VOL. 20, NO. 1
Spring /Summer 2016
PARINAMA: TRANSFORMING PRACTICE TRANSFORMING OUR LIVES PLUS: YOGA IN THE MILITARY CHANTING REPORT FROM BELLUR
CONTENTS
YOGA SAMACHAR’S MISSION
Letter From the President — Michael Lucey . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Yoga Samachar, the magazine of the Iyengar Yoga community in the U.S. and beyond, is published twice a year by the Communications Committee of the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the U.S. (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 Approaches to Parinama: Sorrow, Sequence, Community, and Silence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Iyengar Yoga on a Military Base — Diana Martinez . . . . . 10 Chanting: Does It Produce Parinama ? — Leslie Freyberg . 13 An Iyengar Yoga Community Is Evolving in Idaho — Susan Lamberson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Yoga and Science: Part 3 — Siegfried Bleher and Jarvis Chen . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 International Assessors’ Meeting — Leslie Bradley . . . . . .25
• Promote the dissemination of the art, science, and philosophy of yoga as taught by B.K.S. Iyengar, Geeta Iyengar, and Prashant Iyengar
2015 Iyengar Yoga Assessments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
• Communicate information regarding the standards and training of certified teachers
Remembering Lynda Alfred — Deborah Baker . . . . . . . . 28
• Report on studies regarding the practice of Iyengar Yoga
Musings: An Open Door — Carlyn Sikes . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Report From Bellur — Heather Haxo Phillips . . . . . . . . . 30
• Provide information on products that IYNAUS imports from India
Book Review: Prashant Iyengar’s Fundamentals of Patanjali’s Philosophy: Theory of Klesha and Karma — Anne-Marie Schultz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
• Review and present recent articles and books written by the Iyengars
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Treasurer’s Report — David Carpenter . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Old Love — Jo Ann Baldinger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
IYNAUS BOARD MEMBER CONTACT LIST Spring/Summer 2016 Leslie Bradley certification@iynaus.org
Anne-Marie Schultz Anne_Marie_Schultz@baylor.edu
David Carpenter dcarpenter@sidley.com
Kathy Simon kathyraesimon@gmail.com
Alex Cleveland clevelandalex@yahoo.com
Eric Small kathyraesimon@gmail.com
Matt Dreyfus mattdreyfusyoga@gmail.com
Carlyn Sykes carlyneileen@hotmail.com
Gloria Goldberg yogagold2@gmail.com
Manju Vachher manjuv@rcn.com
Scott Hobbs sh@scotthobbs.com
Nancy Watson nancyatiynaus@aol.com
Shaaron Honeycutt shaaron.honeycutt@gmail.com
Denise Weeks denise.iynaus@gmail.com
Michael Lucey 1michael.lucey@gmail.com
Stephen Weiss stphweiss@gmail.com
Patty Martin pattimartinyoga@gmail.com
Sharon Cowdery (general manager) generalmanager@iynaus.org
Diana Martinez dianamartinezyoga@gmail.com
Contact IYNAUS:
Ann McDermott-Kave amkave1@optonline.net
P.O. Box 538 Seattle WA 98111
Tori Milner torimilner@gmail.com
206.623.3562 www.iynaus.org
• 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 query or a practice sequence idea for consideration to be included 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. Queries must include the author’s full name and biographical information related to Iyengar Yoga, along with email contact and phone number. Please send all queries to Michelle Williams, Editor, yogasamachar@iynaus.org, and we will respond as quickly as possible.
