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The magazine of the Iyengar Yoga Association of the United Kingdom
ISSUE NUMBER 19
AUTUMN 2011
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IYENGAR YOGA ®
www.iyengaryoga.org.uk
ASSOCIATION (UK)
IYENGAR YOGA NEWS EDITORIAL
President: Yogacharya Sri B.K.S. Iyengar
Issue No.19 Autumn 2011
In this issue of Iyengar Yoga News, we publish the final part of Mr Iyengar’s commentary on Patanjali, as well as Geeta’s interpretation of the Invocation to Patanjali. There is also an interesting interview with Mr Iyengar, first published in The Times of India. In our ‘asana section’, we have more from Judi Sweeting and the first in a series of articles by Ray Long. Richard Agar Ward explains the role of props in our practice and we have the first part of an article on Learning and Teaching Yoga by Kirsten Agar Ward. There are also reports of some of the classes that have been subsidised by the Iyengar Yoga Development Fund that we have set up.
It doesn’t seem that long ago since we were at our last annual convention, but we are already taking bookings for the next one. There are details and an application form in this issue, but we would much prefer you to book online (and you can save £5 by doing so). There is also an early booking discount of £10 if you book before 31 January 2012. We would like to draw your attention particularly to the Chair’s report, in which plans for the future of our Association are described, and the various announcements and appeals that appear throughout the magazine. The IYA (UK) is always looking for people to help so do get in touch if you can spot something that we are not doing properly and that you think you can help with!
IYA (UK) contacts
Katie Owens: Membership and Office Manager Telephone: 07510 326 997 email: katie@iyengaryoga.org.uk Address: IYA (UK), PO Box 4730, Sheffield S8 2HE Jess Wallwork: Finance and Bookings Administrator Telephone: 07757 463 767 email: jess@iyengaryoga.org.uk Address: 15 West Grove, Bristol BS6 5LS Sara Braham: Assessments Administrator Telephone: 07795443375 email: sara@iyengaryoga.org.uk Address: 215, The Pastures, High Wycombe, Bucks HP13 5RR
Editorial Board: John Cotgreave, Philippe Harari, Judith Jones, Lucy Osman, Tehira Taylor Layout & Design: Lucy Osman Articles to: editor@iyengaryoga.org.uk Copy deadline 1 December 2011 Advertising: John Cotgreave jbcotgreave@hotmail.co.uk IYA Office: admin@iyengaryoga.org.uk Printed by: Blueprint Press, Cambridge, on paper made using wood from sustainable forests and without the use of chlorine ® used with permission of BKS Iyengar, Trade Mark owner
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Contents Features
4. Yoga is an Indian Heritage, not Hindu Property, interview with BKS Iyengar 7. Mr Iyengar’s Commentary on Patanjali 13. The Invocation to Patanjali Comments and Translation 14. Guruji 1988 Viparita Sthita 22. Learning and Teaching Yoga 26. To Prop or Not to Prop 30. Anatomy of a Pose: Virabhadrasana II 33. IYA (UK) Annual Convention
Picture by K SUNIL PRASAD
32. 45. 47. 50.
IYA (UK) Reports Assessment Passes Professional Development Days Institutes
Iyengar Yoga News No. 19 - Autumn 2011
Member Information
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Yoga is an Indian Heritage, not Hindu Property Malini Nair Times News Network, first published: 21 May 2011
For a man who first put yoga in its most rigorous and austere form on the world map way back in the 1950s, BKS Iyengar is remarkably relaxed about its kitsch-ification in the fitness market. At the age of 93, he will be leading a large contingent of yoga teachers to China for an ambitious summit. He plans to, he says, open the world’s eyes to yoga’s true potential.
Iyengar Yoga News No. 19 - Autumn 2011
You are being seen less and less on the international circuit. How did you agree to lead a yoga summit in China on such a large scale? The government of India was keen to showcase yoga in China as a part of its celebration of the 60 years of friendship between the two countries. I am not keen to travel and teach abroad anymore but this is a significant summit because the two nations have cultural ties that go back thousands of years. So I agreed. It would have been tough to handle hundreds of yoga
I find that the East absorbs the yogic philosophy far better. Yoga is an emotional subject actually and in the West they calculate from the head. On the other hand, the East banks on the intelligence of the heart
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students on my own, so I asked to be allowed to take a team of senior teachers who would assist me. Slowly this team grew from one to 14 and included senior Iyengar teachers from other countries as well. And I believe that the numbers of those enrolled are growing by the day. I see the numbers at around 800 by the time I get there in June.
What exactly will be the agenda of your teaching sessions at Beijing? Will it be aimed only at senior practitioners or novices as well? I believe that there are a large number of yoga practitioners in China today. So it is not as if the subject is not known to them. But my emphasis will be on exactly how it should be propagated. For both those who know nothing about the subject as well as those who understand its real depth, this summit is going to be an eye-opener. I mean to show them how to start from scratch and aim for the ultimate. Asana and pranayama are all perceivable aspects of yoga practice, but there are other layers which are not that obvious. These connect yoga to our life, our spiritual and moral health. Few talk about these aspects anymore – how yoga forms the link between the physical plane and the spiritual, how it moves from the periphery to the highest philosophical levels bringing balance to the mind… I think the responsibility is mine to show how you move from the body to the mind to the intelligence and finally to the consciousness and psychospiritual body. And it is a huge responsibility. China has its own ancient, indigenous practices similar to yoga, such as Tai Chi, that make similar connections.
Do you see a link in these systems? Certainly. It will be easy to connect with the Chinese on these issues. They have for centuries been practicing physical regimens that have spiritual connections. For example, they have the concept of yin and yang which is parallel to what we call ida (consciousness) and pingala (self). We have several
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Picture by K SUNIL PRASAD
You were the first to take yoga to the West where you have a vast following today. But do you find it easier to explain its philosophy in the East? I find that the East absorbs the yogic philosophy far better. Yoga is an emotional subject actually and the in the West they calculate from the head. On the other hand, the East banks on the intelligence of the heart. They are both strong in their own spheres. But I find that nations which are geographically centred in the world map – such as Russia and Africa – have the best of both approaches. They use the head as well as their heart to their advantage. Yoga teaches us to move from Kurukshetra to Dharmakshetra and god knows that we need fewer Kurukshetras today! There was a heated debate in the media over the Take Back Yoga movement started by the Hindu American Foundation in the US. Its stated intent is to reclaim the place of Hinduism in yoga.
Do you subscribe to this? Yoga is an Indian heritage, not a Hindu property. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, which forms the basis of the system, addresses all humanity not just Hindus. Just because yogis did not travel as widely as they do today does not imply that the practice belonged to
...I believe that at 93, I am still fresh in the subject of yoga. I do sometimes talk of retiring but I find that I still have so much to give. But yes, I don’t want to travel abroad after this trip. The burden of expectations is too much on these trips and I don’t know how to just sit on the stage and watch.
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Chinese yoga students in India and Iyengar yoga teachers have been in China for a while now. So we have had an exchange of ideas between the two worlds. I look forward to the discussions with their masters.
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one community or place. Patanjali calls yoga sarva bhauma, a universal culture. And yoga is an individual’s evolutionary journey as a sadhaka (seeker) from the body to the self. Where is the room for doubt here? The argument against the Take Back Yoga movement is also that yogasanas find little mention in ancient Hindu texts, that most of them are modern inventions that go back just two centuries.
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Life is dynamic and so is yoga. If I have an inquisitive mind why can’t I research yoga like the sciences and come up with my interpretation? As yoga practitioners, we investigate how we can oxygenate the cells of the body so they don’t die. The subject is so deep and dense that no matter how much we do we end up just scratching the surface. So why then should the study of yoga remain static? According to ancient texts, there are as many asanas as there are creatures in the world. If you ask where are they all listed, I say that as a nation that has been culturally disturbed time and again by invaders, we have lost a lot in the process.
Does it bother you that yoga is being marketed purely as a fitness regimen? The fact is that yoga is open to interpretation. For instance, Patanjali talks of sexual yoga and if someone decides to reduce yoga to just that what can one do? I can’t blame people for exploiting its open-endedness. After all, in the 1950s when I was in the West trying to propagate yoga it would not have helped if I carried on about spiritualism and philosophy. So I connected with them in whatever way I could – by showing them the physical prowess that yoga brings. I lived only on bread and coffee those days, because there was hardly any vegetarian food available. They saw me teaching eight-nine hours a day on this diet and saw that I still had the strength to throw them over – so I had to stress on physicality. It was only after a decade that I slowly started talking about the intellect and the mind and consciousness. They were ready for it by then.
So you see the market-driven yoga industry evolving into something more deep one day? Yoga is being exploited and that is giving it a bad name. But, the spokes of the wheel go down and then they have to come up, don’t they? (laughs) It can’t get any worse so it has to get better. Today anyone can be called a yogacharya but people will see light someday, look for true gurus. 6
There is talk of you retiring from active practice and this being your last international trip. I have said that yes, but if I can still help those who are seeking knowledge, why not? I have been taking some classes for women because my daughter (Geeta) has not been keeping too well. So all applicants for yoga courses now ask for the days when I take the classes! I believe that at 93 I am still fresh in the subject. But yes, I don’t want to travel any more. The burden of expectations is too much on these trips and I don’t know how to just sit on the stage and watch.
You are grooming your granddaughter Abhijata as the inheritor of your legacy. I see her as the perpetuator of this parampara. She catches on fast and I am teaching her how to keep the foundation stable so that the body can deal with any crisis without suffering. When I train her, there are 30-40 other students around so she becomes a tool to teach all of them as well! There are many changes happening around us in the world and she will have to deal with this different world in the coming decades. The computer age has changed our lives but it will also cause the body to degenerate faster from the inside. She will have to impart the knowledge of how to use yoga to stop this decay and bring balance back to our lives.
This interview was first published by The Times of India and is reproduced with permission.
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Mr Iyengar’s Commentary on Patanjali
The Twin Brothers: Prana and Citta As the cells are controlled by pranayama, that is prana vrtti nirodhah, prana is close the the self: according to the Upanishads, prana and citta together form the consciousness. Mind is the outer layer of consciousness. Consciousness is near the soul but mind is far away from the soul. Consider the tree, the soul is the seed. First, you plant the seed. From the seed a single bud shoots out. You see the bud and you say: “Here is a plant.” That is the sprout of advaita, the individual self. But before, the seed did not show any form. This bud forms a stem: the sense of individuality. Then this stem branches into two. Similarly, the consciousness divides into intelligence and mind. Then come the various subsidiary branches. These are the organs of action and perception. Then the leaves open, begin to breathe and send back this to the base where the seed has grown the roots. This process is the involutory method, by which energy is gained from the periphery and sent back to the core: whereas the first process, where energy is drawn from the seed and the root and is then supplied out to the periphery, is the evolutory method.
Similarly in our system we distribute energy in two ways. From pranayama we develop prana vrtti nirodhah. The energy finds the channels through which it must pass. And when people say, “I don’t have enough energy,” it is because energy cannot find channels to flow along. The course of the river changes when the banks change. When we ask, “why is this part of me wearing out?” it is because the course of the channels has changed, one part is alive but then another has died. So through pranayama you bring the vital energy to touch those areas and supply the needed energy.
In the Prajna Upanishad they say breath and consciousness are twin brothers. But one was born a little earlier than the other. So consciousness is the elder brother who was followed just after by breath, and these twins are always together. It is often said that twins cannot live without each other and that if one twin dies the other will die soon after. Similarly, if the consciousness goes wrong, the breath goes wrong and if the breath goes wrong, the consciousness goes wrong. So the theme of the whole of the Prajna Upanishad is that these twins must be brought together.
Energy and the five elements Now what is the energy which the breath brings? What is the energy of pranayama? It is very simple. We all talk about kundalini. Patanjali also talks of this but people miss it because he refers to it as prakrti shakti where others talk of kundalini shakti. Now, a river has life: running water has life. But can it produce electricity? It cannot. Similarly, our normal breathing has life but it cannot produce the energy which the human system requires. In the hydroelectric power station water is made to flow down tubes from top to bottom, so that as it flows it is heated to high temperatures. It is this super-heated water that rolls the turbines and generates electrical power.
We’re made of five elements – earth, water, fire, air and ether. As in human groups three members tend to form a close relationship, the same is true of the
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Part III: Vibhuti Pada and Kaivalya Pada
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elements. The three co-operating elements are earth, ether and air, whereas water and fire are the antagonistic elements, the anti-elements. If a house is one fire, what do you do? You call the fire brigade and they pour water on the fire, which extinguishes it. Now because water and fire are anti-elements they also have the capacity for a kind of fusion that produces a very powerful energy. So the process of pranayama increases the potency of the energy within the human system through the interaction of these two elements in the practice of deep inhalation and
eyebrows. Can’t you see the light of the intelligence which is burning inside although you are unaware of it?”
Patanjali connects the external and the internal and the external. For those who find it easy to do external concentration he gives external objects and for those who can concentrate internally he gives internal points for concentration. He gives both ways. So when someone suggests that you look at a beautiful rose, while I suggest you look at the beautiful way
Look at your own throat, look at your heart, look between your eyebrows. Can’t you see the light of the intelligence which is burning inside although you are unaware of it? exhalation. The energy is stored in the body and distributed by the element ether which works through the nervous system.
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When this kind of energy is strong, the mind does not wander and this is why the approach of Hatha Yoga begins with prana vrtti nirodha – the control of the fluctuation of the prana. Patanjali begins with citta vrtti nirodha, but as we have seen citta and prana, consciousness and breath, are twin brothers. The two are inextricably linked so when one is controlled the other follows.
VIBHUTI PADA In the third chapter, Patanjali goes on to describe the vibhuti. This does not mean supernatural powers as it is so often translated, but it refers to the fruits of action. Sadhana is the action so vibhuti refers to the fruits of sadhana. Chapters I and II both describe practice, but Chapter I describes amaranga sadhana (internal practice) while chapter II focuses on bhairanga sadhana (external practice). Samadhi describe practice at its most refined level, while Sadhana Pada gives a more basic and practical approach for lesser minds and for those who have fallen away in their practice.
Points of concentration In Vibhuti Pada it is interesting to note that Patanjali describes the fruit of concentrating on several different points within the body. Many people now stress the use of external objects such as candlelight or flowers but Patanjali also says, “Look at your own throat, look at your heart, look between your 8
the muscles come into balanced action. Are these not both acts of concentration? Is one physical and one mental? What is the difference? If you gaze at a candle you are working with one organ or perception; if you work with the skin in the controlling of an asana that is another organ of perception. Do you see how false this distinction of physical and mental is? So do not use such confused terms, but find out for yourselves. If, for example, in setu bandha sarvangasana, you concentrate on the heart, where exactly should you concentrate? When you do viparita dandasana, where should you concentrate? The legs, arms and chest all meet at the centre and there you must be concentrated, but you only concentrate for a short while, then you give up and say, “Oh, Mr Iyengar, this is nothing but physical yoga!” you must stay longer so that the concentration comes. When you do sirsasana, if you do not keep the shoulder parallel you lose your balance, so are you not concentrating continuously to maintain that? Think about that and you will realise you are doing something more than physical. You are doing something where the mind and body are untied as a single unit. Then you ignite the light of the soul. When we do not understand that, then we say, “Oh, I am doing this for my health.” By saying that, you close the door on the possibility of other fruits coming to you from your practice. But if you say, “Yes, I am doing this for my health, but let me see what other things may come with the health,” then you may see more of the light. If you put a block up in your mind, your mind will never go beyond that block; that is not meditation.
