Yoga samachar spring summer2014

VOL. 18 NO. 1

Spring/Summer 2014

CONTENTS

YOGA SAMACHAR’S MISSION

Letter From the President – Janet Lilly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Yoga Samachar, the magazine of the Iyengar Yoga community in the United States and beyond, is published twice a year by the Communications Committee of the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States (IYNAUS). The word samachar means “news” in Sanskrit. Along with the website, www.iynaus.org, Yoga Samachar is designed to provide interesting and useful information to IYNAUS members to:

News From the Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Which Comes First: Restful Sleep or a Nourishing Yoga Practice? – Michelle D. Williams . . . . . . . . 8 The Long and Short of a Good Night’s Sleep – Roger Cole . . . . . 9 Ahimsa 101 – Suzie Muchnick, with Michael Spencer . . . . . . 13 Balancing With Chef Allison – Michelle D. Williams . . . . . . . 17 It’s All About the Questions: How to Balance Work and Practice – Willamarie Moore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 The Teacher of Dharma: Geetaji Iyengar – Naghmeh Ahi . . . .

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More on Community and Consciousness – Manouso Manos Talks With Birjoo Mehta . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Lifelong Practice: Eric Small – Janet Lilly . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Musings: An Anomaly in Suburbia – Kim Peralta . . . . . . . . . 31 Letter From the Certification Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 2013 Iyengar Yoga Assessments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Treasurer’s Report – David Carpenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Back Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

IYNAUS Board Member Contact List Spring/Summer 2014 Leslie Bradley certification@iynaus.org

Eric Small ericsmall@yogams.com

David Carpenter dcarpenter@sidley.com

Nancy Watson nancyatiyanus@aol.com

Alex Cleveland clevelandalex@yahoo.com

Denise Weeks denise.iynaus@gmail.com

Rebecca Lerner rlerner108@comcast.net

Sharon Cowdery (general manager) generalmanager@iynaus.org

Janet Lilly lilly.janet@gmail.com Michael Lucey 1michael.lucey@gmail.com Tori Milner torimilner@yahoo.com Phyllis Rollins phyllis204@bellsouth.net Kathy Simon kathyraesimon@gmail.com

Contact IYNAUS: P.O. Box 538 Seattle WA 98111 206.623.3562 www.iynaus.org

• Promote the dissemination of the art, science, and philosophy of yoga as taught by B.K.S. Iyengar, Geeta Iyengar, and Prashant Iyengar • Communicate information regarding the standards and training of certified teachers • Report on studies regarding the practice of Iyengar Yoga • Provide information on products that IYNAUS imports from India • Review and present recent articles and books written by the Iyengars • Report on recent events regarding Iyengar Yoga in Pune and worldwide • Be a platform for the expression of experiences and thoughts from members, both students and teachers, about how the practice of yoga affects their lives • Present ideas to stimulate every aspect of the reader’s practice

YOGA SAMACHAR IS PRODUCED BY THE IYNAUS PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE Committee Chair: Tori Milner Editor: Michelle D. Williams Copy Editor: Denise Weeks Design: Don Gura Advertising: Rachel Frazee Members can submit an article or a practice sequence for consideration for inclusion in future issues. Articles should be well-written and submitted electronically. The Yoga Samachar staff reserves the right to edit accepted submissions to conform to the rules of spelling and grammar, as well as to the Yoga Samachar house style guidelines.

Submissions must include the author’s full name and biographical information related to Iyengar Yoga, along with email contact and phone number.

Submission deadline for the Spring/Summer issue is March 1.

Submission deadline for the Fall/Winter issue is Sept. 1.

Please send queries to yogasamachar@iynaus.org one month prior to these deadlines.

Advertising

Cover Illustration: Vy Boutdy-Tatun

Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar

Yoga Samachar is now accepting paid advertising. Full-page, half-page and quarter-page ads are available for placement throughout the magazine, and a classified advertising section is available for smaller ads. All advertising is subject to IYNAUS board approval. Find the ad rates at iynaus.org/yoga-samachar.

For more information, including artwork specifications and deadlines, please contact Rachel Frazee at rhazuga@gmail.com or 608-780-6774.

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IYNAUS Officers and Standing Committees

Letter

FROM THE PRESIDENT

President: Janet Lilly Vice President: Michael Lucey Secretary: Denise Weeks Treasurer: David Carpenter

Dear Fellow IYNAUS Members,

Archives Committee

Steinberg at the B.K.S. Iyengar Institute of Champaign-Urbana. I was in such a jumble

Eric Small, Chair

Kim Kolibri, Director of Archives Lindsey Clennell, Elaine Hall, Linda Nishio, Deborah Wallach

Certification Committee

Leslie Bradley, Certification Chair Dean Lerner, James Murphy Nancy Stechert, Lois Steinberg

Elections Committee

Gloria Goldberg, Chair

I recently returned from a wonderful couple days of teacher training with Lois preparing for my visit—negotiating the polar vortex and cancelled school days—that I neglected to read the training syllabus. In addition to being embarrassed (particularly because I so often exhort my students at the university where I teach to read their course syllabi), I had an opportunity to reflect on the theme of this Yoga Samachar issue: How to balance the essential components of life—and what parts of life can interfere with our yoga practice?

Chris Beach

Ethics Committee

Rebecca Lerner, Chair Joan White, Sue Salaniuk, Michael Lucey

Events Committee

Nancy Watson, Chair Patrina Dobish, Gloria Goldberg, Colleen Gallagher, Phyllis Rollins

Finance Committee

David Carpenter, Chair Janet Lilly

Governance Committee Janet Lilly, Chair

Contributing to these personal reflections was Sutra IV.3, one that Lois returned to again and again over the course of several classes (as translated by Mr. Iyengar): Nature’s efficient cause does not impel its potentialities into action but helps to remove the obstacles to evolution, just as a farmer builds banks to irrigate his fields.

This sutra provides such a beautiful frame for yoga practice and our relationship as practitioners to the Iyengars and the senior teachers who shape the riverbanks that help guide our practice.

David Carpenter, David Larsen

Membership Committee Phyllis Rollins, Chair

IMIYA – Melody Madonna IYAGNY – Oliver Luisi IYAMN – Elizabeth Cowan IYAMW – Becky Meline IYANC – Risa Blumlien IYANE – Kathleen Swanson IYANW – Margrit von Braun IYASC-LA – Kat Lee Shull IYASC-SD – Lynn Patton IYASCUS – Michelle Mock IYASE – Diana Martinez IYASW – Lisa Henrich

Publications Committee Tori Milner, Chair

Carole Del Mul, Don Gura, Rachel Frazee, Richard Jonas, Denise Weeks, Michelle D. Williams

Public Relations and Marketing Committee

In the last issue of Yoga Samachar, I mentioned that we were starting a new ongoing column, Lifelong Practice. I was delighted to hear back from so many members with suggestions for longtime practitioners to interview. It was an inspiration for me to interview Eric Small for the first column, and I hope that you enjoy his comments in this issue about his 50-plus years of studying Iyengar Yoga.

In last year’s strategic planning process, many IYNAUS members expressed their desire to connect with more senior teachers. In response, IYNAUS Vice President Michael Lucey and Secretary Denise Weeks began a Senior Teaching Spotlight that will appear about four times a year in our regular “Updates from IYNAUS” e-blasts. The first spotlight featured Kristin Chirhart reflecting on her early days of study in Pune and memories of Guruji and the Iyengar family.

Janet Lilly, Chair

Regional Support Committee Alex Cleveland, Chair

IMIYA – Melody Madonna IYAGNY – Oliver Luisi IYAMN – Katy Olson IYAMW – Jennie Williford IYANC – Heather Haxo Phillips IYANE – Jarvis Chen IYANW – Anne Geil IYASC-LA – Bee Ottinger & Paige Guthrie Hodges IYASC-SD – Lynn Patton IYASCUS – Anne Marie Schultz & Pauline Schloesser IYASE – Alex Cleveland IYASW – Lisa Henrich & Josephine Lazarus

Scholarship and Awards Committee Denise Weeks, Chair

Chris Beach, Leslie Freyberg, Richard Jonas, Lisa Jo Landsberg, Pat Musburger, John Schumacher

Service Mark & Certification Mark Committee Gloria Goldberg, Attorney in Fact for B.K.S. Iyengar Rebecca Lerner, Board Liaison

Systems & Technology Committee

Also as a result of member responses to strategic planning, one of our Systems and Technology committee members, Sharon Honeycutt, started an IYNAUS Facebook page (I know, many of you are saying, “At long last!”). One of her first posts was of Patricia Walden’s glorious backbend practice, and I was amazed to see how many “hits” the page received from members and nonmembers, with 182 new “likes” in one week alone, and a total weekly reach of 3,171 people!

Finally, Gloria Goldberg has stepped in as the IYNAUS Elections Committee Chair. We are grateful for her generous contributions in this critical area of our association, and we look forward to welcoming incoming IYNAUS Board members this fall. Regional representation is just one of the ways that the IYNAUS Board connects to the membership, and all members are encouraged to contact their regional board or the national board with suggestions to improve communication or increase the visibility of Iyengar Yoga.

Janet Lilly, Chair

Sharon Cowdery, Shaaron Honeycutt, Ed Horneij, William McKee, David Weiner

Yoga Research Committee Kathy Simon, Chair

Jerry Chiprin, Jean Durel, Kimberly Williams

With many thanks,

Janet Lilly, President IYANUS Board of Directors

IYNAUS Senior Council Chris Saudek, John Schumacher, Patricia Walden

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Yoga Samachar Spring/Summer 2014

News

FROM THE REGIONS

IMIYA

IMIYA Develops One-, Three- and Five-Year Action Plans

Community Involvement IMIYA will sponsor its third annual Yoga Day on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014. Yoga Day is a community-building event and an

The Intermountain Iyengar Yoga Association (IMIYA) is

opportunity for students to take classes with different certified

committed to four distinct goals:

Iyengar Yoga instructors in our region. Yoga Day is offered to IMIYA members at a discounted price, but everybody is welcome.

• Helping members deepen their individual yoga practice For the second year in a row, we’ll participate in Yoga Rocks the • Teaching the Iyengar method to new and continuing students

Park, a celebration of yoga, music, and community for the entire family in parks across the U.S. to spread the word about yoga. These monthly events begin Memorial Day weekend and

• Disseminating the values inherent in the art, science,

go through September in Denver. Check the website

and philosophy of yoga according to the teachings of

(www.yogarocksthepark.com) for events in your city. There will

B.K.S. Iyengar

be one or two IMIYA board members at each event in Denver, staffing a table to talk about the benefits of Iyengar Yoga.

• Promoting awareness of those teachings throughout our region (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming)

IYAGNY Since opening in July 2013, the Iyengar Yoga Institute of

To address these goals, the IMIYA Board has been working with

Brooklyn has enjoyed many successes. Nine Iyengar Yoga

an outside consultant—Aaron Cohen of 3PG Consulting—to

Association of Greater New York (IYAGNY) teachers have asked

help us align our member services and other activities with

to join the faculty, benefit workshops run almost every

these goals. We began with two half-day planning sessions in

Saturday, and classes continue to grow. The tree of Iyengar Yoga

March. Here are some of the items on our agenda:

is flourishing in Brooklyn.

• Create multiyear strategic goals with well-defined

The flagship Institute in Manhattan held its 10th annual

organizational alignment

Yogathon and Mary Dunn Celebration. Its biggest yearly gettogether, the event celebrates Senior Teacher Mary Dunn’s

• Generate one- and three-year plans based on the multiyear goals

ongoing contributions to the community, including the Spirit of Mary Dunn Class, in which teachers teach pose the way they remember Mary teaching it. Each year, participants present

• Develop a schedule for reviewing IMIYA’s progress and updating our plans as needed

poses for duration, repetition, or artistic merit, asking sponsors to pledge them. This year’s fundraising goal was $50,000, and attendants were asked to “Take It to the Next Level” at the

• Address board roles and responsibilities to ensure that our efforts have maximum impact • Develop goals and strategies for fundraising to make IMIYA’s budget reliable and sustainable

event. The Yogathon was the Institute’s last event held in its current home on the 11th floor of 150 West 22nd Street.

Later this summer, the New York Institute will move to the second floor of the building into a reconfigured space with more room for classrooms and a library of Iyengar Yoga

During the two half-day sessions, we put together one-, three-,

resources that will be open to the community.

and five-year goals for the board. Our primary aim is to make the promise of yoga—the union of body, mind, and spirit—

The community also enjoyed the return of inspiring guest

easily accessible to all through a compassionate approach to

teacher, Matthew Sanford, author of Waking.

allow the true self to shine into the world.

The four-day June workshop included a writing workshop and a conversation with neuroscientist Barbara Ganzel at The Rubin

We set some fairly aggressive objectives, tasks, and actions;

Museum of Art.

measures of success; and accountability and follow-up for each board member. Of course, we’ll be looking for volunteers to help us succeed with all of our long-term goals. We also look forward to putting together comprehensive operational guidelines for all board members as they commence with their board activities.

Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar

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News

FROM THE REGIONS

IYALA

As always, many fabulous workshops and classes continue to

The former Iyengar Yoga Association of Southern California

be offered in our area. These include workshops by H.S. Arun, a

(IYASC) attempted to coordinate activities over a very large

close disciple of B.K.S. Iyengar, Prashant Iyengar, and Geeta S.

geographic area. What was formerly the San Diego chapter and

Iyengar; Carrie Owerko’s “Divine Play” workshop; and a seven-

the Los Angeles chapter agreed to separate and form two

week workshop with Gloria Goldberg called “Sundays with

distinct associations. The Iyengar Association of Los Angeles

Gloria.” Also, students of all levels can attend “A Lunch Date

(IYALA) includes communities from Santa Barbara to Palm

With Eric” on Fridays. This “date” includes a class with

Desert, Valencia to Costa Mesa, and Hawaii. We are now

Intermediate Senior II teacher Eric Small and a light lunch that

coordinating resources and activities to network these areas.

he serves immediately after class.

It is an exciting time!

The IYALA Board would like to thank all of our teachers and In addition to this organizational change, we are proud to

members for a great start to 2014, and we look forward to the

announce our new up-to-date association website, which is

rest of the year.

dedicated to association membership and also will serve as a marketing platform for teachers, enabling members to get to

IYAMN

know them better. Articles about the teachers of IYALA and

On Dec.14, we gathered for an evening of celebration to honor

how they got into yoga, how it has changed them, and what

the life and teachings of Guruji on the occasion of his 95th

special expertise they have gained—whether it be prenatal,

birthday. We shared a meal together at the Saint Paul Yoga

therapeutic, or teaching the young or the old—will be featured.