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 www.iynaus.org/ yoga-samachar. For more information, including artwork specifications and deadlines, please contact Rachel Frazee at rachel@yogalacrosse.com or 608.269.1441. Cover: Guided meditation after the asana class.: Iyengar Yoga on a Military Base, page 10
Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2016
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IYNAUS OFFICERS AND STANDING COMMITTEES
Letter
FROM THE PRESIDENT
D E A R F E L LOW I Y N AU S M E M B E R S,
President: Michael Lucey Vice President: Vacant Secretary: Denise Weeks Treasurer: David Carpenter
Sarvarthata ekagratayoh ksaya udayau cittasya samadhi parinamah (Patanjali III.11)
Archives Committee
Eric Small & Scott Hobbs, Co-chairs
Kim Kolibri, Director of Archives Lindsey Clennell, Elaine Hall, Linda Nishio, Deborah Wallach
Certification Committee Leslie Bradley, Chair
Marla Apt, James Murphy, Nancy Stechert, Lois Steinberg
Continuing Education Committee
Alex Cleveland & Carlyn Sykes, Co-chairs
Elections Committee
Michael Lucey, Chair Diana Martinez, Anne-Marie Schultz
Ethics Committee
Manju Vachher, Chair
Robyn Harrison, Randy Just, Lisa Jo Landsberg, Jito Yumibe – Contact Ethics at ethics@iynaus.org
Events Committee
Nancy Watson, Chair
Colleen Gallagher, Carol Fridolph, Suzie Muchnick, Gloria Goldberg
Finance Committee
David Carpenter, Chair Gloria Goldberg, Stephen Weiss
Governance Committee Michael Lucey, Chair
I’ve been fascinated by this sutra for many years. Guruji translates it in Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as “The weakening of scattered attention and the rise of one-pointed attention in the citta is the transformation towards samadhi.” Scattered attention feels all too familiar. We all know that yoga, by offering the means to train ourselves towards mental focus, can be transformative. One-pointedness, however, feels elusive and full of complexities. When I can focus intently, for instance, on my foot, my knee, or my hip, I notice there is much more for me to discover. Focused attention allows for new degrees of awareness. But as I gain awareness in my foot, am I losing it elsewhere? Or can my focus still include my knee and my hip, my spine, my breath, my state of mind? How can we enhance our attention and direct it to good purpose, without accidentally neglecting what we should not be neglecting? Not just in our practice, obviously, but in our lives. “You may practice meditation and develop awareness when you are sitting quietly in a park, and it comes quite easily,” Guruji wrote in The Tree of Yoga. “But when you are busy working, your life gets dominated by thought, and it is hard to have total awareness. When you practice asana, pranayama, and pratyahara, you learn to be totally aware— you develop awareness in your whole body while you are engaged in action. Then you can become totally aware in all circumstances.” That is a tall order but an inspiring goal.
David Carpenter, David Larsen
Membership Committee Diana Martinez, Chair
IMIYA – Jessica Miller IYACSR –Suneel Sundar IYAGNY – Ed McKeaney IYAMN – Joy Laine IYAMW – TBA IYANC – Brian Hogencamp IYANE – Kim Peralta
IYANW – Margrit von Braun IYASC-LA – Wendy Alter IYASCUS – Karen Dempster IYASE – Howison Hollenberg & Tay Strauss IYASW – Carrie Abts
Publications Committee Tori Milner, Chair
Don Gura, Rachel Frazee, Denise Weeks, Michelle D. Williams
Public Relations and Marketing Committee Shaaron Honeycutt, Chair
Social Media volunteers: Rachel Mathenia, Shaw-Jiun Wang, Zain Syed
Regional Support Committee Anne-Marie Schultz, Chair
IMIYA – Cathy Wright IYACSR – Suneel Sundar IYAGNY – Carn Rabbino IYALA – Jennifer Diener IYAMN – Katy Olson IYAMW – David Larsen
IYANC – Randy Loftis IYANE – Jarvis Chen IYANW – Janet Langley IYASCUS – Randy Just IYASE – Lisa Waas IYASW – Lisa Henrich
Scholarship and Awards Committee Carlyn Sykes, Chair
Lesley Freyberg, Richard Jonas, Lisa Jo Landsberg, Pat Musburger, Nina Pileggi, John Schumacher
Service Mark & Certification Mark Committee Gloria Goldberg , Attorney in Fact for Geeta and Prashant Iyengar
Systems & Technology Committee Stephen Weiss, Chair
Ed Horneij, William McKee, David Weiner
Volunteer Coordinator Ann McDermott-Kave
As I write this, we are looking forward to the IYNAUS convention at the end of May in Boca Raton. I am grateful to all the volunteers who have put so much effort into ensuring that our convention will be a success, a moment when we come together as a community united in our practice and in gratitude to B.K.S. Iyengar for the gift of his teaching to us. About four years ago, the IYNAUS Board of Directors began a transformation of its own. Whereas previously the board had been formed through national elections, now it is made up of representatives from 12 regions. No transformation happens with total ease. Because of how our board is now formed, we are becoming more attentive to communications with our members and regions. One of our major strategic goals is to “improve member engagement, widen awareness, and promote the credentials of Iyengar Yoga and IYNAUS.” Another primary goal is to put our organization on firmer financial footing so we can enhance our visibility and better pursue all of our goals. I am grateful for all the time my fellow board members (volunteers!) devote to pursuing these goals. And I am grateful to our General Manager, Sharon Cowdery, who is constantly reminding us of the need for focus. Doubtless, as we are transforming, our attention sometimes wavers, perhaps we lose a bit of our focus on this or that aspect of our organization. But our collective intention is always to refocus on our primary purpose of helping members have a rich and transformative experience of yoga, helping teachers grow and flourish, and helping more people find their way to the practice we share. Thanks to all of you who have contributed time or financial resources. I appreciate the generosity and commitment I have seen in so many members of our community. I look forward to hearing from you and to continuing together in this amazing transformative adventure.