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Dhyana: Meditation and uninterrupted flow of energy and consciousness Patanjali does refer, however, to a different kind if block. The blocks are like the bandhas we use in sarvangasana when the chest is brought to touch the chin. The bandhas or locks are used to consciously prevent the mind from going beyond certain points. Within those restraints we must try to release and extend the period of focussed concentration a little longer. Then comes a oneness between the centripetal and centrifugal tendencies. What terminology does Patanjali use to describe this? He says dhyana (meditation) is when concentration on an object, or on your own self, or on an asana, does not fluctuate. If you can maintain a single flow of energy with a single flow of consciousness, then that is dhyana. That is Patanjali’s definition; but what is today’s definition? “Close your eyes”, “Go to sleep”, “Have an empty mind.” That is not dhyana. In pranayama sometimes, as you are observing the breath, it begins to come well and then your attention fades and suddenly the breathing becomes rough. That is broken meditation. It is not dhyana. You must control those tendencies and see that there is no break in the in-flow or in the out-flow. Similarly in asana; you must overcome all the blocks and breaks in the joints and muscles of the body which interrupt the flow of movement and concentration. If you work in such a way that the flow is uninterrupted in the asanas, then that is mediation. Then when you achieve this state, continue to work to prolong it.
The process of samadhi In chapter I, Patanjali explains this struggle of citta-vrtti nirodha, the restraint of the fluctuating mind. The self says to the mind, “I want to restrain this, I want to stop this fluctuation. Stop!” This is the shock treatment. But in Chapter III, for the benefit of the sadhaka who has persevered and begun to experience the fruits, he goes on to say that the inner consciousness itself does not want to fluctuate. There is a spontaneous tendency to restrain the mind. Between the moments of uncontrolled fluctuation and the moment of restraint of that fluctuation there is a pause, a space (III.9). you have to discover this space, you have to learn this space, you have to learn to prolong this moment. Only then will you begin to draw near to samadhi. In that pause you have a glimpse of tranquillity. So, instead of concentrating on the restraining, you must concentrate on this space. Try to develop this, because your practice of
So when someone suggests that you look at a beautiful rose, while I suggest you look at the beautiful way the muscles come into balanced action, are these not both acts of concentration?
pranayama should have cultivated your brain to give it the sensitivity and stability to respond to this chance. Learning to become familiar with this pause is nirodhah parinama (the restraining transformation). When you begin to consciously lengthen this pause then you have achieved samadhi parinama (the transformation to Samadhi). In chapter I, Patanjali defined samadhi; here he shows the process, how samadhi can be touched, in that space beyond words.
See how beautifully he delineates the three transformations: nirodhah parinama is the phase in which the mind switches between a state of fluctuation and a state of restraint; samadhi parinama is where the sadhaka begins tio lengthen the pause between those two states; then Patanjali shows there is still a higher state to be reached – ekagrata parinama. Ekagrata is usually translated as concentration, but if we break this word down further into eka and grata we can find subtler meaning: literally “one base” or “one foundation.” In samadhi parinama there is a feeling of tranquility in that prolonged “quiet space”, but there is no feeling of the self. In ekagrata parinama, however, you penetrate deeper and the mind rests in the abode of the atman, the self. There is no division; you are one.
The fruits of practice In the following part of Vibhuti Pada, Patanjali has given a list of 35 experiences which may come to you when, as a result of your practice, that state (Samadhi) is reached. From mind reading to the ability to distinguish between eternally indistinguishable objects, these are all the fruits of practice. As human beings are all different so the fruits of practice are also different. But whoever you are, if you persevere in your practice, one or others of these powers will surely come. The important thing, says Patanjali, is that such power should be taken merely as a sign that your practice is succeeding; you must carry on with your sadhana. Some have attained such powers and have been caught up in them. “Oh! See what I have attained!” they say and instantly they are caught up 9
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again in the klesas, the pains of avidya, asmita, raga, dresa and abhinivesa which they fought so hard to conquer before. So beware! Throughout the four chapters of the Yoga Sutras the message is clear. Persevere in your practice!
The seer and the seen The final sutra of chapter 3 describes the state of kaivalya which will finally come if you persist in your practice. III.56: Sattva purusayah suddhi samye kaivalya.
When the exalted intelligence is as pure as the seer this is kaivalya, perfect independence of the seer. When is the seer freed from the seen? He is freed when the intelligence of prakrti (nature, the seen) is equal to the intelligence of purusa (the Lord, the seer). When there is no difference between the intelligence of the seer and the intelligence of the seen, then that is kaivalya. That is the highest state in which there is perfect freedom and yet is also the divine marriage of the soul and nature.
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KAIVALYA PADA This definition of kaivalya leads to Kavailya Pada, the last chapter. How should the sadhaka who has achieved kaivalya continue to live in the world? All desires for external things have gone; they are transformed into the desire towards the soul, to continue the inward journey. First Patanjali defines the five types of people who achieve divine powers; the difference between them lies in the way in which they reach it.
IV.1 Janma ausadhi mantra tapah samadhijah siddhayah. The divine powers come by birth, herbs, incantation and scrupulousness in practice or meditation. Some are born gifted and some gain powers through mantra. Patanjali also talks of drugs and the word he uses in this context refers to the use of psychedelic drugs that we are so familiar with in this century. Some attain powers through earnest practice and some through meditation but, as I have said, only those who are capable of absolute surrender to God without the slightest holding back can succeed in this last case. Of these five types, Patanjali only admits the last two to be real yogis; the rest he discards. The energy of nature So what of kundalini? Later texts speak of kundalini or shakti: in Hatha Yoga, purusa is called shiva and prakrti is called shakti, but Patanjali always refers to purusa
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and prakrti. He uses the word prakrti to describe how, for these people, the energy of nature flows abundantly in the human system. It does not happen for you or me. It will only happen when we reach that state. You have all been misinformed on that point and I am trying to correct that misunderstanding.
In IV.2 he says Jatyantara parinamah prakrtyapurat. In evolved souls the potential energies of nature flow in abundance to dynamically transform their consciousness.
So what should we do when this tremendous energy begins to flow? You have heard how many saints have become sinners. Even though they attained kaivalya they fell victim to the energy they released. Patanjali gives a wonderful simile to illustrate how the yogi should deal with his energy to avoid this. IV.3: Nimittam aprayojakam prakrtinam varanabhedah tu tatah ksetrikavat. As a farmer builds embankments to regulate the flow of water to his fields, so the yogi
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channels this abundance of nature’s energies for the development of spiritual illumination. So, like the farmer, you must build banks so that the energy you gain is conserved, controlled and directed.
Do you see how beautifully these sutras connect? When your action is free, then you are also free from time. A moment is eternally present; it is neither past nor future. Therefore a moment is virtuous while movement is non-virtuous because it creates oscillation in the brain. So if you can learn to observe the moment and live in it, if you can avoid being caught in the movement of moments and instead be caught in the sequence of moments then you have conquered time. Then you are beyond motives, you have conquered your actions and all your action is skilful!
IV.7: Karmakulakrsnam yoginah trividham itaresam. For others, actions are of three types, white, black or a mixture of these; the yogi’s actions are neither white, black nor mixed – they are pure.
When the citta is still and quiet it is inexorably drawn towards the soul.
This means that for us we have good actions, bad actions and mixed actions. A mixed action, for example, is when we offer to help someone or give something to somebody and then keep changing our minds about what we will or will not. We are full of such things, but the yogi is not; he is free from these kinds of action. When he gains that freedom, then his actions become skilful and not before! He is free from all motivations and so his action is free. He can study his actions and their effects dispassionately. That is how he gains the foreknowledge of both the shortterm and long-term effects of his actions (III.23).
Freedom from time Patanjali goes on to show the connection between action and time. Unlike many of today’s philosophers, he does not discard the reality of past, present and future and, as far as I have read, he is the only person to have demonstrated the relationship between time and timelessness. He says that action is dependent on time, but he also shows how the yogi must use this relationship between the two. That is why I say he was a great practitioner.
A moment is timeless and the movement of moments is time. If the movement of moments goes forward it is future. Do not allow the moment to move, but observe the moment as a moment without allowing the thought of movement. It is like the spokes of a moving wheel; if you can see the spokes you see the movement; if you do not then you cannot tell where the movement begins or where the movement ends.
Then when the seer is freed from time and action, when he understands the difference between moments and movement, the consciousness itself loses its power. It says to itself, “Until now, because I was connected to my actions and connected to time, I thought I was supreme, but now I realise that I was just reflecting the light of the soul.” When you are stable in the moment, the citta is stilled; and because of that, the citta finds its true depth. This is the spiritual equivalent of a force of gravity. When the citta is still and quiet it is inexorably drawn towards the soul.
Perseverance in practice: the ultimate samadhi However, breaks may still occur in this new state of consciousness as a result of impressions from previous experience (IV.27). when these fissures appear and the citta again begins to fluctuate and move away from the soul, then the sadhaka must intensify his sadhana. As you see, Patanjali is consistent throughout all four chapters; even at the heights continued practice is essential. Only when the fissures stop appearing, when all the subliminal impressions have been exhausted, then does the search come to an end. There is no need for any further searching because the atman is everywhere. The seeker discovers that he is the seer. The seer acts as seer, object and instrument of seeing. At the end of his quest for the soul, the seeker discovers that he himself, as the seer, is the goal.
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Freedom in action When you have gained such control then you are capable of understanding the true nature of karma. You will have heard that in the Bhagavad Gita it is said: “Yoga is skill in action (Yoga karmara kausalam).” This is the common translation which is widely quoted out of context. By itself it makes no sense. Let’s see what Patanjali says about karma.
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In the Yoga Sutras, two terms are used to describe this ultimate state. In Chapter I Patanjali calls it nurbuiya smadhi, and in Chapter IV he calls it dharma megha samadhi (IV.29), literally “dharma-pouring samadhi.” These two titles are like the two sides of a coin; they are two ways of viewing the same phenomenon. How can we explain this “dharma-pouring samadhi”? In England sometimes it is cloudy for 10 days at a time. You see neither sun no rain and you begin to get gloomy. Is this not true? You ask “why does it not rain? Why can we not see the sun?” it is the divine duty, the dharma, of cloud to pour down rain, but still they do not pour. Such English weather is like our brains. They form clouds and sometimes we allow those clouds to stay for day after day, obstructing the sun within us. So do not let those clouds settle! Keep the inner clarity, the light of the intelligence striking the entire frontier of your body! Your citta fluctuates, it has its rhythms, like the moon which waxes 15 days and wanes 15 days in every month. But the atman, the self, is a sun that never fades. So when this fluctuating part of you, the citta, rests in the sun of the self then the clouds pour down the rain, the clouds disappear and the light of the intelligence of the self shines everywhere in a sky of perfect clarity. Then you have conquered the gunas – the qualities of nature; you have conquered purusa and that is the end of yoga. That is what everybody is seeking and everyone will experience that state, if not today then tomorrow and if not tomorrow then next week, next month, next year. Even if it takes several lives everyone will find this. That is what Patanjali, the great master, the great practitioner says. That process is what we are all involved in. and as I have said, casual practice brings casual results, temperamental practice brings temperamental results but total practice brings total; results. So my friends, this is the way to develop the life of consciousness. Begin with the body because the body is the covering of the self. Just as you do with a house that has been shut up, you open all the doors and windows so that the stale air is blown out and the fresh air may come in. In the very same way maintain your practice so that your body, your mind, your consciousness and your true self do not become polluted, obscured and dark. Throw out the pollution and cast off the five coverings of the self one by one, the skeletal body, the physiological body, the mental body, the intellectual body until self shines through. You are all inside your self. An indivisible state of existence.
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Preparing for the light I hope you have grasped the points I was trying to make, because the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are an extremely difficult subject. But they are also extremely important. If you do not have the preparation they provide you, what will happen when the light iof the self comes? You will fall sick! Remember the story in the Gita when Arjuna asks Lord Krishna “I want to see if you really are the Lord of the universe. Show me your true form, not the pictures of the imagination you have used until now, but your pure original nature.” But as soon as Krishna showed his true form to Arjuna, Arjuna’s eyes were not strong enough to look upon the divinity. He saw the vision of his own cousins in Krishna’s mouth and he called out “Stop, go back to your usual form, I cannot stand it. I am dying! Only if you give me the eyes of God can I see this and survive.”
Remember also what Patanjali says: “you do not know what pain lies in wait for you. If you are not strong enough, the joy of the divine light can also be unbearable. Then people say, “It happened to me in my meditation! It happened to me! I am so frightened. I don’t know what to do.” They cannot cope and so they become mentally ill. How many meditators have become schizophrenic? Have you not heard of these cases? So even in spiritual practice be careful. Develop the strength to bear this and work to keep that strength. That is why asanas and pranayama must be practised regularly so that the nervous system and the willpower keep strong enough to bear this divine light. And so carry on. God bless you.
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The Invocation to Patanjali Comments and Translation The two slokas (verses) that we chant to invoke Lord Patanjali begin the Bhojavritti, Bhoj’s commentary on the Yoga Sutras. It says, first of all, that Lord Patanjali is considered to be the incarnation of Adhishesha, the cobra, which is the seat for the Lord Vishnu, the very creator of this world. It is said he took birth three different times, giving three different sciences for people to improve themselves. The first is yoga. yogena cittasya padena vacam
To purify the mind (citta), purify the consciousness, Patanjali gave the science of yoga (yogena) to us. To purify our use of words (pada) and speech (vacca), he gave a commentary on grammar to us, so that our use of words and way of speaking is clarified, distinct and pure. malam sarirasya ca vaidyakena
To remove the impurities (malam) of the body (sarira), he gave us the science of medicine (vaidyakena). yopakarottam pravaram muninam
Let me go near the one who has given these things to us. patanjalim pranjalir anato’smi Let me bow down my head with my folded hands to Lord Patanjali.
Then after knowing the work of this Lord, the second stanza says what Lord Patanjali looks like. To do any meditation first the form has to be in front of the eyes. abahu purusakaram From the hand up to the head he has the shape (karam) of a human (purusa).
sankha carkrasi dharinam In his hand he is holding the conch (sankha) and disc (cakra) sahasra sirasam svetam On top of his head (sirasam) he has got a thousand (sahasra) hoods of the cobra, because he is the incarnation of Adishesha, the greatest cobra. Svetam means white. pranamami patanjalim I bow down to Patanjali.
We chant so that at the very beginning that feeling of sanctification comes from inside, with the feeling of surrendering oneself, because nothing can be learned in this world unless you have the humility to learn. So the moment you think of the Lord [Patanjali] at the beginning of doing a practice, you know that you are very small in front of that greatest soul. Once that is understood then the other problems which always arise while practicing, mainly
concerned with the ego, will be affected. You know that you are “coming down” to learn something. And you can’t learn anything unless you come down; if you think you are on the top and you know everything, then you are not a learner at all. In that sense, the chanting helps.
We decided to chant these two slokas from the very beginning. When Guruji asked us to practice yoga we started with this recitation. But we didn’t do it in the classes because when people came as beginners, they had the idea that it is a religious prayer of concern only to Hindus. It took people a little while to understand. Whenever we had some public program, a celebration such as Divali or Guruji’s birthday, we would recite these prayers. People started taking interest and asking us what the prayers mean. When it was understood, everybody accepted it. For several years now we have been chanting these prayers before classes.
Iyengar Yoga News No. 17 - Autumn 2010
Dr Geeta S. Iyengar
This explanation of the invocation to Patanjali is adapted from an interview given by Geeta at RIMYI in 1992 during the Canada intensive. The interview was conducted by Margo Kitchen and videotaped by Heather Malek, transcribed and edited by Judith M. in consultation with Marline Miller. Adapted by Francis Ricks. Thanks to the Iyengar Yoga Centre of Victoria for permission to reproduce this article.
