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Iyengar Yoga News 3 0 - Iyengar Yoga UK
Iyengar Yoga News
                Spring
                  2017
                     Issue
                   number
                        30

                              Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

            SPRING 2017   1
Iyengar Yoga News 3 0 - Iyengar Yoga UK
I Y E N G A R® Y O G A ( U K )     Honorary president: Yogacharya Sri B.K.S. Iyengar

                                                                                                                    www.iyengaryoga.org.uk

                                                              Iyengar Yoga News
                                                                 SPRING 2017 Issue number 30
                           This issue of Iyengar Yoga News features a couple of fascinating interviews: one with Guruji about Yoga Therapy,
                           and another with Pandurang Rao, secretary of RIMYI. Continuing with the RIMYI theme, we asked our teachers
                           to send us their experiences of Pune and have published a number of these. Our thank-yous for magazine contri-
                           butions also go to this year’s organizers of the National Iyengar Yoga Day events for sending in their reports and
                           photographs. Alongside with a few more feature articles you will find the regular updates from the IY (UK) asso-
                           ciation. Please note the information about this year’s Convention with Jawahar Bangera. If you want to come and
                           haven’t already booked then please do so.
                           The IY (UK) magazine is a great way of sharing the news and knowledge throughout the Iyengar yoga commu-
                           nity. As well as your ideas and articles, we would be grateful for images or good quality scanned copies of photo-
                           graphs that could be published in future editions. Images of Guruji, RIMYI and of your local classes, workshops
                           and similar events can really enhance the content.
                           We hope you enjoy this issue!

                           Editorial Board: Philippe Harari,          This magazine is printed on paper that is   Finance & Bookings Administrator
                           Judi Soffa, Tehira Taylor, Jill Johnson,   sourced under a scheme which ensures        Jess Wallwork
                           Sigute Barniskyte-Kidd, John Cotgreave     minimal environmental impact.               Telephone 07757 463 767
                                                                                                                  email jess@iyengaryoga.org.uk
                                                                      Membership and Office Manager
Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

                           Layout & Design: Sigute Barniskyte-Kidd                                                15 West Grove,
                                                                      Andy Tait                                   Bristol BS6 5LS
                           Articles to: editor@iyengaryoga.org.uk     Telephone 07510326997
                                                                      email offce@iyengaryoga.co.uk               Assessments Administrator
                                                                      PO Box 51698, London, SE8 9BU               Kate Woodcock
                           Advertising: John Cotgreave                                                            Telephone 07914089360
                           cotgreavej@gmail.com                                                                   email kate@iyengaryoga.org.uk
                                                                      PR & Website Manager
                                                                      Katie Owens                                 PO Box 1217, Bradford, BD1 9XF
                           Copy deadline: 7 August 2017
                                                                      email katie@iyengaryoga.org.uk

                            2      SPRING 2017
Iyengar Yoga News 3 0 - Iyengar Yoga UK
Contents
                          Features
                           Yo g a T h e r a p y
             Inter view with BKS Iyengar page 4

         Inter view with Pandurang Rao
                      by Karen Dhada page 9

       Impressions from Pune and RIMYI
                                   page 13

        N a t i o n a l I y e n g a r Yo g a D a y 2 0 1 7
    Feedback from Or ganiser s and Par ticipants page 21

                      Convention 2017
                 by Catherine Gresty               page 27

        B o o k r e v i e w : Yo g a f o r S c o l i o s i s
                   by Emma Harrison page 28

               Silvia Prescott Obituar y
                by Cathy Rogers-Evans page 30

           To o t i n g I y e n g a r Yo g a S u t d i o
       b y Te h i r a Ta y l o r a n d L a u r a Tu g g e y   page 33

                      IYI South London
                   by Marion Sinclair page 34

       Member information
                                                                                          Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

                   IY(UK) Reports page 36
     Assessment Results and Notices pages 40
IY (UK) Professional Development Days 2016 page 42
       List of Institutes and Centres page 46

                                                                        SPRING 2017   3
Iyengar Yoga News 3 0 - Iyengar Yoga UK
Yoga
                                             Therapy
Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

                                              Interview with BKS Iyengar
                                              First published 1999 and 2002 in Yoga Rahasya

                           4   SPRING 2017
Iyengar Yoga News 3 0 - Iyengar Yoga UK
At that time I had no idea that I would become
                                                           a yoga teacher. I took it for health. I think destiny
 Guruji, how would you define therapeutic yoga?            must have played a role for me to take up this life. I
                                                           never even dreamt that I would be a yoga teacher.
  Therapy is a subject which deals with the view of        I was just like a bird without a nest, not knowing
the body, mind as well as self. Therapy for me is          my future plans. On one side, there was no educa-
how we can form a methodology to keep this body,           tion and on the other side, I knew very little of
mind and intelligence to function in a rhythmic way        the theory side of the subject. When I was called
co-ordinating with the various structural functions of     to teach, there was a tremendous confusion and I
the body. Yoga plays a major role in educating man         had definitely no idea then, that I would carry this
from the peripheral area to reach the innermost            message of yoga to the extent that I have taken it
part of the human being, which you may call me or          now. Even if I reflect on this now - it is like a dream.
'I' or the divine self. All problems arise from this 'I'   But it is a fact. I learnt by experiments that yoga has
or me.                                                     power to help humanity.

 Today, the common man does not understand                  ln retrospection, do you now feel fortunate
the vedanta of yoga. Vedanta of yoga is to unite           that you had been 'unfortunate enough' to have
or to build the body, mind and intelligence with           suffered from so many diseases in your childhood
the support of the consciousness so that they all          and accidents in your later life which gave you a
become a single facet of man. Unity takes place            lot of first hand experiential knowledge on yoga
without any divergence or deviations.                      therapeutics?

  The body says one thing, the mind says one thing,         Yes, it is a fact that I did suffer in my childhood.
the emotions say one thing, the intellect says one         As I told you earlier, probably I was destined to
thing. So these diversions, which are common               be the messenger of yoga, but I was not knowing
to one and all, disturb the harmony of the life-           my destiny. lt was the circumstances, as you said,
force which we commonly call as health. If there           whether it is fortunate or unfortunate - I do not
is a disturbance in the life-force then we call it ill     know - it acted both ways. It was pushing me in
health. This life-force is influenced by our physical,     this field but unfortunately I was not getting any
emotional and intellectual actions and reactions,          support from anyone. So fortune and misfortune
occurring within ourself and in response to the            were identically balancing throughout. Up to 1946,1
outside world. lt is not so easy to remain in a            had no clue as to which direction I was to follow.
rhythmic, balanced state, though that is the aim of        So in one way it was good that I suffered. ln those
yoga. Yoga therapy is a vedantic therapy but not           circumstances I had no mind to teach at all - but
a physical therapy as is commonly understood.              my Guruji insisted. There was a responsibility and
Therapy means to enter the core of the cause               that responsibility became my guiding light to invent
of the pains and imbalances that create the pain;          things on this subject as a teacher and a student.
touch it and create that rhythm. It is a philosophical
therapy and not a physical therapy.                         Guruji, for certain diseases like certain back and
                                                           knee problems, dysmenorrhoea, asthma, etc. - you
                                                                                                                      Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

