The Belle of Bellur: Four Days of Gratitude with Abhijata Iyengar - Day 4

Celebrating BKS Iyengar’s birthday From the soil of his birth and in Bellur, India, and supporting his dream through the Bellur Trust  is a gesture. His granddaughter, Abhijata Sridha Iyengar expressed the emotions of love, respect, and reverence, all of those who have been touched by his work felt. We wanted to honor his birthday whether we ever got a chance to meet him in person or not. His energy is still very present. His life’s work continues to make it possible for people from all walks of life to experience the transformation of yoga.

Many refer to him as Guruji. It is from the word guru or bringer of light. It is very fitting for someone who put yoga into a language the modern world could understand —regardless of country, class, race, gender, age, or physical abilities or limitation. “Access” is a term we hear a lot relevant these days, and Guruji sought to find ways to offering any willing students access to the transformation of yoga.

Since its origins somewhere between the fifth and third centuries BCE, yoga has evolved and been packaged in innumerable ways. Diving into its depths is a daunting task, which is why BKS Iyengar’s work is such a gift. Anyone who has had the opportunity to observe or assist in the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) therapy classes located in Pune, Maharashtra, has witnessed the healing powers of his work. It is why he has students from all over the globe. It’s not that he thought himself god-like as so many with his kind of influence tend to think of themselves. He worked, played, lived, and breathed yoga with the highest integrity any man can have. He gave us a learning method that aligns and connects us, mind, and body, because he knew once that happens, the yoga can do the yoga.

Tamas - inert, dull

Rajas - fire, dynamic

Sattvic - luminosity

There are three qualities of nature or Gunas: Tamas, solidity, Rajas, dynamism, Sattva, luminosity. They are ever-present and changing throughout nature and life. Abhijata brought awareness of the Gunas and the transformative power of yoga in her final class. She began and ended with a Savasana or corpse pose. She pointed out the vast difference of experience between the two asana. For some of us, it was very early morning; for some, after lunch, others, it was evening. Time, place, weather, level of study all affect the experience. Abhijata highlighted the Sutra of Sage Patanjali, which BKS Iyengar transcribes as “Perfection in an asana is achieved when the effort to perform it becomes effortless and the infinite being within is reached.”

II.47 prayatna shaithilya ananta samapattibhyam

Beginners may experience a generalized dullness, which is why Iyengar Yoga emphasizes standing poses in early training. They wake up the body. In Utthita Hasta Padasana, extended hands and legs pose, Abhijata taught with instructions such as lift the kneecaps and thighs and extend the arms from the sternum: the right sternum out to the fingertips and left sternum to the fingertips. Clear actions required the body and mind to engage progressively from the outer skin inwards to our muscles, bones, and nerves. The tamasic dullness moved into a more rajasic active state. Asana in an Iyengar class require intense focus and effort. Repetition allows that focus and effort to evolve. When we can better align and connect the mind and body, we move into another stage, a more rhythmic flow of effort, and a less effortful luminous state. These qualities of dullness, activity, and luminosity cycle within and around us day-to-day, moment-by-moment, class to class, asana to asana. With continuous practice, we can mindfully utilize these qualities of nature. When we need rajas, we can call upon it. When we are angry or agitated and we need to pause, we can call upon tamas. The harmony or balance of the two is sattva, so it is the more luminous state. We can learn to calibrate ourselves to adjust to inward changes or help us deal with outward changes in our environment.

In class, Abhijata generated rajas after the first few asana. She paused less between the asana, the rigor and intensity forced focused effort and then we experienced asana from the beginning of class again, now the effort was less effortful, the rigor and repetition transformed the body and mind, so by the time we got to Savasana, corpse pose for the second time, we were now acutely present with our legs, feet, ankles, thighs, hips, abdomen, chest, arms, neck, head, ears, eyes, mouth, nose and breath. We could actively surrender to earth from which we came and with it perhaps more conscious gratitude towards the man who helped us get there.

Iyengar Yoga is an experience not to be missed.

Thank you, Abhijata, for your willingness, your time, effort, and insight; Kishore for all of your patience and support; all of the panelists for demonstrating the poses and the many prop alternatives in the Iyengar repertory to address specific issues. I am grateful to you all. None of this could be possible without the birth of BKS Iyengar. Our continued experience, learning, and sharing of Iyengar Yoga can give him many happy returns.

Namaste.

The Belle of Bellur: Four Days of Gratitude with Abhijata Iyengar - Day 3

“If the foundation is firm, the building can withstand calamities. The practice of Yoga is the foundation, so that the Self is not shaken under any circumstances.”~B.K.S. Iyengar

Yoga is a metaphor for life and living. BKS Iyengar made the study of asana his life and gave us a library of learning to light our path, along with his lineage after him who have brought their insights into his work, and many other devoted instructors. He took as many as 40 years, Abhijata explained, to find a single word to describe a particular instruction. Abhijata distinguished the difference between her grandfather’s yoga practice and a student of Iyengar Yoga. BKS Iyengar studied with a teacher for only a few years. He spent the rest of his time in self study embodying the Sutres of Sage Patañjali :

Sutre 1:14 - sah tu dirgha-kaala-nairantarya-satkaaraa-sevito dhruddha-bhoomi-ha

Guruji transcribed this Sutra in Light On the yoga Sutras of Pantanjali as “Long, uninterrupted, alert practice is the firm foundation for retraining the fluctuations.” We have no concept of the decades of uninterrupted, discipline and devotion. We are the lucky recipients of it. As we celebrate his 102nd birthday on December 14th hold on to that thought.

Guruji has been quoted often as saying, “The body is my Temple. Asana are my prayers.” Asana were his prayers, so much so, he developed a specific Krama or sequence and order of asana to build a foundation for Tapas (self-discipline) and Svadyaya (self-study) and Isvara Pranidhanani (devotion). He also established the Krama of words to articulate instruction down to a level of subtly that brings a depth of unconscious to the surface that is truly remarkable —all in a systematic and sequential manner.

To appreciate why Krama is a crucial component of Iyengar Yoga, Abhijata gave a relatable example: we would never force a child who has just learned to walk to cross a wall or balance beam on their own. We have to build unity of mind and body, without it stress happens. Yoga means union. Abhijata explained interrupting children doing a puzzle or math problem can be very disruptive. They are focused, but can’t handle disruption. It is this kind of singularity of focus that Iyengar Yoga seeks to cultivate to a higher level. It is why Iyengar instructors do not teach a pose until the student has developed the necessary foundations to work in that asana safely and properly.

Stress is a word that is top-of-mind in this pandemic. It has come up often during the Bellur Iyengar Yoga Workshop. Upon research, etymologically, the word may be derived from the Old French word estrece, which means narrow or oppressed. Calamity like the pandemic has brought stress. There is a sense of chaos with fear of the unknown coupled with the pains of confinement and restriction. These stressful emotions can come up in difficult poses like Sirsasana, headstand. There can also be stiffness of the mind and body when attempting a forward bend or revolved pose. It can be a pre-existing condition or can come as a result of the idea of a difficult asana. Stiffness causes stress. However, Iyengar Practitioners develop more flexibility and freedom in both mind and body. They can stay completely present in a pose. Self-adjusting, pausing to evaluate the response throughout the body and mind, and continue to work like that while exploring deeper and deeper aspects of the posture. All the while they can also remain calm and steady despite disruptions, uncertainty, chaos or calamity.

Students who go to an Iyengar Yoga class can evolve into Iyengar Yoga Practitioners. It requires dedicated study with Certified Iyengar Instructors, following explicit directions so proper cultivation can be established. Dedicated Abhyasa (uninterrupted practice) and Vairagya (detachment) in every aspect of Kriya Yoga (action of yoga): Tapas (self-discipline), Svayaya (self-study), Ishvara Pranidhanani (Surrender of oneself to God) follows as the student transitions into a practitioner. The level of experience they can reach is high, thanks to the foundation of Iyengar Yoga. For over seven decades, Guruji dug into every fiber of his being to create a rich fertile soil for yoga to thrive.

What a gift.

Namaste.

