Yoga samachar spring summer2014

VOL. 18 NO. 1 Spring/Summer 2014

Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar 1

YOGA SAMACHAR’S MISSION

Yoga Samachar, the magazine of the Iyengar Yoga community in the United States and beyond, is published twice a year by the Communications Committee of the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States (IYNAUS). The word samachar means “news” in Sanskrit. Along with the website, www.iynaus.org, Yoga Samachar is designed to provide interesting and useful information to IYNAUS members to:

• Promote the dissemination of the art, science, and philosophy of yoga as taught by B.K.S. Iyengar, Geeta Iyengar, and Prashant Iyengar

• Communicate information regarding the standards and training of certified teachers

• Report on studies regarding the practice of Iyengar Yoga

• Provide information on products that IYNAUS imports from India

• Review and present recent articles and books written by the Iyengars

• Report on recent events regarding Iyengar Yoga in Pune and worldwide

• Be a platform for the expression of experiences and thoughts from members, both students and teachers, about how the practice of yoga affects their lives

• Present ideas to stimulate every aspect of the reader’s practice

YOGA SAMACHAR IS PRODUCED BY THE IYNAUS PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE

Committee Chair: Tori Milner Editor: Michelle D. Williams Copy Editor: Denise Weeks Design: Don Gura Advertising: Rachel Frazee

Members can submit an article or a practice sequence for consideration for inclusion in future issues. Articles should be well-written and submitted electronically. The Yoga Samachar staff reserves the right to edit accepted submissions to conform to the rules of spelling and grammar, as well as to the Yoga Samachar house style guidelines.

Submissions must include the author’s full name and biographical information related to Iyengar Yoga, along with email contact and phone number.

Submission deadline for the Spring/Summer issue is March 1. Submission deadline for the Fall/Winter issue is Sept. 1. Please send queries to [email protected] one month prior to these deadlines.

AdvertisingYoga Samachar is now accepting paid advertising. Full-page, half-page and quarter-page ads are available for placement throughout the magazine, and a classified advertising section is available for smaller ads. All advertising is subject to IYNAUS board approval. Find the ad rates at iynaus.org/yoga-samachar. For more information, including artwork specifications and deadlines, please contact Rachel Frazee at [email protected] or 608-780-6774.

Cover Illustration: Vy Boutdy-Tatun

Leslie Bradley [email protected]

David Carpenter [email protected]

Alex Cleveland [email protected]

Rebecca Lerner [email protected]

Janet Lilly [email protected]

Michael Lucey [email protected]

Tori Milner [email protected]

Phyllis Rollins [email protected]

Kathy Simon [email protected]

Eric Small [email protected]

Nancy Watson [email protected]

Denise Weeks [email protected]

Sharon Cowdery (general manager) [email protected]

Contact IYNAUS:

P.O. Box 538

Seattle WA 98111

206.623.3562www.iynaus.org

Spring/Summer 2014

CONTENTS

Letter From the President – Janet Lilly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

News From the Regions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Which Comes First: Restful Sleep or a Nourishing Yoga Practice? – Michelle D. Williams . . . . . . . 8

The Long and Short of a Good Night’s Sleep – Roger Cole . . . . 9

Ahimsa 101 – Suzie Muchnick, with Michael Spencer . . . . . . 13

Balancing With Chef Allison – Michelle D. Williams . . . . . . . 17

It’s All About the Questions: How to Balance Work and Practice – Willamarie Moore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

The Teacher of Dharma: Geetaji Iyengar – Naghmeh Ahi. . . . . 23

More on Community and Consciousness – Manouso Manos Talks With Birjoo Mehta . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Lifelong Practice: Eric Small – Janet Lilly . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Musings: An Anomaly in Suburbia – Kim Peralta . . . . . . . . . 31

Letter From the Certification Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

2013 Iyengar Yoga Assessments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Treasurer’s Report – David Carpenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Back Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

IYNAUS Board MemberContact List

http://www.iynaus.org

mailto:[email protected]
















2 Yoga Samachar Spring/Summer 2014

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Fellow IYNAUS Members,I recently returned from a wonderful couple days of teacher training with Lois

Steinberg at the B.K.S. Iyengar Institute of Champaign-Urbana. I was in such a jumble

preparing for my visit—negotiating the polar vortex and cancelled school days—that I

neglected to read the training syllabus. In addition to being embarrassed (particularly

because I so often exhort my students at the university where I teach to read their

course syllabi), I had an opportunity to reflect on the theme of this Yoga Samachar

issue: How to balance the essential components of life—and what parts of life can

interfere with our yoga practice?

Contributing to these personal reflections was Sutra IV.3, one that Lois returned to

again and again over the course of several classes (as translated by Mr. Iyengar):

Nature’s efficient cause does not impel its potentialities into action but helps to remove the

obstacles to evolution, just as a farmer builds banks to irrigate his fields.

This sutra provides such a beautiful frame for yoga practice and our relationship as

practitioners to the Iyengars and the senior teachers who shape the riverbanks that

help guide our practice.

In the last issue of Yoga Samachar, I mentioned that we were starting a new ongoing

column, Lifelong Practice. I was delighted to hear back from so many members with

suggestions for longtime practitioners to interview. It was an inspiration for me to

interview Eric Small for the first column, and I hope that you enjoy his comments in

this issue about his 50-plus years of studying Iyengar Yoga.

In last year’s strategic planning process, many IYNAUS members expressed their

desire to connect with more senior teachers. In response, IYNAUS Vice President

Michael Lucey and Secretary Denise Weeks began a Senior Teaching Spotlight that will

appear about four times a year in our regular “Updates from IYNAUS” e-blasts. The

first spotlight featured Kristin Chirhart reflecting on her early days of study in Pune

and memories of Guruji and the Iyengar family.

Also as a result of member responses to strategic planning, one of our Systems and

Technology committee members, Sharon Honeycutt, started an IYNAUS Facebook

page (I know, many of you are saying, “At long last!”). One of her first posts was of

Patricia Walden’s glorious backbend practice, and I was amazed to see how many

“hits” the page received from members and nonmembers, with 182 new “likes” in one

week alone, and a total weekly reach of 3,171 people!

Finally, Gloria Goldberg has stepped in as the IYNAUS Elections Committee Chair. We

are grateful for her generous contributions in this critical area of our association, and

we look forward to welcoming incoming IYNAUS Board members this fall. Regional

representation is just one of the ways that the IYNAUS Board connects to the

membership, and all members are encouraged to contact their regional board or the

national board with suggestions to improve communication or increase the visibility

of Iyengar Yoga.

With many thanks,

Janet Lilly, President IYANUS Board of Directors

President: Janet Lilly Vice President: Michael Lucey Secretary: Denise Weeks Treasurer: David Carpenter

Archives Committee Eric Small, Chair Kim Kolibri, Director of Archives Lindsey Clennell, Elaine Hall, Linda Nishio, Deborah Wallach

Certification Committee Leslie Bradley, Certification Chair Dean Lerner, James Murphy Nancy Stechert, Lois Steinberg

Elections Committee Gloria Goldberg, Chair Chris Beach

Ethics Committee Rebecca Lerner, Chair Joan White, Sue Salaniuk, Michael Lucey

Events Committee Nancy Watson, Chair Patrina Dobish, Gloria Goldberg, Colleen Gallagher, Phyllis Rollins

Finance Committee David Carpenter, Chair Janet Lilly

Governance Committee Janet Lilly, Chair David Carpenter, David Larsen

Membership Committee Phyllis Rollins, Chair IMIYA – Melody Madonna IYAGNY – Oliver Luisi IYAMN – Elizabeth Cowan IYAMW – Becky Meline IYANC – Risa Blumlien IYANE – Kathleen Swanson IYANW – Margrit von Braun IYASC-LA – Kat Lee Shull IYASC-SD – Lynn Patton IYASCUS – Michelle Mock IYASE – Diana Martinez IYASW – Lisa Henrich

Publications Committee Tori Milner, Chair Carole Del Mul, Don Gura, Rachel Frazee, Richard Jonas, Denise Weeks, Michelle D. Williams

Public Relations and Marketing Committee Janet Lilly, Chair

Regional Support Committee Alex Cleveland, Chair IMIYA – Melody Madonna IYAGNY – Oliver Luisi IYAMN – Katy Olson IYAMW – Jennie Williford IYANC – Heather Haxo Phillips IYANE – Jarvis Chen IYANW – Anne Geil IYASC-LA – Bee Ottinger & Paige Guthrie Hodges IYASC-SD – Lynn Patton IYASCUS – Anne Marie Schultz & Pauline Schloesser IYASE – Alex Cleveland IYASW – Lisa Henrich & Josephine Lazarus

Scholarship and Awards Committee Denise Weeks, Chair Chris Beach, Leslie Freyberg, Richard Jonas, Lisa Jo Landsberg, Pat Musburger, John Schumacher

Service Mark & Certification Mark Committee Gloria Goldberg, Attorney in Fact for B.K.S. Iyengar Rebecca Lerner, Board Liaison

Systems & Technology Committee Janet Lilly, Chair Sharon Cowdery, Shaaron Honeycutt, Ed Horneij, William McKee, David Weiner

Yoga Research Committee Kathy Simon, Chair Jerry Chiprin, Jean Durel, Kimberly Williams

IYNAUS Senior Council Chris Saudek, John Schumacher, Patricia Walden

IYNAUS Officers and Standing Committees Letter


IMIYAIMIYA Develops One-, Three- and Five-Year Action PlansThe Intermountain Iyengar Yoga Association (IMIYA) is

committed to four distinct goals:

• Helping members deepen their individual yoga practice

• Teaching the Iyengar method to new and continuing

students

• Disseminating the values inherent in the art, science,

and philosophy of yoga according to the teachings of

B.K.S. Iyengar

• Promoting awareness of those teachings throughout our

region (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming)

To address these goals, the IMIYA Board has been working with

an outside consultant—Aaron Cohen of 3PG Consulting—to

help us align our member services and other activities with

these goals. We began with two half-day planning sessions in

March. Here are some of the items on our agenda:

• Create multiyear strategic goals with well-defined

organizational alignment

• Generate one- and three-year plans based on the multiyear

goals

• Develop a schedule for reviewing IMIYA’s progress and

updating our plans as needed

• Address board roles and responsibilities to ensure that our

efforts have maximum impact

• Develop goals and strategies for fundraising to make IMIYA’s

budget reliable and sustainable

During the two half-day sessions, we put together one-, three-,

and five-year goals for the board. Our primary aim is to make

the promise of yoga—the union of body, mind, and spirit—

easily accessible to all through a compassionate approach to

allow the true self to shine into the world.