Yoga Research Committee Kathy Simon, Chair
Jerry Chiprin, Renee Royal, Kimberly Williams
IYNAUS Senior Council
Michael Lucey, President IYNAUS Board of Directors
Kristin Chirhart, Manouso Manos, Patricia Walden, Joan White
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Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2016
News
FROM THE REGIONS
IYACSR The Jan. 31, 2016, meeting of the Iyengar Yoga Association of California—Southern Region (IYACSR) was an open membership meeting, hosted at San Diego Yoga Studio. We held our elections, welcomed the in-coming board, and bid farewell to outgoing board members. In 2013, two of our outgoing board members, Cyndy Cordle and Vicki Abbott, were the energy, effort, and seva vayu behind the success of the well-organized, user-friendly, and enriching yogasana experience of our Sarvabhauma Yog combined Conference and Convention. We know that our national associates join us in thanking them for their service. They were also instrumental in bringing Birjoo Mehta back to southern California in fall 2015. For these and many other accomplishments during their tenure, they will receive, with heartfelt gratitude, Certificates of Service. We had a very productive open discussion with members on how to share Iyengar Yoga with the greater San Diego community in general and our military in particular. We learned that some of our members have taught Guruji’s method on military bases, in Veterans’ hospitals, and to veterans and active duty military in San Diego and the Southern Region. Thanks to these teachers, the benefits of Guruji’s method for service members is recognized and touted by the participants and the hospital administrators. Our association thus pledged to better serve our active duty personnel, veterans, and their families. We will invite this community to Iyengar Yoga centers in the region for subsidized classes. We will also promote the benefits of
Members of IYACSR view photos of developments in Bellur that their donations have funded.
Iyengar Yoga to the particular afflictions of armed services members. We want to congratulate area teachers for their new certification levels—Sheri Cruise, Gloria Goldberg, Christie Hall, Dora Hasenbein, Debra Johnson, Cory Johnson, Stephanie Lavender, Koren Paalman, Amy Pachowicz, Suneel Sundar, Christine Thompson, and Kimberly Zanger Mackesy. And, of course, at our annual meeting, we practiced. Thanks to Gloria Goldberg for treating us to a short but sweet class. We look forward to seeing everyone at the 2016 Iyengar Yoga Convention in Boca Raton!
IYAGNY In September 2015, donated funds helped IYAGNY launch a new program in our Brooklyn Institute called the Community Class. This class is unique because it combines continuing education with an affordable $5 class for the local community. Student teachers who are planning to go up for assessment or already have, lead the group, while a junior intermediate teacher observes and gives direct feedback after the class. This experience also helps train the teachers giving feedback to hone their skills as mentors and recommending teachers. Also in September, IYAGNY welcomed its 2015–2017 teachertraining group of over 20 students. We are glad to have them as part of our community. In December, 13 of our faculty and several association teachers made the journey to Pune to take Geeta’s intensive. For the faculty who stayed home, it was quite an undertaking to ensure that the Institutes ran smoothly. Those who traveled to Pune led Advanced Junior II teacher Gloria Goldberg demonstrates during IYACSR’s Free2Members class.
Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2016
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NEWS CONTINUED
IYAGNY participants enjoy Geetaji’s Yoganusasanam Intensive in Pune, December 2015
4th Annual IYAMW Fall Retreat
a “Back From India” sharing, a free benefit for all IYAGNY association teachers, to bring us all together on the latest teachings.
This past September, we hosted our 4th Annual IYAMW Fall Retreat in St. Charles, Illinois. Laurie Blakeney and Debra Johnson shared knowledgeable insights that helped our practice grow with precision and grace. The theme was Luminosity, and two tracks—Flame and Crystal—allowed for all to attend regardless of experience level. Several delicious locally sourced meals were shared, along with a spirited book discussion and moderated philosophy presentation.
At our annual meeting, held this year on Jan. 17, Association Director James Murphy gave a free members’ class to over 60 of our more than 1,400 members. We welcomed new board members Kapil Agrawal, Mike Branson, and Kate Karet and thanked outgoing board members Gailanne Grosso, Neil Stevenson, and Adam Vitolo for their dedicated service. Executive director Ed McKeaney reported the state of the association, including that during 2015, we had over 3,000 new students, raised attendance by 13 percent and taught 108 classes a week between our Manhattan and Brooklyn locations. He also noted that we had the most successful Yogathon ever last year, partially because of an online fundraising tool in tandem with the association teachers’ successful efforts to engage students, family, and friends for their invaluable support. IYAGNY currently has 150 Certified Iyengar Yoga Teachers, including 17 who are newly certified and 11 who upgraded their level of certification. Congratulations everyone!