Center and watched a short movie of his interview with Charlie

Starting off this new endeavor is a 12-part series by Jeff

Rose. The evening also served as the annual general

Perlman called “The Ayurvedic Chef.” Perlman will explain

membership meeting for the Iyengar Yoga Association of

ayurvedic principles and include recipes based on the

Minnesota (IYAMN), and we used the time to solicit ideas and

availability of fresh food at local farmers’ markets in the area.

suggestions from our members for future events. In 2014 the

Perlman is a professional member of the National Ayurvedic

board has been focusing on outreach to our members, and

Medical Association, certified Iyengar Yoga instructor, and a

Board Member Michael Moore is helping us design a more

holistic chef.

interactive website that, in conjunction with other social media sites such as Facebook, will further our goal of creating a

The new website also lists names of Iyengar Yoga teachers,

vibrant community of practitioners in our region.

studios where they teach, and upcoming workshops and retreats. Please check it out at www.iyengarla.org.

IYANC The Iyengar Yoga Association of Northern California (IYANC) is

We also are excited about expanding our quarterly newsletter

excited to announce that we successfully moved the Institute

to include articles and interviews to help members get to know

to our new location in San Francisco. We kicked off our grand

B.K.S. Iyengar and his teachings through the eyes of the

opening with a very special workshop taught by Stephanie

teachers in our association. We are fortunate that many of the

Quirk and a dedication celebration that included special

teachers in our area have long-standing relationships with

speaker Manouso Manos as well as guests from the Iyengar

B.K.S. Iyengar and his family. The experiences they share will

Yoga community old and new.

allow members to know our beloved teacher much better.

IYANC also celebrates 40 years of service. It is a landmark that In birthday news, Beverly Graves, who is currently on the

we are using to honor all of those dedicated practitioners who

teaching staff at Ventura Yoga Studio, celebrated her 92nd

came before us, our legacy of community members who helped

birthday in March. Graves was the first Iyengar-certified teacher

bring the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar to us all. Our new studio

in Ventura County and is greatly beloved by the students there.

space has a welcoming lobby, which is going a long way in

She is a senior intermediate Iyengar Yoga instructor, was one of

attracting new practitioners! After 30 years without one, we are

Mr. Iyengar’s first students in the United States, and is certified

very grateful. We have nearly doubled the number of public

by him. She has been to India to study yoga nine times since

classes on our schedule and added 10 new teachers to our staff.

1975, most recently in February 1996. Beverly has taught all

While it will take some time to adjust to our new space and

over the United States and in Ventura for over 25 years.

schedule, we are seeing a steady influx of interest and new

Members from all over the IYALA region helped her celebrate

students in the first few weeks of being open.

by sending personal messages and posting comments on the Ventura Yoga Studio’s Facebook page.

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Yoga Samachar Spring/Summer 2014

We are also happy to

House now provides teaching opportunities for nine certified

announce that we are

teachers and has developed a lively and inviting community.

finally in a position to

Wang is relocating to Seattle from Cleveland, so the timing was

hire an executive director

perfect for Musburger, as she is ready to release the daily

to drive our vision of

responsibility of being a studio owner. She says that Wang is the

expanded programming

perfect fit to take over and feels blessed that Wang was

and increased visibility.

interested in taking charge of the studio. Musburger says, “She’ll

John Hayden, who

bring changes that will create new life and interest while at the

valiantly led this

same time continue the tradition of strong community and

transformation as the

Iyengar Yoga teaching that make Tree House a very special place.”

president of the board of directors, was officially

Musburger will continue to teach but looks forward to having

hired in April 2014. He

more time with her family, her yoga practice, and other interests.

will be working to expand our programming and IYANC’s new location in San Francisco

IYASCUS

increase access to Iyengar

Iyengar Yoga in Austin is a blog created by Anne-Marie Schultz

Yoga regionwide,

to provide information on yoga classes all over the Austin

particularly within the

area—in stand-alone studios and, as she puts it, all the other

medical community and to underserved populations.

“nooks and crannies” where Iyengar Yoga and Iyengar-inspired yoga is taught (iyengaryogainaustin.blogspot.com).

After earning her Introductory II certification in 2006 and relocating to Austin in 2007, Schultz faced a problem. She was new in town and had left an established student base in Waco.

In Austin, she had places to teach but no home studio and no website devoted to her teachings or class schedule. It was difficult for her to develop a student following.

Schultz is a full-time, tenured professor of philosophy at Baylor University. She also manages to teach Iyengar Yoga in three places. After moving to Austin, she realized there were other certified Iyengar Yoga teachers in the same area with the same problem: How to let their students and the general public know

John Hayden, Manouso Manos, and Stephanie Quirk at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco’s grand opening celebration.

what, when, and where they were teaching. So Schultz created

IYANW

If you live in or are visiting the Austin area and need to find an

Changes are in the air at Tree House Iyengar Yoga in Shoreline,

Iyengar Yoga class, Iyengar Yoga in Austin is the most efficient way

Wash., a suburb of Seattle. In September, Shaw-Juin Wang

to see the whole spectrum of teachers and venues. Or if you live in

(Intermediate Junior II) will take over ownership of the studio.

the area and you want to take more classes with your teacher but

Iyengar Yoga in Austin as a remedy.

she only teaches at your gym once a week, you can check this Pat Musburger, a friend and colleague of Wang’s from Houston,

website to see if she may be holding classes elsewhere.

has owned the studio for the past decade. When Musburger (Intermediate Junior I) moved to Seattle in 2003, she purchased

Schultz writes primarily for an audience of devoted Iyengar

Tree House Yoga and received permission from Guruji to

practitioners and includes sequences that are usually taken

change the name to Tree House Iyengar Yoga. She then worked

from a recent workshop by a senior teacher, many from Patricia

diligently to promote Iyengar Yoga in the community and to

Walden. She posts sequences for practice, and then a group of

train and certify teachers. Over the years, she has helped

advanced students and teachers get together every Friday to

mentor and recommend numerous teachers for certification

practice together. Teachers learn from each other and get

and has held at least seven assessments at the studio. Tree

feedback on their teaching. These practice sessions provide a

Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar

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News

FROM THE REGIONS

means to reinforce learning from workshops and share

states. Numerous studios volunteered to offer an extended two-

knowledge with those unable to attend. Schultz helps build

or three-hour class for new and renewing students. The drive

community in a more general way by providing a forum for

was a great success and seems to be key in keeping our

news and events in the area. So, if there’s a potluck, a

membership base strong. We are planning to continue our

fundraiser, workshop, or offering by a visiting teacher in Austin,

membership drive this coming year.

it will definitely be on the blog.

In addition to hosting these events, we awarded two Finally, Iyengar Yoga in Austin is a marketing tool that would be

scholarships for continued study this past year and have

beneficial in any city where certified teachers are not all

implemented a number of improvements to our website and

teaching in one location. By providing useful information about

social media outreach. We awarded our annual scholarship for

Iyengar Yoga in her local area, Schultz is effectively marketing

study at RIMYI to Maribeth Sartain, and we awarded a

for the method rather than any particular studio. In business

scholarship to Kquvien Deweese for the Intermediate workshop

terms, this is our “brand”—we all benefit when the brand is

with Joan White in Nashville. We encourage students and

publicized. Further, Iyengar Yoga in Austin contains a blogroll

teachers from our region to view our website (www.iyase.org) to

on the side that lists other blogs related to Iyengar Yoga,

learn about scholarship opportunities. We also encourage

including those of Devon Diederich, Peggy Kelley, Yves Oberlin,

students and teachers in our region to check out our website

and Schultz’s other blog, Teaching Philosophy and Yoga. In this

and Facebook page.

age of Google rankings, sites with useful information that have a wide-reaching audience and link back to one’s own website or

IYASW

sense, I too started a blog: Iyengar Yoga in Houston. Schultz’s

Community-Based Seva in Arizona: Patchwork Lives Giving Circle

model is worthy of replication.

A giving circle is a group of people who share their time, talents

blog are a boon. Inspired by Schultz’s creativity and common

and resources for the benefit of others. The Patchwork Lives

IYASE

Giving Circle was started in 2006 by Kathy Shimpock. The

The Iyengar Yoga Association of the Southeast (IYASE) held a

mission is to improve and enhance the lives of women and

number of successful events this past year. Our region initiated

children living in Maricopa County, Arizona. Patchwork is

its first co-sponsored workshop uniting our regional support

incorporated as a nonprofit charitable corporation under the

behind a community studio. IYASE teamed with the Iyengar

laws of the state of Arizona.

Yoga Center of Nashville to host Joan White for a Junior Intermediate workshop that focused on observation and

Shimpock, a long-time Iyengar Yoga student, lawyer, and

adjustment. The Iyengar Center of Nashville organized the

spiritual counselor founded Patchwork as a seva. Her goal is to

workshop and shared profits with IYASE. The association in

provide direct aid to women and children in need in the

return helped promote and provide scholarship opportunities

community without the high overhead and salaries of large

for the event. The gift of this relationship was that it allowed

charitable organizations.

IYASE to help bring a senior teacher to our region and support a regional studio without having to take on the burden of hosting the workshop. The effort proved profitable for both IYASE and our regional studio. The turnout was excellent, and we hope this model will be one that regional studios and IYASE can benefit from in the future. We encourage any regional studios that are interested in co-sponsoring a workshop with IYASE to contact us!

We also hosted an introductory teacher training at Stillwater Yoga Studio in Atlanta with Kathleen Pringle. Thanks to Kathleen, this workshop has become a staple in our region and has provided a great opportunity for students curious about teaching and beginner teachers to hone their teaching skills. In addition to regional workshops, we hosted a membership drive this past year with volunteer teachers and studios from many

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Backpacks ready to distribute to Phoenix-area school children. Archana Yoga students contribute to this effort every July.

Yoga Samachar Spring/Summer 2014

Archana Yoga, in Gilbert, Ariz., owned and operated by Josephine Lazarus, has been an active contributor to Patchwork Lives since its inception. Lazarus and Archana Yoga students along with a dozen other members have raised donations for school supplies for children, tote bags filled with personal necessities for homeless women, suitcases for women in transition living in shelters, and water distribution to the homeless in our blistering heat. Patchwork holds events for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and other holidays for shelter children and families.

Please contact Kathy Shimpock at kathy@patchworklives.org or take a look at the Patchwork Lives Giving Circle website (www.patchworklives.org) to learn more about the service

Ben Thomas workshop, January 2014

opportunities.

Membership Workshop

levels had the opportunity to experience Thomas’ comprehensive approach to yoga.

IYASW hosted its inaugural membership workshop on Jan. 25, 2014, taught by Intermediate Senior I teacher Ben Thomas.

Thomas teaches with clarity, an evenness of spirit and inner joy

Thomas and his wife Tommi joined our SW community a few

that naturally guides his students toward inner stillness. He

years ago from the Bay Area. Thomas taught a comprehensive,

emphasizes the sacredness of each moment of the practice so

one-day workshop. Katherine Maltz donated the B.K.S. Iyengar

that we can explore, experience, become curious, and slow

Yoga Studio of Tucson for the event. Twenty-five students of all

down enough to realize the true art and science of yoga.

“IN SLEEP, THE SENSES OF PERCEPTION REST IN THE MIND, THE MIND IN THE CONSCIOUSNESS, AND THE CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE BEING. SLEEP IS OF THREE TYPES. IF ONE FEELS HEAVY AND DULL AFTER SLEEP, THAT SLEEP HAS BEEN TAMASIC. DISTURBED SLEEP IS RAJASIC. SLEEP THAT BRINGS LIGHTNESS, BRIG HTNESS, AND FRESHNESS IS SATTVIC.” — B . K . S. I YE N GA R, LI GHT O N T HE YO GA SU T RAS, SU T R A 1 . 1 0

Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar

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WH ICH C OM E S F IR ST : R E ST F U L S L E E P OR A NO U R ISH I NG YO GA P R AC T I C E ?

By Michelle D. Williams

I

have this goal to get up early to do my yoga practice. I envision about 20 minutes of pranayama, followed by a half hour break for tea and kitty pets, then another 30–60 minutes of asana practice. It seems simple on paper,

If you don’t jump on the sleep train when it comes to your station, it will take off and leave you behind.

especially since I work at home for myself and have no kids to get out the door. to miss out on things. If friends are going out or having a dinner But I continually fail at this goal. And it’s often because I’d

party, I want to be there. If there’s an interesting performance

rather sleep a little longer. Sleep has been a lifelong issue for

to be seen or a few in one week, I’ll try to fit them all in. I take

me—falling asleep in particular. Even as a kid, I’d lie awake at

dance classes and poetry classes and join book groups and

night, first listening to the low murmurings of Johnny Carson

work on crafty projects in the basement.

coming from the living room, and then, after my mom went to bed, listening to the furnace shutting on and off, or the crickets

Other things can interfere with my ability to fall asleep, like

singing outside, or the trains coming and going in the distance.

having a huge dinner or drinking too much alcohol, working past my bedtime, or messing around with Facebook and email.

But sleep is just as important to our overall well-being as eating

Also, I slept in the same bed as my mother until I was seven

healthy foods and getting plenty of exercise. According to the

years old, which was wonderful in many ways. But I remember

Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, sleep

that adjusting to sleeping in my own bed was a challenge, so on

plays a critical role in immune function, metabolism, memory,

some very deep level, I think going to bed and falling asleep

learning, and other vital functions. Sleep gives the body an

strikes fear of being alone.

opportunity to repair and rejuvenate itself. New research shows that many of the major restorative functions in the body like

Over the years, as I became more proactive in taking care of my

muscle growth, tissue repair, growth hormone release, and

own well-being, I made positive changes to my diet, began to

protein synthesis occur mostly, or in some cases only, during

exercise more, and developed a yoga practice, but I still found it

sleep. Other rejuvenating aspects of sleep are specific to the

difficult to focus on my sleep habits. After all, sleep is a passive

brain and cognitive function. A recent study revealed a link

activity. Even though I knew I struggled with insomnia, I still

between sleep and brain plasticity, which is the brain’s ability to

thought I should be able to get into bed, close my eyes, and

change and restructure itself. The benefits list goes on.

sleep would just happen. Of course, when I was younger, I could get by on less sleep.

So why, then, do so many of us neglect our sleep? Many people get by on just five or six hours of sleep a night. We live such

But these days, a poor night’s sleep takes its toll. For me, that

busy, amped-up lives that it’s difficult to get to bed early. We

means not getting out of bed quite as early as I’d like to, so I’m

work long hours and then pack our evenings full of

groggy. My yoga practice gets cut short, or I’m late to start work.

extracurricular activities, meetings, projects, and chores. Or we

It can also mean that I’m fatigued throughout the day, or I don’t

sit on the couch watching episode after episode of our favorite

think as clearly and creatively as I’d like to, or I don’t have the

cable TV (or BBC—Downton!) shows late into the night.

energy to work on the more challenging asanas in my practice.