We set some fairly aggressive objectives, tasks, and actions;

measures of success; and accountability and follow-up for each

board member. Of course, we’ll be looking for volunteers to help

us succeed with all of our long-term goals. We also look forward

to putting together comprehensive operational guidelines for

all board members as they commence with their board activities.

Community InvolvementIMIYA will sponsor its third annual Yoga Day on Saturday,

Oct. 25, 2014. Yoga Day is a community-building event and an

opportunity for students to take classes with different certified

Iyengar Yoga instructors in our region. Yoga Day is offered to

IMIYA members at a discounted price, but everybody is welcome.

For the second year in a row, we’ll participate in Yoga Rocks the

Park, a celebration of yoga, music, and community for the

entire family in parks across the U.S. to spread the word about

yoga. These monthly events begin Memorial Day weekend and

go through September in Denver. Check the website

(www.yogarocksthepark.com) for events in your city. There will

be one or two IMIYA board members at each event in Denver,

staffing a table to talk about the benefits of Iyengar Yoga.

IYAGNYSince opening in July 2013, the Iyengar Yoga Institute of

Brooklyn has enjoyed many successes. Nine Iyengar Yoga

Association of Greater New York (IYAGNY) teachers have asked

to join the faculty, benefit workshops run almost every

Saturday, and classes continue to grow. The tree of Iyengar Yoga

is flourishing in Brooklyn.

The flagship Institute in Manhattan held its 10th annual

Yogathon and Mary Dunn Celebration. Its biggest yearly get-

together, the event celebrates Senior Teacher Mary Dunn’s

ongoing contributions to the community, including the Spirit of

Mary Dunn Class, in which teachers teach pose the way they

remember Mary teaching it. Each year, participants present

poses for duration, repetition, or artistic merit, asking sponsors

to pledge them. This year’s fundraising goal was $50,000, and

attendants were asked to “Take It to the Next Level” at the

event. The Yogathon was the Institute’s last event held in its

current home on the 11th floor of 150 West 22nd Street.

Later this summer, the New York Institute will move to the

second floor of the building into a reconfigured space with

more room for classrooms and a library of Iyengar Yoga

resources that will be open to the community.

The community also enjoyed the return of inspiring guest

teacher, Matthew Sanford, author of Waking.

The four-day June workshop included a writing workshop and a

conversation with neuroscientist Barbara Ganzel at The Rubin

Museum of Art.

FROM THE REGIONSNews

http://www.yogarocksthepark.com


IYALAThe former Iyengar Yoga Association of Southern California

(IYASC) attempted to coordinate activities over a very large

geographic area. What was formerly the San Diego chapter and

the Los Angeles chapter agreed to separate and form two

distinct associations. The Iyengar Association of Los Angeles

(IYALA) includes communities from Santa Barbara to Palm

Desert, Valencia to Costa Mesa, and Hawaii. We are now

coordinating resources and activities to network these areas.

It is an exciting time!

In addition to this organizational change, we are proud to

announce our new up-to-date association website, which is

dedicated to association membership and also will serve as a

marketing platform for teachers, enabling members to get to

know them better. Articles about the teachers of IYALA and

how they got into yoga, how it has changed them, and what

special expertise they have gained—whether it be prenatal,

therapeutic, or teaching the young or the old—will be featured.

Starting off this new endeavor is a 12-part series by Jeff

Perlman called “The Ayurvedic Chef.” Perlman will explain

ayurvedic principles and include recipes based on the

availability of fresh food at local farmers’ markets in the area.

Perlman is a professional member of the National Ayurvedic

Medical Association, certified Iyengar Yoga instructor, and a

holistic chef.

The new website also lists names of Iyengar Yoga teachers,

studios where they teach, and upcoming workshops and

retreats. Please check it out at www.iyengarla.org.

We also are excited about expanding our quarterly newsletter

to include articles and interviews to help members get to know

B.K.S. Iyengar and his teachings through the eyes of the

teachers in our association. We are fortunate that many of the

teachers in our area have long-standing relationships with

B.K.S. Iyengar and his family. The experiences they share will

allow members to know our beloved teacher much better.

In birthday news, Beverly Graves, who is currently on the

teaching staff at Ventura Yoga Studio, celebrated her 92nd

birthday in March. Graves was the first Iyengar-certified teacher

in Ventura County and is greatly beloved by the students there.

She is a senior intermediate Iyengar Yoga instructor, was one of

Mr. Iyengar’s first students in the United States, and is certified

by him. She has been to India to study yoga nine times since

1975, most recently in February 1996. Beverly has taught all

over the United States and in Ventura for over 25 years.

Members from all over the IYALA region helped her celebrate

by sending personal messages and posting comments on the

Ventura Yoga Studio’s Facebook page.

As always, many fabulous workshops and classes continue to

be offered in our area. These include workshops by H.S. Arun, a

close disciple of B.K.S. Iyengar, Prashant Iyengar, and Geeta S.

Iyengar; Carrie Owerko’s “Divine Play” workshop; and a seven-

week workshop with Gloria Goldberg called “Sundays with

Gloria.” Also, students of all levels can attend “A Lunch Date

With Eric” on Fridays. This “date” includes a class with

Intermediate Senior II teacher Eric Small and a light lunch that

he serves immediately after class.

The IYALA Board would like to thank all of our teachers and

members for a great start to 2014, and we look forward to the

rest of the year.

IYAMNOn Dec.14, we gathered for an evening of celebration to honor

the life and teachings of Guruji on the occasion of his 95th

birthday. We shared a meal together at the Saint Paul Yoga

Center and watched a short movie of his interview with Charlie

Rose. The evening also served as the annual general

membership meeting for the Iyengar Yoga Association of

Minnesota (IYAMN), and we used the time to solicit ideas and

suggestions from our members for future events. In 2014 the

board has been focusing on outreach to our members, and

Board Member Michael Moore is helping us design a more

interactive website that, in conjunction with other social media

sites such as Facebook, will further our goal of creating a

vibrant community of practitioners in our region.

IYANCThe Iyengar Yoga Association of Northern California (IYANC) is

excited to announce that we successfully moved the Institute

to our new location in San Francisco. We kicked off our grand

opening with a very special workshop taught by Stephanie

Quirk and a dedication celebration that included special

speaker Manouso Manos as well as guests from the Iyengar

Yoga community old and new.

IYANC also celebrates 40 years of service. It is a landmark that

we are using to honor all of those dedicated practitioners who

came before us, our legacy of community members who helped

bring the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar to us all. Our new studio

space has a welcoming lobby, which is going a long way in

attracting new practitioners! After 30 years without one, we are

very grateful. We have nearly doubled the number of public

classes on our schedule and added 10 new teachers to our staff.

While it will take some time to adjust to our new space and

schedule, we are seeing a steady influx of interest and new

students in the first few weeks of being open.


http://www.iyengarla.org


We are also happy to

announce that we are

finally in a position to

hire an executive director

to drive our vision of

expanded programming

and increased visibility.

John Hayden, who

valiantly led this

transformation as the

president of the board of

directors, was officially

hired in April 2014. He

will be working to expand

our programming and

increase access to Iyengar

Yoga regionwide,

particularly within the

medical community and to underserved populations.

IYANWChanges are in the air at Tree House Iyengar Yoga in Shoreline,

Wash., a suburb of Seattle. In September, Shaw-Juin Wang

(Intermediate Junior II) will take over ownership of the studio.

Pat Musburger, a friend and colleague of Wang’s from Houston,

has owned the studio for the past decade. When Musburger

(Intermediate Junior I) moved to Seattle in 2003, she purchased

Tree House Yoga and received permission from Guruji to

change the name to Tree House Iyengar Yoga. She then worked

diligently to promote Iyengar Yoga in the community and to

train and certify teachers. Over the years, she has helped

mentor and recommend numerous teachers for certification

and has held at least seven assessments at the studio. Tree

House now provides teaching opportunities for nine certified

teachers and has developed a lively and inviting community.

