practice change. Let that relationship allow you to approach your yoga with knowledge, gentleness, and acceptance.
Yoga and Joy Alwynne Cartmel I experienced British Wheel yoga from the age of 19, when as a young mother, I attended a night class in the north of England. I had never experienced such relaxation before. It was when I met a teacher in Abu Dhabi in the 80's (Julie Stapleton) that I experienced the joy of Iyengar Yoga. She would only do one class, for a charity event, no matter how many times I begged her, but told me where to go. I flew to England for the summer. As a novice, I booked two full weeks on a retreat with an 32
amazing Sasha Perryman. What a shock to my body (and Sasha?) I will never forget her words "are you two sisters - you both have the same round shoulders ?". She spent two weeks lifting our sternums amongst other things. I was hooked. Years later, I appeared on her retreat with a broken L4 and L5 (Lumbar spine 4 and 5). With the help of Sasha, Judi Soffa and natural alternatives, my back healed without the advised surgery. Can you image what a piece of metal in my spine would have done? Broken vertebrae taught me great things.
Back living in the UK, I am less than two hours away fromy teacher, Judi Soffa, in Liverpool. I am honoured to have had my spirit, soul and body realigned by these humble and professional women. I pass my skills on, especially in schools. I have learned that we are never alone with yoga. The 8 limbs are a strong focus on which I base my teaching. Yoga is a major aspect of my life, my hobby and my work. Grateful thanks to Guruji for his inspiration and teachings via his students Sasha and Judi who have made such an impact on my life. Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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Yoga and Movement Isabel Jones Fielding Prior to becoming an Iyengar Yoga teacher, my first experienceof a system of movement was at the age of 11when I gained a ballet scholarship from the Royal Academy of Dance, in London. Over the following few years, I was exposed to some of the Royal Ballet’s best teachers and dancers. The scholarship provided a physical and mental training ground for potential Royal Ballet dancers and I knew this was an enormous privilege and relished it. However, as I usefully learnt the discipline of daily practice, which later helped me as an Iyengar Yoga student, I also learnt a mental approach that was more damaging and made me prone to injury. One of the fundamental teachings in learning the art of dance performance was an ability to forget oneself in order to reach out to others. I wastherefore taught to ignore pain, to drive through it, covering it up whilst smiling as if to an audience. I knew how to make my body execute complex movements,but I didn’t know what was happening on the inside or how to heal myself should damage occur. One of the other key requirements of the scholarship was that height, weight and proportions were of a particular size, as such investment in young dancers could be wasted if once trained, they didn’t fit the ‘corps de ballet’ proportions. This rigid system of movement with it’s classical ideal of beauty disturbed me principally because I felt a close connection with my father Lewis Jones who is totally blind and partially deaf. I knew he would never see or participate in the Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
dance I was doing and as I became immersed in the world of classical dance,I found it harder to describe what I was doing or make a connection with him. In any case, Lewis’s experience of the body was totally different to mine. As a young man he was interested in yoga and has since practiced prā āyāma and meditation every day throughout his life. Often he described how he used his breath to create space inside himself in order that the objects out in the world didn’t press in on him, and how meditation helped him feel more connected to humanity. As a teenager, he tried to teach me various breathing methods to help me deal with tension and the resulting stomach aches I had – I listened but it was difficult and seemed to oppose what I was being taught, which was to hold my stomach in very tight. I later came to realise that his different experience of the world had been one of the catalysts that drew me to yoga. When I first set up the dance company Salamanda Tandem in 1989, after training in contemporary dance and music performance, I imagined a world where movement could be invented by blind and sighted artists together; a movement vocabulary where movements weren’t imposed from the outside, but developed from within. I wanted to create a company founded on artistic collaboration where dancers could work together with musicians, sculptors, painters, poets and composers to createmulti sensory performance that could both reach mainstream audiences and develop the unique
creativity of disabled people like my father. The movement that underpinned our early work was called ‘New Dance’ and we used ‘Contact Improvisation’, a method involving pair work developed in America in the 1970’s. I was attracted to ‘New Dance’ principally because it was developed by modern dancers who rejected rigid systems of movement in favour of a concept that ‘any body’could dance ‘anything’. Here, the dancer could be of any shape or size and from any movement background. Becoming the inventor, it was up to them to create their own ways of movement. I adopted these methods as they seemed to fit the inclusive ethos I wanted to create in Salamanda Tandem’s work. By 1992 Salamanda Tandem had grown, and became stable, and by 1994 received regular funding from the Arts Council. The scale of what was possible increased and we began touring nationally and developing training programmes. The company was expanding and a number of other international dancers, musicians and visual artists became associates. It was a fertile time, but I still had stomach pain and I questioned how I could develop and take care of others without being able to take care of myself. Also, ‘New Dance’ had emerged into something else. Quirky, more thrilling movements were required with females expected to lift male dancers, conducting sequences of vertuosic moves supporting the weight of another dancer on hips, backs and shoulders. This kind of work easily resulted in injury. I reflected on 33
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classical dance and despite our bleeding feet, how such a system with its tight structure had protected us. Although this ‘New Dance’ way had appeared to be more person-centred and participatory, it also presented the dancer with the potential of permanent injury. In hindsight, I realise that I needed a supportive framework for healthy movement to take place that could be challenging, inclusive and adapted to suit everybody. And now, I realise that method is Iyengar Yoga. In 1992 I had started Iyengar classes and begun to feel and see things differently. I realised that I took with me into my yoga a great many problems both psychological and physical, which were left over’s from my dance/performance background. I also saw for example how the dancers I worked with, had similar problems to those I was encountering myself. Whether from classical, contemporary or a ‘New Dance’ background, the same issues occurred. Many of these problems were caused by injuries, but also through a mental approach that aggravated things further. In fact, in any movement class including yoga, I saw how dancers appeared duty bound to achieve whatever the teacher was asking; always prepared to imitate anything we saw externally whilst ignoring any pain or emerging problems underneath, and we worked hard not to show them. When I first started, I performed for my yoga teacher as I had done in my ballet days to try to gain approval. I also saw how the dancers who worked for Salamanda Tandem did the same whatever the cost. So in 1999 I started to train to be an Iyengar Yoga teacher as I wanted to reach out to other dancers with similar problems to mine. Underneath the external architecture of 34
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each asana, which the dancer may appear to get right to the non trained eye, I wanted to learn how to work with sensitivity and care, and then to pass this on to others in order to establish a practice that had longevity and that could help to heal me and others physically and emotionally. Of course I soon realised that I had embarked on a life’s journey! After qualifying in 2001, I began to teach all Salamanda Tandem dancers a 2 hour Iyengar Yoga class every morning throughout the production phase of any new art project, on tour and in rehearsal. The yoga not only helped to increase the dancer’s fitness, balance, and poise, but also their capacity to monitor their physical wellbeing and maintain healthy performance.
Below are a few words from Julie Hood an experienced contemporary dancer who worked for many years as a soloist with Michael Clark’s dance company before joining Salamanda Tandem, as dancer and choreographer. Julie began Iyengar Yoga in 2000 as my first student and still continues today. ‘When practicing Iyengar Yoga the external world melts away, and I become aware of an internal physical landscape. I begin to feel bones, joints, muscles, ligaments and the qualities of their relationships to each other. I get a sense of how the body can create space for, and gently carry, its organs. Through the breath I imagine I can feel how the blood carries oxygen,
circling around and enlivening my body. Through listening to the shape of the instructions and feeling the moving lines of the poses, I can sort of check how the internal land lies. Aches and pain stresses and tensions come to mind, but I feel enabled and armed with some knowledge of how to ease them. The poses can become medicines, that allow the internal shapes and working structures of the body to realign and regain their working interconnectedness. I find yoga can be a stabilising space, a kind of physical anchoring where my minds attention can rest, move or glide’ Iyengar Yoga has also helped the culture of Salamanda Tandem to change and we have more to offer and greater energy for our work with disabled people. Initially, I only taught Iyengar Yoga to our dancers on tour, but then began to notice how the administrative staff needed it too. Since 2003 the entire team of dancers, artists, managers and office staff take time out for ‘Iyengar Yoga’ - offered free to all its employees every week. The 4 key staff are now dedicated Iyengar Yoga practitioners. Here I quote the words of Lisa Craddock who is Salamanda Tandem’s company manager. She describes the positive effects of Iyengar Yoga on the company’s work with disabled people. ‘The work I do at Salamanda Tandem combines both a lot of seated thinking,, solution finding and writing, with spurts of physical activity when delivering creative projects with people. Company members, whether they be in an administrative team or an artist team, need to pay attention to their own physical and mental well being, which in turn enables us to respond positively to others. Iyengar Yoga has helped me, and helps the company enormously in this way, especially in our ability to reach out to vulnerable individuals and groups. Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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developing a positive mental approach to the new challenges that face us. Our work isn’t easy, as the disabled people we work with are often held back by negative attitudes.The Iyengar system encourages a positive attitude to all different body types and energies, and it helps us to get the most enjoyment and self challenge out of our practice.
