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<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong><br />
Spring<br />
2016<br />
Issue<br />
number<br />
28<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
SPRING 2016<br />
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I YENGAR® Y OGA (UK)<br />
Honorary president: <strong>Yoga</strong>charya Sri B.K.S. <strong>Iyengar</strong><br />
www.iyengaryoga.org.uk<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong><br />
Spring 2016 Issue number 28<br />
Editorial<br />
In this issue of IYN, we have published the second part of the edited transcript of Birjoo Mehta’s teaching<br />
at last year’s annual IY (UK) Convention in Exeter. In this part, we have covered the pranayama classes that<br />
he taught. We are very grateful to Birjoo for the work he has done in helping us prepare this transcript. This<br />
year’s Convention in Harrogate will be taught by Raya Uma Datta, and we have an article by him about his<br />
discovery of <strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong>. We have reports from <strong>Yoga</strong>nusasanam 2015 as well as regular reports and features.<br />
We hope you enjoy reading this issue.<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
Editorial Board: Philippe Harari,<br />
Judi Soffa, Tehira Taylor, Sigute Barniskyte-Kidd,<br />
John Cotgreave<br />
Layout & Design: Sigute Barniskyte-Kidd<br />
Articles to: editor@iyengaryoga.org.uk<br />
Advertising: John Cotgreave<br />
cotgreavej@gmail.com<br />
Copy deadline: 30 July 2016<br />
This magazine is printed on paper that is<br />
sourced under a scheme which ensures<br />
minimal environmental impact.<br />
Membership and Office Manager<br />
Andy Tait<br />
Telephone 07510326997<br />
email offce@iyengaryoga.co.uk<br />
PO Box 51698, London, SE8 9BU<br />
PR & Website Manager<br />
Katie Owens<br />
Telephone 07510 326 997<br />
email katie@iyengaryoga.org.uk<br />
IY (UK) PO Box 4730,<br />
Sheffield S8 2HE<br />
Finance & Bookings Administrator<br />
Jess Wallwork<br />
Telephone 07757 463 767<br />
email jess@iyengaryoga.org.uk<br />
15 West Grove,<br />
Bristol BS6 5LS<br />
Assessments Administrator<br />
Kate Woodcock<br />
Telephone 07914089360<br />
email kate@iyengaryoga.org.uk<br />
PO Box 1217,<br />
Bradford, BD1 9XF<br />
Photo credits: Kirsten Agar-Ward, Cath Barnes-Holt, Ros Bell, Gerry Chambers,<br />
Sheila Green, Abi Myles, Charlotte Rosser, Jasvinder Singh<br />
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Contents<br />
Features<br />
Dharma in Theory and Practice<br />
IY(UK) Convention 2015 page 4<br />
Solstice Class<br />
by Diane West page 18<br />
Atha <strong>Yoga</strong> Anushã sanam<br />
by Raya Uma Datta page 20<br />
My First Faltering Steps in <strong>Yoga</strong> at the Age of 67<br />
by Jasvinder Singh page 25<br />
Geeta - a Gem for Women and Men<br />
by Janet Swinney page 29<br />
<strong>Yoga</strong>nusasanam Comments<br />
page 32<br />
A Tale of County Folk<br />
by Sheila Green page 35<br />
National <strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> Day UK 2016<br />
page 36<br />
Member information<br />
IY(UK) Reports page 38<br />
New Admin Contacts page 41<br />
Assessment Results and Notices pages 43<br />
IY (UK) Professional Development Days 2016 page 44<br />
List of Institutes and Centres page 48<br />
Charity <strong>Yoga</strong> Notebook<br />
by Prithi Irani page 54<br />
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Dharma - in theory and practice<br />
Transcript of IY(UK) Convention 2015 teachings with Birjoo Mehta<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
In June 2015, three hundred people attended the<br />
IY(UK) annual convention at Exeter University with<br />
Birjoo Mehta. In the last issue of IYN we presented<br />
extracts from the asana classes. The following is a summary<br />
of the three pranayama classes he taught.<br />
Transcripts by: Isabel Jones Fielding, Vanessa McNaught,<br />
Katie Owens and Jess Wallwork<br />
Editing by: Birjoo Mehta, Philippe Harari and Judi Soffa<br />
1st Session<br />
DHARMA AND THE ECOSYSTEM<br />
Invocation:<br />
As before, focus on the chest for which the action has<br />
been done but do not focus on the actions and sensations<br />
from the skeleto-muscular body, which is the doer.<br />
When the chest experiences fullness, the mind becomes<br />
quiet. While the movement of the breath is felt, do not<br />
allow yourself to get involved in that. And in this quiet<br />
state, with poise in the mind, peace in the body, we shall<br />
invoke Sage Patanjali.<br />
Let’s start with the concept of dharma. There is no<br />
one word in the English language that accurately conveys<br />
the concept of dharma, because that’s a concept<br />
which comes only in the Indian tradition. Dharma is<br />
sometimes translated as “law”, sometimes as “rules”<br />
for conduct of life, sometimes as “religion” at other<br />
times as “duty” to be performed. So, depending on<br />
the context, people give different meanings.<br />
Being students of <strong>Yoga</strong>charya BKS <strong>Iyengar</strong>, we will go<br />
by the definition which he has used, which comes<br />
from the Mahabharata:<br />
“Patitam, patantam patishyantam dhãrayati it<br />
dharmaha”<br />
Dharma is defined as that which uplifts and sustains<br />
those that are falling, those that have fallen and those<br />
that are yet to fall. As yoga students performing an<br />
asana, that which brings about a long, stable and sustained<br />
state in the asana is dharma. As inhabitants of<br />
the planet, all our human endeavours are possible<br />
only if the planet itself is sustained. If we sustain our<br />
lifestyle at the cost of our planet then such action<br />
would not be dharmic. Therefore sustenance should<br />
be looked upon at an ecosystem level. Dharma operates<br />
at the holistic or ecosystem level.<br />
Some people injure their hamstrings while attempting<br />
Hanumanasana. This would be the consequence<br />
of an improper practice. This will affect their practice<br />
of other asanas and so the attempt to perform Hanumanasana<br />
at any cost is not dharmic. Why does an<br />
injury happen? This is because we are more focused<br />
on doing – working on the legs to spread the legs -<br />
rather than checking what is happening to the rest of<br />
the ecosystem of the body by the action of spreading<br />
the legs. If we watched the fullness of the chest<br />
and maintained that, we would not over stretch and<br />
would not injure ourselves and this practice would<br />
be dharmic.<br />
We make a mistake when we think that to work on<br />
the chest we have to work from the chest. It is the<br />
other parts of the body that support the chest, and<br />
in turn the chest supports the other parts. Once<br />
you know the interdependency, you then operate<br />
for the ecosystem. A person working only for himself<br />
disturbs the ecosystem. If one works only for<br />
oneself – this is against dharma (adharma) and if one<br />
considers the whole ecosystem, then one is with<br />
dharma. I have to support somebody, somebody<br />
else supports somebody else and, in turn, I am also<br />
supported. Then what happens is that your view<br />
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of yourself as being an individual<br />
changes and you become universal,<br />
because you start to identify<br />
yourself with the ecosystem and<br />
not your individual self. And when<br />
you start to identify with the ecosystem,<br />
the individual in the ecosystem<br />
performs the task assigned<br />
for the benefit of the whole ecosystem.<br />
The Bhagavad Gita in the eighteenth<br />
chapter also says the same<br />
thing:<br />
18.47 shreyansvadharmo vigunah<br />
paradharmatsvanushthitat<br />
It is better to do your own job<br />
or your own Dharmic duty even<br />
if it is not done well, rather than<br />
do somebody else’s task, because<br />
every cell has to do its own task.<br />
So every task is important in the<br />
whole ecosystem.<br />
OBSERVING THE MIND<br />
Whenever I ask what is happening<br />
in the chest, what do you do?<br />
You direct the eyes to the chest.<br />
Here the chest becomes the object<br />
of the observation by the<br />
eyes. The eyes become the subject<br />
– the story teller. Actually we<br />
should be taking in the perspective<br />
of the chest. What is the observation<br />
made by the chest? The chest<br />
ought to become the subject and<br />
the chest should look at the head.<br />
The moment this happens it brings<br />
quietness.<br />
Once you know the interdependency,<br />
you then operate for the ecosystem.<br />
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Mind cannot directly observe the mind, the body cannot<br />
directly work on the body. If you want to build<br />
muscles, do you think the body alone can accomplish<br />
this? Or do you require the mind to say 'come<br />
what may, even if it’s hard, I am going to do the work<br />
out.' You need will power, isn’t it? There the mind is<br />
required to build the body. Similarly to observe the<br />
mind, the body is required. Directly you cannot do<br />
it. The mind is dependent on the body, the body is<br />
dependent on the mind. The mind is dependent on<br />
the breath, the breath is dependent on the mind. The<br />
body is dependent on the breath, the breath is dependent<br />
on the body. So it is an ecosystem of connections.<br />
If you want to make the mind stable, you need<br />
to work through the body.<br />
Consciousness is composed of the mind, the intelligence<br />
and the ego; the mind is “manas”, the intelligence<br />
is “buddhi” the ego is “ahamkara”. When you<br />
say somebody’s conscious, what do you mean? A<br />
person is conscious if he appropriately responds to a<br />
stimulus. Now let us look at the process of response.<br />
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An external stimulus stimulates the<br />
senses of perception, the senses<br />
of perception create an impulse<br />
which the mind carries to the processor<br />
of the information, the intelligence,<br />
for a decision on what to<br />
do. The intelligence with the help<br />
of the memory takes a decision.<br />
This decision is conveyed through<br />
the mind to the organs of action<br />
and the organs of action complete<br />
the action. So this is the complete<br />
path from stimulus to response.<br />
If any of these parts fail, then one<br />
would appear to be unconscious.<br />
For example, if the connection<br />
through the mind from the brain to<br />
the organs of action stop, the person<br />
will not display consciousness,<br />
but the person would be feeling<br />
everything, a state known clinically<br />
as a “locked in” state. Similarly, if the<br />
senses are not there completely, he<br />
may be alive, alert, but he doesn’t<br />
know anything is happening to him<br />
and so he will not respond. He will<br />
be called unconscious to the surrounding.<br />
Let me use an analogy between<br />
the three aspects that constitute<br />
the consciousness and a computer<br />
system. Now in a computer system<br />
we have input devices, like the<br />
keyboard, that provide the inputs<br />
for processing. In the same manner<br />
the senses of perception provide<br />
the input to be processed. The<br />
computer program or application<br />
processes the data that has been<br />
input. This is like the intelligence<br />
or buddhi which analyses the information<br />
and decides on an adequate<br />
response. The memory or<br />
database is like ego or ahamkara<br />
which stores the past impressions.<br />
The organs of action are like the<br />
output devices such as a printer<br />
or display screen. The operating<br />
system, such as Windows 7 or<br />
Android, manages the computer's<br />
memory, processes, and all of its<br />
software and hardware and allows<br />
you to communicate with<br />
the computer. Without an operating<br />
system, a computer is useless.<br />
Likewise the mind acts like a bridge<br />
between the sense of perception,<br />
organs of action, intelligence and<br />
ego.<br />
The mind performs functions that<br />
are common for all life forms. Like<br />
a computer application that performs<br />
a specific function, the intelligence<br />
performs a specialised<br />
function that makes us human.<br />
Whereas ego is individualised for<br />
each person like the memory and<br />
database for each computer user.<br />
Collections of whatever you have<br />
felt and experienced and your perceptions<br />
and your behaviour, all<br />
this becomes the memory or the<br />
ego. It is the ego that makes us different<br />
from another person.<br />
The physical body along with the<br />
senses and organs of action is the<br />
hardware. Consciousness, consisting<br />
of the operating system (mind),<br />
application program (intelligence)<br />
and database (ego) is the software.<br />
The breath (prana) is the power<br />
supply. The hardware on its own<br />
without software serves no purpose.<br />
The software on its own<br />
cannot function. And for the hardware<br />
and software to function we<br />
need power or breath (prana).<br />
For a response or an action, any<br />
one of the three, the mind, the intelligence<br />
or the ego may take a<br />
lead. The yogi does things with discrimination,<br />
with buddhi. The mind<br />
will be there but it will play a subordinate<br />
role. The ego will be there<br />
but it too plays a subordinate role.<br />
It is the buddhi which should predominate.<br />
Discrimination comes<br />
from buddhi. To know that my left<br />
arm is lower than the right arm,<br />
that is buddhi. So to go on adjusting<br />
until I feel them equal, that happens<br />
through the buddhi, the intelligence.<br />
To be able to discriminate<br />
is what makes us human.<br />
Normally the mind can observe<br />
other things but not itself. But when<br />
the chest becomes the subject, the<br />
observer and the story teller, the<br />
mind is known. This is what the<br />
<strong>Yoga</strong> Sutra says:<br />
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III.35 hrdaye cittasamvit<br />
By samyama in the region of the heart, a yogi acquires<br />
a thorough knowledge of the contents and tendencies<br />
of consciousness.<br />
When the chest experiences fullness, the mind (as an<br />
object) is perceived and known by the mind (the observer<br />
or the subject). It is only in this condition that<br />
the subject (the mind that perceives) is the same as<br />
the chosen object (the mind that is being perceived).<br />
This is meditation. As both the object and subject are<br />
same, there is no relative movement between the<br />
two and therefore the mind experiences stillness.<br />
Why does this happen? This is because the body is<br />
not doing its dharma. And therefore the mind and<br />
the pranayama is suffering. What is the dharma of the<br />
body? It is to remain erect and keep the chest full.<br />
Depending on the region of the chest where the<br />
breath touches, the mind experiences a particular<br />
condition. When the breath touches the mid chest<br />
region, the mind is alert, sharp and attentive and if it<br />
is in the top chest region one gets emotional. When<br />
the breath is in the lower part of the lungs the mind<br />
becomes dull. You can direct the breath to this region<br />
when you want to rest. When the breath is in the abdominal<br />
region, your mind initiates thoughts.<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
To get the fullness in the chest we need the whole<br />
body to work as an ecosystem to prop the chest.<br />
Guruji has said the body is my first prop. It is the body<br />
that supports and gives the chest the fullness so that<br />
the mind expands and can therefore be observed by<br />
the mind. When you do setu bandha sarvangasana,<br />
are you not spontaneously silenced? Why is that? Because<br />
the chest is radiating. When the chest radiates,<br />
the mind is looking into the mind, it is stilling. When<br />
you look at the mind through the head, there is instability.<br />
OBSERVING THE BREATH<br />
Frankly for many, many years I found pranayama exasperating.<br />
Have we all not experienced that the first volitional<br />
inhalation of breath is deep and fulfilling? But the exhalation<br />
that follows is short. Also for the first few<br />
cycles we are very sharp, attentive, shoulders are kept<br />
back, armpit chest is forward, everything is fine. After<br />
a few cycles we become dull. And later after the dullness<br />
of a few cycles, our mind starts to wander.<br />
Initially in our practice of pranayama, we are sharp<br />
and the breath is directed to the middle chest. Then<br />
you get one cycle or two cycles of good breath. Then<br />
