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IYENGAR YOGA NEWS

How Iyengar Yoga got me through Cancer

New Two-Stage Therapy Teacher Status

Iyengar Yoga in Ireland

I YENGAR® Y OGA (UK)

In the light of Yogacharya Sri B.K.S. Iyengar www.iyengaryoga.org.uk

Editorial Board: Minna Alanko-Falola, Poppy Pickles, Charlotte Everitt

Designer: Cathy Tincknell

January2025 heralded the end of a year-long celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune. Many teachers and practitioners across the UK and Ireland took part in the intensives, with their immediate reflections captured from page 4.

This issue is bringing you some new regular features. We are highlighting member groups and Iyengar yoga centres across the UK and Ireland, starting in this issue with Ireland and Northern Ireland. You can read about the history of Iyengar yoga in Ireland, how the member groups celebrated National Iyengar Yoga Day in January, and the graduation of the first four new Level 2 teachers, from page 16. Wye Valley Yoga, set up by husband and wife team Cori and Pete Norton is the first featured centre – the only dedicated Iyengar yoga centre in Wales on page 38.

In the previous issue, we highlighted Iyengar yoga outreach work in prisons. What the article didn’t mention is that this work has been funded by the Iyengar Yoga Development Fund (IYDF), set up to help teachers to work with people who would not normally attend or be able to access yoga classes. In this issue, Helen White from the IYDF Committee introduces the fund to us on page 42.

We are happy to welcome new staff for IY(UK): Melissa Loddo is the Website Manager, and Kate Peters the dedicated Events Officer who will be leading on the organisation of conventions and many other events across the UK and Ireland, more details on page 50.

As always we welcome feedback and contributions!

Illustration: Maps pp17 and 39 Vecteezy

Proofreaders: Charlotte Everitt, Philippe Harari, Jane Howard

Suggest article ideas to: editor@iyengaryoga.org.uk

Copy submission deadline for next issue: 31 July 2025

Could you join the Iyengar Yoga News Team?

If you have experience with Indesign and would like to volunteer, please get in touch: editor@iyengaryoga.org.uk

Membership and Office Manager: Andy Tait 07510 326 997 office@iyengaryoga.org.uk

Support Manager: Catherine Wilkinson catherine.wilkinson@iyengaryoga.org.uk

Events Officer: Kate Peters events@iyengaryoga.org.uk

Finance & Bookings Administrator: Jess Wallwork 07757 463 767 jess@iyengaryoga.org.uk

Assessments Administrator: Kate Woodcock 07914 089 360 kate@iyengaryoga.org.uk

This magazine is printed on paper that is sourced under a scheme which ensures minimal environmental impact.

Apologies/Corrections to last edition: •Cambridge Iyengar Yoga is one of our member groups but it had been erroneously listed as an Iyengar Yoga Centre (pp.74-75).

Contents

RIMYI 50th Anniversary

Kelly Brooks, Priscila Diniz, Tamara Hockey, and Lisa Morris

To Vṛ tti or not to Vṛ tti Vula Bolou

Iyengar Yoga In Ireland and Northern Ireland Aisling Guirke, Margaret Gunn-King, Jackie Hayden, Ruth Hussey, Ciara Maguire, Jayne Baillie and Maura Gribbin

How Iyengar Yoga got me through Cancer Lauren Heinz-Roe

Wye Valley Yoga Cori and Pete Norton

Iyengar Yoga Development Fund

Helen White

Book review – Invitation to Texts of Yog, Vol 1 by Prashantji Kirsten Agar Ward

Celebrating YogaWest Diana Penny

New Two-Stage Therapy Teacher

Status Sheila Haswell

Introducing our new Events Committee Kate Peters Your Safeguarding Questions Answered Noelle Riggott and Marianne Gautier Letters

Obituary – Felicity Goodson-Bevan

IY(UK) Reports

Members Groups and Iyengar Yoga Centres

Executive Council and Committees

Photo right:Cecilia Winter Cover image:Rachel Webster

RIMYI 50th Anniversary

The heart and soul of Iyengar yoga, Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) in Pune celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. The occasion has been marked with a series of intensive programmes throughout 2024 and a 12-day intensive in January 2025. The final intensive was scheduled to celebrate the inauguration of RIMYI on 19 January 1975. Kelly Brooks was at RIMYI for the first intensive in February 2024 and Priscila Diniz, Tamara Hockey and Lisa and Adam Morris were at the Deccan Gymkhana for the larger final celebration in January 2025.

Here are some of their reflections.

February‘24 The first intensive

There is a really special feeling when you arrive at RIMYI for the first time after years of anticipation. The memories of BKS Iyengar are everywhere. The building he designed remains as he left it, almost like a museum. I was lucky enough to be part of the first two-week intensive in February 2024, and having it at RIMYI felt like a great privilege.

Abhijata led the bulk of the programme throughout the two weeks, and was so responsive to our group’s needs. It really was intensive with two two hour classes a day, and additional afternoon presentations. Raya Uma Datta and Abhijata’s sessions were seamless in their themes and they often taught together. There were also special sessions from Srineet, Prashant and Sunita Iyengar and pranayama with Navaz Kamdin.

What I found especially useful were the additional presentations in the afternoon. It felt like these were designed specifically for our group needs. We were shown how to use the full range of wooden props that many of us don’t have access to back home.

There was a whole exploratory session on Dwi Pāda Viparīta Daṇḍāsana using the different wooden stumps, with ways to practice I had never done before. Often I would watch the demonstration not believing my body could move that way and yet with the guidance of the assistants, the additional time to practise and overcoming fear I was able to do it. The

Indian heat gave my body the warmth it needed to release and open in a way it doesn't in the cold UK winter.

One morning we had a very moving practice to a recording of Geeta teaching. It felt humbling to have Abhijata and Raya at the front facing the stage like us as students in the class, as if Geeta was there in the moment. On other days we watched an interview with Mr Iyengar, and Raya ran a book club style session. This resonated with me in particular when he spoke of thinking about when in his life Mr Iyengar wrote the text and for whom it was written.

The intensive finished with a thali lunch in the gardens of RIMYI celebrating with all the teachers and assistants .

I got to spend the rest of the month digesting the wealth of information that was generously shared over the course of the two weeks and enjoying Śavāsana on the marble floor, a feeling I will never forget.

Using the self practice time to explore some of the props with more confidence

Right:

Above: Experimenting with use the trestler for Trikoṇāsana

Kelly Brooks

Photo: Rosana Fiore

January‘25

“An Amazing Experience ”

Itravelled together with Tina Freeland via Air India from London to Delhi, and then an internal flight to Pune. We rented one of Raya Uma Datta’s mother’s flats, tucked in a cul-de-sac off Hare Krishna Mandir Road – the same road as RIMYI. I felt as if I had arrived at my grandma’s place, such a warm welcome!

We had three days to adjust our internal clocks to the time difference before the intensive start, so we chilled, got to know the area, and visited RIMYI to enrol. Like my country of origin, Brazil, India is very bureaucratic. They were extremely organised and it all ran efficiently and smoothly. We got a chance to enter the Institute and feel the vibes of the place.

Monday came, the first day and, coincidentally, my 60th birthday. What a gift just to be there! Classes were held at the Deccan Gymkhana, a famous cricket ground in Pune. The spacious hall quickly filled with people from many different countries, including wellknown teachers such as Bobby Clennell, Gabriella Giubilaro, Patricia Walden, Garth McLean, Sheila Haswell and Kirsten Agar Ward, to name but a few.

The first class was conducted by Prashantji. He is a master of articulating the language to deepen our understanding of yoga philosophy and practice. He invents words for that purpose, such as ‘breathgesture’ and ‘mindgesture’, to guide us to identify these during our practice. He provokes us not to be dogmatic in our approach to āsana practice, to identify not just the body, but also the mind and breath systems.

We had a variety of incredible teachers: Abhijata, Raya Uma Datta, Sunita Iyengar, Navaz Kamdin and Srineet Sridharan Iyengar. The real novelty was the classes with Srineet, BKS Iyengar’s grandson. His teaching was enriched by his philosophical studies and knowledge of the yoga sutras.

The schedule for the two weeks of the intensive was really tight, with two or three classes a day with only Sunday off. There was not much time for absorbing the learning, just total immersion in the subject. The classes covered so much ground, from a variety of āsanas and methodologies to tips on helping each other with adjustments, aimed at teaching teachers

how to improve on helping our students. We were encouraged to visit the most challenging and daring poses, attempting to get a third or half of it so that, as it was pointed out, these poses will not go extinct. For example, we tried Viśvāmitrāsana. Raya reminded us to use Light on Yoga as the best companion for the practice of āsanas.

There was a wonderful closing ceremony with many stories shared about RIMYI, from Prashantji’s account of the struggles his family went through to find the land and build the place, to older teachers sharing their experiences. There was a beautiful theatrical presentation by children about Indian folklore stories and the names of various poses and gods. On the following day, a wonderful banquet was offered to all participants.

I spent my final January week attending classes and self-practice at RIMYI. I also had an opportunity to go to the medical classes to treat my neck. They were very thorough in their assessment and quick to change a route of treatment according to my feedback. My neck felt very good after two sessions. The experience of living for a month in India is incredible, and anyone who practises Iyengar yoga should have a go at least once. It is a tremendous, unforgettable experience.

a Level 3 teacher who teaches in South East London. This is her third trip to India.

Right: Priscila in Ardha Halāsana

Left: Viśvāmitrāsana from Light on Yoga

Priscila Diniz is

Priscila Diniz

Below: The cricket ground seen from the lift

Below: The impressive entrance hall at Deccan Gymkhana

Above: From left, Tina, Cecilia, Rosana, Rachel and Priscila (far right)

7th January 2025 - Day 2

50th Birthday Celebrations

Afabulous day today, with Abhi forever embedding and imprinting external hip rotations on our bodies and consciousness (we've all got the belt marks to prove it!) in the morning, and Raya taking a more restorative session this evening. I was sat with entirely different neighbours today and the camaraderie and cooperation between participants remains positive. I think the altogether friendlier environment provided by the RIMYI team is rubbing off on everyone as the culture of fear recedes into a distant memory and since the participants are not stressed, they can afford to be generous and convivial with each other. If you look around the room, there are smiles all around, making this a true celebration of RIMYI's 50th Birthday. I noticed today how the RIMYI teacher volunteers who are roaming the room to give assistance are also noticeably less brusque and less stressed than years gone by.

Abhi continues to make visiting Pune a more family-friendly experience and some participants have (impeccably well-behaved) children who at times are sitting quietly and observing the

classes. Today's session was a blend of standing, seated and inverted āsanas with a little therapy work included to build teachers' understanding of how to help students with a back problem. We assisted each other in prone Śavāsana and prone Akunchanāsana, with Abhi explaining that where there is back pain, the muscles tend to tense up and become stiff

Below: There was a really friendly atmosphere in the hall

and tight – so, a more restful prone Śavāsana and Akunchanāsana with the adjustments we looked at should be given to first relax the muscles and then follow with Supta Padānguṣṭhāsana, Pavānmuktāsana, etc. (N.B. Unless the problem is such where there is sacrum pain and lying prone makes that area 'poke out'; in this case it is opposite where the supine poses first may be more helpful).

Highlights of the classes for me were Pārśva Eka Pāda Śīrṣāsana with the belt securely fastened in such a way as to externally rotate each hip and looped around the top foot. This gave a dynamic, expansive pose where I felt safe enough to take the parsva leg more fully back than I usally can and in Raya's class, I found the 'Kapotāsana-ised’ Supta Vīrāsana blissful as the breath explored the entire field of the abdomen from the pelvic abdomen to the clavicles. This is a version I have often practiced as part of BKS Iyengar's Emotional Stability Sequence.

Attending the intensive takes a lot more time and input than just being here for the month and taking

classes at the institute (the clue is in the name!), and my world is shrinking into sleeping, eating, travelling, attending classes and writing up notes. But the rewards are greater too and my body is already feeling the benefits of being so thoroughly bathed in yoga morning and night. I'm lucky enough that Dheeraj's mum is cooking for me, leaving me free to put in the time to write up the classes and share them with everyone.

is

visit

has written a daily blog during each visit, creating an online library of classes going back to 2013. You can read all about this trip or any of her previous ones at www. yoga-glos.co.uk/blog

Level 3 teacher Tamara Hockey has been teaching since 2005. She teaches classes in her local town of Wotton-under-Edge as well as holidays and workshops in the UK and abroad.

Above: The UK and Irish Contingent!

Tamara Hockey

This

Tamara's 7th

to Pune. She

Impressions of RIMYI

I

mpressions of RIMYI have been different from one year to the next. We arrived the day before the 'advanced intensive' fortnight, with just enough time to register in RIMYI's pretty external gardens. Lisa felt the auspicious energy of being present for both the starting ceremony in January 2024 and then the end ceremony in January 2025, to celebrate the 50th anniversary year. For Adam, this was his first visit to India after 25 years of practice alongside Lisa.