The Belle of Bellur: Four Days of Gratitude with Abhijata Iyengar - Day 2

Day two of the workshop with Abhijata Sridhar, BKS Iyengar’s granddaughter, highlighted for me the grace and gratitude that Iyengar Yoga fosters. It is unfathomable for most of us to imagine leading a class as large as the Iyengars do, and yet, it is what BKS Iyengar and his daughter Geeta dedicated their lives to. It is what his son, Prashant, continues to do. Abhijata trained with all of them since she was 16. She carries the legacy of impeccable instruction forward.

She is such an inspiration. She mentioned today that if we didn’t know her grandfather’s birthday or he didn’t have the telling hair color ( read gray) — watching him in the studio before his passing; you’d never know his age. Likewise, listening to Abhijata, experiencing her wisdom, confidence and clarity, you’d never know she is only 38 years old. Her Kriya Yoga, acts of yoga: Tapas (self-discipline that burns impurities), Svadhyaya (self-study from the outer to the inner sheaths), and Ishvara Pranidhana (the ultimate surrender to the divine) have given her such grace.

Today she emphasized how we should never underestimate the importance of how yoga brings the unconscious (whatever you want to call it) to the surface. We explored extension of the frontal body and circularizing that with lengthening and engaging the back body in standing, revolved, and seated asana. We studied the Bhranti Darsana, delusion or false ideas that can come with attempts to find that extension in an asana that requires more than surface awareness like Parvritta Trikonasana or Parvrtta Parsvokonasana (revolved triangle and side angle pose respectively). These poses require us to explore beyond our superficial involvement to the much deeper place of internal awareness.

In some poses it is easier to stay on the surface. For example, Uttanasana, an intense forward bend, we can think we are extending. However, when Abhijata put our backs to the wall for feedback, we realized, what we thought was an big effort on our part to extend from pubic bone to sternum was in reality more shifting our buttocks towards our head side- as opposed to truly extending in the manner she instructed. We had a false sense of what was happening. A proper extension is an integral action to moving beyond capabilities in asana. It is a wonderful example of the difference between Iyengar Yoga and other yoga in the energy requirement of Tapas and Svadyaya that must take place to achieve it without illusion.

Students of other practices may go for years under the illusion they are conducting the right action. Iyengar Yoga has proven, student after student, how with explicit instruction, dedicated uninterrupted practice and detachment (Abhyasa and Vairagya), we can go beyond illusion and beyond what we expect of ourselves. Through Tapas, Svadyaya, and Ishvara Pranidhana, truth and possibility surface. In the process, we glimpse yogah cittavrtti nirodhah, the cessation of fluctuations of the consciousness. We glimpse freedom from stiffness of mind and body to a place beyond our perceived abilities. It brings confidence, and clarity.

Abhijata explained how easily humans get dejected and downtrodden by the smallest criticism or comparison to others we think are doing better. We all do it. When that happens, the body gets heavy. It doesn’t want to move. It wants to go to bed or be alone. Nothing positive can happen in that place. The Iyengars know when a student’s body is in this state, and they alter the perspective to shift the heaviness immediately. It’s why props are so important in our practice because they enable a student to experience the pose so they have a vision of where they can go. The Iyengars have an incredible sense of where students are because they have been through it themselves, and they have served hundreds or thousands of students going through it in all its iterations. They seem to know what we are capable of even if we don’t know yet.

In her clarity and grace, Abhijata demonstrated the magic of forgiveness. She forgave us for forgetting actions and having a false impression of what we were doing in class. She gave us more instruction to aid our understanding. She explained, we all forget. We all get deluded. She didn’t give up on us. We can’t give up on ourselves. We can’t give up on each other. We have to forgive and keep trying from every perspective we can. Imagine if we could all have her level of confidence, clarity, grace and gratitude—how different the world would be.

Thank you Abhijata, and all those who have worked tirelessly to make this event possible. I look forward to tomorrow.

Namaste.

The Belle of Bellur: Four Days of Gratitude with Abhijata Iyengar - Day 1

Connecting to the soil of your birth

The first day of a four-day workshop with Abhijata began with a peek into the Sage Patañjali Temple in Bellur Karnataka, India, birthplace of BKS Iyengar. The temple was inaugurated in 2004 and is an awe inspiring testiment to Guruji’s gratitude for the scientist, artist, and philosopher, Sage Patañjali whose 196 Sutres or threads have served to guide practitioners all over the world in what Abhijata might describe as the technology of yoga.

Do keep in mind, any words I attribute to the Iyengars are my interpretation alone, and in no way serve as verbatim attempts to put words in their mouths that are not theirs. I welcome corrections and comments. My account is that of a student with great limitations of understanding. This content is meant to capture a small portion of an entire class as a way to show gratitude and honor the Iyengars, while at the same time share an experience in hopes that readers can gain a little from the lessons. All money’s from the workshop went into the Bellur Trust to continue the dream of BKS Iyengar to feed the soil of his birthplace with the nourishment of a center dedicated to learning the science, art, and philosophy of yoga. I encourage readers to visit the site and read about the ongoing project. Anyone who has been touched by yoga, regardless if it has been from the Iyengars directly or not, may be moved to contribute. It is a worthy cause built out of the gratitude that comes from many years of uninterrupted practice of Kriya Yoga or yoga in action, which is what distinguishes Iyengar Yoga: tapas (discipline), svadyaya (self-study), Ishvara Pranidhana (devotion, or ultimate surrender to the divine).

Abhijata’s class emphasized how these three elements bring deep gratitude — for the soil of our birth, which ultimately we all share. The ground from which we came. It is poignant for me. I have come back to the place of my birth to be with my father. My yoga became very different than I expected. It has for all of us with COVID. Abhijata brought our attention to Sutra 1.1 atha yoganusasanam as transcribed by BKS Iyengar, “With prayers for divine blessings, now begins an exposition of the sacred art of yoga.” She explained whatever disappointments of the past or desires for the future, we must be grateful for this moment, now. Now, today, we are healthy and practicing yoga.

The lesson explored where things begin and end. For example there is no real definition between mind and body, like the chicken or egg rhetoric, we can cycle endlessly in our attempts to answer where one begins and the other ends, or which came first the thought or the action. It could be said, spreading our awareness beyond habitual ideas and concepts of body and mind, is the technology of yoga. Abhijata helped us experience this idea through a series of asana. Noticing stiffness or shakiness, she changes our perception through alternative yet complimentary asana: Utthita Trikonasana, extended triangle, shifts to Vrksasana, tree and returns to UT. Parsvokonasana, extended side angle shifts to Baddha Konasana, bound angle pose and returns. Then Parighasana, gatelatch pose returns to parsvokonasana. Each time moving into different but connected poses with a focus on hips and groins — and returning back to the original asana after exploring relative actions from different vantage points. We notice more ease with the original asana. Is Ardha Chandrasana, half moon more difficult than another pose or is it simply our preconceived fear of balancing on one leg? Doing the pose facing the wall takes the fear away and allows us to focus on the progressive lessons from the previous asana. Away from the wall, Abhijata has us notice the ease now when the focus is on the lessons instead of the fear or preconceived notions. What is at work here? The citta vrtti (read chatter) of the mind or the resistence in the body? The transitions brought out the intelligence of the body, that comes from opening the mind as we explored the actions from different perspectives. We can’t force ourselves to the place we want to be. We have to be where we are and work from there with tapas (discipline), svadyaya (self-study), Ishvara Pranidhana (devotion, or ultimate surrender to the divine).

In the stillness of savasana, corpse pose, we synthesize the lessons and return to the earth. Grounding ourselves in gratitude and the concept of the soil of our birth. Nurturing it as it nurtured us is a service to humanity locally and globally. What a beautiful beginning. I’m very grateful for all those who made it possible, and look forward to day two.

Namaste.

A Workshop On Transitions with Bobby Clennell - Part 2

“Yoga is a gift for old age. One who takes to Yoga when old gains not only health and happiness but also freshness of mind, since Yoga gives one a bright outlook on life and one can look forward to a happier future rather than looking back into a past which has already entered into darkness.”

