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IYNAUS Archives: Preserving the Past for Generations to Come – Kim Kolibri
from Yoga Samachar FW2010
by IYNAUS
The University of California, Los Angles, sponsors a pediatric pain clinic where a multidisciplinary team meets weekly to address their patients’ problems. Children with chronic pain become marginalized as they slip academically, have problems socially, and experience depression, anxiety, and insomnia. The clinic treats children reporting abdominal pain, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, and rheumatoid arthritis, among other symptoms. Current research will pursue irritable bowel syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis.
Serious depression affects more than 10% of the American population older than 18 years, and it is estimated that by 2020, it will be the second leading cause of death worldwide. Dr. David Shapiro has conducted several studies on anxiety and mood disorders and on subjects with major clinical depression who have limited relief from antidepressant medication. He examined individual psychological and physiological characteristics related to the effects of yoga to see what practice would work best for particular personality types and conditions.
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Participants took three weekly classes for two months. In a therapeutics session, the condition dictated the sequence, as well as what was emphasized in the asana
by Kim Kolibri
The IYNAUS archives play an essential role in our mission of disseminating the teachings of the Iyengars. Ongoing preservation efforts, including the rescue of print, audio, and video materials that would be lost to decay or would become unusable because of obsolete technologies, was given new impetus last year with a $10,000 grant from IYNAUS. The archives also bring the Iyengar Yoga community exciting new material, including, most recently, DVDs of the teachings of Geetaji last year at Yasodhara in Canada, which are now available for purchase at the IYNAUS Store (www. iynaus.org/store). and which parts of the body were targeted. Because this was a double-blind study, instructors did not know their students’ histories. Those completing the study had fewer symptoms, a healthier outlook on life, and beneficial physiological changes.
Statistically, the remission rate for those with depression who are participating in yoga is 65% higher than for any other complimentary or alternative medical therapy, 45% higher than for those using other forms of exercise, and 31% higher than the effect of using a placebo. The attrition rate is also lower than in other forms of exercise. Yoga promises to be a cost-effective complementary treatment to manage psychological disorders.
INDIA: Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system. The Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorder Society, along with Rajvi Mehta and the Bombay Hospital, conducted a study that greatly benefited participants.
Patients were instructed daily for ten days, with a weekly follow-up class over two months. All patients practiced regularly and kept a journal of their progress. Their mental state and social and motor skills improved significantly when compared with those of the control group, and the nature of the study encouraged patients to integrate yoga into their daily lives.
Each of the studies noted above incorporated basic asanas familiar to every yoga student. Whether the ailment is physical, emotional, or physiological, the basic tenets to generate life energy, to placate a restless mind, and to cultivate a calm, sober, and generous attitude in life apply. Rajvi noted, “When the structural body loses its alignment, the organic body loses its vitality, and even the cellular body is impacted.” Through the judicious and practical application of the yoga asanas, one’s breath and life energy is encouraged to flow freely, promoting an internal stability that leads to dynamic health and a rich, fulfilling life.
Lisa Walford has been teaching in the Los Angeles area for more than 25 years and holds a Senior Intermediate I
IYNAUS ArChIVeS: preSerVINg The pAST FOr geNerATIONS TO COMe
certificate. She is on the advisory council for the International Association of Yoga Therapists. The purpose of this article is to inform the IYNAUS membership about the IYNAUS archive and the work being done by the Archive Committee. In companionship with this article, a video interview with the Archive Director, Eddy Marks, can be seen by visiting the Yoga Samachar page via the IYNAUS website.
The IYNAUS archive was officially formed shortly after the formation of IYNAUS, in 1990. Initially, the archive consisted of materials that were owned by Eddy Marks, an Intermediate Senior I teacher practicing in San Diego, California. As a devoted student and teacher of Iyengar Yoga, Eddy started collecting materials related to the teachings of Guruji, Geetaji, and Prashantji, as well as of Iyengar Yoga in general. After the formation of the archive, many others began donating similarly significant items. Over time, the archive has became a safe repository for multimedia items such as film, videos, written materials, audio tapes, photographs, and slides. Many of these items are one of a kind and therefore add another level of importance to the mission of the IYNAUS archive.