The intensive had a rhythm we would get used to: get up early at 6am, except on Abhijata's 9am start days. Get to the Gymkhana cricket club hall on the sixth floor for a 7am start, by walking the 30 minutes’ distance or taking an Uber rickshaw. On arrival, show the ID badge at the security entrance, go up six floors, place the props and mat to see the lead

teachers for the day. If you're lucky, a friend might save you a decent space (thank you Tessa Bull!); however, in reality, with 2 massive screens at the front of the hall, finding a clear view wasn't hard. The accumulated practice was intense as promised, and each teacher built on previous classes as the fortnight progressed. Prashant's philosophy sessions were masterful as ever, however Adam found these initially hard to tune into as a first-timer. Those accustomed to Prashant’s teachings would be in philosophical heaven, but layers of clothing were

imperative for the long holds and mindful musings within the open-aired loft during Pune’s winter-time mornings. Abhijata's classes included more āsanas and progressions. She guided us towards our yoga experiences, to use personal experimentation and our own practice.

Other brilliant teachers throughout the two weeks included Raya Uma Datta, full of vibrancy and action, reliably challenging us to explore and attempt harder postures. Srineet Iyengar, a grandson of Guruji, a teacher we had not encountered before, taught a remarkable combination of āsana and philosophy with grace and lightness. This is a teacher to watch!

Sunita Iyengar was on fantastic form, with her charm and wit and 'old school' methodology, a welcome practice on Saturday mornings. Afternoon Prāṇāyāma sessions were taught by Navaz Kamdin, a counterbalance to the busier mornings and long haul of daily offerings.

As a teacher, Lisa would highly recommend going to RIMYI with family members. Going to Pune along with

your loved ones (with enough experience) is warmly accepted and sparked many conversations with local and international practitioners. “Family inclusion" is clearly present in RIMYI, with members of the Iyengar family practising and teaching, enhancing the feeling of an extended lyengar "family”. Adam was struck with a sense of awe and felt moved by the warm sense of inclusion.

Adam could also not believe the speed and effective communication for specific ailments. Abhijata and the team organised an X-ray with a written report the next day after he reported his symptoms, for only £12.

After that, Abhijata asked Adam specifically to come to a two-hour medical class where, individuated for his condition, he was attended to and guided by Villas and Uday, both experienced teachers, with further assistance from Raya and UK teachers.

We both enjoyed the intensive workshops and the opportunity to immerse ourselves for a whole month in the yoga lifestyle without interruption. The best takeaway was a feeling of connection to the source of Iyengar yoga, amongst a community of like-minded practitioners.

Below: Adam in the medical class being adjusted by Abhi and Villas

Above: Adam in an Uber Rickshaw

Above: Lisa, middle.

Lisa Morris

To vṛtti or not to vṛtti?

Vula Bolou BSc, MSc, CIYT (Level III)

Sanskrit and yoga are closely connected. One would not really compare them to the arms in Baddhaṅguliyāsana, where both are pretty much equal; but might lean more towards the Pādāṅguṣṭha krīya between the fingers and the big toe, where all parties exist independently, but when linked together, the whole is coherent, it constitutes an āsana.

Left:

Parivṛtta Trikoṇāsana

“The āsana has to enshrine the entire being of the doer with splendour and beauty”

BKS Iyengar

In Patañjali Yoga Sūtra (PYS) I.2, I.3 and I.4, Patañjali lays the foundation for the entire treatise: if we are to be anywhere near reaching yoga (or samādhi as the terms are interchangeably used - Vyāsa comments on PYS I.1, yogaḥ samādhiḥ2), the vṛttis must be stopped. How to go about stopping them?

First we have to identify the ‘enemy’.

Patañjali, in his characteristically systematic way, talks about the vṛttis being of five types (pañcatayyaḥ), ones that cause pain (kliṣṭa) and ones that do not (akliṣṭa).

vṛttayaḥpañcatayyaḥkliṣṭākliṣṭāḥ (PYS I.5)

How to entice the beginner student to engage in such a connection? Surely, the yogāsana teacher must not indulge in using ofteninadequate English alternatives for the sake of ease, but be sure to refer to each āsana with its rightful Sanskrit name. This would be merely a first, yet fundamental, step to the study of āsana in Iyengar yoga.

“The āsana has to enshrine the entire being of the doer with splendour and beauty1”, Guruji writes. This method of baby steps will also provide a much-needed link to the philosophy. Every beginner student will have heard of Trikoṇāsana, both the Utthita and the Parivṛtta. The latter might not make it to everyone’s top five list of favourite āsanas, but the road will be inevitably paved to introduce some philosophy, namely the definition of yoga by Patañjali (yogaścittavṛttinirodhaḥ PYS I.22) and gradually progress on today’s theme – the vṛttis or mental fluctuations.

1.Iyengar, B.K.S. The Tree Of Yoga, HarperThorsons, 2013 edition. (p. 49)

2.Bolou, Vula Iyengar Yoga News issue 45, Spring 2024

3.https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/yoga-sutrawith-bhasya-sanskrit

vṛttis are of five types, painful and non-painful

Might it be that the same ones are being painful sometimes and non-painful at other times, or is each vṛtti forever painful or non-painful?

Guruji, having dedicated his life in employing āsana on the field of self-study, writes, “the vṛttis in their kliṣṭa and akliṣṭa manifestations are not separate parallel entities, but feed and support each other4”. These are:

pramāṇa-viparyaya-vikalpa-nidrāsmṛtayaḥ (PYS I.6)

(The five vṛttis are) right knowledge, illusion, delusion, sleep and memory

For those who have ventured further than the first chapter, samādhi pāda in PYS, kliṣṭa might ring a bell, as we come across another set of fives in chapter two, sādhana pāda – the kleśas. Same root for these two, √kliś means ‘to distress’5. Sanskrit utilises some

4.Iyengar, B.K.S. Light on the yoga sūtras of Patañjali, Thorsons, 1996 edition. (p. 51)

5.Whitney, William D. The Roots, Verb-Forms & Primary Derivatives of the Sanskrit Language, Elinepa, 2013 reprint

500 roots, out of which all Sanskrit words are derived. So although we might not be entirely sure of the meaning of a word, we can get an idea, if we identify its root.

What does sādhana pāda say about the kleśas and how do these relate to the vṛttis?

avidyā-asmitā-rāga-dveṣaabhiniveśāḥkleśāḥ (PYS II.3)

Causes of pain are ignorance, ego, attachment to pleasure, aversion to pain, and intense clinging to life

Firstly, all these seem like the ‘enemy’. No doubt one must avoid them in order to get to samādhi, or indeed anywhere of spiritual significance. In fact, they seem exactly like the opposite of what we should be doing. Instead of ignorance (avidyā), we should strive for wisdom (vidyā), a vṛtti closely related to pramāṇa, which might be safely termed akliṣṭa. For us yogis, as we are treading on the path of yoga, we must already possess some vidyā. We know there is a draṣṭuḥ, a seer, and yoga happens ‘when [there is] situatedness of the seer’s own form’ (tadā draṣṭuḥ svarūpe’vasthānam I.36).

Ego (asmitā) comes from asmi meaning ‘I am’. When this kleśa permeates vṛttis that relate to the sthūla śarīra (gross body), e.g. “I am Greek, I am a woman etc.”, this would produce pain. On the other hand, if one reflects on the Great Saying (mahāvākya) of the Upaniṣad:

Aham brahmāsmi

(Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣad 1.4.10)

I am brahman

This would, undoubtedly, produce akliṣṭa vṛttis which are absolutely necessary, as we hope to progress on the path of yoga.

Rāga and dveṣa, attachment to desire and aversion to pain, both relate closely to memory, smṛtiḥ. One dives into their memories in order to compare what was already experienced, so as to draw conclusions and act accordingly.

anubhūtaviṣayāsampramoṣaḥsmṛtiḥ

(PYS I.11)

Memory is the non-loss of mental objects previously experienced

To venture towards the akliṣṭa aspect, one needs to employ the opposite of rāga, vairāya (nonattachment) for discrimation.

Abhiniveśaḥ (or intense clinging to life) is an instinctive kleśa and since ‘even the wise men have it’ (svarasavāhī viduṣo’pi tathārūḍho ‘bhiniveśaḥ (PYS II.9)), maybe we, as laypersons, are allowed to ‘cling to it’ for the time being; at least until we manage “to perceive that there is no difference between life and death” via our yogic sādhana, as Guruji says7

This connection with the kleśās sheds indeed some light on the nature of the vṛttis. Might the definitions of viparyaya, vikalpa and nidrā assist in our understanding further?

viparyayo mithyājñānamatadrūpapratiṣṭham

(PYS I.8)

Illusion is wrong knowledge based on a form that is not its own

śabdajñānānupātīvastuśūnyo vikalpaḥ(PYS I.9)

Delusion follows verbal knowledge devoid of a real object

abhāvapratyayālambanāvṛttirnidrā (PYS I.10)

Deep sleep is the vṛtti based on the realisation of absence

Well, none of these three fall clearly on either of the kliṣṭa/akliṣṭa categories, but they are all a combination of them4 .

Pramāṇa was left until the end of our study, despite it being the first one that Patañjali mentions. pratyakṣānumānāgamāḥpramāṇāni

(PYS I.7)

Means of attaining right knowledge are direct perception, inferred thought and reliable testimony

One would immediately presume that all pramāṇa is akliṣṭa, but is that true? Vyāsa explains that pramāṇa contributes to the increase of the sattva guṇa of prakṛti, via the cultivation of vivekakhyāti (knowledge with discrimination)

By definition, all vṛttis exist in the citta, which in turn exists in prakṛti, which by definition again is different from puruṣa. Consequently, yes, first the sādhaka starts off with pramāṇa, so vivekakhyāti is cultivated and sattva guṇa is increased, but will soon need to realise that he/she is still operating in prakṛti and then needs to proceed in the cessation of all vṛttis.

Thus, with a lot of guidance from our teachers through āgamaḥ, the answer to the initial question is yes, to vṛtti and then, no, not to vṛtti, so that samādhi may dawn. Which is just great, isn't it? Same as effortless effort, or passive alertness. Our yogic life is filled with these seemingly opposite ideas. Luckily, through Guruji’s intense lifelong sādhana, we all have the blessed opportunity for informed work in transcending them.

Level 3 teacher Vula

lives in Athens, Greece with her family and cat. She teaches in her overflowing-with-props studio, escapes to nature as often as possible and looks forward to her yoga retreats in the summer. Chanting vedic hymns and studying Indian philosophy is part of her daily sādhana.

6.Bolou, Vula Iyengar Yoga News, issue 46, Autumn 2024

7.Iyengar, B.K.S. Light on the yoga sūtras of Patañjali, Thorsons, 1996 edition. (p. 110)

Left: Utthita Trikoṇāsana

Bolou BSc, MSc,

Iyengar Yoga in Ireland and Northern Ireland

The History of Iyengar Yoga in Ireland

Aisling Guirke with Margaret Gunn-King and Jackie Hayden

Iyengar yoga has been an intrinsic part of the yoga landscape in Ireland since Light on Yoga opened the door for many people here, who then embarked on a journey of exploring this unique practice.

Below: Margaret Gunn-King's Yoga School in Broughshane

From the vantage point of 2025, it is fascinating to look back to that time, when access to classes teaching Iyengar yoga was practically non-existent in Ireland. It is equally remarkable that the strong presence of Iyengar yoga in Ireland took root from small seedlings planted in the early sixties from some momentous encounters.

Ireland’s first Iyengar Yoga Teacher

Margaret Gunn-King was born in Brighton and first attended yoga classes there in 1963, taught by Helena Thomas. Helena had been introduced to BKS Iyengar in 1961 by the classical violinist Yehudi Menuhin, on one of Guruji’s early visits to London. In 1967, Margaret attended an International Vegetarian Congress in India, visiting Delhi, Madras and Bombay. She also visited the Government-sponsored Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute at Lonavala near Pune, which celebrated its centenary last year. She spent six months completing a yoga training course at the institute, and travelled to Pune and Mumbai to attend Mr Iyengar’s classes.

Margaret married in 1968 and moved to Ballymena in Northern Ireland where she taught a yoga class. In 1969, Margaret and her husband moved to the nearby village of Broughshane and renovated an old National School, establishing a Montessori School and a Yoga School.

Margaret was the first to teach Iyengar yoga classes in Ireland, having been given permission by Guruji to teach. It wasn’t until 1993 that Mira Mehta suggested that Margaret present for an assessment at Maida Vale in London to obtain an introductory teaching certificate, which she did.

Development over the Years

The Yoga Fellowship of Northern Ireland (YFNI) was set up in Belfast in 1977 to promote the benefits of yoga for all and Margaret joined the committee. The Irish Yoga Association (IYA) was founded in Dublin

in 1978 and began training Hatha yoga teachers to make yoga accessible to as many people as possible. IYA invited many Iyengar yoga teachers to Dublin in the late 1970s and early 1980s – Danielle Arin, Mira Mehta, Shyam Mehta, Dona Holleman, Angela Farmer, Victor Van Kooten, Sophy Hoare, Jenny Beeken and John Friend – all of whom had studied with BKS Iyengar for many years.