 Guruji, you started yoga because of ill-health and        have made it so simple for teachers to teach.
when it started improving, did you ever think or
imagine that you would be able to give health to            Yoga could not be done actively throughout
so many people? Did you see that power in yoga             and when the patients came to me I had to find
or that potential in yourself then?                        means to give them relief by passive active action.
                                                           How to make them move with a slight support so

                                                                                             SPRING 2017        5
Iyengar Yoga News 3 0 - Iyengar Yoga UK
that the resistance is pacified? Passive movements
                           means pacifying the inner resistance of the patient.
                           Passive does not mean negative type of movements.
                           When I try to move a certain part of the body,
                           and unknowingly the other part becomes active,
                           this may not only injure the affected part but also
                           the other parts. Then, I work to keep those parts
                           passive in order to actively work on the needed
                           area. For example, take the shoulders and the
                           shoulder blades. If the shoulders are painful then I
                           cannot over-stretch them. So, I have to support the
                           shoulder so that I can move passively a little more
                           by activating the shoulder blades. But if I keep both
                           the shoulders and the shoulder blades passive then
                           there will be no improvement. This knowledge
                           is the one which made me devise props so that
                           they can passively give active action not a passively
                           passive action. Physiotherapy is totally passive action
                           and they will not allow any active action. ln yoga,
                           they teach how certain parts can be made active by
                           remaining passive while keeping certain parts indi-
                           rectly passive.
                                                                                     said my hand is dislocated and I cannot do anything.
                             You know, two weeks ago, when I was doing Eka           I kept quiet for only three days and kept on doing
                           Pada Viparita Dandasana II, the left elbow came up        although the doctors said I could not do anything
                           and the right elbow got caught between the wall           for three weeks. They told me that I should not
                           and the brick. There was no movement and I lost           lift my hand up. Then, there are many other things
                           my balance. I dislocated my shoulder which all of         I can do. So, why should I ask them what I should
                           you know. Now, today I have done standing poses           do? The doctor asked me, "Can you do Sirsasana?
                           for one hour. Could any other person think of that?       1 said “1 did it holding the wall with the hands up,
                           Keeping that part passive, can I not work on any          it is Niralamba Sirsasana.” 1 can also do Niralamba
                           other part? To keep that part passive I am supposed       Sarvangasana because I can keep my hand down
                           to have to put it in a sling - but you can see that       or lift my back and hold the bar. This is known as
                           I have not. I have just tied it so that my hand may       common sense. That common sense is what is
                           not go up. I am very fast in helping the pupils, so I     important in our yoga teachers.
                           have kept it tied to keep a check over it but I have
                           kept my hand down from the very first day. I did           Yoga is now considered as an alternative form of
                           Sirsasana on the rope and Kapotasana with one             medicine. Generally, an alternative to Allopathic
                           hand. Could I teach if I had no confidence? Now           form of medicine. Don’t you think that yoga
                           I am an ideal person for teachers like you to see.        should become a front-line therapy for certain
Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

                           You may say that I cannot move my hand, but, I            diseases especially diseases like osteoarthritis,
                           am doing Urdhva Dhanurasana with one hand on              cervical spondylosis, etc.?
                           a stool. I have done Eka Pada Viparita Dandasana
                           even today. I do Hanumanasana by pressing one               Yoga can easily become an alternative form of
                           hand. Only I cannot take my hand up. I am trying to       treatment and it is gaining ground as a natural
                           rotate it in such a way so as to find out whether all     therapy. But for the present it needs a lot of
                           my muscles are in position or not. I could have also      support from the medical world. Medical world has

                            6     SPRING 2017
Iyengar Yoga News 3 0 - Iyengar Yoga UK
its own ideas. They are also fanatical in their own       sensitivity grows more and more; the intelligence in
subject but they have to give a thought that there        the person develops a character which is prakasha
may be so many other ways to treat diseases. lf           (light). This is fusion between consciousness and the
one can blend all these together then probably the        power of the bio-energy. When these two come
health of the world, the growth of the health of          together the words used are psycho and soma or
the people may be faster than what we are getting         prana sakti and prajna sakti. Prajna sakti is psycho
today.                                                    energy while prana sakti is soma energy. These have
                                                          to be blended to move together in the practice of
  Prevention is better than cure. Only Patanjali Yoga     asanas and pranayama. Only then can you think of
Sutra says - heyam dukham anagatam, take care             curing diseases very fast.
from now on so that the future afflictions may not
occur. This has not been said in other texts. Today         Blood circulation is dependent on circulation of
you may be healthy but you do not know at what            prana and the blending of the blood to a supe-
time you may be not. He therefore cautions us in          rior quality depends on prajna sakti. According to
the 23rd sutra, 2nd chapter. He says, all the bhuta-s,    the physiological explanation of the functions of
indriya-s, the tanmatra-s, the manas, evolve the          the heart, the blood is purified even if you do not
person to a better person from what he is today.          pay attention to it. But the yogi sends his intel-
                                                          ligence and consciousness to each and every part
  He clearly explains that yoga is not only a preven-     of the body so that the blood is felt when it feeds
tive but also a curative subject in the 30th sutra of     those areas which need it. That is why many of
the 4th chapter – Tatah klesha karma nivrittih.           the asana-s were given and the subtle practices
                                                          of pranayama were given so that you can make
  Yoga is meant to get rid of all the actions which       the air and the blood reach those areas. Health is
create afflictions. Does it not work as a preventive      dependent upon the prajna and prana sakti. If one
as well as a curative subject? Now, if you take, the      is stronger that the other then there is imbalance.
3rd chapter – sutra 51 "tadvairagyat api dosabijak-       Imbalance on the soma or imbalance on the psycho.
saye kaivalyam.” Bija is a seed, the seed of dosha-s,     lf they work together then there is a balance
seed of unhappiness. You can have millions and            between the health of the body and the health of
millions of meanings for the words - dosha bija. Each     the mind. Yoga does that. 'That is why I say that
of the dosha-s can be vanquished by the practice of       yoga can take a primary hand in the cultivation of
yoga. What more can I tell you regarding that ques-       good health' As Prashant said in the lectures, we as
tion when Patanjali not only speaks of philosophy         students have not got the courage to counter act
but also psychology as well as physical, mental, intel-   for the counter challenge when people speak-about
lectual and spiritual health that can be attained by      the 'valuelessness' of yoga. We think a medical man
the practice of yoga, the method being asana and          has come from heaven and he knows everything of
pranayama.                                                the body but if he knows everything of the body
                                                          - how many doctors have died unknowingly? They
  There are two things that are needed for improve-       don't ask that question'
ment in one's health. One is prajna and another
is prana. What you call conscious energy and bio-           That is why yoga says: you become a doctor for
                                                                                                                   Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

energy. Concentration is not awareness. To be             your own self. You need not depend upon others.
aware of everything is only possible for a very sensi-    Today in the modern world kriya - yoga is in a
tive, intellectual person and asanas build up that        dormant state. Without kriya there is no illumina-
sensitivity. We trigger the person by giving pricks       tion - be it, physical, mental or intellectual. lf the
in the organs for them to become sharp. This is           modern world understands this much, I will tell you
the sharpness which Patanjali speaks of - sensitivity     that yoga will supersede all other forms.\
of intelligence grows more and more when the

                                                                                           SPRING 2017        7
Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

8
SPRING 2017
Interview with Pandurang Rao
                                       Secretary of RIMYI
                                              by Karen Dhada

  Guruji was known to me from when I was born,           the Institute and the other half for the family house.
I’ve known him from a very young age. My dad and         In January we had a Puja on Thursday and then on
he were old friends from when they were bach-            Saturday he went to Mumbai to teach. Sunday his
elors. So, being family friends we were all known to     wife died. That is how the name for the Ramamani
each other from our childhood.                           Institute came. It opened on the 19th January 1975.