Guruji December 2007
Building self awareness, physical confidence and a positive attitude to challenges help to develop individuals to be the best they can be in life. The positive improvements that one makes in yoga carry over into the rest of our lives including our work place, especially for us at Salamanda Tandem as we all share in the benefits of Iyengar Yoga practice. The challenges I meet in the Iyengar classes keep my mind and body flexible, which help me work with people. Through Iyengar Yoga Isabel trains our staff and artists to achieve confidence,
Salamanda Tandem became a charity in 2001, reaching out to children with autism, and to people with visual impairments. Key to our work is the development of care, health and education professionals, so yoga becomes even more important as we deal with difficult situations and try to change attitudes in the way we approach and work with vulnerable people. We have changed from within the company and that affects those who are in contact with us from the outside. From both inside and out, an ethos of movement for physical and mental health underpins both our
internal operation and outreach services to others’ Iyengar Yoga has been a crucial part of my development, and has enabled me to develop not only Salamanda Tandem’s staff, but its work as a charity. I have taught Iyengar Yoga to blind and visually impaired people in small groups and have enjoyed learning from my father how important it is to allow time for students to feel the architecture of the āsana from outside as well as to sense it from within. I have also seen how adults with autism can gain relief from anxiety, and benefit a great deal from recuperative practice. But, I want to go on further, as opportunities are still few and far between for disabled people to access the benefits of yoga. I would welcome any collaboration with other Iyengar teachers interested in working with disabled people, or any ideas for developing this work. Do get in touch if you are interested.
Yoga and Confidence Tony Poole I have been practising Yoga for some ten years, with a few lapses in between. On my way to a Yoga weekend last year I thought about what the main benefits of practice were for me. Primarily this is body confidence. As a tall man with quite low self-confidence I often felt in the way and would find social situations and being out in public difficult. Now I have more confidence in my body and that comes across to people. This has improved my social skills and social life tremendously. Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
I have become more independent and last year travelled on my own to a Yoga retreat in Italy. Also, I’ve recently qualified as a teacher in Further Education and though I still find it challenging to be the focus of attention during sessions, I’m much more used to it. Through reading Guruji’s texts on Yoga I’ve developed an interest in spirituality. Recently this has led me to find out more about Christianity and become involved in my local church. Perhaps faith in God will
prove to be the most significant benefit of my Yoga practice. I’d like to say thank you to Guruji for his development of Yoga and his part in spreading Yoga around the world. I’d also like to thank my teacher, Judi Soffa, for her patience and commitment. The lessons have been one of the constants in my life and provide a space for me to stop thinking about the concerns of the day.
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IYA (UK) Convention Newcastle 2008 with
Birjoo Mehta
by Martell Linsdell and Tristan Binns Invest, invest in order to gain your returns! This was not a quote from a Business Management Symposium but Birjoo Mehta’s direction to the yoga delegates of IYA (UK) 2008 Convention at the University of Northumbria. 220 delegates, yoga teachers and students convened for three days of yoga teaching, practice and pranayama in the University Students Union bedecked with slide projections, photographs of BKS Iyengar and flowers in the black and white theme of Newcastle football colours. The convention even concluded with Birjoo being presented a Newcastle football shirt. The IYA (UK) Annual Convention is a chance to meet up with yoga friends from far and wide. Exciting news was announced at the AGM: Geeta Iyengar has agreed to teach for seven days in May next year at the annual convention in London. Eight hundred to a thousand Iyengar Yoga students are expected for this very significant event. Birjoo’s Teaching started with the consciousness and how it can be moved. The second session was on how to move the body so that the mind becomes quiet. The third session progressed to the breath. Quoting Guruji, Birjoo cited: Yoga is to create music: The rhythm of the body The melody of the mind The harmony of the soul creates the symphony of life. Birjoo would demonstrate a point and we would return to our mats to try that approach. At first we were quite selfconscious. As we repeated āsanas and developed understanding, we created postures 36
with less harshness and more quietness, with a softness in the throat. Throughout the āsana sessions we deepened progressively our intellectual engagement with the body.We learned first hand how that consequently affects the state of the mind.
quietness of the mind as a result of the investment. There were battalions of troops going into action throughout viloma prā āyāma , which were the movement of consciousness from the core to the periphery, through the intercostal muscles.
‘Invest, invest’ Birjoo’s teaching is very well informed, with step by step development. He illustrated with visual metaphors throughout. Using business management speak, he talked about how one invests in stocks and shares (creating consciousness) and gathers returns, building towards stability of the poses with
Birjoo demonstrated this action of the movement of consciousness simply and clearly with the movement of two wooden bricks as he inhaled and exhaled. They showed the shift of the consciousness to the outer margins of the intercostal muscles at the end of an inhalation in order to then exhale and draw the intercostal muscles in. Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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His approach to teaching was so humorous and enjoyable that the time flew throughout the whole event. It felt like five minutes had passed when really an hour and a half was spent exploring the consciousness and stability of posture within triko āsana . Birjoo shared so many teaching points and thoughts with us over the weekend that it is hard to communicate them all. Guruji specifically asked him to teach and talk about many things. Some of the ones that resonated the most were: ‘Keep the throat open, keep the throat open, keep the throat open!’ Lower the tongue to the floor of the mouth, extending the lower edge of the tongue, keeping the throat completely undisturbed.Keep focussed on what is happening to the mind within a posture when the throat is kept completely open.Do not stay within the posture if the throat has gone hard.By keeping the throat completely passive observe then the steadiness of the pose. ‘Working the mind through the body.’ Articulate what is happening; see the effect on the consciousness. When you sit up from supta baddha ko āsana try to articulate what is happening in the brain. Is it quiet? The consciousness in the brain remains stable. We use props so that the nervous body rests and the mind can be quiet. The Chakras These are the storehouses of energy within the body.We practiced triko āsana using different sounds to create different effects in Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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Chakra
Region
Sound
Effect
Muladhara
Tailbone tip
L
Earth; Stability
Swadisthana
Pubice
W
Water; balance
Manipura
Navel
R
Fire; Consciousness
Anahata
Heart
Y
Air; Fills space
Visuddhi
Throat
H
Ether; Softness
Ajna
Between the eyes
H
Used at time of death
Sahasrara
Cranium
Ohm
Ether
the āsana . For example, making the sound ‘luh’ in your mind, throat and mouth, but not actually aspirating the sound, and focusing this sound on the mūlādhāra chakra in the tailbone, helps set the bony structure of the posture. Beginning with the base in the tailbone and ascending through the chakras brings a steadiness and life in the asana.
to reinforce the spine by drawing our knees in, so that the spine draws up and lengthens. Again there was attention to the state of the throat, lowering the tongue to the floor of the mouth and lengthening the underside of the tongue in order to release the throat. Return to check the state of your throat if the throat is irritated or hard something is wrong.
Friendship The kleśas , or impediments to practice can be removed by four methods called maitrī . These are friendship, compassion, joy and indifference. In yoga practice, you can use this as a way of thinking how to remove impediments to the deepening of āsanas . For instance, if the legs aren’t working to their best possible effort, remove this impediment with friendship. The front of the thigh and the back of the thigh should be friends – they should both work together to their maximum. Beginners may not understand the principles of consciousness, but can understand making friends go together - maitrī una , united friendship.