When Marguerite Lyster and Aisling Guirke completed the two-year IYA teacher training course in 1986, Danielle Arin encouraged them to set up an Iyengar yoga introductory teacher training course in Ireland. The first course was introduced in 1993 under Mira Mehta’s administration through the Iyengar Yoga Institute at Maida Vale.

Aisling had liaised with Mira and organised a venue in Ranelagh, Dublin, with Cork-born teacher trainer Elizabeth Connolly and Scotsman Gerry Chambers,

Above: Iyengar teacher distribution in Ireland

Iyengar Yoga in Ireland and Northern Ireland

who was shadowing Elizabeth. 23 trainees enrolled for the course and were granted a dispensation by the BKS Iyengar Yoga Teachers’ Association (BKSIYTA) to join the training. With no Iyengar teachers in Ireland, they could otherwise not fulfil the stipulation of attending classes for two years with an Iyengar teacher. Four of the trainees were already IYA-trained Hatha yoga teachers. Christine Fiske, from Curracloe in Wexford attended classes with Helen Gillan in 1992, when Helen moved to Wexford from the UK after obtaining her introductory Iyengar teaching certificate at Maida Vale. Helen was the first Iyengar teacher in the south of Ireland.

The first Iyengar teacher training course consisted of three full weeks of training, interspersed with several weekends to make up the required hours. Helen Gillan was invited to deliver additional workshops with the trainees to develop their practice. At the end of the two years in 1995, 17 qualified as introductory teachers in Ireland – four from the North and 13 from the South. Five of them are still teaching Iyengar yoga today.

From those first tentative steps, close relationships developed between the Iyengar community

in the UK and their Irish counterparts and those relationships continue to this day. We are deeply grateful for the support, encouragement, expert tuition, experience and inspiration from the many UK teachers who visited Ireland to teach or to assess.

Further Introductory Teacher Training Courses

After that first teacher training course, Elizabeth Connolly trained 28 more introductory teachers before Padmavasini (Joan Graham), Rita Keegan and Aisling Guirke, who had been shadowing her, took over and ran another fifteen teacher training courses. Padmavasini moved to the UK in 2003.

Marion Kilburn from Manchester ran an Introductory Teacher Training Course in Dublin from 2002-2004 and Pen Reed from Stockport began teacher training at Helen’s centre in Sligo in 2002, with Helen Gillan shadowing her. Grainne Gilleece set up another training course in Dublin from 2004-2006.

In 2005, Margaret Gunn-King organised the first Iyengar introductory teacher training course in Northern Ireland at her Yoga School in Broughshane, with the help of Margaret Austin, who sent Diane Coats and Dave Browne from Sunderland as teacher trainers. They ran a second course in

Broughshane in 2007, resulting in 11 newly qualified introductory teachers.

Gordon Austin from Sunderland introduced a teacher training course at the Iyengar Yoga Centre in Phibsborough in Dublin in 2008 before Eileen Cameron and Margaret Cashman took over and ran six further courses there.

Iyengar Teachers in Ireland

Many introductory teachers continued their Iyengar yoga journey and went on to gain Intermediate Junior Level 1, 2 and 3 certificates, as well as Intermediate Senior Level 1, 2 and 3 certificates.

These teachers were helped along the way by senior teachers from the UK, including Elizabeth Connolly, Penny Chaplin, Jeanne Maslen, Pen Reed and Richard Ward, as well as Irish senior teachers Eileen Cameron and Aisling Guirke.

There are 87 qualified Iyengar teachers teaching in Ireland - 19 Level 3, 30 Level 2 and 38 Level 1 teachers, who are teacher members of the Iyengar Yoga Ireland Member Group of IY(UK). There are a further 28 qualified teachers not teaching at present who are non-teacher members, as well as 44 nonteacher student members. Among the Irish teachers are three assessors and eight mentors. Several are

Above: Jayne Orton visits East Clare Yoga Centre in October 2010

Above: Teacher training with Pen Reed at Sligo Yoga Centre

Below: Class at Sligo Yoga Centre in 2009

Iyengar Yoga in Ireland and Northern Ireland

The Dublin Yoga Centre in Crumlin was opened by Rita Keegan in 2000. Many yoga teachers trained there at Introductory and Intermediate Junior levels. It hosted many classes and assessments and workshops by visiting teachers. Sadly, the centre had to close in 2018 as the building was being converted into apartments. When 50 people attended the farewell class and

involved in the work of IY(UK), serving on various committees as officers, committee members and member group representatives.

Under the new system of mentoring, three Level 1 trainees were given places at assessments in Manchester and Sheffield in 2024, resulting in three new Level 1 teachers, two from the North and one from the South, who were mentored by Claire Ferry in Belfast and Bridget Moriarty in Kerry. The first Level 2 assessment in the new system was held in Dublin in September 2024 with four teachers (two North and two South) mentored by Eileen Cameron successfully obtaining Level 2 teaching certificates [See pages 2831 for interviews with the candidates].

Other Yoga Centres

In 1994, Helen Gillan and her husband John (who had trained to become an Iyengar teacher with Elizabeth Connolly) set up the Sligo Yoga Centre, teaching many weekly classes there, hosting visiting teachers and running teacher training courses. Sadly, Helen passed away in 2017 and Tara McEvoy, who had trained to become a teacher with Helen, took over the running of the studio. There are three other Iyengar teachers at the Sligo centre offering weekly classes.

gathering, the mats were folded in half lengthways (as used to happen at RIMYI) to allow more space for the standing āsanas!

Diane Bliss opened her yoga studio at Milford, Co. Donegal in 2001 and offers several weekly classes to her local students. Susanne Sturton opened the East Clare Yoga Centre at Tuamgraney in 2003. It offered many weekly classes taught by Susanne and other local teachers, and many visiting teachers came to teach residential weekend workshops. Unfortunately, like many other centres, it closed in 2020 during Covid, continuing for a while with online classes, before closing permanently.

Kathy Anning opened Bridge Yoga Centre in Killaloe, Co. Clare in 2003 and teaches a range of weekly classes there catering for all students from children to seniors. Kathy also offers workshops at her centre, including weekend workshops with Aisling Guirke.

The Iyengar Yoga Centre of North Dublin (iYoga) was opened in Phibsborough in 2006 by Margaret Cashman and Martina Durnin.

Many local teachers taught a wide range of classes there and many visiting teachers were hosted there. Unfortunately, the studio closed in 2020 at the start of Covid and though it continued for a while with online classes, it was unable to reopen.

Annie Deery opened Annie’s Yoga in Strabane in 2010, and teaches weekly classes and workshops. In 2014, Claire Ferry opened Maitri Studio in Belfast. They celebrated their 10th anniversary last year, delighted to have survived the lockdowns and maintained their community. Claire and four other Iyengar teachers offer a number of weekly classes at Maitri Studio. Jayne Baillie opened Studio 9 at Galgorm Castle in Ballymena in March 2019. Jayne teaches 7 weekly classes there as well as hosting workshops with visiting teachers, such as Debbie Bartholomew, Dave Browne, Eileen Cameron and Margaret Cashman.

Yoga Darsana in Salthill, Co. Galway was opened by Tara Duffy in October 2021 just as Covid was coming to an end. It was set up as a non-profit studio, with all profits from regular classes and workshops being re-invested to provide yoga classes for people whose disability, socio-economic and cultural status may have prevented them from joining classes. Since Tara

Right: IYA teacher training group 1984-1986 with trainers Maureen Nolan (front left) and Barbara Blake (front right)

Above: PD Day in Broughshane with Meg Laing in 2012

Left:Farewell class in Crumlin, April 2018

Above:Marguerite Lyster and Aisling Guirke on the left on graduation day 1986

re-located back to the USA in 2023, Sara Falvey has been helping to run the studio and teaching weekly classes and workshops.

Caroline McKeogh opened her Cula Studio in Ballina, Co. Tipperary in August 2023. Caroline and other local teachers teach a wide range of classes at Cula, including weekend workshops with Aisling Guirke. Most of the other teachers in Ireland teach classes in their own homes or in other venues like gyms, church halls, community centres, schools or colleges.

IY(UK) Member Groups in Ireland

The Dublin Iyengar Yoga Member Group (DIY) was set up by Eileen Cameron in 2008 and the Munster Iyengar Yoga Member Group (MIY) was set up by Susanne Sturton and Kathy Anning in 2009.

When MIY went into hibernation in 2022, most of the members joined the DIY, as did several teachers and students from Northern Ireland. Following a proposal at the DIY AGM in 2023 to have a member group for the island of Ireland, the Iyengar Yoga Ireland

(IYI) Member Group was set up in January 2024, to represent members and activities across the four provinces of Ireland – Ulster, Connacht, Munster and Leinster.

IYI organises workshops with visiting teachers and First Aid courses, as well as several countrywide Exchange of Learning Days, subsidising the cost for members as a way of giving back to members for their support. IYI also organised a stand at the Mind Body Experience in Dublin last September 2024 to spread the word and promote Iyengar yoga, including offering two free classes over the weekend taught by two of our teachers, which were full to capacity.

It's important to remind ourselves that all of our work is managed and inspired by a team of committed and highly-motivated volunteers. We must acknowledge the experience and skills of our Chair and volunteer committee members who have devoted a considerable amount of their personal time to making Iyengar Yoga Ireland a sustained presence with a very exciting and rewarding future.

It is motivating to remember that Margaret GunnKing, who was there at the very beginning of Iyengar yoga in Ireland, is still teaching and inspiring yoga teachers and students today at 85 years young! Margaret says that she is still enjoying her yoga journey spanning 60+ years and counting.

With the seeds of Iyengar yoga in Ireland having been sown in such fertile soil we are looking forward to further blossoming in the coming years!

Dublin-based Level 3 teacher Aisling Guirke is Ireland’s most senior teacher. She bought Light on Yoga in 1974 while at university and began attending classes in 1981. Aisling qualified from the Irish Yoga Association teacher training course in 1986 and from the Introductory Iyengar Teacher Training Course with Elizabeth Connolly in Dublin in 1995.

National Iyengar Yoga Day in

Ireland and Northern Ireland

On 18 January Teachers across Ireland (including NI) got involved with celebrating National Iyengar Yoga Day by running numerous free classes.

Back in October, our EX rep Rachel Overton started to ask around about what the plans were for NIYD and as soon as the date of Saturday 18th January 2025 was announced we leapt into action. The Iyengar Yoga Ireland (IYI) committee posted on our teachers’ WhatsApp group, our info WhatsApp, and we emailed our distribution lists to get the date in people’s diaries. We used social media on Instagram and Facebook and the IYI website to share the message further: teachers plan your day, students come along and everyone – spread the word! The teachers on the committee led by example with many of them planning their own events and encouraging others to do the same. We tagged and shared content across social media and created a real buzz. Reminders were sent, and before, during and after the day photos and comments were shared across all our platforms to show what a great success the day had been. Roll on next year!

Left: Ballymena teachers Margaret Gunn-King (on the right) with Janet Crawford enjoying the beach during Margaret Austin's annual Summer School

Iyengar Yoga in Ireland and Northern Ireland

Here are some accounts of how the day went in various venues.

Belfast

Teachers: Claire Ferry, Annamarie O’Shea, Rachel Overton

In Belfast, three teachers (including a recent graduate) in Maitri Studio got together to deliver

Key to the success was:

• Planning ahead and working together

• Sharing on social media and relevant websites with support from Iyengar Yoga Ireland and IY(UK)

• Offering a range of classes at different times targeted at groups of students: Yoga for runners, Chair, Active Beginners, General Beginners, Yoga Adventurously!

• Supporting wider local teachers in Northern Ireland and Donegal; sharing ideas on a specific WhatsApp group, tagging and sharing each other’s content

National Iyengar Yoga Day. Planning started in October 2024 to get it in the diary and put the word out.

Existing students spread the word, which in turn increased social media engagement and attendance at classes. It was fun engaging in the joint endeavour. Studio owner Claire Ferry ran a chair class on the ground floor of the studio which allowed students with access needs to participate.

Rachel Overton, long-time teacher at the studio ran an 8am morning class for runners to try yoga before the parkrun. She then taught an active beginners' class, and newly qualified teacher Anna-Marie O’Shea taught a general beginners’ class. As a new approach, Claire Ferry also ran a more challenging class for fit people with yoga experience, but who are less familiar with Iyengar yoga.

Left: Claire Ferry adjusting in Navāsana

• Posting specific shout-outs: post ‘men welcome’ (for a mixed gender class) that attracted immediate sign-ups

• Having students sign-up in advance, fill in a health form, photo agreement and follow our social media. The students were added to our advertising database for follow-up

• Signposting students at the end of the class to existing classes that would be suitable for them both verbally and by email.

Overall, the day was a great success with over 50 students joining in, and we were grateful to share the benefits of Iyengar yoga. Our current students loved the opportunity to support us by spreading the word and we had new students immediately join existing classes at all levels.