~ Geeta Iyengar, Yoga, A Gem For Women

Bobby Clennell’s Workshop on Menopause continued last weekend with a focus on Uttistha Paschima Pratana Sthiti, or standing forward bends and Viparita Sthiti or inversions. In Uttistha Paschima Pratana Sthiti, standing forward bends, and Paschima Pratana Sthiti, or seated forward bends, the heart is positioned to soothe the nerves to bring quiet and calm to the body. When supported correctly for a woman’s level of practice and her cycle in life, it becomes a quieting position and serves to help her recover from fatigue. Bobby half-jokingly said when women come to class at the end of the day, you can pretty much bet they are tired.

To prepare for forward bends, we did supported extensions like arching over a high cross bolster set up where the pelvis is at the apex, legs in Baddha Konasana, crown of the head on the floor, and a rolled blanket for the neck —- it offered such a release from stem to stern that this practitioner could have stayed in it the rest of class.

As with all Iyengar poses, there are many variations to accommodate issues like lower back (lift the legs and feet) or depression (make the chest the apex). The pose mentioned earlier, along with Supta Virasana, extends the abdomen, helps the adrenals, and prepares the body for forward bends. Another action these poses facilitate is sliding the tailbone forward, which positions the pelvis and its contents into an important alignment for women.

While we experienced the poses, Bobby educated us on the Ayurvedic view on menopause. In supporting women during this time, Ayurveda seeks to balance the three Doshas, which are the energetic constitutions of a body and can also be applied to the cycles of a woman’s life. The basic Doshas are Kapha, Pitta, and Vata. Kapha is considered the beginning of life; Pitta is more about the time of pushing, striving, moving, and attaining — “being a householder”. The end part of your life is Vata, which is attributed to the element of wind and said to be a time of wandering in the forest.

When a woman is 45 or over, healthy menopause begins with skipping periods; then once she has stopped her period for a full year, she is in menopause. Bobby recommends giving it more than a year to be certain. She explained that in the Ayurvedic view, menopause is the transition for women from the Pitta to Vata time of life. During the Vata period, insomnia, dryness, indecisiveness, and mental decline. However, it’s also a time of great wisdom as we have experienced with some of our teachers like Bobby.

The Ayurvedic system describes various Dosha imbalances that can occur during the transition time for women. Women may experience a Vata imbalance, which can bring on emotional upset. Pitta imbalances bring hot flashes and night sweats (both of which can be very disruptive). It can bring an estrogen dominance pattern of more or heavier periods. There can also be personality changes in Pitta imbalances that can bring about a fighting spirit enough to destroy relationships. A Kapha imbalance brings about a significant amount of weight gain, lower metabolism, and fluid retention. Yoga and Ayurveda offer ways to bring these imbalances back into balance.

“Older women walk a tight rope between working hard and accepting limitations.” ~ Geeta Iyengar

In Yoga, it is essential to learn to practice simple poses without being goal oriented during this transition. Bobby offered the quote to let us know what many of us (Bobby included) are struggling with, and yet it is this struggle that brings us to a more focused place in our practice. In several of the standing forward bends it is beneficial that the toes turn slightly inward to turn the thighs in, relax the groins, and create a natural concavity in the lower abdomen.

The ever-present, Adho Mukha Svansana, downward dog takes on a starring role during menopause. It has benefits in controlling migraines when done between episodes — especially if they are hormone-related. The pose also helps to balance hormones, ease brain fatigue, and open the chest to strengthen the area that is now more susceptible to colds.

“You are still a cyclic creature.”

A very memorable message, if my memory serves, is Bobby reminding women in post menopause, “you are still a cyclic creature.” She went on to explain that day and night, the seasons, and planetary movements are examples of cycles that we share with men. However, we have cycles unique to women because of our hormones. While Iyengar women practitioners are accustomed to doing mentrual and restorative practive to honor the menstruating cycle, Bobby encouraged post menopausal women to continue to honor these cycles by doing a restorative sequence, or the menstral sequence (no inversions) once a month — perhaps using the cycles of the moon as a guide.

The inversions during the workshop followed a post menopausal sequence for the most part, and began with preparations like supported Prasarita Padottanasana, or wide spread leg pose. The head is down on a blanket, raised to the level needed, elbows pressed outward into the inner knees to align any misalignments that could have happened over the years (estrogen makes the ligaments soften, which can cause things like over stretching or a knock knee type of situation). After other inversions, we double bound a block in our upper thigh and went up into Sirsasana, or head stand. This binding is seen in Iyengar Therapeutics in their remedial classes in Pune. It has therapeutic effects for various injuries. For women, the bind helps strengthen the pelvic floor and bring hope for incontinence and any prolapse issues. Niralamba series, or unsupported shoulder stand, from a chair at the wall offer great support for women in and after transition. Bobby listed the many benefits of inversions as outlined by the Iyengar’s: “Inversion balance the hormones, which is connected to bone density, the mineral loss from bones is checked- tone and balance the uterus, they balance the endocrine, lymphatic, circulatory, digestive, respiratory, lymphatic, urinary, excretory, and central nervous system. They eleviate constipation and hemorrhoids, as well as keep the body warm. “They are the pillars of our practice,” she added.

The weekend closed another segment of Bobby’s six part series leaving us with even more shiny wisdoms and poses to put into our practice and share with our female students, who like us are growing more aware of just how much The Iyengar Family has done to make sure Iyengar Yoga supports us no matter where we are in the cycle of life.

Thank you Bobby Clennell, and all of her hosts at Iyengar Yoga Therapeutics, and The Iyengar Family for continuing to share your wisdom with us.

Please note any information shared here is based on my recollection and interpretation of the workshop. I encourage women to get with their Certified Iyengar instructors, Bobby Clennell, or The Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States, IYNAUS to learn more.

A Workshop On Transitions with Bobby Clennell - Part 1

Bobby Clennell is a name female Iyengar students learn early on in our practice. Many of us found her when we sought to better understand Geeta Iyengar’s Yoga: A Gem for Women, the definitive guide to yoga for women during the various stages of life.

The first lesson women in an Iyengar Yoga class never forget is that they must let their Iyengar instructors know when they are menstruating. I considered that my business and no one elses. I read A Gem for Women through the lens of my ego. At the time, I didn’t understand why I needed to embarrass myself by letting an entire class know my situation by doing “special” poses. Bobby’s book, The Woman's Yoga Book: Asana and Pranayama for all Phases of the Menstrual Cycle with its delightful illustrations, gently broke through my Western ego with the impact of a loving sister sharing her experiences and deep understanding of Geeta’s guidance.

“As women, we witness a constant dance of creation and renewal played out in our bodies. Thus, it is important to take a mindful and sensitive approach to the practice of yoga. Different poses produce different responses within the system. You can nurture a state of vibrant good health by doing the right poses at the right time of your cycles.” ~Bobby Clennell, The Woman’s Yoga Book

Bobby has written several other books for women and children. Later in my practice, her Guide to Pune, became my go-to-book during my trips to Pune. I considered her an indispensible friend, but I’d never met her. I finally did last weekend thanks to Iyengar Yoga Therapeutics (IYT), a research, educational, and training organization that supports yoga techniques developed by B.K.S. Iyengar as a complementary treatment for diseases and health conditions. IYT is hosting Bobby’s six-part menopause workshop.

Bobby turned out to be everything I’d imagined she’d be — engaging, authentics, sharp as a tack, and refreshingly kind.

She holds in her heart a flurry of wisdoms, from her 30+ years studying with the Iyengar Family, that she sprinkles like stardust. She doesn’t expect you to digest them all in that moment. She does hope you’ll hold on to them, and trusts they will all come together for us in good time.

The workshop began in Baddha Konasana, cobbler’s pose, a vital pose for women. While we experienced the hip mobilization and pelvic organ decompression benefits of the pose, Bobby shared her appreciation for life’s transitions. She touched on the various age transitions from youth to teens to adulthood. She shared a recent Ayreveda talk she’d heard where they explained how we are always experiencing transitions. Her favorite example was the simple transition from sleep to wakefulness — if we don’t honor the change and skip breakfast, we will crash. The Iyengar community acknowledges seasonal transitions, and how the body has to navigate sometimes drastic temperatures from freezing to hot.

She offered general definitions of perimenopause, as the run-up before the period stops, menopause when the period stops, and post menopause, after the symptoms of menopause end.

She stresses how important it is to understand that different phases are not a “step down,” but opportunities for svadyaya, self study.