In sādhanā (practice) if you are dull and heavy in the head, restless and irritated, then something is wrong with your practice. Stop that practice and start afresh at another time. Remain quiet for a while; sit erect, tongue down. Make the ego quiet. Chances are that things will begin to go right after five to ten minutes of sitting quietly, training your ego to become quiet.
The practice of prā āyāma Starting in seated prā āyāma ; Birjoo encouraged us in sukhāsana
‘Experience the melody of the āsana’
Birjoo addressed the difficulty to practice on one’s own for both teachers and students. The practice of yoga is essentially the practice of understanding consciousness. Students come to a yoga class to be made to feel good. Being taught, you let go of the ego and become guided by someone else. When you practice on your own the brain takes on the role of the teacher 37
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yoga texts such as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika.
and gives instruction; the brain and the ego are activated. As the brain gives instruction it creates tension. Work to develop a way of practice where the instructions are used before entering into the study of the asana. Plan the action that you will do, then start to observe. The central intelligence sets broad guidelines, ‘I will try this then I will perceive, feel, experience.’ Then use localized intelligence to experience what needs to be altered in order to deepen the āsana . Your brain and ego can be quiet if you let the local intelligence direct your actions, and your practice will evolve.
Birjoo illustrated this in Trikonasana. Set a lesson for the day, for example pressing down the inner and outer edge of the big toe in triko āsana . Start learning from 38
the effects of that one action. Keep the consciousness in that one point and everything else will begin to fall into place. The yoga practice makes you sensitive so that the body tells you what needs to be done. We went back to triko āsana again and again simply observing how getting the big toe right made the rest of the posture work correctly.
It was an amazing experience to be there and work through Birjoo’s developing themes over the sessions. His extensive knowledge flows through his teaching. He has absorbed Guruji’s teaching through long experience and close proximity. This knowledge and experience, and familiarity with Sanskrit terms comes (in my experience) slowly to a yoga student. We are truly honoured to have had thos opportunity to study Guruji’s work through his pupli Birjoo.
An extensive knowledge and deep understanding I found it difficult to relate to a reader the experience of the convention. The teaching was wonderful, the breadth and interconnectedness of all the subjects thoughtprovoking. I found myself writing surrounded by my yoga text books to check the terms and spellings. I checked that what I wrote at the time of listening and doing could translate into an article. I found myself referring to the Introduction to Light on Yoga, and also cross-referencing to the Yoga Sūtras of Patanjali and other Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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IYA (UK) Convention 2008 Reflections Of the 220 members who booked a place at the IYA (UK) convention held in Newcastle in June 2008, 79% came from the North of England, the Midlands, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The rest were from the South of England, including Cornwall, Jersey, and Channel Islands. Also included in the rest were members from Wales, the Republic of Ireland and Norway. 120 members responded to the questionnaire about the event. Prior to the event, when the full extent of the building work became fully apparent, there were some very challenging circumstances to deal with. From the comments made we know that the most important thing about the IYA convention, is the tutor and the quality of the yoga tuition and the location. The results of this questionnaire can be used to help the Events Committee to organise future events. The evidence shows 94% would be happy to return to Newcastle for a similar event in the future. Below
Average
Success
6%
94%
Programme
1%
11%
88%
Welcome Pack
1%
23%
76%
Accommodation
12%
35%
53%
Food
49%
28%
23%
Hall
9%
30%
61%
Stalls
30%
33%
37%
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Above
Comments were varied and some are quoted as follows: Excellent sound, nice floor, could have had more wall space. Teaching superb. Excellent that the programme has so many hours of yoga tuition – long classes are appreciated. I came for the yoga and don’t really care that the accommodation and food could have been better. Sound system was the best ever at a convention. How it should be done – bravo! The hall was cold an noisy in the beginning but it did improve Lack of stalls, too far removed, could have been more prominent, no books. There was a lack of hot drinks for non-residential participants. There is lots of potential at this venue. Great venue in city centre: brilliant weekend: car parking expensive. Evening meals very poor – quality improved by Saturday. Top marks for the organisation of this event. Birjoo was fantastic. Don’t think that proper research was done into the catering. I really enjoyed the event, teaching and the opportunity to do pranayama. Good to make links with philosophy and asanas. Venue was like an oasis in the centre of Newcastle. Really impressed at the organisation of the event. Holding the convention in Newcastle has been a new venture for IYA (UK) and one which has proved to be successful. With a new sports facility, planned for completion in 2010 Northumbria may well prove to be a possibility in the future.
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Obituary Janet Downs Tourniere 30 May 1921 – 3 March 2008
Janet first began attending the yoga classes of Penny Nield Smith in Cambridge in 1973 after being introduced to them by her daughter, Dominique. After attending classes with Guruji in London she set out on a lifechanging ‘pilgrimage’ to India in 1974. This was just before the RIMYI was opened in January 1975. She turned up at Guruji’s doorstep and after bowing down to his anger (“You people, you arrive without notice and expect to be taught! Why couldn’t you speak to me when I saw you in London a few weeks ago only?”), was very privileged to be told “Tomorrow morning, you come at eight o’clock. I teach you for eight weeks”* The classes were held in Guruji’s 40
house, a room only large enough for 10 people or so, including Geeta and Prashant.
said now. . . . ‘Not hearing is a form of living in the past.’
After such intensive teaching Janet returned to Cambridge considerably transformed. She returned to RIMYI to attend classes for subsequent years and taught in Cambridge from 1974 until 1980 when she moved to France. Later on she taught in Devon until returning to Cambridge, where she continued to teach right up until she became too weak. Four weeks later, she died in her sleep, aged 86yrs.
Jyengar’s energy bounced off the walls, held us in a crucible where we were exposed, understood and set on course. Weakness was challenged, modified or burnt out, potential uncovered, parts stirred that had been given up as dead. The only demand was, ‘Do what I ask in the class, to your maximium. Not more, not less.’
Janet was an inspirational teacher to many. She was very much loved and will be greatly missed.
Excerpt from the book Eating Fox by Janet Downs Tourniere .. ‘ Triko āsana .’... Behind the tireless repetition, I was beginning to perceive another voice, still faint. Live fully, it said. Be fully human. It lay behind the instructions that were being drummed into us daily but with fresh emphasis, fresh language to keep the ears alert. My ears were dull. I obeyed yesterday’s instructions, or I was so intent on what had been said two minutes ago that I did not hear what was being
The door was always open. ...I found myself saying, ‘Sir, if a hunting dog is dull he’s made to eat fox, and then he won’t run after rabbits any more. I’m a dull dog...’ ‘And I’m the fox, ‘he interrupted, amused. It wasn’t the happiest analogy for vegetarians... ...Watching him, anyone could see that he was a unified being. Thought, act and speech matched, the fruit of over thirty years* of practice, of struggle, of research and experiment on himself, seven days a week. * Janet is recalling classes in Pune in 1974
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Q&A Q: I have been diagnosed with hypoactive thyroid.Can you recommend a daily practice routine? A: For the thyroid if you read Guruji’s advice in A Path to Holistic Health it is clear that sarvāngāsana supported and unsupported and halāsana supported improves the functioning of the thyroid. Urdhva dhanurāsana , vīparita da āsana over a chair and supported paripūrna nāvāsana stimulate the thyroid while supported paschimottānāsana and jānu śīr āsana relax it. There is more that can be done, but it needs to be done with a Junior Intermediate 2, 3 or Senior teacher to see the postures are done correctly to have the right effect.
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Guruji Birthday Celebration Tour 12 - 14 & 17 - 20 December 2008 Guruji Yogacharya BKS Iyengar will be completing 90 years of his life on December 14. We, his students, irrespective of the part of the world we live in, would be eager to celebrate this event in a manner befitting Guruji’s immense contribution to our lives. The programme will be a cultural bonanza and is to be held in Pune as well as South India.