the breath slowly drops to the lower chest and you<br />
start to feel sleepy and then later it drops further<br />
to the abdominal region and then your mind starts<br />
to wander, eyes open and we fidget. Now why does<br />
it happen? Because progressively the spine collapses.<br />
The spine collapses first in the middle chest, then it<br />
collapses in the lower dorsal region, then it collapses<br />
in the lumbar region and that is the time when the<br />
thoughts arise.<br />
Nowadays a lot of people want to do meditation.<br />
Guruji never talked about meditation in public. But<br />
without mentioning the word, he made the students<br />
experience this, by arranging the body to support the<br />
chest and spontaneously the mind observed the mind<br />
and experienced stillness. Now you will understand<br />
why so much importance is given on the sitting. If you<br />
don’t sit properly and keep your spine erect throughout,<br />
your mind is bound to be restless.<br />
Now I will make you aware of where and how things go<br />
wrong in pranayama.<br />
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Sit erect. Lift the side chest up. Shoulders back. Shoulder blades in.<br />
These are all correct instructions. However, the mistake we make is that we follow the instruction by acting<br />
on the skeleto-muscular body and observing the skeleto-muscular body. Thus it is the body doing for itself<br />
and this is therefore not Dharma. The correct way would be to adjust the skeleto-muscular body to make the<br />
chest experience fullness. Once the chest experiences the fullness, the body should adjust so that the fullness<br />
of the chest is sustained.<br />
Now remaining there, with the head erect move the eyes back, as if the eyes are going deep into the sockets. Spontaneously<br />
within a short while you will become aware of the movement of the breath. The next mistake we make is<br />
that we start to get involved in the breath. We observe the breath as it goes in and out cyclically. Our mind follows<br />
the breath and it starts to move cyclically along with the breath in the chest region.<br />
One should know that to move any part of the body, the mind needs to be present in that part. And as a corollary<br />
if the mind is in any part, displacement will take place in that part even if there is a slight disturbance of the mind.<br />
Now observe and follow the breath. You are following the inhalation as it flows in. You will follow the exhalation as it<br />
flows out with your eyes closed. Keep on following the breath. As the breath goes in you follow it inside. As the breath<br />
goes out you follow it outside.<br />
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Keep following the breath, your mind<br />
on the breath, the mind going circularly<br />
with the breath. Slowly you will<br />
find yourself becoming very calm,<br />
quiet. You will find yourself becoming<br />
quiet. This is because now the awareness<br />
is not of the breath touching the<br />
mid-chest but of the breath touching<br />
the lower region of the chest. This is<br />
a consequence of the displacement<br />
of the spine due to the movement<br />
of the mind and the spine collapsing<br />
towards the lower dorsal region.<br />
Continue with the mind following the<br />
breath and observe how the touch of<br />
the breath moves further down the<br />
chest and how the spine too slowly<br />
collapses. Then you deviate further<br />
and slowly you become aware of the<br />
movement of the abdomen. This is<br />
what happens spontaneously. Now<br />
as you become aware of the movement<br />
of the abdomen and start to<br />
follow that, then thoughts start to<br />
emerge. Then the thought comes<br />
to you, why is the breath losing its<br />
rhythm and you want to control the<br />
breath. Then one thought leads to<br />
another and your mind spirals into<br />
a cacophony of thoughts. Then you<br />
suddenly become aware that your<br />
mind has wandered, the chest and<br />
spine have collapsed. And then you<br />
readjust. Then as you once again follow<br />
the breath the whole cycle repeats.<br />
Let’s understand what displacements<br />
have taken place in the body while<br />
your mind followed your breath. Take<br />
the shoulders back. Are you able to<br />
do it? That means the shoulders had<br />
come to the front in the interim period.<br />
Make the spine erect. Are you<br />
able to do this? This means that the<br />
spine had collapsed.<br />
If you were able to once again bring<br />
about the openness in the chest, it<br />
means that chest had collapsed earlier.<br />
This means that the mind had<br />
moved from the middle of the chest,<br />
where the mind observed the mind,<br />
to the lower chest where you feel<br />
relaxed. In this restful state you feel<br />
happy because you are very quiet.<br />
And in that happiness due to the<br />
dullness, the chest sinks further, and<br />
your mind starts to wander. The mistake<br />
was not in your sitting, the mistake<br />
was in your watching the breath<br />
as it moves, as the breath goes in<br />
and out.<br />
So, now don’t observe the breath.<br />
Disregard the breath, just as you<br />
disregard the background noise of<br />
a fan whirling. Cup your hands and<br />
place the fingers on the floor slightly<br />
behind you so that you are able to<br />
maintain the opening of the chest.<br />
Corners of the shoulders back, the<br />
side chest moving to the front, as if<br />
it is bursting. Nothing should disturb<br />
the chest, even the breath should not<br />
disturb the chest. This feeling should<br />
be retained. No oscillations in the<br />
chest. It’s as if the radiation is taking<br />
place from the chest everywhere.<br />
Keeping the chest exactly as it is,<br />
now without any disturbance felt in<br />
the chest take a deep inhalation. You<br />
might feel a slight movement in the<br />
first few cycles because the chest<br />
may not have been well opened, but<br />
after the initial cycles of breath nothing<br />
should disturb the chest.<br />
Now keeping that opening… exhale…<br />
you’ll realise what happens to<br />
the abdomen… inhale… exhale…<br />
attention in the chest… attention<br />
in the shoulders… attention in the<br />
corners of the shoulders… inhale…<br />
with that same opening… exhale…<br />
no feeling of change in the expression<br />
of the chest… inhale… exhale.<br />
Now after these cycles of ujjayi inhalation<br />
and exhalation, see if you<br />
can take the shoulders back. Could<br />
you move them or were they still in<br />
place? Try to lift your spine. Could you<br />
lift it or was it still in place? Wasn’t<br />
your sitting undisturbed? It remains<br />
undisturbed if you had maintained<br />
the opening of the chest throughout.<br />
Then release.<br />
What did you feel different now from<br />
what you did before? Stillness, peace<br />
and poise? But you are not dull. Now<br />
this is why so much attention is given<br />
on the sitting.<br />
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You know that in pranayama we should take the<br />
head down. When the chest is lifted, the head comes<br />
down easily. But when the chest is dropped, and one<br />
tries to take the head down there is a pull and it<br />
hurts you. So keep the chest fully opened to take the<br />
head down.<br />
First, keep the hands back, take the corners of the shoulders<br />
back. It is as though the chest is like a balloon getting<br />
compressed from top and bottom and spreading<br />
in the centre. First feel the fullness in the chest before<br />
taking the head down, as if the chest is radiating, as if it<br />
is spreading all over. So when the chest is open the head<br />
goes down naturally. Then when you inhale and exhale<br />
there is no disturbance in the chest.<br />
In the inhalation, it is the back region of the abdomen<br />
that lift up, it’s an organic action not a muscular one.<br />
And if you keep the chest open and radiating, in the<br />
exhalation you shall observe that the frontal region of<br />
the abdomen, the viscera, the organic body, that moves<br />
up. Don’t follow the breath, on the inhalation or the exhalation.<br />
Only maintain the chest. The movement in the<br />
abdomen should be observed as if it is happening in the<br />
background and is not of interest.<br />
OPENING THE CHEST<br />
In the <strong>Yoga</strong> Rahasya of December 2014 there is a picture<br />
of Guruji sitting on a chair with his chest open.<br />
Even when he exhaled and even when he retained<br />
the breath, his chest stayed open, his chest did not<br />
change. It would be useful to see his practice on film.<br />
If you were to see his practice you will see there is no<br />
movement in the chest, even when he did Bhastrika<br />
or Kapalabhati. Whatever he did, his chest was undisturbed,<br />
it was fully radiating whether he did exhalation<br />
or inhalation.<br />
Complete your last cycle, then after finishing raise the<br />
head up. What happened to your mind now? Quiet and<br />
alert. This illustrates the importance of the chest. The feeling<br />
is of sharpness. If a feeling of dullness is felt then that<br />
what you did was not pranayama.<br />
PRANAYAMA IN THE SUTRAS<br />
Let us now see what Patanjali has to say about pranayama<br />
in the 49th Sutra of the second chapter.<br />
II.49. tasmin satisvasa prasvasayoh gattivicchedah<br />
pranayamah<br />
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Pranayama is the regulation of the<br />
incoming and outgoing flow of<br />
breath with retention. It is to be<br />
practiced only after the perfection<br />
of asana is attained.<br />
Svasa is inhalation or inbreath, or<br />
movement of air into the lungs,<br />
and prasvasayoh is exhalation or<br />
outbreath, or movement of air out<br />
of the lungs. After asana, Patanjali<br />
now moves to the breath – the<br />
movement of the breath and its<br />
stoppage.<br />
Immediately thereafter in Sutra<br />
II.50. he says,<br />
11.50 Bahya abhyantara stambha<br />
vrittih desa kala samkhyabhih<br />
paridrstah dirgha suksmah<br />
Pranayama has three movements;<br />
prolonged and fine inhalation, exhalation<br />
and retention; all regulated<br />
with precision according to<br />
duration and place.<br />
Bahya is external, abhyantara is internal,<br />
stambha is restraint and vritti<br />
of course is movement.<br />
The question I have is that Patanjali<br />
is so precise and concise that he<br />
has provided the complete knowledge<br />
of yoga in 196 sutras. So if<br />
he was referring to the movement<br />
of the air in the lungs in this sutra,<br />
then why would he repeat what<br />
he has said in the previous sutra?<br />
Secondly, why did he use words<br />
Bahya and abhyantara indicating<br />
external or internal movement<br />
and not svasa and prasvasa once<br />
again? And thirdly why in II.49 he<br />
uses svasa or inbreath first before<br />
prasvasa or outbreath and in the<br />
II.50 uses bahya vritti or external<br />
movement first before abhyantara<br />
vritti or internal movement.<br />
My proposition is that the Sutra<br />
II.49 refers to the breath and the<br />
next sutra refers to the mind. The<br />
sequence of the words, svasa prasvasayoh<br />
and Bahya abhyantara is to<br />
indicate that when the inhalation<br />
takes place, the mind moves outwards<br />
and in exhalation the mind<br />
moves inward and when the breath<br />
is restrained – gati viccheddah the<br />
mind is stabilised - stambha. So, in<br />
these two sutras Patanjali helps the<br />
practitioner to cognise the mind –<br />
that which moves outwards during<br />
inhalation and inwards during<br />
exhalation. So from observing the<br />
gross breath one can recognise the<br />
subtle mind. And by regulating the<br />
breath, the mind becomes stabilised.<br />
Sutra II.51: Bahya abhyantara visaya<br />
aksepi caturthah<br />
The fourth type of pranayama,<br />
transcends the external and internal<br />
pranayamas and appears effortless<br />
and non-deliberate.<br />
Here I understand that in the first<br />
three movements of the breath, inhalation,<br />
exhalation and retention<br />
it is the breath that regulates the<br />
mind. In the fourth, it is the stability<br />
of mind that stops the breath.<br />
The earlier sutras refer to the<br />
breath that is retained after inhalation<br />
(abhyantara kumbhaka)<br />
or exhalation (Bahya kumbhaka)<br />
which cause the mind to be stilled.<br />
These types of kumbhakas (retention)<br />
are qualified by the sequence<br />
– either after inhalation or exhalation.<br />
The fourth type referred to in<br />
sutra II.51 is a retention that comes<br />
with stillness of the mind – and this<br />
therefore is retention after neither,<br />
inhalation or exhalation, – unqualified<br />
by sequence and therefore<br />
called kevala kumbhaka or stillness<br />
of the breath by itself, spontaneously<br />
caused by the stillness of the<br />
mind.<br />
Sutra II.52: tatah kshiyate prakasha<br />
avaranam<br />
Pranayama removes the veil covering<br />
the light of knowledge and<br />
heralds the dawn of wisdom.<br />
So here Patanjali says that when<br />
the mind is completely stilled, what<br />
covers the light within is removed<br />
and the light of the conscience radiates<br />
and shines forth. The moving<br />
mind is like a dust storm that<br />
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covers the light and when stilled the light of the conscience<br />
shines. If your pranayama does not go beyond<br />
controlling the breath that is moving in and out, you<br />
will not be able to go from breath to the mind and<br />
then on to the conscience.<br />
Sutra II.53 dharanasu ca yogyata manasah<br />
The mind also becomes fit for concentration.<br />
Now what is the mind? What is the fluctuation of the<br />
mind? When inhalation takes place something seems<br />
to be expanding and you become aware of the outer<br />
layers of the chest. Since awareness is the result of<br />
the presence of the mind in that region, one may<br />
conclude the mind is expanding. However, when you<br />
exhale the outer layers become desensitised. That<br />
means the mind is no longer there. This is the fluctuation<br />
of the mind in breathing.<br />
When you place this imaginary reflectors you will experience<br />
the breath stopping. When you can’t maintain this<br />
state, take off the reflectors and let the radiation go out<br />
again. The breathing commences. Then when you can,<br />
put the reflectors back on again so that the radiation is<br />
reflected back in. Try again, remove the reflectors, and<br />
allow the radiation to spread outwards, and then put<br />
the reflectors back and experience the radiation going<br />
inwards.<br />
Then quietly release, and lie down on two blankets folded<br />
three folds supporting the spine. Even while lying down,<br />
let the radiation of the consciousness from the core of<br />
the chest towards the periphery continue.<br />
Even while lying down, you should let the chest continue<br />
to be the subject. Whether you are inhaling or exhaling,<br />
the chest should radiate out. The mind should not be<br />
LEARNING TO OBSERVE THE CHEST<br />
NOT THE BREATH<br />
Sit on a height, outer shoulders back, take a couple of<br />
deep inhalations for the first 2 cycles to get to maximum<br />
capacity so you can feel the expansion of the chest. Then<br />
take the head down.<br />
Don’t observe the breath, observe the chest. The expression<br />
of the chest should be the same for the inhalation<br />
and the exhalation. Then after the last cycle quietly raise<br />
the head up.<br />
With the head up now, continue to take the corners<br />
of the shoulders back. Feel the expansion in the chest,<br />
observe the radiation in the chest. The next step is to<br />
have this radiation reflected back. So place imaginary<br />
reflectors on the front and sides of the chest so that the<br />
radiation is now reflected back in.<br />
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disturbed, the feeling of the chest should not be disturbed whether you are inhaling or exhaling. As you approach<br />
the end of inhalation, with the chest radiating put the reflectors onto the front and on the sides of the chest so that<br />
the radiation reflects back in. You will find the breath stopping, when you cannot maintain the state remove the<br />
reflectors and let the breath get exhaled, then after exhalation put the reflectors on. Remove the reflectors and let<br />
the inhalation happen. Remember the radiation should continue regardless of whether you are inhaling or exhaling.<br />
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Now as we come to the end of this pranayama, do nothing. There should be no volitional radiation or reflection back<br />