Once we do crawl under the covers, our minds are still active,

Does Poor Sleep Disturb My Practice?

going over interactions from the day and planning for

I decided to consider my difficulties in getting good sleep—or

tomorrow or next week—or next month even. So we end up

my resistance to working on my sleep habits—in the context of

with insomnia or just a very truncated sleep cycle.

the obstacles outlined in Sutra I:30. Patanjali’s obstacles get in

Sleep Interferes With Life

the way of attaining a calm mind, which has a huge impact on sleep. Mr. Iyengar groups the obstacles into four categories:

My own difficulties in going to sleep have stemmed from different issues at different times in my life. I’ve always had a

PHYSICAL

very active, analytical brain and a nervous system that does not

• Vyadhi (illness). When I’m sick, I often don’t sleep well.

quiet down easily. Also, I’m a person who definitely doesn’t like

8

Even if my physical being is just a little out of balance, I can

Yoga Samachar Spring/Summer 2014

Illustration: Curtis Settino

be uncomfortable in bed and sleep poorly. Of course, getting good sleep is one ingredient for overall well-being and can

THE LONG AND SHORT OF A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP

By Roger Cole

contribute to lack of disease.

• Styana (sluggishness). Sometimes, I simply have no motivation to move my body—especially when I’m tired from not getting enough sleep! It’s a catch 22 because exercising the body during the day leads to more restful sleep at night, which in turn makes it easier to practice overall.

MENTAL • Samsaya (indecision or doubt). There may have been a part of me at one time that doubted whether eight hours of sleep was really that important, but now I’m certain that I need at least that much to feel refreshed. Depending on the day, I may still weigh my options in terms of getting more sleep or going out with a good friend. And I can be indecisive about

If you have a sleep problem or are sleepy during the day, first find out whether you have sleep apnea. If you snore loudly, there’s a good chance that you do (and some people have apnea without loud snoring). Ask someone to listen while you sleep or use a smartphone app that can record snoring. You can’t tell by yourself if you snore; a lot of champion snorers have no idea that they are doing it. If you do snore significantly, get checked for apnea at a sleep clinic (they may provide you with a takehome, medical-grade monitor). If you have apnea, get it treated! One effective treatment to consider is an oral appliance, which is essentially a prop that you wear in your mouth while you sleep. At present, there are no yoga sequences known to treat sleep apnea.

what steps to take on any given night when getting ready for bed. In a similar vein, when I’m struggling to fall asleep

If you have insomnia (especially if you fall asleep at first

or when I’m fatigued during the day, I can doubt my own

but wake up and have trouble falling back to sleep), here

efforts toward establishing good sleep habits and then

are two options. For each option, it may help to sleep with

spend a lot of time worrying about this.

an elastic bandage wrapped loosely around your head, covering your eyes.

• Pramada (carelessness or negligence). When I choose to do the things that keep me from getting a good night’s sleep—

Option 1: Short Time in Bed

like staying out late or watching movies past my

If you choose this option, start by shortening your total

bedtime—it’s a careless attitude. I’m flat out neglecting my

time in bed each night to approximately six hours—and do

overall health and ultimately affecting many other aspects

this night after night on a strict, fixed schedule. Don’t take

of my life, which can actually create a domino effect of

any naps or practice any restorative poses during the day

imbalance.

or evening (except three minutes or less of Savasana after an ordinary asana practice each day). Continue

• Alasya (idleness). I can have a sort of mental laziness when

your usual seated pranayama practice if you have one.

it’s time to practice relaxing, sleep-inducing yoga poses in

During the six-hour scheduled bedtime period, if you

the late evening. Part of it is that I get overwhelmed by all

don’t fall asleep within 15 minutes of getting into bed,

the steps I need to take in preparation for keeping myself in

or if you wake up and lie awake for 15 minutes, then get

balance. I end up wasting time in some idle way while I Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar

Continued on next page 9

Roger Cole continued

consider what I need to do before bed. If I could spend that

out of bed and practice seated meditation or pranayama

time doing even just one or two sleep-benefitting activities,

(emphasizing exhalation) in the dark, wrapped in warm

I’d be in much better shape.

blankets, until you feel sleepy, then get back into bed to attempt sleep again.

• Avirati (overindulgence). Giving in to sense gratification and stimuli like TV or Facebook—or even being greedy for

After a few nights of sticking strictly to this schedule, you

more experiences or social activities—can certainly keep me

should be sleepy enough to sleep through most of the

from getting good sleep.

night with few interruptions and get at least five hours of sleep. When this happens, keep avoiding daytime and

INTELLECTUAL

evening naps, and set your time in bed to six hours and 15

• Bhrantidarsana (confusion or delusion). This is a good

minutes. Repeat the same procedure as above, with a

one—I can convince myself that I’m taking care of myself,

target of sleeping for at least 85 percent of that time.

when in fact, my yoga practice or bedtime routines are not

When you achieve this goal for two or three nights in a

quite on the mark. It can be a subtle thing to discern, but

row, increase your scheduled time in bed by an additional

when fatigue, depression, and ongoing restlessness

15 minutes.

continue, it’s a good bet that I’m not getting very good sleep.

Maybe I’ve rushed my practice or skipped part of the

Over a few weeks, gradually increase your time in bed 15

bedtime routine or consumed something a little too

minutes at a time, but only do it if you have succeeded in

stimulating. Or maybe I’m just going through the motions.

sleeping for 85 percent of your previously scheduled time

Another way this obstacle can manifest is through lack of

for at least two or three nights in a row. When you reach a

confidence, or a false perception of my abilities. I convince

point where you can no longer increase your sleep to the

myself that I can’t do a certain asana or that I’m simply

85 percent mark, reduce your scheduled time in bed to the

wired in such a way that good, deep sleep is out of reach.

previous, successful level. Keep that as your new sleep

Obviously, this sort of attitude is self-defeatist and will

schedule indefinitely, seven days a week. And after

never get me where I want to go—and it can interfere with

reaching this stable sleep time, you can start practicing

decent sleep!

restorative poses again.

SPIRITUAL WARNING: During the weeks it takes to optimize sleep

• Alabdhabhumikatva (lack of perseverance, missing the

time, expect to be sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation

point). More and more, my life is centered around my

increases the risk of making errors and having lapses

practice—not just asana, though I do some asana every

of attention. This can be dangerous while driving or

day—but also around my philosophies and understandings

operating machinery, and can cause a number of

of what “my path” should be. When I fluctuate from this,

other problems.

losing track of that path, which invariably will happen, or I

Option 2: Long Time in Bed If you choose this option, turn the lights in your home

rush through my asana or pranayama practice, then I feel off balance emotionally as well as physically. And then sleep becomes more difficult.

down low or off at sunset and go to bed each night at least ten hours before you have to get up in the morning. Before

• Anavasthitatvani (backsliding or regression). No matter

going to bed, do whatever nondrug method it takes to help

how much I long for balance and despite my efforts in

you get to sleep—meditation, pranayama, restorative

fostering well-being, my mind remains restless and chatty, and

asanas, a warm bath, etc.—or simply get into bed, turn off

at bedtime, that is especially unhelpful. When I’ve been

the lights, and try to go to sleep. Don’t worry about how

thrown off balance because of my lack of perseverance, then I

long it takes you to fall asleep or whether you wake up in

can become restless and want to just do something to make

the night—you have plenty of time to rest or sleep before

myself feel good in the moment—eat something indulgent or

you get up in the morning.

stay up too late and then dive into bed without even trying to calm my mind and nervous system. This regression, sort of

You’re likely to wake up in the night, and if you do, then do

giving up on the routine in the moment, affects not only my

whatever peaceful activity you like, as long as you do it in

desire for good sleep, but my entire yoga practice.

very dim light or in the dark (no bright computer screens,

10

phones, TVs, etc.). A very good thing to do is to simply

And so it goes that poor sleep means I don’t practice as well.

remain lying down and let your mind wander in the dark,

When I don’t commit as much time and effort to my yoga

not being concerned about whether you are awake or

practice, my mind and body are more restless. And when my

asleep. Other things you might do are hold a conversation,

mind and body are restless, I don’t sleep as well.

Yoga Samachar Spring/Summer 2014

So How to Break the Cycle?

Ironically one remedy, outlined in Sutra I:38, for overcoming these nine obstacles is contemplation of dreamless or dreamfilled sleep, or the unconscious and subconscious mental

I find that if I respond to my body’s desire to sleep, I can fall asleep more quickly, sleep more soundly, and wake up feeling rested.

planes, respectively. This contemplation helps transform the different states of consciousness—sleeping, waking, meditating—into one, flowing and calm state. So perhaps I’m

Lately, I’m trying to keep the majority of my evenings open for

on the right track by focusing more on my sleep habits overall.

quiet, personal time. In addition, the biggest change I’ve made has probably been to just respond to my first feelings of

Over time, my health and well-being—including getting restful

sleepiness. If you don’t jump on the sleep train when it comes

sleep—has become the most important aspect of my life, and

to your station, it will take off and leave you behind. And this is

my yoga practice is at the heart of this. At 48, I’m officially in

science. Our bodies are programmed to shut down at a certain

perimenopause, and my body demands sleep. Overcoming

time every night. The hypothalamus is responsible for shutting

insomnia now has my full attention, and I have been trying a

down the brain’s arousal signals and causing the transition to

few different approaches. Experts say it’s important to establish

sleep. We have the ability to override the hypothalamus,

a consistent sleep schedule, so I’m making an effort to do that.

though, and some of us can easily ignore those signs of

I’m making fewer evening plans, especially on week nights. I’m

sleepiness. When we do this, the hypothalamus starts up again,

trying to wrap up the work day before dinner and shut down all

inspiring the brain’s arousal signals, which is how we can get a

technology. At the first signs of sleepiness, I begin to down shift.

second wind. I used to do this all the time and just stay up later

I dim lights and avoid talking about “serious” things. I focus on

and later, and then ultimately struggle to get to sleep—and

quiet activities like reading or knitting.

sleep well.

And to help relax my nervous system, I take hot baths, drink

But now, I find that if I respond to my body’s desire to sleep, I

herbal teas, and take magnesium. The cats are no longer

can fall asleep more quickly, sleep more soundly, and wake up

allowed in the bedroom at night because their comings and

feeling rested. And this means that I end up having time to do

goings can be disturbing. (My 19-year-old cat developed the

both pranayama and asana in the morning, with a kitty-petting

charming habit of standing on my pillow several times in the

break in between! And, I end up feeling more focused and

middle of the night and meowing loudly in my ear.)

creative throughout the day, which is not too bad, either.

I’m also trying to use my yoga practice to help foster more

Michelle D. Williams lives in Portland, Oregon, and is the editor of

balanced sleep. At minimum, I do a few forward bends before

Yoga Samachar. She has been practicing Iyengar Yoga since 1994.

bed. Years ago, I took a six-month introductory teacher training with Julie Lawrence and one of our assignments was to practice headstand and shoulder stand every night before bed. Just to

Roger Cole continued

observe. That experiment had profound results. Not only did I

read in very dim light (preferably red light), or do any of

fall asleep more quickly than I had been, but I slept more

the before-bed activities mentioned above. You can get up

deeply and woke up feeling refreshed. It’s a great practice.

but avoid getting cold, standing for prolonged periods, or exercising. It’s okay to catch up on non stressful work or

In fact, in the back of Light on Yoga, Guruji’s sequence for

leisure activities in the middle of the night as long as they

insomnia is basically that, plus a couple forward bends and

meet the criteria above. If you are awake long enough, it is

some pranayama:

almost inevitable that you will eventually get sleepy and fall back to sleep.

• Sirsasana and cycle • Sarvangasana and cycle

After several days on this schedule, if you feel that you are

• Paschimottanasana

not getting enough sleep, then set your bedtime earlier or

• Uttanasana

your wake up time later. Over time, settle on a generous

• Bhastrika, Nadi Sodhana and

sleep schedule that feels right to you.

Suryabhedana pranayama without retention • Sanmukhi mudra • Savasana

Roger Cole, Ph.D., is an Intermediate Junior III Iyengar Yoga teacher and neuroscientist. Since the 1970s, he has trained

You would think after such terrific results, I would commit to

students, teachers, and medical professionals worldwide in the

this practice for the rest of my life—but it’s not that simple.

anatomy, physiology, and precise practice of yoga, relaxation,

(See the list of disturbances and obstacles above. I’m working

and sleep.

on it.)

Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar

11

YO G A C H A I R P R O P

Congratulations, Iyengar Yoga Association of Greater New York, on your recent opening of the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Brooklyn.

Thank you, James Murphy, for your order of 30 tall chairs.

YOGACHAIRPROP.COM

12

415-686-4547

Yoga Samachar Spring/Summer 2014

Photo: Felix Muzquiz

A H IMS A 101: D O E S E AT I N G ME AT INTER FER E WIT H T H E D E E P E N I N G O F OUR YOGA PRAC T IC E ?

By Suzie Muchnick, with Michael Spencer

S

cience reveals the stunning benefits of a plant-based

Guruji and Prashantji have both said that they do not demand

diet—in fact, the claimed effects of veganism seem

that their students be vegetarian. They know that time and

impossible sometimes. Will avoiding meat actually

yoga practice will naturally lead to vegetarianism. In the

help save the planet and reduce pollution, all the

introduction to Light on Yoga, Guruji writes, “Whether or not to

while helping us dodge diabetes, cancer, and heart disease?

be a vegetarian is a purely personal matter… But, in the course

Actually, yes, the claims are true, and more: Eliminating

of time, the practitioner of yoga has to adopt a vegetarian diet,

animal flesh from our diets could dramatically reduce global

in order to attain one-pointed attention and spiritual evolution.”

hunger, and it honors animals.

Digest that as you will.

Despite all of these claims, many people continue to eat meat.

The notion that yoga practice brings vegetarianism isn’t unique

Why? People do things for many reasons. Frequently, we do

to Guruji. Hindu scholar Edwin Bryant’s extensive commentary

things against our own self-interest, balancing the desire of the

on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali paraphrases Hariharananda, head

moment against a long, healthy life. Or we convince ourselves,

of the Kriya Yoga Institute in the U.S., stating that the fifth limb

despite the evidence, that eating meat is the only way to get the

of yoga, Dharana or concentration, is essential for perfecting the

nutrition we need. And sometimes even our doctors tell us we

Yamas and Niyamas. While ahimsa is presented in the sutras as

need meat to stay healthy. There’s an inexplicable streak of

the very first Yama that a practitioner must follow, Dharana

individualism in all of us that sometimes makes no sense

deepens our ability to practice the earlier limbs. And so as our

whatsoever, and yet without it, the magic of being human

practice deepens, our understanding of ahimsa will also

would be gone. Indeed, we must make these choices for

broaden and may come to include practicing vegetarianism.

ourselves as individuals.