The tentative programme is as follows: Venue: Pune Dates: 12-14 December Programme: A cultural tribute which will include exposition to music, dance, theatre and films. Venue: Tour of South India Dates: 17-20 December Programme: A tour of South India starting from Bnagalore and covering the following: Bellur, Bellur-Hallebid-Sravanabelagola, Mysore Somnathpur, Cauvery Falls and return to Bangalore. For information conact Tig Whattler emai:l ciyc@talk21.com address: 64 Watermoor Road, Cirencester, Glos. GL7 1LD
Sarvangasana
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The IYA (UK) is extremely honoured to host Dr. Geeta S. Iyengar as the guest teacher at a week long convention, taking place in London from Sunday 24th May to Saturday 30th May 2009. Geeta Iyengar is the eldest daughter of Yogacharya BKS Iyengar, and is a renowned and highly respected teacher of yoga. She is co-director of the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) in Pune, India, where she lives and conducts general classes, women’s classes, medical classes and prā āyāma classes. She began practicing yoga as a child under the guidance of her father and began teaching in 1962. This is a rare and exciting opportunity to study under the guidance of Geetaji outside the RIMYI and to learn from the depth of her profound knowledge and experience. Geetaji writes extensively on the subject of yoga, and has developed its practice to help the needs of women and its application for medical conditions. She is a doctor of Ayurvedic Medicine (the traditional Indian medical system) and has studied philosophy. We are indeed fortunate and privileged that Geetaji has agreed to visit the UK. During the Iyengar Yoga Convention, Geetaji will teach a daily āsana and prā āyāma class. As part of the week’s events there will be therapy classes for those with a special need for Geetaji’s expertise, and also an opportunity for questions to be answered by Geetaji personally. The conference will be held at the attractive and refurbished Old Billingsgate market which is located directly on the river Thames just south of the City, with Tower Bridge in view. This venue promises to provide a wonderful environment for practice and learning, as well as being very well positioned for both London’s cultural attractions and transport links. There are more details about the Convention on our website (www.iyengaryoga.org.uk) and on a leaflet enclosed with this magazine. The leaflet contains a booking form, but we would prefer you to book online if you can, and there is a £5 reduction for doing so. Teachers: the Convention is open to all Iyengar practitioners with at least two years’ experience. You may have some students who would like to come, but are not yet members of the IYA and will therefore not have received details of the Convention. Please tell your classes about this unique event. You could photocopy the booking form and hand them out in your classes, or else refer your students to our website. The hall we have booked has a large capacity, so we are not too worried about selling out – please encourage your keen students to come.
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Information The convention has also been lucky enough to secure the use of “the most glamorous, the most sought after venue” in London! Old Billingsgate Market www.oldbillingsgate.co.uk is not only a magnificent contemporary space in a grade ll listed building with dramatic river views but it has an ultra-convenient location in the heart of London and right on the River Thames. Near to dozens of interesting and historic sites and with so much going on, it’s a tourist’s dream – just walk along the river in one direction to pass the iconic landmarks of the National Theatre, the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament, and in the other direction the Tate Modern, St Paul’s Cathedral and Tower Bridge. London has the deserved reputation of being one of the most expensive cities in the world and so it isn’t easy to live cheaply. However all national museums are free, there are wonderful parks and Old Billingsgate is so well situated that transport costs should be at a minimum - and if you do use public transport an ‘Oyster card’ will save you money. For slightly less expensive accommodation try one of the following hotels:Premier Inn London Southwark, a ‘quality assessed budget hotel’; 34 Park Street, London SE1 9EF, Tel 0870 9906402, www.premierinn.com Novotel London Tower Bridge, a ‘stylish and contemporary 3 star hotel’, 10 Pepys Street, London EC3N 2NR, Tel +44 (0)20 7265 6000, www.novotel.com London Bridge Hotel, 8-18 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9SG, Tel +44 (0)20 7855 2200, www.londonbridgehotel.com Purple Hotel City of London a ‘newly built 3 star hotel’, 22-24 Prescott Street, London E1 8BB, Tel 0844 4823217 Travelodge London Liverpool Street ‘part of a budget hotel chain’1 Harrow Place, London E1 7DB, Tel 0871 9846190, www.travelodge.co.uk You could also try one of the hostels near Old Billingsgate: St. Christopher’s Inn Hostel121 Borough High Street, London SE1 1NP, Tel +44 (0)20 7407 1856 YHA London St Paul’s, just 100 m from St Paul’s Cathedral, 36 Carter Lane, London EC4V 5AB YHA London Thameside, a comfortable hostel within walking distance, 20 Salter Road, Rotherhithe, London SE16 5PR Journey’s London Eye, one of London’s best loved hostels also within walking distance 73 Lambeth Walk, Lambeth, London SE11 6DX You can find more at www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/england/london/ There is a longer list of affordable places to stay on the IYA (UK)website. You will also find a list of London IYA (UK) members who are willing to put someone up for the nominal cost of £10 a day, and a link to a hotel booking service for those who want a little more luxury.) Last but not least, between yoga sessions time must be found to fill the stomach. Again, eating in London can be very expensive but the following eating places are nearby and not too pricy: Futures Vegetarian Restaurant, 8 Botolph Alley, London EC3R 8DR - wholesome and delicious vegetarian breakfasts and lunche; Tas Restaurant, 72 Borough High Street, London SE1 1XF; Sofra, 2a Tower Place, London EC3R 5BT - both serving good value Turkish food; The Greenery, 5 Cowcross Street, London EC1M 6DR small lunchtime place serving good solid vegetarian food; Wagamama, 2 Tower Place, London EC3R 5BT - part of a chain serving exceptionally good value oriental food; Planters, 25 Great Tower St, London EC3R 5AQ; Siripur, 25 Great Tower Street, London EC3R 5AQ; Rajasthan, 49 Monument Street, London EC3R 8BU – all Indian restaurants. Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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IYA (UK) Reports Chair’s Report
- Philippe Harari
The AGM held at this year’s annual convention in Newcastle saw the end of my second year as Chair of the IYA (UK) and I have continued to enjoy the job. I will summarise, in no particular order, some of what has happened within the Association since my last report. A great deal of my IYA time has been taken up with organising next year’s convention. As you know, we have the honour to welcome Geetaji to teach for 7 days during the last week of May. We have found a fabulous venue for the event and set up a working group with about 30 members taking responsibility for different aspects of the event. We would much prefer people to sign up for this event on-line but we have also included a paper application form with this magazine. By the time you read this, our new administrators, Jo Duffin and Jess Wallwork, will have been in post for almost a year and they have both settled really well into their jobs. The IYA had a stall at the Mind, Body Spirit Show in Ireland in September 2007, and have booked a stall in partnership with Yogamatters, our official supplier, and IYI (Maida Vale) at this year’s Yoga Show in London. Details of this can be found elsewhere in this magazine. We have written a model constitution for Member Institutes and prepared guidelines on how to set up a new Institute. We would like to welcome the latest new Institute: the Kent Iyengar Yoga Institute (KIYI) and we are pleased to report that we have had several other inquiries about setting up new Institutes. The Executive Council agreed that the first step towards setting up a national Iyengar Association in the Republic of Ireland was to encourage members there to set up two or three member Institutes, from which the national Association can be formed in due course. I am delighted to say that we have now had interest from three areas, based in Dublin, the midland counties and Munster, and we hope to receive their constitutions for approval soon. Our Ethics and Certification Committee agreed to remove the requirement on Introductory teachers to attend 5 hours of ‘specialised’ training every other year as part of the 25 hours they need to do to qualify for Certification Mark renewal. Junior and Senior teachers are still expected to fulfil the requirement. We are currently working on a new Teachers’ Handbook. We have agreed an IYA Sustainability Policy (full text is published in this issue of IYN). Committees have tried to hold as many telephone meetings as possible to save on travelling and many of us now communicate using Skype, to save money. And finally, Di Clow and Joe Burn have now retired as Treasurer and Secretary respectively, to be replaced by Pam Mackenzie and Helen White. I would like to thank Di and Joe most sincerely for the work they have done for the Association. For both of them, their efficiency is matched by their calmness in a crisis and working with them has been a real pleasure for me. I would like to welcome Pam and Helen to the Executive Council and wish them the best in their new roles. 44
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Treasurer Report
Membership Report
- Diane Clow
- Brenda Noble-Nesbit
Financial Accounts year ended 31 March 2007. These accounts were reported in the Treasurer’s report Feb 2008 IYN issue, having been made available via the IYAUK website. They were presented at the June 2008 AGM and accepted as being final. Membership Fees for 2009/10 The membership fees and assessment fees for 2009/10 represent small step increases in membership fees across the board and slightly larger increases for assessments. Assessments are currently incurring larger expenses than income and therefore are starting to strain the IYA (UK) financial base. The Membership, Assessment and Registration Fees for 2009/10 were proposed and accepted as final at the June 2008 AGM. Membership Fees Institute members Individual members + overseas supp. Individual teachers Affiliated Centres Teachers Supplement Teachers concessionary rate Assessments Introductory assessment fees I Introductory assessment fees II Junior Intermediate assessment fees Senior Intermediate assessment fees TT Registration Fees
2009/10 6.25 15.50 15.50 100.00 36.00 21.50 60.00 95.00 95.00 95.00 35.00
New Treasurer I would like to introduce and welcome Pam MacKenzie formally into the role as Treasurer. Pam formally took over as Treasurer on acceptance at the 2008 AGM. Pam brings much financial experience and we wish her all the best in the role. Continuous Improvement On-line Payment is now being looked at for the 2009 Convention. Pam will take this forward in conjunction with the convention committee.