Right: Rachel Overton ran an 8am class for runners

Left:Rachel also ran an active class for beginners

Below: newly qualified Annamarie O’Shea taught a general beginners’ class

Iyengar Yoga in Ireland and Northern Ireland

Monkstown Dublin

Teacher: Ciara Maguire

Irantwo free classes on the day to promote Iyengar yoga in Ireland, one for beginners and the other for teenage boys. I chose a teenage boys class because my son has had a lot of injuries through sport and the gym. So many teenage boys play sports but don't do any stretching or mindfulness work, so I thought it would be a good idea to put on a class for that age group to show them what they could get from yoga. The boys' class was really quiet. I had planned a fastpaced class, with a lot of Sūrya Namaskar, to prevent them from messing but they were so tired after doing three of them that I had to change direction in the

Below: Ciara Maguire ran a class for teenage boys in Monkstown, Dublin

class. We then focussed on more restorative āsana and breath work and they all seemed to really relax, eyes closed, and focus on what they were doing. They appeared to get most out of this part of the class.

Broughshane

Teacher: Margaret Gunn-King

Twelve students attended on the day, with ages ranging from a mother and teenage daughter to a sprightly 85-year-old man, uncle of an existing student, all of whom have now become students of my inclusive Broughshane class. My fellow teacher Linda Stevenson and trainee teacher William Hunter also joined in. I think it so worth the effort to do these events to share the wonderful benefits of this yoga with the world.

Right: Students in Vīrabhadrāsana 2 with teacher Margaret Gunn King

Galgorm

Teacher: Jayne Baillie

I held a free beginners’ taster class at my studio in Galgorm. 14 people booked in for the class and following the event, six of those signed up for classes with me. Offering a free taster class is an excellent way of showcasing Iyengar yoga. It allows beginners to try a class without making a financial commitment, and can introduce some of the benefits of yoga, as well as offer a glimpse as to how it can positively impact your well-being long-term. Hosting the class was an excellent opportunity to showcase our beautiful studio and to raise its profile in the local community.

Other Irish teachers that confirmed they ran classes on the day included Tara McEvoy in Sligo, Angela Beattie in Saintfield, Annie Deery in Strabane and Claire Branagan in Rathfarnham, Dublin.Many other classes were run across Ireland (Inc NI) by IYI teachers and all their efforts are appreciated.

Above: Active beginners in Monkstown, Dublin

Above: Annie Deery’s students in Upaviṣṭha Koṇāsana

Above: Jayne Baillie’s studio in Galgorm

Introducing Our First New Level 2 Teachers

Poppy Pickles talks to newly qualified Level 2 teachers

Jayne Baillie, Maura Gribbin, Ciara Maguire and Ruth Hussey about their experience of the new Level 2 assessment, which was held in Dublin in September 2024, and what they learnt in the process.

CM:I

found the hardest part to be the two assessment days, particularly day one. The first day was so intense; it started with a backbend practice, followed by group feedback to the assessors, a 25-minute inversion practice, some one-on-one chats with the assessors and then lunch. We all ate together and then went into a strong Level 2 run through, followed by our individual presentations. Waiting in turn to do our presentations was the first part of the day I felt like we had to ourselves, without the assessors watching us.

RH:

It took a long time to fix a date for the assessment, making it challenging to maintain momentum. As we were the first group in the UK/Ireland, there were a lot of firsts in terms of assignments and what exactly assessors would be looking for. The 45-minute teaching part was the bit I was most apprehensive about. Luckily Eileen Cameron was a great mentor and guide and really invested in us; I have friends in the French Iyengar community who had been through it, some unsuccessfully, so it was useful to get their feedback.

What was the most enjoyable part?

What was the hardest aspect of the new Level 2 assessment?

JB:None of the assessment was easy! For me, one of the more challenging aspects was finding a mentor. There are very few Level 3 teachers in Northern Ireland, which meant I had to travel further afield to find one. Thankfully Eileen Cameron agreed to take me on. This meant travelling to

Dublin every month, a 270-mile round trip, a massive commitment from me. It meant I had to be very disciplined, focused and even more efficient with my time.

MG:It was challenging trying to balance the demands of the work for the Level 2 assessment with the demands of a full-time demanding (non-yoga) job and family commitments.

JB:There are a few aspects which I really enjoyed. Firstly, furthering my knowledge of Iyengar yoga. Without a doubt, embarking on the training for my assessment deepened my theoretical knowledge, improved the quality of my teaching and developed my own personal practice of Iyengar yoga. Secondly, being part of a community. Although the commute to Dublin was long, once I arrived, I loved every minute of being in a class, even on those days when Eileen would unexpectedly ask you to teach a pose you hadn’t prepared for! It put me very much out of my comfort zone, but helped develop my confidence as a teacher and reinforced my standing in the Irish Iyengar community.

And finally, the friends I made with my fellow trainees, Maura, Ciara and Ruth. We shared many late-night messages, stressing and supporting each other. It was wonderfully comforting to know that how I was feeling, the highs and the lows, was just how the others were feeling. It would have been a very lonely journey without them.

Above: Ruth with her certificate

Left: Ruth, Ciara, Maura, Jayne

syllabus, shared notes, frustrations, laughs and nerves as the weekend approached.

What was your individual performance about?

JB:

MG:

During my journey through the Level 2 process I developed and evolved my understanding of yoga, my personal practice and my teaching of yoga. Our mentor, Eileen Cameron, is a very skilled Iyengar yoga teacher. I thoroughly enjoyed every session with her, and the knowledge, support, reassurance and encouragement she provided. The support and reassurance from the other mentees, Jayne, Ciara and Ruth, was also vitally important to me and we have developed firm friendships, which I value greatly.

CM:Forming

a solid relationship with my mentor and three fellow assessees. We spent a lot of time training together, and chatting on a WhatsApp group, I think we now have an amazing bond and this will be a friendship we will always have.

RH:

That would have to be the community –although there were only four of us – we bonded very much in our get-togethers, we were two in Dublin and two in Northern Ireland and our WhatsApp group was a-buzz as we explored the

My individual presentation was based on my daughter's diagnosis of dyslexia, and how she overcame the difficulties experienced with reading. On receiving her diagnosis, I searched for someone who could help her learn and improve her focus and concentration. I came across a lady who used tried-and-tested methods developed by the Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology. She gave us simple, repetitive exercises which had to be practiced and repeated daily over many months. The exercises immediately struck me as to being very similar to many yoga poses I was familiar with practicing. This led me to wonder how these yoga āsanas could help children who suffered from dyslexia, and other neurodivergent disorders. My presentation explored the reasons as to why the yoga āsanas she had to practice helped improve her attention, concentration and reading skills.

and teacher with a large chest and the physical and psychological challenges I have had along the way. In summary, I went through how Iyengar yoga solved my back pain and inspired me to teach and demonstrated some asanas I have had difficulties with – particularly Sarvāngāsana, and adaptations I have made over the years. I rehearsed it loads so the timing worked and we had performed our pieces to each other with our mentor so it felt well prepared.

What would you say to any Level 1 teachers thinking about going for Level 2?

JB:Know what you are committing to. It’s a lot of work and a massive time commitment.

A Senior teacher told me that once you start your training, do not get married, have a baby, get divorced, move house, start a new job – no life-changing events until after your training is complete, and she was right!

MG:My presentation focused on a knee issue I had experienced and how I had worked with props in my yoga practice to help support, manage and improve the issue.

CM:My presentation was about how I adapted my yoga practice after tearing a calf muscle and how I then used yoga to aid recovery. It was something specific to me, I knew and understood it well, so felt I confident talking about the topic.

RH:Mine was quite personal, it was about my life as a practitioner

Above: Ciara in Utthita Hasta Pādānguṣṭāsana 2 with Jayne adjusting

Above: Jayne in Adho Mukha Vṛkṣāsana with Ciara assisting

Below: Ciara in Bhujapīdāsana with Ruth assisting

Below: Jayne in rope Trikoṇāsana

Iyengar Yoga in Ireland and Northern Ireland

MG:

I would certainly encourage a Level 1 teacher to consider going for Level 2 but would advise them to give themselves at least the recommended two years before committing to Level 2. Anyone working towards Level 2 will learn and develop in many different ways, but it is important they are prepared for the time and commitment that is required. I would advise teachers to study the Mentoring Manual to ensure they understand the requirements so they can bring these into their preparation work for Level 2.

CM:I’m

not sure I'm the best person to ask about this. I had every intention of continuing on and doing Level 3 if I passed level 2, but I found the assessment so gruelling that at the start of the run-through I remember thinking I would never put myself through another assessment again. I have not changed my mind and I cannot see that happening.

RH:I

would encourage anyone to do it.

Although it is an enormous amount of work and a big time commitment, it deepens your knowledge of all aspects of the spiritual and physical practice of this multi-layered method of yoga.

How has becoming a Level 2 teacher changed your teaching?

JB:My teaching has changed, even while I was training my students noticed the shift in my teaching style. I can better explain postures by giving the right instructions for the intended actions, but I also feel more able to guide students on a deeper and different level in their practice.

MG:I believed my teaching has evolved and improved and I now have the ability, confidence and knowledge to work with a wider range of students. My knowledge of the connections and sensitivities in the body and in āsana have also evolved.

CM:I feel I plan my classes better. I decide which āsana I’d like to include in the class and plan the class around those. I also try to make my students more aware of how to bring their practise inwards, to be more sensitive to how doing a self-adjustment in one area impacts other parts of the body and how they can use their breath to improve and strengthen their āsana

RH:I feel it has improved my teaching – I have more sensitivity to the subtleties of the āsanas in terms of breath, skin and the body/mind connection and a more measured approach in general. It's great to be able to bring some of my students along in their practice too.

RH:Initial proposals for the assessment included a section of the weekend where the senior teachers were to demonstrate teaching with sensitivity which I thought would have greatly added to the weekend, but it was dropped in subsequent manuals. I would say that although the weekend is designed to be more friendly and interactive, it was still quite gruelling, I was totally exhausted after it and felt under a lot of pressure during it, so it's still not for the faint-hearted!

MG:It is a lot of work, but there is much to be enjoyed and gained from the process. Although the two-day assessment was very intense, I found the three assessors to be very supportive and friendly. They did everything they could to help put the candidates at ease, while carrying out their duties with professionalism and integrity.

Please add anything else that you can think that might be interesting to our readers.

JB:Starting on the journey to become a Level 2 teacher is not for the faint hearted! It’s a long, difficult and emotional journey, but one that is absolutely worthwhile. I'm delighted to have gained my Level 2 teaching qualification, but also very relieved it's done.

Below: Ruth in Ardha Chandrāsana with Eileen Cameron adjusting

Below: from front to back, Maura and Ciara in Parivṛtta Upaviṣṭha Koṇāsana

How Iyengar Yoga Got Me Through

Cancer

Photographs: Jessica Love

Ididn’t want to think about it much in the beginning because it just scared me – the fact that I had breast cancer. Being diagnosed in April 2024 at the age of 44 was devastating. I am a Level 1 Iyengar yoga teacher, so even being able to teach was in jeopardy. Through my diagnosis and treatment, my friends and family have surrounded me with love and my personal yoga practice and teaching has lifted me up more than I would have ever comprehended.

In my yoga practice before my diagnosis, I was working towards my Level 2 certification, teaching almost daily and practising vigorously. Arm balances and Padmāsana in Śīrṣāsana were part of my weekly practices. I felt great and I had no idea that I was living with breast cancer. A routine mammogram picked up the tumour. My mother and cousin had both had breast cancer so I was in the system. I got a call back after the mammogram. I left that day knowing that I had cancer. I was by myself, driving home completely in shock. It felt like some bad dream that I would wake up from.

The next day I got up and did my practice as usual. I was shaken at the start, I practised the sequence

for emotional stability at the back of Light on Life. It eased the stress and calmed my mind. Day-byday and practice-by-practice, I came to terms with my diagnosis. Some nights I would wonder about my treatment or if the cancer spread to the lymph nodes. How would I tell my kids who are starting to wonder if everything is ok? The agony of waiting for appointments and treatment plans was a lot to handle. I just had to live in the moment and try to find joy in my life. My yoga had taken on a new dimension and was my refuge and my practical tool box to get me through this difficult time.

When it came time for my surgery, I was already accepting the fact that my practice was going to

Below: Lauren in Trikoņāsana

Lauren Heinz-Roe

Below: Practising Ūrdhva Dhanurāsana with belted thighs

Above: Chair Viparita Dandāsana

be different. For some time that was hard to accept. I had worked so hard on my already tight shoulders. The lumpectomy and sentinel node surgery meant that I would have to completely rest.