In Volume 4 of Astadala Yogamala, Guruji graphically illustrates But as yogis, how does the food we eat affect our practice?

another reason to consciously choose what you eat: “A

And does eating meat actually go against the first Yama—

nonvegetarian diet is not conducive to the mental and spiritual

ahimsa, or nonviolence?

aspects of yoga. When an animal is lead to a slaughterhouse, does anyone study the terror, fear, and anguish before it is

While the Iyengars have not published extensively on the topic,

slaughtered? This consequently changes the chemical

Guruji makes it clear in Light on Yoga that a vegetarian diet is

composition of the animal’s body, which is very disturbed.

essential for practicing yoga. In his introductory discussion of

When one eats this disturbed, perturbed, frightened, and

ahimsa, he writes, “Men either kill for food or to protect

chemically changed flesh of the animal, naturally it affects the

themselves from danger. But merely because a man is a

system and disturbs the harmony of one’s body and mind.” As

vegetarian, it does not necessarily follow that he is nonviolent

Guruji framed the process, does it really matter if the meat was

by temperament or that he is a yogi, though a vegetarian diet is a

“factory farmed” or “free-range”?

necessity for the practice of yoga. Blood-thirsty tyrants may be vegetarians, but violence is a state of mind, not of diet.”

Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar

13

My Own Journey to Veganism One of life’s punctuation marks came as a rebuke from a student in March 1975 upon learning that I was not vegetarian.

So does eating meat interfere with our practice?

Each of us must decide that for ourselves.

I thought little of it at the time, but a seed was planted those 40 years ago, a benign seed lying quietly close to a ready heart. But I had eyes that would not see.

Eventually, I began to believe that eating meat—and ultimately all animal products—interfered with my yoga practice, blocking

Why would I even think about diet and yoga? My life was all

my spiritual path. For me, a nonvegetarian diet did not fit in

about food—I’m Jewish, after all. I was a latch-key kid growing

with my desire to go deeper. My husband, Michael, had a

up in a traditional Jewish family. My first-generation American

similar experience: Starting his yoga life in Louisiana, he came

parents both worked. Meals centered around beef, chicken,

to realize one day that he was not eating meat.

turkey, eggs, milk, and Mrs. Paul’s Fish sticks. Yes, I also ate the usual vegetables, and there was a sense that “healthiness” was

My yoga practice forms the framework of my life, and that

important.

means much more than getting down on the mat. Practice encompasses the whole of yoga: the Yamas and the Niyamas;

Mommy and “Ma” (my grandmother) cooked for all the

Sirsasana and the effects of Sirsasana; practicing maitri and

holidays. How I loved the Challah bread (and the French toast

learning discrimination; and dharma, duty. Is it also necessary

made with leftovers) and the stuffed cabbage! There was chicken

to be vegan? Is it incumbent on me to observe ahimsa toward all

soup with knaidlach (eggs), and of course, they made kugel (with

sentient beings?

cheese). A holiday kitchen atmosphere was thick as a steam bath.

Pots and ovens were mere tools in the hands of those two

When we practice asana, our efforts affect not only our muscles

ladies, practicing the magic of traditional Jewish cooking.

and bones but also our organic body parts: our heart and lungs and so on. We have methods to help menstrual cramps, anxiety,

And we loved Chinese and Italian food. Every Sunday was

depression, Parkinson’s disease—the list goes on. But we also

Chinese takeout night. Other times, Mom would make the best

affect our “abode” by what we eat (or don’t eat). Recently, I read

spaghetti and meatballs. I recall all of those dishes fondly. Fast-

one of the first pages on the IYNAUS website about Patanjali’s

forward to 2014, and I’m still making my favorite childhood

Ashtanga Yoga:

dishes—but vegan versions!

• The first two limbs of yoga, Yama and Niyama, give us guidance Growing up, and even after I’d started practicing yoga to some

for our conduct. One of the most essential of these rules is

degree, I didn’t think about what animals went through to feed

ahimsa, nonviolence—sometimes translated as love for others.

us, the cruelty that was perpetrated on them. It never occurred

This idea is too complex to be easily understood, but in Iyengar

to me that the chicken breast I was eating was the muscle of a

Yoga students learn to practice ahimsa while practicing asana.

chicken. And it wasn’t that I didn’t have an understanding of anatomy. But meat is … meat, right? Not an animal! We live in

• One example: Performed incorrectly, a yoga asana may cause

a state of disconnection (bhrantidarsana) from the animals we

pain in the knee. When the student learns the remedy—correct

eat. My husband mutters, “dead body parts” as we shuffle past

alignment, as directed by an Iyengar Yoga instructor—the pose is

the meat department at the grocery store. Truer words were

done without pain, without doing violence to the self. The student

never spoken.

then begins to understand nonviolence and how to apply it, first in yoga, then “off the mat,” in life.

My journey started not with diet but with a nascent animal activism. I was so against animal experimentation that during

Again, it’s a reference to that deepening of practice.

my graduate work in physical education I asked my anatomy and physiology teacher to lower my grade in an attempt to

So does one have to become a vegan to practice ahimsa? Would

avoid animal dissection. The university wouldn’t agree; I did the

I give up honey, leather shoes and belts, all of the animal

dissection. But I honored that cat with meticulous surgery and

products that pervade our environment? This question haunted

respectfully buried her. All my classmates used my cat as an

me for many years as I continued to grow in my yoga practice

example for their dissections. Students now have choices

and in my life. Maturation and reflection failed to yield a clear

thanks to the work of the American Anti-Vivisection Society

answer. The question plagued me until a teacher training in

(AAVS) and The National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS).

1996 with Manouso Manos in New York. Manouso was teaching

14

Yoga Samachar Spring/Summer 2014

headstand—long headstand, the kind of headstand where the

meat-eater would, and reach for familiar recipes that we can

sweat drips and the hands slip with wetness. Why did clarity

pull together easily.

come at that time? Who knows? In fact, who cares?! Gratefully, the way forward was clear. To know what I had learned about

When someone is interested in vegetarianism or veganism but

animal agriculture (yes, even pasture-raised and organic

just can’t make the leap, it’s really about overcoming

agriculture) and to still support animal-based industries,

obstacles—the same obstacles that get in the way of our

including pharmaceutical and cosmetic, was shameful to me. I

practice in general, as outlined in Sutra I:30:

definitely cannot practice ahimsa and support those industries.

I Encourage My Students

• vyadhi (disease) • styana (mental laziness)

Knowing about my plant-based diet, students look to me for

• samsaya (doubt, indecision)

leadership in the way they naturally look to teachers. It is a

• pramada (negligence)

serious responsibility. They know many of my life choices. They

• alasya (physical laziness)

know that I am an animal activist and that I have a totally

• avirati (lacking moderation)

vegan diet. When they ask, “Why?” I tell them. Some are

• bhrantidarsana (living in an illusion)

daunted by the prospect of trying to make dietary changes or

• alabdhabhumikatva (missing the mark)

are concerned that becoming a vegetarian will require more

• anavasthitatvani (back-sliding)

hours in the kitchen. Each journey is unique. All of us come to

• cittaviksepah (scattered, distracted mind)

terms with unwanted behaviors and releasing old habits on our own. We deepen our yoga practice individually and at a pace

So does eating meat interfere with our practice? Each of us

that seems right. Still, the move away from consuming animals

must decide that for ourselves. Adopting a vegetarian or vegan

is important beyond the level of the individual. I urge them

diet is just one possibility along the yogic journey. And it’s up to

where I can, nudge them when I must.

us to decide what our yoga journey means to us and how far we’d like to take it. Regardless where we are along this path, it’s

The studio offers literature about research in the science of

useful to look at the obstacles that block our deepening. We

nutrition and disease. In the same way that I share “my yoga”

always have choices.

with interested students, I also share my life choices like eating a totally plant-based diet for the spiritual reasons as well as the

Vegan Resources

known benefits.

One way that some meat-eaters make the transition to veganism is to use “faux meat” in familiar recipes. Made to resemble meat products and often heavily processed, faux meat is a bit controversial. It’s wonderfully useful, though, because frequently a simple one-for-one substitution can be made in any recipe that calls for meat.

I know that not all of my students practice the lessons I share from the Yoga Sutras and The Bhagavad Gita, and I know that some of my students will not practice veganism even after I share my experiences with them. As I know well, a seed planted near a willing heart will abide, waiting for the eyes to open. I do fret when a student develops a condition like diabetes or heart disease, and I know that they eat animal-based foods (even if they are not overweight).

Inform yourself. The Internet offers loads of nutritional information and recipes on vegetarianism and veganism. Here are a few useful sites:

Many of my students say they are simply too busy to make the

• http://pcrm.org/health/diets/recipes

change, that they don’t have time to chop all those vegetables.

• http://www.forksoverknives.com/category/recipes

The thing is, adopting a plant-based diet does not require extra

• http://engine2diet.com/recipes/favorites/

time. I know because I have a busy life myself. Neither Michael

• http://www.veganricha.com/search/label/main%20course

nor I want to spend extra time in the kitchen. Most of the meals

• http://www.peacefuldumpling.com/category/food/recipes

we cook at home don’t take any longer to make than if we were having meat.

Suzie Muchnick (Intermediate Junior III) is the director of Postures, also We both know that approaching the kitchen with a bad attitude

known as The Yoga Workshop, in New York and Coconut Grove, Fla.

yields bad food, so we try to use cooking time as a respite, not a

Michael Spencer is a landscape architect and garden writer.

chore. We use meal times to step away from the fray to nurture our bodies. We keep it simple when we are busy, just like a Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar

15

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Yoga Samachar Spring/Summer 2014

BA L A N C I N G W I T H C HE F A L L I S O N

By Michelle D. Williams

W

e all know that eating and yoga don’t really mix. It can be tricky to time meals at least two hours before class or home practice. And preparing a nice, healthy meal can take up a lot

“Food to me is not just fuel. Cooking is an act of love—it’s nurturing, it’s creativity. And yoga is similarly all of those things…”

of time—certainly longer than ordering takeout or grabbing something ready-made. If you’re working full time, taking

moment, it can be sort of magical. I’m just in the pose, and I’m

care of a family, enjoying hobbies, and spending time with

not struggling with it.”

friends, it’s difficult to find time to actually cook. But the food we eat is so critical to how we feel overall, and what we

Bader says cooking is the same. “There are so many things I

eat can drastically affect our yoga practice.

love about cooking. I love the mundane—all the chopping of vegetables and other prep work. I love it because those tasks

For Allison Bader, who has been a professional chef for 25 years

make it easy for me—for my mind—to just be there with the

and practicing Iyengar Yoga for more than a dozen, cooking,

product that I’m working with. I’m not thinking about my kids

eating, and yoga are all part of the same practice. “Good food—

and what they’re doing, and I’m not thinking about what I’m

healthy food—is a passion of mine,” Bader says. “And I’m

going to make for dinner at home. I just let go of the points and

passionate about my yoga practice too. In fact, I find a lot of

I’m there. And that for me is where yoga and cooking really

similarities between yoga and cooking.”

kind of merge.”

When she first started taking Iyengar Yoga classes, in her mid-

Lost in Asparagus

40s, it was a way for her to build strength and stay flexible.

Life in the food industry can be crazy—and seemingly not very

Bader is also an avid tennis player and skier so wanted

balanced. Shifts can be long, and depending on your focus,

something to balance out the active, physical side of those

you’re either getting up at 3 a.m. to bake or you’re getting home

sports. But she was immediately drawn into the philosophy of

at 3 a.m. after a long night followed by post-shift hanging out.

yoga and the “just being” of it.

Back when she lived in Boston, Bader worked as a pastry chef at “In my classes with Julie Lawrence, we’ll be working hard,

a small but very busy restaurant. She’d go in really early and

putting a lot of effort into a particular pose and holding it,”

make all of the pastries and then all of the pasta for the day.

Bader says. “Then right at the point when I say to myself, ‘Oh,

Then she’d start the stocks and some of the other prep.

my god. Can I just get out of this?’ She’ll say, ‘Okay, now let go

Gradually as the day went on, more staff would roll in and

of the points and just be in the pose.’ When I get to this

things would get busier and busier. By lunchtime, it was

Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar

17

HOW TO PEEL ASPARAGUS

Indeed, Bader is in her element when she is focused on the details of chopping and peeling. For her, the attention to detail in preparing food parallels that required for practicing

Chef Allison prefers thick, meaty stalks because ultimately they are not as woody and stringy as the thin stalks.

Iyengar Yoga.

“I think I was attracted to Iyengar Yoga because it is very focused and detail-oriented. That’s how I cook. My mind stays

• Snap off the tough ends of each stalk—or cut them off so that every stalk is the exact same length.

really focused on the physical aspect of what I’m doing—partly because I’m working with a sharp object! In yoga, I have to focus on what my physical body is doing or I will hurt myself or

• Peel the bottom half of every stalk.

fall out of the pose. There are those days when I can’t seem to find my balance in yoga. And that’s because I’m not present.

• Take your time, and peel very lightly using a regular vegetable peeler.

“It’s one of those extra steps that brings food up to the next level,” Bader says. “Just like making your own chicken stock.”

My mind is elsewhere. That’s when I feel wobbly or tippy.”

Cooking as Practice “The most nurturing thing you can do for yourself or anyone else is to cook food,” Bader says. “It nurtures your body and your soul.

Food to me is not just fuel. Cooking is an act of love—it’s nurturing, it’s creativity. And yoga is similarly all of those things— it nurtures me, my soul, my physical being. Being athletic in other areas, it’s helped me maintain a balance in my life.”

And that’s what Bader’s life is all about really: balance. She loves eating healthy food because it makes her feel good. She loves feeding her family healthy food that tastes good because she wants them to enjoy food. And a big part of cooking for friends and family is about spending time together, balancing out work and other obligations with nourishing community time.

“I’m an omnivore. I eat everything,” Bader says. “But I eat less meat now. Not because I’ve consciously chosen that, but because other things sound better. Generally I don’t snack. I don’t eat junk food. I read package labels religiously—I won’t buy anything that has more than five ingredients in it.

“But I’m really not that dogmatic in the way I eat or cook,” she says. “I would never forego cream or salt or butter. But when

controlled chaos. As the dinner crew came in, Bader would be

I’m feeling good and healthy, I use so little of that. I think yoga

wrapping up her shift.

brings that to my life—that sense of moderation and balance. I just automatically make good choices.”