Membership figures for membership year 2008/09 The numbers are recorded to the end of August and are not complete for the year.
June 2008 Institutes Non-Teachers 1146 Teachers 544
Individuals 276 348
Totals 1422 892
Teacher Renewal The number of new teacher members continues to be offset by the number of teachers who do not renew. There is evidence of a decrease in the number of teachers who have renewed their teacher membership electronically, which is not good news for the Membership Office. Electronic payments represent a more efficient method of processing renewals and the idea of working towards having an office which uses less paper is one which we consider to be very important. Non-Teacher Renewal Numbers of non-teacher members remain fairly static. Improvements planned The method of updating the database is archaic and for this reason a new database is planned to be in place for the renewal process in 2009/10, in order to take advantage of the new technology available. Re-instatement of full teacher membership Guidelines for the re-instatement of IYA (UK) full teacher membership are in place and have already proved to be invaluable. These guidelines also apply to teachers who have never had full teacher membership in the past and for whom the term re-instatement does not technically apply. New Member Institute Welcome to the members of the newly formed Kent Iyengar Yoga Institute.
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Office Report Thanks to everyone for making the renewals process go smoothly. If any teachers who have not been contacted directly by me, or who have sent in their renewals in the last few weeks, are still without their insurance certificates please contact me at the main office as all certificates for complete membership renewals have now been sent out. Next year we will be going fully online with the renewals as part of our database upgrade, so be ready to renew online and help save any paper waste. There will still be the possibility of renewing on paper for those who really cannot renew online, but we would like to keep these to a minimum where possible. We are doing our best to promote Iyengar Yoga in the UK so if any of you have any pictures of Iyengar Yoga in the UK that you would be happy to share please can you send them to me at the main office so I can add them to our collection of images for use in publications promoting Iyengar Yoga. Please just send copies or electronic images as I will be unable to return originals. As part of our continued efforts to raise awareness we will also be having a presence at the Yoga Show this year; see right for more details. Hopefully some of you will be able to come and see us and I will get to meet you in person there. Jo Duffin
It has been good fun to become involved in the organising of IYA (UK) events. As we head towards October again and I will have worked a year, I feel I have a real sense of the sequence of assessments, workshops and the convention, and I think I understand more what the IYA (UK) means to its members. Jo and I are happy with the way the work has quite naturally divided between us. The finance administration has been a challenge and I am currently setting up a more efficient system with the help of the accountant on QuickBooks. As many of you are aware, I have young children and I often work in the evenings. The best way to contact me (and the most sustainable way!) is by email. Jess Wallwork
The Yoga Show Olympia London 31 October 1 & 2 November F23 is the IYA (UK) stand number at the show this year. With this issue of Iyengar Yoga News teachers will receive a free entry ticket as well as some “buy one get one free” vouchers for yoga students who attend classes with a registerd IYA teacher. If you have not receievd tese or if you need more vouchers please contact Jo on jo@iyengaryoga.org.uk confirming your teacher status and including your name and address. Don’t forget to visit the IYA (UK) stand No: F23.
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Bellur Report
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Indian Yoga Association
Since October 2007 we have raised £10,441.93 + €400.00 for the Trust set up by Iyengar. Activities The convention raffle was a huge success, and the various events members have held around the country - sponsored headstands, coffee mornings, garden yoga and even yoga on the beach - have been fun ways to raise money, but also awareness of the great things that are being done for the health, welfare and future of the people from Bellur and district communities. Merchandise The BKS Iyengar 90th Birthday Calendar 2008 had completely sold out at the beginning of the year, and has raised £5,584.88 of our total sum. The 2009 Calendar is inspired by asana in nature and the changing seasons. New this coming year
A meeting for the formation of the Indian yoga association was held on 25th may 2008 at Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute Lonavla. The proposed Indian Yoga Association will be registered shortly under the patronage of the Government of India. Yogacharya B.K.S.Iyengar is the President while Shri.O.P.Tiwari is the vice president. SMt.Hansa Ben from Santacruz Yoga institute will head the Accreditation committee,Dr.H.R.Nagendra will head the Research Committee, Smt.Meenakshi Devi will head the Publicity Committee , Shri.Shridharan from Krismacharya Yoga Mandiram will head the Finance Committee while Dr.Krishna Bhat will head the academic committee. This is a big step towards unification of all the schools in India. Subodh Tiwari
· 2009 Calendar · Note Cards · Eco friendly Shopping Bag Whether you buy them for yourself or as gifts, you can be sure that all profits are used to aid the completion and maintenance of Guruji’s vision for the development of Bellur. A big thank you to everyone who has helped raise money for Bellur this year. What else can you do? There are so many different ways to fundraise organise a fundraising enterprise – a yoga day, raffle, sponsored event. Be imaginative and have great fun at the same time! If you haven’t got the time to organize a specific event you can simply make a donation. Whichever way you choose, you know that your donation will be valued.
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IYA (UK) Sustainability Policy The IYA (UK) is committed to promoting sustainability. Developing a harmonious relationship with the environment is central to yoga practice and to our Association. We aim to follow and to promote good sustainability practice, to reduce the environmental impacts of all our activities and to help our members to do the same.
Principles To comply with, and exceed where practicable, all applicable legislation, regulations and codes of practice. To integrate sustainability considerations into all our decisions. To ensure that all staff and members are fully aware of our Sustainability Policy and are committed to implementing and improving it. To minimise the impact on sustainability of all office and transportation activities. To review, annually report, and to continually strive to improve our sustainability performance.
Practical steps
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Purchase of equipment and consumption of resources
Travel and meetings
Minimise our use of paper and other office consumables, for example by doublesiding all paper used, and identifying opportunities to reduce waste. As far as possible arrange for the reuse or recycling of office waste, including paper, computer supplies and redundant equipment. Reduce the energy consumption of office equipment by purchasing energy efficient equipment and good housekeeping. Purchase electricity from a supplier committed to renewable energy. Ensure that timber furniture, and any other timber products, are recycled or from well-managed, sustainable sources and are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.
Avoid physically travelling to meetings etc where alternatives are available and practical, such as using teleconferencing, video conferencing or web cams, and efficient timing of meetings to avoid multiple trips. Adopt a policy on travel expenses that encourages people to use the least environmentally damaging form of transport when travelling to meetings. Encourage telephone participation by those who live a long way from the meeting, and to purchase equipment necessary to make this possible.
Purchase fair-trade and/or organic beverages. All IYA printing (including IYN) to be on non bleached paper from properly managed forests, or recycled paper. Replace paper communication (renewal papers, assessment paperwork etc.) with electronic media as far as possible. Encourage members to renew on-line.