IYAMW The Iyengar Association of the Midwest (IYAMW) is pleased to welcome Gwi-Seok Hong, Ann Socha, Donna Furmanek, and Becca Lindsay to join our current board of directors, which includes David Larsen, Alex Hansen, and Kelly Sobanski. A special thank you goes to Lorene Zant, Sue Salaniuk, Annie Melchior, and Alicia Rowe for their contributions to the board during their terms. As we transition, we are excited to continue organizing annual fall retreats, scholarship opportunities, community outreach grants, social media avenues, and ways to promote Iyengar Yoga throughout our five-state region.
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Please join us for the next Annual IYAMW Fall Retreat, Sept. 23–25, 2016. We are thrilled to have Chris Saudek and Patrina Dobish as teachers for this event. Please visit www.iyamw.org for registration and specific details, including scholarship information. All proceeds from our annual fall retreats are put into a scholarship fund to support future opportunities. To keep up with IYAMW workshops, scholarships, and news, and to read artistic philosophical musings, please “like” our Iyengar Association of the Midwest Facebook page, follow us on Twitter at Iyengar Yoga Midwest (@iyamidwest), and visit our website www.iyamw.org
IYANC The Iyengar Yoga Association of Northern California (IYANC) and the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco (IYISF) are excited to explore the possibility of working with The UCSF Women’s Center for Prevention of Heart & Vascular Disease (WCPHVD). This potential joint venture would create a “Yoga With Your Doctor” type of program. IYISF will host classes designed for people from WPCHVD with the main focus on teaching students how to integrate into regular classes. Another catch phrase that we are talking about using for this program is “Practitioners NOT Patients!” We are hoping we can formalize this relationship and get classes started in the near future.
Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2016
At the annual meeting, Board Member Claire Carroll (Massachusetts) was appointed to the office of treasurer, while Jarvis Chen, Patricia Walden (Massachusetts), and Mary Wixted (Massachusetts) were reappointed to the positions of president, vice president, and secretary, respectively. Many of our region’s teachers and students now travel to Pune on a regular basis to study at RIMYI. This past December, 11 members from our region travelled to Pune to attend the Yoganusa sanam intensive with Geetaji.
IYANE members in Pune, December 2015, attending the Yogãnu†ãsanam intensive with Geetaji
In other news, the IYANC has just developed a new scholarship fund to assist our next generation of practitioners and students in covering a small portion of membership dues. Our hope is that this will be another way that being a part of the association will help bring Iyengar Yoga to our region.
IYANE The Iyengar Yoga Association of New England (IYANE) held its annual general membership meeting on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Before the meeting, IYANE President Jarvis Chen taught a free asana class for IYANE members and Patricia Walden taught a deep and profound Savasana to all those assembled. Several important board transitions took place at our annual meeting this year. Susan Elena Esquivel (Massachusetts) was appointed to a three-year term on the board of directors and Jarvis Chen (Massachusetts) and Kathleen Swanson (Rhode Island) were each reappointed. After three years of service on the board of directors, Karen Bump (Massachusetts) has stepped down from the office of treasurer. IYANE would like to thank Karen for her service over the past three years as she has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to keep our association’s finances in order. We are grateful for her graciousness, clarity, and attention to detail in developing systems to manage the day-to-day running of the association. We would also like to extend our thanks to Board Member Kathleen Swanson, who has been the chair of IYANE’s membership committee for the past six years. Kathleen is continuing on as a board member while stepping down from the membership chair position. Board Member Kim Peralta (Maine) took up the membership chair position in January.
Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2016
Under the leadership of Scholarship Chair Claire Carroll, IYANE is expanding its scholarship offerings this year. In addition to the annual Pune scholarship fund, which supports study at RIMYI, IYANE awarded two scholarships this year to support IYANE members attending the IYNAUS Convention in Boca Raton. Patricia Walden funded an additional third scholarship for an IYANE member to attend the convention. In February, IYANE launched its new and improved website at www.iyengarnewengland.com. Please visit to find out more about IYANE teachers, events, scholarship programs, and community service projects.