Wang is relocating to Seattle from Cleveland, so the timing was

perfect for Musburger, as she is ready to release the daily

responsibility of being a studio owner. She says that Wang is the

perfect fit to take over and feels blessed that Wang was

interested in taking charge of the studio. Musburger says, “She’ll

bring changes that will create new life and interest while at the

same time continue the tradition of strong community and

Iyengar Yoga teaching that make Tree House a very special place.”

Musburger will continue to teach but looks forward to having

more time with her family, her yoga practice, and other interests.

IYASCUSIyengar Yoga in Austin is a blog created by Anne-Marie Schultz

to provide information on yoga classes all over the Austin

area—in stand-alone studios and, as she puts it, all the other

“nooks and crannies” where Iyengar Yoga and Iyengar-inspired

yoga is taught (iyengaryogainaustin.blogspot.com).

After earning her Introductory II certification in 2006 and

relocating to Austin in 2007, Schultz faced a problem. She was

new in town and had left an established student base in Waco.

In Austin, she had places to teach but no home studio and no

website devoted to her teachings or class schedule. It was

difficult for her to develop a student following.

Schultz is a full-time, tenured professor of philosophy at Baylor

University. She also manages to teach Iyengar Yoga in three

places. After moving to Austin, she realized there were other

certified Iyengar Yoga teachers in the same area with the same

problem: How to let their students and the general public know

what, when, and where they were teaching. So Schultz created

Iyengar Yoga in Austin as a remedy.

If you live in or are visiting the Austin area and need to find an

Iyengar Yoga class, Iyengar Yoga in Austin is the most efficient way

to see the whole spectrum of teachers and venues. Or if you live in

the area and you want to take more classes with your teacher but

she only teaches at your gym once a week, you can check this

website to see if she may be holding classes elsewhere.

Schultz writes primarily for an audience of devoted Iyengar

practitioners and includes sequences that are usually taken

from a recent workshop by a senior teacher, many from Patricia

Walden. She posts sequences for practice, and then a group of

advanced students and teachers get together every Friday to

practice together. Teachers learn from each other and get

feedback on their teaching. These practice sessions provide a

IYANC’s new location in San Francisco

John Hayden, Manouso Manos, and Stephanie Quirk at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco’s grand opening celebration.


means to reinforce learning from workshops and share

knowledge with those unable to attend. Schultz helps build

community in a more general way by providing a forum for

news and events in the area. So, if there’s a potluck, a

fundraiser, workshop, or offering by a visiting teacher in Austin,

it will definitely be on the blog.

Finally, Iyengar Yoga in Austin is a marketing tool that would be

beneficial in any city where certified teachers are not all

teaching in one location. By providing useful information about

Iyengar Yoga in her local area, Schultz is effectively marketing

for the method rather than any particular studio. In business

terms, this is our “brand”—we all benefit when the brand is

publicized. Further, Iyengar Yoga in Austin contains a blogroll

on the side that lists other blogs related to Iyengar Yoga,

including those of Devon Diederich, Peggy Kelley, Yves Oberlin,

and Schultz’s other blog, Teaching Philosophy and Yoga. In this

age of Google rankings, sites with useful information that have

a wide-reaching audience and link back to one’s own website or

blog are a boon. Inspired by Schultz’s creativity and common

sense, I too started a blog: Iyengar Yoga in Houston. Schultz’s

model is worthy of replication.

IYASEThe Iyengar Yoga Association of the Southeast (IYASE) held a

number of successful events this past year. Our region initiated

its first co-sponsored workshop uniting our regional support

behind a community studio. IYASE teamed with the Iyengar

Yoga Center of Nashville to host Joan White for a Junior

Intermediate workshop that focused on observation and

adjustment. The Iyengar Center of Nashville organized the

workshop and shared profits with IYASE. The association in

return helped promote and provide scholarship opportunities

for the event. The gift of this relationship was that it allowed

IYASE to help bring a senior teacher to our region and support a

regional studio without having to take on the burden of hosting

the workshop. The effort proved profitable for both IYASE and

our regional studio. The turnout was excellent, and we hope

this model will be one that regional studios and IYASE can

benefit from in the future. We encourage any regional studios

that are interested in co-sponsoring a workshop with IYASE to

contact us!

We also hosted an introductory teacher training at Stillwater

Yoga Studio in Atlanta with Kathleen Pringle. Thanks to

Kathleen, this workshop has become a staple in our region and

has provided a great opportunity for students curious about

teaching and beginner teachers to hone their teaching skills. In

addition to regional workshops, we hosted a membership drive

this past year with volunteer teachers and studios from many

states. Numerous studios volunteered to offer an extended two-

or three-hour class for new and renewing students. The drive

was a great success and seems to be key in keeping our

membership base strong. We are planning to continue our

membership drive this coming year.

In addition to hosting these events, we awarded two

scholarships for continued study this past year and have

implemented a number of improvements to our website and

social media outreach. We awarded our annual scholarship for

study at RIMYI to Maribeth Sartain, and we awarded a

scholarship to Kquvien Deweese for the Intermediate workshop

with Joan White in Nashville. We encourage students and

teachers from our region to view our website (www.iyase.org) to

learn about scholarship opportunities. We also encourage

students and teachers in our region to check out our website

and Facebook page.

IYASWCommunity-Based Seva in Arizona: Patchwork Lives Giving CircleA giving circle is a group of people who share their time, talents

and resources for the benefit of others. The Patchwork Lives

Giving Circle was started in 2006 by Kathy Shimpock. The

mission is to improve and enhance the lives of women and

children living in Maricopa County, Arizona. Patchwork is

incorporated as a nonprofit charitable corporation under the

laws of the state of Arizona.

Shimpock, a long-time Iyengar Yoga student, lawyer, and

spiritual counselor founded Patchwork as a seva. Her goal is to

provide direct aid to women and children in need in the

community without the high overhead and salaries of large

charitable organizations.

Backpacks ready to distribute to Phoenix-area school children. Archana Yoga students contribute to this effort every July.


http://www.iyase.org


Archana Yoga, in Gilbert, Ariz., owned and operated by

Josephine Lazarus, has been an active contributor to Patchwork

Lives since its inception. Lazarus and Archana Yoga students

along with a dozen other members have raised donations for

school supplies for children, tote bags filled with personal

necessities for homeless women, suitcases for women in

transition living in shelters, and water distribution to the

homeless in our blistering heat. Patchwork holds events for

Halloween, Thanksgiving, and other holidays for shelter

children and families.

Please contact Kathy Shimpock at [email protected]

or take a look at the Patchwork Lives Giving Circle website

(www.patchworklives.org) to learn more about the service

opportunities.

Membership WorkshopIYASW hosted its inaugural membership workshop on Jan. 25,

2014, taught by Intermediate Senior I teacher Ben Thomas.

Thomas and his wife Tommi joined our SW community a few

years ago from the Bay Area. Thomas taught a comprehensive,

one-day workshop. Katherine Maltz donated the B.K.S. Iyengar

Yoga Studio of Tucson for the event. Twenty-five students of all

levels had the opportunity to experience Thomas’

comprehensive approach to yoga.

Thomas teaches with clarity, an evenness of spirit and inner joy

that naturally guides his students toward inner stillness. He

emphasizes the sacredness of each moment of the practice so

that we can explore, experience, become curious, and slow

down enough to realize the true art and science of yoga.

Ben Thomas workshop, January 2014

“IN SLEEP, THE SENSES OF

PERCEPTION REST IN THE MIND,

THE MIND IN THE

CONSCIOUSNESS, AND THE

CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE BEING.

SLEEP IS OF THREE TYPES. IF

ONE FEELS HEAVY AND DULL

AFTER SLEEP, THAT SLEEP HAS

BEEN TAMASIC. DISTURBED

SLEEP IS RAJASIC. SLEEP THAT

BRINGS LIGHTNESS, BRIGHTNESS,

AND FRESHNESS IS SATTVIC.”

—B.K.S. IYENGAR, LIGHT ON THE YOGA SUTRAS, SUTRA 1.10


http://www.patchworklives.org


WHICH COMES FIRST: RESTFUL SLEEP OR A NOURISHING YOGA PRACTICE?By Michelle D. Williams

Ihave this goal to get up early to do my yoga practice. I

envision about 20 minutes of pranayama, followed by a

half hour break for tea and kitty pets, then another 30–60

minutes of asana practice. It seems simple on paper,

especially since I work at home for myself and have no kids

to get out the door.

But I continually fail at this goal. And it’s often because I’d

rather sleep a little longer. Sleep has been a lifelong issue for

me—falling asleep in particular. Even as a kid, I’d lie awake at

night, first listening to the low murmurings of Johnny Carson

coming from the living room, and then, after my mom went to

bed, listening to the furnace shutting on and off, or the crickets

singing outside, or the trains coming and going in the distance.

But sleep is just as important to our overall well-being as eating

healthy foods and getting plenty of exercise. According to the

Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, sleep

plays a critical role in immune function, metabolism, memory,

learning, and other vital functions. Sleep gives the body an

opportunity to repair and rejuvenate itself. New research shows

that many of the major restorative functions in the body like

muscle growth, tissue repair, growth hormone release, and

protein synthesis occur mostly, or in some cases only, during

sleep. Other rejuvenating aspects of sleep are specific to the

brain and cognitive function. A recent study revealed a link

between sleep and brain plasticity, which is the brain’s ability to

change and restructure itself. The benefits list goes on.