“One of the things I loved to do in the spring … we would get these huge cases of asparagus. In the afternoon, when

Many people talk about taking their yoga practice “off the mat,”

everything was ramping up for dinner, I loved to just get a stool,

but it seems that Bader actually took her cooking practice onto

sit in the corner of the kitchen, and remove myself from all the

the mat. She found peace and centeredness early on in the

chaos. I would just sit there for an hour or two, peeling

kitchen. Years later, when she joined an Iyengar Yoga class,

asparagus for the dinner shift. None of the other prep cooks

finding it there was a piece of cake.

ever wanted to do it because it was so tedious. But I could get into a state where I didn’t have any thoughts. It was completely mindless. That sort of task has brought me closer to a

Michelle D. Williams lives in Portland, Oregon, and is the editor of

meditative state than any other activity.”

Yoga Samachar. She has been practicing Iyengar Yoga since 1994.

18

Yoga Samachar Spring/Summer 2014

IT’S ALL A B O U T T H E Q U E ST I O N S : H OW TO BA L A NC E WO R K A N D P R AC T I C E

By Willamarie Moore

Where (And How) I Work I work full time at an art museum. I run the school and teacher programs out of the Education Department at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. We host 55,000 school group visitors annually, bringing the visual arts into the lives and minds of kids when

When people truly resonate with a work of art, they can be transformed, experience a higher state of consciousness—perhaps something akin to Isvara pranidhana?

they’re at their most impressionable. We do so with a crew of 120 docents—dedicated, passionate, smart, and engaged volunteers who lead our guided tours for school groups every weekday

In the practice of VTS, I see a manifestation of kriya yoga, as

morning during the school year. They are able to do so because of

defined by Patanjali in Sutra II.1: Tapah svadhyaya

the in-depth training and ongoing professional development

Isvarapranidhanani kriyayogah. “Burning zeal in practice, self-

sessions that my small staff and I provide. All of us work together

study and study of scriptures, and surrender to God are the acts

with a shared commitment to and love of engaging people with

of yoga” (B.K.S. Iyengar’s translation). In his commentary, Mr.

art. We do so largely by asking questions.

Iyengar reminds us that for Patanjali, “The practice of yoga is

Photo by Jake Clennell

the ‘yoga of action’”—in other words, we practice yoga as we

The foundation of our approach to teaching with art is a

live our lives engaged with this world, not by going off to a

method called the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) (Learn more

remote cave in the mountains. From his Inside the Yoga Sutras, I

at www.vtshome.org). A VTS discussion is structured around

find Reverend Jaganath Carrera’s definition of the three

three basic questions that a facilitator poses to a group about a

components—tapas, svadhyaya, and Isvara pranidhana—

carefully selected artwork:

particularly accessible and applicable to our lives today:

1. What’s going on in this picture?

2. What do you see that makes you say that?

3. What more can we find?

• Tapas: “the acceptance of challenges as a help for

When people respond to the first question, the facilitator

• Isvara pranidhana: “leading a life dedicated to God (self-

purification” • Svadhyaya: “refinement of the intellect through introspection and the acquisition of knowledge (study)”

paraphrases their observations in a neutral, accepting manner.

surrender)”

When appropriate, she asks the second question, probing for visual evidence to back up the observation. In between

As a VTS facilitator, to accurately paraphrase people’s

respondents, the facilitator asks the third question, as a

observations, I have to listen actively and restate the essence of

reminder that there’s always more that can be found within a

the comment in a way that validates. Through acceptance of all

great work of art. After all, our interpretations are largely based

observations equally, I strive to cultivate a supportive

on what we bring to the artwork—how we personally engage

environment in which people feel comfortable sharing.

with what we are seeing in front of us. There are no wrong

Simultaneously, I am pointing to the specific area of the

answers, but there are multiple “right” answers. Together, we

artwork they’re talking about and linking their comments to

build a shared body of knowledge.

others already mentioned in the discussion. Though the process may seem simple, it’s deceptively so.

There is a beautiful parallel between the VTS method and the Iyengar method: actively do or observe, question, go deeper,

To facilitate a VTS discussion well takes a lot of practice and an

then let go.

incredible amount of discipline—tapas. Every time, after I teach

Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar

19

in this way, I engage in self-reflection. How did the process go?

challenging colleagues and presentations to the Trustees or

What amazing observations did people make and share,

potential new partners are still draining for an introvert like

prompted by this work of art? Was I accurately able to

me; budgets are still confounding to my more artistically

paraphrase, link, bring the group’s understanding to a higher

inclined rather than mathematical mind; emails are still

level, based solely on their contributions (i.e., without the

endlessly demanding of immediate (“Urgent!”) attention; and

imposition of art history)? What can I improve upon for next

my office, which I have to share, is in an almost-windowless

time? This is svadhyaya.

basement—there are whole days when I never get upstairs into the galleries even once. In short, it’s

Ultimately, the meaningful

not all glamour and beauty.

engagement of people with a great work of art brings them—all of us in

And particularly for someone like me,

the discussion—to a deeper

whose tendency is toward over-

understanding of our shared

achievement, perfectionism,

humanity; it engenders an

and—dare I say—work-a-holism,

appreciation for the visual arts as an

work can become all-consuming.

essential form of human expression

It was, for years and years. Until yoga

throughout history and in our world

entered my life.

today. When people truly resonate with a work of art, they can be

Where (And How) I Practice

transformed, experience a higher

I practice yoga under the tutelage of

state of consciousness—perhaps

Patricia Walden. Ever since my

something akin to Isvara pranidhana?

second-ever asana class, about 10

Needless to say, doing VTS is my

years ago now, when I was walking

favorite aspect of my job.

home openly weeping (after something—I had no idea what—

When people hear where I work, they

cracked open in me during

automatically say, “Oh, how

Sarvangasana), I have been taking

glamorous! It must be so beautiful to

classes in the Iyengar method weekly.

work at the art museum!” Which is always a good reminder

That has evolved and has expanded to also assisting Patricia

that, indeed, it is a privilege to spend my weekdays in one of

and teaching my own classes. I practice every day.

the top art museums in the world, something that I often take for granted and forget to appreciate amidst the flurry of the

I practice asana before work in the morning (usually a dynamic

everyday. Yes, it’s wonderful to walk past masterpieces on my

sequence to energize me for the day ahead) and at night before

way to meetings with colleagues in other departments. A

bed (inversions, restoratives, and pranayama) to decompress

favorite is Paul Gauguin’s Where Do We Come From? What Are

after the day’s activities. I dedicate a significant chunk of my

We? Where Are We Going? (1897–98), pictured at the top of

weekend to practicing a longer and/or a more focused sequence

page 19. And it’s a real boon to have a place like the immersive

of poses and pranayama (and preparing for assessment). I also

Japanese Buddhist Temple Room to be able to retreat to

count as part of my weekly practice chanting of the Yoga Sutras

briefly—to sit directly in front of a 12th-century seated Amida

and reading yoga philosophy, both of which I love.

Buddha (pictured above) and calm myself down at 3 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon after a particularly stressful meeting. And

Of course, the best (highest quality) practices are those where I

it can be quite grounding to lead a VTS discussion about a

am able to go deep with inquiry. I find myself asking the same

particularly compelling contemporary art piece, like Josiah

VTS questions of myself as I’m in asana practice:

McElheny’s Endlessly Repeating Twentieth-Century Modernism (2007, pictured on page 21), and contemplate the infinite— realms way beyond our petty daily worries.

But the reality is that work is still work; unfortunately, I can’t

1. What’s going on here (with my inner heel, with my thoracic spine, with the skin of my temples)?

2. What do I see or feel that makes me say that?

spend all day every day just doing VTS. Meetings with

20

Yoga Samachar Spring/Summer 2014

Even if I have only 30 minutes, to integrate in this way ultimately yields a high-quality, meaningful, nourishing practice, serving to balance life on and off the mat.

us, the issue of time (or lack thereof) is what comes to mind first and foremost. If we have to work a minimum of eight hours per day, plus commute to and from the office, that’s over one-third of our 24-hour day taken up with work alone. If we have to sleep a minimum of 6–8 hours per day to function healthily in both body and mind, that’s another one-third of the

3. What more can I find? Especially if I adjust this way or try

day. Which leaves us with the final one-third of the day, a

that variation?

maximum of 8 hours, to be consumed by everything else: from preparing and

Indeed, the Iyengar method is built on

eating meals to personal hygiene like

this same “scientific method” of

bathing (and who has time to floss every

observing, asking questions,

day?) to cultivating and maintaining

hypothesizing, experimenting,

relationships with family members and

observing again. The questions—and

friends, both in-person and now via all

the potential insights—are endless, as I

manner of technologies—by phone,

go deeper and deeper.

email, Skype, etc. Not to mention all the other stuff of daily life—everything from

For three years now, I’ve been teaching

cleaning out the kitty litter to helping

yoga. Though teaching is definitely

the kids with their homework to reading

distinct from the type of practice one

the newspaper to stay an informed

achieves while alone on the mat,

citizen of society …

drawing the mind inward, I do regard teaching yoga as another form of

Where does the practice of asana and

practice. According to Ericsson and

pranayama (much less sutra study and

Charness in their article on practice,

chanting) fit within all of this? I have

“Expert Performance: Its Structure and

finally come to understand that the

Acquisition” (as quoted in Stephen Cope,

solution may not be about trying to find

The Great Work of Your Life, pp. 117–118), the combination and

more hours in an already jam-packed day or figuring out ways

sustaining of certain factors result in “expertise.” Among the

to clone myself. They key is in learning to make the most of

seven key factors, the accumulation of hours within the

what I have—integrating work and practice by asking the right

so-called “domain of the task” is one. Thus, I also count

questions.

teaching yoga asana, including planning sequences and yoga studio, I certainly teach with the same kind of inquiry-

HOW CAN PRACTICE BE INTEGRATED WITH WORK? IT’S ALL ABOUT THE QUESTIONS.

based approach I use in the museum, asking my students to

During my Iyengar Yoga teacher training program several years

bring their mind to a certain area of the body and find out

ago, for an assignment related to the klesas, I came up with the

what’s going on there; what more can they find by trying

idea of keeping a “Klesas Daily Journal.” I developed a set of

different variations and comparing; and how can they

questions based on Sutras II.3 and II.4 and reflected on them

ultimately find repose in the pose (Sutra II.47).

almost every day:

I feel blessed to have asana and pranayama practice in my life,

1. What is the strongest klesa that came up for me today?

reflecting after class, as a certain dimension of practice. In the

multiple CDs of the yoga sutras and other Sanskrit chants to

• What did I struggle with in my life today—either in

listen to, and piles of books related to yoga philosophy, which I

relation to other people, within myself, or with samskaras

can easily consult. Of course, I wish I had more time to spend

(memories) that surfaced, etc.?

with all of this.

Where (And How) I Integrate Work and Practice HOW CAN WORK INTERFERE WITH PRACTICE?

• Is it a manifestation of avidya (spiritual ignorance), asmita (ego), raga (attachment to pleasure), dvesa (aversion to pain), or abhinivesa (fear)?

I’m sure we can all come up with myriad ways in which our work life interferes with our yoga practice. Probably, for most of

Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar

21

2. What form is it taking?

• prasupta (dormant), tanu (attenuated), vicchina (interrupted), udaranam (fully blown)?

udaranam (fully blown). I realize that at the root of this is perhaps a form of abhinivesa, in this case fear of self-perceived failure. I ask myself if it’s possible to let go (Isvara pranidhana) and bring the concepts of Sutra I.33—maitri (friendliness),

3. What is its root?

• Is this a samskara that goes way back? Is it a pattern?

karuna (compassion), mudita (joy), and upeksha (equanimity)—to my next interaction with this colleague. That would be one way to practice at work.

• Does it relate to avidya? abhinivesa? (In my experience, I found that almost everything relates back to either

Then at home, I would get right onto my mat. After the kind of

of these.)

day where I didn’t get that budget stuff done, I ask myself: Can I practice tapas on the mat then, through a sequence of strong

4. How might I try to attenuate it?

• Tapas? Svadhyaya? Isvara pranidhana?

standing poses or backbends? And thus, I try to meet the challenge. After the kind of day where I struggled with interpersonal relationships, I gently ask myself: Shall I practice

At the end of a long workday, I find it quite illuminating to ask

inversions to calm my mind, regain perspective, and apply the

these questions of myself. For example, if I’m feeling guilty

concepts of Sutra I.33—toward the self, first and foremost? Even

about procrastinating (again!) writing up my quarterly budget

if I have only 30 minutes, to integrate in this way ultimately

variance report, what is that about? Dvesa: I hate budgets.

yields a high-quality, meaningful, nourishing practice, serving

What is the remedy? Tapas: the discipline to just sit down and

to balance life on and off the mat.

do it. Or if I’m agitated by a colleague who unfairly put me on the spot in a meeting, what is the root of my agitation—and

And when I wake up in the morning, I’m ready to start all

why does it stick with me even after I’ve left the office? In going

over again.

through the above inquiry, I see that this is asmita, my ego blowing up and causing me pain, not the person herself; she

Willamarie Moore is working toward her Introductory II certification

only triggered this klesa to move from prasupta (dormant) to

(scheduled for fall 2014). She teaches yoga in the Boston area.

22

Yoga Samachar Spring/Summer 2014

THE TEAC H E R O F DHARMA : GEETAJI I Y E N G A R

By Naghmeh Ahi

E

ach time I’ve had the good fortune to study with

about an effect on

Geetaji Iyengar, invariably she’s highlighted our duty

the other. For

to ourselves to “find out.” In her teachings in asana

example, in

classes, amid her direct guidance of our attention to

Savasana, the

some part of ourselves, she adds, “You have to find out!” In

placement of the

teaching from a chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, she points out

body is such that

that Lord Krishna cajoles Arjuna to find out, to move away

there is a settling

from doubt and toward inquiry. She often shares details

of the karmendriyas, explaining that “the psychology of

about her upbringing and learning yoga by watching Mr.

the karmendriyas has to change to a state of quietness.”

Iyengar’s practice, learning from observation and attention—

This settled state of the arms and legs then further quiets

qualities she reminds us to nurture by turning inward, to

the consciousness deep inside, while the resultant

find out.

exhalations assist the cellular body to become even quieter, a “learned relaxing.”

In December 2013, we were blessed to find ourselves not only present for a month of study at RIMYI and for Mr. Iyengar’s 95th birthday festivities, but also privy to a five-day pranayama course conducted by Geetaji for the Indian teachers—a celebration of the dharma of finding out, through

It is all in the book, she would say. And she encouraged everyone to read the book and learn from it!

her detailed teachings on the art of pranayama, one of the eight limbs of yoga.

She taught the art of quieting the senses of perception—closing The Indian teachers had asked Geetaji to teach such a course,

the eyes to see inward and moving from the gross to the subtle,

and she finally decided to offer the course Dec. 9–13 at RIMYI.

from the outer world to the inner world. She called this process

The course took place in the main hall in the mornings for two

a “learned watching” (svadhyaya). “Find out what’s happening!”

and a half hours each day, and non-Indians enrolled in classes

She guided the brain to watch passively, while the eyes

at RIMYI for the month were granted permission to sign up and

withdraw inward. “Enter deep inward,” she said, “and reach

observe the pranayama classes via wide screen video in the

back where you see nothing. The mind wants to look out—

upstairs hall. Teachers of Iyengar Yoga from all corners of India

break that habit—enter deep inward and reach back.”

were in attendance. The hall was packed from wall to wall.