into the chest. Most of you will be experiencing a thoughtless state. When you experience the movement of the<br />
abdomen this state will slowly dissipate. Slowly become aware of your surroundings and then whenever appropriate<br />
for you, you can bend your knees and roll over to your right side.<br />
Pranayama starts with the breath but it is not about the breath. Just as asana is not just about the body, pranayama<br />
is not just about the breath. You can become meditative both in the asana and in the pranayama.<br />
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2nd Session<br />
You all must have experienced something that is<br />
known as a 'song worm'. Here, a song, or a melody<br />
continues to play in your brain even if you don't want<br />
to hear it. Try as much as you want, it just doesn’t stop.<br />
This is an example of disturbed consciousness.<br />
But the moment you take your shoulders back, open<br />
the chest, and radiate you will find the song worm<br />
stop. That is because a radiating chest stills the mind<br />
and disturbance stops. Similarly if you are bothered<br />
by ceaseless flow of thoughts, you will be able to stop<br />
this by getting fullness in the chest and radiating.<br />
Yesterday you heard how to get the chest to experience<br />
fullness by taking the shoulders back. Another<br />
way is to move the ninth dorsal vertebra forward<br />
towards the centre of the sternum. As before, the<br />
dorsal vertebra must work for the chest. Don't focus<br />
on the doer, the dorsal vertebra. Focus on the<br />
chest, which is the seer. Hear the story of the chest.<br />
Adjust the dorsal spine so that the chest experiences<br />
fullness. Any part of the body may be a doer, but the<br />
subject should always be the chest.<br />
Now you will be doing a few cycles of ujjayi.<br />
Now in ujjayi keep the chest undisturbed. As explained<br />
yesterday, the posterior organs of the abdomen will lift in<br />
inhalation and the anterior organs of the abdomen will<br />
lift in exhalation. When the chest is full, bring the head<br />
down. As you inhale and exhale deeply, you will hear a<br />
faint sound in the throat, but it will not be an irritating<br />
sound. This is the sound of ujjayi.<br />
Let me now introduce you to another aspect to cognise<br />
the mind. Let us take an analogy of a boy singing<br />
in chorus. As all the members of the chorus are singing<br />
in unison, it is not possible to isolate and hear the<br />
voice of the boy. However if the rest of the members<br />
of the chorus become quiet you would be able to<br />
hear the voice of the boy.<br />
Normally, the breath, the mind and the chest move<br />
in unison and therefore we cannot get an isolated<br />
perception of the mind. The three appear to be integrated.<br />
So how are we to isolate the mind from the<br />
non-mind?<br />
We know that a body is always at rest with respect<br />
to its own frame. Those outside the frame appear to<br />
be moving. When the chest is full, the mind is observing<br />
the mind. Therefore in the frame of the mind, the<br />
mind is still. At this time, with respect to the frame<br />
of the mind, the breath will appear to move. Therefore<br />
one understands that the breath is not the mind.<br />
The body appears to move with respect to the mind<br />
as you breathe. So you understand that this which is<br />
moving is not the mind. Just as when the voice of all<br />
the rest of the boys in the chorus are silenced the<br />
boys voice is heard, in the same manner when all that<br />
appears to move is eliminated, what remains is the<br />
mind.<br />
So while you are in pranayamic inhalation and exhalation,<br />
let the subject be the mind in the region of<br />
the chest. Do not focus on observing anything that<br />
appears to move, since it is not the mind. Only focus<br />
on that which remains absolutely stable. In this manner<br />
you will be able to isolate the mind from the<br />
body and the breath. If you continue in this fashion,<br />
you will realise that some part of what was initially<br />
considered to be mind, initiates the breath. This too<br />
appears to be moving. Now you will be able to filter<br />
the gross mind which is moving from the subtle mind<br />
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that remains stable. The gross mind will lead you to<br />
perform all the pranayamic techniques whereas the<br />
subtle mind remains an observer or a witness. In this<br />
manner the mind is trained to be fit for dharana or<br />
concentration.<br />
Sutra II.53 dharanasu ca yogyata manasah<br />
The mind also becomes fit for concentration.<br />
Initially when the concentration is weak, you shall feel<br />
the mind constrained within the physical body. When<br />
the mind is further concentrated, it is not restrained<br />
by the physical body but spreads beyond. Then the<br />
“asmita” or your understanding of what constitutes<br />
“you”, changes and you do not identify yourself only<br />
with your physical body but to a larger ecosystem.<br />
When the ecosystem becomes your asmita, the<br />
whole ecosystem, the whole world, the whole universe<br />
becomes you. And therefore, there is a feeling<br />
of maitri, friendliness; karuna, compassion; mudita, joy;<br />
upeksha, indifference to one and all. Then there is<br />
gratitude, because you realise the ecosystem is feeding<br />
you. And when that gratitude comes, then all your<br />
actions start to be for that ecosystem, for the universe<br />
and, not for yourself. You realise you cannot act<br />
for the benefit of yourself and whatever you receive<br />
is from others. Then your concerns become universal.<br />
Then all actions will be conscientious. All actions<br />
will be Dharmic.<br />
3rd Session<br />
Sit straight, fold your palms, keep the back and the head<br />
erect, close your eyes. See that the weight of the body<br />
is taken on the frontal buttock bones or the area where<br />
the pelvic girdle meets the femur bones. When you sit in<br />
this manner the spine is kept lifted. Move the side waist<br />
up, side chest up. Even the armpits may go up. But keep<br />
the shoulders down, and extend the upper arms towards<br />
the elbows. Move the corners of the shoulders back so<br />
that the chest becomes the subject and then the chest<br />
radiates. At this time the mind becomes still. Then quietly<br />
take the eyes back so that the brain becomes quiet. So<br />
from being an actor you have to become the observer,<br />
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and from an observer, to an uninvolved observer or a witness. Then you are fit for prayer. We invoke Sage Patanjali,<br />
we invoke the qualities, attributes of Sage Patanjali so that we may experience the bounty of yoga.<br />
<strong>Yoga</strong> is citta vritti nirodhah. Citta is the consciousness, and vritti is the disturbances of the consciousness, and<br />
nirodhah is to cease or restrain. So, if I have to restrain the disturbance of the consciousness, I first have to<br />
know what the consciousness is. Only when I know the consciousness I will be able to understand the attributes,<br />
and from the attributes will I understand what can help to cease the movements.<br />
What is the mind? The idea of mind is very nebulous. But now, you have an understanding that when the chest<br />
has expanded there is something which is radiating and that something is the mind. So what’s the next step?<br />
As you breathe you experience the expansion, contraction of the spread of radiation, and you realise that the<br />
mind is constantly modulating. But you can stop it from modulating. The practice of pranayama helps to stabilise<br />
and stop the mind from modulating. And when the mind is stable, the breath goes into kevala kumbhaka<br />
and the clutter surrounding the conscience is removed and the light of the conscience shines. Conscience is<br />
dharmendriya or the sense organ of dharma. From then on the conscience guides all action such that the actions<br />
are Dharmic, and the asmita becomes universal.<br />
If you follow this process, then pranayama becomes a very attractive proposition as every time you do<br />
pranayama you shall be learning something new. You will go beyond the boundaries of your own knowledge<br />
intuitively. But if you just go on following the breath, you will initially experience dullness and later boredom.<br />
Now you know the reason why you sometimes feel sleepy and sometimes restless in pranayama. The fault is<br />
not with you but the process you have adopted.\<br />
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Solstice Class<br />
Exeter Cathedral<br />
Diane West, Dorset Teacher<br />
It was a pleasure to take part in the summer<br />
solstice yoga class in front of Exeter’s magnificent<br />
cathedral. The class was well supported by<br />
convention attendees and the pre-arranged coach<br />
was much appreciated.<br />
Fortunately we had good weather. A sunny, bright<br />
and breezy afternoon with blue sky and fluffy<br />
white clouds. We even had the cathedral bells<br />
ringing out while the class was in progress (was<br />
this by chance or arranged?). The wind tried in<br />
vain to lift the mats from the ground but failed as<br />
we held them down.<br />
We assembled in front of the cathedral with<br />
mats lined up and handbags parked to one<br />
side. We were ready to begin the<br />
invocation to Lord Patanjali.<br />
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Sheila Haswell led an excellent class. Poses<br />
were called, relayed and we flowed from one to<br />
another. Minimal props were used (no time for<br />
these). Cobbles may have been hard through the<br />
mats but this was put aside as we moved as one<br />
in yoga. Even the occasional seagull dropping a<br />
gift did not daunt us. It was an enthusiastic class<br />
full of fun and laughter.<br />
Many students were dressed in convention t-shirts<br />
and leaflets were handed out to the shoppers and<br />
tourists who quickly gathered around to watch<br />
and take pictures. All too<br />
soon the class came to an end but there was<br />
still time for a welcome coffee with friends then<br />
back to the University.<br />
The memorable experience was of child-like fun<br />
and unity and a feast for the senses being outside<br />
on such a lovely afternoon. So pleased to have<br />
taken part. Well done events committee for the<br />
excellent organisation. \<br />
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Atha yoga anushāsanam<br />
Raya Uma Datta<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
RIMYI, January 1999. 9.10 am: I was about to leave the Institute after attending my class. ‘Ae<br />
Raya.’ A voice came from nowhere. I looked here and there with disbelief. ‘Come here.’ He<br />
was looking straight into me. I got intimidated by the sight under the bushy eyebrows. He<br />
was standing with a taut face and a slight grin.<br />
‘Did he really call me? Or was I day-dreaming as always?’ I looked at him.<br />
He was standing outside his house with white veshty and the crème kurta. The students<br />
were greeting him and touching his feet. Why was he calling me?<br />
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I was twenty. I had quit studies<br />
halfway. I could be called a dropout.<br />
People around me were<br />
deeply worried that this chap is<br />
going nowhere, only wasting his<br />
time. I was a lost person. I had<br />
started working at a desk top<br />
publishing firm like an office boy<br />
and earning some amount of<br />
money. The eightieth birthday<br />
celebrations were over a month<br />
before that. During the celebrations,<br />
I did help with publishing<br />
activities and was also a part of<br />
the kid’ s demonstration.<br />
‘Come here.’ He called me<br />
again. I felt like running away but<br />
I walked to him and touched<br />
his feet. ‘What are you doing<br />
NOW?’ He asked. ‘Nothing.<br />
Going home.’ I answered<br />
sheepishly.<br />
‘I mean what are you doing<br />
NOW in your life?’ His eyebrows<br />
became even more curved and<br />
his eyes drilled me. In my life?<br />
What does one have to do in<br />
life? Nothing much! I thought. I<br />
shrugged my shoulders. ‘I work<br />
with this firm,’ I started telling him<br />
my daily routine, ‘I earn money…<br />
‘What is use of that?’ He sliced<br />
my answer half-way. I felt like a<br />
bowler thrown over the ropes by<br />
Tendulkar.<br />
‘Why don’t you practise?’ he<br />
asked me. ‘I come for the classes<br />
very regularly.’ I was fumbling<br />
over the answers. ‘Why don’t<br />
you practise?’ He was not backing<br />
out. I was perplexed. Where was<br />
this conversation heading? His<br />
next question was like a bolt. ‘Do<br />
you know how to practise?’ I was<br />
dumbstruck with a blank look in<br />
my eyes. ‘What am I here for?’<br />
With one hand on his waist and<br />
the other questioning he asked.<br />
‘I will teach you. You should not<br />
waste your time here and there<br />
NOW’<br />
I nodded yes. ‘But what about<br />
my job?’ ‘Is that your life? What<br />
respect do you have with this<br />
job?’ He was bombarding me<br />
NOW<br />
begins the<br />
exposition<br />
of yoga.<br />
questions that I was running<br />
away from. ‘Start practice. That<br />
will bring you some good life’. ‘A<br />
better life?’, I was really shaken<br />
with what was happening. ‘Be<br />
disciplined’. He gave the last<br />
boost with a warm smile.<br />
I had just started getting<br />
comfortably numb with the life<br />
I was living. He churned me<br />
inside out. As I walked out of<br />
the Institute gate, I was shocked,<br />
surprised and scared with<br />
excitement.’ Did this actually<br />
happen? Guruji himself called me<br />
by my name.’ I pinched myself.<br />
Eleven years have passed. Guruji<br />
initiated me into the practice.<br />
He asked me to follow the<br />
‘discipline of practice’. I remember<br />
the conversation very vividly.<br />
Guruji started with NOW and<br />
concluded with DISCIPLINE.<br />
This directly connects to what<br />
Patanjali has stated. Atha yoga<br />
anushasanam.<br />
Today on Patanjali Jayanti let’s<br />
look at this sutra: atha yoga<br />
anushasanam.<br />
atha: Now, here on, here after<br />
yoga: union, to unite, to yoke,<br />
Samadhi<br />
anu: to follow something, to go<br />
after, to trace behind<br />
shasanam : order, training,<br />
educating, directing, rule<br />
NOW begins the exposition of<br />
yoga.<br />
Atha - NOW:<br />
Such a magnificent start! Patanjali<br />
does not ask, what have you<br />
done earlier? Where do you<br />
come rom? Whosoever shows<br />
the inclination and courage can<br />
walk on this path. The darshan<br />
- subject is available as a guiding<br />
light. Start, at this very moment.<br />
Not later. As you are!<br />
With whatever you have. NOW!<br />
A few years ago a guy walked<br />
in. Small built with anxiety on his<br />
face and eyes stressed. He had<br />
faced a combat. He was HIV<br />
positive. Very hesitantly he went<br />
to Guruji. ‘Life is not over. Don’t<br />
lose your heart. What happened,<br />
happened!’ Guruji consoled.<br />
‘NOW on don’ t miss your<br />
practice.’<br />
He is still walking on this path.<br />
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On numerous occasions this hall has seen Guruji<br />
ask, ‘Can you tell me, where are you not reaching<br />
in the asana?’ We generally miss the bus looking<br />
for a correct ‘answer’ - bottom foot or the top of<br />
the head? We forget the silent NOW in the question.<br />
He is asking, ‘where are you NOW? Is your<br />
awareness spreading everywhere uninterruptedly?<br />
Are you aware of NOW?’ Our answer is based<br />
on yesterday’ s answer. Guruji is asking us in the<br />
present and we are reacting from the past. We live<br />
in yesterday. The NOW is dismayed.<br />
darshan. He transcends the boundaries of personnationality-ethnicity-religion-tradition-culture.<br />
The<br />
yoga-sūtra-s lead us like the road maps. Guruji tells<br />
us, ‘keep the practice on top of your priority list.<br />
Other things will follow.’<br />
Mr Joglekar, almost 6 feet tall, a broad man bent<br />
towards his late sixties. The three men who<br />
brought him in, sat down gasping. He suffered from<br />
a massive stroke - paralysis. ‘Can I get any better?’<br />
With his slippery tongue he asked Guruji. ‘Yes’<br />
This is the tender<br />
connection between<br />
Patanjali and<br />
Guruji. What<br />
Patanjali has<br />
said centuries<br />
ago, Guruji is<br />
re-iterating now.<br />
This is the tender connection between Patanjali and<br />
Guruji. What Patanjali has said centuries ago, Guruji<br />
is re-iterating now.<br />
Guruji said. Mr Joglekar paralysed face emoted slides<br />
of disbelief-hope-determination-will-negativity and<br />