So why, then, do so many of us neglect our sleep? Many people

get by on just five or six hours of sleep a night. We live such

busy, amped-up lives that it’s difficult to get to bed early. We

work long hours and then pack our evenings full of

extracurricular activities, meetings, projects, and chores. Or we

sit on the couch watching episode after episode of our favorite

cable TV (or BBC—Downton!) shows late into the night.

Once we do crawl under the covers, our minds are still active,

going over interactions from the day and planning for

tomorrow or next week—or next month even. So we end up

with insomnia or just a very truncated sleep cycle.

Sleep Interferes With LifeMy own difficulties in going to sleep have stemmed from

different issues at different times in my life. I’ve always had a

very active, analytical brain and a nervous system that does not

quiet down easily. Also, I’m a person who definitely doesn’t like

to miss out on things. If friends are going out or having a dinner

party, I want to be there. If there’s an interesting performance

to be seen or a few in one week, I’ll try to fit them all in. I take

dance classes and poetry classes and join book groups and

work on crafty projects in the basement.

Other things can interfere with my ability to fall asleep, like

having a huge dinner or drinking too much alcohol, working

past my bedtime, or messing around with Facebook and email.

Also, I slept in the same bed as my mother until I was seven

years old, which was wonderful in many ways. But I remember

that adjusting to sleeping in my own bed was a challenge, so on

some very deep level, I think going to bed and falling asleep

strikes fear of being alone.

Over the years, as I became more proactive in taking care of my

own well-being, I made positive changes to my diet, began to

exercise more, and developed a yoga practice, but I still found it

difficult to focus on my sleep habits. After all, sleep is a passive

activity. Even though I knew I struggled with insomnia, I still

thought I should be able to get into bed, close my eyes, and

sleep would just happen. Of course, when I was younger, I could

get by on less sleep.

But these days, a poor night’s sleep takes its toll. For me, that

means not getting out of bed quite as early as I’d like to, so I’m

groggy. My yoga practice gets cut short, or I’m late to start work.

It can also mean that I’m fatigued throughout the day, or I don’t

think as clearly and creatively as I’d like to, or I don’t have the

energy to work on the more challenging asanas in my practice.

Does Poor Sleep Disturb My Practice?I decided to consider my difficulties in getting good sleep—or

my resistance to working on my sleep habits—in the context of

the obstacles outlined in Sutra I:30. Patanjali’s obstacles get in

the way of attaining a calm mind, which has a huge impact on

sleep. Mr. Iyengar groups the obstacles into four categories:

PHYSICAL• Vyadhi (illness). When I’m sick, I often don’t sleep well.

Even if my physical being is just a little out of balance, I can

If you don’t jump on the sleep train when it comes to your station, it will take off and leave

you behind.


be uncomfortable in bed and sleep poorly. Of course, getting

good sleep is one ingredient for overall well-being and can

contribute to lack of disease.

• Styana (sluggishness). Sometimes, I simply have no

motivation to move my body—especially when I’m tired from

not getting enough sleep! It’s a catch 22 because exercising the

body during the day leads to more restful sleep at night, which

in turn makes it easier to practice overall.

MENTAL• Samsaya (indecision or doubt). There may have been a part

of me at one time that doubted whether eight hours of sleep

was really that important, but now I’m certain that I need at

least that much to feel refreshed. Depending on the day, I

may still weigh my options in terms of getting more sleep or

going out with a good friend. And I can be indecisive about

what steps to take on any given night when getting ready

for bed. In a similar vein, when I’m struggling to fall asleep

or when I’m fatigued during the day, I can doubt my own

efforts toward establishing good sleep habits and then

spend a lot of time worrying about this.

• Pramada (carelessness or negligence). When I choose to do

the things that keep me from getting a good night’s sleep—

like staying out late or watching movies past my

bedtime—it’s a careless attitude. I’m flat out neglecting my

overall health and ultimately affecting many other aspects

of my life, which can actually create a domino effect of

imbalance.

• Alasya (idleness). I can have a sort of mental laziness when

it’s time to practice relaxing, sleep-inducing yoga poses in

the late evening. Part of it is that I get overwhelmed by all

the steps I need to take in preparation for keeping myself in

balance. I end up wasting time in some idle way while I

If you have a sleep problem or are sleepy during the day,

first find out whether you have sleep apnea. If you snore

loudly, there’s a good chance that you do (and some

people have apnea without loud snoring). Ask someone

to listen while you sleep or use a smartphone app that

can record snoring. You can’t tell by yourself if you snore;

a lot of champion snorers have no idea that they are

doing it. If you do snore significantly, get checked for

apnea at a sleep clinic (they may provide you with a take-

home, medical-grade monitor). If you have apnea, get it

treated! One effective treatment to consider is an oral

appliance, which is essentially a prop that you wear in

your mouth while you sleep. At present, there are no

yoga sequences known to treat sleep apnea.

If you have insomnia (especially if you fall asleep at first

but wake up and have trouble falling back to sleep), here

are two options. For each option, it may help to sleep with

an elastic bandage wrapped loosely around your head,

covering your eyes.

Option 1: Short Time in BedIf you choose this option, start by shortening your total

time in bed each night to approximately six hours—and do

this night after night on a strict, fixed schedule. Don’t take

any naps or practice any restorative poses during the day

or evening (except three minutes or less of Savasana

after an ordinary asana practice each day). Continue

your usual seated pranayama practice if you have one.

During the six-hour scheduled bedtime period, if you

don’t fall asleep within 15 minutes of getting into bed,

or if you wake up and lie awake for 15 minutes, then get

THE LONG AND SHORT OF A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP By Roger Cole

Continued on next page

Illustration: Curtis Settino


consider what I need to do before bed. If I could spend that

time doing even just one or two sleep-benefitting activities,

I’d be in much better shape.

• Avirati (overindulgence). Giving in to sense gratification

and stimuli like TV or Facebook—or even being greedy for

more experiences or social activities—can certainly keep me

from getting good sleep.

INTELLECTUAL• Bhrantidarsana (confusion or delusion). This is a good

one—I can convince myself that I’m taking care of myself,

when in fact, my yoga practice or bedtime routines are not

quite on the mark. It can be a subtle thing to discern, but

when fatigue, depression, and ongoing restlessness

continue, it’s a good bet that I’m not getting very good sleep.

Maybe I’ve rushed my practice or skipped part of the

bedtime routine or consumed something a little too

stimulating. Or maybe I’m just going through the motions.

Another way this obstacle can manifest is through lack of

confidence, or a false perception of my abilities. I convince

myself that I can’t do a certain asana or that I’m simply

wired in such a way that good, deep sleep is out of reach.

Obviously, this sort of attitude is self-defeatist and will

never get me where I want to go—and it can interfere with

decent sleep!

SPIRITUAL• Alabdhabhumikatva (lack of perseverance, missing the

point). More and more, my life is centered around my

practice—not just asana, though I do some asana every

day—but also around my philosophies and understandings

of what “my path” should be. When I fluctuate from this,

losing track of that path, which invariably will happen, or I

rush through my asana or pranayama practice, then I feel off

balance emotionally as well as physically. And then sleep

becomes more difficult.

• Anavasthitatvani (backsliding or regression). No matter

how much I long for balance and despite my efforts in

fostering well-being, my mind remains restless and chatty, and

at bedtime, that is especially unhelpful. When I’ve been

thrown off balance because of my lack of perseverance, then I

can become restless and want to just do something to make

myself feel good in the moment—eat something indulgent or

stay up too late and then dive into bed without even trying to

calm my mind and nervous system. This regression, sort of

giving up on the routine in the moment, affects not only my

desire for good sleep, but my entire yoga practice.

And so it goes that poor sleep means I don’t practice as well.

When I don’t commit as much time and effort to my yoga

practice, my mind and body are more restless. And when my

mind and body are restless, I don’t sleep as well.

out of bed and practice seated meditation or pranayama

(emphasizing exhalation) in the dark, wrapped in warm

blankets, until you feel sleepy, then get back into bed to

attempt sleep again.

After a few nights of sticking strictly to this schedule, you

should be sleepy enough to sleep through most of the

night with few interruptions and get at least five hours of

sleep. When this happens, keep avoiding daytime and

evening naps, and set your time in bed to six hours and 15

minutes. Repeat the same procedure as above, with a

target of sleeping for at least 85 percent of that time.

When you achieve this goal for two or three nights in a

row, increase your scheduled time in bed by an additional

15 minutes.

Over a few weeks, gradually increase your time in bed 15

minutes at a time, but only do it if you have succeeded in

sleeping for 85 percent of your previously scheduled time

for at least two or three nights in a row. When you reach a

point where you can no longer increase your sleep to the

85 percent mark, reduce your scheduled time in bed to the

previous, successful level. Keep that as your new sleep

schedule indefinitely, seven days a week. And after

reaching this stable sleep time, you can start practicing

restorative poses again.

WARNING: During the weeks it takes to optimize sleep

time, expect to be sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation

increases the risk of making errors and having lapses

of attention. This can be dangerous while driving or

operating machinery, and can cause a number of

other problems.

Option 2: Long Time in Bed If you choose this option, turn the lights in your home

down low or off at sunset and go to bed each night at least

ten hours before you have to get up in the morning. Before

going to bed, do whatever nondrug method it takes to help

you get to sleep—meditation, pranayama, restorative

asanas, a warm bath, etc.—or simply get into bed, turn off

the lights, and try to go to sleep. Don’t worry about how

long it takes you to fall asleep or whether you wake up in

the night—you have plenty of time to rest or sleep before

you get up in the morning.