Similarly, upstairs, around 50 of us gathered daily with bolsters,

She taught the art of hearing, releasing the eardrums inward to

notebooks, iPads and iPhones, taking notes or following along

notice when the breath turns from inhalation to exhalation, for

with the teachings and doing—finding out.

example. She coaxed the group to be careful and keen in their observations of these things. She asked that the witnessing of

Geetaji presented everything from Savasana, Ujayii, Viloma,

these qualities spread everywhere inside, not controlling but

Brahmari, Kapalabati, and Bhastrika to Pratiloma and Anuloma in

watching to find out where we can reach.

these five days. It was a challenge to sit and watch and not be taken on the inward journey that she guided her students

Every day there was a point in her teachings when Geetaji

toward. As she shared the intricate details required for the

would refer to Light on Pranayama and note that nothing she

body, the mind, and the breath, she also continually referred to

was sharing was new. It is all in the book, she would say. And

the requisite state of attentiveness, watchfulness, and

she encouraged everyone to read the book and learn from it!

humbleness—as well as one’s duty to remain alert—to notice these things.

As much as Geetaji laid out the landscape of pranayama, step by step and part by part, she also took us back to the requirement

Step by step, she taught the process of going inward, explaining

of vigilance in self-exploration and self-study, without

that pranayama is a subtle practice founded on developing

judgment but with keen interest and practice that comes from

sensitivity, patience, and a strong observation of the body, mind,

watchfulness.

and breath, and how adjusting and attending to each will bring

Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar

23

“Learn to watch. Learn to observe. Be keen for that moment!”

Our dharma is to adjust and readjust when we notice a disturbance that might have moved from one part of our being

As much as the sensitivity, surrender, and witnessing processes were required by Geetaji, an equally humble presence was advised

to another part, such as from the body to the breath, the breath to the mind, or the mind to the breath. or any thought.” She took the group deeper and deeper into Geetaji taught that the surrender inward learned in Savasana

vairagya, coaxing, “Wherever you reach, reach comfortably …

is without limit, a “spaceless area within that is timeless.”

whole being dissolving… nothing belongs, nothing is touching

She advised us to “get lost in that area.” In each session, she

you, nothing is attached to you.”

took the group to passive quiet exhalations to reach that depth, where the breath “will vanish in the universe of the

Geetaji gave the road map for the path into the wonderful

body, dissolve in the ocean of the body, like a wave, a letting

world of our breath. Our dharma is to go and find out!

go process.”

As much as the sensitivity, surrender, and witnessing processes

Naghmeh Ahi is on the faculty of the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Greater

were required by Geetaji, an equally humble presence was

New York and the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Brooklyn.

advised: “Feel as if you are nobody interesting, without any aim

24

Yoga Samachar Spring/Summer 2014

MOR E O N C OM MU N I T Y A N D C O NS CIOU S NE S S

I

n May 2013, Birjoo Mehta traveled from Mumbai, India, to San Diego, California, to teach at the Iyengar Yoga National Teachers’ Conference and Regional Convention.

Manouso Manos had a chance to sit down with Birjoo to

discuss community, consciousness, and skillful action. This is Part 2 of their two-part conversation.

Getting back to the topic of community again—you have a remarkably unique perspective on the world compared with everyone else on this subject.

You are a senior teacher and a well-noted world-class teacher of yoga by all standards. Yet, you also have travelled with an international corporation because of the kind of business you do, and you’ve been able to walk in to communities unannounced. For example, once you were in South Africa, and you said, “I am here. Can anyone use a yoga teacher?” You get to see certain communities in a very different light than many of the rest of us senior teachers. You walk out of a business community on Friday and into a hardcore yoga community on the weekend. I’d like to hear a few of your thoughts on this.

Manouso Manos:

You’re being very humble because you’ve actually had quite a strong effect on these communities that you’ve walked in and out of. Maybe you don’t even know the ripple effect that you have as a human being and how the community coheres around the teachings that you leave behind. You aren’t the kind of fella who seeks this kind of gratification of the ego on the way out of town, but you have really strengthened those communities in quite strong ways, and I applaud you for it.

MM:

BM: I don’t think I have such an impact like that.

You’ve been the keynote speaker at many of the world conventions and have accompanied Guruji on many of his travels, so you know your effect has been felt. I think you have had a remarkable effect on a group of people and their yoga practices and how they conduct themselves.

MM:

BM: I don’t give credit to myself. I think it’s their own yoga practice that has brought about any changes.

Yes, but inspiration comes from the outside. Guruji’s an inspirational figure for me, let me say that straight up.

I know you know that, but I’m saying it for the record. But in fact, YOU in particular have this way about you and a way of conducting yourself—some people do see you as a revolutionary figure and an inspirational figure because of how you’ve stood with that strong standard of practice.

MM:

Birjoo Mehta: Well, if you have visited South Africa, you know that you can visit some beautiful sites, game parks and things like that, but if you are there for too long, there is not that much activity other than shopping malls. So I had an assignment in South Africa once, which meant that I was there for four to six months overall. Now what would you do on a Saturday or Sunday in Johannesburg if you have already seen the sights?

Well, I know you well enough to know that you are going to practice.

MM:

BM: I don’t know about standards of practice and things like that, but let me put it this way: Whatever Guruji says leaves behind an impression with me. And many times it’s not what he has taught in the class, but what he has talked about in the

BM: Yes. So apart from my own practice, I just called up [some

library or what he has said just in passing. Those things leave a

of the people I was working with] and said, “Hey, I’m here.

deep impact on me. I may not be able to immediately

Would you like to take a class? I’d be happy to share my

understand what he has said, but over a period of time,

experiences.” And within half an hour they rustled up 20–25

suddenly while I’m practicing, something will come back and

people for a class. That worked out pretty well. It was very nice

[I’ll realize] what Guruji actually meant and then [I’ll work with

because I was meeting people from different places. The same

that in my practice].

thing happened while I was in Hong Kong. I was there for business, and I just called up [my friend Linda and she invited

Second, through teaching, Guruji has left some very strong

me over to her studio for a class]. I like to do that because it

imprints of corrections that he has made. These corrections

allows me to talk and interact with the community. In that

have happened across the 40 or 45 years that I have been with

sense, it’s not that I planned to be there to teach or anything

him. After the impression is left behind, I struggle to articulate

like that.

that impression, and this articulation can take a lot of time. I may not use his exact words because those words were actually

Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar

25

meant for me in the situation I was in at the time, with the

Once his consciousness moves all over the body, he should feel

shortcomings of the pose. He gave that correction to me. So

the same restlessness as I would feel. He feels the restlessness,

what I do is keep that impression with me and then struggle to

and I ask him, “Are you feeling the restlessness?” That is ksipta

articulate how I got it. And I use the instructions that Guruji

(wavering) citta. When you are not doing anything, and you are

has given me when I teach. They may not be directly spoken,

dull, and your mind is wandering all over the place, that is

but they will be translated into my own language and then

mudha (dull) citta. You are not aware of any part of your body.

given to other people. So there is a sense of Guruji’s teachings— maybe not his words because his words were relative to a

Then I say, “Okay, now focus on your knee. Whatever is

particular context—but I sort of take the context and try to

happening, focus on your knee.” And as you remain in

pass it on.

Trikonasana, let’s say, focusing on the knee, I say, “Grip your knee again.” If you are able to grip your knee again, that means that

For a long time, there was a challenge that was always with me.

it had become loose. If it became loose, it means that the

You know, coming from an engineering background, I place a

awareness you had in the beginning lost out. So although your

lot of importance on objectivity. I don’t trust subjectivity; I go

focus was on the knee, it was wavering in intensity, so that

on objectivity. It is easy for us to measure objectivity and to

becomes viksipta (partially stable, oscillating between

work on an objective level because for generations—probably

wandering and stability) citta.

2,000 years or more—people have been learning objectivity. You know, 12 years in school and another three to four years in

MM:

Right.

university, so 15, 16 years of hard training in objectivity. So, obviously you trust objectivity, and you know how to measure

BM: Now, if I want you to do the viksipta citta, I tell you that as

objectivity. A question came to me that if I injure my knee,

long as your mind is on the knee and you’re observing the knee,

would I not be feeling the same pain as somebody else who also

your consciousness is there. The consciousness causes the

injured their knee? My thought was obviously that it should be

movement. So while you are observing there, the consciousness

the same. Therefore, if something happens to me and I can feel

also will continue to move because you are observing that spot.

pain, and a similar thing happens to somebody else and he can

Whereas, if you focus on your back leg, for example, while

also feel pain, then is it possible for me to translate my feeling

observing the front leg, the movement will come in the back leg

onto somebody else?

but it will keep the front leg undisturbed. So that becomes ekagra (one-pointed) citta.

That’s how I started to work in the standing poses. I’d think, “I am standing here, what do I feel? Where are my thoughts?

So from that point on, it’s going from mudha citta to ksipta citta

Where do I feel something? Where am I aware of something?

to vksipta citta to ekagra citta, and that is something people

And now what did I do? Where did the awareness go?” So when

relate to. Then they start understanding what consciousness is.

I teach, I say, “Okay. This is where your awareness is.” Then I realized that people’s awareness is not there.

Then I said, “Okay. I have to first give an instruction to ‘do something .’” So if I say, “Plant the heels firmly on the floor,” the moment you plant the heels firmly on the floor, the consciousness goes to the heels. So I say, “Okay. Fine. You are feeling the consciousness now.” When I say “consciousness”

Your explanation of the asanas with the understanding of the citta is really quite profound. And students can feel the changes that go on in consciousness even without any words attached to them. But they can, in fact, say, “I understand this was dull, now it’s awake.”

Now all of my concentration is here, now none of my concentration is here.” Those words are easy for them.

MM:

I mean “awareness.”

BM: Yes. I use my body to experiment and see where the awareness should be moving and give the instruction in that manner so that the person who is studying with me, his awareness also starts to move. Then he gets a realization that awareness can move, so this is what is moving his consciousness.

It takes later for the philosophy to catch up. This is what I think Guruji has really brought to the subject.

[Guruji] gives up talking to my ears because I’m a fool.

But he can talk directly to parts of my body, and they respond to him.

MM:

Otherwise, who knows what consciousness is? What I could do is make a person do the pose and move his consciousness from

BM: Absolutely, it doesn’t require language. The way I see it,

one place to another by giving fast instructions, you know, “Grip

language goes to the mind; the mind interprets it and sends it

your knee, extend your hand, turn your chest, then lift your

across based on whatever experiences you have had. Whereas a

head up.” All these things. And then his consciousness is

direct teaching is something that happens when he is working

moving all over the body.

through the consciousness.

26

Yoga Samachar Spring/Summer 2014

MM:

Yes.

then? Yes, I brought my calf muscles down and then I moved from my knee and I moved the hips forward so that my thigh

BM: He sort of attaches you to your consciousness, which is

muscles went down. So this kind of thought and articulation

probably in the knee, and then by giving direction, the

is required.

consciousness starts to move, and then he talks to the consciousness directly. He doesn’t require the mind to follow.

Articulation is not yoga, but the articulation helps you get to

You just have to give in to whatever he is doing.

a stage where you can cross the boundary. And to me, the challenge is always, how do I articulate what I have felt? But

For example, my personal experience is that I don’t really read

Guruji makes it so clear. Sometimes when he’s explaining, it

too much in books. [But if Guruji] has said something and a

seems as clear as daylight. I sometimes feel that Guruji is

question comes up, then I go back and read. One time, Guruji

able to read minds. I’m not sure in what respect I am saying

spoke about the different chakras, for example. Of course, he

this, but there was a question that was troubling me for a

had talked about them during his 75th birthday, but I hadn’t

few months, and I would not ask this question to Guruji

heard him then. So he started to talk about svadishthana chakra,

because I thought I needed to understand it, find out the

and he started talking about muladhara chakra and all these

answer. The question was about how to know where your

things. I had no idea where they were, but I could understand

mind or your awareness is not reaching.

[what was happening] without understanding where that chakra was positioned. [Later when I] checked, I realized I was

I was wondering, and I sort of struggled for a time, and then I

exactly following what he had said. So I realized very quickly

said, let me ask Prashantji. So I asked Prashantji, but I didn’t get

that he is not talking to the mind. The language may be wrong

an answer that was meaningful. Of course, he gave me some

or used incorrectly. But the effect is still there. It is as if he is

guidance in terms of practice, but still that thing didn’t come.

bringing his consciousness to talk to my consciousness directly

Then I went to the library, and Guruji just spoke as he normally

without the intervention of the mind or the words.

would and said, “You see, when the sun is there . . . and if there

MM:

Yes.

is a cloud between the sun and the earth, that cloud will put a shadow.” So if you trace the path from the shadow to the sun, you’ll see the cloud. Or, in other words, if you come from the

BM: So, what you said is very right.

This is why the senior teachers, yourself being one of the great ones, do not go and try to parrot exactly what they have heard out of India, but they try to interpret what happened inside of them and then find a way to communicate that into the consciousness of the people in front of them.

MM:

sun and you encounter a cloud—these are my words, but the intent was that—once you encounter the cloud, from that line if you go further, there is darkness. If you encounter a cloud, everything below it is darkness.

I realized that this is exactly what I see. If I follow from the center of the body, which is here, and I start to follow, if at any point I feel that cloud, I can be sure that below that cloud, downstream from that cloud, is the darkness. Then, if I remove

BM: Yes.

And you’re really quite gifted at that, but those people are failing who go home and try to find the exact words that were given to them, whether it was by Guruji or Geetaji or Prashantji. Instead, they should find the essence of where they were taken and the path that maybe got them there.

MM:

the cloud I will get to understand that that was the darkness I could feel. Because earlier, I was not feeling that. If I was not feeling it, how did I know it existed? By removing the cloud, I can keep it in existence through awareness. Those are the kinds of things I’ve experienced a number of times. He just remarkably answers your questions without you having to articulate them.

Yeah, it’s remarkable that way, and I’ve had those same experiences. I finally figured out in my own tiny awareness that he knows himself and has studied himself so well, that [to] the people in front of him, it looks like he’s reading their minds. But his awareness of what’s going on in the universe is so sharp that he’s instantly ready to act on what’s going on.

MM:

BM: Exactly. What did I feel, what did I feel? And the interesting thing is, you don’t need to know how you did it. To appreciate good food, you don’t need to know how to prepare the food, right?