positivity.<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
After atha-NOW, the next term in the sutra is yoga.<br />
<strong>Yoga</strong> is to unite. To yoke. To join. The second sutra<br />
defines <strong>Yoga</strong> about which I will not go into details.<br />
Anu — to follow:<br />
The term anu follows yoga! Anu means to follow.<br />
Patańjali’s objective approach is clearly expressed<br />
in this word. He does not direct us to follow any<br />
human. He only points to follow the subject - the<br />
‘From NOW on, if you are ready to follow practice<br />
you will get better’. Guruji gave him an ‘anushãsana’.<br />
Mr Joglekar started coming regularly months on end.<br />
One day I overheard him telling Guruji ‘I drove the<br />
car to the institute.’ His voice was full of joy. For me<br />
it was unbelievable. I thought, Guruji just asked him<br />
to follow the discipline. It encouraged him, gave him<br />
confidence to stand by himself. The entire process<br />
was anushãsana for him.<br />
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Once I was sitting in the library<br />
reading something. A couple of<br />
people walked in. They had built<br />
a hall for ãsana classes. They were<br />
asking for Guruji’s guidance on<br />
the essentials to conduct a class.<br />
They told Guruji that they have<br />
the grill, the horse, ropes on the<br />
wall, but nothing else. ‘Do you<br />
have any students?’ Guruji asked<br />
them. They nodded, yes. ‘Then<br />
that’s it’, Guruji leaned back in his<br />
chair. ‘All you need is students<br />
who want to learn. Rest of the<br />
things are not of importance.<br />
They can be managed with or<br />
without.’ Guruji pointed towards<br />
the core. Following yoga is going<br />
towards the core. Anushãsana<br />
takes us towards the core.<br />
We look at the word anushasana<br />
with a very limited perspective.<br />
We take it as discipline. By action<br />
Guruji has expanded the meaning<br />
and added wisdom to that.<br />
End of summer. I was riding back<br />
from Raigad at night since it is a<br />
very pleasing environment to ride<br />
at night. I took an uncommon<br />
road and climbed the difficult<br />
Warndhaa ghaat. I parked my<br />
bike and stood at the cliff and in<br />
the front, the valley spread down.<br />
I could only hear the wind hissing.<br />
The shades of darkness were<br />
spread across. I closed my eyes.<br />
The shades of darkness even<br />
matched. Suddenly a long spark<br />
cracked in front of my closed<br />
eyes. Light moves faster than<br />
sound. Thunder followed.<br />
The earthy smell filled the<br />
ambiance. Rain drops started<br />
washing my face. I stood there.<br />
Eyes closed. Ears open. Skin<br />
soaking in the coolness. I was on<br />
the edge of transition. Nature<br />
was turning the wheel. Summer<br />
was leaving and rains approaching.<br />
A line, an edge between summer<br />
and rains. There is none. It<br />
is boundary-less existence. It<br />
was an experience of a natural<br />
phenomenon. A feeling and an<br />
inner understanding of oneness.<br />
Everything exists in relationship.<br />
A profoundly deep relationship.<br />
The apparent separate entities<br />
follow one shãsana. Nature<br />
is intuitively in harmony. The<br />
harmony is internal coordination.<br />
From that comes spontaneity,<br />
naturality, intuition. To achieve<br />
such simplicity and ease in living,<br />
anushãsana has to be observed.<br />
We store everything in memory.<br />
Memory shadows spontaneity.<br />
Memory leads to habit. Last<br />
year Abhijata spoke about how<br />
a ‘habit is a disease’. We are all<br />
diseased.<br />
Let us take the example of<br />
Ardha Chandrãsana. How do we<br />
do Ardha Chandrãsana? Keep<br />
aside the technical details. The<br />
moment I hear ‘go to Ardha<br />
Chandrãsana’, my memory starts<br />
intervening. I get entrapped in<br />
comparison. Comparison of<br />
yesterday’s Ardha Chandrãsana<br />
and today’s Ardha Chandrãsana.<br />
A judgemental opinion erupts.<br />
I am doing superior or inferior<br />
or equivalent than yesterday.<br />
The comparison ceases if the<br />
core of ardhachandrãsana is<br />
reached. I would not be doing<br />
ardhachandrãsana. There would<br />
be only Ardha Chandrãsana! It<br />
would be boundary-less existence<br />
in the present.<br />
The other day Guruji came<br />
back f rom Bangalore. He came<br />
in at 2 in the afternoon. At<br />
2.45 he walked into the library.<br />
Sometimes I think he forgets his<br />
age! Today, I push my work to<br />
tomorrow. I postpone my today<br />
to tomorrow.<br />
In Guruji’s daily life, anushãsana<br />
and atha have interchanged their<br />
place! We have to start with now<br />
and follow the discipliner. Then<br />
comes a stage after following<br />
the discipline comes the NOW.<br />
That NOW which is a poorna -<br />
complete.<br />
In modern times, people behave<br />
as if they are at war with<br />
themselves. In such conditions,<br />
we get disconnected with<br />
ourselves. We feel an urge, a<br />
need of internal harmonious<br />
dialogue. <strong>Yoga</strong>-darshan gives a<br />
direction, a hand for stopping the<br />
damage and fall of oneself.<br />
Many of my friends work as<br />
software professionals. Time<br />
and again I hear their discussions<br />
about changing jobs and more<br />
salary. I asked one of them, ‘Why<br />
do you have to change the job<br />
so many times?’ She said, ‘to see<br />
more’. More? I did not exactly<br />
understand, what more? May be<br />
more was with respect to the<br />
salary coming in!<br />
We want more. We ask for<br />
more. We jump up with the idea<br />
of having more for tomorrow.<br />
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Anu means to follow. Patanjali only points us<br />
to follow the subject - yoga. Guruji tells us to<br />
give priority to practise. The rest will follow.<br />
We keep on wandering. A wandering swing manifests<br />
between the past and the future. The other<br />
day, Guruji said, ‘Wandering mind dissipates energy.<br />
One pointed mind retains energy.’ If wandering is<br />
between past and future, then being one pointed<br />
is in NOW. Patanjali asks us to follow the shãsana<br />
that leads to one pointed mind.<br />
knew when the roads would reopen. The situation<br />
was completely out of our control. On the other<br />
side, the ‘time-out’ from responsibilities was getting<br />
over. We had to leave the bikes back there. One<br />
of my friends was completely dejected. He was not<br />
ready to leave the bike. Finally we flew back and<br />
after much awaiting, the bikes too followed.<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
Is it only the military order, the anushãsana ?<br />
When we accept the shãsana, it is not an externally<br />
imposed law and order. It is not the structure<br />
of crime and punishment. Guruji speaks about<br />
the open chest - opening the mind. Actually, he<br />
removes the separation of ‘on the mat ‘ and ‘off the<br />
mat’. He joins the ãsana - prãn˛ãyãma learning to the<br />
way of life. A Trikonãsana or a Viloma prãn˛ãyãma<br />
becomes a metaphor. As we observe every pause<br />
we take in Viloma carefully, similarly every moment<br />
we live, we need to be aware.<br />
Riding my bike through the ranges of Himalaya, I<br />
was in Ladakh. Three of us. You may call us the<br />
three musketeers or three idiots! When we were<br />
there, there was a cloud burst. All the roads we<br />
could have taken to return were blocked. No one<br />
Our emotional grip did not want us to leave<br />
the bikes back. We often stress reality in such<br />
emotionality. Anushãsana gives us clarity and<br />
courage to get over such an emotionality which<br />
only binds us. Every moment has its own truth.<br />
There is no conflict if we confront it. Harmony<br />
surfaces.<br />
Eleven years have passed. The path which began<br />
with Now and Discipline is not a linear road<br />
anymore. It is a wide spread space.<br />
Atha yoga anushãsanam \<br />
This article first appeared in <strong>Yoga</strong> Rahasya, Vol. 18 No<br />
2, 2011.<br />
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My first faltering<br />
steps in yoga at<br />
the age of<br />
67<br />
by Jasvinder Singh<br />
I met <strong>Yoga</strong>charya BKS <strong>Iyengar</strong> Ji once, many years ago. He suggested I take up yoga, but I ignored his<br />
advice. I will come back to our meeting later. It has taken decades for me to see what he was saying. It<br />
is said that you will meet the teacher when you are ready. Help is always there, sometimes right in front<br />
of your nose, but you will pass it by if you are not ready. My short story will hopefully provide motivation<br />
to others, regardless of their age, circumstances and disabilities.<br />
I was born in Kenya, East Africa. My first 7 years<br />
were spent in jungles, being at one with nature,<br />
and having very little contact with other humans<br />
including my parents. This was the start of my<br />
‘awareness of life’. Unfortunately, whenever I raised<br />
any questions about life with grown-ups or priests,<br />
they simply brushed my concerns aside with a joke<br />
or a laugh. It was frustrating, and I began losing<br />
trust in the so-called priests. At nine years old I was<br />
sent to India to study in the Himalayan mountains,<br />
but spent four years playing truant from school. I<br />
roamed the jungles, valleys and mountains. I would<br />
spend time with individual holy people, and my<br />
favourite place was the cremation grounds.<br />
A few years after moving to England at the age of<br />
13, I ran off to London. Luckily I was accepted at a<br />
university. Again I spent much of the time searching<br />
for answers and attending lectures given by Noble<br />
Laureates. I was also a keen sportsman and became<br />
the university’s sports president. Unfortunately I<br />
suffered many injuries, but being very strong-willed<br />
I never paid any attention to my body and never<br />
worried about pain. After university I took up<br />
jobs in non-governmental bodies in order to help<br />
people. This took me to Africa, Europe, and finally<br />
to India. I was becoming more and more frustrated.<br />
While my friends were chasing status, marriages<br />
and homes, I was searching for answers to life and<br />
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becoming more isolated. In the<br />
late 1970s and early 80s I ended<br />
up in India. The hippy era was<br />
coming to an end.<br />
I was working in Mumbai, and<br />
frequented Pune many times.<br />
The fashionable society I was<br />
living with were into many things,<br />
but I could see that it was all a<br />
game; they were concerned with<br />
who they know rather than the<br />
essence of learning. I used to be<br />
dragged from one teacher or holy<br />
man to another. I met <strong>Iyengar</strong> Ji<br />
on a number of occasions in the<br />
company of my hosts. I still feel<br />
his kind, penetrating eyes as he<br />
looked at me and suggested that<br />
I take up yoga and that it will help<br />
me. Because I was with my hosts,<br />
I felt it was inappropriate to raise<br />
my issues in case I was perceived<br />
as taking advantage of the situation.<br />
I kept quiet. I looked at my<br />
hosts who were all overweight<br />
and full of themselves, and in<br />
my ignorance and arrogance I<br />
equated the great teacher with<br />
them. I was already feeling frustrated<br />
with the extreme poverty<br />
I saw in India, and I told <strong>Iyengar</strong><br />
Ji I do not believe in circus acts.<br />
The great teacher smiled and<br />
accepted my reply. My isolation<br />
and my frustration made me blind<br />
to the fact that the answers I was<br />
looking for were staring me in the<br />
face at that very moment.<br />
I rejected <strong>Iyengar</strong> Ji’s recommendation<br />
to do yoga, and continued<br />
with my business back in Britain.<br />
I continued to search for spiritual<br />
guidance through my intellect<br />
and ego. In 2008 my business<br />
collapsed, and you could say my<br />
life collapsed. I lost everything,<br />
including my finances. I became<br />
suicidal, confused, and could not<br />
understand what was happening<br />
to me. My body was giving up<br />
on me. This could have been my<br />
greatest period of reflection, but<br />
no. Instead, I managed to get a<br />
full-time job as a senior clinical<br />
psychotherapist. I was working<br />
18 hours a day, and I was totally<br />
at the mercy of my ignorance<br />
and arrogance. I took pride in my<br />
work helping others, and disregarded<br />
my own needs.<br />
In 2011, I collapsed at work<br />
from over-work and was diagnosed<br />
with septicaemia. I had<br />
no idea what that meant. I was<br />
isolated, lost and helpless, and<br />
did not know how long I would<br />
survive. Although I worked in a<br />
medical setting, I had to depend<br />
on doctors who spoke to me in<br />
a language I did not understand.<br />
For somebody who has not been<br />
to the doctor’s for most of my<br />
life, from 2011, I was having 2-3<br />
appointments with the doctor<br />
and hospitals every week. The<br />
use of my legs became so bad<br />
that amputation became a real<br />
possibility. I became diabetic, with<br />
high blood pressure and arthritic<br />
joints; I had difficulty walking (I<br />
used two walking sticks) and was<br />
in considerable pain.<br />
From my own clinical practice,<br />
I had known that when some<br />
clients go so low that death stares<br />
at them, they seem to develop<br />
such extraordinary insights and<br />
courage that they become well.<br />
These were the thoughts which<br />
started to take root. Somewhere<br />
in the back of my mind, I knew<br />
I could be helped. But at that<br />
moment I knew I had no way of<br />
accessing help, so I made myself<br />
walk and be in nature. I started<br />
taking care of my body, doing<br />
gardening, and clearing clutter in<br />
my house. I did not want others<br />
to clear my mess after I am gone.<br />
I spent every moment in deep<br />
self-reflection. It helped me to<br />
slowly start looking at my predicament.<br />
I was a born a Sikh and I had<br />
always dreamt about learning to<br />
read the Guru Granth Sahib in<br />
Gurumukhi, but because of the<br />
busy-ness of my life, I never had<br />
time to do it. However, I received<br />
a rare opportunity when elderly<br />
monks agreed to teach me to<br />
read the Holy Book. Just like with<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> Ji decades earlier, I raised<br />
my issues that I don’t even look<br />
like a Sikh, and how in my 60’s<br />
am I suddenly going to change?<br />
The most senior monk asked<br />
me one question: Was I going<br />
to learn through the heart or<br />
through my assumptions? He told<br />
me that if it is through the heart,<br />
then he will accept me. I started<br />
learning, and slowly I was even<br />
accepted to read Guru Granth<br />
Sahib in the monastery.<br />
But I had to face my next challenge.<br />
My body. How do you sit<br />
on the floor, cross-legged, for a<br />
minimum of two hours? I have<br />
never sat on the floor in my life.<br />
I cannot sit on the floor for two<br />
minutes, let alone two hours.<br />
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The pain in my legs, hips, chest, shoulders, and neck<br />
was unbearable. The sitting was impossible; I had to<br />
move my legs this way and that way. It was a real<br />
drama. The pain began with my legs, and then some<br />
other part of my body would start crying out for<br />
attention. It was like dealing with a mental hospital<br />
inside me. Finally my body was going to take<br />
revenge on me! I toyed with physical exercises and<br />
physiotherapy. They were helpful, but did not have<br />
the results I was looking for.<br />
I was clear that I needed a step-by-step approach in<br />
order to slowly start freeing my body. What do I do?<br />
Where do I go? I was under a great deal of stress. I<br />
felt lucky to have been given a role<br />
of praying at the temple, but my<br />
body was in pain. Drugs were not<br />
an option; they would just send me<br />
to sleep. Will I now lose my dream<br />
because I have neglected my body?<br />
One day I was passing the <strong>Iyengar</strong><br />
Institute in Birmingham, which is just<br />
100 metres from my home. It has<br />
been there for 13 years and I pass<br />
it many times a day, but it never<br />
occurred to me that this is where<br />
I could get help. I rang the bell and<br />
Andrew, the teacher, came to greet<br />
me. I explained to him my problems. We made a<br />
connection – I would describe it as a deep, spiritual<br />
connection – and he explained to me how <strong>Iyengar</strong><br />