  I was born in Karnataka in 1950 but brought up in        The first group to come was for an intensive,
Pune. I started Yoga in 1970 when Guruji used to         about 110 people. There was a large number from
take classes in schools. In the beginning I thought      the U.K. - Jean Maslen, Lilian Biggs, Silva Mehta,
let me see what this Yoga is about so I went to          Silvia Prescott, Angela Farmer, Dona Holleman, and
the class at one of the school halls. After a while, I   Jeannie Hammond. At that time there would be a
started going to his home where he used to teach         morning and evening class. Guruji used to give three
maybe 5 – 6 students. I just went out of curiosity to    intensives a year; January, July and October. Geeta,
see what this Yoga is.                                   Prashant and I were there and we used to help in
                                                         the classes. Slowly I started learning and teaching.
  In the 1970s Guruji taught abroad a lot and the        At that time there were not so many students, so
local people thought we need to do something in          there would be enough time for me to go to class
Pune for him. That was the idea from the mind of         and practise. It was from the early 1980s that the
his local students that we will have some institute.     classes became more crowded. Then we opened
In 1972 Guruji found this land – half would be for

                                                                                                                  Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

                                                                                          SPRING 2017        9
another hall upstairs. The idea      came here. When Guruji was            had to go slightly up or down
                           was to keep it for Pranayama         travelling he was very happy that I   depending on whether his chest
                           class. The newcomers used to         was looking after the Institute for   was up or down. He would lie
                           join the main hall. Slowly we        him. He had the sense that I can      on the bench and say this is not
                           stopped and started separate         take care.                            correct, go for the final trial again.
                           beginners classes upstairs. I used
                           to help in the beginners and           There are four rooms on the           Guruji was my friend, my Guru,
                           medical classes. Then in 1980,       ground floor. One is the book-        he was my everything. We used
                           the children’s classes began and     store, one is an office and the       to talk on any subject. We were
                           Geeta used to mainly teach.          other is Prashant’s room. When        very good friends. He gave
                           Sometimes, I would step in if        we first started the students used    fatherly advice. He told me to get
                           there was no teacher. In the late    to stay four to a room. There is      married, said it was good to have
                           1980s there were many students       a toilet, bathroom and kitchen        a life partner. Ratan Shah one of
                           as Guruji’s popularity remained.     facilities in each room. After a      the senior teachers from the early
                           We trained many teachers here.       couple of years it was difficult to   days passed away early this year.
                                                                maintain because they needed          There are a few like him who are
                                                                hot water. Somewhere before           not here anymore.
                                                                Prashant’s accident in 1988 we
                                                                stopped lending the rooms it as it
                                                                was a big job.

                            From the beginning, the library      When asked if he will retire
                           was like this and Guruji used        soon, he said “Nobody can say.          Before his death, he was not
                           to meet people here. A lot of        Retirement is a mental idea. The      talking so much. He told me, “My
                           students used to come in the         more you remain busy the more         time is come up now.” I said,
                           afternoon and sit and read just to   you remain young. So many             “No Guruji.” He was not meeting
                           be near him. People used to ask      retired people get disturbed later    many people and not OK those
                           me if they could see Guruji, I was   on, they don’t know what to do.”      last 15 days. Those last few days
                           the fixer. He would meet people                                            when I saw him he was not well
Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

                           between 3-5.30pm and then 6pm         Guruji’s invention of his props      and we needed to send him to
                           he would go to medical class.        were all witnessed by me. They        the hospital. So, I was there with
                           Many people used to pray for         were all his own inventions. The      a few others when the ambulance
                           Guruji. He was like my God and       Viparita Dandasana and Setu-          took him. That was the last time
                           because of that I was not easily     bandha Sarvangasana benches           I saw him. At that time, I never
                           impressed with other politicians,    took a couple of months to get        had any idea that I will not see
                           cricket players and film stars who   to the final end. Sometimes, we       him again or he will not come

                           10     SPRING 2017
back. It never came in my mind.       time to think emotionally or think      were different. Today a lot of
Even I thought, that in a couple of   negatively. We think the blessings      students may not be necessarily
days he may come back but then        are there. Our job is to run the        fond of Yoga, they may come
I realised that that was the last     Institute as it is before.              once a week, then another day
day I saw him. A person like me                                               watch a film or go to a dance
who was with Guruji 40 years but        He is such a big man to describe      class. In those days they were
how soon that time came when          him in three words. He had              genuine students. Now you could
I have to say bye to him and it       all the best qualities. I always        say it is the difference between
happened like in a fraction of a      remember anytime, he had a              the Sky and the Earth. Now when
second.                               fantastic memory. A very sharp          I walk into the practice hall, I see
                                      man and extremely disciplined.          people lie on their mats and relax
  The institute was closed for a      These things are fantastic. He was      on say two bolsters. Like it is a
week to ten days. People would        like a jackfruit. It’s very tough and   five-star Yoga Spa. In the 1970s
come for prayer in the main hall.     hard from the outside but inside        there were absolutely no props,
After 14 days we opened the           very sweet, very soft - this man        everyone had to carry their own
Institute.                            was like that. We used to go on
                                      the scooter sometimes, both of

                                      us. He was a pure vegetarian, he
 Abhijata has now taken on the        used to like to talk on politics,       blanket and work on the bare
responsibility and there are a lot    watched Cricket. He was very            floors. We were the props, e.g.
of devoted teachers and they          down to earth. After teaching, he       someone in Halasana would put
started helping. There are now        became an absolutely innocent           their legs on our shoulders. How
a lot of other assistant teachers     person. When he was teaching            many people could stay with
and we can now comfortably run        he was very strong and hard, not        Guruji in those days? - He was
the Institute. The last two years     everybody could take him as a           very hard. He would make you
                                                                                                                     Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

Geeta has not been well, that’s       teacher. But after teaching he was      do 108 Viparita Chakrasanas. He
why Prashant takes the morning        absolutely a different person.          would hit who he liked. Look at
class.                                                                        my photo of me in Vrschikasana, I
                                       The students who came at the           have the soles of my feet on my
 I feel Guruji is all the time with   early days of the Institute were        head and that is only with Guruji’s
me. Like what he said we are          different, as per the generation        blessings.\
doing that. We don’t have the         gap. Their views and attitude

                                                                                            SPRING 2017       11
Pune
                                              Impressions
                                                from

                                     and the
                                RAMAMANI IYENGAR
                                 MEMORIAL YOGA
                                   INSTITUTE
Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