Yoga therapy has been an interest of mine since covid. I worked with the IY(UK) Therapy committee as a volunteer teacher for long Covid students. I had learned so much about the benefits of yoga as therapy and also from the wonderful work of both my teachers Sheila Haswell and Larissa McGoldrick. An Iyengar teacher from the States, Lois Steinberg, was particularly helpful on my journey, as she has a book for cancer patients to recover after surgery and other cancer treatments1

This book proved to be so useful as I was able to do a short practice within a few days of my surgery. I would do the first two poses. The first pose was a supported Śavāsana. It was just the thing for me to get back on the mat and I felt overjoyed just laying in that Śavāsana. By the second week I had enough strength to do the whole first practice which was really gentle (lots of supine poses but with arms elevated on trifold blankets) but for me it was actually just the right side of challenging. And guess what? There was a mental shift. I was feeling strong, positive and at times overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude and a sense of wellbeing.

I hadn’t started my treatment at that point which would be radiotherapy and Tamoxifen, which is hormone therapy. The radiotherapy brought on more tiredness and with the help of my teacher I was again able to tailor my practice to include standings with heel or back to the wall and forward bends with support.

“I learned not to push but to be in the poses that worked for me in that moment and not feel like I was missing out on my old practice.”

Through all this, yoga was there in my daily life. We, as practitioners of Iyengar yoga, are so blessed to have the teachings of Guruji and Geetaji and the Iyengar family as our guide. Iyengar yoga has got me back to complete health after surgery and treatment. I had my surgery in June and my treatment in August 2024. I pushed up to Ūrdhva Dhanurāsana for the first time after treatment in September and it felt amazing. The right arm and shoulder and chest are tight but there is a sense of that beautiful work in progress that a practice should always be. I rejoice in the healing and the fact that I am here and that nothing stays the same and that is the practice.

Below: Supported Savāsana

Level 1 teacher Lauren lives and teaches in St Albans, Hertfordshire. She has been a dedicated student of Iyengar yoga for 15 years. Originally from Southern California, Lauren can be recognised for her California drawl which hasn't left her despite living in England for 22 years.

1 Iyengar Yoga Cancer Book (2013)

Wye Valley Yoga

Cori and Pete Norton both trained with Jayne Orton and have many years of practice and teaching experience. They set up Wye Valley Yoga Ltd in 2012 and opened the first dedicated Iyengar Yoga Centre in Wales in 2022. This article is the first in our new series featuring IY(UK) registered Iyengar yoga centres.

We always held the intention to create our own yoga space, inspired by our teachers at Iyengar Yoga Institute of Birmingham and Peak Yoga in Buxton. Teaching in village halls for years we came across the usual issues: dirty floors, harsh lighting and inadequate heating. We visualised what the ideal space would be like, wrote lists and drew pictures.

When we found Salem Baptist Chapel, we knew it was right, despite it being in a dilapidated state. We

took on the challenge of converting a listed building during a pandemic, with a lot of help from some very generous students. We opened on Patanjali Jayanti 2022.

We now run the centre full time. In August 2023, assessments were held at the chapel in which our then trainees, Dave Prescott and Danielle Jenkinson qualified and joined the teaching team. Our third trainee, Rach Evans is currently waiting for an assessment. Between the five of us we teach 13

Below:Cori and Pete on the ropes

Left:The Baptist Chapel

classes a week, run regular monthly workshops and manage admin, cleaning, gardening and maintenance of the building.

The prominence of the chapel in the heart of Hay has meant our student base has grown to encompass a diverse range of people. A full timetable means we can direct new students to the most suitable class. In our ‘steady’ class most of the students are over seventy, some only started yoga in their eighties. We have three early morning classes, at 8

and 9am, which are surprisingly popular. Danielle, our youngest teacher, runs a teens’ class. Cori’s intermediate classes are also offered online. We run a yoga philosophy and sutra study group, which has become one of the highlights of our week. As a result of this interest, we have hosted study weekends with Professor Edwin Bryant.

We’re amazed how a town with a population of only 2,000 people can sustain so many classes, however, a small town thrives on word-of-mouth

recommendations, and this is how most new students find us. It’s been a slow burn, like Iyengar yoga. We held our intention for twenty years and waited until we found ourselves in the right place and time. The renovation was a labour of love, which people notice. The building is magical, having always been a sanctified space, there is a sense of peace and calm. Being a dedicated Iyengar Yoga Centre, no other form of yoga is taught so there is clarity around what we do.

We feel a strong connection to the chapel and being its current custodians has become our dhārma, we count our blessings every day to be able to work in this amazing place and love sharing it! We regularly teach workshops and host other senior teachers –Jayne Orton and Sue Lovell are coming this summer.

Below: Students have fun in Lolāsana Right:

Sue said; “Salem Chapel is a magnificent Iyengar centre - a spiritual centre from the earth upwards! Love and attention has been poured into every detail of the restoration. Walking into the glorious yoga practice hall is the essence of yoga itself! You are left in no doubt that this is a place for deep study.”

We hire out the space for yoga holidays and retreats. The studio is fully equipped with enough kit for up to 30 students, as well as a rope wall. Hay has a wide array of accommodation, lots of great walks, the beautiful river Wye and of course, being the famous town of books, the Hay Literary Festival.

10-11 May: Julie Hodges

21-22 June: Jayne Orton

26-27 July: Sue Lovell

www.wyevalleyiyengaryoga.com wyevalleyyoga@gmail.com 07967 318404

Iyengar Yoga Development Fund

Helen White

The Iyengar Yoga Development Fund was set up to fund teachers to work with people who would not normally be able to afford or access yoga classes and could benefit a great deal from the positive outcomes of regular yoga practice. Mr Iyengar himself was delighted when the fund was first established.

We currently have twelve teachers, spread from Cornwall to Glasgow, County Clare to London and many places between. We fund teachers working in prison, with asylum seekers and refugees, vulnerable adults, active agers, people of colour and more.

Every certificated Iyengar yoga teacher pays an annual sum to Iyengar Yoga (UK) for the use of the

Iyengar Yoga Certification Mark: 60% of this money goes towards development projects in the village of Bellur, India, where Mr Iyengar was born. Part of the remaining 40% goes towards the international Iyengar yoga archives project, and the rest is used for Iyengar Yoga Development Fund.

Glasgow-based teacher Tina Freeland is one of the recipients of funding. Tina said: “I was first asked to teach a set of five classes in the Woodlands Community Hub in Glasgow in the autumn of 2023. The funding came from another grant to promote communities coming together. That session was so successful that the organisers were looking for ways to get me back to do more. That's when I thought that the Development Fund might be able to help. It's a small space, with room for only eight mats including my own, but I applied and was

successful, and since then I have taught a number of blocks, all well attended and much appreciated.

“A few of the people who come used to attend a yoga class by a black woman, Rosina Bonsu, who was an inspirational dancer, choreographer and yoga teacher. Those people hadn't entered a yoga class since Rosina sadly passed away. For them and other attendees, having a person of colour at the front of class assures them that they are entering a space where they will be better understood. The fact that the class is open only to people of colour has the additional benefit of creating that positive, supportive community. We share a WhatsApp group, which enables me to keep in touch and which is also used by the members to share activities outside of the class.”

More information of the fund is available on the members’ section in the IY(UK) website but we are currently not accepting new applications. We will notify members via Iyengar Yoga News and the email newsletter once the fund is open again.

Helen White is Chair of Iyengar Yoga Development Fund committee. She has been practising Iyengar yoga for 30 years, and been a teacher (level 2) for about 20 years. As well as regular classes, Helen teaches people with learning difficulties and also older people with dementia. She used to teach in a men's prison for 10 years, funded through the Iyengar Yoga Development Fund.

Above: Tina Freeland with her students in Glasgow

Below: Tina Freeland with her students in Glasgow

Book Review

Invitation to Texts of Yog Volume 1

by Prashant Iyengar

AKirsten Agar Ward

“Yoga is indeed a spiritual encyclopaedia. The texts introduced here are the body of that encyclopaedia.” - Prashant Iyengar

s Iyengar students you are aware of the importance of Patañjali’s yoga sūtras, but did you know there is a wealth of texts on yoga before and after Patañjali? In this book, Prashantji gives us a taste of some of the wealth of classical literature on yoga. This is a wonderful antidote to the impoverished view, which considers yoga merely in utilitarian terms – that is yoga for health and wellbeing, or therapeutics. Yoga traditionally has a śastric (treatises given by sages) and darsanic (philosophical) base. Serious students must surely be curious to explore this sooner or later, as Prashantji might say, preferably sooner.

This book will help you get started in this exploration. It is a slim book with short selfcontained chapters, helpfully outlining many yoga texts, including vēdas and upaniṣads, purāṇas, Gheraṇḍa Saṁhitā, Śiva Saṃhitā, Yogi Yājñavalkya Smṛti. There is a useful chapter summarising yoga

in the extensive Saravdarshana Saṅgraha of Madhvāchāya, a 14th-15th century compilation of all Indian philosophies.

Whilst it may seem at first overwhelming to discover there are so many texts on yoga, this compact volume of Prashantji’s really helps us

to make a start in small, digestible chunks. Once you dive in, you will find fascinating information which helps one piece together sources for various aspects of yoga one may have heard of, such as in the introduction to Light on Yoga. For example, the mention of there being 8.4 million āsanas is in Skanda Purāṇa and the 72,000 nadis in Siva Svarodhaya. The texts deepen our understanding of what yoga is, a simple example being a helpful definition of yoga to be found in Saubhāgyalaksmi

Upaniṣad: “Just as salt dissolves in water, the mind dissolving in ātmā is samādhi” We discover the sources behind other aspects of esoteric anatomy

such as chakras, pañca tattvas and various practices, such as silent sounds and mudrās

This helps contextualise things that we are taught. Such contextualisation is of interest in and of itself but it also can trigger a will in us to find out more from the source texts and śāstra. My feeling is that this study and awareness enriches our practice and broadens and deepens our understanding.

This is an interesting and straightforward read. It is also a very useful reference and sourcebook for those who wish to find out more. Look into it!

Kirsten Agar Ward started Iyengar yoga in 1988 and has been teaching since 1997, qualifying at Senior Intermediate level 3 in 2012. She has studied in Pune on over twenty trips. Kirsten established Bath Iyengar Yoga Centre in 2000 and co-directed and taught there for over twenty years. She runs yogvidya and now lives and teaches in North Yorkshire. www.yogvidya.co.uk

Celebrating Yogawest in Bristol

Yogawest, the Bristol Iyengar Yoga Centre, has been the beating heart of Iyengar yoga in Bristol for over three decades.

Founded by Bob and Kathy Welham in the early ‘90s, it was run for several years by Gerry Chambers and Lynda Purvis and Diana and Michael Penny began their stewardship in 2011.

Tucked away in a peaceful cul-de-sac just off the famous Gloucester Road in Bristol, the Yogawest building has changed tremendously since it was a British Legion club many years ago. It has two beautiful studios, a reception area, changing rooms, an office, and a peaceful south-facing garden with bike racks.

The once drafty and leaky hall underwent a major renovation in 2012: the old polystyrene-tiled ceiling was transformed with a bespoke timber ceiling, reinforced to accommodate 19 ceiling rope points, insulated above to keep the heat in and to significantly change the acoustics in the studio so that teachers no longer need to shout to be heard.

Events at Yogawest

Yogawest has played a key role in fostering Bristol’s thriving yoga scene, including founding and hosting the Bristol Yoga Trail. The main studio is huge: it can accommodate nearly 80 mats – RIMYI-style, of course!

World-class workshops and events at Yogawest have been taught by local, national and international teachers. Some of the visiting teachers over the years include: Firooza Ali, Uday Bhosale, Marios Argiros,

Bobby Clennell, Margaret Austin, Garth McLean, Julie Hodges, Cathy Rogers Evans, Devki Desai, Jose Maria Vigar, Sheila Haswell, Gitte Bechsgaard, Rajiv and Swati Chanchani.

A New Chapter

Despite the very bumpy few years all yoga centres have suffered since the pandemic, Yogawest survived and kept the doors open. As Yogawest looks to its future, after 14 years at the helm, the time has come for Diana and Mike to find a new custodian.

Yogawest is available to rent, with the option of an initial 3-5 year lease. The longstanding loyal community of teachers and students at Yogawest are very much hoping that Yogawest can continue into its next chapter as a thriving Iyengar centre.

For more information, contact diana@yogawest.co.uk

Below: Margaret Austin

Diana Penny

Above:Sheila Haswell/Gitte/Lizzie

Above: Bobby Clenell

Left: Rajiv Chancani

New Two-Stage Therapy Teacher Status

Sheila Haswell, Chair of Therapy Committee, introduces IY(UK)’s new approach to therapy teacher recognition which will be implemented this year.

The revised syllabus from RIMYI now integrates aspects of yoga therapy at all teaching levels. This is how therapy is incorporated into assessments:

• Level 1: Candidates present a ten-minute situation in which they explain how they would address a specific health condition within a general class.

• Level 2: Candidates deliver an individual presentation, which may include a therapyrelated subject.

In our recent email correspondence, Abhijata Iyengar clarified that Level 3 candidates should study yoga therapy before their assessment, regardless of whether they plan to specialise in this area. She wrote in March 2021:

“Anyone who qualifies for Level 3 is expected to have developed the knowledge base required to conduct therapy classes. The choice of whether they run specialised therapy classes or simply use the knowledge to help students in a general class is entirely up to the qualified teacher.