“Having a body means change”

For many women yoga practitioners, pregnancy and postpartum transitions are difficult for them to honor. They are eager to get back to their regular practice, so they don’t respect the body’s need to transition and end up hurting themselves.

“Having a body means change,” she explained, and a woman’s body changes something like every 5-7 years.

It’s not just women who have to deal with transitions. She shared her experience watching BKS Iyengar’s practice over the years. Since his practice was “in the service of everyone else,” he had to preserve his energy. Over time, she witnessed his practice shift, which she associated to his acknowledgement of the transitions he was going through, and his need to save energy so he could continue to serve his students.

The transition of menopause can bring about a sundry of complaints like hair loss, brain fog, sore breasts, and weight gain. Bobby didn’t bring these up to frighten anyone, instead, she strived to put our minds at ease that the symptoms are very real and shouldn’t be dismissed. She explained how Geeta even encouraged women not to lose weight during menopause, but to wait because the extra flesh holds estrogen to ease the hormonal ups and downs of the process.

In the first two days of the workshop, Bobby addressed how to approach standing poses and forward bends with specific variations for perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. We learned about emotional changes: the need for some of us to escape to hear our voice, nurture ourselves, and then return to nurturing others with more balance. We learned about physical changes: things like how osteoporosis begins in the pelvis, and the importance of forward bends to cultivate the water element in our joints and feminine parts. We also learned how the post menopausal variations require the most sharpness and attention. While we may be released (which we will feel in every ounce of our body) from Mother Nature’s grip on us since we can no longer procreate, it may be one of the most critical stages of a woman’s yoga practice.

I look forward to sharing another glimpse of her workshop on menopause next time. Click here to learn more about Bobby Clennell and Iyengar Yoga.

Namaste.

Waking Up The World Is Hard. Make It Simple.

“Consciousness means our capacity to be aware, both externally as well as internally, which we call self-awareness.” B.K.S. Iyengar explains in Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom (p. 109).

Mr Iyengar differentiates consciousness from the mind. Mind is citta in Sanskrit. Iyengar likens it to an outer sheath of consciousness like our bones and muscles are to our vital organs. It flits and flutters. It isn’t capable of productive evolution. It’s fickle, desirous, and whim oriented. He learned that from his teacher and his own experiences.

We wouldn’t know we had organs without teachers. Herophilus considered the Father of Anatomy from 275 BCE taught us about our organs and is among what I’ll call, “physical explorers.” I consider BKS Iyengar one too. However, he didn’t slice things open to look at them. He used the art, science and philosophy of yoga. His son Prashant might prefer more precision in my language, so I will honor him here and call it Yog.

Mr. Iyengar delved into Patañjali Yoga Sutras as his guide and made his own mind, body, and spirit his laboratory. He was able to share the transformative discoveries promised by Patanaji by creating an accessible method of teaching them. It’s called Iyengar Yoga.

Explorers are always discoverying more. In 2018, scientists discovered a “new organ” known as the interstitium, which like the skin wraps around every organ. This goes to show, what we think we know is never the whole truth. Which is why, gaining clarity through practices such as Yog not only bring a clearer understanding of our mind, body, and spirit, it also purifies our ability to be open to learn and discover more.

This way, we don’t get stuck in the grooves of habitual thinking. Those old enough may remember playing a record (you know that round vinyl thing that enable us to listen to our favorite music whenever we wanted to), you might also remember when it got stuck and replayed and replayed the same sound ad nauseum. That’s what getting stuck in habitual thinking patterns is like. It’s why we can be in the year 2020 and still think like we are in the mid-1800s.

We are complex beings and capable of great metamorphosis and transformation, but we can also get stuck for eons. Man’s inhumanity to man throughout history has been a study of our destructive capabilities, and how habitual thinking patterns can delude us from the truth of our interdependence and interconnectedness.

Truth has escaped us since the beginning of time because the story is always retold from our perspective. It is a re-fabrication of an interpretation shaped by our outer sheath desires and shaded by our lack of consciousness. Waking up is hard to do on our own. Thanks to great teachers like BKS Iyengar, we can learn to wake up with a simple commitment to practice.

“Yoga points out how we generally react to the outside world by forming entrenched patterns of behavior that doom us to relive the same events endlessly, though in a superficial variety of forms and combinations. Anyone who looks at history or listens to the litany of woe and war on the daily news will bear this out. Does mankind never learn anything, we ask in exasperation.” B.K.S. in Light on Life (p. 111).

BKS explains that in order to get to this evolution we say we want, we have to cultivate the fire or tapas to break free from the old patterns. I feel it’s important to consider Newton’s First Law, “a body at rest stays at rest.” You may be familiar with it. When you commit to a practice, you can also rely on the second part of that law, “a body in motion stays in motion,” to keep your momentum going.

Let the revelations of greed, inequity, and barbarism that is happening right now in 2020 and has been for centuries, create a fire for change. Yes, we want to do all we can to shift things within the existing paradigm. However, if we want a new paradigm, it’s important to consider creating personal transformation, because when each of us transform personally, we help to shift the whole of us towards real evolutionary change.

~ Rhonda

STAY WELL

Wellness is a word associated with so many things it is confounded with a to-do list a mile long. Eat right, bathe, brush your teeth, watch your blood pressure, get your heart rate up higher. While it is important to meet the new demands to keep your distance and wash your hands, it’s also worth noticing that sometimes the best thing we can do to stay well is find equanimity, Upeksanam.

Consider the dualities that are coming up for you during this time. The need to do something versus the need to be still. The need to be seen versus the need to be safe. The need to have versus your ability to give. How can you find upeksanam or equilibrium within these dualities?

The pulls on our energy have been a constant - do this, pick up that, meet him or her for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and stay informed. Take this time to notice how easily you get taken away from yourself. Diverted to a news story or Facebook post. The barrage of diversions pull us outside of the vessel of our body. Awareness of what pulls and pushes our energy is the beginning of learning to contain ourself within our body

The practice of Iyengar Yoga is a sequential method of clearing away the unnecessary diversions, bringing optimal conditioning to our skin, muscles, organs, bones, and nerves to enable us to be still and contained no matter what is going on around us.

If you can, please support your local Iyengar Yoga community. Click here to support your local studio in The Southeast. Let #Iyengaryoga help you stay well and contained during this time of change.

Health and wellbeing to you all.

Namaste.

101 Reasons To Practice Iyengar Yoga

" All may be able to do yoga but only one in a million is fit to be called a Yogi.”

BKS Iyengar, came into this world on December 14, 1918 in the midst of a flu pandemic that cost the lives of more people in India than any other country. There is a saying that distinguishes a special human being as ‘one is a million’, but in BKS Iyengar case, he became one in over twelve million.

It is my belief, he didn’t survive because he defied natural selection. He survived because he aligned with it. Ninety-six years later, August 20, 2014 he left this world after dedicating his life to teaching how yoga can bring us all into alignment. He ignited an eternal flame that illuminated with impeccable detail the path to that alignment. We honor him by calling it Iyengar Yoga. Jake Clennell highlights Mr. Iyengar’s efforts in the documentary: Iyengar, The Man, Yoga, And The Student’s Journey.

In Western Astrology his birth sun sign Sagittarius is ruled by the planet Jupiter, known as the Guru — light bringer. It is associated with the palm shaped symbol known as a Hamsa, which means grace. In Vedic Astrology his sun sign is Scorpio, the deep diver of the zodiac, and associated with moksha dusthana spiritual liberation through pain and suffering.

This year, he would be 101. Every year since his passing, I have added my own reasons to honor his life and phenomenal instruction. I urge Iyengar practitioners to contribute, add to, enhance or correct my attempts here. Please keep in mind while I am a Certified Iyengar Instructor, I am and will always be a student. I am by no means a master of Iyengar's work. The choice and order of my reasons were approached very organically and based on my humble idea of how to begin simply (some may view it as oversimplified) and progress into less simple reasons. Needless to say, this list is not in the right Krama (sequential order), though some effort has been applied to do so. As I gain more Light from the study and practice of Iyengar's work, I will probably want to change this list.  For now, it is simply a small tribute to a man I will never meet, yet who has affected my life in profound ways. Perhaps it will also serve to encourage at least one person to explore The Iyengar Method for themselves. 