                           12   SPRING 2017
MY FIRST TRIP TO PUNE
By Sharon Gleeson

  My first trip to Pune was in December for
Yoganusasanam 2016. I have been practicing
Iyengar yoga since 2002 but had never been
tempted by a month long stay in Pune – a journey
to the unknown for a month just seemed like too
much of a risk! When the opportunity of visiting
for 2 weeks presented itself it seemed a little less
daunting – if I hated it I only had to make it through
2 weeks and if I loved it I could go back for a
month.
  I had heard lots of stories from Pune, good and
bad but the time had come for me to experience it
for myself and I set off on my little adventure with
2 yoga friends. We flew from Dublin to London
and London to Mumbai with British Airways. Our
taxi ride from Mumbai to Pune was not for the faint
hearted! The traffic in India has to be seen to be
believed.
  We arrived to Pune and to our lovely hotel The
Ketan which was recommended to us. We had
spacious rooms with balconies and were very close
to the Deccan Gymkhana where Yoganusasanam
was held. I think that the guidance of our
wonderful senior teachers in Ireland allowed us to
have the very best possible experience of Pune.
Aisling Guirke gave us an email guide which became
our bible and we referred to it every day. We
knew where to eat, what to eat, where to shop,
where to sightsee, where to find a pool on our day
off, where to find great jewellery in a lovely shop
that gives you chai and nibbles while you shop! Even
what type of car to request when booking a taxi to
the airport.
  Yoganusasanam was wonderfully organised. We
were given backpacks containing the props we
would need for the event and ID cards which
                                                         Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

were colour coded to ensure that we got to move
around the room day by day. Abhijata’s teaching
was excellent and she taught with a deep knowl-
edge of Iyengar yoga which she presented with
sincerity, humour and great skill. We loved her
more as each day passed. We also got to experi-
ence talks with Prashant and the highlight for me

                                SPRING 2017       13
was when Geeta spoke to us for over 2 hours,              problems for everyone else. Dogs, cattle, pigs, hand
                           despite her ill health.                                   carts and street sweepers (women in lovely saris
                            Guruji’s birthday anniversary on December 14th           with a long wispy broom) wander up and down the
                           was celebrated in style and we got to spend time          roads quite safely while lorries, cars, motor bikes
                           at the Institute listening to Birjoo and Zubin sharing    and scooters, often with several people on them
                           their memories of their time with Guruji.                 including children and babies, are doing things you’d
                            When Yoganusasanam was finished we spent                 get arrested for in the UK. It might look undis-
                           another few days in Pune and got to attend a class        ciplined and dangerous but if anyone causes an
                           at the Institute. It was such a treat to attend a class   accident their stupidity will quickly gather an angry
                           there – a place I had seen so many times in photos        crowd.
                           and in videos. It was very exciting to see the Insti-
                           tute for real and we spent hours in the bookshop.
                            I enjoyed every second of my little trip to Pune
                           and am already looking forward to going back.

                           RIMYI, NOVEMBER 2016
                           By Hannah Lovegrove

                             At RIMYI, the Iyengar Yoga Institute in Pune, you’ll
                           often hear Geetaji use the phrase, “You people”
                           to Westerners when one of us has behaved like
                           an idiot in class. It’s true - when we arrive most of
                           us just don’t get it; the learning curve is very steep.
                           During my visit there in November 2016, I real-
                           ised there’s a fundamental issue with our skewed
                           Western view of the purpose of humility and
                           respect.
                             Take the crazy traffic as an example. The rule is:
                           keep moving forwards, don’t waver and pedes-
                           trians: NEVER step backwards. No one stops at
                           roundabouts with the “After you” attitude of the
                           British give way system. Anyone who wavers causes
Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

                           14     SPRING 2017
The Institute is a sacred place where for over        telling us what we can and cannot do - because if
40 years, Iyengar Yoga teaching has been devel-         you behave with humility, pay attention and show
oped, practiced and freely given. The city of Pune      respect, there’s not a lot of need for reminders. But
and its 2.5 million inhabitants (about the size of      Western stupidity knows no bounds, apparently.
Greater Manchester) now has four or five genera-        We saw a group of Westerners bring out a picnic
tions of Iyengar Yoga students and teachers. The        in the practice hall between classes. That’s as bad as
daily classes are filled to capacity. The teaching      bringing your shoes into the Institute. Self-discipline
is strong, quick and detailed; every instruction is     and appropriate behaviour grow naturally from
delivered from 'a very straight bat'. The locals love   humility and respect.
it, and their love and respect for their teachers is
clearly evident. In the world-famous medical classes,
Iyengar Yoga and props come together and are            PUNE BLOG
used with years of skill and experience, providing      By Tamara Hockey
relief and respite to those who need help.
  Indian culture is rich with gods and rituals.           Managed to get some sleep last night and enjoyed
Humility, homage, respect are naturally and unself-     our last ‘holiday’ morning – practice, swim and
consciously displayed by people on every street         breakfast by the pool. We had booked an air condi-
corner. Discipline doesn’t need to be rigorously        tioned sleeper bus back to Pune with Swami Travel
applied – the Institute isn’t festooned with notices    and I was feeling increasingly nervous about this

                                                                                                                  Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

                                                                                         SPRING 2017        15
plan. The timetable said it would get us to Pune
                           for 3.30 pm in plenty of time for Abhi’s class, but
                           somehow I doubted that the bus would live up to
                           its timetabled claim of being quicker than the car
                           we had got on the way out.
                             Still it turned up only 15 minutes late – not a
                           bad start, especially since in India if you are late
                           for the bus and you are booked on, it waits for
                           you to turn up. The sleeper bus is fun! You have a
                           curtained bunk instead of a seat and I’d booked the
                           top bunk at the front to maximise the view, which
                           was both a blessing and a curse, as you could see
                           in full detail just how close you were getting to the
                           edge of the precipice as the driver made his way
                           cautiously (yes cautiously!!) down the long, curved
                           mountain descent. We made innumerable stops,
                           which seemed to involve someone flagging the bus
                           down followed by a long argument as the would-be
                           passenger tried to secure a place on the bus and
                           then the door would slam shut and the bus would          of laughs. We sat in virasana with our knees and
                           drive off without allowing them to board. By the         shins down and the toes pinned up on a pranayama
                           fifth or sixth time I couldn’t help but wonder WHY       pillow, bringing about a strong opening of the front
                           STOP? As we approached our supposed arrival              ankle and lengthening of the metatarsel. Particularly
                           time, we swung into a rest area for a 30 minute          her local students really struggled with this and were
                           stop. Feeling increasingly frustrated, I flagged down    wriggling about and groaning so she relayed her
                           a likely looking English speaker and managed to          experience when Guruji gave her this, only instead
                           ascertain we were about 45 minutes from Pune             of a pranayama pillow he gave her a wooden rod
                           and that we would be dropped at Chandi Chowk             for the toes. He asked “What is happening?” and
                           about 8km from Model Colony. We were dumped              she replied “It is painful!!” his response was “Why
                           unceremoniously in the central reservation of a busy     are you telling me about pain? when did I ask you
                           multi lane carriageway, where luckily a few rick-        about pain? I asked you what was happening!”.
                           shaws were waiting – not exactly in a strong posi-         At the end of the class I waited to speak to Abhi
                           tion to bargain, we took their first offer and heaved    and thanked her for her teaching over the month.
                           a sigh of relief as the scenery became more familiar.    She smiled brightly and we said until next time…
                           I managed to pick up my bolsters from Dimpex               I somehow managed to stuff three great big
                           and make it back just in time for Abhi’s class, hot      bolsters, a new pressure cooker and all the little
                           and harassed and not exactly in the right state for a    gifts I had bought for my family into my very big and
                           pranayama class.                                         heavy suitcases and am extremely relieved to be
                             Well, being Abhi, who likes to keep you guessing,      on the other side of check-in, having somehow got
                           although she started with supta virasana she devi-       away with it again. Air India aren’t perfect, but they
Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