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Guruji 1988 Viparita Sthita (inverted asana) Judi Sweeting This article covers inverted asana from 1988 Intensive Course with Guruji. I shall not be able to include all the work covered – I would fill this magazine and probably the following one too! I have chosen a section where Guruji selected a particular way of working, i.e. using a folded mat or a brick in the practice of Sirsasana.
I am frequently asked how these methods originated and why they are taught. I decided that reading the notes upsidedown wearing specs was not a wise option. I recorded the instructions on a tape recorder, played it back and practiced from it. It was well worth the time it took to do this. The other way is to join a colleague for practice and take it in turns to read the text.
ADHO MUKHA VRKSASANA
Iyengar Yoga News No. 19 - Autumn 2011
Hands on bricks
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In the pose: Outer sockets move in (hip sockets). Pelvic rim should be thinner and thinner. Elbows straight. Elbow skin straight up. In the pose again: Learn to lift properly – the bricks will teach you to lift properly. Maintaining the feelings as in Dog pose go up, then you can lengthen sensitively. Like Adho Mukha Svanasana, observe the height on the inner and outer arms, and see that neither are disturbed. See the elbows are the same, not one out and one in.
Without bricks
In the pose: Outer sockets move in (hip sockets). Pelvic rim should be thinner and thinner. Elbows straight. Elbow skin straight up. In the pose again: Learn to lift properly – the bricks will teach you to lift properly. Maintaining the feelings as in dog pose go up, then you can lengthen sensitively. Like Adho Mukha Svanasana, observe the height on the inner and outer arms, and see that neither are disturbed. See the elbows are the same, not one out and one in. In the pose again: Outer spine longer than inner spine. Ligaments coming up and moving the outer to the inner. Lift the deltoids straight. Cervical spine lifted up straight so that the lumbar gets rest. In the pose again: Make the thick latissimus dorsi muscles thin.
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Mr. Iyengar demonstrated the correct pose (adho mukha vrksasana), he then demonstrated the incorrect pose. He said, Observe my frontal chips of the knees, they are down and the back knees are up and the sockets are uneven. Observe how I roll the outer top knee chips in and see what happens to the sockets. (Mr. Iyengar calls the entire knee the patella, so chips are parts of the patella.) PINCHA MAYURASANA
Sticky mats
Mr. Iyengar demonstrated Pincha Mayurasana. He said, Observe. If you do not do the pose correctly it is just a physical exercise, not a yogic pose. Watch how I adjust from my shins to my neck. I give a single curvature. I also puff the corners of my chest to the maximum, but what happened to my buttock bone? Can I open the chest forward and bring the buttock bone forward without dropping?
Iyengar Yoga News No. 19 - Autumn 2011
In the pose: We prepared for the pose on the green non-slip mats. Glue the outer edges of the forearms on the mat when up. Open the trapezium, and now press the inner elbows more to ascend the body. Do not press the outer elbows more, do not come forwards. Go backwards bringing the tailbone forwards. In the pose again: The tailbone should not touch the lumbar; it should be nearer the thighs (see picture left*). Watch the palms, the thumb side of the palm should be descending to the ground. The mounts of the thumbs and the wrists should be descending. Observe the tailbone. As long as the tailbone does not adjust parallel, you are lost. Open the chest, the posterior tailbone has to be lifted, not the anterior. Posterior tail bone straight up higher and higher. If you cannot retain the lift of the tailbone you are balancing on the tailbone not on the elbows. Dropped tailbone* In the pose again: Observe the rotation of your thighs. When you raise the tailbone, when you keep the back and front tailbone parallel, how the frontal leg skin moves more, how it rolls more. How do you turn? How do you lift the inner legs? Can you see the interior flesh goes up so that the tailbone does not prick? Now open the armpits. Outer sockets in and inner sockets up. Watch the inner leg movement, which goes deep inside, the skin at the top part of the legs. Do they roll in or do they roll out? They want to come closer and closer, so go on rolling. See the lower leg skin drops; the top leg skin is not rolling. The top bottom outer edge leg skin wants to revolve, so in order to bring this about, the inner top leg skin should revolve along with the outer lower leg skin.
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SIRSASANA
Folded mat lengthways under the head
In the pose: In this way you get the Pincha Mayurasana – when the head is above and the forearms are below. The back body is nearer the thumb side. Your intelligence should not hit the front body at all. Your intelligence should move backwards. The frontal floating rib skin and ribs should be nearer the back floating ribs. The revolving of the skin of the outer bottom legs and the inner frontal legs should synchronise in that rotation. The outer lateral part moves towards the shins and the inner skin should move from the thigh towards the middle part of the inner legs. Now can you make the frontal groin and the back groin parallel to each other, without bringing the floating ribs forward? In the pose again: Roll the thighs in. If you do not roll the thighs the trapezius muscles cannot become thin. The more you roll the thighs in watch your trapezius muscles. How they move nearer the legs, how they go up, how they become thin. Ascend the bones, ascend the flesh, then hit the flesh to feel the skin at the back. Frontal leg skin, go on turning, so that the frontal corners of the top thighs, which are very thick, are made thin. The outer corners of the thighs should be in line with the outer knees. So much you have to revolve, so go on revolving. Each breath opens the thighs – exhalation opens the thighs, so you have to learn to keep closer and closer.
Iyengar Yoga News No. 19 - Autumn 2011
With a brick
In the pose: Hold a brick at the back of the head. The back of the skull should move nearer the brick. Can you touch the brick evenly? Which forearm is strong, which is light? When you grip the brick, bring the inner elbows in line with the brick. Can you press the brick very hard with your palms? you have to clutch the brick, not just touch it, then the outer groins go up.
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PARSVA SIRSASANA With a brick
In the pose: From Sirsasana gripping the brick, turn to the right side. Hold your body firm and turn the mind. Watch the grip on the brick. Wait‌ Again, turn your mind. Resisting the body, watch your quadriceps muscles, everything turns. If the bottom left side of the skull has left the brick you have come forwards, so go back, take the skull back. To the centre. Left side – keeping the outer edge of the skull on the right touching the brick, turn. Resist the body, turn the mind. Is your mind turning from the middle of the neck up to the heels in one direction, or in different directions? Can you follow the mind in one straight line up to the middle of the heels?
Iyengar Yoga News No. 19 - Autumn 2011
Are you using the two stems of Uttanasana as you do it? Can you turn the mind resisting the stems of Uttansana? Have the stems turned more or your mind turned more? Do not move the stems; turn the mind to the level of the stems. To the front, come down.
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PARIVRTTA EKAPADA SIRSASANA With a brick
From Sirsasana: Left leg forwards, right leg backwards, holding the brick. Watch the skin of the back leg where the socket and the thigh bifurcate. Is the skin straight or loose? Open that skin towards the stem. (*I believe that “stems” refers to where ankles become heels?) Remember the stems, the stems of your heels. Let the right heel go down still. Go down more. Extend the inner calf muscles straight to the heel. Watch your shoulders, lift them well. Don’t allow the index fingers to go up, turn the index fingers into the brick and turn to the right. Turn the index fingers to the brick, one wants to go in, one wants to come out – keep in, particularly the right one. Harden your stems. When your mind is not touching, don’t turn.Where your mind is not touching your body, take the mind there. From the little fingers, charge the skin upwards, then the mind can move better in your legs. Come to the centre and join your legs. Oher side: Right leg forwards, left leg backwards, holding the brick. The frontal leg skin releases from the socket whereas the skin on the back of the leg wants to go into the socket. So release the skin on the back of the left leg, do not let it go into the socket. Then the height will come correctly. Back left leg skin should open towards the heel. Now turn. Watch the stem, make it stable. Watch the pelvic head. Which pelvic head has gone back, which has gone forward? The right is not following, the left has already gone, so do not move the left, move the right pelvic head nearer the left. Turn the mind. Watch the inner calf muscle of the back leg. Is it as active as the front inner calf or is it bending? Make the inner ligament long on the left leg.The outer should hit the calf muscles. Now come to the centre – join the legs. Come down.
Iyengar Yoga News No. 19 - Autumn 2011
EKAPADA SIRSASANA
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From Sirsasana: Now watch the shape of the side sockets, and take the right leg half way down. Wait. Now what happened to the socket of the right leg? Turn out the pelvic girdle – inner right to outer right. Left inner back knee should be straight. Bring the left knee nearer to the right knee. Now extend, and observe the inner stretch and the outer stretch. If they are diagonal, the outer kneecap is down, the inner kneecap is up. Raise only the outer kneecap, now do you understand the lines? Now come up – readjust the pose of Sirsasana. Left leg: Bring the left leg halfway down. Wait there. What happened to the weight of the heel of the right? Is it heavy or light? The heel of the front leg is heavy; so make the right heel also heavy.The outer buttock skin on the left has to hit the outer ankle. Ascend the inner socket and then the outer socket so that both are parallel. Raise the left leg back to Sirsasana.
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SARVANGASANA
In the pose: Take a blanket for your elbows. Place the blanket one inch up under the elbows, and go up. Your elbows should be exactly facing on the raised level. Now you can understand the eyeball rotation. So watch your eyeballs. They can never come out. You have to stamp the mat heavily on the pinpoint of the elbows. Come down. “Now I saw the mistakes you are all making. You are all keeping your elbows flat.”
Mr. Iyengar demonstrated. He showed flat forearms and then he showed the curve of the forearms and said, the outer biceps move towards the inner biceps. All circular actions have to be learned. Complete yoga is a circular action. Nerves are like grippers so you have to follow the grippers, the direction of the grip.
Iyengar Yoga News No. 19 - Autumn 2011
In the pose again: We then did the pose again with the elbows on blankets. Bend your knees; bring the thoracic spine forwards over the head. Now keep your fingers on your back – can you move the thoracic spine forwards to come up. Wait – watch your eyeballs – the more you press the outer elbows down you see the eyes also get drawn towards the ground. The back points of the elbows, the more you press them on the blanket, you can feel the eyeballs also descend. The bottom tip of the elbows down – if you cannot touch the blanket, you have to fold the blanket more. Your biceps should move towards the elbows. Stretch your hands out and move the biceps towards the elbow joints again, then press. Wait – bring your triceps to the extreme end of the elbows, then place the fingers on the back. The more you lift from the triceps the more you can keep the edge of the elbows on the blanket. Watch your eyes, do they go down or do they go up now? Relax your tongue and see that the lower and upper palates run parallel to each other. Do not bring the upper palate nearer the lower palate, or the lower palate to the upper palate. Open the corners of the top chest. The outer chest should be projected like the pose of Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana. Watch the back of the knees, are they forgotten Which ankle is above, which ankle is below? Which inner arch is down, which metatarsal is above? So the legs show you which side you have worked, which side you have not worked. The legs have nothing to do with you hands! The legs have to be lifted up with your inner groins. Then you have to readjust your fingers or they become loose. First legs, then hands. Legs like Tadasana. What did you do in Uttanasana, what happened to your inner back heels, are you lifting or are they sinking down? Are you spreading the skin at the top edge of the heels? Are you lifting the skin there? Are you hitting it out or is the skin going in? Inner sides of the ribs – are they evenly going up? Question yourself “what is this space I am creating on the inner frame of the ribs on the right and left sides”? Which is nearer, which is longer, which is dropping out? So even from your fingers you have to do like Tadasana – pushing in and lengthening – lifting the inner frame of the interior side ribs. The moment you raise the side ribs the front ribs automatically come up. Now resisting exactly in the middle of the back knees, just near to the thighs, can you reach the inner frame of the buttocks to the knees? From the right to the left you have to feel t he flesh and question yourself, “am I pressing the bottom edge side of the belt on the ground?” Come down.
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HALASANA
In the pose: Interlock your thumbs only. Holding the thumbs, placing the palms parallel to the ground, can you turn the forearms out, not in? Fingers and thumbs in, the back forearm skin out. Moving the thumbs down more and more, can you touch the outer biceps on the ground with the thumb grip? Can you keep the outer edge of the thumbs down? If it does not come adjust the legs. Stretch the outer top legs slightly higher. Take the outer edge of the skin of the legs backwards a little. Now in Halasana you stretch the back top leg skin, but you never stretch the frontal leg skin towards the metatarsals, it goes backwards. So can you lengthen the skin to reach the feet from the hips? If the thumbs are loose, the skin goes back. So for another ten seconds, do the right pose. Now change the thumbs. Naturally the other arm should give the same space. Is it turning the same, or is it cheating your somewhere? Can you touch the back of the elbows onto the mat? Cut down the bottom elbows onto the mat. As you move the skin of the arms towards the thumbs, can you move the skin of the legs towards the soles, without taking the toes in? Can you also walk out as the skin of the legs goes forwards? Can you walk out with the toes and the heels? Can you raise the inner crowns of the heels higher and higher? Not the bottom edge of the heels but the inner edge of the heels higher and higher. How much can you stretch towards the ceiling? Now as you separate your fingers, can you separate your toes? Can you keep the tailbone back? Moving the knees, hitting the outer abdominal organs to the same height, can you raise the inner abdominal wall, not the outer, in Halasana? Go on lifting higher and higher.
Iyengar Yoga News No. 19 - Autumn 2011
PARSVA HALASANA
In the pose: From Halasana we prepared for Parsva Halasana. Keep your hands on your back without disturbing your elbows, without disturbing the lines of your waist, just move the legs to the right side. Do not oscillate your inner ribs, they should be higher. Can you turn to the side more and more? Are you sleeping on your right hand? Can you bring your ribs to the left and the legs to the right? Are your outer sockets of the legs dropping or lifting? Raise the left leg in par with the right one. The lateral joints of the hips should run parallel. Raise the right hip to lift the left one, but you have to lift the left side higher than the right.
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Manipulate your fingers equally on your back again, so that the thick ribs become thin. Your thumbs have to push in. Use your thumbs and raise your outer sacral muscles towards the ceiling. The right heel should move first the inner heel out and then the left heel should go nearer, lengthening the inner left hip. Only the right turns, the left goes straight, but the inner edge of the left heel will be higher than the right. Back to Halasana On the left side: Watch your legs as you move them to the left side. If the knee bones are already shaking in this position, the hips will not be parallel. Make them parallel. Outer chip of the knees up. See your legs and look at the position of the ligaments of the knees. The outer leg of the right is facing directly to the ceiling? When you do the left side the right cheats you – when you do on the right side the left cheats you. Even the head of the femur has to be turned towards the back of the leg. What is the height of the left and right sides of the chest, are they parallel? Come to the centre. In the pose again: From Halasana we did Parsva Halasana on the right side. Now what has happened to the elbow position? Move the outer elbows to the ground. Do not take the weight off the elbows. Can you keep the outer elbows down? Are the buttock bones facing the ceiling? Are your legs like straight Tadasana, or crooked Tadasana? Your outer legs will tell you if you are straight.
SETUBANDHA SARVANGASANA
Iyengar Yoga News No. 17 - Autumn 2010
In the pose: We did Sarvangasana and prepared for this variation. Bend your knees, ascend the top middle buttock and drop the legs to the ground. With bent knees only, drop and then walk in. Now like Dwi Viparita Dandasana the bottom buttock skin should broaden. Walk in and bring the inner calf muscles higher than the outer calf muscles. Inner calf muscles lengthen and the quadriceps muscles suck into the thumbs. With your big toes move the skin towards your head. Top leg skin with the help of the big toes moving towards your pelvic girdle. So the girth comes higher than the quadriceps muscles. The pelvic girdle higher and higher. Now pressing the inner edge of the heels can you ascend the top back knee to the ceiling? Open your side chest in order for the tailbone to be lifted. Outer shoulders down. Tailbone up. Now back into Sarvangasana. Come down.