1.  Alignment matters:  Poor body alignment leads to poor bone, muscle, joint, and ligament alignment. improve your body alignment and you extend the life and vitality of the body.

2.  Alignment matters:  Poor body alignment leads to poor health. When the body is misaligned it puts undo stress on all the systems of the body, decreasing function and capability. Improve your body alignment you improve your health.

3.  Alignment matters:  Poor body alignment leads to poor mind alignment.  When the body is misaligned, the mind is constantly troubled by tamasic (dull/heavy) and rajasic (fiery/active) states of mind and unable to reach a harmonious sattvic state. Improve your body alignment you improve the state of your mind.

4.  Alignment matters:   Poor body alignment leads to poor emotional alignment. When the body is misaligned the emotions are troubled and mentally imprisoned by the kleśas (five afflictions).  Improve your body alignment and you improve your emotional health.

5.  Alignment matters:   Poor body alignment leads to poor inner alignment.  Improve your body alignment and you improve your connection to your true self.

6.  Alignment matters:  Poor body alignment leads to poor breath alignment.  Improve your body alignment and you improve your ability to bring this vital nutrient to more areas of the body and tap into your own life force energy.

7.  Alignment matters:  Poor body alignment leads to poor energy alignment.  Improve your body alignment and you improve the alignment of (72,0000) energy or nadi channels in the body.

8.  Alignment matters:  Poor internal alignment leads to poor external alignment.  Improve your internal alignment and you improve you ability to align with the world around you.

9.   Alignment matters:  Poor alignment with your community responsibilities leads to poor community integration and support. Improve your alignment with your community responsibilities and you improve your standing in your community.

10. Alignment matters:   Poor alignment with healthy habits leads to poor alignment with your aspirations in life. Improve the alignment of your personal habits and you clear a path to your goals.

11.  Dedication pays:  Dedicating yourself to the study and practice of the Iyengar Method will enable your highest self to unfold naturally.

12.  Dedication pays:   Dedicating yourself to the study and practice of the Iyengar Method will enable you to focus to such an extent that learning anything becomes easier and more accessible.

13.  Dedication pays:   Dedicating yourself to the study and practice of the Iyengar Method teaches you to know yourself --your habits, your strengths, your weaknesses, your emotional state, your conscious state, your ignorance, your intelligence, your wisdom, your sense of grace and compassion for yourself and others.

14.  Dedication pays:   Dedicating yourself to the study and practice of the Iyengar Method gives you wisdom and discretion.

15.  Dedication pays:   Dedicating yourself to the study and practice of the Iyengar Method systematically and compassionately opens new pathways to healing yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

16. Dedication pays:  Dedicating yourself to the study and practice of the Iyengar Method gives you courage so you can liberate yourself from your fears, stresses, and anxieties.

17.  Dedication pays:  Dedicating yourself to the study and practice of the Iyengar Method teaches you safe ways to push your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual abilities through the use of props and other resources.

18.  Dedication pays:  Dedicating yourself to the study and practice of the Iyengar Method demonstrates how small successes can accomplish big goals.

19.  Dedication pays:   Dedicating yourself to the study and practice of the Iyengar Method gracefully shifts what and how you choose to engage your mind, body, and spirit; whether that's choosing a healthier diet, or reading, watching, and listening with more discernment.

20.  Dedication pays:  Dedicating yourself to the study and practice of the Iyengar Method gives you the tools, the words, and the experience to share what you have learned with others.

21. Study of The Iyengar Method Quickens Learning:

"Transformation is achieved through sustained change, and it is achieved through practice." - BKS Iyengar

22. Study of The Iyengar Method Quickens Learning:  

"Knowledge is always something that is universal.  It is not meant for one person.  It is not individual, but every individual contributes.  When knowledge goes in the right direction and ignorance is removed it takes all of us in the same direction. So I learn when you learn.  When you feel, and you understand, that gives knowledge to me.  In a similar manner when I give knowledge to you, you also start to understand."   Geeta S. Iyengar.  

23. Study of The Iyengar Method Quickens Learning:  "The intelligence […] grows faster vertically than horizontally." - BKS Iyengar.  (Vertical = Intelligence, Horizontal = Wisdom).

24.  Study of The Iyengar Method Quickens Learning: Learning to stand first roots the body's intelligence in the feet first providing what is known as "base intelligence."

25.  Study of The Iyengar Method Quickens Learning: Learning to root the body from the base enables vertical growth to happen.

26.  Study of The Iyengar Method Quickens Learning: Learning standing poses enables the practitioner to activate and grow the intelligence in the outer limbs and basic structures of the body.

27. Study of The Iyengar Method Quickens Learning: Mobilizing the mind to activate the outer limbs of the body through extension develops a firm foundation and fundamental intelligence needed for standing forward bends.

28.  Study of The Iyengar Method Quickens Learning: Standing extensions and forwards bends mobilizes the gluteals and teaches the concavity actions necessary for seated forward bends.

29. Study of The Iyengar Method Quickens Learning: Seated forward bends increase the flexibility in the gluteal, sacral, and coccyx regions to prepare the body for lateral extensions (twisting).

30. Study of The Iyengar Method Quickens Learning:  Standing upright teaches the elements of inverted standing poses on our shoulders, hands, forearms, and head.

31. Study of The Iyengar Method Quickens Learning:  Standing, forward bends, lateral extensions, and inversions, ready the abdomen for deep abdominal contractions.

32. Study of The Iyengar Method Quickens Learning:  Mastering the proper alignment of the sacral and coccyx regions along with the concavity actions of the upper back prepare the body for the introduction of preliminary back bending poses.

33. Study of The Iyengar Method Quickens Learning: Systematic learning enables the body, mind, and intelligence to awaken gracefully and compassionately.

34. Study of The Iyengar Method Quickens Learning:  Sequencing is not provided in a haphazard way according to the instructor's whim, it is progressive to foster maximum growth of the mind and body at every stage of development.

35. Study of The Iyengar Method Quickens Learning: Systematic learning frees the body and intelligizes the mind while increasing awareness how different sequences stimulate the adrenals, while other sequences pacify the adrenals while still others stimulate the pituitary and thyroid glands to balance the hormones.

36. Study of The Iyengar Method Quickens Learning:  The Iyengar Method systematically teaches in order to stimulate specific systems in the body in order to bring more physical, mental, and emotional balance.

37. Study of The Iyengar Method Quickens Learning: From a more balanced body, "the body becomes a universe for the mind to travel within."  BKS Iyengar.

38. Study of The Iyengar Method Quickens Learning:  Once vertical intelligence is achieved horizontal wisdom can flourish.  The intelligence can spread to occupy every minute area of the body creating space. This is what BKS refers to as a "yogic mind".

39.  Study of The Iyengar Method Quickens Learning: Once a "yogic mind" is developed physical and mental health flourishes and control of intensity in action, relaxation, or stillness are in your hands.

40. Study of The Iyengar Method Quickens Learning:  Once a "yogic mind" is developed the body and mind can evolve in such a way as to ready itself towards deeper inner awareness or "involution".

41. Dedicated Study in the Iyengar Method Makes Discipline Easy: Once the "yogic mind" is developed the Yamas (Global Disciplines) and the Niyamas (Self-Disciplines) naturally follow." They are meant to train, channel and purify the energy of the organs of action and senses of perception ." "The principals of yama tame the organs of action. Yama strengthens dama -restraint of the senses; whereas the principles of niyama bring śama - calmness and quietness in mind due to simplicity in life." --BKS Iyengar Aṣṭadala Yogamālā- Vol. 1

42.  Dedicated Study in the Iyengar Method Makes Discipline Easy:  Once the Yamas and Niyamas are cultivated higher levels of āsana follow naturally.

43.  Dedicated Study in the Iyengar Method Makes Discipline Easy: Once the Yamas, Niyamas, and Āsanas are mastered, the discipline of Prānāyāma follows naturally.

44.  Dedicated Study in the Iyengar Method Makes Discipline Easy: Once the discipline of the Yamas, Niyamas, Āsanas, and Prānāyāma  become a natural part of the practitioners life, a discipline of sense withdrawal or Pratyahara naturally follows.