                           ated completely and we ended up doing a class            do offer a very generous check in allowance (twice
                           of parivrrta’s: parivrtta trikonasana, parivrrta ardha   as much as British Airways) and they’re also a bit
                           chandrasana, parivrrta utthita hasta padasana, supta     more flexible if you’re a little over here and there.
                           padangusthasana 3, parvrrta eka pada sarvangasana        For those of you planning to visit Pune for the first
                           – working on lengthening the top outer thighs to         time I’ll finish with a few words of advice.
                           bring about an improvement in Garudasana. As               By far the worst mosquitoes I’ve come across on
                           usual it was lively and varied and there were plenty     this trip are at Mumbai Airport – I’d been bitten

                           16     SPRING 2017
before I even made it through immigration. With             Guruji had come over to London to take classes
Dengue Fever a very real risk, remember to put              which I had attended. A Quaker friend of the
on some repellent before you leave the aircraft. It’s       family had joined a Teachers Training course, led by
actually quite a challenge to stay well for a month         Silva in London and she took me along when I was
in Pune, with stomach upsets and chest infections           just 16yrs.
being the main culprits. I’m sure everyone knows              The fortress had corridors with rooms leading
about washing hands and not drinking tap water etc.         off and everyone rushed to claim a room, Silva
but sometimes despite precautions stomach upsets            holding us back.. No rooms with beds were left
occur. It’s well worth bringing some grapefruit seed        and so Silva took us to a room with mattresses
extract with you (the tablets are more expensive,           on the floor, there were large holes in the walls at
but you avoid having to taste the vile stuff). It’s very    floor level. On the first night I remember some-
effective and much better than taking pointless pills       thing running over me in the night… pulled the
from the doctor. If you’re going to maintain your           blanket up round my face. In the morning most
lung health it’s a good idea to bring a pollution mask      of the others moved out to hotels… the rats got
for rickshaw rides and above all a thorough practice        the better of them. We were able to move into a
(don’t just rely on classes which won’t always give         room with beds.
you what you need) – I felt my daily sarvangasana             At that time the building of RIMYI was only just
was what kept my lungs happy.                               finished… in fact, though the building itself was
                                                            standing, I don’t remember any kind of concrete
                                                            path leading up to it… rather a muddy (dried as
THE OPENING CEREMONY &                                      it was the month of January) track. The building
1ST INTENSIVE AT RIMYI 1975                                 was the last one at the end of the road and so the
                                                            mud track continued towards the main road (can’t
By Sasha Perryman                                           remember the name?). I’m not even sure that Hari
                                                            Krishna Mandir Road was a concrete road? As it
  I was fortunate enough to attend the 1975                 was unusual in those days for a group of foreigners
Opening Ceremony of RIMYI and adjoining 1st                 to be walking around Pune, there were numerous
Yoga Intensive course taught there by Guruji. I was         beggars hanging round the entrance… yes I think
19yrs old and attached to a group of others from            there was a gate?
UK led by Silva Mehta. Others on the course were              The day of the ceremony arrived and the main
a group from the North of England (names?). From            hall was packed. We were all participants to the
all of us I can’t think that there is anyone who is still   various Pujas that several priests clad in their orange
around within our movement. There was Victor                robes performed. Enchanting. Following that
van Kuten and his sister in law from Holland. From          different people got up and spoke on the platform.
England apart from Silva there was Gitla Turner             At the back of the platform there was a large photo
(who died many years ago), Selma Payne, Audrey              of Ramamani Iyengar who had so recently died. I
Paterson. There may well have been others that I            remember Geeta speaking with tears rolling down
have overlooked. My memory is really quite hazy             her cheeks. The grief of the family was shared with
on the whole event as it was such a COLOSSAL                everyone present. It was very moving.
experience at the tender age of 19yrs. It certainly           As it was such a momentous experience, my
was an experience of a lifetime.
                                                                                                                      Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

                                                            mind is still a ‘whirl’ when I think back. The 3 week
  We stayed at an old fortress owned by a British           Intensive course began, I think the timing was gener-
colonial and friend of Guruji. At that time the Insti-      ally 8am – 1pm – 5 hours at a stretch (though my
tute was the first building on the street and large         memory may be playing tricks?) and then back later
tracts of open ground surrounded it. I had gone             in the afternoon for more.
under the ‘watchful eye’ of my teacher Silva Mehta,           The classes were extraordinary – as if Guruji’s
being the youngest of the group. Prior to that              eyes were everywhere…demanding that you give

                                                                                             SPRING 2017       17
Your Absolute All to your efforts. About 40 of          you’re strong but you’re weak!’… and ‘Inferiority
                           us were present in the classes. I think there were      complex’… These comments were given without
                           several from Bombay (as it was then called) - Birjoo    any back up… I had to work them out for myself!
                           and Jawahar, and probably others (again that I can’t     My regret is that I didn’t bring any photos back.
                           recall)                                                  From then began my long journey on the Path of
                             Near the beginning of the course, without warning     Yoga…
                           Guruji was there - looking down at me (I was in
                           Trikonasana,) ‘You are the one who never listens’
                           he said (I’d had classes with him for several years
                                                                                   1982 INTENSIVE
                           running before when he used to come to London           By Tricia Booth
                           each year to teach) – his eyebrows quivering.
                             That did it for me… from then on, wherever he           This was my fourth intensive with Guruji. All the
                           was, in the room, my ears were keenly tuned in his      intensives were special but this one particularly so.
                           direction. Known as a ‘Tiger ’in those days when          At that time all certificates after the Introdutory
                           he was teaching – the effect being that All One’s       and Intermediate Junior were given directly by
                           Efforts went to following his instructions in order     Guruji. I was applying for my Intermediate Senior
                           to Keep Well Out of His Way! He extracted the           through my teacher Jeanne Maslen. Jeanne had
                           maximum attention – which of course meant the           taken with us, to Pune, photos of my own work
                           maximum inner attention to the spiritual dimension      and with me helping others in postures and also
                           of complete absorption within.                          some written work requested by Guruji. You can
                             Memories of Silva, her hair come loose from her       imagine that during the three weeks of that Inten-
                           bun, her face aglow within the presence of her          sive I was very aware that I could be being assessed
                           beloved Guru.                                           all the time. Just imagine a three week assessment
                             All of us in Paschimottanasana and Guruji jumping     instead of our full day that we have now! This made
                           from back to back, involuntary groans emitted as        me even more receptive of his teaching and kept
                           your chest was extended forward and down.               me on my toes, not literally as we had to be evenly
                             Being ‘picked up’ whilst in Dwi Pada Viparita         grounded with our heels as well.
                           Dandasana and repositioned elsewhere? (How?) I            This intensive seemed to be full of laughter and
                           still remember my complete astonishment at this         we were a very happy group and at the end of
                           adjustment as it was so abrupt…yet felt so much         the session Jeanne was able to tell me that Guruji
                           easier afterwards!!                                     had said that I had reached the required standard
                             Guruji was quick to point out a ‘wrong atti-          although some of the methods of help that I had
                           tude’ – ‘See the pride in this woman’s pose’ – that     shown in the photos were not quite how he would
                           was Elaine Pritchard from Harlow (she was most          have helped.
                           aggrieved by this!!)... but also gave encouragement       I shall always be full of gratitude for Guruji's
                           to Anne Clark, a lady from my home town who had         teaching and guidance. Thank you Guruji.
                           Learning Difficulties. Guruji would praise her ‘This
                           woman knows more than All You People’… Anne
                           was very natural with no pretence or guise.
                                                                                   1982 INTENSIVE
                             A woman had come from the Wheel of Yoga who           By Judi Soffa
Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