Irrespective of how teachers incorporate this knowledge, it is imperative that they have it. That knowledge comes from therapy work –

• Level 3: Candidates undertake a ‘situation presentation,’ demonstrating their ability to work with two selected conditions. Their knowledge, safety awareness, and technical skills in handling these conditions are assessed.

shadowing and assisting in therapy classes, helping in the medical classes in Pune, and learning from their mentor when medical issues arise ˮ

New Two-Stage Therapy Status in the UK

With this in mind, the Therapy Committee recently submitted a proposal to EX members and Abhijata for a structured approach to therapy teacher recognition in the UK. This proposal was approved and will be implemented from 2025.

At present, the UK and Ireland have over 80 listed therapy teachers, most of whom are not running therapy classes. Some only offer one-to-one

remedial work. The majority are Level 3 teachers who previously held Intermediate Senior Level certification, though a few retain therapy status based on special permission from Guruji.

However, many Level 3 teachers have not formally studied therapy, as they attained their certification

before the introduction of the new syllabus levels. To address this and support prospective therapy teachers, the Therapy Committee is developing a Therapy Module Course, details of which will be announced in due course.

Therapy Status Requirements

From 2025, Level 3 teachers will need to have therapy knowledge before sitting for assessment. For those interested in therapy who may not wish to take a Level 3 exam, the new process provides two pathways:

1. Preliminary Therapy Status

This status is intended for teachers developing experience in therapy work. To qualify, teachers must:

• Train with a therapy teacher for at least 12 months, with a minimum of 30 hours of face-to-face work with students. In practice, most will need more time and experience before taking on this responsibility.

•Complete a case study under the supervision of a therapy teacher, including:

* At least 10 documented sessions

* A sequence plan, adjustments made, and observations on progress

• Submit an application form outlining their experience and motivation for therapy work.

• Provide a recommendation letter from their therapy teacher.

Insurance Considerations

Teachers who achieve preliminary or full therapy status must ensure their insurance covers therapy teaching.

Application Process

To apply for therapy status, teachers will need to submit an application to the Therapy Committee. A new two-step application form is being developed for this process. Further details will be shared soon.

2. Full Therapy Status

This status qualifies teachers to run therapy classes and workshops. To obtain full therapy status, teachers must:

• Complete therapy training, preferably through the forthcoming Therapy Module Course.

• Submit further case studies as outlined above.

• Complete an application form detailing their therapy experience.

• Provide a recommendation letter from a therapy teacher.

•Be Level 3 teachers or Level 2 teachers working towards Level 3.

Sheila Haswell started Iyengar yoga in 1974 aged 18. She has been teaching since 1980 and gained her Senior Level 3 in 2000. Sheila’s first introduction to therapy (or remedial) yoga was watching the medical classes in Pune in the 1990s. For her Senior teacher level, she studied therapy work and took part in, and later assisted, Stephanie Quirk with the therapy modules in the UK. Sheila has been running therapy classes in High Wycombe since 2007 and joined the IY(UK) Therapy Committee in 2019, of which she is now Chair.

Introducing Our New Events Committee

Kate Peters

Shw'mae, I'm delighted to introduce myself as the new Events Officer for IY(UK). With a background of over 25 years in the events industry, my role is to deliver a programme of events for IY(UK) and to meet the aims of our new Events Committee. I look forward to working with other committees to keep events relevant to our membership.

The Events Committee is a group of passionate individuals dedicated to organising and promoting Iyengar yoga events throughout the UK and Ireland. Here's a brief introduction to the committee members:

Clare Tunstall Manchester

Jess Wallwork(IY(UK) Bookings and Finance) Bristol

Upcoming Events

We are planning a diverse range of events for the upcoming year, open to all Iyengar yoga practitioners. Here are a few highlights:

IY(UK) Convention 2025:

We are delighted that Sunita Parthasarathy will teach our convention this year, with online morning classes on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 May 2025. It is an honour to begin this new events chapter with such a senior figure within the Iyengar family. Sunita's teaching is perfectly paced for an online convention, beautifully simple and introducing philosophical concepts too.

Yoga Space is back!

Building on the success of past Yoga Space events hosted by the PR & Comms Committee, we are excited to present our regular Yoga Space events, which are open to all IY(UK) members. These events have proven consistently popular, and we aim to continue this tradition with engaging discussions. The first session on Sanskrit in January received an overwhelming positive response

Summer Tours:

Dr Rajlaxmi Nidmarti has been invited to teach at the World Yoga Festival and kindly agreed to extend her visit to Yogapushpanjali, Dublin, Bristol, Manchester and Edinburgh. Following Yogapushpanjali, Sushama Chitale is also extending her visit to the Midlands and Scotland. These tours aim to make Iyengar yoga more accessible to different communities, bringing the teachers from India to smaller audiences.

We are currently looking for volunteers to help with Yoga Space. If you have ideas for future topics or you would like to be involved, contact events@iyengaryoga.org. uk. Alternatively, you can share your thoughts and feedback by filling out our survey using the QR code.

Your Safeguarding Questions Answered

Noelle Riggott and Marianne Gautier

Your IY(UK) safeguarding leads are starting a regular slot in Iyengar Yoga News to answer your questions about safeguarding, kicking off with some that have been asked over the past year.

Q. What is Safeguarding?

A. ‘Safeguarding’ refers to measures designed to protect the health, wellbeing and human rights of an individual. These measures allow children, young people and adults to live free from abuse, harm and neglect.

Q. How will I recognise a potential Safeguarding issue?

A. You may be concerned about things that happen in your yoga environment, or you may hear about things that have happened outside your yoga environment. You might be worried about someone’s physical or mental wellbeing. You might see signs of abuse or notice that someone looks distressed or unhappy. There are many indicators that may alert you to raise a concern.

Feel free to submit your queries, anonymously if you wish, although we reserve the right to edit questions featured in Iyengar Yoga News to respect confidentiality. For specific and urgent queries, please contact us directly. You can send your emails to us headed ‘IYN letters’ at safeguarding@iyengaryoga.org.uk.

Q. Who is responsible for Safeguarding?

A. Everybody. As yoga practitioners – whether students or teachers – we have a duty to ensure ahimsa. Wherever you are practising, you can contribute to a safe welcoming environment. As a national organisation, IY(UK) has a Safeguarding Policy and Procedures, which you can find on our website, as well as the two of us in this designated Safeguarding role

Sometimes it's hard to tell whether something is a Safeguarding concern – we're always available to talk things through. Please approach us, that's what we’re here for.

Letters

I'd like to spotlight the brilliant work of the Iyengar Yoga Development Fund, enabling Iyengar teachers to work with people who would otherwise struggle to access classes. The aim is to provide yoga classes to marginalised and excluded groups of people. I'm sure lots of readers were inspired by the stories of Iyengar yoga outreach in the autumn 2024 edition of IYN – wonderful to see what a difference yoga can make – but how many readers have thought of donating or applying themselves?

I certainly didn't think I could do anything like that until very recently and now that my IYDF class is up and running, I can say it is one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences I've had in yoga. The classes are free to attend, thanks to the generosity and foresight of BKS Iyengar. In 2004, he introduced the Certification Mark, a worldwide mark that stands for high quality in yoga teaching. The funds raised are shared at home and in India: 60% to the Bellur Trust and 40% to the IYDF and an international Iyengar yoga archives project. The application process is straightforward, once you have a relationship with a charity or group that can provide a venue and commit to advertising and hosting classes.

Paula Taggart

I mentioned to my friend that I had been taught by three generations of Iyengars and she thought I should write this letter to the magazine, so here goes.

First, of course, was BKS. I hadn’t been doing yoga all that long, but people from my centre were going, so I thought why not. It was in Crystal Palace in 1993 and I when I arrived, they said I shouldn’t really be

New! Something you'd like to share with our yoga community? Send your letters to editor@iyengaryoga.org.uk

there – I think I was supposed to have been there the previous day. But they were kind to me and let me attend. I remember almost nothing of the great man himself but rather more about going shopping in the yoga stalls at lunch time. I was impressed by the sight of all the people doing headstands which I couldn’t do at the time; however I wasn’t deterred.

Fast forward to Geeta at Billingsgate in 2009 and this time I was considerably more proficient. There she was with her stick, ordering Abhijata around. There were some long talks in the afternoon, which I’m sorry to admit I was bored by. At the end, along with fellow students and teachers from my centre, we all queued up to pay our respects to Geeta. It was an intense week of yoga and I got a coldsore at the end, which I always thought demonstrated that it had maybe been too much for me. Nevertheless, I was inspired enough to purchase the multi DVD of the proceedings.

The third time was just last year with Abhijata. I only got a place through the waiting list, and arriving quite late was directed to the mezzanine at the back with a select few. This actually was great and when we were told later that there was space downstairs and we could move, we all stayed put. This was the best convention for me, though it seemed I was one of very few who wasn’t actually a yoga teacher. Abhijata taught with humour and clarity and it was very informative.

I began my Iyengar journey when I was off work suffering from serious depression. I am sure that yoga has played a big part in maintaining my physical and mental health over all these years. My spiritual health may need more work.

Kathryn Bone

Noelle Riggott

Marianne Gautier

Felicity Goodson-Bevan

27 January 1960 – 2 January 2025

By David, Giovanna, Greg, Jean, Jenny, Kath, Mandy, Mark, Patricia, Phil, Sue, Ruth and Sue (members of Felicity’s online yoga classes)

Dearest Felicity, a wonderful and beautiful person. We are so glad that you were such an influential part of our lives. We will miss you deeply, and will never forget you.

Felicity started yoga when working as an actor to aid recovery from injury, qualifying as a teacher in 1999. She went on to achieve her Junior Intermediate Levels 1 and 2. Felicity was devoted to the principles of Iyengar yoga, to Guruji and to his successors: daughter Geetaji and granddaughter Abhijata Iyengar.

Felicity brought her experience of the theatre and presentation to her teaching. She brimmed with enjoyment and enthusiasm. Her warm empathic personality meant she wanted everyone regardless of age, ability or flexibility to improve their lives by embedding āsanas as part of their daily life, becoming aware of their bodies as whole connected beings in the world. She encouraged us to perform yoga āsanas everywhere, using gates, trees, railings, anything, as props. She was completely devoid of embarrassment because she was practising for its own sake, not for appearance.

Felicity used her creative background to colour her lessons with beautiful imagery to support our understanding. Felicity didn’t just teach yoga, she lived it. She was so enthusiastic about its positive effects, always expressing her gratitude to Mr

Iyengar. We will continue to do our practice hearing that lovely voice of gentle correction and advice always given with such a sweet smile.

Felicity was passionate about the natural world and tried to demonstrate in her own life how it is possible to live in harmony with nature. She could be found sawing dead branches for firewood, swimming in the sea and cycling everywhere. Her strong character meant her beliefs were visible in her family relationships, cycling, re-cycling, environmental conservation.

As a teacher, Felicity was wise and thorough. She took the time to get to know all her students as individuals. She taught how to adapt practice very specifically, according to what one’s body needed. For years, she welcomed students into her home; the lessons felt very personal.

One of the things loved about Felicity’s classes was her kindness and inclusiveness. We always felt very supported and encouraged to make progress. However much one may have been compromised, Felicity found a way of adapting an āsana or finding a different one to suit. She did this with love and

understanding so that you always felt part of the class and never a nuisance.

Despite having dyslexia, Felicity loved words and writing poetry. She knowingly struggled with Sanskrit, and, it seemed unknowingly, could struggle with English as well. One favourite was her use of “restive” which to Felicity meant ‘resting’ – of course, why shouldn’t it! So we often performed a ‘restive’ Śavāsana or Adho Mukha Vīrāsana. ‘Restive’ may well have accurately described our poses, until we quieted, following her voice.

Felicity taught not only yoga but about life in general. She said we can’t stop ourselves getting older but we don’t have to become frail. That was very empowering and gave hope and confidence in the future. It is sad that Felicity will no longer be part of that future but we take comfort that she lives on in the gift of her wisdom and teaching which she shared with so many of us.

Felicity showed her determination and strength in the year following her definitive diagnosis. She bravely shared her cancer journey with her students without a trace of self-pity, and taught us until the last. She embodied acceptance and living in the moment. Felicity is irreplaceable; a gift to all of us privileged to have known her and to have been at some time within her orbit.

Charlotte Everitt

Chair Report Leonie Corfield Secretary Report

Iam writing this – my last report for IYN – from the plane as I leave Pune after visiting for the 50th anniversary celebrations, with another 249 visitors from all over the world. Iyengar yoga has 7,459 certified teachers through 38 associations in 109 countries (a sixth of those, about 1,500, are in the UK or Ireland), which gives an idea of the spread of the Iyengar yoga community worldwide.