45.   Dedicated Study in the Iyengar Method Makes Discipline Easy:  Once the discipline of the Yamas, Niyamas, Āsanas, Prānāyāma and Pratyāhāra become a natural part of the practitioners life, Dhārnā (concentration) and Dhyāna (meditation) can be cultivated naturally in succession.

46.   The Iyengar Method was developed by a Man of Integrity:  Integrity in his physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual life. 

47. The Iyengar Method was Developed by a Man of Integrity:  BKS Iyengar has dedicated over 80 years of his life to analyzing his own practice and discovering ways to give voice to the subtleties required to evolve every āsana. His early practice was up to 10 hours a day. At 95 he continued a 3-hour daily āsana practice with a 1-hour pranayama practice.  It has been said that he said he has to continue practicing because he hasn't been able to access "every cell" in his body yet. 

48.  The Iyengar Method was developed by a Man of Integrity:  He has a rigorous teacher training program to ensure his teachers can safely and systematically develop students physically, mentally and emotionally into a more yogic state of balance and alignment.

49.  The Iyengar Method was developed by a Man of Integrity: He systematically gives voice to instruction that will eventually bring about an evolution, whereby the student begins to experience Sthira Sukham Āsanam (Sutra 11:47, sweet, stable, comfortable yoga pose within a vibration of oneness), so that Prayatna śaithila ananta samāpattibhām (Sutra 11:48, the effort to perform the pose becomes effortless), and Tatah dvandva ānabhighātah (Sutra 11:49 from that dualities cease to disturb or constrain us).

50.   The Iyengar Method was developed by a Man of Integrity: BKS Iyengar has written over 20 books like some of the following:

 • Arogya Yoga

• Light on Asthanga Yoga

• Art of Yoga

• Light on Pranayama

• Astadala Yoga Mala - 1

• Light on Yoga

• Astadala Yoga Mala - 2

• Light on Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

• Astadala Yoga Mala - 3

• Tree of Yoga

• Astadala Yoga Mala - 4

• Yoga - A Path to Holistic Health

• Astadala Yoga Mala - 5

• Yoga – Ek Kalpataru

• Illustrated Light on Yoga

• Light on Life

• Growing Young

• YAUGIKA MANAS

• Yog Depict

51.  The Iyengar Method was developed by a Man of Integrity:  He trained his children in the art of yoga.

52.  The Iyengar Method was developed by a Man of Integrity: His daughter Geeta, son Prashant and granddaughter, Abhijata chose to continue the legacy of his work with the same integrity.

53.   The Iyengar Method was developed by a Man of Integrity: With the help of his daughter Geeta he has developed Guidelines for Teachers of Yoga.

54.    The Iyengar Method was developed by a Man of Integrity: He upheld the ethical guidelines set out by Patañjali. He fostered his daughter Geeta's passion towards women's issues and health. Her definitive guide for women Yoga: A Gem For Women has been a great resource for women interested in yoga all over the world.

55.   The Iyengar Method was developed by a Man of Integrity:  He fostered his son Prashant's exploration into subtler whelms of yoga. Prashant is the author of many books like the following:

Prashant Uvacha

Yoga and the New Millennium

Organology and sensology in Yogash_stra

Class After Class

Alpha and Omega of Trikonasana

Pranayama: A Classical and Traditional Approach

A Manual of Humannics

Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali:

Philosophy, Religion Culture, Ethos and Practice

56. The Iyengar Method was developed by a Man of Integrity:  He doesn't waiver from his roots and yet he is constantly dissecting those roots to learn more so he can share more with all of us.

57. The Iyengar Method was developed by a Man of Integrity: Please click on this link to read another recent tribute: Ingela’s Reflection, Guruji Turning 95, An Artist, Scientist; Philosopher, forever learning, sharing; helping.  

58. The Iyengar Method was developed by a Man of Integrity: 

"Yoga, as practiced by Mr. Iyengar, is the dedicated votive offering of a man who brings himself to the altar, alone and clean in body and mind, focused in attention and will, offering in simplicity and innocence not a burnt sacrifice, but simply himself raised to his own highest potential." --Yehundi Menuhin in forward of Light on Yoga by BKS Iyengar

59.  The Iyengar Method Works:  It progressively teaches the science of yoga, the art of yoga, and the philosophy of yoga. All of which result in the development of "a fresh mind" state.   

60.  The Iyengar Method Works:

 "If we maintain that state in our daily lives, that is known as integration. To be fully integrated means to integrate oneself totally from the body to the self and also to live in integration with one's neighbors and surroundings." --Tree of Yoga, BKS Iyengar

61.  The Iyengar Method Works: Iyengar constantly analyzes the details of ancient texts such as  Hatha Yoga Pradīpikā and Patañjali's Yoga Sutras. His method is based on developing what these texts define as the primary goal of yoga, which is to "Prana-vrtti-nirodha" or stilling the fluctuations of the breath and "Citta vritta nirodha" stilling the fluctuations of the mind. When movements of consciousness are restrained, a space is created, much like the space between inhalations and exhalations. As that space expands, a realization begins: that consciousness has no light of its own. It is dependent on something else.  Much like the interplay between the Sun- Ha and the Moon-tha.  The Ha=Sun=Hot=day=light=atma=soul and tha=Moon=Cool=night=dark=chitta=consciousness. The moon is merely reflecting the light of the sun.  However, without the cooling effects of the moon, the energy of the sun would burn. Iyengar's Method works on the idea that the balance of Ha and tha is an imperative, which puts one on the path to experiencing the even greater force within the various levels of samadhi -absorption.

62.  The Iyengar Method Works:  Iyengar uses personal experience and constant reassessment to teach us how we can use the breath to control the consciousness, while in turn controlling the consciousness through regulation of the breath. 

63.  The Iyengar Method Works: Iyengar has systematically broken through the Western belief that yoga is only a physical exercise by teaching and abiding by the Eight Limbs Of Astanga Yoga: 1) Yama 2)Niyama 3) Āsana 4) Prānāyāma 5) Pratyāhāra 6) Dhārnā 7) Dhyāna 8) Samādhi.

64.  The Iyengar Method Works:  Iyengar's book Tree of Yoga serves as a guide to how yoga goes beyond the studio and permeates in all aspect of our lives to bring us more freedom and peace.

65.  The Iyengar Method Works: Iyengar is known as the first real "class" teacher of yoga.  He has developed a method that communicates according to the students ability.

"In the majority of pupils, the intellect of the head is very strong, but the body does not react to the volition of the brain. Usually, their brain acts as the subject, but you have to learn to treat the brain as an object and the body as a subject.  This is the first lesson yoga teaches.  When that is learnt, the effect of yoga is very quick." Tree of Yoga.

66.  The Iyengar Method Works:  The Method works no matter if you are well or sick, young or old, energetic or lazy, well formed or deformed.

67.  The Iyengar Method Works: Iyengar has a knowledge of the causes of the disease.  His Method integrates therapeutics that work on chronic issues by strengthening surrounding areas before addressing the affected area.

68.  The Iyengar Method Works:  It could be said, The Method's therapeutic approach is based on Sutra II.16, heyaṁ duḥkham anāgatham, which according to BKS Iyengar's Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali is interpreted, "The pains which are yet to come can be and are to be avoided." 

69.  The Iyengar Method Works: In the article linked above, 

"Therapeutics in Iyengar Yoga: 'Your Job is to Put the Student on the Path to Yoga'", by Stephanie Quirk, "[In The Iyengar Method] we have Abhyāsa and Vairāgya. No alternative health method has this. Your job as a yoga teacher isn’t to be someone’s doctor, nurse, or psychiatrist. Your job is to put the patient/student on the path of yoga. They must become followers and practitioners if they are to finally eradicate all trace of what disturbs them (dosha). Abhyāsa (practice) and Vairāgya (detachment) are at the core of everything one has to undertake. They are the irreducible plinths upon which yoga is based, and what truly separates the yogic path from other alternative health therapies."

70. The Iyengar Method Works:  The first book written on the technique of yoga with detailed descriptions and photographs, Light on Yoga by BKS Iyengar is still the best resource on the proper practice of the yoga Āsana and Prānāyāma.  First published in 1966, it was written based on Iyengar's 27 years of experience at the time. The book covers 200 āsanas, bandha, kriya, and pranayama with over 600 photographs. 