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IYA (UK) Professional Development Days We will be covering Teaching Pregnant Women at a basic level following the recommendations of Guruji and Geetaji (please see IYA News No. 8 Spring 2006 p.33). Later in the day we will be covering Teaching Children. This PD Day will be two workshops taught by the Moderator and local teachers with specialised knowledge. Area
Organiser
Date
Moderator
Anita Butcher 0136 4653012 peter.butcher@virgin.net
27 Sept
Pen Reed
Kim Trowel l01202558049
7 Sept
Julie Brown
Edgar Stringer 01249 716235 (9 - 5) yoglyded@yahoo.com
21 Sept
Judith Jones
Catherine Coulson 07767 366152 Catherine.Coulson@tns-global.com
1 Nov
Richard Agar-Ward
IIYS
Brian Ingram01444 236714 brianiyoga@tesco.net
15 Nov
Brenda Booth
IYIMV
Korinna Pilafidis-Williams 0207 6243080 korinnapw@btinternet.com
30 Nov
Penny Chaplin
Alan Brown 0153 563 7359 alan@dianalan.plus.com
22 Nov
Diane Coats
Dorothea Irvin 0191 3888593 gdirvin@talktalk.net
4 Oct
Margaret Austin
Sheila Haswell 01494 521107 sheila@sarva.co.uk
22 Nov
Sheila Haswell
Mona Hislop 01968 675546 mona.hislop@btopenworld.com
28 Sept
Elaine Pidgeon & Meg Laing
Margaret Cashman 01884 0017 info@iyengaryogacentre.com
4 Oct
Pen Reed
South West SWIYI Chagford
DHIYI West & South Wales AIYI London & South East NELIYI
East Central & North SADIYI & BDIYI North East & Cumbria NEIYI South Central ORIYI
Scotland Edinburgh
Ireland North County Dublin
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Teacher Trainers NAME Kirsten Agar Ward Richard Agar Ward Gordon Austin Margaret Austin Rosamund Bell Brenda Booth Tricia Booth Alan Brown Julie Brown David Browne Pamela Butler Sophie Carrington Gerry Chambers Penny Chaplin Diane Coats Lyn Farquhar Helen Gillan Grainne Gilleece George Glen Helen Graham Sheila Green Aisling Guirke Cecilia Harrison Sheila Haswell Julie Hodges Dawn Hodgson Frances Homewood Judith Jones Marion Kilburn Meg Laing Susan Long Alaric Newcombe Christina Niewola Jayne Orton Sasha Perryman Elaine Pidgeon Silvia Prescott Lynda Purvis Pen Reed Judith Richards Ursula Schoonraad Judith Soffa Sallie Sullivan Judi Sweeting Elizabeth Tonner Judith Van Dop Sue Vassar
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Italics indicate those still training to be Teacher Trainers.
AREA Bath & North East Somerset Bath & North East Somerset Tyne and Wear Tyne and Wear London Kent Derbyshire West Yorkshire Cheshire Tyne and Wear Kent London Bristol London Tyne and Wear Perthshire Co.Sligo Co.Dublin Midlothian Glasgow Herefordshire Co.Dublin Nottinghamshire Buckinghamshire London County Durham South Yorkshire Berkshire Manchester MidLothian Essex London Cheshire West Midlands Cambridgeshire MidLothian London Bristol Cheshire Surrey London Merseyside East Sussex Gloucestershire West Yorkshire Cornwall Somerset
EMAIL office@bath-iyengar-yoga.com office@bath-iyengar-yoga.com yoga@austinmg.fsnet.co.uk yoga@austinmg.fsnet.co.uk r.j.bell@open.ac.uk brendaboothkent@aol.com tricia@booth1.plus.com alan@dianalan.plus.com julie.brownie@virgin.net davebrowne100@yahoo.co.uk p.butler@3mail.com sophie_am_carrington@yahoo.com office@yogawest.co.uk Pennyyoga@btopenworld.com coats@ukonline.co.uk helengillan@eircom.net grainne.gilleece@ireland.com georgeglenok@yahoo.co.uk heleng.yoga@ntlworld.com jonathanmgreen@hotmail.com aislingguirke@eircom.net cecilia.harrison@ntlworld.com Sheila@sarva.co.uk harriesjh@aol.com franceshomewood@hotmail.com jjyoga@btinternet.com marionkilburnyoga@hotmail.com m.laing@ed.ac.uk alaricnewcombe@yahoo.co.uk chris@niewola.com info@iyengaryoga.uk.com sashaperryman@yahoo.co.uk elaine.pidgeon@virgin.net office@yogawest.co.uk penreed24@aol.com judithrich@btinternet.com enquiries@iyyoga.com mail@yogastudio.f9.co.uk sallie.sullivan@virgin.net ciyc@talk21.com liztonner@hotmail.com judithvandop@hotmail.com susan.vassar@btinternet.com
TELEPHONE 01225319699 01225319699 01915487457 01915487457 02083409899 01892740876 01663732927 01535637359 01625879090 01915213470 01689851232 02087787640 01179243330 02076244287 01914154132 01786823174 +353719146171 +35382393410 01875320765 01416420476 01981580081 +353872891664 01159857692 01494711589 02083929120 01325721518 01142335753 0148871838 01614429003 01316677790 01245421496 02072819491 01260 279565 01216082229 01223515929 01315529871 02076244577 01179243330 01614271763 02083981741 02086727315 01517094923 01273478271 01285653742 01484315736 01736360880 01643704260
All teachers who are working towards Junior or Senior certificates or who are teaching others need to be familiar with the up-to-date syllabuses for the relevant level. This information is available on the IYA website in the ‘Policy Documents’ section or from the IYA office.
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Assessment Passes JUNIOR LEVEL I
JUNIOR LEVEL II
JUNIOR LEVEL III
Khairoun Abji Andrea Anderson Michael Balshaw Andrew Benfield Elizabeth Biggin Annette Bluhdorn Frances Brooke-Popham Stephanie Cavallin Nancy Clarke Philippa Egerton Julia Fanciullacci Charlott Hill Tamara Hockey Angela Hulm Isabel Jones-Fielding Peter Kosasih Libby Lee Teresa Lewis Karen Long Pat Lunn Aubrey Maasdorp Anna Macedo Elaine Martin Louise McMullan Valerie Miller Fionnuala O’Hare Roisin O’Shea Ginny Owen Alan Parkinson Elizabeth Perrior Laura Potts Christine Rumley Camilla Sanni Caroline Smith Jacky Taylor Sarah Toward-Choi Deborah Wilkinson Carol Young
Dominic Batten Miriam Brady Janette Browne Lyn Buckby Tessa Bull Anita Butcher Annette Cahill Sharon Cameron Sorcha Carroll Sarah Constantinides (nee Mansfield) Priscila Diniz Emily Druiff Marcus Evans Grazia Farina Carolyn Ferguson Annie Forward John Fuller Matthew Greenfield Alexia Hudson Jon Hunt Sharon Klaff Frances McKee Wendy Newell Julia Owen Melanie Palmer Cristina Rueda Paula Savery Roberto Silva Andy Tait Helen White
Sue Chapman Andrew Hall Leela Grethe Hansen John Leachman Jo Oldfield Lindsey Patterson Myka Ransom Wendy Sykes Amanda Whitehead
Congratulations to all those who gained success in their assessments
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Classes at RIMYI If you wish to attend classes at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, Pune, you must apply through the IYA (UK). Individual applications sent directly to the RIMYI will not be accepted (people from some other countries with less well established national associations do apply directly to the Institute using a form that they download from the RIMYI website, but this option is not open to people from the UK, and definitely does not result in getting onto classes earlier). The application process is as follows: 1. Download an application form from the IYA (UK) website (www.iyengaryoga.org.uk) or contact our Office Manager on 020 8269 2595 or at admin@iyengaryoga.org.uk 2. Fill out the form and send with a Bankers Draft for US$150 made out to RIMYI to: Penny Chaplin, Flat 1, St. Johns Court, Finchley Road, London NW3 6LL Please do not include photos or personal mail. Please note: For admission, the RIMYI requests that the student’s practice of eight years reflects an understanding of the foundation of Iyengar Yoga. This would include the regular practice of inverted poses (8-10 mins. in the inverted postures), and the regular practise of prā āyāma. Women should know what is to be practised during menstruation. All students should have read, at the minimum, the introductory chapter to Light on Yoga 52
and be familiar with the terms and principles covered in that chapter; RIMYI offers one or two months admission. No extensions beyond two months under any circumstances; The total cost is $US400 a month and a $US150 must be paid in advance, with the balance payable on arrival at the RIMYI. The advance deposit is part of the fees and hence not transferable to any other person or course. It is non-refundable. In additon to the balance of $US250 payable on arrival at the RIMYI, you will need to present your letter of confirmation and two photocopies of your passport and visa; Six classes are given per week, each for two hours duration. A schedule will be given on arrival; The last week of each month will be prā āyāma classes; The classes will be conducted by BKS Iyengar or his daughter or son or by staff members; When applying please include relevant bio-data with any health conditions; Certificates will not be issued at the end of the course; You will need to make your own arrangements for board and lodging; Applications are for individuals only - no groups. However, if you would like to go at the same time as a friend, you should both indicate this clearly on your application form.