yoga works. It is a step-by-step approach, using props<br />
so that you push your body to your limits without<br />
overdoing the stretching. This minimises injuries. I<br />
thought I’d give it a try.<br />
As I turned to leave the building, I saw the portrait<br />
of <strong>Iyengar</strong> Ji, and said to Andrew, ‘I met <strong>Iyengar</strong> Ji<br />
30 years ago, but I rejected his suggestion to do<br />
yoga’. It was both an embarrassing moment for me,<br />
but also, at the same time, I knew I was in the right<br />
place and that I was open to learning. As I hobbled<br />
home, in a great deal of pain, my mind went into<br />
overdrive and I almost decided not to pursue this<br />
route. Fortunately, competing with my pride and<br />
embarrassment was the burning desire to take<br />
care of my body so that I could carry on with the<br />
prayers. This tug-of-war kept me awake all night,<br />
and in the morning I went to the class.<br />
I arrived full of doubt and conflicting thoughts. I was<br />
shown the mat and I commented to Andrew that<br />
I have never sat on the floor so I don’t know how<br />
to sit. He told me I needed foam blocks. I sat on<br />
eight of them, stacked 4-high, so that I could bend<br />
my knees a little bit. As a 67-year-old Indian, I felt<br />
embarrassed. I felt that I am going to be judged, and<br />
that some people may think I am a drama queen.<br />
Andrew was firm, very instructive, and explained to<br />
me why I need what I need. Also,<br />
I could see some other students<br />
having the same sort of problems<br />
I was having.<br />
I attended three classes that<br />
week, and each time I felt my<br />
body opening up. I knew I was in<br />
the right place. Very soon I could<br />
walk home without using the<br />
walking sticks. A few weeks’ later<br />
I underwent a routine medical<br />
check. My blood pressure had<br />
returned to almost normal and<br />
my diabetes had come down<br />
considerably. Two months later I amazed my<br />
physiotherapist by touching my toes – my arthritis<br />
had subsided. I was astonished at the difference<br />
yoga had made to me in such a short time. With<br />
improving health came other challenges. Being<br />
intellectually oriented, my mind wouldn’t rest. I<br />
have read many books on enlightenment, and the<br />
madness of the mind makes me believe that I am<br />
already enlightened. I read all of <strong>Iyengar</strong> Ji’s books<br />
and, as usual, the ego kicked in. I began discussing<br />
the books and intellectualising them, and my focus<br />
shifted from the practical to the theoretical, to the<br />
point where I was already imagining being a teacher<br />
of yoga. I was astonished at how quickly my mind<br />
hijacked the whole process, and suddenly, in my<br />
arrogance, I had forgotten the recent pain, isolation<br />
and lonely nights thinking of death.<br />
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I had to get back to the practicalities<br />
of the beginner’s Asanas.<br />
I progressed in them slowly and<br />
steadily, and began realising the<br />
subtleties of the poses. There is<br />
much more depth than I realised;<br />
a depth which will probably<br />
take many years to fully appreciate.<br />
It has been a very humbling<br />
experience. I can now sit with<br />
crossed legs on three foam blocks.<br />
My posture, my walking, and my<br />
general health have improved<br />
beyond all recognition. And<br />
when I go to prayers now,<br />
I can bend my legs in such<br />
a way that I can sit for 20<br />
minutes at a time.<br />
The more I focus on the<br />
poses and reside in the<br />
moment, without showing<br />
how hard I am working, the<br />
more I am realising that all<br />
I have in any moment is<br />
where I am in my body, and<br />
all I have to focus on is now.<br />
Be in the present and be in<br />
contact with the body. This<br />
is going to be a constant<br />
challenge as I experiment<br />
with and experience the<br />
sensations of each asana, and<br />
work methodically, step by<br />
step, fully internalising the experience.<br />
I have become aware of<br />
how my mind has a tendency<br />
to take short cuts rather than<br />
exercise discipline, because after<br />
the first few classes I was already<br />
asking the teachers when I will be<br />
joining the advanced yoga class.<br />
The biggest challenge I face is<br />
to avoid intellectualising and<br />
discussing yoga. It is simply about<br />
being in a pose. For example,<br />
doing Tadasana, there are so<br />
many things to be corrected; it is<br />
not just about standing upright.<br />
Also, I have to be aware when I<br />
am walking: aware of the position<br />
of my feet, my legs, my spine, my<br />
shoulders, my neck, and my head.<br />
That has made a vast improvement<br />
to my health, and every<br />
day I keep on discovering things<br />
which need correcting.<br />
I am on a long journey, but that<br />
is not an issue. I feel – for the<br />
first time in my life – that I am<br />
being guided to take one step<br />
at a time, and am able to gratefully<br />
accept the guidance I am<br />
receiving. I have taken the first<br />
steps on this journey and I can<br />
see that I have a real possibility<br />
of being congruent, peaceful and<br />
contented.<br />
In my clinical psychotherapy work,<br />
I have observed and witnessed<br />
that some people actually die<br />
in ignorance and a great deal of<br />
pain, both of mind and body. I<br />
consider myself very lucky that<br />
I am receiving a priceless gift<br />
which creates the possibility that<br />
the last moments of my life will<br />
be in conscious awareness. I<br />
am appreciative of my teachers,<br />
Andrew, Jayne and Claire, and<br />
their constant encouragement,<br />
precision, and commitment<br />
to making sure that I keep<br />
my intellectualism in check<br />
as they guide me through<br />
the step-by-step process<br />
towards my health and wellbeing.<br />
The fellow students<br />
are a great inspiration also,<br />
as we motivate each other<br />
on the journey of true wellness.<br />
So, not only is yoga helping<br />
me to get my body in shape,<br />
it is also having a profound<br />
effect on my mind. I have<br />
noticed that I am taking very<br />
slow steps to quieten my<br />
mind, and I am thankful to<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> Ji for his meticulous<br />
research of the ancestral<br />
knowledge, for the example he<br />
set with his life and his practice,<br />
and for making yoga practical and<br />
accessible to modern society. A<br />
true Guru Ji. \<br />
Jasvinder Singh is a senior clinical<br />
psychotherapist & business<br />
adviser/ counsellor<br />
Tel: +44 (0)21 707 4307<br />
Email: jstmc@live.co.uk<br />
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Geeta<br />
a gem for women and men<br />
A personal recollection of Geetaji’s<br />
teaching at <strong>Yoga</strong>nusasanam 2015<br />
by Janet H Swinney<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
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6th December 2015<br />
7th December 2015<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
1. Everyone is interested in upgrading. But it's<br />
easier to upgrade the exterior rather than the<br />
interior, and yoga is the process of upgrading<br />
the interior.<br />
2. Mind, intelligence and ego - all of these have to<br />
be restrained. There is a consciousness above all<br />
of these.<br />
3. Think of the eight aspects of yoga as eight petals<br />
linked to a central core. The flower blooms step<br />
by step.<br />
4. If you ignore yamas and niyamas, yoga becomes<br />
just physical exercise.<br />
5. One must practise 'involution'. This means<br />
looking inward, reducing one's engagement<br />
with and enjoyment of the external world.<br />
'Bramacharya', for example, means focusing on<br />
the business of Brahma, rather than externalities.<br />
6. Aparigraha means avoidance of holding on. We<br />
beautify ourselves in order to try and hold on to<br />
youth. We live our lives as though we are going<br />
to be here for ever. We must learn to let go (as<br />
Guruji did at the end). Nor should you hold on<br />
to your achievements. You did something: it may<br />
have benefited someone, that's all - let it go.<br />
7. If you practise in this manner, i.e. mindful of<br />
yamas and niyamas, your experience will change.<br />
8. The experience (e.g. stress, turmoil) that you<br />
don't want, don't get involved with it. Turn the<br />
senses in-over (pratyahara). You have to know<br />
how to practise so that you don't create problems<br />
for yourself.<br />
9. Control what you can control.<br />
10. Dharana, dhyana and samhadhi cannot be<br />
taught. But read on…<br />
1. Be internally aware. Be present in whole of<br />
the pose the whole of the time. Aim for multipointedness,<br />
not one-pointedness. This internality<br />
is what differentiates yoga from physical<br />
exercise.<br />
2. At the start of your practice, in sukhasana, take<br />
the gaze in, towards the back of the head,<br />
where there is nothing to look at.<br />
3. Some people think that when the mind has<br />
been emptied, then the ultimate goal has been<br />
achieved, but no, there's more...<br />
Today’s key messages:<br />
9th December 2015<br />
1) It's important to have honesty/integrity in your<br />
practice: no good having a difficulty, masking it and<br />
carrying on regardless. <strong>Yoga</strong> is not about being<br />
in a race with other people: it's about facing up<br />
to yourself, that's the hard thing. If you have a<br />
problem, you need to investigate the cause and<br />
sort it out.<br />
2) Just going to workshops with different teachers<br />
will not do the trick. A teacher who does not see<br />
you regularly does not know your body and cannot<br />
communicate with you about it.<br />
3) You should not throw yourself at the poses<br />
'willy-nilly'. You need to know what you are doing<br />
and approach them step-by-step.<br />
4) Doing just what you fancy is no good, either.<br />
You must explore what needs to be done, and do<br />
it. This requires discipline. A disciple is one who<br />
applies discipline.<br />
5) Don't burden students with the negative by<br />
telling them about the risks they might be taking<br />
in doing something. If you do that, you are already<br />
encouraging them to set up limitations in their own<br />
minds. Instead, tell them positively what needs to be<br />
done. (It struck me here what a risk-averse society<br />
the UK has become.)<br />
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10th December<br />
More of Geeta's gems (though not necessarily in<br />
the order she presented them):<br />
1) Doing asanas is not intellectual work. It is a<br />
process of witnessing.<br />
2) Asanas are about involution with the eyes open:<br />
pranayama is involution with the eyes closed.<br />
3) You must prepare for pranayama, i.e. by lying<br />
in savasana and doing ujjayi. You cannot hurry it. In<br />
fact, rushing can cause damage.<br />
4) Dhyana cannot be taught, but through<br />
pranayama, you can create the conditions in which<br />
it can occur.<br />
5) Inhalation touches the septum wall: exhalation<br />
touches the nasal wall.<br />
6) During inhalation through partially closed<br />
nostril, draw the wall of the nostril down:<br />
during exhalation through partially closed<br />
nostril, draw the wall of the nostril up.<br />
7) Use ujjayi for recovery whenever needed.<br />
12th December<br />
Geeta spoke today about the responsibility a<br />
teacher must take for his/her students. She pointed<br />
out that in our global community, where each guru<br />
has numerous followers, the intimacy of the relationship<br />
between students and teacher is well-nigh<br />
impossible to maintain. She had started the week<br />
sounding doubtful about whether or not there<br />
would ever be another <strong>Yoga</strong>nusasanam. By today,<br />
she was talking about the fact that we were her<br />
students, the importance of the continuity of the<br />
relationship and saying that together we needed to<br />
go on and do the work that needed to be done.<br />
Not surprisingly, we all agreed with her!<br />
...astounded by<br />
what she can spot<br />
from miles away...<br />
And finally<br />
Geeta is a remarkable teacher. She seems to have vision like the Hubble telescope. Anyone who has been<br />
in her presence is astounded by what she can spot from miles away, and then set about rectifying. Her<br />
patience with those who need help is endless. You can’t fail to be impressed by the lengths she goes to<br />
find a solution for someone who has a difficulty. I’m thinking specifically of the woman who struggled with<br />
pranayama because she felt as though she had an elephant sitting on her chest. No stone was left unturned<br />
until that elephant was sent packing. For this reason alone, people feel a strong emotional bond with her.<br />
I also experience a great sense, via Geeta, of connectedness with the long and extensive tradition of Indian<br />
thought. She moves seamlessly from Sanskrit to English to Marathi, drawing upon scriptural references as<br />
she goes. I regret that I do not have either the learning or the intellect to do justice to this.<br />
In sum, Geetaji has a wealth of knowledge, the eye of an eagle, a mischievous sense of humour, endless<br />
compassion, great problem-solving ability and a fierce intellect. \<br />
Janet H Swinney is a freelance writer. She teaches yoga at Morley College, near Waterloo, London. www.janethswinney.com<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
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<strong>Yoga</strong>nusãsanam<br />
6-13 December 2015<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
<strong>Yoga</strong>nusasanam 2015 (intensive yoga course) was held for the second year running in December 2015 with<br />
fourteen hundred attendees from all around the world. The idea for a special course in Pune, for all students of<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> with a minimum of three years practice, originated in early 2014. Although this was planned for<br />
December 2014, with Guruji, it was unclear whether Geeta would continue to hold the event that year as it<br />
was so soon after Guruji’s passing but Geetaji and the <strong>Iyengar</strong> family were keen to proceed and so it went ahead.<br />
Such was the success of the first event that Geetaji conducted another course in December 2015 with the<br />
teaching of asanas combined with pranayama and dhyana.<br />
The course was held outside Pune city, approximately half an hour's drive away, at a sports complex called Balewadi<br />
Stadium. The organisers attended to all of the participants needs and went out of their way to ensure the event ran<br />
smoothly; props bags with name tags supplied, a vegetarian daily lunch served, bus transport available for those staying<br />
in Pune, along with foreign currency exchange, a book stall and props stalls. There were large screens for all to see,<br />
sensitive heat control and a daily rotation of placement in the hall so that everyone had a chance to be near the front.<br />
Geeta taught from 8.30am to 1pm with a short break half way. She brought Abijhata and her most senior teachers<br />
to assist her and demonstrate on stage. This was followed by lunch and a programme of afternoon events, including<br />
a presentation on props, a film of Guruj teaching in Panchghani in 1993, a music concert, a question and answer<br />
session as well as several talks by Guruji’s close students reflecting on Guruji’s yoga practise and insights.<br />
Seventy five students attended from the UK and several of the participants have sent us some of their<br />
impressions and descriptions of the event which we are pleased to share with you below.<br />
Geetaji has hinted that she ‘might’ hold another course next year. The IY will send out details to all members as soon<br />
as we hear if the course is running. We hope that you will consider attending as this is a fantastic opportunity to study<br />
in India with Geeta <strong>Iyengar</strong> and join the rest of the <strong>Iyengar</strong> family and so many practitioners from all around the world.<br />
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I attended this year’s convention having also attended<br />
the 2014 <strong>Yoga</strong>nusasanam convention last year. After<br />
attending both years, I am struck with lasting impressions<br />
of Geeta’s voice. Since my return, whilst practising,<br />
I hear her instruction resonating, in the ears, the<br />
body and the mind. With so much direct instruction<br />
form Geeta herself, every day, for several hours, over<br />