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Learning and Teaching Yoga Kirsten Agar Ward This article in two parts was inspired by classes attended during a trip to Pune in December 2010 and on talking further with Prashantji.
It explores some issues around learning and teaching yoga. There is a danger that we become stuck at a basic level and never properly get to grips with what it really means to ‘learn’ yoga. We might “know” a lot of biomechanical points (ie generally have picked them up second- or third-hand), how to adjust etc but we need to understand that learning and teaching yoga involves much more than this, that it is a culturing process at all levels of our being, not only body. So we should not get stuck at this basic level in our learning and teaching. We have to keep moving forward, not become impressed with what we ‘know’, congratulating ourselves on how far we have come – that way lies arrogance and stagnation.
Iyengar Yoga News No. 17 - Autumn 2010
Part 1 – Learning
What is learning and how do we do it? The initial stage of learning is learning how to do and we attend class and practise in order to do. In this rudimentary stage we need a certain amount of spoonfeeding to get us started, so it is appropriate that the teacher gives us various biomechanical instructions, such as lift this, press
Work on learning better not doing better
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that, rotate here, extend there etc. Consequently we might mistakenly think that learning is soaking up more and more points, equating accumulating a longer list of “known” (actually second- or third-hand) technical points with having learned more, especially as we become more skilled and fluent in their execution. But, even as these points become more connected and intricate, this is still learning how to do, albeit in
which, if we are fortunate, our teachers are guiding us towards. In other words moving into a real learning culture, and beyond that into studying yoga.
I use the word study carefully, not in the casual way which has become commonplace – one might hear it said “I have studied yoga for twenty years”, meaning “I have [erratically] attended classes once or twice a week for
You are all learning to do and you are never doing for learning and that is why you are missing the studentship a slightly more sophisticated way, it’s still at the rudimentary end of a learning continuum. In other words beyond the elementary stage learning is not merely a matter of memorising and applying information given to us by someone else.
Actually real learning might be said to begin when we start to explore ourselves, to apply and generalise what we have begun to grasp in one context to others, for example to consider whether a technical point applies more widely than we have been specifically told, to explore the links between asanas and begin to discover for ourselves. It has to sprout from our own experience. Importantly we need to shift from applying and generalising points to applying and generalising a process of study and exploration way beyond the biomechanical,
twenty years [and barely gave yoga a moment’s thought between classes]”; that is definitely NOT study! This time-serving mentality is missing the point; we don’t get anywhere with yoga just for physically turning up! It is possible to attend classes for decades and learn nothing at all or else only pick up biomechanical points.
In-dependence In learning and studying we are endeavouring to become independent. Not in the sense of being without dependence on others (delusional since we can never be independent of others; interdependence is reality) but in the particular sense of realising our ultimate dependence on our own core Self (as distinct from ‘I’or ‘me’). Over time one is depending less on the teacher to feed points, but the teacher remains as a guide in a more
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subtle way. So in their teaching Guruji, Geetaji and Prashantji are helping to discipline and organise our thinking and approach so that we can move closer to yoga. Thus teaching is the other side of the learning coin; we have to teach ourselves even if we are not intending to teach others.
Moving along this Learning Continuum There will of course be individual differences in rate of moving along this continuum but generally it will be gradual. It is a process in which, with the guidance of our teachers, we become more aware
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we are un-teachable, no matter how good the teacher.
We should move towards being process – rather than goaloriented in the sense of engaging with the process rather than being concerned with being able to “do” ever more difficult poses (though we should be goal-oriented in the sense of keeping in mind the real goal of yoga). The process is investigative, involves developing our sensitivity and awareness and of course involves lots of practice. To learn well we have to practise well.
It is possible to keep on only with biomechanics for thirty years, but what is missing? of the possibilities, engage actively with it, get more organised in our approach, develop understanding, become more sensitive and disciplined and our discriminative powers improve, as yogic culture is instilled. This process is well beyond technical point gathering and performance. Yoga is a transformative setting-right process, not only physically but in all aspects of our embodiment such that our Self is revealed. We have to put our intellect to this and question whether our endeavour is fit for such a description. Can we honestly say “I have studied yoga for 20 years”? Do we even qualify as learners never mind students?
Some pointers for learning We have to want to learn and we have to cultivate in ourselves our ability to learn. In class we have to make ourselves teachable; if we are arrogant, complacent, inattentive, casual, forgetful then
Initially we are practising in order to do or do better what we have been taught in class, to consolidate points etc. But we need to move beyond this specific content to apply the methodology implicit in our classes in our own investigations, to really begin to study, so we start to find out for ourselves. We have to actively engage with it, not mindlessly repeat and just be stuck there. Thus our teacher might have taught us something about the connection of the stretch of the inner ankle and the inner knee in a certain asana, but we shouldn’t stop there merely etching that piece of information onto our consciousness. What about that connection in other asanas? What about the myriad other connections between inner ankles and elsewhere in the body? And the effect on the state of mind and the breath? And how the breath and mind can be utilised to help? Or what about how I should approach it when I
am in such and such a condition – tired body, tired mind, sick, emotionally disturbed, hot, cold etc. (we shouldn’t always be running to the teacher to sort us out; we have to try to work it out ourselves, this will deepen our understanding and will help us devise a process(es) through which we can investigate and learn better). Through our own investigations we should become more skilled in knowing what we should do and how and when. Crucially as practice goes on we have to use our prepared state to learn something of yoga.
Thus, assuming we have found a teacher who is not merely passing on biomechanical points, then we have to as Prashantji says, “read between the lines”, so that rather than passively soaking up points, consider why we are being asked to do things, why now and not then, why this sequence, why they used this word and not that word and so on. This requires and cultivates attentiveness and develops our own skills at choosing the right word, understanding sequence and links, develops awareness and sensitivity etc.
We can’t reasonably expect our teacher to tell us everything – there simply wouldn’t be time. Moreover it would not be helpful since the time when the teacher tells us something might not be the right time for us to understand it – hence the common experience of “I know I was told
Often question yourself what am I learning? Or am I doing?
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this lots of times but I’ve only just ‘got’ it”. There has to be a certain readiness to learn something which isn’t solely about wanting to learn it.
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A class situation is necessarily artificial, there are time constraints, hence Prashantji says a class is too short to enable a longer process such as learning to occur. Moreover there are differences between class members in potentialities, condition, aptitude, ability, stage etc., yet learning is indigenous and individual. So whilst beginners learn in the class, when we are more experienced we should go to class not to learn in it but rather to learn what we should learn and how we should learn. Every class should give you projects to work on yourself. The real and most important learning is done in one’s own practice outside the class.
So we should work on learning better not doing better. We need to get out of the habit of incessantly doing; we should be clear about what we are learning, and that must be justifiable according to our level of preparation (both within a practice and over time). By the end of a practice we should not be so much doing the pose but rather using that elevated, prepared (physically, intellectually, reflectively) condition to learn yoga from the pose. Some Pitfalls for Learners
Demanding Spoon-Feeding A common pitfall is being drawn to, even demanding, spoonfeeding. We have to take responsibility for ourselves and endeavour to find out for
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[After the beginners’ stage] go to class not to learn in it but rather to learn what we should learn and how we should learn
ourselves. The teacher can guide and support us when necessary but they are not a substitute for personal effort and understanding. When a teacher gives us information it might not be at the right moment for us and in any case second- (or third- or fourth-) hand learning is inferior to firsthand. Isn’t it also in some sense unethical, a kind of parasitism or dishonesty, if we try to pass it off as “What I have learned”?
Sometimes people are heard to say “I didn’t learn anything in that class”, the implication being that the teacher was at fault (rather than themselves!) because they did not give the person any new technical points to add to their list. It reflects a consumer’s mindset “ I have paid £xx therefore I am entitled to xx points in exchange”(!) We should be very vigilant to prevent of this sort of mentality creeping in. Learning yoga does not mean gathering points.
Why do we have this tendency? It seems that we want to accumulate but also we want reassurance and certainty. It is also manifest in trainee teachers or pupils demanding to be told the way to teach/do a pose and becoming frustrated when one set of instructions appears to contradict previous ones. This desire for certainty is a manifestation of fear, as such ultimately a manifestation of abhinivesa. The problem is that looking for reassurance and certainty from outside will always be limited and disappointing; we
have to look and find certainty within. If we limit ourselves by only looking outside, and our teachers cultivate that in us, then we lose confidence in ourselves and further undermine our ability to go within, so actually we get further from yoga. No one else can ever tell you everything; you have to feel it and articulate it from within and this inner ability is massively greater than the ability of anyone outside to convey to us.
Becoming Puffed-Up When we meet with some success for example gaining some mastery over a pose, knowing a lot, developing sensitivity, etc. there is a danger that we think “I learned this” Inevitably this will prevent us from attaining yoga. Instead we should cultivate a sense of reverence for the teacher within (divinity) and in so doing allow that teacher to teach us (in-tuition). It is only through divinity that our faculties function and we get knowledge. If we remember this then we cannot become arrogant.
Looking for Comfort We should not be seeking comfort or to feel good in class or practice. That is to miss the point. Some discomfort, not only physically but also mentally and emotionally, is necessary. If you only go to class or practice to feel nice during and after it then you are not going to get anywhere with yoga, that is bhoga.
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Misapplying Positive Qualities Practising yoga cultivates positive qualities in us, such as tolerance, patience, courage, determination, capacity for hard work. However, these must be applied with discrimination. For example, tolerance. It is inappropriate to be tolerant of being told endlessly the same basic points as if we didn’t know them (of course we have to ensure that we don’t need to be told by applying them without being reminded!) On the other hand we should be tolerant of our uncertainty and unease, of not being able to immediately acquire a point or “do” an asana, of a sense of frustration in class when for example the teacher interrupts an interesting avenue we were beginning to investigate.
Imbalance of Practice Prashantji tells us that historically we have been “asana-mad”, so we need to redress the balance. This does not necessarily mean to cut down on asanas, but if we are not doing pranayama sufficiently, try to develop an attitude of pranayama preparation by doing static poses, becoming more breath-aware and more breathprofused so we slowly become more qualified to do more pranayama also. If we suddenly decide to cut down 40% asana time and increase 40% pranayama we may not be able to do it. So in asanas we should try to work on breath aspects and learn breath culture – breath-considerateness, breath-mindedness, breath-application, breath-management. We should slightly shift our paradigm so we become more breath aware then we can become prana aware.
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Fundraising for Bellur –Yoga on the Beach or was it ‘Monsoon Yoga’!?
Student, Sarah B, dreamed up this new title for this annual Yoga on the Beach charity event! It was indeed a wet and overcast night. Chris stood by his steaming pot of curry, Tim stood by his sunny jugs of juice and I stood on the sandy, soggy prom waiting for someone to arrive. Imagine how my spirits lifted when, bit by bit, yogis from every corner of my classes started to emerge down the slope! In front of a colourful array of beach huts, 53 yogis gathered for an energising set of asanas, complete with raincoats and umbrellas! Over 65 delicious curries were served (plus take aways!) and we made a fantastic total of £360 for the Bellur Charity Trust. It was a testament to the willpower yoga can give us, the generosity of the human spirit and the fact that only in England would you find ‘Monsoon Yoga’! A huge thank you to everyone who took part, cheered from the sidelines and donated towards helping those in need.”
Have a look around at your own local landscape. Perhaps you could arrange a yoga event somewhere near you? Or maybe you have a peculiar historical feature that could make further history? ‘Trikonasana on Glastonbury Tor’, ‘Chaturanga in Cardiff Castle’ or even ‘Lolasana on Loch Lomond’!? Anyway I shall leave it to your imagination... We always have great fun organising our events, it brings the local Iyengar Yoga community together and we are glad to contribute a little something to the Bellur funds. Good luck!
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To Prop Or Not To Prop Richard Agar Ward
The matter of when and how to use props arises daily in our personal practice of the Iyengar method of Yoga.
What is a “prop” and how important are they? Generally we take “prop” to mean a material object such as a blanket, belt, brick, chair and so on. Sometimes “props” are manufactured specifically for use in an asana but commonly they are objects adapted for asana use from some other common use such as those mentioned above. However we may see later that the identity of a prop can reasonably be expanded beyond this and if we can expand our understanding of what a prop is and what a prop is really for we may be able expand our understanding of what is asana. We may then reach a point where our practice of asana greatly increases in its scope, sophistication and depth. It may eventually become a truly yogic practice.
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When should we use props As practitioners we decide when we should use a prop during asana or pranayama practice. According to our knowledge of the use of props we decide what type we should introduce, how many to use, in whatever combinations we select and we make a judgement as to how they should be placed and how we should place ourselves in relation to them. While we are in a class as pupils the teacher may decide these matters for us according to their knowledge and experience or they may allow the pupils with sufficient experience and knowledge to decide what props to use and how to use them to deal with individual personal conditions.
What matters in all cases is the judicious use of props and this is what requires discussion. It makes no sense dogmatically either to employ or to renounce the use of props. Both are thoughtless actions. We should not be addicted to props. Neither should we become addicted or attached to their non-use. Either way we may hinder our practice and its development. We may think “no props equals greater independence” but it could just as well be the case be that “no props equals poorer independence.”
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What is more important than whether we use a prop or not is the development of our subjective intelligence, our subjective mind and our intuition. A prop can prompt the arousal of the intuition. Intuition teaches us technique: it is not just a case of a teacher telling us or reminding us what to do to develop technique. The arousal of the intuition is an important part of learning.
The judicious use of props 1. Gradation of props. When we consider props as material objects they can always be used in gradation for more sensitive use. If one habitually uses four or five blankets for Salamba Sarvangasana one can use two or three to vary and then observe the degree, for example, to which the use of the lower back ribs is affected. If one performs Utthita Trikonasana and uses a brick on its end for the lower hand to reach down to be placed on to establish firmness for the arm then, of course, as the practitioner’s ability increases as her or she learns to do the pose then the height of the brick can of course be altered (and within a practice). We can no doubt think of very many examples of how gradation can be introduced to the use of props.
2. Alternating use and non-use of Props to learn There is one material “prop” which is so basic to our needs nowadays that we mostly do not even consider it as such and yet many of the “older” pupils remember a time when they were ignorant even of this particular basic “prop.” How did everyone manage without it? The “sticky mat” was one of the first props to be recommended for common usage, somewhere around the early 1980s and no doubt it would be the last to go if ever that were to pass, so essential is it generally considered.
By alternating the use or non-use of props within our practice we can improve the subjective intelligence and start to develop judiciousness and sensitivity in our practice.
Suppose one practises Utthita Trikonasana or another standing pose with legs wide apart on a good quality sticky mat. One assumes that one is performing the
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pose better because the feet do not slide or slip; they are protected from doing so and therefore injuries are less likely, so we reason. Yet if we then immediately afterwards practise without a mat we have to modify the use of the feet and employ different minor muscles and vary the use of the skin of the feet so as to maintain the pose. When we then return to the mat for the repeat of the pose we may find that our feet work better than they did previously when they only worked on the mat. The subjective intelligence can improve due to the alternating conditions. Then one might say that one has to learn to create a sticky mat “within”. What impressions arose on the feet? Can we remember them and recreate them? Is this not creativity in practise? This is an example of using the prop to train the mind.