There were some clear themes and messages from our time there – firstly, ensuring we keep Iyengar yoga living and breathing by making it fun and engaging – whatever our reputation for taking it (too) seriously! Also, that we need to stay accountable for our own ageing process – and that of our students – by working (hard) on our poses while we are young enough to do them; which means that as we reach an older age, we hope, the poses are “there” inside us. We also have to maintain our skill and understanding on physical adjustments – “healthy touch”, using physical adjustments to help and benefit those we’re adjusting, and not just touching them. The overwhelming feeling I came away with is, what an amazing community we are part of – it was incredibly enriching to spend time with so many people from different walks of life, all of whom have this single thread tying us together.

That was celebrating the last 50 years... what about the next half century?

At our AGM this summer, you will see some new faces. We will be proposing candidates for Chair, Deputy Chair and Treasurer, and asking for ratification of our Secretary Leonie, who stepped in after our last AGM to pick up this role, as well as a new Chair of Assessments and Training Committee. It is really encouraging to have new people taking on such significant roles, and means we’ll see new ideas and perspectives to help move our organisation forwards.

Having been Chair for nearly four years, and on the Board for over a decade in various roles, I do believe that we should be looking at our future with a critical eye. IY(UK) was set up in 2009 to give us the legal structure we needed to administer the Certification Mark; but we remained, as the IYA before (and BSKIYTA and LOYA prior to that), volunteer-led, supported by a small number of paid admin staff. Over time, the paid support we’ve needed has grown; while the willingness of people to volunteer their time has decreased (not just in our world, it’s a recognised pattern across the voluntary sector). We’ve therefore started to talk about building a solid and sustainable future for IY(UK), and are considering whether to engage a consultant for advice on this. We’d welcome any thoughts on this, so please do get in touch if you would like to contribute.

There have been a number of changes to our Board and Committee members since my last report.

Hannah Lovegrove and Caroline Earl have joined the Board of Directors pending their proposed appointments as our Chair and Deputy Chair respectively at the June AGM, upon Charlotte Everitt’s anticipated retirement as Chair.

From 11 April 2025, Jayne Orton will retire as Chair of the Assessments and Training Committee (ATC) and as a member of the Board. Kirsten Agar Ward has been appointed as Chair of the ATC and Board member from that point.

Jonny Penn has retired from the Comms & PR Committee, Lucy Dalley from the Equity Committee, Gipe Giddings from the Ethics and Appeals Committee and Elaine Higgleton from the Research Committee. Thank you to all retiring members of our various committees who have dedicated their time and efforts to IY(UK).

New Committee members:

Kerry Allsop and Kirsty Richardson-Reps have each been appointed as co-opted members of the Children, Young Adults and Families Committee.

Maylis Pagot has been appointed as Chair and a co-opted member of the Comms & PR Committee.

Gerda Bayliss has also been appointed as a coopted member of the Comms & PR Committee.

Norah Phipps has been appointed to the Ethics and Appeals Committee.

Nicky Scott has been appointed as Chair of the Events Committee.

Louise Robb has been appointed as a co-opted member of the Research Committee.

A full list of all Committee members can be found towards the last pages of this magazine or on our website.

If anyone else is interested in volunteering to assist on any of the Committees, there is a list of vacancies on the website and enquiries are very welcome.

Deputy Treasurer Report Nick Johnson

Proposal to increase membership fees annually in line with inflation

At the 2024 AGM, a suggestion had been made regarding the membership fee increasing annually in line with inflation. This was further discussed at the September 2024 EX meeting, and at the November 2024 interim EX meeting.

The salaries of IY(UK) employees are increased annually in line with CPIH Index. The CPIH is commonly used measure of inflation. CPIH is the abbreviation for the “Consumer Prices Index, including owner occupiers' housing costs”. All other IY(UK) costs can reasonably be expected to increase every year, broadly in line with the inflation rate.

The best way to manage this would be an annual increase in membership fees in line with inflation. If this is not done, and fees were not increased, the point would come that a very large increase in membership fees would be necessary.

The January 2025 EX meeting agreed to increase

See the IY(UK) website: Members’ Dashboard: Mentoring section. All IY(UK) members can see information about Mentoring for Level 11 Teachers and registered trainees can access the Mentoring Resource Bank2, the Mentoring Resources page3, the RIMYI Certification & Assessment

membership fees, including the teachers supplement, annually in line with the CPIH. The next available year for a potential increase in membership fees is 2026/2027.

COULD YOU BE OUR NEXT TREASURER?

Do you have accounting experience or bookkeeping skills? If you do and you'd like to give back to our Iyengar yoga community in the UK, we'd love to hear from you. The treasurer plays a key part in the strategy and development of our organisation.

The treasurer is supported by our deputy treasurer, as well as a part-time finance administrator; and we work with an accountancy firm to provide professional services. If you're interested or want to know what's involved, our previous treasurer, Michelle, or our deputy treasurer Nick would be happy to talk to you.

Michelle - AcaciaYoga@yahoo.com Nick - nick@iyengaryoga.org.uk

Woodcock

Guidelines4 and the up to date pdf version of the Mentoring Manual5 .

Hard copies of the RIMYI Certification & Assessment Guidelines and the Mentoring Manual may be purchased (details on the Mentoring Resources page).

Congratulations to our new Level 1 and Level 2 teachers!

Level 1

Daneal Bassiouni

Maria Becker

Chloe Burke

Shiz Gerami

Liz Greenway

Paula Kelleher

Level 1

Andrew John Knowles

Joanne Lees

Hannah Munnings

Ruth Patterson

Helga Smyth

Grace Stilgrove

Moving towards Level 2 and Level 3 Teaching

Teachers are reminded that if they wish to start preparing for the next level of assessment, they should formalise a relationship with a suitably qualified mentor and register that intention with IY(UK), via the Registration as L2 or L3 Mentee6 form on the website, at least a year before they would hope to take assessment – see Section 3.3 of the Mentoring Manual.

Confident Mentoring workshops

These in-person workshops are designed to help and support you in mentoring and being mentored. They are open to all teachers (whether or not you are currently mentoring) and to registered trainees. So, even if you just want to find out more about mentoring/being mentored, you are very welcome to attend. There is no obligation to become a mentor! We aim to run sessions around the UK, wherever

Level 2

Jayne Baillie

Maura Gribbin

Ruth Hussey

Ciara Maguire

Level 2

Jelka Milic

Paul Jackson

Rosana Fiore

Halima Daunt

there are a few interested teachers and trainees.

For teachers, attendance will count as five hours’ CPD. So, if you can get a small group of interested people together, can locate a venue and would like us to arrange a workshop in your area, contact masg@ iyengaryoga.org.uk for more information.

Fee is £35. Several successful workshops took place in 2024. Already arranged for 2025 is:

Upcoming sessions:

Confident Mentoring Essex (IYCE), Sunday 14 September, 9am – 3.30pm7

For booking information, contact kate@ iyengaryoga.org.uk.

1.https://iyengaryoga.org.uk/mentoring-for-level-1/ 2.https://iyengaryoga.org.uk/mentoring-resource-ideas/ 3.https://iyengaryoga.org.uk/members-dashboard/mentoringresources/ 4.https://iyengaryoga.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/CA1RIMYI-Certification-and-Assessment-Guidelines-July-2020.pdf

5.https://iyengaryoga.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ IYUK-Mentoring-Manual-2024.pdf

6.https://iyengaryoga.org.uk/registration-as-l2-or-l3-mentee/ 7.https://iyengaryoga.org.uk/confident-mentoring-workshopessex-iyce/

I

Equity Report

Tina Freeland

“Confidence, clarity and compassion are essential qualities of a teacher.”

B.K.S. Iyengar

n a world where we are increasingly questioning absolutes, is there a place for zero tolerance?

We have no right to judge individuals for who they are or choose to be. But how do we go about standing up for our members and ensuring the integrity of our organization?

The Equity Committee was established to safeguard all IY(UK) members. The only means we have at our disposal is the Complaints Procedure and associated documents. They are currently under review. This review has caused us on the committee to question whether the means is likely to produce the tailored result we all desire.

To make it clear how we should interact with each other, we feel it’s necessary to draw a line, set a benchmark for our behaviour, with right on one side and wrong on the other. But how do we decide what is acceptable and what is not? The simple answer is that we are guided by the law. The law states that you cannot discriminate against someone because of their race, gender reassignment, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, dis-ability, religion or marital status.

In addition to those protected characteristics we can afford some consideration for economic and cultural differences too. One of the first things we did as a committee was to create the Equity Policy,

the purpose of which “is to set out Iyengar Yoga (UK)’s commitment to promoting equity for all its members, volunteers, employees, and practitioners (including students).”1

But how we protect those who might be subject to maltreatment? Before we consider that question, let’s look at what form the bias, disrespect, discrimination or abuse can take.

[See pyramid of hate2 in images folder – footnote below as source]

The pyramid shows how bias is exhibited in different behaviours, growing in seriousness from the bottom to the top. Each level is the foundation for the next. If allowed to go unchecked, the bias becomes normalised.

We all agree that name calling is unacceptable, as is making a joke or ridiculing an ethnic or social group. But what about stereotyping – grouping people together because of an assumed perception of racial, physical or neurological characteristics? Stereotyping causes “othering”, bolsters prejudice and dismisses people’s real differences.

As Iyengar teachers, we are trained to teach what we see in front of us, adapting poses so that everyone can experience the āsanas by using a prop – by making a reasonable adjustment.

At the 50th Anniversary of RIMYI intensive in January, Raya Uma Datta reminded us that before we reach for a prop, we should look at the student – see how they are managing, what they are doing. Likewise, we should be challenging our immediate responses, delving deeper, observing a person’s individual physiology and their psychological and emotional state, taking all these things into consideration when approaching them and treating everyone with compassion.

Yoga philosophy teaches us that we all originate from and have at our hearts the same innate spark; that oneness which pervades all of creation. It is only our ignorance – avidyā – which prevents us from recognising that.

If we practise yoga, not as an exercise or a refuge from our busy lives, but to open our eyes – to understand what really is – then understanding depends upon using our discrimination, on broadening our vision, not narrowing it or distorting it by donning rose-tinted glasses. We must see clearly to weed out the undesirable lest it crowd out what is wholesome and lead us to cause harm those we have undertaken to help.

On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Arjuna stands in opposition to his family, ready to wage war with Krishna by his side. Despite his misgivings, he is counselled by the Supreme Spirit to slay his uncles and cousins. Because if he doesn’t they will surely defeat him. In The Bhagavad Gita there is no question of appeasement or negation. If Arjuna doesn’t fight to defend himself and his kinsmen, all will be lost.

We believe the same analogy can be made regarding equity and justice in IY(UK). It can’t be defended halfheartedly. There is no room for fudging or turning the other way. To be effective, we need to be decisive.

We want to ensure that the review improves the complaints process for those who wish to use it, as well as those who have the job of implementing it. Otherwise, we risk subjecting everyone involved to more harm.

Sanctions are contentious issue as they have the potential to cause harm. However, we must be made aware that some behaviours which may have been perpetrated for years, are unacceptable. We must act decisively and now, or we risk not doing anything at all – allowing harmful behaviour to continue. We need to show how seriously we take equity and justice, and how far we are willing to go to create an equitable association, so that we can engage more people in the pursuit of yoga. In this light, zero tolerance is a fair transparent place to start.

1 IYUK Equity Policy, Introduction 2 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324897676_TKIT_4_Intercultural_learning

“Without discipline one cannot develop art. This disciplined development leads one to freedom...yoga being the root of all art.”

B.K.S. Iyengar, Astadala Yogamala – Vol 3

Membership Report

Tanya De Leersnyder

By the time this magazine reaches you, the member renewal process 2025 should be well underway. We sincerely hope that the simplified procedure has made things easier for you and that everything runs smoothly.

Looking ahead, my next focus is to organise an online meeting with our regional membership representatives and independent representatives. Our aim is to explore ways to attract new members –particularly non-teachers. How can we make joining IY(UK) more appealing to students? How do we encourage our teachers to champion their regional groups? And what unique benefits do these groups offer to members?

This magazine itself is a prime example of the many benefits of membership, packed with insights and inspiration to enjoy. Many of our member groups also arrange workshops and welcome visiting teachers from across the UK and beyond, enriching our collective experience of Iyengar yoga.

TEACHERS

Above all, our membership groups foster a sense of community, bringing us together through our shared love of Iyengar yoga. There is much to learn from the groups that are thriving, and by sharing knowledge and ideas, we can ensure that our organisation continues to flourish.

When looking at the membership figures below, the pattern that emerges is that with the totals for teachers, these figures start to grow from February as teachers start to renew their membership. In April, the numbers will slightly decrease as the previous memberships end. Then the membership continues to grow as latecomers, newly qualified teachers and transfers from other parts of the world are processed. With non-teachers, the pattern is not as reliable as we use rolling 12-month renewals.

You will also notice that we have included a new set of figures, a breakdown of the teachers and nonteacher members of each Member Group around the country.