                           appeared to be having some sort of breakdown…
                           sobbing and crying, yet Guruji maintained his strict-    I had just gained my Introductory Teaching Certifi-
                           ness with her? At the time I was secretly somewhat      cate and Jeanne Maslen, our trainer and senior
                           horrified (not understanding) at the way he handled     teacher, booked us into an Intensive three week
                           her… but later on in the course, she began to look      course with BKS Iyengar at the RIMIY in Pune.
                           transformed and all her tears stopped! Now I can         What an experience it was!
                           understand his other comment to me ‘You think            Firstly of course India was still very much a third

                           18     SPRING 2017
world country and a revelation to me, Pune had no        The teaching was phenomenal. Guruji was on fire...
cars, just bullock carts, bicycles and rickshaws, no   the zeal, intensity, the absolute commitment to
mobile phones, no internet of course and no shops      imparting his yogic discipline to us was like nothing
just shacks. With only trunk calls back to the UK,     I had ever or will experience again. Some found it
which took 2hrs to get connected and letters taking    too intense but I knew he had to make us be abso-
three weeks, my mother was beside herself with         lutely in the present and if you stayed with him and
worry.                                                 followed his every instruction the rewards were
  Jeanne Maslen had been to the RIMYI several          there.
times and so she paved the way for us and kindly         Guruji 's eyes were everywhere and if your atten-
took us all under her wing. All the UK group stayed    tion drifted off for a second, he pulled you back
at the Ajit hotel in                                                                      in with his eyes or
Deccan Gymkhanana                                                                         verbal reprimand.
and we all travelled in                                                                   I was made to be
rickshaws there and                                                                       so absolutely in
back to the Institute in                                                                  the present with
convoy together. The                                                                      all my faculties and
hotel allowed us to                                                                       all my senses and
bring our own food                                                                        made to surrender
in and cook on basic                                                                      completely to his
camping stoves in our                                                                     instructions. We
rooms to accommodate                                                                      were taken out of
our British palates, which                                                                our comfort zone,
were unaccustomed to                                                                      challenged physically
spicy food in those days.                                                                 and emotionally.
  Jeanne Maslen arranged                                                                    Only when Guruji
for sightseeing trips                                                                     was sure we had
to Bombay as it was                                                                       caught his instruc-
called then. We took                                                                      tions and we were
the train from Pune                                                                       doing the asanas
railway station, the                                                                      with all our efforts,
same journey that                                                                         then he beamed as
Guruji had been taking                                                                    he was satisfied he
every Saturday for so                                                                     had done what he
many years to teach                                                                       was meant to do..
his students there. In                                                                    impart the most
Bombay we visited the                                                                     incredible knowl-
Elephanta Caves and the                                                                   edge of the body,
following weekend we                                                                      mind and spirit
took a 2 day car trip to                                                                  and lift us out of
Ajanta and Allora. I didn't realise at the time how    our limitations and inspire us honestly, without self
                                                                                                                  Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

fortunate we were to have Jeanne to organise the       deception on the yogic path. I feel so fortunate that
travel and hotels.                                     I have been alive when Guruji lived and experi-
  The main event though of course was the yoga.        enced his classes while he was at the pinnacle of his
There were two classes a day. The morning class        teaching as there will never be another yoga prac-
began at 9.30am and was 2-3 hrs long and the           titioner/ teacher like Guruji for hundreds of years, if
afternoon class around 4pm for another two hours       ever again.\
or so.

                                                                                         SPRING 2017       19
Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

20
SPRING 2017
NATIONAL IYENGAR YOGA DAY
                                          14th January 2017
                      Feedback from Organisers and Participants
BATH                                                                        A wide range of people young
“We held the event at The                                                   and old with varying degrees of
Claverton Rooms Bath Univer-                                                fitness and flexibility came and
sity. The class ran for an hour                                             enjoyed the classes and expe-
and a half starting with the invo-                                          rienced some of the benefits
cation to Sage Patanjali led by                                             that Iyengar yoga can bring.
Colette, followed by standing                                               Lauren Smurthwaite and Louise
postures taught by Jon then                                                 Wallace taught the classes and
seated postures and twists                                                  the demonstration was organised
taught by Libby. Finishing with                                             by the Centre’s Senior Teacher
Savasana led by Colette and                                                 Christina Niewola.
throughout introducing attendees
to the principles and methods                                               Christina said “This is the second
of Iyengar Yoga. We followed                                                year that we have participated in
up with an enjoyable hour of                                                National Iyengar Yoga Day which
coffee and chat in the café below                                           is a great opportunity for people
the venue. Feedback was good:                                               of all ages and levels of fitness to
‘You have a convert. I have done     WASHINGTON, TYNE & WEAR                come and try Iyengar yoga for
many forms of yoga but this is       “I had 14 participants in total, the   themselves. It was good to see
the best’ and ‘My day is better,     feedback was very positive, all        a variety of people supporting
thanks.’ Teachers: In attendance     appreciated a free class and took      the events on Saturday and for
20 people. Of those 9 new to         leaflets to share with friends who     contributing to MacMillan Cancer
Yoga and the Iyengar method.” -      they thought would be inter-           Support.” - Christina Niewola
Jon Hunt, Colette Foulstone and      ested.” - Laura Jane Noble
Libby Lee
                                     CONGLETON IYENGAR
                                     YOGA CENTRE
                                     On Saturday 14th January 2017,
                                     Congleton Iyengar Yoga Centre,
                                     as did many other Iyengar Yoga
                                     centres and teachers across the
                                     country, offered free classes to
                                     celebrate National Iyengar Yoga
                                     Day. Two classes and a demon-
                                     stration of Iyengar yoga were held
                                                                                                                   Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

                                     at the centre, which were well
                                     attended with over 30 people at
                                     the events. They also contributed
                                     to MacMillan Cancer Support
                                     through a raffle and donations.