3. Sequences as Props Props can have more subtle forms than as physical material objects. We can also use different sequences of poses instead of material props. When a pose becomes a prop, a pose can be a prop for another pose. For example, if one does Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana on a chair before Sirsasana it can act as a prop for Sirsasana by helping one to extend the upper arms more effectively and efficiently helping to create space and lightness in the shoulders, trapezius, dorsal spine, neck and so on. It can provide what previously was relatively inaccessible. It helps one to “do” the pose and also to get some idea of how the pose should be experienced and also what can be learned.
Another example of using sequence in the poses as a prop might be, for example, if one performs Utthita Parsvakonasana aware that one is next going to be called to do Utthita Trikonasana directly and without coming up from the pose. Then one can start to evolve the leg of Utthita Parsavakonasana by preparing for and drawing in attributes of the leg of Utthita Trikonasana. This may be helpful for practitioners who find they invariably push back the front leg hip or buttock and make the bent knee go forwards in Utthita Parsvakonasana. This idea can take greater shape and reinforcement by carefully transferring the leg from the bent leg pose to the straight one and back again but in a practising mode where learning takes precedence over doing. Sensitivity and skill may increase by this method. In either sequence one can evolve the subjective intelligence and learn what we should be doing. It is a way of using one pose as a prop for another pose as a way of learning to do. It is
a way to arouse the intuitive faculty perhaps more profoundly than what might be possible when using a material prop.
We can also find that a pose we are intending to do “next” becomes a prop for a pose one is doing now. If one does Utthita Trikonasana aware that one is next going to do Ardha Chandrasana then one modifies Utthita Trikonasana by way of preparation and one can develop greater sensitivity and skill by drawing forward the work of Ardha Chandrasana into Utthita Trikonasana without necessarily actually performing Ardha Chandrasana. This may for example affect the front foot toe, inner front foot and leg of Utthita Trikonasana and the opening of the hips. We can alternate poses to get other effects. One can also perform Utthita Trikonasana after Ardha Chandrasana to experience how the movement of the flesh to the bone in Ardha Chandrasana can be transferred to the experience of Utthita Trikonasana. This helps one to understand what the idea of “linking” in the poses can involve. Again it helps one to learn to the potentialities of a pose. So a prop does not necessarily have to be a material object. It can be another pose or it can be injecting the mannerisms of one pose into another or even an idea of another pose infusing another actual pose or. The difficulties of practice without props Without the use of props there is usually a great deal of labour and endeavour involved in “doing” an asana but at the same time there is not necessarily a lot of learning involved. Here one learns primarily to “do.” Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, for instance, is a difficult pose without props since the body encounters a lot of resistance. With props one learns to make progress in the pose and begin to understand what should happen. Asana without props is often largely a performance, of “doing,” whereas with props it may not be not so much of a performance. Again what matters is what one learns. As well as using the props in order to find out how to do a pose one also needs to find out how to use the props in order “to do to learn.” It is quite possible that one employs props in such a way that learning is minimal. That is when the call comes to remove the props, as a means to improve learning and understanding. This can be useful as a way of weaning practitioners off dependency for “doing” with props but in the long run what is required is more sensitivity in the use of props. What
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is one learning ultimately? One is learning to identify the Self with the help of intuition. How can props assist in identifying the Self In-tuition (i.e. tuition from within) is our greatest teacher and it is one who gives us true “independence,” the “in-dependence” which is dependence on that which is “inner” rather than “outer.” That is to do with yogic qualities and it is that we should cultivate. Independence is more important than freedom pure and simple. While freedom is important a yoga practitioner should strive for a better and a greater quality freedom each time, one that takes the practitioner towards “in-dependence”.
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Props help one to learn at first but how often does one go back to the props after learning to “do”? Can a practitioner understand a rationale for returning to the ‘propped’ pose instead of only going from the propped to the unpropped pose? Initially one goes to the props to learn to do. Depending on a prop is when we need the prop in order to do a pose. Returning to the props one has to do to learn. After performing prop-less poses, after “doing,” can one not return to the props and learn what has to be learnt in the study of the interactions of body, mind and breath? Prashantji gave his class a practical lesson in this on Tuesday 21 December 2010 at the Institute in Pune. The class performed backward extensions without props, rigorously and vigorously, for most of the class, not with the prior introduction of propped poses at the start of practice, but coming to chair Viparita Dandasana at the end of the backward extensions practice and seeing what pupils could learn and understand of yoga by that sequence, primed by the practice of unpropped backward extensions. He asked the class to evolve a mature and profound pose with the stability of the chair, qualitatively and conceptually. He reminded us how often we regard the use of props as a preparation for poses without props as though the unpropped pose were the only “real” or “valuable” or “advanced” pose and yet what one learns about integrity may be greater when this concept is inverted. In this situation one does not have to “do,” and instead one learns the interactions of the embodiment. One is not using the prop when one is helpless and in a raw state but rather when one is well prepared, in order to learn and to study. Here it is about learning better rather than doing better. In a prepared and exalted condition one can for example employ various bandhas and mudras and create 28
sublime, absorbed yogic conditions as the pupil’s responses are so much better.
Why this use of props is so important By practising with greater skill and judiciousness one attains maturity, freedom, and efficiency in practice. This leads to effortlessness. This can be described as prayatna shaithillya. Prayatna shaithillya is not cessation of efforts but the creation of effective efforts, specific efforts. Yama is right efforts. So by our right practice we attain a greater depth of prayatna shaithillya and yama.
For many of us the “learning” ends when the “doing” ends. This is usually the condition of those who practise without props. We need to know how to go on to learn when the “doing,” the “striving” ends and returning to a prop is essential for understanding this. One has to get to a position where one can learn yoga from the pose. Yoga is not only a matter of realising the Self, of identifying the Self however. One has not only to realise the Self but one has to have communion and intercourse with it as it says in Bhagavad Gita. The Gita says that when the Self is reached doing is over and the intercourse begins.
Sincere thanks go to Prashant S. Iyengar for his teaching and his help in the preparation of this article.
Yoga Supplies Inexpensive
INDIAN YOGA BELTS, BANDAGES, BOLSTER SETS, PRANAYAMA SETS, ROPES. Call: 01225 319699 or E-mail: kirsten@bath-iyengar-yoga.com for prices
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IYDF Haringey Carers Class Caroline Kennedy
The Winkfield Resource Centre is a surprising haven in the grey urban sprawl of Tottenham, north London. It is built around a small paved garden with beds of roses, cornflowers and herbs, there is even a pond with koi carp.
The Haringey Carers Centre has a small office here where it coordinates its activities to support carers in their role of looking after a dependent person. They have managed to hire the largest room on a Monday morning for our yoga class.
you know that they will be able to take care of themselves some time, maybe all too soon. A carer doesn't have that satisfactory end in sight.
The carers had little or no experience of yoga before this class started. One, in her 70's, said that when she began attending the class she was “stiff as a frozen fish”. I don't expect that they have much time to practice, but several have taken on “a dog pose a day” to good effect.
noticeable that even if they have to come late, or leave early, they will try not to miss the class. I must say I look forward to it. It is a class where the benefits of yoga are tangible.
I'd like to give one of the carers the last paragraph: These classes have been like a lifeline during the most stressful of times. "How are you?" Caroline asks in the morning. Sometimes she’s met with “I’m ok... No, I’m lying”, and me bursting into tears. I have started practicing at
The carers attending the class look after special needs children and sisters, an infirm parent, a blind husband, one is a foster carer looking after a special needs person whose own family are finding it hard to cope. Often they are also looking after the rest of their families. If, on a Monday morning, I happen to casually ask “how are you?” the understated reply will be along the lines of “a little bit stressed”. Weekends and holiday times are particularly hard work for carers, since support services tend to work Monday to Friday, but caring needs don't stop. I sometimes reflect that bringing up children is hard work, but as you watch them grow up
As they have become more familiar with and comfortable in the poses, I can see them starting to understand that yoga works on many levels, definitely increasing flexibility and strength, but also calming the physiological effects of stress. The class also helps them to cope with their own areas of ill health, which have often been put on hold since the cared for person's needs must take priority. The carers' class has become a space where the students can take a brief respite from their responsibilities and take care of themselves and each other. It is
home with a daily dog pose and gentle stretches. I have seen my blood pressure drop and my migraines become few and far between. I am forever grateful to Mr Iyengar and of course our yoga teacher. I feel like they have imparted a gift to us all.
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The room needs clearing before we start the class, but this presents no problem, since carers seem to find it hard to stop working! Quickly the room becomes a yoga space, with equipment laid out ready for the students who have yet to arrive.
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Anatomy of a Pose: Virabhadrasana II
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Ray Long
This pose embodies the spirit of a warrior and conveys readiness, stability, and courage. I place Virabhadrasana II after Trikonasana because it flows better biomechanically, according to the position of the pelvis. This creates continuity in the practice. In both Trikonasana and Virabhadrasana II, the pelvis faces relatively forward. In Virabhadrasana I and III, it turns toward the front leg. The sequence used in this book illustrates a logical biomechanical progression: for example, readiness (Virabhadrasana II), preparing to launch (Virabhadrasana I), and launching forward (Virabhadrasana III). Each of the warrior poses contains elements of simultaneous movement forward and backward, as well as ascent and descent. These potential movements impart a sense of anticipation of launching energetically forward. The focus of Virabhadrasana II is to strengthen the front leg while opening the front of the pelvis and the chest. There can be a tendency to allow the chest to collapse and shift forward. Counteract this by straightening the arms and expanding the chest, expressing the inner strength and confidence that is cultivated in the pose. Build your foundation by planting the back heel firmly on the floor and extending the back arm away from the body. These actions anchor the body against the forward momentum of the pose and bring stability to the posture. If the muscles of the thigh become fatigued, partially straighten the front knee for a moment or two, and then return to the full pose. Tilt the head back slightly and gaze forward.
Basic Joint Positions • The back foot rotates inward 30 degrees and supinates. • The back knee extends. • The back hip extends and externally rotates. • The front hip and knee flex to 90 degrees.
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• • • •
Both shoulders abduct and externally rotate. The elbows extend. The forearms pronate. The cervical spine rotates to turn the head.
Virabhadrasana II Preparation Begin by flexing the hip and knee of the front leg. Then place the elbow on the thigh and press down (as with Trikonasana). This action awakens the hip flexors, including the psoas. With the forward hip flexed, engage the muscles of the rear-leg buttocks and lower back to lift the torso and open the chest. In the beginning, you may wish to spend some time conditioning the thigh muscles to maintain the pose. Do this by partially flexing the front knee. Take care to maintain the front hip, thigh, and lower leg in alignment at all times, so that the knee does not drift inward or outward but remains positioned over the ankle. Shift your focus around the body in the pose. For example, if you straighten the knee to rest the thigh of the front leg, remain focused on opening the chest and anchoring the back heel to the floor.
You can also use a folding chair as a prop to experience expanding the chest (thorax) in this pose. Press down with the hands to lift the ribcage as you bend the forward knee into Virabhadrasana II. This activates the latissimus dorsi and lower trapezius as well as the rhomboids. Then raise the arms into the full pose while maintaining the lift of the chest.
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Fundraising for IYDF Laura Potts
IYA members will be familiar with the work of the Iyengar Yoga Development Fund, which supports the provision of classes for people unlikely to be able to access yoga: groups and individuals who experience social exclusion as a consequence of their difficult life situations. I started teaching a class for people with enduring mental health problems through IYDF last August, partnered and supported by Occupational Therapists in the York Community Mental Health team. I have witnessed the benefits that students derive from coming
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weekly to a yoga class and learning some basic asana, so when Helen White, who organises the IYDF programme, wrote to say that funds were now limited, I wanted to find a way to make sure classes continued to be widely available. To make sure an event wouId attract plenty of interest, I arranged an afternoon of yoga teaching, socialising over samosas and chai, and asked a local Bollywood dance class to come and give a demonstration. Myka Ransom, who taught an IYDF class in a mental health hostel in Leeds,
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gave an inspiring and varied asana class and after a break I taught a pranayama class. Students were from our own classes, but also from a wider yoga community in York and Yorkshire, and the dancers also joined in the asana class – not having done any
yoga before at all. So we also raised the profile of Iyengar yoga locally, and of its ethos of ‘yoga is for everyone’. It was good too to have time to catch up with yoga friends over tea, something we tend to overlook in the rush from class to workshop and teaching and practice, cultivating the ‘friendliness’ that Patanjali refers to in Sutra 1.33. Paul Walker at Yogamatters had most generously donated some wonderful yoga gifts and having seen a game played at a York in Transition event, we held not a raffle, but a version of bowls
which generated a lot more fun and cash! All the gifts were laid out on the floor at the far end of the hall, and people rolled pound coins towards the item they fancied; whoever got closest won that gift.
Zoobin Surty’s ‘karamdance’ troupe was an exciting and glamorous end to the afternoon, the dancers well warmed up by their yoga experience to provide a beautiful flowing performance. It was a thoroughly enjoyable end to a very successful event, which raised, after the hall and refreshment expenses, £429 for the Fund.
Many thanks to Myka, Paul and Zoobin for their valuable donations.
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IYA (UK) Annual Convention June 9 to 11 2012 At Brunel University, Uxbridge, West London with Zubin Zarthoshtimanesh
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We have been to Brunel before – the last time in 2006. It works very well for us. The sports hall is only about ten years old, with a lovely wooden floor and natural daylight coming in. The accommodation is well appointed and all rooms are ensuite. There are kitchens where you can make yourself a hot drink. A little river, the Pinn, runs through the grounds. The dining room will be shared with other users at the university but we will have our own serving area for our vegetarian food. Since we were there, they have a coffee bar on campus serving hot and cold drinks with outside seating as well as a shop and post office and so on.
ZUBIN ZARTHOSHTIMANESH came to our Nottingham convention in 2010, accompanied and assisted by his wife, Parizad. Nottingham was a comparatively small convention, but those of us who attended were so delighted we wanted to bring Zubin’s freshness and enthusiasm to more of you! Zubin began yoga when very young thanks to his father who suffers from ankylosing spondylitis and who was helped to get a glimpse of true health by Guruji. Zubin’s father not only stayed with yoga, but urged his family, including Zubin, to take to yoga. This
initial introduction helped to set him on the path of yoga.
Today, after 19 years of teaching and having learnt and travelled with Guruji to participate in Conventions in Michigan (USA), Crystal Palace, (UK) and Paris (France), he is aware of the responsibility to help spread the ethos of yoga to friends, families, communities and society in general. His teaching commitments have taken him to Canada, US, France, Germany, Holland, Spain, Belgium, China and Rishikesh.
These days Zubin and Parizad teach and run their yoga centre, Iyengar Yogabhyasa at Matunga in central Mumbai, which imparts a yogic education to more than 400 students.
NATIONAL TOUR
Up till now we have sent our visiting teachers to up to four venues in addition to the main convention which can mean five workshops in two weeks! Frankly, this is too much, however eager you all are to have the teacher come to you. For 2012, we are asking Zubin to visit just one other venue apart from Brunel. He will be teaching in Sheffield in an event organised by the Sheffield and District Iyengar Yoga Association. 2-3 June SADIYA contact Dominic Batten: dominic.batten@btinternet.com
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In 2012 we are hoping to grab some of the excitement of the Olympic year in London while keeping you well away from the action both in term of time and distance. Uxbridge is about twelve miles west of central London, just North of Heathrow airport and easy to get to from most parts of UK. If you have time to explore the neighbourhood, there is plenty of ‘green belt’ land around, including the extensive Colne Valley Nature reserve and the Grand Union Canal.