You don’t need to understand how to manufacture an automobile to drive.

MM:

BM: Absolutely, absolutely.

BM: No. Exactly. It is for you to feel. Once you [feel something], then you can start building an articulation around it. What did I do then? Okay, I pressed my heel, okay, fine. What did I do Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar

We are already over time. Anything you want to close with, any final comments?

MM:

27

BM: Sure. To go back to the first questions about community—

“Is what I am doing the right thing for me to do for the

let me look at it this way: You have different parts of your body.

betterment of the community?” If that is so, go ahead and do it.

These are the different individuals in the community. Okay?

You are not likely to cause any problem. But the problem comes

Each part of the body does a different thing because that is for

in when we try to say, “Oh, I need to slight somebody.” You know,

the dharma. If every part started to do the same thing, then the

that is attachment.

human body would not work. Right?

When you try to slight somebody [or become attached], that’s In a similar manner, if you say a community is united when

where things start to fail. And I think that is the beauty about

each part does its own thing, as it should be doing, what is the

the communities Guruji has brought together. He believes that

dharma? What is the duty? If everybody starts to do the same

the community should develop, grow, work in its own best

thing, that shows attachment. And attachment doesn’t lead to

manner. And you find that communities are flourishing.

dharma. So what we need to do is [have] each one do what is the right thing for himself and the community, for the community

And most of the other Gurus, as you might know, have this kind

to grow. What it does not mean is that everybody should be

of hierarchy, like a pyramid, that leaves behind only one way to

doing the same thing.

do things. Whereas this community…

If [every body part tried] to do the same thing, the human body

MM:

It keeps growing.

would not work. For example, if the ears attempted to do what the eyes are doing or if the tongue tried to do what the ears are

BM: Yes, it keeps growing because it’s like nature. It just keeps

doing, the human body would not function. Similarly, the

growing and growing and growing, and so I wish the U.S.

community functions when each [person] does his or her own

community well and thank you.

job. Each person’s view will be different. It has to be. Because be different.

Birjoo, thank you very very much from all of us. It’s been quite enlightening.

Therefore, forget about trying to bring consensus, but bring

BM: Thank you.

what the eyes see and what the ears hear have to

MM:

about the dutifulness in terms of the ethics about it that [ask],

28

Yoga Samachar Spring/Summer 2014

Lifelong

E R IC S MA L L

PRACTICE

By Janet Lilly

I

have had the pleasure of sitting on the IYNAUS Board of Directors with Intermediate Senior II Iyengar Yoga Instructor Eric Small for the past two

When you go to class, that is not practice. You are learning something that you will do in your practice.

years. I always look forward to his stories about his early studies with Mr. Iyengar. At 81, Eric has been practicing

Iyengar Yoga for over 50 years. He is a master storyteller and we had such fun with this interview! There were so many wonderful tales to recount that I could have written at least two more Lifelong Practice columns!

Janet Lilly:

How did you discover Iyengar Yoga?

practice to what I need at that moment. My practice has not always been the same, but it has always been inventive.

How have you seen the Iyengar Yoga student population change over the years?

JL:

ES: The students now are far more are perceptive. I believe they perceive that with Iyengar Yoga you just get the truth—there

Eric Small: I started with an early student of Mr. Iyengar’s,

are no distractions, manipulations, or merchandising. As

Indra Devi. I was using two canes at the time. [Eric was

students of Iyengar Yoga, we are learning from Guruji the truth

diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 22.] After six to

about what Hatha yoga really is.

eight months of study, I went from two canes to one, and in another six months, I was able to venture out on my own without my caregiver. Within two years, I was fairly independent, so I moved out of my grandmother’s house into

What do you see as most important for the Iyengar community today as compared with the 1970s and 1980s?

JL:

a garage out back where I could have a studio for my practice (my grandfather wasn’t too pleased with this arrangement

ES: I believe that the future of Iyengar Yoga is with the

because he had a beautiful Packard car stored in the garage).

therapeutics work. The appendixes at the back of Light on Yoga

I would use the Packard’s hydraulic lift and some plywood as

show us how to save our own life.

props to practice yoga.

Can you share a favorite memory from the early days with Mr. Iyengar?

JL:

What interferes with your practice?

JL:

ES: My household and my life are built around supporting my practice. For me, my practice space is sacred. I have a fountain

ES: In 1974, after studying with Indra Devi for two and a half

and an outside shady area where I can do my pranayama. I

years, she told me that I should try and see Mr. Iyengar when

know that many don’t have this luxury, and I encourage my

he came to Berkeley. Unfortunately, the event was sold out, and

students to commit to a dedicated space and time to practice

there wasn’t a mat to be had, but I found a way to watch Mr.

for themselves.

Iyengar from a propped-open door in the hallway. I was sort of flopping around out there, and on the second day, Mr. Iyengar came out to see what I was doing. He said, “Everyone in there is

How do you find enough time to practice with your teaching schedule?

JL:

here to show me what they know, but you are here to learn what I know.”

JL:

How has your practice changed over the years?

ES: I wouldn’t have a life if I didn’t have my practice. When you go to class, that is not practice. You are learning something that you will do in your practice. Class is where you gather information and acquire knowledge. That is what

ES: I still have a fairly complete practice. These days I do some

makes our certified Iyengar Yoga teachers different; we are

of my asanas in my pool. For example, I practice

there to share and inform students about Mr. Iyengar’s

Pascimottanasana (forward bend), Upavista Konasana, and my

system. What makes Iyengar Yoga teachers unique is our

standing poses using floats. During each of the decades of my

ability to inspire students to look within and become

life, I have been able to sustain a practice because I adjust my

observant of what they are actually doing.

Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar

29

Guruji teaches us how to be generous, how to be conscious, and how to realize consciousness.

I just started a class at the Iyengar Institute of Los Angeles because Mr. Iyengar requested that I do so. I complete an intake session with every incoming student. I ask incoming students general health and experience questions, such as, “What are you looking for? How can I be of service to you?” The session only takes 10 minutes, and it helps me make good decisions while teaching the class.

How has your relationship to eating and/or sleeping changed as your practice has matured?

JL:

ES: With multiple sclerosis, sleeping is an issue. I used to have to take a lot of drugs to sleep. Supported forward bends such as Janu Sirsasana or Pascimottanasana with head support and inversions help with sleep difficulties, as does a meat-free diet.

How do you juggle your work and administrative responsibilities with your practice and your teaching?

JL:

ES: The most practical answer is that I delegate the responsibilities for my various philanthropic organizations.

The M.S. Yoga Foundation, my Adaptive Iyengar Yoga Program for the M.S. Society, also supports the Eric Small Iyengar Yoga Program Achievement Center at UCLA, USC, and at Rancho

Eric Small in Adho Mukha Svanasana

“YOU ALL COMPLAIN THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE TIME TO PRACTICE, BUT THE TRUTH IS YOU DO NOT MAKE THE TIME. ONCE YOU MAKE THE TIME TO PRACTICE, YOU WILL FIND YOU HAVE MORE TIME FOR EVERYTHING.”

Los Amigos (a state rehab center for rehabilitation). My Stress Control Systems Trust handles my classes and

— PRASHA N T I YE N GA R

teaching, publications, and public appearances. I am also on the boards of The L.A. Philharmonic, The L.A. Opera, The Thornton School of Music, USC, Doheny Eye Institute, and Saint Johns Health Center.

Any final thoughts that you would like to share with our readers?

JL:

ES: Guruji teaches us how to be generous, how to be conscious, and how to realize consciousness. When I look back at my life, I remember being told that with multiple sclerosis, I wouldn’t want to be alive. Instead of accepting that statement and just sitting around on my tookus, I have become self-reliant. A longtime yoga practice makes you very self-reliant, and in turn, you live to give back what you have learned from Guruji without expectation of rewards.

MEMBERS RECEIVE 10% OFF ORDERS FROM THE IYNAUS STORE! Remember to use the code 2014MEMBER at checkout to receive your discount.

For wholesale orders, please call 206-623-3562.

Janet Lilly is president of the IYNAUS Board of Directors. If you have recommendations for future Lifelong Practice interviews, please email them to Janet at lilly.janet@gmail.com.

30

Yoga Samachar Spring/Summer 2014

Musings A N A NOM A LY I N SU B U R B I A

By Kim Peralta Summertime.

by the brick gatepost, waving. Finnian salutes me from the porch. “Good-bye Mama. Bring me a treeeeeeeat!”

4:30 a.m. Still dark. The alarm rings needlessly: I’ve been

I love the 25-minute drive through woodsy back roads and

awake since Finnian, 3, sat up and cried half an hour ago,

small towns until I reach the long, rectangular sign announcing

needing a hug to send him back to sleep. Forrest, 5, also sleeps,

“IYENGAR YOGA SCHOOL OF NORTHERN NEW JERSEY.” The

his left arm slung over my neck, his right leg across his

thrill of seeing it remains.

brother’s tummy. Their noses touch. I peel down the covers, slip out, slowly dress in T-shirt and shorts, then tip-toe out onto the

9 a.m. I open the glass doors, switch on the fans, sigh. Today

landing. All the windows are open. The floorboards creek in the

will be hot. After one long Adho Mukha Vrksasana, I prepare for

cold. I sneak back for sweater and socks. Downstairs in the

the 9:30 class: sweep, check the bathroom, dust the photos of

kitchen I turn on the light, grind coffee beans, set out milk

Guruji, Geetaji, and Mary Dunn.

and sugar.

9:15 a.m. An elderly woman clad in Bermuda shorts wanders 5 a.m. Sukhasana. Winnie-the-pooh and his stuffed companions

up. Her large black dog wears a red bandana around its throat.

loom in the half light from the tall, narrow shelf that tops the

She carries a small radio, blasting out a 1940s swing tune, pokes

wood paneling in the dining-turned-toy room. Dawn is pristine,

her head round the door, and says, “Can you levitate?” I explain

magical, orderly—my best time. I bow my head, hear birdsong,

politely: “It’s not what we do here.” I give her a schedule, and

smell fresh dew, feel a cool breeze, watch my thoughts.

she waddles off. I feel a strange kinship with her: Like me, she is an anomaly in suburbia.

7 a.m. Amazed. I have actually completed two uninterrupted hours of Sirsasana, seated forward bends and Sarvangasana. No

11 a.m. As the last student drifts away, I too drift away in a long

one has woken up. I savor their snooze.

Savasana. Somewhere in the middle of it, I fall asleep.

7:01 a.m. Uneven footfalls on the staircase: Forrest and Finnian

11:35 a.m. Eyes open. I see without looking and wonder: Is it

thumping their way down, sleepy-eyed, hair-tousled. “Mama!

possible to be dead and alive at the same time? I savor the

Mama! Are you doing yoga? Come SLEEP with us Mama, in the

thought, conclude that death is just a word, and that living

BIG BED!!” Forrest’s arms grip my neck; Finnian jumps on my

lasts forever.

back, wrapping his legs around my waist. Forrest broad jumps over my crossed legs, misses, falling heavily on my right thigh.

Finn, grinding his teeth, grabs folds of my neck, shoves his face

Kim Peralta is a certified Intermediate Junior III teacher in Brooksville,

against mine. We rub noses.

Maine. She wrote this piece in 1997, when her children were small and the family lived in New Jersey.

8:35 a.m. I back my car out of the long driveway. Forrest, racing, follows like a German Shepherd I once knew. He stands Photo: Michelle D. Williams/Curtis Settino

Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar

31

Certification Committee Dear IYNAUS Members, Guruji recently sent a letter to all Iyengar Yoga Associations worldwide informing them that teachers are not to teach until fully certified. He advised IYNAUS to combine the Introductory I and II assessments into one assessment. He made this change in response to our questions regarding the status of the Introductory I teacher. The IYNAUS Board and Certification Committee recently made these requested changes to our certification process effective for the 2015 assessment cycle.

We know there are many questions about this change, and we hope this note will answer some of them. Beginning in 2015, we will offer assessments for the Introductory level, combining the Introductory I and Introductory II syllabi and required knowledge into a single assessment. The certificate level for passing this assessment will be called Introductory Levels I and II. Upon successful completion of the combined Introductory I and II assessment, candidates will be considered fully certified Iyengar Yoga teachers and can use the Iyengar name freely to describe their classes.

With this change, our new teachers will be welcomed into the community of Iyengar-certified teachers directly after passing their first assessment.

The Introductory I and II syllabi will continue to be listed separately in the Certification Manual for progressive study and learning.

The Introductory I material is still an important stage in the training process and should be attained before proceeding to learn the Introductory II material. The new 2015 Introductory I and II assessment will be a sensitive and practical combination of the two syllabi. The assessment will be much like the current Introductory II assessment. The Demonstrated Practice will draw from both syllabi, and the Demonstration of Teaching Skills portion of the assessment will consist of six asanas.

Those who have passed Introductory I assessment or those taking the Introductory I assessment this year will still have the option of taking a designated Introductory II assessment in 2015 or 2016.

Until an Iyengar Yoga teacher is fully certified, student teachers should not be teaching public classes and cannot identify themselves as Iyengar Yoga teachers. However, to gain experience, they can teach to the public under the direct supervision of a certified teacher. They also can teach to family, friends, in study groups with colleagues, or practice teaching sessions with volunteer Iyengar Yoga students. Yoga studios can employ their certified teachers to oversee classes taught by student teachers preparing for certification. With this change, teachers who pass the Introductory I and II assessment can teach independently and identify their teaching as Iyengar Yoga. We live in a large and diverse country. There are many models that can work to prepare our future teachers and build our community.

Those who are currently teaching should fulfill their commitments and proceed to complete the certification process.

Among other benefits this change will bring, the process will be more expeditious and less costly. The change also will bring clarity to the status of any candidate who passes an IYNAUS assessment as a fully certified Iyengar Yoga teacher. Mentors, recommending teachers, and current candidates for Introductory certification should discuss these changes to make an informed decision about certification this year. It may be appropriate and beneficial for many candidates to keep their study momentum going and assess in 2014.

We encourage further mentoring of Introductory-level candidates by our Intermediate Junior, Senior, and Advanced teachers of the student teachers as they learn to observe, assist, and teach. We are confident this change will bring more interest to Iyengar Yoga and the certification process.

All the best,

Leslie Bradley, Mary Reilly, and the Certification Committee Please contact Leslie Bradley, certification chair, at certification@iynaus.org with any questions or concerns.

32

Yoga Samachar Spring/Summer 2014

2013 Iyengar Yoga Assessments Here are the names of those who went up for and passed an assessment in 2013. Our method provides ongoing education for teachers at every level. Congratulations on your hard work and dedication!