                                                                                          SPRING 2017        21
DHIYI
                                                                 “The Dorset and Hampshire
                                                                 Iyengar Yoga Institute put on its
                                                                 first NIYD event to
                                                                 celebrate Iyengar Yoga. There
                                                                 were two free classes, one hour
                                                                 each in length, back to back, in
                                                                 addition to free hot drinks and
                                                                 biscuits. Although the hope was
                                                                 to attract people new to Iyengar
                                                                 Yoga, all were welcome to attend
                                                                 the morning class and existing
                                                                 Iyengar students were encour-
                                                                 aged to bring a friend or rela-
                                                                 tive. The turnout was great - 42
                           DERBY IYENGAR YOGA                    people attended, 17 of whom
                           Charlotte Rosser taught two free      were new to the method.” - Jenni
                           taster classes on National Iyengar    Doohan
                           Yoga Day at two different venues
                           in Derby. Last year she taught
                           a Yoga Marathon for existing                                              by sharing a couple of our own
                           Iyengar Yoga students, and this                                           experiences in Pune and played
                           year her focus was on getting                                             a recording of Prashant leading
                           new people to come and experi-                                            the invocation (complete with
                           ence Iyengar Yoga for the first                                           tooting!) which we all joined
                           time. 19 people in total attended                                         in with. We delivered a lesson
                           her taster classes.                                                       from Pune that Guruji himself
                           “I absolutely loved the class! I've                                       had contributed to with Abhijata
                           never done any yoga before but                                            and finished with a wonderful
                           a really good physio I work with                                          Savasana that Geeta had taught
                           recommended it… I couldn't                                                us. Zoe, my fellow teacher,
                           believe the difference after one                                          touchingly described the day she
                           short class. I found the cross                                            was in Pune on an anniversary
                           legged position at the start really                                       of the opening of RIMYI and
                           difficult but by the end of the                                           finished by saying how very nice
                           class could manage it easily. I                                           the tea and cakes were! So, on
                           left feeling so much more ener-                                           that note, our husbands alias
                           getic, and even my breathing felt                                         teaboys, opened the hatch and
                           more comfortable. I'm definitely a    CHRISTCHURCH, DORSET                served an array of cakes made by
                           convert…”                             “40 dedicated yogis came to         our students! People came from
                           "Thank you for the Yoga Taster
Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

                                                                 an afternoon of classes, tea and    all our different classes, it was a
                           Class it was such an interesting      home-made cake! Our dress           warm, friendly and vibrant atmos-
                           experience. I hadn't realised         code was black and white to         phere and we felt it was a real
                           that the position of every part       reflect the colours of the RIMYI    coming together of our local yoga
                           of our body it is so important.       sign on the wall outside the Pune   community. And, as a bonus, we
                           Definitely would like to start my     Institute. We attempted to          raised £375 for Bellur.” - Elaine
                           adventure with Yoga…”                 bring RIMYI into our yoga room      Rees, Zoe Hobbs

                           22     SPRING 2017
GARWAY (HEREFORDSHIRE)              Ages ranging from 6 to 72             YoGuy is
IYENGAR YOGA STUDIO                 attended 6 taster sessions.           for men
Students from Sheila's remedial     The studio buzzed with activity.      only, YoYo
class for breast cancer joined in   Many of the visitors enjoyed a        is for 16-24
with new students at Garway         free massage or reflexology           year olds,
(Herefordshire) Iyengar Yoga        treatment from local experts.         YoWo is for
Studio to celebrate National        Delicious smoothies from Raw          women only
Iyengar Yoga Day (and her           Food Rosie’s and pasta delights       and Children
birthday!). Afterwards the          fromThe Cooking Cooks kept the        over 6 can
students enjoyed                    crowds energised.                     enjoy fun
lunch and donations                 Mayor Jim Kenyon, who has prac-       classes
given of over £100                  tised Yoga before, delighted the      delivered
will go to The Haven                Children’s class with his appear-     with lots of creative energy.” -
Breast Cancer Centre                ance and took part in an hour-        Jenny-May While
in Hereford. – Sheila               long YoGuy (men only) class.
Green                                                                     IYISL
                                    Jenny-May While founded               “We ran a taster class at the
                                    HEREFORD YOGA CIC                     Iyengar Yoga Institute South
                                    (Community Interest Company),         London. Early on the 14th
                                    the not-for-profit organisa-          January it was a rainy and cold
                                    tion which runs Hereford Yoga         grey winter morning and we
                                    Centre, with the vision of            wondered who would join us.
                                    inspiring the community to learn      By 9am the hall was at capacity
                                    the benefits of Iyengar yoga.         with 28 students - a nice mix
                                    She said: “We have been over-         of ages and about half men, half
                                    whelmed by the level of support       women. We were really pleased
                                    today. There has been an excited      to see this mix. We ran a busy
HEREFORD YOGA CENTRE                bustle of people keen to find out     and enjoyable class which we
More than 300 people came to        more about yoga and how it can        hope gave people a real feel for
enjoy a free lesson of Iyengar      benefit their body and mind. We       the variety that is Iyengar Yoga;
yoga at Hereford Yoga Centre on     now have the place, and space,        varied pace - some poses taught
Saturday January 14th, including    to begin reaching out to more
                                    community groups too. It’s been
Mayor of Hereford, Jim Kenyon.
                                    a wonderful start and I’m confi-
                                    dent we can make a difference
                                    in Hereford and the surrounding
                                    region.
                                    “It’s taken almost two years and
                                    at least 2000 volunteer hours to
                                    get to opening day and we
                                    couldn’t have done it without the
                                                                                                                  Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

                                    support of Hereford Council, the
                                    Sport England and Comic Relief.
                                    We’re offering a free taster class
                                    to anyone interested in trying
                                    yoga and offer a variety of classes
                                    to accommodate different groups.

                                                                                        SPRING 2017          23
in detail and with good use of           WIMBORNE, DORSET                        WARWICKSHIRE IYENGAR YOGA
                           props and other poses more fast          “I held a free Iyengar Yoga class       Yogathon
                           paced, ending with a peaceful set        at Canford Sports Centre in             Elaine Spraggett, Pete Burnham,
                           of restorative poses.                    Wimborne, Dorset, for National          Di Harris
                           We got many thanks and posi-             Iyengar Yoga Day. I had 11
                           tive comments… one man said it           people attending, one of whom
                           was much much better than he             had never done yoga before.
                           expected! We will definitely be          Attached is a picture of those
                           doing it again.” - Marion Sinclair       who consented to be photo-
                           and Priscila Dinisz                      graphed at the end! Everyone
                                                                    took the time to tell me that they
                           CUDDINGTON, CHESHIRE                     enjoyed the class and one person
                           “I ran a free class to mark              even enquired about training to
                           National Iyengar Yoga Day at             teach Iyengar Yoga”. - Louisa Elliott
                           Cuddington and Sandiway Village
                           Hall and I am pleased to report
                           that it was a huge success. I
                           expected about 5 or 6 people to
                           turn up and got 20! There was a
                           range of ages from late twenties
                           to early eighties and a range of
                           experience from complete begin-                                                  YOGAHUT, FALMOUTH
                           ners to other yoga teachers (non-        ORIYI                                   NIYD at the YogaHut in
                                                                    “We had a morning session for           Falmouth was well attended with
                                                                    existing students which was well        21 participants over two classes,
                                                                    attended, and very, very posi-          and several people signing up for
                                                                    tively received; we also held free      classes. Feedback was very good,
                                                                    sessions for those new to Iyengar       with people happy to have the
                                                                    Yoga.” - Jill Johnson, Evelyn           chance to try Iyengar yoga for the
                                                                    Crosskey                                first time and some signing up for
                                                                                                            classes straight away. – Jane Lane
                           Iyengar). It was quite a daunting        SHEFFIELD YOGA CENTRE
                           and challenging experience for           Sheffield Yoga Centre celebrated        MAITRI STUDIO, BELFAST
                           a newly qualified teacher, but           the day with a free class espe-         We ran three classes, with 23
                           equally rewarding and enjoyable...       cially for NHS workers, and a free      attendees all together, most of
                           I got some good feedback and             taster class open to all. Frances       whom were new to the studio.
                           lots of interest shown in joining a      Homewood did a talk titled ‘A           We had some good feedback
                           class that I run at the village hall.”   Yogic Lifestyle - What Does This        including people asking about
                           – Karen Brindle                          Mean?’ and we enjoyed tea and           attending classes.”– Claire Ferry,
                                                                    cake afterwards.                        Tracy Stuart & Louise Sarri \
Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