You’re likely to wake up in the night, and if you do, then do

whatever peaceful activity you like, as long as you do it in

very dim light or in the dark (no bright computer screens,

phones, TVs, etc.). A very good thing to do is to simply

remain lying down and let your mind wander in the dark,

not being concerned about whether you are awake or

asleep. Other things you might do are hold a conversation,

Roger Cole continued


So How to Break the Cycle?Ironically one remedy, outlined in Sutra I:38, for overcoming

these nine obstacles is contemplation of dreamless or dream-

filled sleep, or the unconscious and subconscious mental

planes, respectively. This contemplation helps transform the

different states of consciousness—sleeping, waking,

meditating—into one, flowing and calm state. So perhaps I’m

on the right track by focusing more on my sleep habits overall.

Over time, my health and well-being—including getting restful

sleep—has become the most important aspect of my life, and

my yoga practice is at the heart of this. At 48, I’m officially in

perimenopause, and my body demands sleep. Overcoming

insomnia now has my full attention, and I have been trying a

few different approaches. Experts say it’s important to establish

a consistent sleep schedule, so I’m making an effort to do that.

I’m making fewer evening plans, especially on week nights. I’m

trying to wrap up the work day before dinner and shut down all

technology. At the first signs of sleepiness, I begin to down shift.

I dim lights and avoid talking about “serious” things. I focus on

quiet activities like reading or knitting.

And to help relax my nervous system, I take hot baths, drink

herbal teas, and take magnesium. The cats are no longer

allowed in the bedroom at night because their comings and

goings can be disturbing. (My 19-year-old cat developed the

charming habit of standing on my pillow several times in the

middle of the night and meowing loudly in my ear.)

I’m also trying to use my yoga practice to help foster more

balanced sleep. At minimum, I do a few forward bends before

bed. Years ago, I took a six-month introductory teacher training

with Julie Lawrence and one of our assignments was to practice

headstand and shoulder stand every night before bed. Just to

observe. That experiment had profound results. Not only did I

fall asleep more quickly than I had been, but I slept more

deeply and woke up feeling refreshed. It’s a great practice.

In fact, in the back of Light on Yoga, Guruji’s sequence for

insomnia is basically that, plus a couple forward bends and

some pranayama:

• Sirsasana and cycle

• Sarvangasana and cycle

• Paschimottanasana

• Uttanasana

• Bhastrika, Nadi Sodhana and

Suryabhedana pranayama without retention

• Sanmukhi mudra

• Savasana

You would think after such terrific results, I would commit to

this practice for the rest of my life—but it’s not that simple.

(See the list of disturbances and obstacles above. I’m working

on it.)

Lately, I’m trying to keep the majority of my evenings open for

quiet, personal time. In addition, the biggest change I’ve made

has probably been to just respond to my first feelings of

sleepiness. If you don’t jump on the sleep train when it comes

to your station, it will take off and leave you behind. And this is

science. Our bodies are programmed to shut down at a certain

time every night. The hypothalamus is responsible for shutting

down the brain’s arousal signals and causing the transition to

sleep. We have the ability to override the hypothalamus,

though, and some of us can easily ignore those signs of

sleepiness. When we do this, the hypothalamus starts up again,

inspiring the brain’s arousal signals, which is how we can get a

second wind. I used to do this all the time and just stay up later

and later, and then ultimately struggle to get to sleep—and

sleep well.

But now, I find that if I respond to my body’s desire to sleep, I

can fall asleep more quickly, sleep more soundly, and wake up

feeling rested. And this means that I end up having time to do

both pranayama and asana in the morning, with a kitty-petting

break in between! And, I end up feeling more focused and

creative throughout the day, which is not too bad, either.

Michelle D. Williams lives in Portland, Oregon, and is the editor of Yoga Samachar. She has been practicing Iyengar Yoga since 1994.

read in very dim light (preferably red light), or do any of

the before-bed activities mentioned above. You can get up

but avoid getting cold, standing for prolonged periods, or

exercising. It’s okay to catch up on non stressful work or

leisure activities in the middle of the night as long as they

meet the criteria above. If you are awake long enough, it is

almost inevitable that you will eventually get sleepy and

fall back to sleep.

After several days on this schedule, if you feel that you are

not getting enough sleep, then set your bedtime earlier or

your wake up time later. Over time, settle on a generous

sleep schedule that feels right to you.

Roger Cole, Ph.D., is an Intermediate Junior III Iyengar Yoga teacher and neuroscientist. Since the 1970s, he has trained students, teachers, and medical professionals worldwide in the anatomy, physiology, and precise practice of yoga, relaxation, and sleep.

Roger Cole continued

I find that if I respond to my body’s desire to sleep, I can fall asleep more quickly, sleep more soundly, and wake up feeling rested.


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AHIMSA 101: DOES EATING MEAT INTERFERE WITH THE DEEPENING OF OUR YOGA PRACTICE?By Suzie Muchnick, with Michael Spencer

Science reveals the stunning benefits of a plant-based

diet—in fact, the claimed effects of veganism seem

impossible sometimes. Will avoiding meat actually

help save the planet and reduce pollution, all the

while helping us dodge diabetes, cancer, and heart disease?

Actually, yes, the claims are true, and more: Eliminating

animal flesh from our diets could dramatically reduce global

hunger, and it honors animals.

Despite all of these claims, many people continue to eat meat.

Why? People do things for many reasons. Frequently, we do

things against our own self-interest, balancing the desire of the

moment against a long, healthy life. Or we convince ourselves,

despite the evidence, that eating meat is the only way to get the

nutrition we need. And sometimes even our doctors tell us we

need meat to stay healthy. There’s an inexplicable streak of

individualism in all of us that sometimes makes no sense

whatsoever, and yet without it, the magic of being human

would be gone. Indeed, we must make these choices for

ourselves as individuals.

But as yogis, how does the food we eat affect our practice?

And does eating meat actually go against the first Yama—

ahimsa, or nonviolence?

While the Iyengars have not published extensively on the topic,

Guruji makes it clear in Light on Yoga that a vegetarian diet is

essential for practicing yoga. In his introductory discussion of

ahimsa, he writes, “Men either kill for food or to protect

themselves from danger. But merely because a man is a

vegetarian, it does not necessarily follow that he is nonviolent

by temperament or that he is a yogi, though a vegetarian diet is a

necessity for the practice of yoga. Blood-thirsty tyrants may be

vegetarians, but violence is a state of mind, not of diet.”

Guruji and Prashantji have both said that they do not demand

that their students be vegetarian. They know that time and

yoga practice will naturally lead to vegetarianism. In the

introduction to Light on Yoga, Guruji writes, “Whether or not to

be a vegetarian is a purely personal matter… But, in the course

of time, the practitioner of yoga has to adopt a vegetarian diet,

in order to attain one-pointed attention and spiritual evolution.”

Digest that as you will.

The notion that yoga practice brings vegetarianism isn’t unique

to Guruji. Hindu scholar Edwin Bryant’s extensive commentary

on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali paraphrases Hariharananda, head

of the Kriya Yoga Institute in the U.S., stating that the fifth limb

of yoga, Dharana or concentration, is essential for perfecting the

Yamas and Niyamas. While ahimsa is presented in the sutras as

the very first Yama that a practitioner must follow, Dharana

deepens our ability to practice the earlier limbs. And so as our

practice deepens, our understanding of ahimsa will also

broaden and may come to include practicing vegetarianism.

In Volume 4 of Astadala Yogamala, Guruji graphically illustrates

another reason to consciously choose what you eat: “A

nonvegetarian diet is not conducive to the mental and spiritual

aspects of yoga. When an animal is lead to a slaughterhouse,

does anyone study the terror, fear, and anguish before it is

slaughtered? This consequently changes the chemical

composition of the animal’s body, which is very disturbed.

When one eats this disturbed, perturbed, frightened, and

chemically changed flesh of the animal, naturally it affects the

system and disturbs the harmony of one’s body and mind.” As

Guruji framed the process, does it really matter if the meat was

“factory farmed” or “free-range”?

Photo: Felix Muzquiz


My Own Journey to VeganismOne of life’s punctuation marks came as a rebuke from a

student in March 1975 upon learning that I was not vegetarian.

I thought little of it at the time, but a seed was planted those 40

years ago, a benign seed lying quietly close to a ready heart. But

I had eyes that would not see.

Why would I even think about diet and yoga? My life was all

about food—I’m Jewish, after all. I was a latch-key kid growing

up in a traditional Jewish family. My first-generation American

parents both worked. Meals centered around beef, chicken,

turkey, eggs, milk, and Mrs. Paul’s Fish sticks. Yes, I also ate the

usual vegetables, and there was a sense that “healthiness” was

important.

Mommy and “Ma” (my grandmother) cooked for all the

holidays. How I loved the Challah bread (and the French toast

made with leftovers) and the stuffed cabbage! There was chicken

soup with knaidlach (eggs), and of course, they made kugel (with

cheese). A holiday kitchen atmosphere was thick as a steam bath.

Pots and ovens were mere tools in the hands of those two

ladies, practicing the magic of traditional Jewish cooking.

And we loved Chinese and Italian food. Every Sunday was

Chinese takeout night. Other times, Mom would make the best

spaghetti and meatballs. I recall all of those dishes fondly. Fast-

forward to 2014, and I’m still making my favorite childhood

dishes—but vegan versions!