7 days, something seems to have reached deep into<br />
the core.<br />
Geeta was inspirational. She had carefully planned the<br />
event, slowly increasing our awareness, our strength<br />
and understanding. She drew 1300 of us all as one<br />
towards the wonderful deeper work required in<br />
pranayama.<br />
Every day, after a wonderful<br />
resonant Ohm chant to Patanjali<br />
combined with the Guru chant,<br />
she would begin with up to an<br />
hour of spoken introduction. Then<br />
followed in depth descriptions of<br />
how exactly to perform the asanas,<br />
opening the chest and lengthening<br />
the body. Sometimes she would<br />
spot a problem in the room and<br />
then try to help us all to understand<br />
how that particular problem would<br />
need to be overcome. The instruction<br />
was clear with much insight,<br />
how to look for problems, how to<br />
help students and ourselves. Every<br />
type of asana group was covered,<br />
standing, forward bends, backbends, twists and inversions.<br />
And then the pranayama. This is when something<br />
magical seemed to happen. Geetaji has such a clear<br />
and straightforward approach to teaching this subject<br />
and many of the other attendees agreed that this tricky<br />
area was made so understandable. In a room of 1300<br />
people, she had the ability to draw you into a quiet<br />
state with minimal disturbance, so that we were able<br />
to focus completely. Sometimes I was breathing, within<br />
a trance, maybe asleep at times, but then as we practised,<br />
I found I became more present in understanding<br />
of my breath than ever before. I continue to hear her<br />
distinctive voice, ‘Slow soft inhalation, Slow soft exhalations’<br />
- Ujjayi breaths repeated over and over between<br />
more complicated patterns. I wish to thank Geeta for<br />
the incredible gift of her time, patience, sharing and<br />
incomparable teaching for the convention this year.<br />
Lisa Morris<br />
Having never been to Pune before I came with far too<br />
many warm clothes and not enough foot scrub!<br />
As we had already booked for month in Pune over two<br />
and a half years ago I wasn’t sure what to think about<br />
the event that had been recently announced but on<br />
the Sunday 6th December we dutifully boarded buses<br />
to Balewadi.<br />
It was likened to the UN as Geeta later told us with 51<br />
countries represented and large groups from US, Russia<br />
and China and 75 people from the UK.<br />
Geeta arrived to rapturous applause and we had a<br />
lecture on yamas and niyamas on the Sunday afternoon.<br />
Monday dawned and an early start as the buses left the<br />
institute at 7.30am for Balewadi.<br />
On to the yoga – I have never<br />
Geeta was been taught by an <strong>Iyengar</strong> before<br />
so it was a privilege but my main<br />
inspirational... observation is how long you are<br />
kept in the asanas! Basic standing<br />
She drew 1300<br />
poses done so thoroughly! All the<br />
details from a woman who is obviously<br />
in some pain and has to sit for<br />
of us all as one<br />
most of the class is astonishing. But<br />
towards the<br />
when she is adjusting someone on<br />
wonderful deeper stage she seems to leap into action<br />
shouting at all the teachers to get<br />
work required in belts, bolsters, bricks etc and has an<br />
amazing eye for detail that makes<br />
pranayama. all the senior teachers on stage look<br />
like beginners! She would sit on the<br />
stage from 8.30am until 1-ish every<br />
day without moving and one day she did allude to the<br />
fact that at our break around 11-ish we would all dash<br />
off to chat, drink chai and go to the toilets while she<br />
would sit quietly.<br />
She kept the teachers who had the dubious honour of<br />
sitting on the stage in front of her – Zubin, Rajlaxmi,<br />
Firooza, Jawahar amongst others – on their toes as she<br />
was microphoned and they often could not hear her<br />
instructions. Sometimes they sat for an hour in perfectly<br />
still swastikasana with only sweat dripping down their<br />
faces.<br />
In summary, a week of learning – how I don’t think I<br />
know much at all about yoga – what a great sense of<br />
humour Geeta has.<br />
Rebecca Morris<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
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<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
Despite my deep and sincere love for yoga I had a<br />
long list of reasons why I couldn't possibly go to India.<br />
I've never been the adventurous type and the prospect<br />
of leaving my family, travelling so far away from<br />
home and experiencing a completely different culture<br />
was not part of my plan. I admit it - I was scared! Like<br />
so many others for whom yoga is a huge part of their<br />
life I thought that I would go... "one day." Thankfully<br />
a friend was signing up for <strong>Yoga</strong>nusasanam 2015 and<br />
I decided it was now or never and I made one of<br />
the best decisions of my life, I was going too! The<br />
event was really well organized and included a varied<br />
programme of asana, pranayama and afternoon talks<br />
sharing knowledge, experience and memories of<br />
Guruji. It was such an honour and privilege to<br />
be part of such an amazing event, and sharing the<br />
experience with around 1000 fellow devotees from<br />
around the world was truly memorable. Geetaji's<br />
teaching was kind, patient and inspirational and I<br />
am thankful to her, Guruji and the <strong>Iyengar</strong> family<br />
for so generously sharing yoga with me and for the<br />
special memories I will always<br />
treasure of <strong>Yoga</strong>nusasanam<br />
2015.<br />
Louisa Elliott<br />
Towards the end of the first<br />
<strong>Yoga</strong>nusasanam yoga convention<br />
in Balewadi, Pune, back in<br />
December 2014, Geeta was asked during the Q&A<br />
session if she would do a second convention for us in<br />
2015. Her answer was that God would decide. Well,<br />
our prayers were answered!<br />
<strong>Yoga</strong>nusasanam 2015 started on a high note, without<br />
the emotion and sadness of the previous year when<br />
we had so recently lost Guruji.<br />
Geetaji was obviously delighted to be back, and<br />
opened the Convention with a rousing orientation<br />
talk, in which she said she understood the necessary<br />
pulls of the external world in things like 'upgrading'<br />
with exams, in gaining qualifications and in running<br />
organizations, but that 'yoganusasanam', the exposition<br />
of the discipline of yoga, tells us we have to get<br />
upgraded inside. The more we have to go outside to<br />
'upgrade' in life, the less enlightenment inside. We<br />
have to learn through yoga to throw the light inside,<br />
like a torch turning inwards to see what's happening,<br />
until the torch becomes instead a big light, and the<br />
torch is no longer needed.<br />
But prakriti, nature, shrouds purusha, the soul, so<br />
it remains unseen, its pure light hidden by the dark<br />
glasses of prakriti, just as when we can't tolerate the<br />
sun, we have to wear sunglasses. And so we're left<br />
in the dark, covered in the tamasic (inert/dull) nature<br />
of tamaguna, which has to be removed so we shine<br />
with the enlightenment of sattvaguna.<br />
Geeta talked at length about the obstacles (especially<br />
the ego) which we have to overcome on the involutory<br />
path of the 8 limbs or<br />
petals of astanga yoga. We<br />
were told we must start with<br />
the base of the first 2 limbs,<br />
the moral and ethical code<br />
of yama and niyama, without<br />
which yogasana is just physical<br />
exercise. That's where<br />
we all have to become advanced, with the correct<br />
attitude, and not (in the case of the teachers) with<br />
senior certificates.<br />
"In this <strong>Yoga</strong>nusasanam, you can stay here all day, to<br />
stay on the yogic path, and not have to go out for<br />
experiences. So put aside the external business, and<br />
go in."<br />
Mary Heath \<br />
'yoganusasanam'...<br />
tells us we have to<br />
get upgraded inside<br />
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A TALE OF COUNTRY FOLK<br />
by Sheila Green<br />
About 12 miles from Hereford on<br />
the Welsh Borders is a small village<br />
called Garway. If you wander down<br />
the little lane, half a mile from the<br />
Garway Moon Pub and cross over<br />
the bridge by the stream, you will<br />
come across something not often<br />
found in the countryside – an<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> Studio!<br />
We bought our cottage 12 years<br />
ago in a very sorry state – had<br />
been empty for over 20 years<br />
and the 4 acres it was hidden in,<br />
a wilderness! After spending the<br />
last few years renovating and then<br />
extending the cottage, I now have<br />
a fully equipped <strong>Yoga</strong> Studio. In the<br />
Spring I started a local class, while<br />
continuing to run my other classes<br />
in Ross-on-Wye – some 10 miles<br />
away. Then fate took a hand!<br />
After teaching weekly classes<br />
in Ross for over 15 years, the<br />
Council in its wisdom decided<br />
to sell off the building, giving<br />
all hirers only 3 weeks’ notice!<br />
The decision was made. I took<br />
a chance and transferred all my<br />
classes to my studio, knowing<br />
it was a gamble as some of my<br />
students would have a longer<br />
journey to a class. However,<br />
most of my good, loyal students<br />
followed me, and I think they<br />
were delighted to have a lovely<br />
warm room, clean floor, equipment<br />
provided, including wall<br />
ropes (I do have difficulty getting<br />
down off them, such is the<br />
novelty!) after years of cold halls,<br />
sweeping dirty floors and moving<br />
unwanted furniture before we<br />
started the class!<br />
Our ‘official opening’ was by<br />
Senior Teacher Judi Sweeting<br />
(Cotswold <strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> Centre)<br />
who gave us a ‘master class’<br />
on rope work and backbends,<br />
assisted by husband, Senior<br />
Teacher Tig Whattler. Judi<br />
very generously waived her fee<br />
and all monies collected from<br />
students was donated to The<br />
Haven, Breast Cancer Centre in<br />
Hereford (www.thehaven.org.uk)<br />
where I teach a remedial class<br />
for those going through and after<br />
treatment for breast cancer.<br />
As well as weekly classes, I hold<br />
monthly workshops, after which<br />
we all gather around the kitchen<br />
table for lunch and then students<br />
have the opportunity to explore<br />
our land and talk to our lovely<br />
Jacob sheep, two Labradors and<br />
two cats, or walk by the steam<br />
or have a dip in our pool (discovered<br />
buried under brambles!). \<br />
sheila@herefordshireyoga.co.uk/<br />
www.herefordshireyoga.co.uk<br />
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National <strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> Day<br />
16th January 2016<br />
We received a good response to our call for NIYD<br />
co-ordinators, with 43 people coming forward in total.<br />
We are aware of 143 different classes or events<br />
happening around the country; these were plotted on<br />
an interactive map on the IY (UK) website. There was<br />
a good spread of classes around the UK and Ireland.<br />
Co-ordinators received a pack containing a press<br />
release along with guidance on gaining publicity<br />
and press coverage; a poster design, kindly provided<br />
by Denise Lundberg whose colleague designed the<br />
original posters for NIYD in Ireland in 2014. At least<br />
five posters and a bunch of promotional leaflets were<br />
posted to each co-ordinator. The event was promoted<br />
via social media and press releases were sent to major<br />
newspapers and magazines. A5 <strong>Iyengar</strong> yoga booklets<br />
will be ('WERE'???) available for teachers to hand out<br />
to students attending their classes.<br />
Many thanks to the NIYD team and to our administrator,<br />
Katie Owens, and to all the co-ordinators who<br />
did a great job of sharing ideas, encouraging local<br />
activity, contacting local press, collating details and<br />
feeding back to the office.<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
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This issue of IYN is a little late for us to publish accounts from around the country about how the day went, but<br />
please do send in your reports, high resolution photos and comments for the next issue. As an inspiration, we did<br />
receive one report from Charlotte Rosser in Derby:<br />
As well as offering free taster classes at different venues in Derby on National <strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> Day for those<br />
new to <strong>Iyengar</strong> yoga, I also wanted to do something for existing <strong>Iyengar</strong> yoga students.<br />
I came up with the idea of the Derby <strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> 'Marathon' Class and it seems to have caught people's<br />
imagination! The idea being that existing <strong>Iyengar</strong> yoga students in Derby would celebrate National <strong>Iyengar</strong><br />
<strong>Yoga</strong> Day by doing as many poses as could be safely done in a special 2 hour class, with the proceeds of<br />
the class going to the Bellur Trust.<br />
Derby <strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> students certainly rose to the challenge of the 50 pose sequence in the 2 hours and had<br />
great fun too - I've been asked when I'm teaching the next one!<br />
All but one of the people who came to my free taster classes on National <strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> Day did so on the<br />
recommendation of existing students, and have now signed up to beginners classes. So a big thank you goes<br />
to the Derby <strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> students for that, as well as for being such great sports and for raising funds for<br />
the Bellur Trust.<br />
They certainly made my National <strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> Day!<br />
Charlotte Rosser \<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
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IY(UK) Reports<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
Administration Update<br />
A new year brings new changes<br />
to the Administration team<br />
supporting the work of IY(UK).<br />
From the beginning of January 2016<br />
Katie Owens, former Membership<br />
and Office Manager, reduced<br />
her hours in order to focus on<br />
other projects. Katie retains a role<br />
with IY(UK) focusing on marketing<br />
and PR and website development.<br />
She will be working 1.5 days a<br />
week, spread-out throughout<br />
the week. Following interviews in<br />
London before Christmas, Andy<br />
Tait has been appointed to the<br />
Office Manager role. Andy will be<br />
working the equivalent of three<br />
days, again spread throughout<br />
the week, thereby continuing to<br />
provide a five-day-a-week service<br />
to our members. Kate Woodcock<br />
retains her Assessments Administrator<br />
role, whilst Jess Wallwork<br />
remains as Finance and Bookings<br />
Administrator. For more information<br />
on specific hours, responsibilities<br />
and contact devtails please see<br />
the website.<br />
National <strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> Day<br />
for the United Kingdom<br />
As I write this we anticipate our<br />
own National <strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> Day<br />
on the 16th January 2016. The<br />
aim of such an event is to raise<br />
the profile of <strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> in the<br />
38<br />
SPRING 2016<br />
Chair - Emma Pinchin<br />
UK through the generation of local<br />
and national media coverage as a<br />
result of a range of free classes<br />
being offered to the public. It is<br />
hoped that the event will promote<br />
the practice of <strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> in<br />
local communities, thereby generating<br />
new students. A great deal<br />
of thanks must go to Katie Owens,<br />
the NIYD working group, led by<br />
Mike Penny, and of course all<br />
those teachers who are kindly<br />
giving their time to teach these<br />
free classes.<br />
Website<br />
Our new website was launched<br />
early last autumn, and whilst, as<br />
there always is with such things,<br />
there were a few teething problems,<br />
it provides us with a valuable<br />
resource that we look forward to<br />
developing over the months and<br />
years to come.<br />
Assessments<br />
Following the meetings in Pune<br />
in December we await a formal<br />
report about assessments.<br />