                           24      SPRING 2017
IY(UK)    Annual Convention
                 27th - 29th May 2017
     At Birmingham International Convention Centre
           with   Jawahar Bangera
                    Join us for this year’s Convention over the spring bank holiday.
                    We are delighted that (at the time of writing) there are still
                  places available for our convention this year, to be taught by
                  Jawahar Bangera at the International Convention Centre, in the
                  centre of Birmingham’s historic and vibrant cultural quarter.

                   ABOUT JAWAHAR BANGERA
                   We are very much looking forward to welcoming Jawahar back
                  to the UK. He was described by Guruji some years ago as “my
                  senior-most teacher”.

                    Years of dedicated practice and study have helped make
                  Jawahar a teacher who inspires us to move deeper into our
                  understanding of Iyengar yoga. Jawahar is well known for his
                  precision, dedication and his ability to make everyone feel
                  included. He teaches classes in Mumbai where he is a director of
                                                                                          Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

                  the Iyengar Institute Yogashraya which was inaugurated by BKS
                  Iyengar in 2002

                   Senior teachers, advanced practitioners and students from
                  all over the UK gather to receive Jawahar’s teaching at his last
                  convention with us in Glasgow 2011.

                                                                SPRING 2017          25
“Jawahar Bangera is a gem. He is unpretentious,
                           a warm, friendly character. He has been a student          Whether Jawahar was expounding on the physics
                           of Guruji since childhood. We found Jawahar to            of a pose, deftly weaving Patanjali's aphorisms and
                           be modest, humble and very helpful. When asked            Guru's insights into his presentation, or calmly and
                           about practice he gave some very useful advice            modestly reminding us of the importance of right
                           e.g. 'Practice gets harder as you age'. He also said      action in all aspects of yoga - Right thoughts; Right
                           ‘You have to maintain your practice just to stand         actions; Right habits; Right living; Right eating; and
                           still'. When asked which asanas would be useful for       Practice (Practice Practice Practice!) - his passion
                           specific injuries or ailments, his reply was 'Just do     came through. It was so rejuvenating to have his
                           Yoga'” Margaret and Gordon Austin.                        presence here.” Joanna Godliman, on Jawahar’s
                                                                                     teaching in Canada, 2016
                            “I consider that Jawahar is one of our best Iyengar
                           teachers. He has absorbed Guruji's teaching having
                           been so close to him from childhood and accompa-
                           nied him on many of his visits to Europe and other
                           countries. He gives of himself to all of us Iyengar
                           students. Three words that describe Jawahar are
                           dedicated, helpful and humble.” Tricia Booth

                             “Jawahar is watchful, observant, patient, and strong.
                           His articulation of the crystalline teachings of B.K.S.
Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

                           Iyengar's Sadhana brings the knowledge of the
                           ancient rishis to life. There is no avoidance. Over
                           a period of several days of refining and educating,
                           often with physical examples and practical expla-
                           nations, he introduced newness to allow light to
                           penetrate, understanding to dawn.

                           26     SPRING 2017
A CONVENTION IN CENTRAL BIRMINGHAM                    We will be offering an Indian vegetarian meal and
  Our yoga hall in Birmingham’s International           showing the film Leap of Faith, converting our yoga
Convention Centre (ICC), is a wonderfully propor-       hall into a small cinema/restaurant for the evening!
tioned octagonal space, auspiciously similar to the     Leap of Faith spans nine decades of Guruji’s life and
RIMIYI institute in Pune, where eight sides repre-      70 years of his practice and teaching. It shows him
sent the eight limbs of yoga. There is ample space      as Guru, Teacher, Husband, Father and Shishya.
for participants, as we were keen not to sell out       The film helps to reveal the simple man behind
early this year, and the hall extends out into a wide   such a complex and towering personality; it is an
spacious balcony area for our marketplace and           endeavour to capture the essence of the man
registration. Located right in the redeveloped city     behind the phenomenon.
centre, it is surrounded by the city’s amenities, a
wide choice of accommodation, as well as beau-            Social events are a great way to be with friends
tiful, quiet spaces including Birmingham’s landmark     old and new, to talk together in friendly conversa-
museum and the stunning library.                        tion about a subject we feel passionate about.

  NEVER BEEN TO AN IY (UK) CONVENTION?                                    LEVEL OF PRACTICE
                     Why not join us?                     As a guideline, students of minimum two years prac-
  You may have seen “Views of a First-Timer” in         tise are welcome to attend the Convention. Ideally,
the last issue of Iyengar Yoga News, and read and       you should be able to hold Sirsasana in the centre of
heard more about attending conventions. However,        the room or at the wall for five minutes, and Sarvan-
attending for the first time need not be daunting.      gasana for five to ten minutes, or have knowledge of
Every convention is slightly different: the teacher,    how to adapt the poses for your needs.
the venue, and other participants, ourselves on
those days, all make the experience different. What                     IT’S EASY TO BOOK
is the same, is that everyone in the room is there       Go to www.iyengaryoga.org and log in. If you need
because of their shared practise and interest in        any help with logging in or to register to attend the
learning more about Iyengar yoga. Despite there         Convention, contact jess@iyengaryoga.org.uk
being several hundred people in the room, when
you are on your mat, the instructions feel like they      “I can assure you that the 2017 IY (UK) Conven-
are just for you.                                       tion in Birmingham with Jawahar will be something
  There are also opportunities to meet with others      to look forward to.” Judi Sweeting
                                                                                                                Iyengar Yoga News No. 30

during the convention, in the long lunch breaks, at                 We do hope you can join us!\
our vibrant market place and at the organised film
evening on Sunday.

   YOGA SOCIAL, FILM AND FOOD EVENING
 We’re delighted to be able to offer a social event
on the Sunday evening of the Convention.

                                                                                         SPRING 2017       27
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