IYANW The Iyengar Association of the Northwest (IYANW) has several new programs this year that support our continuing goal to reach yoga enthusiasts with ever-growing resources and support for their yoga endeavors. We are excited about these multifaceted programs. Over the years, many northwest studios have committed time and services in their local communities. Tree House Iyengar Yoga in Shoreline, Washington, for example, takes part in an ongoing local elementary school lunch program. The school’s “Backpack Program” provides food for students in need of meals over the weekend. Yoga students contribute nutritious, easily prepared food to fill the backpacks. Teachers from Rose Yoga of Ashland, Oregon, have donated yoga programs for at-risk teenage girls in conjunction with county services for many years and continually provide gentle yoga at local retirement homes and senior centers at significantly discounted prices. In an effort to support Northwest Iyengar Yoga studios’ services to their local communities, the IYANW Board implemented a new Philanthropy Grants program this year. Studios that want to conduct classes for underserved populations can receive assistance getting a program off the ground or offsetting expenses to help bring yoga to those who may not otherwise have access. We expect this IYANW grant program to be accepting applications this fall. 5
NEWS CONTINUED
IYANW is so grateful to the many senior teachers who have traveled here to conduct workshops and inspire the Northwest yoga community. Because it is not always feasible for smaller studios to host senior teachers, however, Shaw-Jiun Wang, owner of Seattle Iyengar Yoga Studio, has made the commitment this year to showcase dedicated and knowledgeable Iyengar Yoga teachers certified at Intermediate Junior levels to provide affordable, yet quality workshops. In 2015, Shaw invited Jarvis Chen, a long-term student of Patricia Walden to her studio. Shaw will continue this “new tradition” in 2016. Other northwest studios have hosted similar intermediate teacher workshops. Yoga Namaste in Astoria, Oregon, hosted Sharon Conroy in March, and Rose Yoga of Ashland, hosted Brian Hogencamp in January. In the vein of continuing education for all our members, Anne Geil (Intermediate Junior I), also of Tree House Iyengar Yoga, began teaching a series of anatomy classes earlier this year. As a massage therapist and former anatomy instructor, Anne’s approach was both medical and practical. So far she has helped educate students to have a better understanding of their knees, hips, shoulders, low back, and neck. Requests keep coming in for other classes on how the body works and how to better use it in both yoga and everyday life.
San Marcos Area. Jerry Crowley of San Angelo was featured on the local news promoting Iyengar Yoga. A link to the video can be found on the Iyengar Yoga Association of the South Central U.S. (IYASCUS) Facebook group.
IYASW We had a warm and busy winter and spring in the Southwest and saw some significant changes to our community over the past several months. In the Phoenix area, we bid farewell to a staple of our Iyengar Yoga community, Archana Yoga. Longtime friend and teacher, Josie Lazarus sold her home and the space housing her center along with it. Josie and her husband have started a new chapter of their lives in Santa Fe and are enjoying the natural beauty of New Mexico. The Iyengar Yoga Center at Scottsdale Community College (SCC) was thrilled to begin construction on a long-anticipated ropes wall this spring. For nearly two years the center has been diligently working to raise funds, doing t-shirt sales and receiving generous support of private donors, and it’s now ready to begin construction. The wall is anticipated to be completed well before SCC hosts assessment for the second time this fall. The support of the Iyengar Yoga community to help build the wall was an uplifting demonstration of commitment and support for Iyengar Yoga in the Southwest.
Finally, the current IYANW Board, recognizing the importance of communication, has made great strides this year in the makeover of our website, which now gives updated access to Northwest-related resources, such as our grants programs and lending library. E-newsletters and Facebook have also improved communication for our members.
IYASCUS The Austin scene is bursting with newly certified teachers and events. Peggy Kelley’s Austin Iyengar Yoga teacher training is in full swing. Peggy is also very involved with growing and assessing the Mexico Iyengar Yoga Community. Austin Yoga Tree is making a big splash. Melissa Hagen’s Yoga Ride and Donation Yoga on Sundays at Clear Spring are both reaching new audiences and bringing more and more people to Iyengar Yoga. Friday Advanced Practices now have more people leading them. Peggy Kelley, Melissa Hagen, and Mary Scott are all now regular leaders of this popular practice. Mary Scott has started Friday Dinners Out. The First Friday of each month after Advanced Practice, anyone is welcome to come along to dinner somewhere near the studio. The first outing was a lot of fun. The Saturday pranayama and asana classes at Clear Spring are becoming quite popular as are Anne’s Saturday afternoon pranayama workshops. Val Rios has moved back to town after a long stay in the Netherlands. She’s started teaching at Austin Yoga and is also beginning to offer classes in Buda and the 6
Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2016
APPROACHES TO PARINAMA: SORROW, SEQUENCE, COMMUNITY, AND SILENCE
T
“
he seed that transforms into root, tree, flower, and fruit is parinama . The effect of seed is fruit, and the seed is again hidden in the fruit. However, the transformation keeps on occurring from seed to fruit and fruit to seed.” (B.K.S. Iyengar, Astadala Yogamala vol. VIII, p. 255)
As a way of introducing the concept of “ parinama,” letting its meaning sink in through the example of others, we asked advanced teachers to reflected on how parinama plays out in their own practice, in their teaching, and in their lives. Here are the responses.