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2012 Convention Booking Form £295
Saturday - Monday non-residential incl. all tuition & lunch
£170
Saturday – Sunday residential incl. all tuition, full board
£195
Saturday – Sunday non-residential incl. all tuition & lunch
£120
Monday only incl. all tuition & lunch
£70
Arrival night accommodation Friday or Sunday
£45
Arrival night dinner Friday or Sunday
£12.50
T-shirts Pre-ordered Women’s fitted: XS S M L XL XXL or Unisex loose fit: XS S M L XL XXL (Tick one box only)
£10.50
IYA(UK) Membership No: Or to join for 2012
£17.50
Total:
£
If you wish to rent a stall, please contact Patsy Sparksman patsyyoga@aol.com
Free parking permit
Early booking discount (before 31st January)
- £10
Amount to pay:
Name: Address:
Saturday - Monday residential incl. all tuition, full board
Postcode: Telephone: Mobile: Email:
Iyengar Yoga News No. 19 - Autumn 2011
Book online if you can (and save £5): see www.iyengaryoga.org.uk for details
£
Cheques payable to IYA(UK) and sent with completed form to: Jess Wallwork, IYA(UK) Bookings and Finance, 15 West Grove, Bristol BS6 5LS.
Cancellation policy: Fees will not be refunded for cancellations received after 1st April 2012 unless there are exceptional circumstances. All changes to bookings and cancellations before this date will be subject to a £15 administration charge. Reduced fees may be available to those experiencing financial difficulties and who can provide proof of their circumstances. Please contact Jess at jess@iyengaryoga.org.uk. 34
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YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT RUNNING A MARKET STALL AT OUR ANNUAL YOGA CONVENTION?
We had a great marketplace in Glasgow and we’d like to encourage you to contribute to a thriving market place in Brunel in 2012. We’d like contributions from ethical crafts, yoga related equipment, and fair trades people. If you think you have items that would be of interest to yoga enthusiasts then why not consider running a stall! Suitable stalls: yoga equipment, props, books, arts and crafts etc, as well as clothing, men’s yoga clothing in particularly short supply! If you would like to propose running a stall then get in touch with Patsy: patsyyoga@aol.com
Book online and save £5!
We are encouraging everyone to book online for the 2012 convention so visit www.iyengaryoga.org.uk to find out how
Book early and save £10!
£10 reduction on all bookings before 31 January 2012
Saturday 8am breakfast 9.30am-1pm Asana 1.30pm lunch 4.30-6.30pm Pranayama 7.30pm Gala dinner
Sunday 8am breakfast 9.30am-1pm Asana 1.30pm lunch 2.45-4.15pm AGM 4.30-6.30pm Pranayama 7.30pm dinner
Monday (teachers and trainees) 8am breakfast 9.30am-1pm Asana 1.30pm lunch 3.30-5.30pm Pranayama
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PROVISIONAL TIMETABLE
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A Journey Indian Italian style Annamaria Sacco Edinburgh, December 2004 – we are driving to Dawyik Gardens, Clive our children and I. I have itchy feet. I want to go to Pune, but I don’t want to wait for three years. Clive listens to me remembering the teachers I had loved, Jawahar and Birjoo. So Clive says “Well, why don’t we go to Mumbai than?” Ten days later we are in Mumbai, our son Evan, one month away from being two years old, Aila five, two rucksacks and a buggy.
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The political climate at the time is not the most welcoming. Maybe that is the reason why all hotels we phone refuse our booking – an Italian national and a UK national so we end up booking a one star hotel not too far from the Iyengar Yoga Centre in Parel.
It is 1am when we arrive. We have been travelling for two days, slept on airport floors, driven for hours to get to the airports, travelled for hours on the plane; our children, little travel troopers, handle it all well. We land. My son says to me in Italian “Mummy, now enough, let’s go home!” Outside it is hot, humid, dark, crowded, bustling with life and noise. I feel scared. I am a mum with two little children. I feel I want to jump on a plane and fly back home. Did I go insane doing this I ask myself?
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We reach our Hotel, the feeling strengthens. It is a building site; dust everywhere, dirt, noise… Arriving in the dark certainly did not help. I look at the kids, big breath, the next day will be better. (We move four times in the first week but in the end find a simple room in a temple which is perfect.)
But my fear is still there; me, in India going alone to class in a taxi. Its 6am in the morning, it is dark. I leave the kids and Clive asleep and go out to get the cab. All taxi drivers are sleeping in their cars. I am not sure what to do. The guard sees my uncertainty. He bangs on the windows of a few and provides me with a ride. I look; the taxi boy still has the bandage around his head that was protecting his eyes from the light when sleeping. He looks about 12. I take another big breath and take the taxi, and again I
enough English for right, left, straight, and the figures, so from the next day I have to have focus to direct the drivers or I’ll end up everywhere. Also, I have to learn to put the meter to zero when I get into a cab, as the amount charged for the same journey varies hugely. (Once I get the chart that gives the conversion from the old amount in rupees to the new I can’t go wrong.)
am so glad I had walked before to know the way. I am learning at the same time to trust. First few days, my feet are pressing hard against the back of the front seats while I get driven, my hands are holding on. I am obviously nervous and still scared of the change.
The next day we walk to the yoga centre from the Hotel to start getting our bearings. Lucky we did that as the next thing I learn is that most taxi drivers only know
Than it all changes – actually my whole life changes – I walk into the teachers’ class. A teacher called
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Firooza takes pranayama that day. I leave the class, I get in the cab to go and meet my family. My feet are not pressing against the seat, my hands are not holding, time has stopped. I am so calm... Next thing I realise my driver has got lost as he has stopped and is talking to another driver. Even that does not bother me. I smile. It’s ok, we’ll get there. I relax, and we do.
A few days later I bid (while in Mumbai) for a small garage back home to convert into a yoga studio. I have no money, and only a rough business plan ready. I still bid. The lawyer calls back. It is ours! Jawahar is the first to know. I meet Firooza again and I ask her if she would like to come and teach once I am ready. She does not get excited, she looks at me and says “Several people have asked me before. I was not ready then, I am ready now, the children are old enough. When you are ready, you call me, this is my email”. I treasure the little piece of paper with the Hotmail account on it. Some people say I am insane but I do not listen. April of the following year I invite Firooza to Edinburgh. Two weeks of teaching, a programme of pranayama and remedial. First class, six colleagues. Last class, two weeks later, 60.
For me that was the beginning of my own personal journey in undoing resistance and learning surrendering. It does not happen in one day and takes a lot of courage to do, and patterns and challenges keep appearing and repeating themselves, because of course, sometimes – but only sometimes – I do not listen. I am actually a very good listener these days. It was the beginning of the journey from watching and hearing, to feeling and
feeling and feeling and feeling with less and less words involved. It was the beginning of the journey of moving from frantically doing, to sitting still for a very long while and watching what was coming to surface. My whole practice for two years became two sutras ; the one of the afflictions of the mind, and the one on how to solve them. Moment to moment, every day for two years, two sutras. Samskaras after samskaras to keep polishing.
These days, the little garage is called Yoga Stable, it averages about 50-80 students per week. Most of them have been the same for six years now. We have just been blessed with a bigger studio for two sessions per week to grow into a bit more. I know I have to work at it with commitment.
Since 2005 I have been to India alone and not got worried about any of the things which were worrying me before. I feel at home. I made lovely friends. I’ll go on the public bus back to Pune when I’ll next be lucky enough to be in Mumbai, but not for a while. It is now my turn to say, “My children are not ready.” It will come when it will come.
With gratitude to Firooza, and to all the great teachers for the journey.
PUBLIC
RELATIONS
One of the specific job vacancies we have on our Committee is that of PR Officer and we are looking for a volunteer to fill this post. The IYA (UK) is not a commercial business trying to sell a product, but we are trying to keep the public informed about Iyengar Yoga and to correct misconceptions about what we do. We can do this by preparing articles for yoga magazines and other publications, by writing press releases and by being on hand to answer questions from the media about yoga.
We are looking for someone who knows about this kind of thing and is prepared to take responsibility for and to coordinate our PR activity. Ideally, we would like an individual who knows about PR, and maybe already has certain contacts, and at the same time is steeped in the Iyengar tradition and has a deep understanding of what we do. However, we may not find such a person and may have to set up a team of people with different skills.
If you think you may be interested in this, please contact the IYA (UK) Chair, Philippe Harari, at philippe.harari@runbox.com
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Convention 2012 Strathclyde University Mary Mulligan
Iyengar Yoga News No. 19 - Autumn 2011
Despite worries that members wouldn’t travel so far North for a Convention, this year’s event with Jawahar Bangera in Glasgow was particularly wellattended. Lots of people did travel to Glasgow and, of course, there are lots of Iyengar practitioners who already live there! The 2011 Convention had it share of technical difficulties; car-parking, finding our way around the campus and a faulty microphone. However, as always, the brilliance of the yoga shone through and made it a weekend to remember. Jawahar is a truly inspirational teacher and he made all of us work very hard indeed; we suffered, we moaned, we cried out in pain – and we felt brilliant afterwards. We present here a few snapshots of the Convention; there are many more pictures on our website, where you can also find pictures from other conventions.
Scenes from the T-Shirt Stall I was delighted when Judith Richards asked me to become a member of the Events Committee and this year’s Convention at Glasgow was my first year as a member of Events. Previous to meeting at Glasgow, the Events Committee (Judith, Patsy, Jess, Isabel and myself) had been corresponding via Skype calls and email so it was really nice to meet everyone in the flesh on the Thursday before the Convention.
It was really good to have the whole of the Thursday to get ready and my responsibilities included the signage and the t-shirt stall. Valerie (our woman on the ground in Glasgow) had warned me that some of the signage would be on the main road and could well get ripped down on Thursday night (it’s the new
Friday night) so therefore I needed to think about bringing extra signs. I took my responsibility so seriously (well, too seriously) when it came to sticking up the signs. I had bought special adhesive which proved to be industrial strength especially when Patsy (no weakling) discovered I put a wrong sign up and she tried to take it off. Those Glasgow weekend party goers were going to be no match for the Iyengar Convention.
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And so to the t-shirt stall. We were all trying to do everything at once and I managed to slit my hand with the scissors while Judith and I were putting up the banner. Walking around with a scrunched up tissue
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dripping blood, it was not a good look for the purveyor of t-shirts. “It’s alright, you don’t need to hold it up for me. I’ll manage fine.”
On the Thursday night, we were due to eat at the University but due to a, let’s call it a communication challenge, we all ended up going to a brilliant cafe/restaurant that Jess’ friend had found. They managed to cater for about 50 of us, providing lovely food, great atmosphere and wonderful service.
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One of the huge benefits of sitting at the t-shirt stall, was being able to meet and talk to loads of people. And I got to talk to several young women from Scotland and this was their first Convention. They loved it and it really brought home to me why it is important to be able to take the Convention and the teachers to different places, giving new people access to the Iyengar teaching. I am sure BKS would approve.
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Individual Reps on the Executive Council
Iyengar Yoga Development Fund Appeal
The IYA Executive Council (the EX) has 5 individual representatives, who can serve for a maximum of 6 years. Judith Richards, Chair of the Events committee, has served on the EX for three years, and is now standing for re-election. If you are interested in standing, we will hold an election of all individual members of the IYA (ie those who are not members through their local institute).
The Iyengar Yoga Development Fund (IYDF) has been set up to support teachers to work with vulnerable members of our community, and people who would otherwise not be able to access yoga. Every Iyengar teacher pays an annual sum to the IYA for the use of the Iyengar Yoga Certification Mark; 60% of this money goes towards the Bellur project, and 40% is used for the IYDF. The Fund currently supports a wide range of classes: teaching prisoners, people with mental health problems, learning difficulties etc.
The EX is the decision-making body of the IYA (UK) all key decisions are made democratically by the EX in its meetings. The EX meetings focus on issues relating to strategy and planning, rather than the minutiae of running the Association; this work is done by Standing Committees and Working Groups. For more information, see our Constitution on the IYA website.
It is hoped that new members will become proactive in the work of the Association: you can discuss with myself or Philippe Harari any areas that you are particularly interested in.
Iyengar Yoga News No. 17 - Autumn 2010
If you would like to stand, you need to be nominated and seconded by two current members of the IYA(UK).
Deadline for nominations will be 31 October 2011.
Please get in touch with me with any queries you may have. Helen secretary@iyengaryoga.org.uk 0113 2746463
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Our problem now is that all our funds are currently allocated to classes, and we have recently had a number of new applications which we are unable to support.
We are therefore looking to raise money, so that we can support more teachers with this valuable and challenging work. Mr Iyengar himself is really pleased with the work that is done through the IYDF.
If you or your Institute would like to hold a fundraising event, or make a donation to the IYDF, do please get in touch with myself or Sev Kanay (sev.neliyi@yahoo.com), our Deputy Treasurer, and we will be pleased to give you further information and support.
We do hope you will be able to help us increase the number of classes we can support. Thanks for your help!
Helen IYDF Administrator white.helen@btinternet.com 0113 2746463
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Breathe and Believe
What is yoga and meditation? You may ask What’s its purpose? What’s its task? It’s all about the breath The air we breathe Ridding self doubt Learning to believe Finding our strengths We all have within Feeling the goodness Banishing the sin During an asana Saluting the sun Working the breath Until you both are one Once you are there Its task you will know Is to show you the light Help you to grow Believe and receive by Paul, F wing, HMP Leeds
Yoga Show 28 to 30 October Olympia, London A number of our members are organising an IYA presence at the London Yoga Show at Olympia in October this year – 28, 29 and 30. They have booked our stand in the exhibition hall (G19) and have set up a number of open classes and demonstrations on all three days and a lecture on the Sunday, with some of our excellent teachers taking the lead on these sessions.
We have agreed with the organisers of the Yoga Show that all IYA members can get free tickets to the show (normal cost for a day pass is £12). For your free ticket, visit www.theyogashow.co.uk /iyengar and input your IYA (UK) membership number, your name and address, email and mobile phone number, and enter YS11iyengar in the promotional code box. For tickets and further information about the event or to receive a free programme, visit www.theyogashow.co.uk or call 01787 224040.
CHANGES
TO OUR ADMIN.
OFFICE
We are pleased to announce that Jo Duffin, our Assessments Administrator, has given birth to a second daughter. Her maternity leave will be covered by Sara Braham. To contact Sara, you can phone her on 07795443375 or email her on sara@iyengaryoga.org.uk (you can now book assessments online from our website at www.iyerngaryoga.org.uk).
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If you need to contact Jess about financial matters or convention bookings, her phone number is 07757463767 and her email is jess@iyengaryoga.org.uk. For any other queries, please contact Katie on 07510326997 or katie@iyengaryoga.org.uk.
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IYA (UK) Reports CHAIR - PHILIPPE HARARI
This is a summary of the key things that the IYA (UK) Executive Council have been up to since the last issue of IYN, in no particular order:
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Becoming a Company Limited by Guarantee The current status of the IYA (UK) is that we are a membership organisation but we need to become a limited company so that we are recognised as a legal entity. This means that we can own our domain names and the Certification Mark etc. instead of these things having to be registered in the names of individuals, as at present. It also provides more protection for Committee members should the IYA (UK) ever run into financial difficulties (which is, of course, extremely unlikely). We have spent over a year drafting our new Articles and these were approved at the AGM in Glasgow last June. A couple of members at the AGM suggested that we look into the possibility of becoming a Social Enterprise, as we are a non-profit organisation. It seems that the easiest way to do this is actually to become a Company Limited by Guarantee first and then become a Social Enterprise, but we will need to look into what, if any, the benefits of such a move would be. In the meanwhile, we will be registering with Companies House to become a Company Limited by Guarantee.