However, we welcome the news<br />
that our current training and<br />
assessments cycle can continue as<br />
planned for 2016.<br />
Conventions<br />
Once again our Convention has<br />
proved to be popular, selling out<br />
well ahead of schedule. We will<br />
welcome 400 members to the<br />
International Centre in Harrogate<br />
from the 14-16th May, for three<br />
days of, what we anticipate to be,<br />
inspiring teaching from Raya.<br />
Goodbyes<br />
This is my final Chair’s report for<br />
IYN. Back in the autumn I made<br />
the decision to stand down from<br />
the role of Chair of IY(UK) at the<br />
end of January 2016. I have spent<br />
7 years working for IY(UK), first<br />
as ORIYI Rep, then Constitution<br />
Officer, before taking on the role<br />
of Vice Chair, and finally Chair in<br />
the summer of 2012. I have been<br />
fortunate during this time to have<br />
birthed two babies, and as these<br />
babies grow I find that they need<br />
me more, and that the time I have<br />
to serve the work of the association<br />
becomes less. I feel very<br />
privileged to have been allowed<br />
this opportunity to support the<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> community in the<br />
UK but the time is now right for<br />
a new Chair. Following a call for<br />
nominations from the Executive<br />
Council I am pleased to introduce<br />
Jill Johnson, who was installed as<br />
Acting-Chair at the EX meeting<br />
at the end of January. Jill will<br />
remain in post as Acting-Chair<br />
until the AGM in May, where the<br />
membership will have the opportunity<br />
to approve her appointment<br />
as Chair. I wish Jill well and<br />
know that she will be wonderfully<br />
supported by members of the<br />
Board of IY(UK), especially Vice<br />
Chair, Philippe Harari. I would like<br />
to end my report by thanking all of<br />
our members for your continued<br />
support of IY(UK). Guruiji left us<br />
with a great legacy and it is in his<br />
name and for his memory that we<br />
do all that we do.<br />
Namaskar. \<br />
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Secretary -<br />
Charlotte<br />
Everitt<br />
As Emma mentions in her report, with her decision<br />
to stand down as Chair, a new Chair for the EX and<br />
IY(UK) was needed. As well as chairing meetings,<br />
the Chair co-ordinates the work carried out across<br />
the organisation and in particular facilitates communication<br />
between the Standing Committees, represents<br />
the work of IY(UK) to outside organisations,<br />
and also acts a line-manager to administrative staff.<br />
Consequently, in November, the Executive Council<br />
was asked to nominate candidates to take over the<br />
role of Chair; Jill Johnson was nominated and was<br />
elected at January’s meeting of the EX. Jill is now<br />
Acting Chair until our AGM at May’s convention; at<br />
the AGM we will look to ratify her appointment by<br />
means of a vote amongst the members attending.<br />
This follows Jill’s re-election as an Individual Representative<br />
– representing our Individual Members.<br />
We now have a full complement of Individual Representatives,<br />
but there are a few vacancies among<br />
Institute Representatives as several reps have stood<br />
down at the end of their terms. If you are interested<br />
in getting more involved, then please do talk to your<br />
Institute’s Rep or committee to find out how you can<br />
help – all Institutes are very grateful to the volunteers<br />
who support them and I am sure could find work for<br />
willing hands.<br />
The other EX member now taking on an additional<br />
role is Cathy Rogers Evans, who is taking over<br />
administration of the <strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> Development<br />
Fund (IYDF). The IYDF helps to fund teachers to<br />
work with people who would not normally be able<br />
to afford or access yoga classes and could benefit<br />
a great deal from the positive outcomes of regular<br />
yoga practice; currently it supports 12 teachers with<br />
a range of different students, including prisoners,<br />
carers, and vulnerable women in a refuge.<br />
We marked Geetaji’s birthday in December by<br />
sending a card. \<br />
Treasurer -<br />
Velika<br />
Krivokapic<br />
The annual accounts for 2015 are currently being<br />
prepared for approval by the Executive and Board and<br />
formal approval at the AGM in May 2016.<br />
I can report that the 2015 IY (UK) Convention was<br />
once again very well supported and a surplus of around<br />
£34,745 is expected.<br />
I have listed the membership and assessment fees for<br />
2016/17:<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> (UK) Fees 2016/17 £<br />
Institute Members 8.00<br />
Individual Members 19.50<br />
Teachers Supplement 41.00<br />
Teachers Supplement Concessionary 24.60<br />
Overseas Supplement 39.00<br />
Late Renewal 15.00<br />
Teacher Trainee Registration 45.00<br />
Introductory Assessment 139.50<br />
Junior Intermediate Assessment 139.50<br />
Senior Intermediate Assessment 139.50<br />
Affiliated Centres 110.00<br />
The Certification Mark fee for 2016/17 is based on<br />
US$50. It was e updated on 1st November 2015 to reflect<br />
the exchange rate that is in place on that date. \<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
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IY(UK) Reports<br />
Membership<br />
Secretary –<br />
Anita<br />
Phillips<br />
Membership<br />
Work continues on the new IY(UK) website and<br />
database. There are some interesting new features<br />
and most members have been navigating without<br />
any issues. We wrote to everyone in January about<br />
their new membership numbers, now visible once a<br />
member is signed into the website.<br />
DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service, formerly CRB)<br />
checks are now a requirement for IY(UK) teachers<br />
of children’s classes. We wrote to all teachers<br />
about this in November 2015; more information is<br />
available in the Documents section of the IY(UK)<br />
website.<br />
Everyone who subscribes to <strong>Yoga</strong> Rahasya should<br />
now be up-to-date with back issues; there had been<br />
a problem with the mailing system, now resolved.<br />
We continue to be in touch with Pune about the<br />
www.bksiyengar.com website, thank you everyone<br />
who has been in touch with us about this for your<br />
patience. We continue to supply current teacher<br />
information and have received many assurances that<br />
the website will be updated.<br />
Congratulations to the 37 candidates who passed<br />
their Introductory Level 2 assessment last October.<br />
We had 32 new teacher members at year-end<br />
2015, hopefully more will take up their teacher<br />
membership for the 2016/7 membership year.<br />
Katie Owens will be giving up her role as Membership<br />
and Office Manager in order to focus more on<br />
her family business – some of you may have come<br />
across the yummy Savvy spreads in your local health<br />
food store. It has been such fun to work with Katie<br />
over the past few years; even when the pressure is<br />
on she retains her good humour, and I am continually<br />
impressed at her ability to embrace new technology<br />
and bend it to her will. Katie will continue in<br />
her role supporting the PR and Events Committees,<br />
and also some aspects of her work on the website,<br />
so I’m glad this isn’t a farewell. I am very happy to<br />
welcome Andy Tait as our new Membership and<br />
Office Manager. Andy is a committed IJ3 teacher<br />
from London with an enormous enthusiasm for this<br />
role who comes to us from The Wire magazine.<br />
Current Membership Figures<br />
All Membership Institute (MI) membership years<br />
are now in line with that of IY UK), which should<br />
increase the accuracy of these numbers in future.<br />
We rely however, on MIs to provide us with information<br />
about members who join them directly<br />
rather than via the IY(UK) online facility. As we’ve<br />
not yet had end-of-year information from all the<br />
MIs, these figures are subject to change.<br />
Membership<br />
Year<br />
Date<br />
Teachers<br />
Total UK ROI Overseas Individual Institute<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
2015-2016 Dec-15 1136 1027 93 16 247 889<br />
2014-2015 Dec-14 1119 1013 87 19 v 825<br />
2013-2014 Dec-13 1025 933 70 22 270 755<br />
2012-2013 Dec-12 1067 970 71 26 298 769<br />
2011-2012 Jul-11 1071 983 67 21 318 753<br />
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Membership<br />
Year<br />
Date<br />
Non-Teachers<br />
Total UK ROI Overseas Individual Institute<br />
2015-2016 Dec-15 1348 1263 59 26 209 1139<br />
2014-2015 Dec-14 1395 1295 73 27 236 1159<br />
2013-2014 Dec-13 737 674 43 20 178 559<br />
2012-2013 Dec-12 1419 1305 79 35 259 1160<br />
2011-2012 Jul-11 1473 1355 91 27 274 1199<br />
Membership Year Teachers Non-teachers Total<br />
2015-2016 1136 1348 2484<br />
2014-2015 1119 1395 2514<br />
2013-2014 1025 737 1762<br />
2012-2013 1067 1419 2486<br />
2011-2012 1071 1473 2544<br />
Contact Us<br />
Membership and Office Manager – Andy Tait<br />
Telephone: 07510326997<br />
Email: office@iyengaryoga.org.uk<br />
Address: IY(UK), PO Box 51698, London, SE8 9BU<br />
Hours: Main Office day: Thursday 9-5pm;<br />
remaining hours to be worked throughout the week (23.4 hours per week).<br />
• Staffing the office: taking phone calls and responding to emails from IYA members and members of<br />
the public. Andy should be your first port of call if you have a general query, or are not sure who to<br />
ask.<br />
• Membership: processing renewals and new applications; assisting Membership Institute Secretaries with<br />
the renewal process. All queries about membership payments, insurance documents and certificates<br />
should go to Andy.<br />
• Teacher training: processing applications to become a teacher trainee.<br />
• Communications and Website: Andy is the person to speak to if you are having trouble updating your<br />
personal or class details. He can help you navigate through the process. Please take this opportunity<br />
to log in to the website and make sure that we have your complete and correct contact information.<br />
Andy will be able to assist you if you have trouble logging in. Liaising with Member Institutes for the<br />
IYN mail out.<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
SPRING 2016<br />
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Finance and Bookings Administrator – Jess Wallwork<br />
Email: jess@iyengaryoga.org.uk<br />
Address: IY(UK), 15 West Grove, Bristol BS6 5LS<br />
Hours: Most evenings (10 hrs per week)<br />
• Finance: keeping the accounts, making payments, processing expenses etc. Most of this is behind the<br />
scenes work; if you do have a query about a payment you have made to IY(UK), apart from convention<br />
bookings, it is best to go through Andy first.<br />
• Bookings: taking bookings for Conventions and other events IY(UK) organises. Any queries about the<br />
Convention or any other events should go to Jess.<br />
Assessments Administrator – Kate Woodcock<br />
Telephone: 07914089360<br />
Email: kate@iyengaryoga.org.uk<br />
Address: IY(UK), PO Box 1217, Bradford, BD1 9XF<br />
Hours: part-time through the week, not available on Thursdays (24 hrs per week). On call during assessments.<br />
• Assessments: taking bookings for assessments, sending out paperwork to candidates and assessors,<br />
sending out pass/fail letters and small certificates, updating the database with results. All queries about<br />
assessments should go to Kate.<br />
• Timetabling: gathering Moderator and Assessor availability; finding and booking venues for assessments;<br />
putting together the timetables for all assessments; dealing with all the timetable relevant issues,<br />
all cancellations, requests for refunds, Moderator / Assessor emergencies and standbys etc; Kate will<br />
be “on call” for emergencies during the Assessments. Please contact Kate in the first instance during<br />
assessment times if you cannot make your allocated assessment date for any reason.<br />
• Appeals after Assessment: Kate is the first point of contact for the formal appeals process following an<br />
unsuccessful assessment result.<br />
PR and Website Administrator - Katie Owens<br />
Email: katie@iyengaryoga.org.uk<br />
Hours: Most evenings (11 hrs per week)<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
• Communications and Website: updating the website (behind the scenes data); collating and producing<br />
publicity material, including promotional leaflets, for use by IY(UK) teachers and members, particularly<br />
in relation to International <strong>Yoga</strong> Day and National <strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> Day.<br />
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Assessment Passes<br />
Congratulations to all those who gained success in their assessments<br />
Introductory Level 2 passes:<br />
Senior Level 1 passes:<br />
Senior Level 2 passes:<br />
Ainhoa Acosta<br />
Stuart Bobbett<br />
Margaret Bolger<br />
Maria SavalCalomarde<br />
Lynne Clough<br />
Richard Delaney<br />
Marcelle Edwards<br />
Vasili Eleftheriou<br />
Louisa Elliott<br />
Sarah Franklin<br />
Jennifer Garcia<br />
William Grant<br />
Zoe Hope<br />
Maria Jardardottir<br />
Darren Johnson<br />
Patricia Kelly<br />
Urszula Knapik<br />
Alice Knowelden<br />
Anna Motture<br />
Mirja Nissen<br />
Margaret O'Grady<br />
Barbara Pozzoni<br />
Nathalie Rasteu<br />
Georgina Roberts<br />
Kristyan Robinson<br />
Therese Ryan<br />
Norma Shannon<br />
Lauren Smurthwaite<br />
Katarzyna Solczynska<br />
Nick Thomson<br />
Nick Train<br />
Suzie Walker<br />
Jayne Walker<br />
Giles Watts<br />
Holly Wazelle<br />
Emma Wynne<br />
Anna Zlateva<br />
Lucy Aldridge<br />
Elizabeth Biggin<br />
Maggie Dix<br />
Ingrid Engstrom<br />
Grazia Farina<br />
Neil Gillies<br />
Peter Kosasih<br />
Larissa McGoldrick<br />
Frances McKee<br />
BarbaraNorvell<br />
Kate Rathod<br />
Roberto Silva<br />
Kristien Van Reusel<br />
Nathalie Blondel<br />
Marco Cannavo<br />
Lin Craddock<br />
Fiona Fallon<br />
Ofra Graham<br />
Jill Johnson<br />
Katie Rutherford<br />
Senior Level 3 passes:<br />
Lydia Holmes<br />
Edgar Stringer<br />
Congratulations to Julie Brown who was awarded<br />
the Advanced Junior Level 1 certificate by Geetaji last November<br />
Book Your Assessment Online<br />
Teachers and trainees can now download syllabuses,<br />
book and pay for assessments online.<br />
Please visit the IY(UK) website at<br />
www.iyengaryoga.org.uk.<br />
Assessment deadlines<br />
Applications will be available<br />
online as follows:<br />
Introductory (combined),<br />
1st-31st May.<br />
Intermediate Senior Levels 1, 2 & 3,<br />
1st-30th June.<br />
Intermediate Junior Levels 1, 2 &3,<br />
1st-30th September.<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
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IY (UK) Professional Development Days<br />
2016<br />
Please note: PD days run with the calendar year from 1 January to 31 December.<br />
South West<br />
SWIYI – 24 September 2016 with Gerry Chambers<br />
Organiser: Gillian Kamali – 01736 360 559 / gilliankamali@hotmail.com<br />
West & South Wales<br />
AIYI – 23 April 2016 with Tricia Booth<br />
Organiser: Edgar Stringer - edgarstringer@gmail.com/ 01249 716235<br />
Greater London & South East<br />
NELIYI – North East London – 19 November 2016 with Penny Chaplin<br />
Organiser: Nancy Clarke - 07900 277327 / nancyclarke@btinternet.com<br />
IIYS – Sussex – 12 November 2016 with Richard Agar Ward<br />
Organisers: Jenny Deadman – jenny@jcm.co.uk and<br />
Cathy Rogers-Evans – cathy@yogasouth.com<br />
IYIMV – North West London – 11 September 2016 with Sheila Haswell<br />
Contact: <strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> Institute Maida Vale office 020 7624 3080<br />
Organiser: Marco Canavo - office@iyi.org.uk<br />
IYISL – South London – 27 November 2016 with Judi Sweeting<br />
Organiser: Glenys Shepherd – 020 8694 0155 / iyisl@btinternet.com<br />
SWLSIYI – South West London & Surrey – 3 July 2016 with Susan Long<br />
Organiser: Anita Phillips - 07771 642 883 / swlsiyi@gmail.com<br />
Kent IYI – Kent – 16 April 2016 with Brenda Booth<br />
Organiser: Brenda Booth – 01892 740 876 / brendaboothkent@aol.com<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
South Central<br />
ORIYI, Cirencester – 24 September 2016 with Judith Jones<br />
Organiser: Elaine Martin – iyakemblepdday@gmail.com<br />
DHIYI, Bournemouth – 30 July 2016 with Sasha Perryman<br />
Organiser: Kim Trowell – 01202 558 049 / kimtrowellyoga@gmail.com<br />
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West Central<br />