71.  The Iyengar Method Works:  In addition to descriptive books on technique, the Iyengars also provide "Hints and Cautions" in order to assure the student is learning in the safest and most effective environment.  However, despite the many books and resources, Iyengar always stresses the importance of experience and study with an Iyengar Certified Instructor or Master Teacher to guide your progress.  

72.  Iyengar follows the yoga guided by the 196 Sutras of Patañjali:  He recognizes the nine obstacles that impede progress on the path of yoga.

Vyadi: Illness

Styāna: Langour, mental stagnation

Samṥaya: Doubt

Pramāda: Heedlessness, lack of foresight

Ālasya: Sloth, fatigue

Āvirati: Dissipation, overindulging

Bhrāntidarshana: False views, illusions

Ālabdhabhūmikatva: Lack of perseverance

Anavasthitatva: Instability, regression

73.  Iyengar follows the yoga guided by the 196 Sutras of Patañjali:  The physical obstacles, which can range from laziness to disease are overcome through the Iyengar Method with the use of all kinds of props. Props make poses possible (even in illness) for everyone (removing doubt, laziness, and fatigue) which encourages the perseverance in practice that will begin to break through these obstacles.

74.  Iyengar follows the yoga guided by the 196 Sutras of Patañjali: The other obstacles are mental obstacles. These can range from doubt and illusion to idleness.  Iyengar recognizes that when teachers pace lessons they can begin to develop a student's mental faculties in order to reduce the mental obstacles while sharpening focus and stamina.

75.   Iyengar follows the yoga guided by the 196 Sutras of Patañjali: The five kleśas 1. Avidyā(Ignorance) 2. Asmitā(ego)3. Rāga (attachment) 4. Dveșa(aversion) 5. Abhiniveṥa(fear of death) along with the nine obstacles serve as distractions that scatter the mind. Iyengar's method works to significantly reduce the hold the nine obstacles and five kleśas have on the student in order to create a better foundation for progress. 

76.  Iyengar follows the yoga guided by in the 196 Sutras of Patañjali: Iyengar encourages self-study or svadhyaya.  

77.   Iyengar follows the yoga guided by in the 196 Sutras of PatañjaliBy concentrating on a particular object the consciousness becomes serene.  Iyengar makes the āsana the object of focus. When the student becomes engrossed in the study of āsana, the mind steadies fostering deeper progress.

78.  Iyengar follows the yoga guided by the 196 sutras of Patañjali: 

“The yogi conquers the body by the practice of āsanas and makes it a fit vehicle for the spirit. He knows that it is a necessary vehicle for the spirit. A soul without a body is like a bird deprived of its power to fly.” - BKS Iyengar, Light On Yoga.

79.  Iyengar follows the yoga guided by the 196 Sutras of Patañjali:  Though only three (to five according to Aṣṭadala Yogamālā- Vol. 1) sutras are attributed to the practice of āsana. Āsana helps the student move from the gross to the subtle - from the external to the internal.  Iyengar's method concentrates on the external alignment in āsana in order to create the environment to penetrate and align the internal world of the student.

80. Iyengar follows the yoga guided by the 196 Sutras of Patañjali: 

"Whatever āsana one performs, it should be done with a feeling of firmness and endurance in the body, good will in the intelligence of the head, and awareness and benevolent delight in the seat of the heart." BKS Iyengar Aṣṭadala Yogamālā-- Vol 2.

81.  Iyengar follows the yoga guided by the 196 Sutras of Patanjali:  Only after the perfection of asana (Sutras 11:47, 11:48, 11:49) is a student to begin Prānāyāma.

82. Iyengar follows the yoga guided by the 196 Sutras of Patañjali:  Prānāyāma must be introduced gently. In his book Light on Prānāyāma, Iyengar covers the 14 basic types of Prānāyāma broken down into a careful formulation of 82 stages so that the student can safely progress. He outlines the difficulties and dangers while providing a detailed 200-week course to help avoid them. To explain the power of prana he said,

"Hindus often say that GOD is Generator, Organizer, and Destroyer.  Inhalation is the generating power, retention is the organizing power, and exhalation, if the energy is vicious, is the destroyer. This is prana at work.  Vigor, power, vitality, life, and spirit are all forms of prana."

83.  Iyengar follows the yoga guided by the 196 Sutras of Patañjali: Iyengar takes great care in his teachings on Prānāyāma. "[…]breath-control, that is Prānāyāma is not merely deep breathing or breathing exercises, normally a part of physical culture.  It is something far more, involving exercises which affect not only the physical, physiological and neural energies but also the psychological and cerebral activities, such as memory-training and creativity." --R.R.  Divwakar in Forward of Light on Prānāyāma.

84. Iyengar follows the yoga guided by the 196 Sutras of Patañjali:  Iyengar offers respect and admiration to those who are credited for the discovery of Prānāyāma, namely Patañjali and the ancient Yogis of India.  He explains how he can write about the subject, but words are limiting.  Practice and experience done with caution, sustained effort, and patience are the only way to gain by this limb of yoga.

85.  Iyengar follows the yoga guided by the 196 Sutras of Patanjali:  Avidyā, (ignorance) is what Iyengar deems the "mother of all afflictions." This may be why he encourages the study of Yoga with the guidance of a Guru.  Gu=Light  Ru=Ignorance.  A Guru is simply someone who has mastered the art and science of yoga and can shed light on the dark areas where there is a need or want for knowledge and understanding. Pranayama is said to be "exalted knowledge" according to the Yogachudamani Upanisad. 

86. Iyengar follows the yoga guided by the 196 Sutras of Patañjali:  Patanjali prescribes ways to train the mind.  There are five basic qualities of mind 1) Mūda (dull) 2) Kṣipta (lazy) 3) Vikṣipta (oscillating) 4) Ekāgra (steady) and finally 5) niruddha (still). Iyengar describes two banks between a river, one bank being the yamas and the other the niyamas by adhering to the boundaries of the banks we will flow in the right direction.  The two banks align us, irrespective of birth, time, place or sex. The banks keep us going in the right direction where friendliness, compassion, joy and indifference (as needed) naturally spring forth along the way. The mind steadies itself and eventually finds stillness.

87.  Iyengar follows the yoga guided by the 196 Sutras of Patañjali:  The four chapters or padas of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 1) Samādhi Pāda (Sub Consciousness) 2) Sādhanā Pāda (Study) 3) Vibhūti Pāda (Power) and 4) Kaivalya Pāda (Freedom) are according to Iyengar ordered for their interdependent cultivation.

"The theory of the first chapter and the practice of the second and third chapters, when converted into science, art, and philosophy, become yoga sastra (teaching), yoga kala (unit/time), and yoga darsana (for sense awareness)." -BKS Iyengar Aṣṭadala Yogamālā- Vol. 1.

88. Iyengar follows the yoga guided by the 196 Sutras of Patañjali: As a Master Teacher, Iyengar codified the Sutras of Patañjali according themes for quick study for his students in his Aṣṭadala Yogamālā- Vol. 1.  

89. The Iyengar Method believes three things must be united in yoga:  Love, Knowledge, and Action.

 "It must not be just your mind or even your body that is doing the āsana. You must be in it.  You must do the āsana with your soul. How can you do an āsana with your soul?  We can only do it with the organ of the body closest to the soul - the heart." - BKS Iyengar in Light on Life

90. The Iyengar Method believes three things must be united in yoga:  Love, Knowledge, and Action. Iyengar explains that he teaches a "spiritual practice in action."  He uses the body as the vehicle to discipline the mind toward consciousness of the soul. 

91.  The Iyengar Method believes three things must be united in yoga:  Love, Knowledge, and Action.

"You must feel your intelligence, your awareness, and your consciousness in every inch of your body." - BKS Iyengar in Light on Life

92.  The Iyengar Method believes three things must be united in yoga:  Love, Knowledge, and Action.

"Love must be incarnated in the smallest pore of the skin, smallest cell of the body, to make them intelligent, so they can collaborate with all the other ones, in the big republic of the body." --  BKS Iyengar in Sparks of Divinity,The teachings of BKS Iyengar, Compiled by Noelle Perez-Christiaens.