Growing up, and even after I’d started practicing yoga to some

degree, I didn’t think about what animals went through to feed

us, the cruelty that was perpetrated on them. It never occurred

to me that the chicken breast I was eating was the muscle of a

chicken. And it wasn’t that I didn’t have an understanding of

anatomy. But meat is … meat, right? Not an animal! We live in

a state of disconnection (bhrantidarsana) from the animals we

eat. My husband mutters, “dead body parts” as we shuffle past

the meat department at the grocery store. Truer words were

never spoken.

My journey started not with diet but with a nascent animal

activism. I was so against animal experimentation that during

my graduate work in physical education I asked my anatomy

and physiology teacher to lower my grade in an attempt to

avoid animal dissection. The university wouldn’t agree; I did the

dissection. But I honored that cat with meticulous surgery and

respectfully buried her. All my classmates used my cat as an

example for their dissections. Students now have choices

thanks to the work of the American Anti-Vivisection Society

(AAVS) and The National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS).

Eventually, I began to believe that eating meat—and ultimately

all animal products—interfered with my yoga practice, blocking

my spiritual path. For me, a nonvegetarian diet did not fit in

with my desire to go deeper. My husband, Michael, had a

similar experience: Starting his yoga life in Louisiana, he came

to realize one day that he was not eating meat.

My yoga practice forms the framework of my life, and that

means much more than getting down on the mat. Practice

encompasses the whole of yoga: the Yamas and the Niyamas;

Sirsasana and the effects of Sirsasana; practicing maitri and

learning discrimination; and dharma, duty. Is it also necessary

to be vegan? Is it incumbent on me to observe ahimsa toward all

sentient beings?

When we practice asana, our efforts affect not only our muscles

and bones but also our organic body parts: our heart and lungs

and so on. We have methods to help menstrual cramps, anxiety,

depression, Parkinson’s disease—the list goes on. But we also

affect our “abode” by what we eat (or don’t eat). Recently, I read

one of the first pages on the IYNAUS website about Patanjali’s

Ashtanga Yoga:

• The first two limbs of yoga, Yama and Niyama, give us guidance

for our conduct. One of the most essential of these rules is

ahimsa, nonviolence—sometimes translated as love for others.

This idea is too complex to be easily understood, but in Iyengar

Yoga students learn to practice ahimsa while practicing asana.

• One example: Performed incorrectly, a yoga asana may cause

pain in the knee. When the student learns the remedy—correct

alignment, as directed by an Iyengar Yoga instructor—the pose is

done without pain, without doing violence to the self. The student

then begins to understand nonviolence and how to apply it, first

in yoga, then “off the mat,” in life.

Again, it’s a reference to that deepening of practice.

So does one have to become a vegan to practice ahimsa? Would

I give up honey, leather shoes and belts, all of the animal

products that pervade our environment? This question haunted

me for many years as I continued to grow in my yoga practice

and in my life. Maturation and reflection failed to yield a clear

answer. The question plagued me until a teacher training in

1996 with Manouso Manos in New York. Manouso was teaching

So does eating meat interfere with our practice? Each of us must decide that for ourselves.


headstand—long headstand, the kind of headstand where the

sweat drips and the hands slip with wetness. Why did clarity

come at that time? Who knows? In fact, who cares?! Gratefully,

the way forward was clear. To know what I had learned about

animal agriculture (yes, even pasture-raised and organic

agriculture) and to still support animal-based industries,

including pharmaceutical and cosmetic, was shameful to me. I

definitely cannot practice ahimsa and support those industries.

I Encourage My StudentsKnowing about my plant-based diet, students look to me for

leadership in the way they naturally look to teachers. It is a

serious responsibility. They know many of my life choices. They

know that I am an animal activist and that I have a totally

vegan diet. When they ask, “Why?” I tell them. Some are

daunted by the prospect of trying to make dietary changes or

are concerned that becoming a vegetarian will require more

hours in the kitchen. Each journey is unique. All of us come to

terms with unwanted behaviors and releasing old habits on our

own. We deepen our yoga practice individually and at a pace

that seems right. Still, the move away from consuming animals

is important beyond the level of the individual. I urge them

where I can, nudge them when I must.

The studio offers literature about research in the science of

nutrition and disease. In the same way that I share “my yoga”

with interested students, I also share my life choices like eating

a totally plant-based diet for the spiritual reasons as well as the

known benefits.

I know that not all of my students practice the lessons I share

from the Yoga Sutras and The Bhagavad Gita, and I know that

some of my students will not practice veganism even after I

share my experiences with them. As I know well, a seed planted

near a willing heart will abide, waiting for the eyes to open. I do

fret when a student develops a condition like diabetes or heart

disease, and I know that they eat animal-based foods (even if

they are not overweight).

Many of my students say they are simply too busy to make the

change, that they don’t have time to chop all those vegetables.

The thing is, adopting a plant-based diet does not require extra

time. I know because I have a busy life myself. Neither Michael

nor I want to spend extra time in the kitchen. Most of the meals

we cook at home don’t take any longer to make than if we were

having meat.

We both know that approaching the kitchen with a bad attitude

yields bad food, so we try to use cooking time as a respite, not a

chore. We use meal times to step away from the fray to nurture

our bodies. We keep it simple when we are busy, just like a

meat-eater would, and reach for familiar recipes that we can

pull together easily.

When someone is interested in vegetarianism or veganism but

just can’t make the leap, it’s really about overcoming

obstacles—the same obstacles that get in the way of our

practice in general, as outlined in Sutra I:30:

• vyadhi (disease)

• styana (mental laziness)

• samsaya (doubt, indecision)

• pramada (negligence)

• alasya (physical laziness)

• avirati (lacking moderation)

• bhrantidarsana (living in an illusion)

• alabdhabhumikatva (missing the mark)

• anavasthitatvani (back-sliding)

• cittaviksepah (scattered, distracted mind)

So does eating meat interfere with our practice? Each of us

must decide that for ourselves. Adopting a vegetarian or vegan

diet is just one possibility along the yogic journey. And it’s up to

us to decide what our yoga journey means to us and how far

we’d like to take it. Regardless where we are along this path, it’s

useful to look at the obstacles that block our deepening. We

always have choices.

Vegan ResourcesOne way that some meat-eaters make the transition to veganism is to use “faux meat” in familiar recipes. Made to resemble meat products and often heavily processed, faux meat is a bit controversial. It’s wonderfully useful, though, because frequently a simple one-for-one substitution can be made in any recipe that calls for meat.

Inform yourself. The Internet offers loads of nutritional information and recipes on vegetarianism and veganism. Here are a few useful sites:

• http://pcrm.org/health/diets/recipes

• http://www.forksoverknives.com/category/recipes

• http://engine2diet.com/recipes/favorites/

• http://www.veganricha.com/search/label/main%20course

• http://www.peacefuldumpling.com/category/food/recipes

Suzie Muchnick (Intermediate Junior III) is the director of Postures, also known as The Yoga Workshop, in New York and Coconut Grove, Fla. Michael Spencer is a landscape architect and garden writer.

http://pcrm.org/health/diets/recipes

http://www.forksoverknives.com/category/recipes

http://engine2diet.com/recipes/favorites/

http://www.veganricha.com/search/label/main%20course

http://www.peacefuldumpling.com/category/food/recipes



BALANCING WITH CHEF ALLISONBy Michelle D. Williams

We all know that eating and yoga don’t really

mix. It can be tricky to time meals at least two

hours before class or home practice. And

preparing a nice, healthy meal can take up a lot

of time—certainly longer than ordering takeout or grabbing

something ready-made. If you’re working full time, taking

care of a family, enjoying hobbies, and spending time with

friends, it’s difficult to find time to actually cook. But the

food we eat is so critical to how we feel overall, and what we

eat can drastically affect our yoga practice.

For Allison Bader, who has been a professional chef for 25 years

and practicing Iyengar Yoga for more than a dozen, cooking,

eating, and yoga are all part of the same practice. “Good food—

healthy food—is a passion of mine,” Bader says. “And I’m

passionate about my yoga practice too. In fact, I find a lot of

similarities between yoga and cooking.”

When she first started taking Iyengar Yoga classes, in her mid-

40s, it was a way for her to build strength and stay flexible.

Bader is also an avid tennis player and skier so wanted

something to balance out the active, physical side of those

sports. But she was immediately drawn into the philosophy of

yoga and the “just being” of it.

“In my classes with Julie Lawrence, we’ll be working hard,

putting a lot of effort into a particular pose and holding it,”

Bader says. “Then right at the point when I say to myself, ‘Oh,

my god. Can I just get out of this?’ She’ll say, ‘Okay, now let go

of the points and just be in the pose.’ When I get to this

moment, it can be sort of magical. I’m just in the pose, and I’m

not struggling with it.”

Bader says cooking is the same. “There are so many things I

love about cooking. I love the mundane—all the chopping of

vegetables and other prep work. I love it because those tasks

make it easy for me—for my mind—to just be there with the

product that I’m working with. I’m not thinking about my kids

and what they’re doing, and I’m not thinking about what I’m

going to make for dinner at home. I just let go of the points and

I’m there. And that for me is where yoga and cooking really

kind of merge.”

Lost in AsparagusLife in the food industry can be crazy—and seemingly not very

balanced. Shifts can be long, and depending on your focus,

you’re either getting up at 3 a.m. to bake or you’re getting home

at 3 a.m. after a long night followed by post-shift hanging out.