Intermediate Senior III

Kevin Allen Wendy Alter

Introductory I (not yet certified)

Katherine LaSpina

Rebecca Lerner James Murphy

Roberto Astorga

Anne Adams

Achala Jeff LeGro

Beth Aucoin

Nil Akin

Cindy Lee

Intermediate Junior II

Nadya Bair

Jayne Alenier

Laura Lenee

Patrina Dobish

Joanne Boccassini

Susan Allen

Molly Lesmeister

Isabela Fortes

Barbara Boris

Sara Arends-Haggith

Lisa Longton

Tonya Garreaud

Kathy Jo Brisker

Vanessa Bacher

Jennifer Macgregor-Dennis

Donald S. Gura

Karen Bysiewicz

Barbara Bair

Tessa Manning

Vladimir Jandov

Galit Carthy-Katalan

Afsaneh Bakhtiar

Michelle Mansfield

Linda Nishio

Dina Chalom

Stephanie Barnes-Castro

Elizabeth Marple

Koren Paalman

Brendan Clarke

Jeanine Berlocher

Patti Martin

Kishor Stein

Julia DeHoff

Jenn Bowen

Hector Jairo Martinez

Manju Vachher

Nathalie Fairbanks

Susan Brower

Linda McReynolds

Holly Walck

Annie Fedler

Charley Brown

Erika Meir

Daryl Fowkes

Huijung Campbell

Marjorie Minkler

Intermediate Junior I

Stephanie Foxman

Susan Carter

Christine Miyachi

Winnie Au

Susan Friedman

Sandra Castellano

Natalia Momchilova

Cynthia Bates

Jane Froman

Duncan Catanach

Inge Mula Myllerup-Brookhuis

Peggy Berg

Martha Garvey

Enrique Cayeiro

Lori Neumann

Cynthia Berliner

Jill Hagar

Helen Chandler

Elizabeth Pagan

Doerthe Braun

Lisa Henrich

Barbara Chiancone Gitlin

Mimi Pajo

Antonietta Capotondi

Howison Hollenberg

Thecla Chomicz

Prakash Parameswaran

Christina de la Fuente

Abbey Hope

Darren Christensen

Becky Patel

Jennifer Edwards

Aziani Ismail

Angela Cooper

Dana Perkins

Donna Furmanek

Barbara Laird

Christine Corsa

Sue Phan

Holly Hughins

Rebecca Lascoe

Sharon Cotugno

K. Clark Phipps

Diana Jacaman

Leslie Lekos

Carmen Coyle

Veronique Porter

Deborah Lapkin

Stefie Livingston

Sheri Cruise

Shannyn Potter

Casey Love

Kristin McGee

Leanne Cusumano Roque

Erica Quam

Vimla Maharaj-Banks

Kathy Morris

Marilee Dejacimo

Noelle Reyes

Rachel Mathenia

Kathy Oshaughnessy

Kerry Doyle

Orli Rudolph

Monica Rose

Marilyn Patton

Robert Tokusho Flory

Jean Saad

Pauline Schloesser

Joan Pope

Michael Furmanek

Kimberly Scott

Anne-Marie Schultz

Rosa Maria (Rosie) Richardson

Mary Garbiesi

Marilyn Dale Shields

Netta Sella

Michael Romero

Claude Goldstein

Cyndi Simpson

Suzanne Simon

Tahsha Sanbrailo

Katy Groves

Myra Slepoy

David Slack

Mary Bruce Serene

Elizabeth Gudrais

Margaret Spear

Tedrah Smothers

Ginna Sloane

Ana-Mari Hamada

Julie Tamarkin

Anastasia Sofos

Bernadett Szasz

Penny Hanna

Roberta Tewes

Barbara Steif

Jean Torrey-Canney

Emi Harnden

Ashley Thayer

Kathleen Swanson

Mary Ann Travis

Kathleen Harris

Christine Thompson

Catherine Veit

Anne Underwood

Gail Heaton

Lizet Tirres

Rebecca Weisman

Da Gang Wang

Sally Hoesing

Sarah Tuttle

Nuvana Zarthoshtimanesh

Josh Warren

Alison Jackson

Mimi Visser

Jennifer Wert

Liz Juarez

Lisa Waas

Sarah Wilner

Robyn Katz

Suzannah Walker

Marivic Wrobel

Lesa Kingsbury-Taub

Michele Weis

Cathy Adamo

Holly Korab

Maria Wigmore

Carol Ahuna

Louiza Koumoutsakis

Nancy Witters

Introductory II (newly certified)

Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar

Diane Lassman

33

treasurer’s

REPORT—IYNAUS FINANCES

Financial Report for 2013

By David Carpenter For the past several years, the IYNAUS Board of Directors has been attempting to improve the association’s financial performance. I am pleased to report that these efforts bore fruit in 2013. In addition to the fact that we realized a profit from the San Diego regional conference and convention, 2013 was the first year in some time in which revenues from our other activities exceeded the associated expenses. At the same time, our financial results in 2013 were influenced by events that cannot be counted on in future years, and the board of directors is now considering investing in new initiatives to promote Iyengar Yoga. Thus, while the 2013 results were gratifying, we will continue to pursue measures to increase our revenues, to be vigilant in controlling our other expenses, and to rely on our members’ generosity in donating time and other resources for IYNAUS’ programs.

Below is a table that summarizes IYNAUS’ revenues and expenses for each of the past four calendar years (for convenience, I have moved all revenues and expenses associated with the 2010 Portland convention, the 2011 Chicago regional conference, the 2012 Washington, D.C., regional conference, and the 2013 San Diego convention and regional conference to the year in which each event occurred). This table shows that 2013 was, comparatively speaking, a successful year financially.

IYNAUS PROFIT AND LOSS STATEMENT REVENUES

2010

2011

2012

2013

Dues (less regions’ shares)

85,825

72,650

84,920

74,360

Event revenues (including receivables)

84,513

35,366

-24,000

48,968

Store revenues less cost of goods (store sales at events are in parenthesis)

112,055 (70,000)

69,522 (3389)

58,443 (6053)

82,062 (7565)

Charitable contributions to IYNAUS

7,485

4,750

1,720

1,550

Yoga Samachar advertising revenue

0

0

0

4,000

22,600

16,580

16,785

16,743

Assessment fees and manual

48,895

47,985

46,850

63,784

Bellur donations

23,726

7,658

4,290

26,717

TOTAL REVENUES

385,099

254,511

189,008

314,184

Bellur donations

23,726

7,658

4,290

26,717

Salaries and employment taxes

79,864

76,807

64,531

69,817

Production expenses for Yoga Samachar

24,044

22,012

25,516

24,242

Assessment expenses

48,108

52,470

54,559

63,818

Legal fees

12,358

13,919

17,631

0

Website design and maintenance

46,659

29,002

25,929

21,082

IYNAUS board meeting travel expenses

10,304

12,035

10,532

12,413

Bookkeeping

12,750

5,475

4,853

1,550

Office supplies and expenses

7,487

6,004

5,981

11,499

Merchant and bank fees (for store)

27,212

22,565

15,429

17,696

Nonemployee insurance and taxes

7,054

5,612

2,434

3,896

TOTAL EXPENSES

299,566

253,559

231,685

248,730

NET REVENUE

85,533

952

-42,677

65,454

NET REVENUE—Exclusiding convention/regional conferences and store sales made at these events

-68,980

-37,803

-24,720

8921

Unrestricted Revenue

Restricted Revenue Certification mark (less payments to India) Earmarked Revenue

EXPENSES

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Yoga Samachar Spring/Summer 2014

A major factor that contributed to last year’s success was the

In light of the financial success of 2013, the association’s

regional conference and national convention held in San Diego

balance sheet is also stronger today than it was six months ago.

in May 2013. In addition to providing phenomenal experiences

In the fall 2013 issue, I included our balance sheet as of October

for all who attended, this event generated $48,968 in profits for

2013. In the interest of conserving space (and in thus saving

IYNAUS (and some $19,070 for the San Diego region). Many of

money!), I will not provide a complete balance sheet in this

you no doubt recall that I provided a much lower estimate of

issue. But I can report that our “net worth” increased to

IYNAUS’ profits from this event in my report six months ago.

$302,352.04 as of Feb. 28, 2014, and that our unrestricted cash

But that was a preliminary figure, which turned out to be

(which is what is most important to me) increased to $137,185

inaccurate in a number of respects. The correct and final figure

as of that date.

is $48,968. That said, there are no regional conferences scheduled in 2014 or 2015, and IYNAUS will not have another

While the developments of the past year were certainly

convention before 2016. Thus, it appears that it will be some

welcome, we obviously cannot count on a continuation of all

time before IYNAUS realizes event revenues again.

the factors that led to our positive financial results in 2013. For example, we have now decided to fill the clerical position that

For that reason, it is gratifying that IYNAUS also realized positive

was vacant most of last year. In addition, our store sales can be

net revenues from all its other activities in 2013. For the first time

expected to return to their historic levels when the initial

in the past four years (and within anyone’s memory), the

demand for the recent publications from India is met, and it is

association had positive net revenues ($8,921) in a calendar year

entirely possible that we will have legal costs, increased

even excluding net revenues associated with events (i.e., event

assessment costs, and increased clerical costs in 2014 or future

profits plus the store sales made at the events). Accordingly, last

years. Apart from the inherent uncertainty surrounding the

year was the first year in which we did not need event revenues to

costs of our existing programs, the board is actively exploring

subsidize our other programs and activities.

new programs and additional steps to take to promote Iyengar Yoga, and some of these measures would entail significant

Several factors contributed to last year’s exceptional results.

additional expenditures. Thus, in addition to our ongoing efforts

First, IYNAUS store sales were strong in the last half of 2013 as

to minimize expenses, the board of directors will continue to

a result of the demand for the Intermediate Course and some

examine ways to increase IYNAUS’ revenues.

other exciting new books from India. Second, for the first time in many years, we incurred no legal fees or other related

In this latter regard, in both my column and Janet Lilly’s

expenses in 2013, as we were able to arrange for pro bono

President’s Letter in the fall issue, we asked members who have

advice and representation whenever legal issues arose. Third,

the financial wherewithal to consider making charitable

Mary Reilly and the Certification Committee did a magnificent

contributions to IYNAUS, stating that we would accept both

job managing the costs of our assessment program, with the

unrestricted gifts for general support and gifts that would be

total assessment fees virtually matching the total out-of-pocket

restricted for use by Eric Small’s Archives Committee. Because

costs of assessments. (And because of the generosity of

the fall issue generally did not hit the streets until early 2014,

assessors and studios, our assessment costs again consisted

there was no opportunity to make gifts last year. But I am

solely of travel expenses because assessors donate their time

pleased to report that $3,160 was contributed to the Archives

and studios host assessments rent-free). Finally, in a case of

project, and $750 was contributed to IYNAUS generally, in the

extreme financial conservatism, we elected not to fill a part-

first two months of 2014. This is a wonderful start, and we

time clerical position on the IYNAUS staff in 2013. Fourth, last

thank all of you who have contributed to these efforts. We have

year, we began selling advertising in Yoga Samachar, and we

now added a “Donate Now” button on the IYNAUS website,

realized $4,000 from these ads.

which will facilitate future contributions.

One curiosity about the results in 2013 is that we had lower

In short, last year was a financial success. But this year brings

dues revenues than in 2012. Because 2013 was a convention

new challenges, and we have work to do to continue our

year, it should have been a peak year for membership. That

historic programs and more effectively promote Iyengar Yoga.

said, it may be that there was no decline in membership last year and that the year-to-year fluctuations in dues revenues

David Carpenter

were caused by timing differences in dues payments (e.g., large

IYNAUS Treasure

numbers of members paying 2013 dues in 2012).

March 2014

Photo : Lois Steinberg

Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar

35

Classifieds Marti’s Closet and One Step Ahead SF

Ask the Yogi

Shorts (all lengths), mid-calf leggings, capris, leggings, drawstring and boot-cut pants, camis, tank tops, and jackets. Two incredible fabrics, 30 smashing colors. Amazing prices, fabulous quality, 7–10 day delivery. Made in the U.S.A. www.martiscloset.com, martiscloset@prodigy.net.

Yoga Samachar seeks questions for our new “Ask the Yogi” column.

Rotating senior teachers provide answers to a range of questions submitted by IYNAUS members. We welcome your questions related to how or when to use props, how best to deal with specific health conditions, philosophical help with the sutras, tips on teaching or doing certain poses, and more. Please send questions to yogasamachar@iynaus.org by Aug. 1.

Iyengar Yoga Therapeutics (IYT) Announces a comprehensive three-year therapeutic teacher training course with Manouso Manos and our faculty beginning in 2015.

Open to all certified teachers. In the first year, Manouso will teach three weekends in Los Angeles: Feb. 13–15, July 17–19, and Dec. 4-6, 2015. For more information, contact info@iyengaryogatherapeutics. com.

Book Reviews Have you read a good book lately? Yoga Samachar seeks thoughtful and well-written reviews of books by the Iyengars or Iyengar-certified teachers or books that cover topics related to Iyengar Yoga. Please send a query letter regarding the book you’d like to review to yogasamachar@iynaus.org by Aug. 1.

Call for Musings Yoga Samachar seeks submissions for our “Musings” column, which features a range of short thought pieces from members. These can be philosophical in nature or might focus on more practical topics— for example, a great idea for managing your studio or for creating community in your home town. See page 31 for Musings by Kim Peralta, who teaches in Brooksville, Maine. Please send your own Musings to yogasamachar@iynaus.org by Aug. 1.

36

Want to Volunteer?

In the past year we have had talented, generous volunteers step forward to help the IYNAUS Board and Committee Chairs with various tasks. Rachel Frazee became our Ad Sales expert for Yoga Samachar, and Shaaron Honeycutt got our Facebook page up and running with great style and little fuss. Thank you! Now we are looking for someone to help the Research Committee. For more information, please check the volunteer page on the IYNAUS website: http://www.iynaus.org/volunteer.

Join IYNAUS To join IYNAUS or renew your current membership, please visit our website and apply online: https://secure.iynaus.org/join.php.

Membership fees begin at $60, with $30 of each membership going to support teacher certification and continuing education.

Your Ad Here Yoga Samachar accepts short, text-only ads to announce workshops, offer props for sale, list teacher openings at your studio, or provide other yoga-related information. Ads cost $50 for up to 50 words and $1 per word over 50 words, including phone numbers, USPS addresses, and websites. Please contact Rachel Frazee at rhazuga@gmail.com or 608-269-1441 for more information or to submit an ad.

Yoga Samachar Spring/Summer 2014

“ Balance does not mean

merely balancing the body.

Balance in the body is the foundation for balance in life. In whatever position one is in, or in whatever condition in life one is placed, one must find balance. Balance is the state of the present— the here and now. If you balance in the present, you are living in Eternity.”

—B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life

Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar

37

B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States P.O. Box 538 Seattle, WA 98111 www.iynaus.org

Illustration: Carol Nichols