One of the consequences of becoming a Company Limited by Guarantee is that we have to create a management Board. However, I do not believe that we should make significant changes to the way we make decisions collectively and the way in which the people who run the IYA (UK) are elected by, and accountable to, the members. Our new Articles are set up to satisfy the demands of Companies House at the same time as retaining ourdemocratic structure.
Accreditation of Iyengar teachers As well as becoming a Company Limited by Guarantee, we are also attempting to become an Awarding Organisation. This means that we will become recognised by Government as a body able to issue recognised teaching qualifications. In other words, our Iyengar teaching certificates will be recognised throughout the UK as a formal qualification. If we succeed in this application, not only will future qualifications become officially recognised, but so will the qualifications that our teachers have already achieved. One of the requirements 42
of becoming an Awarding Organisation is that we keep the ‘qualifications’ branch of our Association independent from the ‘delivery’ branch, and this will require further restructuring of the IYA (UK).
We have set out basic plans for the new structure, and these were presented and discussed at the last AGM. They have also been discussed at Executive Council meetings so do ask your Institute representative for more information if you are interested. Basically, the association (which will be called Iyengar Yoga (UK) Ltd.) will have a Board (which will be like an expanded version of the Management Committee we currently have) and will then have two separate branches: Iyengar Yoga Qualifications (which will be responsible for the CM, assessment syllabuses and policies and moderating) and Iyengar Yoga Association (UK) which will continue to operate much as we do now, but minus the specific responsibilities that have been transferred to the IYQ. Our plans are still in the early stages and there is a lot of consultation to do before we can present members with a concrete proposal. Our aim in all this is to enhance the service we provide to our members (and particularly our teacher members) whilst continuing to operate as a democratic members’ organisation.
Website We have continued to make improvements to our membership database and website: • Teachers and trainees can now book and pay online for their Introductory and Intermediate Junior assessments. • We have linked the Convention bookings page to our central database, which will make paying online for convention places easier and also save admin time. • We have set up a Bellur donation page so that people can contribute on-line to this worthy charity. • We have made the website easier to navigate for members and more attractive to non-members so it can also serve as a way of telling the public about Iyengar Yoga. For example, you can now watch videos of Mr Iyengar practicing and teaching and there is a an archive of Convention photographs going back to 2002. • We are continuing to look at how to improve our site and are in the process of setting up a Facebook page for the association. • If you have any material (video links, pictures etc.) that you think would be suitable for the website, please contact website@iyengaryoga.org.uk.
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International Archive This project, to preserve digitally the enormous amount of photographic and written material at the RIMYI, is progressing very well, with equipment and software purchased and installed in the RIMYI. This has been funded by several national Iyengar associations, and we have recently written to all of the others to invite them to take part. The task of scanning in fragile archive material has now started in earnest. Please consider lending a hand if you are attending classes in Pune.
Convention 2012 We have decided to hold next year's convention at Brunel University in Uxbridge, West London and to invite Zubin Zarthoshtimanesh as the visiting teacher.
London Yoga Show We will be running a stand at this year’s yoga show in London in October. Details of this event, and of the 2012 Convention, can be found elsewhere in this magazine.
Publicity We have now designed a generic publicity leaflet for Iyengar Yoga and teachers, Institutes and Centres can ask us to put their own details on the back and send them a print-ready PDF so that they can copies printed for their own publicity. All we ask in return is a small donation to the Bellur Trust.
TREASURER - PAM MACKENZIE Over the past two years the IYA (UK) has invested in new data and financial systems. These have given us a much better understanding of our annual operating cost and a more appropriate basis for our accounting treatment. As a result we re-stated the annual accounts for the previous year 2008/09. These were presented together with the accounts for 2009/10 at the AGM in June 2011 and both sets of accounts were formally accepted. The overall accumulated surpluses at 31 March 2010 were General Fund £60,310 and Development Fund £34,788. The Financial Accounts for 2010/11 are currently being prepared and will be put forward to the Executive Council in September 2011. The proposed membership, assessment and teacher training registration fees for 2012/13, were also presented and formally accepted at the AGM and are shown below.
Membership fees Institute members Individual members Overseas extension and individual membership Individual teachers Teachers supplement Teachers concessionary rate Affiliated centres Assessments fees Introductory I Introductory II Junior intermediate Senior intermediate
Teacher training registration
£ 6.75 17.50 35.00 17.50 37.00 22.00 100.00 64.00 102.00 102.00 102.00 36.00
The Certification Mark fee for 2012/13 will be updated on 1st November 2011. The fee is currently based on US$50 and the exchange rate that is in place on that date.
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY - BRENDA NOBLE-NESBITT
Although there appears to be only a slight drop in the totals, close interpretation of the table and graph shows that the membership pattern is changing. For every teacher in 2006/07 there were just over two nonteachers which dropped to just over one in 2010/11. Had the ratio between teachers and non-teacher members remained the same, the total number of nonteacher members in 2010/11 could reasonably have been expected to have risen by approximately 800 with a total of 3274 members.
Membership Numbers – July 2011 Group Institute Individual Members Members Teachers 743 269 Including: UK 927; Ireland 65; Overseas 20
NonTeachers 1046 185 Including: UK 1143; Ireland 70; Overseas 18
Membership numbers since 2006/07: Non-Teachers Teachers 2006/07 1814 871 2007/08 1695 969 2008/09 1674 996 2009/10 1465 1009 2010/11 1409 1056
Totals
1012 1231
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Totals 2685 2664 2670 2474 2465
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can contact myself or Pam Mackenzie, our Treasurer, or look out for more information on our website.
IYA (UK) membership statistics, however, are not the only indicator of a thriving Iyengar yoga community in the UK and RoI. Information collected from the teacher member renewal forms (courtesy of the new database) indicate that there are approximately 30,000 students attending Iyengar yoga classes, being taught by 1012 very committed teachers, which must be a healthy sign indeed, although this number will be a slight overstatement because it does not take into account students who attend the classes of more than one teacher.
The non-teacher membership is a very important feature of IYA (UK) since it supports the aims and objectives of the Association and it is therefore reassuring to know that there is plenty of scope to attract more non-teacher members in the future. The Membership Office will be looking at ways to possibly make it more attractive to join but every existing member could also help out. For a start, the IYA (UK) website is a good place for anyone to refer a friend who is interested in being part of a wider yoga community. Remember also that joining one of the Member Institutes includes automatic membership of IYA (UK).
Iyengar Yoga News No. 19 - Autumn 2011
If anyone has any suggestions or is eager to share their ideas about how to increase the non-teacher membership, please e-mail Katie in the Membership Office at: admin@iyengaryoga.org.uk.
SECRETARY REPORT - HELEN WHITE
What a busy few months for the IYA! At the AGM in Glasgow, during Jawahar’s brilliant Convention, it was agreed that the IYA (UK) become a company limited by guarantee. This follows a great deal of hard work, especially by Philippe, Emma, Pam and others. From April 2012 we will be a Company: Iyengar Yoga (UK) Limited. For more information about this change, you
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We also agreed to change the structure of Iyengar Yoga (UK) Limited in order to become an Awarding Organisation. This means that our Iyengar Yoga teaching qualifications will be a nationally recognised qualification, while still maintaining the integrity and purity of Mr Iyengar’s yoga. In order to do this, there will be two branches within the IY (UK) Ltd: the IYQ (Iyengar Yoga Qualifications) which maintains teacher training and assessment standards, determines the syllabus and policies for the various levels of qualifications. The IYA (UK) will remain as the membership association. It will take care of the administration of assessments, events, research, communications and the Bellur Fund. There will also be a Board to oversee administration, finance, complaints, appeals and ethics.
The details are still being worked out, but this is a very exciting step forwards for the IYA. Many people have worked hard to bring these proposals together, in particular Philippe Harari and Sharon Klaff. Watch out for further information in the next issue of the IYN.
At our last Executive Council (EX) meeting, we asked all the Institute reps to give a brief report of what is happening in their Institutes, such as the number of members, and what they are doing to promote Iyengar Yoga in their area. The Institute reps report back to their Institutes what is happening on the EX, and it was really interesting to hear what is happening around the country.
Twice a year I send Mr Iyengar a card on behalf of the IYA(UK): on his birthday in December, and also on Guru Purnima in July: a day sacred to the memory of the great sage Vyasa. and also a day that is observed by devotees who offer pujas (worship) to their beloved Gurus.
If you would like more information or have any queries, email secretary@iyengaryoga.org.uk.
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Assessment Passes Congratulations to all those who gained success in their assessments
Junior Intermediate level 2 Jacqi Acres Camilla Balshaw Darre Bloom Ingrid Engstrom Kate Hailston Jill Johnson Nick Long Indira Lopez-Bassols Larissa McGoldrick Keiko Onishi Christos Pavlou Karen Sherpa Gavin Tilstone Cathy Tincknell
DO
Sarah Toward-Choi Pascal Vacher Lisbet Wikma
Junior Intermediate level 1 Elizabeth Adams Louise Allen Kathy Anning Angela Beattie Monica Bejarano Cortes Mark Brougham Shirley Budden Peter Burnham Rebecca (Binni) Collings Anita Cullen Julie Donohue Martina Durnin Susan Ennis Andrea Ferencikova Wendy Fraser Jenny Furby Helen Hamilton Kawar Diana Harris Mike Harris Helen Henderson Julie Howarth Gillian Kamali Jackie Kilcourse Agnes Matthews Melroy Mukwaya
BOOK YOUR ASSESSMENT ONLINE
Teachers and trainees can now download syllabi and book and pay for assessments online. Please visit the IYA (UK) website at www.iyengaryoga.org.uk. The deadlines for assessment applications are: Introductory Level 1 – 1 March Introductory Level 2 – 1 May Intermediate Junior Levels 1,2 and 3 – 30 September For Intermediate Senior assessments, please contact Penny Chaplin (pennyyoga@btopenworld.com); the deadline for these applications is1 May.
David O'Neill Catherine O'Neill Monica Rooney Barbara Saunders Maria Silva Leale Kim Skinner Lara Speroni Bridget Strong Ann Traynor
Darel Turney Dorit Ward Wendy WellerDavies Lucy Willis Toby Willis Nicky Wright
YOU WANT TO BECOME AN IYENGAR YOGA TEACHER?
Before being accepted on an Introductory teaching training course a student must have completed a minimum of three years' regular study with an approved Iyengar Yoga teacher. A letter of recommendation from the student's regular teacher is also required. For full details of how to apply to start training, please visit the IYA (UK) website. You can also search for teacher trainers near to where you live, and there are details of specific teacher training courses around the country. Some teachers continue training beyond their Introductory certificate and go onto Intermediate Junior, Intermediate Senior and, ultimately, Advanced certificates. To progress to teach more advanced postures, it is up to the individual to attend classes with Senior or Advanced teachers. These more advanced certificates demand more of teachers, both in the number and difficulty of asanas practiced, and in the subtlety of their understanding of the theory and practice of yoga. For more information, and to book an assessment on-line, please visit www.iyengaryoga.org.uk
Iyengar Yoga News No. 19 - Autumn 2011
Junior Intermediate level 3 Megan Inglesent Isabel Jones-Fielding Avril Keegan Elaine Martin Manuela Meadows Susie Murray Elizabeth Perrior Erika Repassy Christina Rueda Susanne Sturton Melanie Taylor Vivien Thickett Shuddhasara
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Specialised Training (You And Your 25 Hours!) Judi Sweeting
The Ethics Committee has asked me to clarify the rules for Specialised Training.
Iyengar Yoga News No. 17 - Autumn 2010
When we renew our teacher membership of the IYA (UK) we are all asked to provide details of our “25 hours”(this should include five hours of specialised training). This will be a requirement for all levels of teachers.
Teachers are expected to attend 25 hours of training, i.e., regular weekly classes with a registered teacher of a higher level than their own, workshops, the convention, or local classes at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Institute. Teachers who are newly qualified are recommended to attend classes, ideally, with their main teacher, for two years after qualifying, rather than going to several different teachers (although it is fine to attend occasional workshops with visiting teachers). The reason for this is to encourage new teachers to stay in touch with their teacher/trainer and enable them to mature in their practice and teaching.
In the past Introductory teachers have had the option to attend PD Days. Many have attended anyway because they value the input. However, now that Guruji has said that Introductory teachers may teach “healthy students who have common conditions with minor risks” it was decided that
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specialised training for Introductory teachers was desirable. Introductory teachers can attend a PD Day as soon as they wish. They may attend every year – they should attend every other year. This recommendation will become a rule in 2012.
Specialised training can consist of either – General class at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune. Teachers day (sometimes Trainees if specified) at our annual Convention. Or Professional Development Day Let’s take these options in turn.
Attending local classes in Pune has to be the “dream” of all Iyengar Yoga teachers. However, it may not be possible for many good reasons, I need not go into this.
Teacher’s day at the annual Convention will be a specific day taught by a Pune approved Senior Iyengar teacher and the content will be for Iyengar Teachers only.
Professional Development Days give us an opportunity to experience “professional development and training” an essential in all professions. An experienced senior teacher who will have attended local classes and intensive courses in Pune on many occasions moderates it. This is available to all teachers and it is an economic way to keep up to date.
You may ask if a Yoga workshop with an approved Iyengar senior teacher will count as your five hours of specialised training. We have to say “no” and the reason is there are many such workshops taking place all over the UK but they are not sanctioned as specialised training for Iyengar teachers only.
I wrote an article for the IYA (UK) magazine in Spring 2010 extolling the virtues of attending a PD Day – as “value for money” it couldn’t be bettered!
We all need to constantly update our knowledge, to be flexible and humble in our approach. We have to remember that we are Iyengar Yoga teachers and we owe it to the Iyengar family in Pune to maintain our standards and promote the excellence of Iyengar Yoga.
Book yourself a place on a PD Day in your area, or even somewhere new and enjoy the sharing experience, Guruji has urged us to this so many times, it is a great way to meet up with your colleagues and recharge your batteries!
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Area
Organiser
Date
Moderator
Anita Butcher 0136 465 3012 peter.butcher@virgin.net Kim Trowell 01202558049 kimtrowellyoga@gmail.com
24 Sept 22 Oct
Judith Jones
Sallie Sullivan
26 Nov 27 Nov
Tricia Booth
IYIMV
Brian Ingram 01444 236714 brianiyoga@tesco.net Barbara Norvell 02076243080 barbara.norvell@googlemail.com
Marion Kilburn
North West Region MDIIY & LDIYI
Janice Yates 0161 368 3614 janice.Yates@sky.com
26 Nov
Richard Agar-Ward
East Central & North SADIYA & BDIYI
Martell Linsdell 01943 870618 martell@talk21.com
26 Nov
Margaret Austin
West Central MCIYI
Jayne Orton 0121 608 2229 jayne@iyengaryoga.uk.com
26 Nov
Judi Sweeting
South Central ORIYI
Sheila Haswell 01494 521107 sheila@sarva.co.uk
26 Nov
Sheila Haswell
Helen Gillan 0719146171 helengillan@eircom.net
20 Nov
Mary Heath
South West SWIYI DHIYI
Greater London & South East IIYS
Ireland County Sligo
Iyengar Yoga News No. 17 - Autumn 2010
Professional Development Days
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IYA (UK) Executive Council Officer
Chairperson
Rep.
Treasurer
Membership Sec.
EC Rep.