Back when she lived in Boston, Bader worked as a pastry chef at

a small but very busy restaurant. She’d go in really early and

make all of the pastries and then all of the pasta for the day.

Then she’d start the stocks and some of the other prep.

Gradually as the day went on, more staff would roll in and

things would get busier and busier. By lunchtime, it was

“Food to me is not just fuel. Cooking is an act of love—it’s nurturing, it’s creativity. And yoga is similarly all of those things…”


controlled chaos. As the dinner crew came in, Bader would be

wrapping up her shift.

“One of the things I loved to do in the spring … we would get

these huge cases of asparagus. In the afternoon, when

everything was ramping up for dinner, I loved to just get a stool,

sit in the corner of the kitchen, and remove myself from all the

chaos. I would just sit there for an hour or two, peeling

asparagus for the dinner shift. None of the other prep cooks

ever wanted to do it because it was so tedious. But I could get

into a state where I didn’t have any thoughts. It was completely

mindless. That sort of task has brought me closer to a

meditative state than any other activity.”

Indeed, Bader is in her element when she is focused on the

details of chopping and peeling. For her, the attention to

detail in preparing food parallels that required for practicing

Iyengar Yoga.

“I think I was attracted to Iyengar Yoga because it is very

focused and detail-oriented. That’s how I cook. My mind stays

really focused on the physical aspect of what I’m doing—partly

because I’m working with a sharp object! In yoga, I have to

focus on what my physical body is doing or I will hurt myself or

fall out of the pose. There are those days when I can’t seem to

find my balance in yoga. And that’s because I’m not present.

My mind is elsewhere. That’s when I feel wobbly or tippy.”

Cooking as Practice“The most nurturing thing you can do for yourself or anyone else

is to cook food,” Bader says. “It nurtures your body and your soul.

Food to me is not just fuel. Cooking is an act of love—it’s

nurturing, it’s creativity. And yoga is similarly all of those things—

it nurtures me, my soul, my physical being. Being athletic in other

areas, it’s helped me maintain a balance in my life.”

And that’s what Bader’s life is all about really: balance. She

loves eating healthy food because it makes her feel good. She

loves feeding her family healthy food that tastes good because she

wants them to enjoy food. And a big part of cooking for friends

and family is about spending time together, balancing out work

and other obligations with nourishing community time.

“I’m an omnivore. I eat everything,” Bader says. “But I eat less

meat now. Not because I’ve consciously chosen that, but

because other things sound better. Generally I don’t snack. I

don’t eat junk food. I read package labels religiously—I won’t

buy anything that has more than five ingredients in it.

“But I’m really not that dogmatic in the way I eat or cook,” she

says. “I would never forego cream or salt or butter. But when

I’m feeling good and healthy, I use so little of that. I think yoga

brings that to my life—that sense of moderation and balance. I

just automatically make good choices.”

Many people talk about taking their yoga practice “off the mat,”

but it seems that Bader actually took her cooking practice onto

the mat. She found peace and centeredness early on in the

kitchen. Years later, when she joined an Iyengar Yoga class,

finding it there was a piece of cake.

Michelle D. Williams lives in Portland, Oregon, and is the editor of Yoga Samachar. She has been practicing Iyengar Yoga since 1994.

HOW TO PEEL ASPARAGUS

Chef Allison prefers thick, meaty stalks because ultimately they are not as woody and stringy as the thin stalks.

• Snap off the tough ends of each stalk—or cut them off so that every stalk is the exact same length.

• Peel the bottom half of every stalk.

• Take your time, and peel very lightly using a regular vegetable peeler.

“It’s one of those extra steps that brings food up to the next level,” Bader says. “Just like making your own chicken stock.”


Photo by Jake Clennell

Where (And How) I WorkI work full time at an art museum. I run the school and teacher

programs out of the Education Department at the Museum of Fine

Arts in Boston. We host 55,000 school group visitors annually,

bringing the visual arts into the lives and minds of kids when

they’re at their most impressionable. We do so with a crew of 120

docents—dedicated, passionate, smart, and engaged volunteers

who lead our guided tours for school groups every weekday

morning during the school year. They are able to do so because of

the in-depth training and ongoing professional development

sessions that my small staff and I provide. All of us work together

with a shared commitment to and love of engaging people with

art. We do so largely by asking questions.

The foundation of our approach to teaching with art is a

method called the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) (Learn more

at www.vtshome.org). A VTS discussion is structured around

three basic questions that a facilitator poses to a group about a

carefully selected artwork:

1. What’s going on in this picture?

2. What do you see that makes you say that?

3. What more can we find?

When people respond to the first question, the facilitator

paraphrases their observations in a neutral, accepting manner.

When appropriate, she asks the second question, probing for

visual evidence to back up the observation. In between

respondents, the facilitator asks the third question, as a

reminder that there’s always more that can be found within a

great work of art. After all, our interpretations are largely based

on what we bring to the artwork—how we personally engage

with what we are seeing in front of us. There are no wrong

answers, but there are multiple “right” answers. Together, we

build a shared body of knowledge.

There is a beautiful parallel between the VTS method and the

Iyengar method: actively do or observe, question, go deeper,

then let go.

In the practice of VTS, I see a manifestation of kriya yoga, as

defined by Patanjali in Sutra II.1: Tapah svadhyaya

Isvarapranidhanani kriyayogah. “Burning zeal in practice, self-

study and study of scriptures, and surrender to God are the acts

of yoga” (B.K.S. Iyengar’s translation). In his commentary, Mr.

Iyengar reminds us that for Patanjali, “The practice of yoga is

the ‘yoga of action’”—in other words, we practice yoga as we

live our lives engaged with this world, not by going off to a

remote cave in the mountains. From his Inside the Yoga Sutras, I

find Reverend Jaganath Carrera’s definition of the three

components—tapas, svadhyaya, and Isvara pranidhana—

particularly accessible and applicable to our lives today:

• Tapas: “the acceptance of challenges as a help for

purification”

• Svadhyaya: “refinement of the intellect through introspection

and the acquisition of knowledge (study)”

• Isvara pranidhana: “leading a life dedicated to God (self-

surrender)”

As a VTS facilitator, to accurately paraphrase people’s

observations, I have to listen actively and restate the essence of

the comment in a way that validates. Through acceptance of all

observations equally, I strive to cultivate a supportive

environment in which people feel comfortable sharing.

Simultaneously, I am pointing to the specific area of the

artwork they’re talking about and linking their comments to

others already mentioned in the discussion. Though the process

may seem simple, it’s deceptively so.

To facilitate a VTS discussion well takes a lot of practice and an

incredible amount of discipline—tapas. Every time, after I teach

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE QUESTIONS: HOW TO BALANCE WORK AND PRACTICEBy Willamarie Moore

When people truly resonate with a work of art, they can be transformed, experience a higher state of consciousness—perhaps something akin to Isvara pranidhana?

http://www.vtshome.org


in this way, I engage in self-reflection. How did the process go?

What amazing observations did people make and share,

prompted by this work of art? Was I accurately able to

paraphrase, link, bring the group’s understanding to a higher

level, based solely on their contributions (i.e., without the

imposition of art history)? What can I improve upon for next

time? This is svadhyaya.

Ultimately, the meaningful

engagement of people with a great

work of art brings them—all of us in

the discussion—to a deeper

understanding of our shared

humanity; it engenders an

appreciation for the visual arts as an

essential form of human expression

throughout history and in our world

today. When people truly resonate

with a work of art, they can be

transformed, experience a higher

state of consciousness—perhaps

something akin to Isvara pranidhana?

Needless to say, doing VTS is my

favorite aspect of my job.

When people hear where I work, they

automatically say, “Oh, how

glamorous! It must be so beautiful to

work at the art museum!” Which is always a good reminder

that, indeed, it is a privilege to spend my weekdays in one of

the top art museums in the world, something that I often take

for granted and forget to appreciate amidst the flurry of the

everyday. Yes, it’s wonderful to walk past masterpieces on my

way to meetings with colleagues in other departments. A

favorite is Paul Gauguin’s Where Do We Come From? What Are

We? Where Are We Going? (1897–98), pictured at the top of

page 19. And it’s a real boon to have a place like the immersive

Japanese Buddhist Temple Room to be able to retreat to

briefly—to sit directly in front of a 12th-century seated Amida

Buddha (pictured above) and calm myself down at 3 p.m. on a

Thursday afternoon after a particularly stressful meeting. And

it can be quite grounding to lead a VTS discussion about a

particularly compelling contemporary art piece, like Josiah

McElheny’s Endlessly Repeating Twentieth-Century Modernism

(2007, pictured on page 21), and contemplate the infinite—

realms way beyond our petty daily worries.

But the reality is that work is still work; unfortunately, I can’t

spend all day every day just doing VTS. Meetings with

challenging colleagues and presentations to the Trustees or

potential new partners are still draining for an introvert like

me; budgets are still confounding to my more artistically

inclined rather than mathematical mind; emails are still

endlessly demanding of immediate (“Urgent!”) attention; and

my office, which I have to share, is in an almost-windowless

basement—there are whole days when I never get upstairs into

the galleries even once. In short, it’s

not all glamour and beauty.

And particularly for someone like me,

whose tendency is toward over-

achievement, perfectionism,

and—dare I say—work-a-holism,

work can become all-consuming.

It was, for years and years. Until yoga

entered my life.