the RIMYI, please enclose a sae. All application forms are automatically forwarded to Pune and there is absolutely no selection process at this stage. 4. When the administrator at RIMYI, Mr Pandurang Rao, receives your application form he will automatically place you on the next available course and send you a confirmation letter. Please note: The RIMYI receives many applications from all over the world; the waiting list for classes is around two years; You may have to wait from three months to a year to receive your confirmation letter; If your confirmation letter comes direct from India please let Penny know. You will know the letter has come direct from India by the stamp and postmark. If you receive a photocopied letter posted from London then your confirmation letter has gone through Penny and you don’t need to inform her. (Pandu sometimes sends a group of confirmation letters to Penny for her to forward to applicants); Do not ask to change the date you are given unless you have a serious need to do so on compassionate grounds. Check the IYA (UK) website for more information, travel details, contact numbers for accommodation etc. www.iyengaryoga.org.uk
3. If you would like a confirmation that your application form and bankers draft has been sent to Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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Yoga Rahasya Yoga Rahasya is a quarterly Iyengar yoga journal published in India. Four issues a year are mailed to you, normally starting from the next available issue. Back copies are sometimes available at ÂŁ4.00 each. If you wish to subscribe or renew your subscription please send your name, address with post code, telephone number and email address to: Tig Whattler address: 64 Watermoor Road Cirencester Glos. GL7 1LD. email: ciyc@talk21.com Cheques payable to IYA (UK) Please write a separate note listing any back copies you might require. If you need a receipt please include a self addressed and stamped envelope
In order to comply with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998, IYA (UK) agrees not to release the details you give us here to any external party without first seeking your permission. We may pass on these details to our Indian Yoga Rahasya publishing partners. This information is collected, stored and processed for the purposes of Yoga Rahasya journal subscription and distribution administration. IYA (UK) does not sell or exchange its membership lists with other organisations.
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IYA (UK) Executive Council Officer
Rep.
Name
Telephone
Chairperson
Philippe Harari
philippe.harari@runbox.com
01223523410
Treasurer
Pam Mackenzie
pammackenzie@blueyonder.co.uk
02083738356
Secretary
Helen White
white.helen@btinternet.com
01132746463
Membership Sec.
Brenda Noble Nesbitt b.noblenesbitt@gmail.com
01913884118
Vice Chairperson
Ros Bell
r.j.bell@open.ac.uk
02083409899
AIYI
Edgar Stringer
yoglyded@yahoo.co.uk
01249716235
BDIYI
vacancy
CIYI
vacancy Andrea Smith
andrea@iyengaryoga.me.uk
02392466750
ESIYI
Linda Head
head1@blueyonder.co.uk
01315552651
GWISIYI
vacancy
IIYS
Andy Roughton
amroughton@yahoo.co.uk
01273326205
LIYI
Helen Green
h.green@merseymail.com
01517287207
Prabhakara
prabhakara@freeuk.com
01214497496
MDIIY
Deb Bartholomew
debrabartholomew@btinternet.com 01706841942
MDIIY
Janice Yates
janice.yates@sky.com
NEIIY
Brenda Noble-Nesbitt b.noblenesbitt@gmail.com
01913884118
NELIYI
Tessa Bull
tessabull@onetel.com
02083402091
ORIYI
Judith Jones
jjyoga@btinternet.com
0148 871838
SADIYA
Wendy Weller Davies
wendy@wellerdavies.co.uk
01142363039
SWIYI
Janice Chesher
janicechesher@waitrose.com
01872552867
RoI Rep
Aisling Guirke
aisling_guirke@hotmail.com
00353872891664
RoI Rep
Eileen Cameron
eileencameron@eircom.net
0035312841799
Hon Mem
Elaine Pidgeon
elaine.pidgeon@virgin.net
01315529871
Individual
Patsy Sparksman
patsyyoga@aol.com
0208455 6366
Individual
Louise Cartledge
louise.cartledge@btinternet.com
01428 645825
Individual
Alan Brown
alan@dianalan.plus.com
Individual
Diane Goldrei
dianegoldrei@googlemail.com
Individual
Sharon Klaff
sharon.klaff@btopenworld.com
Deputy Secretary DHIYI
Deputy Treasurer MCIYI
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01613683614
07799626277
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IYA (UK) Committee Members Committee chairs are in bold. Co-opted (ie. non-Executive Council) members are in italics. Management Committee Philippe Harari, Ros Bell, Alan Brown, Helen White, Pam Mackenzie, Judith Jones Planning Ros Bell, Alan Brown, Louise Cartledge, Di Clow, Philippe Harari, Brenda Noble Nesbitt, Prabhakara, Andrea Smith, Helen White Ethics and Certification Judith Jones, Elaine Pidgeon, Ros Bell, Penny Chaplin, Pen Reed, Judi Soffa, Judi Sweeting,, Tig Whattler Assessment and Teacher Training Alan Brown, Margaret Austin, Debbie Bartholomew, Julie Brown, Brenda Booth, Sheila Haswell, Meg Laing, Jayne Orton, Sasha Perryman Communications & Public Relations Philippe Harari, John Cotgreave (IYN), Diane Goldrei (PR), Judith Jones (IYN), Sharon Klaff (IYN), Rachel Lovegrove (IYN), Lucy Osman (IYN), Andy Roughton (website) Archives/Research Debbie Bartholomew, Suzanne Newcombe, Janice Yates
Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
Conventions/Events Patsy Sparksman, Tessa Bull, Judith Richards Moderators Richard Agar Ward, Margaret Austin, Brenda Booth, Tricia Booth, Julie Brown, Dave Browne, Penny Chaplin, Diane Coats, Sheila Haswell, Judith Jones, Marian Kilburn, Meg Laing, Sasha Perryman, Elaine Pidgeon, Jayne Orton, Pen Reed, Judi Sweeting, Professional Development Days Co-ordinator Judi Sweeting Assessment Coordinator Meg Laing Senior Intermediate Assessment Organiser Jayne Orton Junior Intermediate Assessment Organiser Elizabeth Tonner Introductory Assessment Organiser Sheila Haswell Republic of Ireland Assessment Co-ordinator Margaret Austin
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Iyengar Institutes & Events Listings Avon Bob Philips yogabob@homecall.co.uk 0117 9639006
Bradford and District Alan Brown events@bdiyi.org.uk 01535 637357 www.bdiyi.org.uk
Cambridge Sasha Perryman sashaperryman@yahoo.co.uk 01223 515929 www.cambridgeyoga.co.uk
Dorset and Hampshire Ealine Rees 01202 483951 www.DHIYI.co.uk
East of Scotland www.eastscotlandyoga.org
Glasgow and West of Scotland www.gwsiyi.org
Sussex Brian Ingram brianiyoga@tesco.net 01444 236714 www.iiys.org.uk
Kent Angela Hulm angelahulm@hotmail.com 020 8462 5868 www.kentyoga.org.uk 56
Please contact the events organiser for details of events and classes, or see the ‘events’ page on the IYA (UK) website: www.iyengaryoga.org.uk
13 September 2008 Diane Coats- Venue TBC 2 November 2008 Elizabeth Tonner, Greenacre Community Centre, Rawdon, Leeds
Sunday workshops with Sasha Perryman 10-1pm lunch
Please contact the events organiser, Kim Trowell on 01202 445049 for details of events and classes, or see the ‘events’ page on the IYA (UK) website: www.iyengaryoga.org.uk
Nov Guruji's 90th Birthday celebration - details to be announced
Please contact the events organiser for details of events and classes, or see the ‘events’ page on the IYA (UK) website: www.iyengaryoga.org.uk
15 Nov - Professional Development Day, Brighton Natural Health Centre
Please contact the events organiser for details of events and classes, or see the ‘events’ page on the IYA (UK) website: www.iyengaryoga.org.uk
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Iyengar Institutes & Events Listings Liverpool
Please contact the events organiser for details of events
Judi Soffa mail@yogastudio.f9.co.uk 0151 7094923
and classes, or see the ‘events’ page on the IYA (UK) website: www.iyengaryoga.org.uk
Midland Counties
11 Oct 2008 - Yoga Morning with Rita Gardner, Mosley,
Brian Jack wejacksis@btinternet.com 01789 205322 www.mciyi.co.uk
Manchester and District Janice Yates janice.yates@sky.com 01613 683614 www.mdiiy.org.uk