MCIYI, Birmingham – 10 September 2016 with Margaret Austin<br />
Organiser: Jane Orton – 0121 608 2229 / jayne@iyengaryoga.uk.com<br />
East<br />
CIYI, Cambridge – 5 March 2016 with Sallie Sullivan<br />
Organiser: Sasha Perryman – 01223 515 929 / sashaperryman@yahoo.co.uk<br />
North East & Cumbria<br />
NEIYI, Sunderland – 5 June 2016 with Elaine Pigeon<br />
Organiser: Dawn Hodgson – 01325 721 518 / dawnlesleyhodgson@btinternet.com<br />
East Central & North<br />
SADIYA & BDIYI, Sheffield and Bradford – 24 September 2016 with Diane Coats<br />
Organiser: Emma Rattenbury – 07837 811 967 / 01142 556 406<br />
emma.rattenbury@blueyonder.co.uk<br />
North West<br />
MDIIY & LIYI, Manchester – 7 May 2016 with Brenda Booth<br />
20 November 2016 with Jayne Orton<br />
Organiser: Janice Yates – 0161 368 3614 / janice.yates@sky.com<br />
Scotland<br />
Edinburgh – 20 March 2016 with Meg Laing<br />
Organiser: Katie Rutherford – 0131 447 4708 / katie.rutherford@blueyonder.co.uk<br />
Glasgow –10 September 2016 with Cathy Rogers Evans<br />
Organiser: Valerie Miller – 0141 339 0442 / vjmiller7882@gmail.com<br />
Ireland<br />
Crumlin, Dublin – 28 May 2016 with Mary Heath<br />
Organiser: Aisling Guirke – 00353 87 289 1664 / aisling_guirke@hotmail.com<br />
Phibsboro, Dublin – 26 November 2016 with Marion Kilburn<br />
Organiser: Margaret Cashman – 01882 8858 / info@iyoga.ie<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
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<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
IY (UK) Executive Council<br />
Officer Rep. Name Email Telephone<br />
Acting Chair Jill Johnson chair@iyengaryoga.org.uk<br />
Treasurer<br />
Velika Krivokapic<br />
Deputy Treasurer Pam Mackenzie pammackenzie@live.co.uk 020 8373 8356<br />
Secretary Charlotte Everitt secretary@iyengaryoga.org.uk 07812122617<br />
Membership Sec. Anita Phillips anita.phillips@btinternet.com 020 8675 1631<br />
Vice Chairperson Philippe Harari philippe.harari@runbox.com 01223 523 410<br />
EA Rep/Constitution Officer Jill Johnson jjyoga@mac.com 01619299462<br />
Chair of AT Julie Brown julie.brown61@live.com<br />
Chair of Therapy Judi Sweeting therapy@iyengaryoga.org.uk<br />
Chair of Ethics and Appeals Sasha Perryman sashaperryman@yahoo.co.uk<br />
AIYI Julian Lindars julian@lint-free.com<br />
BDIYI Michelle Mangeolles mmangeolles@yahoo.co.uk 07910 963 183<br />
CIYI Shaili Shafai shshaili@yahoo.com<br />
DHIYI Vacancy<br />
DIYI Martina Durnin martina.durnin@yahoo.co.uk<br />
ESIYI Agnes Matthews cmtpartner@aol.com<br />
i<strong>Yoga</strong> Glasgow Brian Stewart brians@chem.gla.ac.uk 0141 334 3834<br />
IIYS Cathy Rogers Evans cathyrogersevans@gmail.com<br />
KIYI Carrie Turck carrie.t@care4free.net 01580 240 421<br />
LIYI Judi Soffa info@yoga-studio.co.uk 0151 7094923<br />
MCIYI Annie Beatty yoga@anniebeatty.com<br />
MDIIY Charlotte Everitt c_a_everitt@yahoo.co.uk<br />
MDIIY Joan Abrams joanabrams@hotmail.com<br />
NEIIY Jeannie Adams jeannieadams63@gmail.com<br />
NELIYI Larissa MacGoldrick larimcgoldrick@yahoo.com<br />
ORIYI Clare Bingham bingham_c@hotmail.com 01844212770<br />
SADIYA Caroline Anschutz anschutz_knowles@btinternet.com<br />
SWIYI Judith Higgins jsporik@hotmail.com<br />
SWLSIYI Diane Drain dianedrain@btinternet.com<br />
RoI Rep Paul Taylor paul.taylor12@hotmail.com 0035361924236<br />
Hon Mem Elaine Pidgeon elaine.pidgeon@virgin.net 0131 552 9871<br />
Individual Anna Macedo annamacedo@clara.co.uk 01903 242 150<br />
Individual Jill Johnson jjyoga@mac.com 0161 9299462<br />
Individual Richard Agar Ward, richardhagarward@yahoo.com<br />
Individual Kirsten Agar-Ward kirstenagarward@icloud.com<br />
Individual Vanessa Allen vmcnaught@hotmail.com<br />
Individual Isabel Jones-Fielding, events@iyengaryoga.org,uk<br />
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IY (UK) Committee Members<br />
Board<br />
Philippe Harari, Julie Brown, Jill Johnson, Velika<br />
Kripokavic, Sasha Perryman, Anita Phillips, Charlotte<br />
Everitt<br />
Ethics & Appeals<br />
Gerry Chambers, Jill Johnson, Larissa McGoldrick,<br />
Sasha Perryman, Amparo Rodriguez<br />
Assessment & Training<br />
Richard Agar Ward, Margaret Austin, Debbie Bartholomew<br />
(Communications Officer), Brenda Booth,<br />
Tricia Booth, Dave Browne, Julie Brown (Chair),<br />
Penny Chaplin , Diane Coats, Sheila Green, Sheila<br />
Haswell, Tricia James, Judith Jones, Marion Kilburn,<br />
Meg Laing (Secretary), Susan Long, Judy Lynn (Acting<br />
Vice-Chair), Jayne Orton, Sasha Perryman, Elaine<br />
Pidgeon, Sallie Sullivan, Judi Sweeting, .<br />
Communications &<br />
Public Relations<br />
Joan Abrams, John Cotgreave (IYN), Philippe Harari,<br />
Judi Soffa (IYN), Lucy Joslin (PR), Katie Owens,<br />
Emma Pinchin, Sigute Barniskyte-Kidd (IYN), Tehira<br />
Taylor (IYN).<br />
Finance & Membership<br />
Kate Woodcock, Velika Krivokapic, Pam Mackenzie,<br />
Anita Phillips, Jess Wallwork, Andy Tait<br />
Archives/Research<br />
Suzanne Newcombe, Brian Stewart,<br />
Janice Yates, Gael Henry, Kirsten Agar Ward,<br />
Lara Speroni, Randall Evans<br />
Conventions/Events<br />
Philippe Harari, Isabel Jones Fielding,<br />
Vanessa Allen, Charlotte Carson<br />
Therapy Committee<br />
Penny Chaplin, Judith Jones, Susan Long,<br />
Lynda Purvis, Judi Sweeting, Tig Whattler<br />
Committee chairs are in bold. Co-opted<br />
(i.e. non-Executive Council) members are in italics.<br />
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Member Institutes<br />
Please contact your local Institute for details of events and classes.<br />
If you are a member of IY (UK) and you have any queries or issues about policies or<br />
practices of the IY (UK) please contact your Member Institute Rep.<br />
Avon (AIYI)<br />
www.aiyi.org.uk<br />
Kirsten Agar Ward<br />
kirsten@bath-iyengar-yoga.com<br />
Bradford and District<br />
(BDIYI)<br />
Alan Brown<br />
events@BDIYI.org.uk<br />
01535 637359, www.bdiyi.org.uk<br />
Cambridge (CIYI)<br />
Sasha Perryman<br />
sashaperryman@yahoo.co.uk<br />
01223 515929<br />
www.cambridgeyoga.co.uk<br />
Dorset and Hampshire<br />
(DHIYI)<br />
Helena Chiu, chiuhasang08@gmail.com<br />
www.dhiyi.co.uk<br />
Dublin (DIYI)<br />
Beccy Cameron<br />
00353 860620660 (text only)<br />
www.iyengaryogainstitute.com<br />
East of Scotland (ESIYI)<br />
www.eastscotlandyoga.org<br />
Foyle Institute of <strong>Iyengar</strong><br />
yoga Northern Ireland<br />
evelynyoga@hotmail.com<br />
Evelyn Donnelly<br />
07738 067290<br />
i<strong>Yoga</strong> Glasgow<br />
Valerie Miller<br />
vjmiller7882@gmail.com<br />
07970 681 425<br />
iyogaglasgow.co.uk<br />
O.R.I.Y.I.<br />
Kent (KIYI)<br />
Kathy McCarthy<br />
kath@oakhillmail.co.uk<br />
0779 6936754/01732 465241<br />
www.kentyoga.org.uk<br />
Liverpool (LIYI)<br />
Judi Soffa<br />
info@yoga-studio.co.uk<br />
0151 7094923<br />
www.yoga-studio.co.uk<br />
Manchester and District<br />
(MDIIY)<br />
Janice Yates<br />
janice.yates@sky.com<br />
01613 683614<br />
www.mdiiy.org.uk<br />
Midland Counties<br />
(MCIYI)<br />
Prabhakara<br />
prabhakara@freeuk.com<br />
01214 490413<br />
www.mciyi.co.uk<br />
Munster (MIYI)<br />
Eilish Boyle<br />
boyleyoga@gmail.com<br />
www.miyoga.org<br />
North East (NEIIY)<br />
Gael Henry<br />
0191 477 5804<br />
info@iyengaryoganortheast.co.uk<br />
www.iyengaryoganortheast.co.uk<br />
North East London<br />
(NELIYI)<br />
Louise Leonard<br />
leonard.louise@blueyonder.co.uk<br />
07939 901515<br />
www.neliyi.org.uk<br />
Oxford and Region<br />
(ORIYI)<br />
Mary Fitzpatrick<br />
maryfitzpatrick@ntlworld.com<br />
www.oriyi.org.uk<br />
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Sheffield and District<br />
(SADIYA)<br />
Lorraine Bonete<br />
lorraine.bonete@gmail.com<br />
0114 236 2115, www.yogasheffield.org<br />
South West (SWIYI)<br />
Jane Lane<br />
janelaneyoga@btinternet.com<br />
01326 319809, www.swiyengaryoga.org.uk<br />
South West London &<br />
Surrey (SWLSIYI)<br />
Jane Howard<br />
07504 126078, swlsiyi@gmail.com<br />
Sussex (IIYS)<br />
Cathy Rogers Evans<br />
cathyrogersevans@gmail.com<br />
www.iiys.org.uk<br />
Affiliated Centres<br />
Bath <strong>Iyengar</strong> yoga Centre<br />
www.bath-iyengar-yoga.com<br />
Kirsten & Richard Agar Ward<br />
01225 319699<br />
Congleton <strong>Iyengar</strong> yoga<br />
Centre<br />
www.congletonyogacentre.com<br />
Christina Niewola<br />
01260 279565 / 07970186109<br />
Cotswold <strong>Iyengar</strong> yoga<br />
Centre<br />
www.cotswoldiyengar.co.uk<br />
Judi Sweeting, Tig Whattler<br />
01285 653742<br />
i<strong>Yoga</strong> Centre<br />
www.iyengaryogamanchester.co.uk<br />
Carolyn Ferguson,<br />
07763 346332<br />
carolyn@iyoga.org.uk<br />
iYOGA Dublin<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> yoga Centre<br />
of North Dublin<br />
www.iyengaryogacentre.com<br />
Roisin O’Shea, 00353 1882 8858<br />
Knutsford <strong>Iyengar</strong> yoga<br />
Centre<br />
www.knutsfordyoga.co.uk<br />
Margaret Carter, 01925 758382<br />
The <strong>Iyengar</strong> yoga Studio<br />
East Finchley<br />
www.theiyengaryogastudio.co.uk<br />
Genevieve Dicker, Patsy Sparksman,<br />
Wendy Sykes<br />
020 8815 1918<br />
West Suffolk <strong>Iyengar</strong> yoga<br />
Centre<br />
www.iyengaryogasuffolk.co.uk<br />
Jane Perryman, 01440 786228<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> Centre for<br />
Essex<br />
www.iyce.com<br />
Susan Long , 01245 421496<br />
Edinburgh <strong>Iyengar</strong> yoga<br />
Centre<br />
www.yoga-edinburgh.com<br />
Lesley Johnston, 0131 229 6000<br />
Maidstone <strong>Yoga</strong> Centre<br />
www.iyengar-yoga.co.uk<br />
Lin Craddock, 01622 685864<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> Studio Tooting<br />
www.iyyoga.com<br />
John Shirbon, Ursula Schoonraad<br />
020 8355 3498<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> yoga Institute of<br />
Birmingham<br />
www.iyengaryoga.uk.com<br />
Jayne Orton, 0121 608 2229<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> yoga Institute<br />
Maida Vale<br />
www.iyi.org.uk<br />
Alan Reynolds, 020 7624 3080<br />
Putney <strong>Iyengar</strong> yoga<br />
Centre<br />
julieyogaputney@gmail.com<br />
Julie Hodges, 0208 704 5454<br />
Sheffield <strong>Yoga</strong> Centre<br />
www.sheffieldyogacentre.co.uk<br />
Frances Homewood, 07944 169238<br />
Long Wittenham <strong>Yoga</strong><br />
Centre<br />
www.longwittenhamyogacentre.com/<br />
Evelyn Crosskey<br />
07786 065253<br />
Peak <strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> Centre<br />
www.peakyoga.org.uk<br />
Sue Lovell, 07851 195208<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
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YOGA RAHASYA MAG<br />
<strong>Yoga</strong> YOGA Rahasya RAHASYA is a quarterly publicat<br />
Memorial MAGAZINE <strong>Yoga</strong> Institute (RIMYI), Pun<br />
Trust<br />
<strong>Yoga</strong> Rahasya<br />
(LOYRT),<br />
is a quarterly<br />
Mumbai,<br />
publication of<br />
India.<br />
the<br />
It is p<br />
Ramamani <strong>Iyengar</strong> Memorial <strong>Yoga</strong> Institute (RIMYI),<br />
Annual<br />
Pune and the<br />
Day<br />
Light<br />
of<br />
on<br />
RIMYI,<br />
<strong>Yoga</strong> Research<br />
Hanuman<br />
Trust<br />
Jayan<br />
(LOYRT), Mumbai, India. It is published on the<br />
Jayanti.<br />
occasions of the Annual Day of RIMYI, Hanuman<br />
Jayanti, Guru Purnima and Patanjali Jayanti.<br />
The aim of <strong>Yoga</strong> Rahasya is to share the essence<br />
of <strong>Yoga</strong>charya BKS <strong>Iyengar</strong>'s teachings. This journal<br />
contains original articles and transcripts of talks by<br />
Guruji <strong>Iyengar</strong>, Geeta and Prashant <strong>Iyengar</strong> on philosophy,<br />
psychology, science and art of yoga and life. It<br />
also includes articles by his students on their experiences,<br />
practical details on the practice of asanas as well<br />
as treating chronic ailments through yoga.<br />
The aim of <strong>Yoga</strong> Rahasya is to share t<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong>'s teachings. This journal conta<br />
of talks by Guruji <strong>Iyengar</strong>, Geeta and<br />
If you would like to subscribe to <strong>Yoga</strong> Rahasya,<br />
psychology,<br />
please tick the relevant<br />
science<br />
box when<br />
and<br />
renewing<br />
art of yoga an<br />
your IY (UK) membership on-line and the £16<br />
his<br />
subscritption<br />
students<br />
will<br />
on<br />
be added<br />
their<br />
to your<br />
experiences,<br />
total.<br />
pra<br />
Visit http://bksiyengar.com/modules/Referen/YR/yr.htm<br />
asanas for information as well about as previous treating issues. chronic ailm<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
SPRING 2016 51<br />
If you would like to subscribe to <strong>Yoga</strong> Rahasya, please tick the releva<br />
(UK) membership on-line and the £16 subscritpion will be added to<br />
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Advertising in the <strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong><br />
You can order a full page advert (170mm wide by 246mm high), a quarter page advert<br />
(80mm wide by 118mm high) or a half page advert (170mm wide by 118mm high.<br />
Either send the completed artwork (as a ‘press quality’ PDF, a high resolution JPEG or an<br />
Adobe InDesign document) OR you can send the images (as high res. JPEGs) and wording<br />
and we will make the advert up for you.<br />
Please note:<br />
· Advertisements for yoga classes, events, holidays etc. – will only be accepted from certificated<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> yoga teachers<br />
· Advertisements for <strong>Yoga</strong> Centres will only be accepted from official <strong>Iyengar</strong> yoga organisations<br />
· Where yoga equipment is itemised in an advert, this will only be accepted for equipment<br />
which is used within the <strong>Iyengar</strong> method. The name ‘<strong>Iyengar</strong>’ must not be used as an adjective<br />
attached to specific items of equipment e.g. use ‘blocks for <strong>Iyengar</strong> practice’ rather<br />
than ‘<strong>Iyengar</strong> blocks’ etc.<br />
· Goods or services which are not used in yoga and/or which are not acceptable within the<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> method will not be advertised in IYN<br />
· Advertisements for other goods (e.g. Books/CD ROMS/videos) will only be published<br />
if they concern the <strong>Iyengar</strong> method or have otherwise been approved by the Ethics &<br />
Certification Committee of the IY (UK)<br />
If you wish to advertise in the next issue<br />
of <strong>Iyengar</strong> yoga <strong>News</strong>, please send all text,<br />
photographs or artwork by the next issue<br />
deadline of 1 August 2016 to<br />
cotgreavej@gmail.com<br />
<strong>Iyengar</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>News</strong> No. 28<br />
Advertising rates<br />
Circulation: 2800. Quarter page £50; Half<br />
page £100; Full page £180. Small ads 60p<br />
per word NB. the Editorial Board reserves the<br />
right to refuse to accept advertisements or parts<br />
of advertisements that are deemed to be at<br />
variance with the stated aims of the <strong>Iyengar</strong><br />
yoga (UK). IY (UK) does not necessarily endorse<br />
any products etc. advertised in this magazine.<br />
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Charity <strong>Yoga</strong><br />
Notebook<br />
by Prithi Irani<br />
Available now: a beautiful 300 page lined<br />
hardback notebook with illustrations by Prithi<br />
Israni and quotes on yogic living and practice on<br />
every page, approved by B.K.S. <strong>Iyengar</strong>.<br />
This is a perfect yogi’s notebook for<br />
practice notes or personal writing.<br />
Prithi Israni is a close devotee of B.K.S. <strong>Iyengar</strong><br />
and spent time with him during his last years.<br />
He guided her with his wisdom and love in her<br />
practice as well as in life.<br />
Practice is a mirror of life and Guruji was an<br />
example to us all. He never stopped his practice<br />
till his last breath. He practiced Savasana till his<br />
last day and shared his knowledge with everyone.<br />
The quote on the front of the book is from<br />
Guruji a few months before his passing. Prithi<br />
hopes that it is a quote that will help us continue<br />
with the love, commitment and determination<br />
that Guruji had within himself to spread his<br />
teaching and continue<br />
our practice with faith and truth.<br />
All the profits from sales of this book will be<br />
given to the Bellur Trust, to aid the uplift<br />
of Guruji’s place of birth.<br />
You can buy this book for £14.50<br />
(including postage and packing)<br />
from our website:<br />
https://iyengaryoga.org.uk<br />
Or, to place a large order please email:<br />
PrithiD@aol.com<br />
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