Carrie Owerko Parinama is defined as “transformation.” The context in which we first encounter parinama is in the second chapter of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, in the sutras relating to sorrow—its cause and removal. For me, these are very difficult sutras in many ways because life does, in fact, include pain or sorrow—and yes, suffering. If we are going to live and love fully and completely, we will end up feeling the full spectrum of human emotion (including suffering). One way to look at the transformative power of yoga is to look at how yoga practice enhances our capacity to frame, reframe, and ultimately find meaning in our experiences. I read an interview in the New York Times recently that made me re-examine these sutras. In the interview, the wife of a man who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer asked her
husband whether their plans to conceive a child during his illness might increase his suffering. She said, “Don’t you think saying goodbye to your child will make your death more painful?” He responded, “Wouldn’t it be great if it did?” They agreed that life for them was not about avoiding suffering. It was about creating meaning. This took my breath away. It was such a beautiful expression of what it means to be human. How we frame the fact that life is change effects how we experience it. We can transform our experience of change and the suffering that comes from trying to avoid or deny change by finding meaning in change. So I try and encourage students to look at how the practice of yoga can help them live a fully embodied life, change and all. And asking questions seems to be really helpful. Such as: Why are we doing this? What is the meaning in all of this? I find it helpful to keep living these questions because they are powerful ones that can be lived in a fully embodied way, in our practice. Perhaps by living these questions, we can transform our human sorrow into something beautiful and meaningful. And that meaning comes from the recognition that it is our love—and our suffering—that yokes or connects us. Carrie Owerko Intermediate Senior II New York, NY
Carrie Owerko
Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2016
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Aretha McKinney Sutra II.15 points us toward the cause of suffering as the misidentification with the transient state of nature, prakrti. Recently in India at the December intensive, Geeta said that prakrti is the iron curtain that covers the light of the soul, but she also said that prakrti is what helps us lift this iron curtain. While change can be the source of suffering if we wrongly identify with the fluctuations of the Aretha McKinney material world, gunas, the promise of change, also offers the hope that we can evolve our consciousness to turn toward the soul. Ignorance is what binds the consciousness wrongly to nature. Practice, as Sutra II.28 relates, cultivates the discriminative intelligence that helps cut through our ignorance. Guruji said once, “Change is not something we should fear. Rather, it is something that we should welcome. For without change, nothing in this world would ever grow or blossom, and no one in the world would ever move forward to become the person they’re meant to be.” Transformation can be experienced over the course of many years, but it can also be experienced over the course of a class. Often in class, my teacher Patricia will have us do a pose, and then we might come back to the pose later in class and reflect on the changes that have taken place. Something as simple as Adho Mukha Svanasana done at the beginning, middle, and end of a sequence can inform this understanding. You can readily see the body’s ability to transform over a given practice, and you can also feel how, as the body opens and becomes more expansive, the mind likewise moves into the increasing expansiveness of its container, naturally turning inward. Geeta said in the December intensive that Pratyahara is the result of sequencing. We move our students inward over the course of a practice through proper sequencing. The last three limbs, she said, cannot be taught, but we can move our students in that direction. Perhaps the greatest gift we can give our students is this understanding and experience. Aretha McKinney Intermediate Junior III Nashville, TN
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Tori Milner Parinama, or transformation, is at the very heart of my experience of Iyengar Yoga. When I first started Iyengar Yoga, I eagerly treated each asana like a high-speed line toward selfimprovement, an avenue for me to apply my will to become perfect—perfectly symmetrical, perfectly pain-free, and well, just plain perfect to the outside view. And to a point, it was satisfying. I was 25 and perfectionism had mostly been an asset for me up until then, a refuge in a world full of uncertainty. During the 20 years since then, through births, deaths, loves, losses, body changes, aging, and maturity, I have developed more sensitivity, tolerance, and appreciation for life’s many changes, including those within me. So my approach toward the practice has changed, and I have shifted from not only “doing” to also “being”—feeling like I’m trying to perfect the pose on the outside to exploring how it is affecting me on the inside and who I am and how I am as a result. I have learned to use the practice as a tool to resculpt, chisel, and polish my consciousness and not just my body. It has allowed my mind to become less angular and rigid, less black and white, less scattered and dispersed, to glimpse times of true focus and quiet and peace within—true contentment. Now, that source within is my refuge, and I don’t achieve it perfectly every day, which is why I think it is called practice. I am struck by T.S. Eliot’s famous quote, “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all of our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know it for the first time.” Each day, through my practice of yoga and what it means to be human, I get to keep starting over in a more skillful way, and that is a wonderful gift.
Tori Milner
Tori Milner Junior Intermediate III Brooklyn, NY
Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2016
Peggy GwiSeok Hong
Naghmeh Ahi Inspired by Sutra III.9: “Study of the silent moments between rising and restraining subliminal impressions is the transformation of consciousness towards restraint” (B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali).
For some time, I’ve been pondering the social, political, cultural, and economic landscape of Iyengar Yoga. Who has access to this profound practice? Who is missing from the room? Why?
Transformation is the gap between witnessing and doing. Transformation is the birthplace of reflection—that place in time where there is nothing being done.
