Yoga Samachar FW2016

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News IYACSR The Iyengar Yoga Association of California, Southern Region (IYACSR) has broadened its outreach to the community of yoga practitioners in the region and beyond. We have established our website at www.iyacsr.org. Visitors to our website will find a directory of Iyengar Yoga centers in the region, with links to the centers’ pages. The site also includes a web-based application for scholarships, funded by IYACSR. We have awarded $600 in scholarships from online applications already. On the website, students can also register for email announcements of workshops and notable events for the Southern Region. IYACSR sponsored senior teacher Birjoo Mehta from Mumbai, India, for a four-day workshop over Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4–7, 2015. Birjoo taught asana, pranayama, and pancamahabhutas (the five great elements). Birjoo last came to San Diego in May 2013 as lead teacher for the IYNAUS Convention, Sarvabhauma Yog.

FROM THE REGIONS

Gurukulum ashram in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, the puja ceremony included chanting and the formal installation of the new idol on a plinth in the new space. This Patanjali had auspicious beginnings, created by Guruji’s personal stone carver in India and blessed by Geetaji at her 2014 Yoganusasanam convention last December. The celebration of Guru Purnima is a salute to our teachers, from Patanjali to the Iyengars, and an acknowledgment of all the teachers in the lineage. This intention shaped all the events of the afternoon and evening, beginning with a special benefit class for all levels taught by senior teacher James Murphy and faculty members Tori Milner, Kavi Patel, and Richard Jonas. The class drew on the sequence sent by Geetaji for the celebration of International Yoga Day. There were refreshments and then a puja ceremony with chanting and blessings. The evening concluded with a screening of Atma Darsana, a 2004 documentary about the life and work of B.K.S. Iyengar. ­—Richard Jonas

Brooklyn Class for the Intellectually Disabled Since May, the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Brooklyn has held a class for an organization called Brooklyn Community Services that shares the same floor. Every week on Wednesday afternoon, a group of 10 participants with a range of intellectual disabilities walks through the long hallway that connects our space. They remove their shoes and socks and are full of anticipation for their one-hour class. With nametags on, they eagerly claim their preset mats and the fun begins.

Birjoo Mehta teaches in San Diego.

IYACSR also recently sponsored two members’ workshops. Intermediate Junior III teacher Sunny Keays taught “The Koshas” in May 2015 at San Marcos Iyengar Yoga Studio. Intermediate Junior I teacher Nancy Phillips taught our fall members’ workshop at Radiance Yoga in October 2015. This was the first time that a members’ workshop was held at a studio that does not teach strictly Iyengar Yoga. The board approved this venue because it provided an opportunity to share Guruji’s teaching and method with a broader audience. IYAGNY

Iyengar Yoga Institute of Brooklyn Celebrates Guru Purnima Students and teachers alike gathered at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Brooklyn for Guru Purnima on Saturday, Aug. 1. The celebration marked the special blessing of the association’s newer institute and a welcome for its new idol of Patanjali. Conducted by Pandit Ravichandran from the Arsha Vidya Fall 2015 / Winter 2016 Yoga Samachar

Each week brings different students—although many take the class again and again. We program a rotation of teachers to keep the students and faculty engaged with the program. As one of the teachers in the program, I do not exaggerate when I say that teaching this group is a highlight of my week. These folks have, on average, a first-grade level of intellectual ability, so it is a challenge to make it both simple and accessible. More than making sure they “get it right,” we find creative ways to present the postures and get them to aim in the right direction and pay attention along the way. This is one of the only physical activities they engage in all week through their day program. It is gratifying to see their progress. The physical challenges that may come along with their conditions, as well as chronic tension and tightness in certain parts of their bodies, can make everyday movements difficult. Giving them an experience of supported chest-opening, even for a short duration, in poses such as Supta Baddha Konasana and supported Savasana make a profound impact on soothing their nervous systems. In one session, after Savasana, a young man sat up and exclaimed, “The room looks different. It got bigger!” I smiled and said, “The room is the same; you got bigger inside! That’s how yoga works!” He looked 3


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