The primary purpose of the IYNAUS archive is to insure the preservation of materials and content directly related to the teachings and historical documentation of Guruji and all things Iyengar Yoga. Beyond that, the goal of the archive is to assist in making the past, present, and future teachings available in a usable and secure format, not only for current practitioners, but for generations to come. With these purposes in mind, much has been done, but there is still much more to do.
What has the archives project accomplished to date and how does the IYNAUS archive currently serve the members of IYNAUS?
In preparation for the Odyssey 2001 convention, a request for a display of archived materials was put forth by IYNAUS. That was the beginning of the IYNAUS archive project. The initial idea was to present a visual display at the convention. The project turned out to be a significant undertaking and required the volunteer efforts of many members of the San Diego Iyengar Yoga community. A seven-person ad hoc committee was formed and work got underway. In many ways, these were exciting times. There was very little funding, and the work was time and labor intensive. That said, the committee members enjoyed the process of organizing, investigating, and preparing the material. It was the first time that all the archived materials were reviewed. A functional database was developed, and it felt like we were doing important work. The first display and archive project book was completed and presented to Geetaji at the Odyssey 2001 convention.
After the convention, some of the volunteers turned to other archive projects. The conversion of the original analog audio recording of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras into digital CD format was achieved and has proved to be a valuable contribution to the students of yoga. A revised printed version of the sutras accompanied the CDs, and both were released at the Iyengar Yoga convention in Minnesota in 2004. The display made in 2001 was shipped to Minnesota and, with additional content, again was available for viewing. The film Atma Darshana, which was prepared specifically for the 2004 convention, almost entirely comprised video footage that is stored in the archive collection.
In preparation for and during Guruji’s Light on Life tour in 2006, the archive and its volunteers were able to fulfill needs and uphold duties that only it could. The archive continued to be an essential and effective resource for the containment and distribution of priceless materials.
For the 2007 Las Vegas convention, the same volunteer committee went back to work and a new and improved version of the archive display was produced. A refined hardcover version of the Archive Project Book also was completed and presented to Geetaji at the convention. Convention participants also were able to sit and watch video footage such as Guruji practicing in Switzerland in the 1950s and a BBC interview.
The primary goal of the IYNAUS archive is to preserve materials and their content; thus, it has become necessary, almost urgently so, to convert the various media formats into a secure and universally acceptable digital format. This is true for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the older materials, in particular the film and video, have a questionable shelf life at best. It is of the utmost importance to copy the content before it is lost. There is also a large variety of film and video formats in the archive. The machines needed to run these old formats are becoming less available and quiet costly. That said, access to technology that digitizes content from the old formats has become much more available. Thanks to funding from IYNAUS, equipment has been purchased, and this next task is well underway. To date, thanks to the expertise and volunteered time of committee members as well as the advisors, Francois St. Laurent and Marie Giroux, the archive now has more than 300 hours of moving picture content that has been converted from analog to digital format. This is a significant accomplishment that insures the preservation of many of the teachings of our beloved teachers. In addition, some previously unknown jewels have been revealed. For example, at least two films containing footage of Prashantji practicing have been discovered and preserved. A brief clip of one of these films can be seen in one of the video interviews.
Besides the preservation of old materials, the IYNAUS Archive Committee is actively involved in the production and distribution of new materials. Recently, a DVD version of the Yasodhara Canadian Intensive with Geetaji was released and is now available for purchase. The archive committee was fundamentally responsible for that footage being converted into a common and usable digital format and also for the timely release of these priceless teachings.
As you can see, the IYNAUS archive and its committee members continue to secure content and produce items that will assist in the preservation and posterity of Iyengar Yoga for generations to come. It is our dearest hope that any and all of these precious resources will become available to students of yoga everywhere. However at this time, the primary goal of preservation is paramount. As soon as that work is completed and all necessary business tended to, we will continue—with Guruji’s blessings—to strive to make available, in a universal digital format, any and all recorded and documented teachings of Guruji, Geetaji, Prashantji, and Iyengar Yoga.
The IYNAUS archive always welcomes donations of materials related to Iyengar Yoga, in particular, any older and one-ofa-kind items. The archive also is happy to receive financial and volunteer assistance. Volunteer efforts by those with knowledge and ability is how this work is accomplished. Contact Chris Beach, Archives Committee Chair of the IYNAUS Board, at beach59@hotmail.com to offer your support in whatever way you are inspired.