Peggy Gwi-Seok Hong
On one hand, yoga is indeed timeless and universal. We know this in our bones; we experience this through all five sheaths of the kosa in every asana. The universality of yoga is so powerful, we need not “work” on it. Instead, what I feel called to question is the particularity of yoga in my local community. What is the experience of Iyengar Yoga for bodies that have been marked by society as inferior? Dark-skinned, queer, transgender, or fat people? What about those harmed by poverty, police brutality, exploitative labor practices, lack of documentation/citizenship, or refugee status? Do those who have been pushed to the margins of society have access to the healing and transformative power of Iyengar Yoga?
Transformation is when I free myself from the boundaries of time by noticing the moments in between beginnings and endings. Like where the breath turns from in to out—and that brief khumbak in between. The pregnant pause holds the possibility of transformation where there is no doing, only being in the now. The stilling of the fluctuations is the transformation of the pause between moments. The pause gives birth to the stilling of the fluctuations. When the adjustments stop, transformation begins. At the end of movement, that space of stillness gives room for transformation to be noticed—where there is stillness and being and not doing.
Yoga may be the last thing on someone’s mind if they’re insecure about their next meal or how to make rent. But let’s not forget Guruji’s struggles in his early days. In his autobiography, he recalls that some days he had rice and water—some days, just water. Yet he poured himself into yoga, his only possibility of survival. Even—or especially—for someone experiencing stress and trauma, how useful could a few minutes in Supta Baddha Konasana or Chair Bharadvajasana be? A little Trikonasana can go a very long way. I believe 21st-century Iyengar Yoga in the U.S. must address “Parinama of Community.” How do we expand our boundaries and transform our communities to be truly inclusive, safe, and welcoming for all? Even I, as an experienced practitioner, have sometimes felt silenced, marginalized, or tokenized in yoga studios, where I have often been the only nonwhite person. What might others outside of the typical yoga demographic be experiencing? Can we engage, explore, and transform ourselves and our communities to be truly welcoming? Naghmeh Ahi
Peggy Gwi-Seok Hong Intermediate Junior III Detroit, MI
Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2016
Naghmeh Ahi Intermediate Junior III Brooklyn, NY
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IYENGAR YOGA ON A MILITARY BASE HOW ACTIVE DUTY SOLDIERS, VETERANS, AND RETIREES ARE TRANSFORMING THEIR FITNESS ROUTINES—AND THEIR LIVES BY DIANA MARTINEZ
F
rom the beginning of my yoga studies, the sloka at the top of the next page has been ingrained in my memory. The remembrance of its truth has helped me overcome obstacles, both spiritual and practical, in my yoga path, and has helped me stay focused so that I might persevere to see the results of my passion for the art of yoga.
When I first began my journey as a yoga instructor in 1998, my classes were held at Fort Lee, Virginia, a military installation, teeming with soldiers and their immediate families. These first classes had an attendance of two students. I persevered through those humble days, refined my craft, and worked to foster a new community. Now I teach three classes per week with an average of 18 students per class.
Fort Lee is the home of the U.S. Army Quartermaster School, the U.S. Army Ordnance School, the U.S. Army Transportation School, and the Army Logistics University. Many of the soldiers stationed here don’t stay for long. Within this transient community, I have seen scores of my students depart Fort Lee, but many return to my yoga classes when they are restationed at Fort Lee to further their military education.
The classes are a mixed group: active duty soldiers, retirees, veterans, spouses, and civilians.
On Aug. 12, 2015, I had the great opportunity to teach about 1,100 soldiers as part of a Fitness Awareness week in conjunction with former Lakers’ basketball player, John Salley.
Preparing for Urdhva Hastasana: Diana Martinez teaches, and John Salley follows instructions.
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Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2016
“ Reshape yourself through the power of your will; never let yourself be degraded by self-will. The will is the only friend of the Self, and the will is the only enemy of the Self.”—The Bhagavad Gita, VI.5 As a result of this event, the interest and curiosity about yoga has increased so much that I now receive a great number of inquiries and requests to teach yoga classes as part of the physical training at Fort Lee. The experience has been more than rewarding. Many of the soldiers tell me that the class is challenging because they are using different muscles than they are used to in their standard training but that they feel great afterward. Some of them have even said that their aches and pains have diminished, helping them to focus on the other tasks they have to perform in their line of duty. THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THEIR STORIES:
Major Alexia N. Fields, Active Duty and Active Reserve “I have been practicing yoga since 2005 when I first came to Fort Lee, through two deployments and moving and returning to Fort Lee. I even met my husband in yoga class. I was able to practice yoga all the way leading up to and through the delivery of two full-term healthy children. I continue the practice at home with DVDs—a gift from my wonderful instructor, Diana, many years ago during my first pregnancy. When I cannot get to a class I use a DVD at least once a week. While I practice at home, my boys, ages 3 and 1, practice with me, so I am teaching them healthy habits that will last them a lifetime. “Yoga, for me, was part of the journey of self-discovery. I always enjoyed exercising and I was searching for something to balance out the running that I was doing in the Army. Iyengar Yoga is where I found my niche because the strength training and poses were the right balance for my muscles and my body. My yoga practice has had long-lasting and long-reaching benefits to my Army Physical Fitness Test. My body is capable of so much more than I ever thought possible. “My goal is to age gracefully and soundly in this body that I have been gifted, and Iyengar Yoga is part of my journey. For a good portion of my life I have practiced, and my goal is to continue to practice for the rest of my life. I continue to serve my nation as a soldier in part because of my continued yoga practice.”