North East Gordon Austin yoga@austinmg.wanadoo.co.uk 01915 487457
North East London
Birmingham
1 Nov 2008 - Yoga Day with Marion Kilburn, Stratford Rd, Shirley
29 Nov 2008 - Yoga Morning Teacher TBC, Mosley, Birmingham.
20 September – Julie Brown 24-27 October – Stephanie Quirk October – Christian Pisano
Please contact the events organiser for details of events and classes, or see the ‘events’ page on the IYA (UK) website: www.iyengaryoga.org.uk
1 November 2008 PD day with Richard Agar Ward
Nancy Clarke nancyclarke@btinternet.com
0208 44 20617 www.neliyi.org.uk
O . R . I . Y. I .
Oxford and Region
11 October - Natalie Blondell, St Bartholomew's School,
Jenny Furby jenny.yoga@btinternet.com 01264 324104 www.oriyi.org.uk
Andover Road, Newbury, Berks RG14 6JP (Wormestall site, on corner of Buckingham Road/Enborne Road). 1 November 2008 - Judi Sweeting and Tig Whattler Members £15 for half day am/pm or £25 for full day. £5 for day membership.
Sheffield and District
Please contact the events organiser for details of events
Dominic Batten dombatten@aol.com 0114 264 9418
South West Jean Kutz jean_kutz@hotmail.co.uk 01872 572807 www.swiyengaryoga.ukf.net Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
and classes, or see the ‘events’ page on the IYA (UK) website: www.iyengaryoga.org.uk
27 September - Professional Development Day 28 September - Pen Reed - Chagford, Devon 4 October - Richard Agar Ward - Penryn, Cornwall
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Iyengar Yoga merchandise Yogamatters is the official supplier chosen by the IYA(UK). We supply a wide range of yoga mats, props, books and other media. Wholesale rates are available. You can order online at www.yogamatters.com or by ‘phone 020 8888 8588 or by post to Yogamatters, 32 Clarendon Road, London, N8 0DJ Lois Steinberg
Geeta Iyengar’s Guide to a Woman’s Yoga Practice £35.00
Amy Luwis
Yoga to the Rescue
£8.99
Prashant Iyengar
The Alpha and Omega of Trikonasana
£6.99
BKS Iyengar
Archive Project 2007 (Limited Edition)
£19.99
BKS Iyengar
Art of Yoga (Indian edition back in print)
£10.99
BKS Iyengar
Astadala Yogamala Vol 1 – 5
BKS Iyengar
Tree of Yoga (Indian/US editions back in print)
£9.99
Prashant Iyengar
A ‘Class’ After a Class
£3.99
Prashant Iyengar
Guruji Uwach
£5.99
Manouso Manos (ed)
Iyengar: His Life and Works
£12.99
BKS Iyengar
Iyengar Intensive at Estes Park (5 dvd set)
£69.99
BKS Iyengar
Iyengar Yoga for Beginners
Geeta Iyengar
Iyengar Yoga for Motherhood (tbc)
Kofi Busia (ed)
Iyengar: The Yoga Master, Essays & Appreciations £14.99
BKS Iyengar
Light on Life
BKS Iyengar
Light on Pranayama
BKS Iyengar
Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
£12.99
BKS Iyengar
Light on Yoga
£14.99
Prashant Iyengar
Lyricised Yoga Sutras
Krishna Raman
A Matter of Health
Prashant Iyengar
Prashant Uvacha
Dr JT Shah
Therapeutic Yoga
£17.99
Geeta Iyengar
Yoga: A Gem for Women
£10.99
Geeta Iyengar
£9.99 £16.99
£12.99 £9.99
£4.99 £27.99 £9.99
Swati & Rajiv Chanchani Yoga for Children
£10.99
Yoga In Action: Preliminary Course
£6.99
Chris Saudek
Yoga Kurunta
BKS Iyengar
Yoga Rahasya Volume A + B
Geeta Iyengar
Yoga Sadhana: Mobility in Stability
BKS Iyengar
Yoga The Path to Holistic Health
yogamatters.com
Various
Yogadhara
£10.99
020 8888 8588
Bobby Clennell
The Woman’s Yoga Book
£14.99
Wholesale rates AVAILABLE ON ALL TITLES
Special offers AND MORE TITLES ONLINE
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each: £9.99
£12.99 set: £15.99 £4.99 £25.00
Iyengar Yoga News No. 13 - Autumn 2008
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Iyengar Yoga News We only print quarter page adverts (80mm wide by 118mm high); you can either send the completed artwork (as a ‘press quality’ PDF, a high resolution JPEG or a QuarkXpress document) OR you can send the images (as high res. JPEGs) and wording and we will make the advert up for you. Please note: · Advertisements for yoga classes, events, holidays etc. - will be only be accepted from certificated Iyengar Yoga teachers · Advertisements for Yoga Centres will only be accepted from official Iyengar yoga organisations · Where yoga equipment is itemised in an advert, this will only be accepted for equipment which is used within the Iyengar method. The name ‘Iyengar’ must not be used as an adjective attached to specific items of equipment e.g. use ‘blocks for Iyengar practice’ rather than ‘Iyengar blocks’ etc. · Goods or services which are not used in yoga and/or which are not acceptable within the Iyengar method will not be advertised in IYN · Advertisements for other goods (e.g. Books/CD ROMS/videos) will only be published if they concern the Iyengar method or have otherwise been approved by the Ethics & Certification Committee of the IYA (UK)
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Vacancy Editor required Iyengar Yoga News needs a new editor. We are ideally looking for someone whose day job involves some form of publishing expertise who also has computer skills. The ability to have ideas and bring them to fruition is an asset as the job involves commissioning articles, designing the sequence of the magazine and working closely with the entire editorial board. You will be a member of the editorial team and like all executive posts it is not a paid position. All interested applicants please apply to Philippe Harari on philippe.harari@runbox.com
If you wish to advertise in the next issue of Iyengar Yoga News, please send all text, photographs or artwork by the next issue deadline of November 1st, 2008 to: jbcotgreave@hotmail.co.uk Advertising rates Circulation: 2800 Quarter page: £40; Small ads: 50p per word NB. the Editorial Board reserves the right to refuse to accept advertisements or parts of advertisements that are deemed to be at variance with the stated aims of the Iyengar Yoga Association (UK). IYA (UK) does not necessarily endorse any products etc. advertised in this magazine.
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Yo g a Supplies Inexpensive INDIAN YOGA BELTS, BANDAGES, BOLSTER SETS, PRANAYAMA SETS, ROPES. Call 01225 319699 or e-mail kirsten@bath-iyengar-yoga.com for price list
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Yoga Retreat in Portugal with Rachel Lovegrove 18th October to 15th October 2008 Quinta Mimosa, Algarve. Fully equipped yoga studio, peaceful location and wonderful food. Accommodation, brunch and yoga from only £399 (€500). Shorter breaks available. www.orangetreeyoga.com or contact Rachel on 0207-558-8658 rachel@orangetreeyoga.com
Instructional Iyengar Yoga DVD/Video
DO YOU NEED HELP TO PRACTICE YOGA AT HOME? ‘Practice and Enjoy’ with Julie Brown Designed to help you practice yoga at home as well as in your class. For beginners and experienced students alike. 5 sessions of 15-20 minutes each. Includes a relaxation session, plus limbering-in poses for the beginning of each session. To order ‘Practice and Enjoy’ with Julie Brown or for fur ther information : 01625 879090 Julie.brownie@virgin.net £12.99 each plus P&P (Discounts for bulk orders) Julie Brown has taught for over 25 years and is a Qualified Senior Teacher of Iyengar Yoga 60
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Guruji 90 glorious years 62
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