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FROM THE REGIONS
IYACSR At the end of summer, the Iyengar Yoga Association of California Southern Region (IYACSR) was honored to host Birjoo Mehta again in San Diego. In 2013, he lead the IYNAUS Conference and Convention Sarvabhauma Yog, and in 2015, he came to teach the Panchamahabhutas, Five Great Elements. This time, Birjoo taught the five vital airs, the Vayus. The topic was philosophical, practical, and inspirational. We all learn and teach what to do in the asanas. We all strive to learn and teach how to do them. Birjoo teaches us why we do them. Whether he teaches Elements or Winds or gross physicality, Birjoo shares that any aspect of the practice that we focus on is an important part, something we can conceptualize. Just as there are many kinds of maps—topographical, Thomas Guides, the Waze app—so too are there guides for our sadhana. How one travels may necessitate a different sort of map (for example, Waze is no good to an airline pilot, and a globe will not help someone find a new yoga studio). Birjoo makes new yoga maps accessible to his students. The workshop took place over four days, Aug. 31–Sept. 3, 2017, at the Williams Barn in San Marcos, a beautiful event space in north San Diego County. We were treated to a practice on hardwood floors, with mountains out the windows and glimpses of horses walking past our space. The 150 students in attendance came from San Diego, Los Angeles, Idaho, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Mexico to learn from Birjoo. This was a community-organized workshop, starting with the IYACSR Board and carried out by dozens of volunteers every day. In the end, every attendee contributed to the well-being of the group. The weekend was quite hot—Birjoo jokingly thanked us for the Mumbai-like conditions. IYACSR appreciates the efforts of all who made space for a neighbor, who brought an extra fan into the practice hall, and
Stephanie Lavender supports Kim Mackesy in Adho Mukha Vrksasana during a demonstration at International Yoga Day in San Diego. Photo: Nancy Baldon
who looked out for fellow students as needed. IYACSR plans to share still photographs, captured by the gracious and talented Nancy Baldon, on our Facebook page and online at www.iyacsr. org. We also plan to release a video recording of the entire event, filmed by Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher (CIYT) Dan Guida, through Vimeo. Please visit our website for more information. The collaboration extended beyond the region. IYACSR was delighted to work with John Schumacher and Unity Woods who hosted Birjoo Mehta in Virginia on the weekend after his time in San Diego. We see this as an opportunity and a model for interregional collaboration. We encourage our counterparts around the U.S. to communicate early and often about special events. On Sunday, June 18, San Diego celebrated and honored International Yoga Day in historic and beautiful Balboa Park. IYACSR represented this method and the Iyengar Yoga centers in our region. Our Community Outreach Chair Stephanie Lavender arranged a booth space, which she and her team of volunteers decorated with photos of Guruji and copies of books written by B.K.S. Iyengar, Geeta Iyengar, and Prashant Iyengar. Of the dozens of booths participating in the event, IYACSR was unique as a noncommercial entity. We were not selling classes or clothing or coconut water. We were simply there to share the method. In addition to our displays, the IYACSR booth hosted a series of Iyengar Yoga demonstrations. Eleven volunteers showed poses in series for over an hour to an audience of onlookers that stood three deep. Practitioners from various regional Iyengar Yoga centers displayed asanas from all categories.
Participants in Birjoo Mehta’s San Diego workshop on the Vayus, or five vital airs Photo: Nancy Baldon
Yoga Samachar Fall 2017 / Winter 2018
Outside our booth, Stephanie Lavender (CIYT Intermediate Junior I) taught a class on Surya Namaskar the Iyengar way and Kim Zanger-Mackesy (CIYT Intermediate Junior II) taught arm balances to large and mixed groups. The participants could experience for themselves the practice they had observed earlier. 3
