IYENGAR YOGA ON CAMPUS
HOW CIYTS AT UWM ADAPT TO THE UNIVERSITY SETTING— AND SPREAD YOGA BENEFITS TO A WIDE RANGE OF STUDENTS
BY ANNIE MELCHIOR University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus
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hen I experienced my first Iyengar Yoga class, it was in the summer of 1995 in a studio in the Dance Department of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM). It was taught with clarity, good humor, and engaging energy by Janet Lilly. I had taken some yoga classes previously, but this was different. This seminal experience lit a fire in me, stoked by the hallmarks of B.K.S. Iyengar’s teaching and practice: attention to detail and precision in action, intelligence of sequencing, and the artful use of props. I was particularly sparked by Janet’s ability to combine the intensity of the physical practice with a sense of humor and direction of mental attention, focus, and imagination—the perfect combination to make me a practitioner for life. It wasn’t just the body. This approach to asana also acknowledged the mind. For those who are used to practicing in a yoga studio, it might seem odd to take class on a college campus. But for me, it was obvious. The universality of Iyengar Yoga in the context of the university: a comprehensive integration of the body, mind, and spirit.
Many students assume that yoga will be “an easy A” but quickly discover and are actually happy to learn that there is much more required.
Beginnings Today at UWM, we have a thriving yoga program that is part of the Somatics track in the Dance Department of the Peck School of the Arts (PSOA). The program provides multiple sections of Introduction to Iyengar Yoga to the campus community, enrolling hundreds of students each semester (an intermediate level course is also offered every three semesters to meet demand). When Janet Lilly (CIYT Intermediate Junior II) was a new faculty member, then-chair Professor Marcia Parsons wanted to include yoga in the dance curriculum as a complement to other technique classes, a means to enhance body awareness, and as an aid in recuperation and to prevent injury. The course began with a focus on dance majors but quickly expanded its student population to include non-majors, attracted in large part because the course carries three credits in the Arts as a General Education Requirement (GER) course. Initially called “Yoga for Dancers,” DANCE 103 was renamed Introduction to Iyengar Yoga once Lilly became certified through IYNAUS. The course was immediately popular, starting with one section of 40 students and expanding to multiple sections as more Certified Iyengar Yoga Teachers emerged. “This course also helped to develop and sustain the Iyengar Yoga community in Milwaukee,” says Lilly, who is now Chair of Dance at the Yoga Samachar Fall 2017 / Winter 2018
University of North Carolina-Greensboro. “Certified instructors with a proven track record were mentored into adjunct teaching positions at UWM.”
More Than Asana Introduction to Iyengar Yoga is primarily an asana class, but because it carries the three GER arts credits and also delivers the university’s shared system learning outcomes, requirements include two written assignments (a svadhyaya—self-study— paper and a written response to a dance or movement performance), a midterm and final examination (written and practicum, or demonstration), as well as quizzes and reading assignments drawn from the textbook for the course, B.K.S. Iyengar’s Light on Yoga, in addition to the practice of asana in class. Many students assume that yoga will be “an easy A” but quickly discover and are actually happy to learn that there is much more required—not the least of which is exposure to the other limbs of yoga and a focus on and appreciation and implementation of the yamas and niyamas, also referred to as the Ten Ethical Principles, to complement asana study and practice. Implementing the Introductory I & II asana syllabi in the IYNAUS system, students become adept at the standing poses, 19