Kim Kolibri is a certified Introductory level Iyengar Yoga instructor who has been teaching for eight years. She began practicing Iyengar Yoga in 1997 and has studied at RIMYI twice in the last four years. Kim is a Southern California native and currently manages the B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Centers of San Diego. She is also the IYNAUS archives assistant.
IYeNgAr YOgA eVeNTS 2009 / 2010
Each “per workshop date” listing, for Certified Teachers and IYNAUS member sponsors only, costs $25.00 and includes listing on the IYNAUS website. (For example, Teacher Trainings that meet more than one time must pay $25.00 per date listed.) Please submit your listings with payment (check made to IYNAUS) to Newsletter c/o Sharon Cowdery, 1300 Clay Street, Suite 600, Oakland, CA 94612. Deadline for Spring/ Summer 2010 issue is March 1, 2010.
Dean & Rebecca Lerner Teacher Training for Intermediate Junior I-III
February 18-21, 2010 Lemont, PA 814.234.9776 fdlerner@comcast.net
Dean & Rebecca Lerner Teacher Training for Teacher in TrainingIntro Levels
February 25-28, 2010 Lemont, PA 814.234.9776 fdlerner@comcast.net
Advanced Studies/Teacher Training
Extended Weekend classes begin: January 8, 2010 200-hr, 16-month & 500-hr 24-month programs Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco San Francisco, CA Sarah Harvey at 415.753.0909 sarah@iyisf.org www.iyisf.org
Dean Lerner
March 26-28, 2010 Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco San Francisco, CA Alexis Monson at 415.753.0909 alexis@iyisf.org www.iyisf.org
Marla Apt
April 30-May 2, 2010 Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco San Francisco, CA 415.753.0909 alexis@iyisf.org www.iyisf.org
Advanced Studies/Teacher Training
Evening Weekly classes begin: Sept 10, 2010 200-hr, 16-month & 500-hr 24-month programs Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco San Francisco, CA 415.753.0909 sarah@iyisf.org www.iyisf.org
Elise Miller and Zoreh Afsar
February 27-March 6, 2010 Mexico www.ebmyoga.com www.yogaforscoliosis.com
Elise Miller and Dean Lerner
March 6-14, 2010 Mexico www.ebmyoga.com www.yogaforscoliosis.com
Elise Miller and Zoreh Afsar
May 20-June 1, 2010 Peru www.ebmyoga.com www.yogaforscoliosis.com
Kofi Busia/Festival: The Sacred Thread of Yoga
October 11-15, 2010 San Francisco, California 987.290.1558 kim@sacredthread.net www.sacredthread.net
Kofi Busia/Festival: The Sacred Thread of Yoga
October 15-17, 2010 San Francisco, California 987.290.1558 kim@sacredthread.net www.sacredthread.net
Patricia Walden: Gather at the River
February 12-19, 2010 Intermediate Retreat for Men & Women St. Joseph’s Abbey St. Benedict, LA sharon@greatwhiteheron.net
Patricia Walden: Gather at the River
April 9-14, 2010 Advanced Retreat for Men & Women St. Joseph’s Abbey St Benedict, LA sharon@greatwhiteheron.net
Stephanie Quirk Asana and Therapeutics
Part I: April 12-15, 2011 B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Institiute of Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 310.558.8212 www.iyila.org
Stephanie Quirk Asana and Therapeutics
Part II: September 13-16, 2011 B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Institiute of Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 310.558.8212 www.iyila.org
Stephanie Quirk Asana and Therapeutics
Part III: May 29-June 1, 2012 B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Institiute of Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 310.558.8212 www.iyila.org
Stephanie Quirk Asana and Therapeutics
Part IV: September 11-14, 2012 B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Institiute of Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 310.558.8212 www.iyila.org
Stephanie Quirk Asana and Therapeutics
Part V: October 15-18, 2013 B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Institiute of Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 310.558.8212 www.iyila.org
Stephanie Quirk Asana and Therapeutics
Part VI: TBD, 2014 B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Institiute of Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 310.558.8212 www.iyila.org
John Schumacher and Patricia Walden
July 24-31, 2010 Feathered Pipe Ranch Helena, MT www.featheredpipe.com
Dean and Rebecca Lerner Iyengar Intensive and Teacher Training
August 14-21, 2010 Feathered Pipe Ranch Helena, MT www.featheredpipe.com