93.  The Iyengar Method believes three things must be united in yoga:  Love, Knowledge, and Action. "Sadhana should be pursued even though pain and death are at our throat." Sadhana means self-effort, spiritual discipline. 

94. The Iyengar Method believes three things must be united in yoga:  Love, Knowledge, and Action.

"The eyes must go to the region that does not work, not the one that does." - BKS Iyengar in Sparks of Divinity. The teachings of BKS Iyengar, Compiled by Noelle Perez-Christiaens.

95.  The Iyengar Method believes three things must be united in yoga:  Love, Knowledge, and Action.

"You are in bondage.  So while you are sweating and aching, let your heart be light and let it fill your body with gladness.  You are not only becoming free, but you are also being free.  What is not to be glad about?  The pain is temporary.  The freedom is permanent."- BKS Iyengar in Light on Life

96.  The Iyengar Method sheds light on us:

"Before peace between nations, we must find peace within the small nation which is our own being." - BKS Iyengar, Sparks of Divinity, The teachings of BKS Iyengar, Compiled by Noelle Perez-Christiaens.

97.  The Iyengar Method sheds light on us:

"The seed is the cause for the tree to grow, but the surprising thing is that in the seed there is nothing visible for one to know how the tree grows and with what content. From this apparent 'nothingness' of the seed the tree shoots up. In the same way, the seed of our life force, at the core is the Self."  BKS Iyengar, Aṣṭadala Yogamālā- Vol. 7.  

98. The Iyengar Method sheds light on us:

"Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured."

99. The Iyengar Method sheds light on us:

“Yoga does not just change the way we see things, it transforms the person who sees.”

100. The Iyengar Method sheds light on The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, explaining that it is a yoga darsana, “vision of soul,” or mirror. Like a diamond yoga has the effect of allowing us to observe the reflection of our thoughts, words, and deeds to enable us to ‘course correct’ adn move toward deeper observations of our inner self.

101. The Iyengar Method sheds light on us:

“Do not aim low. You will miss the mark. Aim high and you will be on the threshold of bliss.”

Happy Birthday, Mr. Iyengar. With love and gratitude, Rhonda.

*Any uncredited or unlink items I missed should be able to be found in the IYNAUS bookshop.

If you found this tribute worthy of further exploration please join IYNAUS and your local Iyengar Association.

Unpacking Patañjali: Sutras 1.33 for Beginners

To unpack the full scope of meaning behind any of the 196 Sutras (197 depending on translations) written almost 2,000 years ago is laughable. We always hear, “yoga is experiential” for a reason. Every serious practitioner knows whatever commentary we attempt on any aspect of yoga is in direct proportion to our personal experience. What I write here are my interpretations as I understand them at this point in my journey.

If you are an IYNAUS Member, I highly recommend Yoga Sutra sessions "Learning the Yoga Sutras with Clarity and Rigour" at RIMYI, Pune. It is conducted by Srineet Sridharan with insights from Prashant Iyengar (BKS Iyengar’s son) for students of the Institute. Srineet Sridharan is BKS Iyengar’s grandson. His lessons, coupled with insights from Prashant make for an extraordinary course.

BKS Iyengar in Light On Life explains that our thoughts and consciousness are part of every aspect of our life. When we understand their inner workings and apply right perception, the clarity and wisdom that results open us to mental and psychological freedom. In the yoga world, there are five sheaths of the body known as Kosas. Most of the “monkey mind” happens in the manomaya kosa or mental body, and the discriminating wisdom can be found in the vijnanamay kosa, the intellectual body.

BKS Iyengar lessons, as I understand them, bring awareness to the inner workings of our mind by exploring the 8-limbed path of yoga as guided by the Sutras of Patañjali through each kosa of the body. I believe he felt we can not understand or harmonize our mind stuff without synthesis and integration of the kosas in our body. Sutras 1.30-1.32 outline the nine obstacles and other distractions that cause turbulence within us. Sutras 1.33 - 1.39 offer six different possible solutions. The first of these solutions is cultivating compassion, joy, and friendliness and is translated by BKS Iyengar as follows:

मैत्रीकरुणामुदितोपेक्षाणां सुखदुःखपुण्यापुण्यविषयाणां भावनातश्चित्तप्रसादनम् ।।1.33।। maitrīkaruṇāmuditopekṣāṇāṃ sukhaduḥkhapuṇyāpuṇyaviṣayāṇāṃ bhāvanātaścittaprasādanam Through cultivation of friendliness, compassion, joy, and indifference to pleasure and pain, virtue and vice respectively, the consciousness becomes favourably disposed, serene and benevolent.

Mr. Iyengar likens our thoughts and consciousness, citta viksepa and citta prasadana to two aspects of a river: the current and the calm. The ideas behind Sutra 1.33 cultivate calm within us as well as within our social networks. The Sutra paired with the golden keys (the external and internal ethical disciplines) described in the first and second limb of the 8-limbed path, Yama and Niyama create serenity in the manmaya kosa or mental body.

My experience with this Sutra coupled with and Niyama is that I realized from a basic level, I could apply it to others much better than I could apply it to myself. Therefore, it felt like a false application that came from a desire to please rather than a place of wholeness and integration. I wasn’t indifferent. I practiced with attachment. Prashant in his insights to Srineet Sridharan’s course on the Sutra mentions the Sukha or sweetness for being compassionate to others and how that interferes with our honest practice of it. We can also help others to our detriment. If we are ill or not truly capable then it is not a healthy or right action.

I knew I didn’t experience a sthiti, steady mind with its practice. I had conditions. I had a desire to be loved or accepted. My mentor, Kquvien DeWeese mentioned that I may over function. I knew it felt exhausting. I did too much and helped dishonestly, which made my practice impure. I recall putting away props for students in the Yoga Therapy classes at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) in Pune and a Senior instructor saying, “They should return their own props.” I remember Stillwater owner, Kathleen Pringle telling me the same thing in her Yoga Therapy classes in Atlanta. Students need to participate in their healing. What I considered being compassionate in this case, wasn’t.

At the institute that year, I had the honor of taking classes with Geeta Iyengar, who put a strong emphasis on commitment to our personal practice. If we are always being told what to do and how to do it, how can we hear the lessons of our soul? The deeper our practice becomes, the better we can share from a place of true understanding. Yes, our teachers are invaluable, but taking time to embody those lessons is vital to the path.

The Iyengar Method of teaching Yoga has a way of shedding light to the core of your being. I studied another method consistently for 10 years, and have been a dedicated practitioner of Iyengar for almost a decade. It takes time to slough off old habits and embody its teachings. Growing up with a parent with narcissistic tendencies, and the “jump, how high” mentality of the dance world for 23 years, my whole point of being centered around pleasing others to avoid the pain of disapproval and criticism.

I had to take time away from the voices of others so I could experience the voice within me. I got in the car and drove cross country by myself. Practicing in the woods, by rivers, in housesits, and on the sides of mountains. I began to listen. On the outside I could make the shapes of poses and appear to the novice to be aligned, but I wasn’t aligned with my inner teacher. I began with very basic asana and pranayama practice. I examined my habits, the parts of my body that I could perceive, and those areas that were dark to me.

Where did I lack compassion, joy, and friendliness? Where did I habitually think and move through a pose? What did I ignore and avoid? How did the pain/pleasure and vice/virtue dualities interfere with my repose and sthiti or steadiness? Was I already overdoing? Over thinking? How well could I adhere to the ‘twin pillers’ of abhyasa and vairagya (practice and detachment) and allow a desireless but present state to foster compassion, joy, and friendliness within me and out of me towards my external network with more authenticity?

When I started making training videos for students, I got some answers to my questions in the form of more lessons I didn’t anticipate. I had to watch and accept myself, along with my teaching, while continuing to refine with detachment, growing intelligence, and wisdom. I began to understand Sutra 1.33 and its companion limbs in a way I never expected. I took the time to pause in whatever pain, discomfort, lack of joy, compassion, and friendliness I encountered to wait for truth to come.

On the mat and off, it is an ongoing process. The deeper I go into my obstacles, the more they teach me how to overcome them. I am witnessing healing. A balance of truth is developing. I’m noticing a significant shift and purification in my behavior towards myself and others. I’ve got a long way to go, but grateful I have a path and teachers further along willing to share their understanding of it.