Richard Nelson, Retired Army Chief Warrant Officer “My wife and I have been taking yoga classes for the past 12 months at Fort Lee. Multiple things brought me to yoga. The main one was to get more flexibility and help with some of my medical disabilities: back and knee issues. I also wanted to understand my mind and body through the use of yoga. Besides this, I wanted to offset my other exercise routines: road Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2016
bicycling, walking, and working out on weight machines. “Since I started taking classes, I have more energy and my joints do not bother me as much. I used to have a constant pain in my back, knees, and other joints around a pain scale of 7 (Scale 0–10). Now it is usually around 3 and mainly for my lower back as I have arthritis in my back and 2 degenerative discs. “I have tried other disciplines of yoga, and the one thing I enjoy about Iyengar Yoga is the focus on proper positioning for all the poses and the variations if there are physical limitations. In some of the other yoga classes I have taken, the instructor tells us what we are supposed to do but doesn’t make sure we are in the correct position. I feel our Iyengar Yoga instructor wants to ensure that we get the most out of the practice, teaching why we do certain poses and being aware of what is happening physically and mentally. “Since my wife and I have been taking yoga, it has helped us understand our bodies and what affects them. We have learned to control our minds when we have had a stressful day. Using what we have learned helps us relax, and we sleep a lot deeper.”
Lorna King, Army Veteran “Before I started Iyengar Yoga, I had been going to a chiropractor for over a year for my back issues (three herniated discs), and my back wasn’t getting any better. I endured various injuries when I was in the service that seem to get aggravated as I get older. Besides my back, I have a slipped shoulder; a torn meniscus; and arthritis on both knees, ankles, and elbow. “In January 2014, I invited Diana Martinez to do a yoga demonstration at my program forum, and I instantly felt the difference in my lower back and shoulders. I decided to take Diana’s Iyengar Yoga class, and within three months, I was able to walk two miles without feeling pain in my lower back. I started to alternate walking and jogging. In November 2014, I ran the Wounded Warrior 8K run in Norfolk, Virginia!”
Sergeant Jeffrey Criswell, Active Duty “I first tried yoga in college before I joined the Army, and while I felt the benefits from it, I found it difficult to keep it up on a regular basis. Since I arrived at Fort Lee in April 2014, I have been taking classes with Diana. I originally wanted to try yoga because I saw it as a low-impact exercise routine that I could use to help recover between run days. I usually run three or four days a week, running an average of 30–40 miles per week, and I thought that the stretches in yoga would help me stay loose during off days as well as offer a workout that was gentler on 11
OLD LOVE The new skeleton looks like The new yoga students Glossy, firm, trussed up tight I miss the old one Whose yellow limbs dangled From loose ligaments Who slouched with cool grace Like a guy who’s seen it all The type I always fell for Who was trundled, on occasion, from his corner To illustrate some fine point of anatomy His expression ever calm, inscrutable Some days he gazed at the rain Some days he gazed at us Turned to cranes, cobras, warriors, trees I miss the old skeleton His ancient thick knuckles The kindness in his empty sockets When we lay like corpses In the darkened room.
Editor’s note: The Julie Lawrence Yoga Center in Portland, Oregon, has always had a life-size, hanging skeleton in the studio—on hand for illustrating fine points of structural anatomy. After many years and many demonstrations, the skeleton had to be replaced in 2015. Jo Ann’s poem is her tribute to the old one. Jo Ann Baldinger lives in Portland, OR., where she writes poems, practices yoga, and tries to be patient. Her poems have appeared in Stickman Review, White Whale, Monarch Review, Cirque, Burningword, Verdad, and Blue Mesa . “Old Love” first appeared in Stickman Review, vol. 14 no. 2. Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2016
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B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States P.O. Box 538 Seattle, WA 98111 www.iynaus.org
Sculpture depicting the Hindu story about the churning of the Cosmic Ocean. At the suggestion of Vishnu, the gods (devas) and demons (asuras) churn the primeval ocean to obtain Amrita, which will guarantee them immortality. To churn the ocean they use the Serpent King, Vasuki, for their churning-string. For a churning pole, they use Mount Mandara placed on the back of a Great Tortoise –the Kurma Avatar of Vishnu. Photo: Don Gura, Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, Thailand