AIYI
emz40@hotmail.com
Sheila Haswell
Edgar Stringer
DHIYI
Elaine Rees
Vacancy
info@yoga-studio.co.uk
sheila@sarva.co.uk
Telephone
01223523410
02083738356
01132746463
01913884118
01235 820223
01517 094 923
01494711589
edgarstringer@googlemail.com
01249716235
elainerees@europe.com
01202483951
ESIYI
Linda Head
head1@blueyonder.co.uk
IIYS
Mary Mulligan
mulligan558@btinternet.com
01273604588
Vacancy
Brenda Booth
brendaboothkent@aol.com
01315552651
LIYI
Helen Green
helengreen124@hotmail.com
01517287207
MDIIY
Joan Abrams
joanabrams@hotmail.com
01457 763048
gaelhenry@btinternet.com
01914775904
MCIYI
Vacancy
MDIIY
Robert Leyland
robert.leyland3@virgin.net
NELIYI
Tessa Bull
tessabull@onetel.com
NEIIY
ORIYI
Iyengar Yoga News No. 17 - Autumn 2010
Emma Pinchin
Vacancy
KIYI
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pammackenzie@live.co.uk
secretary@iyengaryoga.org.uk
BDIYI
GWSIYI
Dep. Treasurer
chair@iyengaryoga.org.uk
Helen White
Judi Soffa
CIYI
Chair of TC
Brenda Noble-Nesbitt membership@iyengaryoga.org.uk
Vice Chairperson
Dep. Memb. Sec.
Philippe Harari
Pam Mackenzie
Secretary
Chair of AT
Name
Gael Henry
0161 440 9941
02083402091
Clare Bingham
bingham_c@hotmail.com
01844212770
Julie Smith
schmooly@hotmail.com
07816 236158
aisling_guirke@hotmail.com
00353872891664
SADIYA
Wendy Weller Davies wendy@wellerdavies.co.uk
SWLSIYI
Anita Phillips
anita.phillips@btinternet.com
RoI Rep
Eileen Cameron
eileencameron@eircom.net
0035312841799
Ex-Vice Ch. Ros Bell
r.j.bell@open.ac.uk
0208 340 9899
Individual
sev.neliyi@yahoo.com
SWIYI
RoI Rep
Aisling Guirke
Hon Mem
Elaine Pidgeon
Individual
Ally Hill
Individual
Anna Macedo
Individual
Judith Richards
Individual
Sev Kanay
Sharon Klaff
elaine.pidgeon@virgin.net
01142363039
01315529871
ally@sarva.co.uk
01494521107
annamacedo@clara.co.uk
01903242150
sharon.klaff@btopenworld.com
judithrich@iyengaryoga.org.uk
02083687898
02083981741
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IYA (UK) Committee Members
Philippe Harari, Sheila Haswell, Helen White,
Professional Development Days Co-ordinator
Planning
Senior Intermediate Assessment Organiser
Ethics and Certification
Junior Intermediate Assessment Organiser
Pam Mackenzie, Brenda Noble-Nesbitt, Emma Pinchin, Sasha Perryman
Sheila Haswell, Philippe Harari, Sev Kanay, Pam Mackenzie, Brenda Noble-Nesbitt, Sasha Perryman, Anita Phillips, Emma Pinchin, Helen White Elaine Pidgeon, Ros Bell, Penny Chaplin, Judy Lynn, Sasha Perryman (Appeals Officer), Judi Soffa (Rep. on Ex.), Judi Sweeting
Assessment and Teacher Training
Margaret Austin, Alan Brown, Debbie Bartholomew, Penny Chaplin, Diane Coats, Sheila Green, Sheila Haswell, Judy Lynn, Sallie Sullivan
Communications & Public Relations
Philippe Harari, John Cotgreave (IYN), Judith Jones (IYN), Lucy Osman (IYN), Elaine Rees, Tehira Taylor (IYN)
Finance and Membership
Pam Mackenzie, Brenda Noble-Nesbitt, Sev Kanay, Anita Phillips
Archives/Research
Debbie Bartholomew, Suzanne Newcombe, Janice Yates
Conventions/Events
Judi Sweeting
Penny Chaplin
Judy Lynn
Introductory Assessment Organiser Sheila Green (level 1), Sallie Sullivan (level 2)
Therapy Ros Bell, Penny Chaplin, Lynda Ogle, Judi Sweeting, Tig Whattler Committee chairs are in bold. Co-opted (i.e. nonExecutive Council) members are in italics.
There were lots of changes to the EX (Executive Council) at the recent AGM: Judith Jones, retired as chair of the Ethics and Certification committee (EC), Ros Bell stepped down as Vice Chair and is now the Chair of the Therapy Committee, and Alan Brown, retired as Chair of the Assessment and Teacher Training committee (AT). They were given a big Thank You for all their hard work. Also leaving the EX this year were Patsy Sparksman (she is still working hard on the Events Committee!) and Louise Cartledge.
Iyengar Yoga News No. 17 - Autumn 2010
Management Committee
New faces on the EX are Sheila Haswell, the new Patsy Sparksman, Isabel Fielding Jones, Mary Mulligan, Chair of AT committee, and Sasha Perryman is the Judith Richards Chair of the EC committee. New individual reps on the EX are Sev Kanay, the new Deputy Treasurer, Moderators and Ally Hill and Anna Macedo. Anita Phillips has been appointed our new Deputy Membership SecreRichard Agar Ward, Margaret Austin, Brenda tary, and Emma Pinchin, our Constitution Officer, has Booth, Tricia Booth, Julie Brown, Dave Browne, Penny Chaplin, Diane Coats, Sheila Haswell, Judith been nominated as Vice Chair of the IYA (UK). Jones, Marian Kilburn, Meg Laing, Sasha Perryman, Elaine Pidgeon, Jayne Orton, Judi Sweeting
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Iyengar Institutes
Please contact the events organiser for details of events and classes, or see the events page on the IYA (UK) website: www.iyengaryoga.org.uk
Avon (AIYI)
Bob Philips yogabob@homecall.co.uk 0117 963006 www.aiyi.org.uk
Bradford and District (BDIYI)
Alan Brown events@bdiyi.org.uk 01535 637359 www.bdiyi.org.uk
Cambridge (CIYI)
Liverpool (LIYI)
Judi Soffa info@yoga-studio.co.uk 0151 7094923 www.yoga-studio.co.uk
Manchester and District (MDIIY)
Janice Yates janice.yates@sky.com 01613 683614 www.mdiiy.org.uk
Kim Trowell 01202 558049 www.dhiyi.co.uk
Prabhakara prabhakara@freeuk.com 01214 490413 www.mciyi.co.uk
Dublin (DIYI)
Iyengar Yoga News No. 17 - Autumn 2010
Louise Robson: weezrob@googlemail.com Genie Hammond: 01689 836706 www.kentyoga.org.uk
Sasha Perryman sashaperryman@yahoo.co.uk 01223 515929 www.cambridgeyoga.co.uk
Dorset and Hampshire (DHIYI)
Eileen Cameron 00353 12841799 dubliniyengaryoga@gmail.com www.yoga-ireland.com/Iyengar
Midland Counties (MCIYI)
Munster (MIYI)
Dorothy Walshe, dorothy.walshe@gmail.com
East of Scotland (ESIYI)
North East (NEIIY)
Glasgow and West of Scotland (GWSIYI)
North East London (NELIYI)
www.eastscotlandyoga.org
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Kent (KIYI)
Valerie Miller vjmiller@talk21.com www.gwsiyi.org
Gael Henry 0191 477 5804 gaelhenry@btinternet.com
Nancy Clarke
nancyclarke@btinternet.com
0208 44 20617 www.neliyi.org.uk
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Oxford and Region (ORIYI)
Jenny Furby jenny.yoga@btinternet.com 01264 324104 O . R . I . Y . I . www.oriyi.org.uk
Sheffield and District (SADIYA)
Dominic Batten dominic.batten@btinternet.com 0114 264 9418 www.yogasheffield.org
South West (SWIYI)
Jean Kutz jeankutz@hotmail.co.uk 01872 572807 www.swijengaryoga.ukf.net
South West London & Surrey (SWLSIYI)
Jane Howard 07504 126078 swlsiyi@gmail.com
Sussex (IIYS)
Sallie Sullivan sallie.sullivan@virgin.net www.iiys.org.uk
AFFLIATED CENTRES Bath Iyengar Yoga Centre www.bath-iyengar-yoga.com Kirsten & Richard Agar Ward 01225 319699
Cotswold Iyengar Yoga Centre www.cotswoldiyengar.co.uk Judy Sweeting, Tig Whattler 01285 653742
The Iyengar Yoga Studio East Finchley www.theiyengaryogastudio.co.uk Genevieve Dicker, Patsy Sparksman, Wendy Sykes 020 8815 1918
Edinburgh Iyengar Yoga Centre www.yoga-edinburgh.com Elaine Pidgeon 0131 229 6000
Iyengar Yoga Institute Maida Vale www.iyi.org.uk Alan Reynolds 020 7624 3080
Knutsford Iyengar Yoga Centre www.KnutsfordYoga.co.uk Margaret Carter 01925 758382
Maidstone Yoga Centre www.iyengar-yoga.co.uk Lin Craddock 01622 685864
North Surrey Centre for Iyengar Yoga www.yogadham.co.uk Judith Richards 0208 398 1741
Putney Iyengar Yoga Centre julieyogaputney@yahoo.co.uk Julie Hodges 0208 704 5454
Sarva Iyengar Yoga Institute www.sarva.co.uk Sheila Haswell or Ally Hill 01494 521107
Sheffield Yoga Centre www.sheffieldyogacentre.co.uk Frances Homewood 07944 169238
West Suffolk Iyengar Yoga Centre jane.perryman@btinternet.com Jane Perryman 01440 786228
Iyengar Yoga News No. 17 - Autumn 2010
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YOGA RAHASYA MAGAZINE Yoga Rahasya is a quarterly publication of the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI), Pune and the Light on Yoga Research Trust (LOYRT), Mumbai, India. It is published on the occasions of the Annual Day of RIMYI, Hanuman Jayanti, Guru Purnima and Patanjali Jayanti. The aim of Yoga Rahasya is to share the essence of Yogacharya BKS Iyengar's teachings. This journal contains original articles and transcripts of talks by Guruji Iyengar, Geeta and Prashant Iyengar on philosophy, psychology, science and art of yoga and life. It also includes articles by his students on their experiences, practical details on the practice of asanas as well as treating chronic ailments through yoga.
2012 Subscription for Non-Teacher Members of IYA (UK) Member Institutes ORDER DEADLINE 15 DECEMBER 2011 Please use this form if you are a member of a Member Institute of IYA (UK). Teachers and individual non-teacher members can subscribe when renewing their membership with IYA (UK) using the online or paper renewal form. To subscribe to Yoga Rahasya for 2012 please complete this form and send with your payment of £16 to IYA (UK), PO Box 4730, Sheffield S8 2HE by 15 December 2011. Visit http://bksiyengar.com/modules/Referen/YR/yr.htm for information about previous issues.
Iyengar Yoga News No. 17 - Autumn 2010
IYA Membership No (if known) Name Address
Postcode Please circle your institute: BDIYI, CIYI, DHIYI, DIYI (DUBLIN), MIYI (MUNSTER), ESIYI, GWSIYI, IIYS, KIYI, LIYI, MDIIY, MCIYI, NEIIY, NELIYI, ORIYI, SADIYA, SWIYI, SWLSIYI. All other Institutes and yoga centres are not Member Institutes. I enclose a cheque for £16 payable to IYA (UK)
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Bath Iyengar Yoga Centre Classes, intensives, retreats Teacher Training - Introductory. Junior, Senior Iyengar books & equipment L A R G E Y O G A S T U D I O A V A I L A B L E F O R H I R E TO I Y E N G A R Y O G A TEACHERS FOR YOUR YOGA EVENT
25 Effingham Road Surbiton Surrey KT6 5JZ +44(0)20 8398 1741 yogadham@btinternet.com www.yogadham.co.uk
• Fully equipped and dedicated studio • Experienced team of certificated teachers including Intermediate Senior teachers Judith Richards and Susan Vassar • Classes at all levels from foundation to Intermediate Junior and Senior • Therapeutic yoga • Yoga days, workshops and holidays • Teacher Training with Judith Richards
! CONTEMPORARY SPACE IN THE HEART OF BEAUTIFUL BATH ! FULLY EQUIPPED ! CAPACITY 30 ! PLEASANT QUIET & CENTRAL RIVERSIDE SETTING FORTHCOMING WORKSHOPS INTENSIVES & RETREATS 2011-12 21-24 Oct Intensive in Bermuda (Richard & Kirsten) 2-6 Jan New year intensive (Richard) 6-8 Apr Easter Intensive (Richard) 13-15 Apr 7-9 Sep 28 -30 Sept
Retreat in Cumbria (Richard & Kirsten) Intensive with Christian Pisano Intensive with Ali Dashti
10/11 Mar; 23/24 Jun; 25/26 Aug
Senior training (Richard)
Beehive Yard Walcot Street Bath BA1 5BT 01225 319699 www.bath -iyen gar-yoga.com
Iyengar Yoga News No. 17 - Autumn 2010
1 ) + ! & & " ' / 2 - ! + , $ ! ) ' - &
54
*! & +' $( /', () +! /' + '% * - $$ * !& /',) $ ** ') !&& )* & .( )! & *+, &+* $!#
* **!'&* ' %!&,+ * & $, * ) $ . +!'& * **!'& ($,* $!% )!& !& ('* * ') + !&&!& ' * **!'& ' ') ) 1 ) +! & &"'/2 -!+ ,$! )'-& ') ') ,) + ) !& ')% +!'& ",$! )'-& ' ' ,# 0 ($,* !* ',&+* ') ,$# ') )*
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IYENGAR YOGA STUDIO, TOOTING Weekend of Iyengar Yoga at Oxon Hoath Country Estate Retreat, Kent. 25th – 27th November 2011 How could you resist two blissful days of yoga with popular Intermediate Junior teachers Barbara Norvell and Ursula Schoonraad, plus our special guest teacher:
Uday Bhosale from Pune, India. • • • •
General and Intermediate classes Two morning Pranayama classes Scrumptious vegetarian food Beautiful walks in the tranquil countryside
Price £230 from Friday night to Sunday afternoon www.iyyoga.com Email: katehebble@hotmail.com or call 020 8355 3498
ADVERTISING
IN THE IYENGAR
YOGA NEWS
We only print quarter page adverts (80mm wide by 118mm high); you can either send the completed artwork (as a ‘press quality’ PDF, a high resolution JPEG or a QuarkXpress document) OR you can send the images (as high res. JPEGs) and wording and we will make the advert up for you. Please note: · ·
·
·
Advertisements for yoga classes, events, holidays etc. - will be only be accepted from certificated Iyengar Yoga teachers Advertisements for Yoga Centres will only be accepted from official Iyengar yoga organisations Where yoga equipment is itemised in an advert, this will only be accepted for equipment which is used within the Iyengar method. The name ‘Iyengar’ must not be used as an adjective attached to specific items of equipment e.g. use ‘blocks for Iyengar practice’ rather than ‘Iyengar blocks’ etc. Goods or services which are not used in yoga and/or which are not acceptable within the Iyengar method will not be advertised in IYN Advertisements for other goods (e.g. Books/CD ROMS/videos) will only be published if they concern the Iyengar method or have otherwise been approved by the Ethics & Certification Committee of the IYA (UK)
If you wish to advertise in the next issue of Iyengar Yoga News, please send all text, photographs or artwork by the next issue deadline of 1 December 2011 to jbcotgreave@hotmail.co.uk
Advertising rates Circulation: 2800. Quarter page: £40; Small ads: 50p per word NB. the Editorial Board reserves the right to refuse to accept advertisements or parts of advertisements that are deemed to be at variance with the stated aims of the Iyengar Yoga Association (UK). IYA (UK) does not necessarily endorse any products etc. advertised in this magazine.
Iyengar Yoga News No. 17 - Autumn 2010
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