NON TEACHERS

Member Group Teachers Non-teachers

Avon Iyengar Yoga (AIY) 60 23

Bradford and District

Iyengar Yoga (BDIY) 26 37

Cambridge Iyengar Yoga (CIY) 37 12

Dorset and Hampshire

Iyengar Yoga (DHIY) 51 51

East of Scotland Iyengar Yoga (ESIY) 59 57

Iyengar Yoga Ireland (IYI) 86 69

Iyengar Yoga Sussex (IYS) 31 38

iYoga Glasgow 34 54

Kent Iyengar Yoga (KIY) 54 25

Member Groups Report Iyengar Yoga Centres

Avon Iyengar Yoga (AIY)

Sarah Constantinides aiy@iyengaryoga.org.uk www.avoniyengar.org

Bradford & District Iyengar Yoga (BDIY)

Geraldine Hale info@bdiyi.org.uk www.bdiyi.org.uk

Cambridge Iyengar Yoga (CIY)

Sasha Perryman sashaperryman@yahoo.co.uk www.cambridgeyoga.co.uk

Dorset & Hampshire Iyengar Yoga (DHIY)

Karen Legge admin@dhiy.org www.dhiy.org

East of Scotland Iyengar Yoga (ESIY)

Jo Mitchell esiyoga@outlook.com www.esiy.co.uk

Iyengar Yoga Ireland (IYI)

Mary Duane info@iyengaryogaireland.ie www.iyengaryogaireland.ie

Iyengar Yoga Sussex (IYS)

Randall Evans admin@iyengaryogasussex.org.uk www.iyengaryogasussex.org.uk

iYoga Glasgow

Michael Wright membership@iyogaglasgow.co.uk www.iyogaglasgow.co.uk

Kent Iyengar Yoga (KIY)

Jane Collins admin@kentiyengaryoga.co.uk www.kentiyengaryoga.co.uk

Liverpool Iyengar Yoga (LIY)

Elaine Keating liverpooliyengaryoga@gmail.com www.yoga-studio.co.uk

Midland Counties Iyengar Yoga (MCIY)

Annie Beatty info@mciy.org.uk www.mciy.org.uk

Manchester & District Iyengar Yoga (MDIY)

Jayne Wilson info@mdiiy.org.uk www.manchesteriyengaryoga.org.uk

North East England Iyengar Yoga (NEEIY)

Aimi Dunstan info@iyengaryoganortheast.com www.iyengaryoganortheast.com

North East London Iyengar Yoga (NELIY) membership@neliy.org.uk www.facebook.com/NELIYI

Oxford & Region Iyengar Yoga (ORIY)

Julia Hardy maryfitzpatrick10@icloud.com www.oriy.org.uk

Sheffield & District Iyengar Yoga (SADIY)

Lorraine Bonete lorraine.bonete@gmail.com www.yogasheffield.org

South West Iyengar Yoga (SWIY) Hannah Benham www.swiyengaryoga.org.uk

South West London & Surrey (SWLSIY)

Elaine Morrison swlsiyengaryoga@gmail.com www.swlsiy.org.uk

Charlbury Yoga Studio

Matthew Greenfield info@matthewgreenfield.com www.charlburyyogastudio.com

Congleton Iyengar Yoga Centre

Louise Wallace admin@congletonyogacentre.com www.congletonyogacentre.com

Edinburgh Iyengar Yoga Centre

Jane Walker edinburghiyengaryoga.cbs@gmail.com 0131 229 6000 www.yoga-edinburgh.com

Iyengar Yoga Centre for Essex Susan Long info@iyce.com www iyce.com

Garway Iyengar Yoga Studio.

Sheila Green sheilagreenyoga@hotmail.co.uk www.herefordshireyoga.co.uk

Hereford Yoga Centre

Jenny-May While 01432 353324 www.herefordyoga.co.uk

Iyengar Yoga Birmingham

Jayne Orton info@iyengaryoga.uk.com www.iyengaryoga.uk.com

Iyengar Yoga in the Mews

Nathalie Blondel www.iyengaryogainthemews.co.uk 07812 010924

Iyengar Yoga London Maida Vale iyengaryogalondon.co.uk 020 7624 3080 office@iyengaryogalondon.co.uk

Iyengar Yoga Shala - High Wycombe

Sheila Haswell sheilahaswell.yoga@gmail.com www.iyengar-yoga-shala.co.uk

Just yoga

Melanie Palmer mel@justyoga.co.uk www.justyoga.co.uk

YogaSouth Sussex

Randall Evans & Cathy Rogers Evans www.yogasouth.com 01903 762850 / 07774 318105

Long Wittenham Yoga Centre

Evelyn Crosskey longwittenhamyogacentre@gmail.com www.longwittenhamyogacentre.com

Putney Iyengar Yoga Centre Julie Hodges julieyogaputney@gmail.com https://putneyyogacentre.co.uk

Iyengar Yoga Studio East Finchley

Wendy Sykes, 020 8815 1918 www.theiyengaryogastudio.co.uk

Yogatree

Edgar Stringer and Lydia Holmes www.yogatree.co.uk 01249 247071

Iyengar Yoga Studio West Bridgford Isabel Jones Fielding & Geoffrey Fielding www.iyogawestbridgford.uk 0115 9749975

Maidstone Yoga Centre

Lin Craddock www.iyengar-yoga.co.uk 01622 685864

Sheffield Iyengar Yoga Centre Frances Homewood www.sheffieldyogacentre.co.uk 07944 169238

Warwickshiure Iyengar Yoga CIC Lynee Myall iyengar.yoga@yahoo.co.uk warwickshireiyengaryoga.co.uk

Wye Valley Yoga

Cori and Pete Norton www.wyevalleyyoga.com 01497 820021

IY(UK) Executive Council

Officers:

Chair Charlotte Everitt chair@iyengaryoga.org.uk

Secretary Leonie Corfield leonie@iyengaryoga.org.uk

Deputy Secretary Minna Alanko-Falola minna@iyengaryoga.org.uk

Treasurer VACANCY

Deputy Treasurer Nick Johnson nick@iyengaryoga.org.uk

Membership Sec. Tanya De Leernsyder info@kalyaproducts.co.uk

Deputy Memb. Sec. Elaine Morrison elainemorrison.yoga@gmail.com

Constitution Officer Rebecca Baron rebecca@dower24.co.uk

Chair of AT Jayne Orton jayne@iyengaryoga.uk.com

Chair of EA Toni Elliott ethics@iyengaryoga.org.uk

Chair of Equity Tina Freeland theindisputable@hotmail.com

Chair of Therapy Sheila Haswell therapy@iyengaryoga.org.uk

Co-Opted Director Hannah Lovegrove saddlestreetfarm@gmail.com

Co-Opted Director Caroline Earl caroline.earl.haar@gmail.com

Member Group Reps:

Avon Debbie Rivers-Moore riversmooredebbie@gmail.com

Bradford & District Jo Lovell info@jolovell.yoga

Cambridge Kate Middleton ktmiddleton@yahoo.co.uk

Dorset & Hampshire Semra O'Reilly semra.dhiy@gmail.com

East of Scotland Sue Cresswell sue.cresswell@hotmail.com

Glasgow Sarah Hunter sarahyoga64@gmail.com

Ireland Rachel Overton rachelovertonyoga@gmail.com

Kent Angela Hulm angelahulm@hotmail.com

Liverpool Minna Alanko-Falola minna@iyengaryoga.org.uk

Midland Counties Nicky Scott nicolavesper@aol.com

Manchester & District VACANCY

Manchester & District Clare Tunstall clare@mdiiy.org.uk

North East Cuth Earl cuth_earl@yahoo.com

North East London Louise Leonard louise@louiseleonard.co.uk

Oxford VACANCY

Sheffield & District VACANCY

South West Sue Lovell sueyoga40@gmail.com

South West London & Surrey Jane Howard janehoward111@hotmail.com

Sussex Bev Appleby bev.appleby.yoga@gmail.com

Individual Geoffrey Fielding geoffrey@movement4health.co.uk

Individual Vianney Faudemer howdowebeginagain@gmail.com

Individual Sandra Gallagher sandra.gallagher@icloud.com

Individual Jo Mitchell jomitchell1949@gmail.com

Individual Helen Townsend helen.townsend@hotmail.com

Individual VACANCY

IY(UK) Committee Members

Board

Minna Alanko-Falola, Rebecca Baron, Tanya De Leersnyder, Caroline Earl, Toni Elliott, Charlotte Everitt, Tina Freeland, Sheila Haswell, Nick Johnson, Hannah Lovegrove, Robert Newman, Jayne Orton

Assessment & Training

Management Committee: Kirsten Agar Ward, Debbie Bartholomew, Eileen Cameron, Patricia James, Jill Johnson, Jayne Orton, Katie Rutherford

Assessments and Timetabling: Frances McKee, Katie Rutherford, Kate Woodcock

Professional Development: Eileen Cameron, Lin Craddock, Lydia Holmes, Isabel Jones Fielding, Jill Johnson, Sue Lovell, Edgar Stringer

Mentoring Manual: Kirsten Agar Ward

Learning Modules: Tricia James, Alicia Lester, Susan Long, Edgar Stringer

Mentor and Assessor Support: Kirsten Agar Ward, Debbie Bartholomew, Aisling Guirke, Jayne Orton, Shaili Shafai, Kate Woodcock

Committee Members: Kirsten Agar Ward, Debbie Bartholomew, Eileen Cameron, Lin Craddock, Helen Graham, Aisling Guirke, Sheila Haswell, Lydia Holmes, Trisha James, Jill Johnson, Isabel Jones

Fielding, Alicia Lester, Susan Long, Sue Lovell, Rachel Lovegrove, Frances McKee, Jayne Orton, Katie Rutherford, Shaili Shafai, Edgar Stringer, Kate Woodcock

Note: the Chair of each Committee is in bold

Archives

Sue Cresswell, Randall Evans, Vanita Mistry

Children, Young Adults & Families

Kerry Allsop, Annie Beatty, Korinna PilafidisWilliams, Kirsty Richardson Reps

Communications & Public Relations

Minna Alanko-Falola, Gerda Bayliss, Charlotte Everitt, Sandra Gallagher, Angela Hulm, Jo Mitchell, Maylis Pagot, Poppy Pickles, Cathy Tincknell

Equity

Cuth Earl, Sue Forde, Tina Freeland, Isabel Jones Fielding

Ethics & Appeals

Toni Elliott, Gael Henry, Georgia Marnham, Norah Phipps

Events

Veronica Kendsi, Rachel Johnson, Nicky Scott, Nivona Sewpal, Pegah Sharghy, Claire Tunstall

Finance & Membership

Tanya De Leersnyder, Nick Johnson, Elaine Morrison, Andy Tait, Jess Wallwork, Kate Woodcock

Iyengar Yoga Development Fund

Jen Henwood, Helen White

Research

Sharon Allaway, Julia Bennett, Sandra Gallagher, Louise Robb

Therapy

Tessa Bull, Sheila Haswell, Lydia Holmes, Rachel Lovegrove, Elaine Martin, Korinna PilafidisWilliams, Patsy Sparksman

Safeguarding Leads

Marianne Gautier, Noelle Riggott

Yoga studio for sale

Advertising in IYN

• Full-page advert £200

• Back cover advert £230 (210mm x 270mm)

• Half-page advert £110 (210mm x 135mm)

• Quarter-page advert £60 (105mm x 135mm)

Supply files as:

• High quality PDF

• High Res JPEG/TIFF/PSD

• Adobe Indesign Document (packaged with image files)

Ensure text does not butt to edges or ad will have to be reduced slightly to avoid the trim

Yogawest (The Bristol Iyengar Yoga Centre) has been an Iyengar Centre for over 30 years. It has two beautiful, fully equipped studios and a loyal teacher and student base. Yogawest is available to rent on an initial 3-5 year lease, with the hope that it will continue as an Iyengar Centre. If you might be interested, contact: diana@yogawest.co.uk

Immerse yourself in adult yoga classes while children enjoy their own expert-led programme of yoga, forest activities and crafts.

PA NJALI

Be enriched by storytelling and Indian dance. Relax in the beauty of the exceptional Ashdown Forest setting. Be nourished by delicious vegetarian meals. Be supported by a welcoming yoga community. Weekday classes with Annie Beatty and Sarah Delfas

Special sessions Thursday 24th & Friday 25th July with Dr. Rajlaxmi Nidmarti

Weekend workshop Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th July with Sushama Chitale

Sunita Parthasarathy Online Convention

“Everything has to be connected with an inner divinity.”

Sunita is the daughter of Shri Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar. Sunita teaches at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute and manages her own studio, the Iyengar Yoga Shala in Pune. For many years Sunita trained teachers and taught the medical classes at RIMYI, alongside her father and her sister, Geeta Iyengar.

Join our community for two days of practice with Sunita Parthasarathy at our 2025 online Convention

Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th May 2025

9:30 am - 12:00pm (BST)

Sunita’s teaching is perfectly paced for an online convention, beautifully simple and introducing philosophical concepts too.

Raising FUNDS for Bellur

At Sunita’s request, IY(UK) will transfer her teaching fee and other donations to the Bellur Trust following the event. Booking for online places will be open to IY(UK) members on Monday 1st March 2025. To book or for more information visit: i yengaryoga.org.uk/convention-home/