Where (And How) I PracticeI practice yoga under the tutelage of

Patricia Walden. Ever since my

second-ever asana class, about 10

years ago now, when I was walking

home openly weeping (after

something—I had no idea what—

cracked open in me during

Sarvangasana), I have been taking

classes in the Iyengar method weekly.

That has evolved and has expanded to also assisting Patricia

and teaching my own classes. I practice every day.

I practice asana before work in the morning (usually a dynamic

sequence to energize me for the day ahead) and at night before

bed (inversions, restoratives, and pranayama) to decompress

after the day’s activities. I dedicate a significant chunk of my

weekend to practicing a longer and/or a more focused sequence

of poses and pranayama (and preparing for assessment). I also

count as part of my weekly practice chanting of the Yoga Sutras

and reading yoga philosophy, both of which I love.

Of course, the best (highest quality) practices are those where I

am able to go deep with inquiry. I find myself asking the same

VTS questions of myself as I’m in asana practice:

1. What’s going on here (with my inner heel, with my thoracic

spine, with the skin of my temples)?

2. What do I see or feel that makes me say that?


3. What more can I find? Especially if I adjust this way or try

that variation?

Indeed, the Iyengar method is built on

this same “scientific method” of

observing, asking questions,

hypothesizing, experimenting,

observing again. The questions—and

the potential insights—are endless, as I

go deeper and deeper.

For three years now, I’ve been teaching

yoga. Though teaching is definitely

distinct from the type of practice one

achieves while alone on the mat,

drawing the mind inward, I do regard

teaching yoga as another form of

practice. According to Ericsson and

Charness in their article on practice,

“Expert Performance: Its Structure and

Acquisition” (as quoted in Stephen Cope,

The Great Work of Your Life, pp. 117–118), the combination and

sustaining of certain factors result in “expertise.” Among the

seven key factors, the accumulation of hours within the

so-called “domain of the task” is one. Thus, I also count

teaching yoga asana, including planning sequences and

reflecting after class, as a certain dimension of practice. In the

yoga studio, I certainly teach with the same kind of inquiry-

based approach I use in the museum, asking my students to

bring their mind to a certain area of the body and find out

what’s going on there; what more can they find by trying

different variations and comparing; and how can they

ultimately find repose in the pose (Sutra II.47).

I feel blessed to have asana and pranayama practice in my life,

multiple CDs of the yoga sutras and other Sanskrit chants to

listen to, and piles of books related to yoga philosophy, which I

can easily consult. Of course, I wish I had more time to spend

with all of this.

Where (And How) I Integrate Work and PracticeHOW CAN WORK INTERFERE WITH PRACTICE?I’m sure we can all come up with myriad ways in which our

work life interferes with our yoga practice. Probably, for most of

us, the issue of time (or lack thereof) is what comes to mind

first and foremost. If we have to work a minimum of eight

hours per day, plus commute to and from the office, that’s over

one-third of our 24-hour day taken up with work alone. If we

have to sleep a minimum of 6–8 hours per day to function

healthily in both body and mind, that’s another one-third of the

day. Which leaves us with the final one-third of the day, a

maximum of 8 hours, to be consumed

by everything else: from preparing and

eating meals to personal hygiene like

bathing (and who has time to floss every

day?) to cultivating and maintaining

relationships with family members and

friends, both in-person and now via all

manner of technologies—by phone,

email, Skype, etc. Not to mention all the

other stuff of daily life—everything from

cleaning out the kitty litter to helping

the kids with their homework to reading

the newspaper to stay an informed

citizen of society …

Where does the practice of asana and

pranayama (much less sutra study and

chanting) fit within all of this? I have

finally come to understand that the

solution may not be about trying to find

more hours in an already jam-packed day or figuring out ways

to clone myself. They key is in learning to make the most of

what I have—integrating work and practice by asking the right

questions.

HOW CAN PRACTICE BE INTEGRATED WITH WORK? IT’S ALL ABOUT THE QUESTIONS.During my Iyengar Yoga teacher training program several years

ago, for an assignment related to the klesas, I came up with the

idea of keeping a “Klesas Daily Journal.” I developed a set of

questions based on Sutras II.3 and II.4 and reflected on them

almost every day:

1. What is the strongest klesa that came up for me today?

• What did I struggle with in my life today—either in

relation to other people, within myself, or with samskaras

(memories) that surfaced, etc.?

• Is it a manifestation of avidya (spiritual ignorance),

asmita (ego), raga (attachment to pleasure), dvesa

(aversion to pain), or abhinivesa (fear)?

Even if I have only 30 minutes, to integrate in this way ultimately yields a high-quality, meaningful, nourishing practice, serving to balance life on and off the mat.


2. What form is it taking?

• prasupta (dormant), tanu (attenuated), vicchina

(interrupted), udaranam (fully blown)?

3. What is its root?

• Is this a samskara that goes way back? Is it a pattern?

• Does it relate to avidya? abhinivesa? (In my experience,

I found that almost everything relates back to either

of these.)

4. How might I try to attenuate it?

• Tapas? Svadhyaya? Isvara pranidhana?

At the end of a long workday, I find it quite illuminating to ask

these questions of myself. For example, if I’m feeling guilty

about procrastinating (again!) writing up my quarterly budget

variance report, what is that about? Dvesa: I hate budgets.

What is the remedy? Tapas: the discipline to just sit down and

do it. Or if I’m agitated by a colleague who unfairly put me on

the spot in a meeting, what is the root of my agitation—and

why does it stick with me even after I’ve left the office? In going

through the above inquiry, I see that this is asmita, my ego

blowing up and causing me pain, not the person herself; she

only triggered this klesa to move from prasupta (dormant) to

udaranam (fully blown). I realize that at the root of this is

perhaps a form of abhinivesa, in this case fear of self-perceived

failure. I ask myself if it’s possible to let go (Isvara pranidhana)

and bring the concepts of Sutra I.33—maitri (friendliness),

karuna (compassion), mudita (joy), and upeksha (equanimity)—to

my next interaction with this colleague. That would be one way

to practice at work.

Then at home, I would get right onto my mat. After the kind of

day where I didn’t get that budget stuff done, I ask myself: Can

I practice tapas on the mat then, through a sequence of strong

standing poses or backbends? And thus, I try to meet the

challenge. After the kind of day where I struggled with

interpersonal relationships, I gently ask myself: Shall I practice

inversions to calm my mind, regain perspective, and apply the

concepts of Sutra I.33—toward the self, first and foremost? Even

if I have only 30 minutes, to integrate in this way ultimately

yields a high-quality, meaningful, nourishing practice, serving

to balance life on and off the mat.

And when I wake up in the morning, I’m ready to start all

over again.

Willamarie Moore is working toward her Introductory II certification (scheduled for fall 2014). She teaches yoga in the Boston area.


THE TEACHER OF DHARMA: GEETAJI IYENGARBy Naghmeh Ahi

Each time I’ve had the good fortune to study with

Geetaji Iyengar, invariably she’s highlighted our duty

to ourselves to “find out.” In her teachings in asana

classes, amid her direct guidance of our attention to

some part of ourselves, she adds, “You have to find out!” In

teaching from a chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, she points out

that Lord Krishna cajoles Arjuna to find out, to move away

from doubt and toward inquiry. She often shares details

about her upbringing and learning yoga by watching Mr.

Iyengar’s practice, learning from observation and attention—

qualities she reminds us to nurture by turning inward, to

find out.

In December 2013, we were blessed to find ourselves not only

present for a month of study at RIMYI and for Mr. Iyengar’s

95th birthday festivities, but also privy to a five-day

pranayama course conducted by Geetaji for the Indian

teachers—a celebration of the dharma of finding out, through

her detailed teachings on the art of pranayama, one of the

eight limbs of yoga.

The Indian teachers had asked Geetaji to teach such a course,

and she finally decided to offer the course Dec. 9–13 at RIMYI.

The course took place in the main hall in the mornings for two

and a half hours each day, and non-Indians enrolled in classes

at RIMYI for the month were granted permission to sign up and

observe the pranayama classes via wide screen video in the

upstairs hall. Teachers of Iyengar Yoga from all corners of India

were in attendance. The hall was packed from wall to wall.

Similarly, upstairs, around 50 of us gathered daily with bolsters,

notebooks, iPads and iPhones, taking notes or following along

with the teachings and doing—finding out.

Geetaji presented everything from Savasana, Ujayii, Viloma,

Brahmari, Kapalabati, and Bhastrika to Pratiloma and Anuloma in

these five days. It was a challenge to sit and watch and not be

taken on the inward journey that she guided her students

toward. As she shared the intricate details required for the

body, the mind, and the breath, she also continually referred to

the requisite state of attentiveness, watchfulness, and

humbleness—as well as one’s duty to remain alert—to notice

these things.

Step by step, she taught the process of going inward, explaining

that pranayama is a subtle practice founded on developing

sensitivity, patience, and a strong observation of the body, mind,

and breath, and how adjusting and attending to each will bring

about an effect on

the other. For

example, in

Savasana, the

placement of the

body is such that

there is a settling

of the karmendriyas, explaining that “the psychology of

the karmendriyas has to change to a state of quietness.”

This settled state of the arms and legs then further quiets

the consciousness deep inside, while the resultant

exhalations assist the cellular body to become even quieter,

a “learned relaxing.”

She taught the art of quieting the senses of perception—closing

the eyes to see inward and moving from the gross to the subtle,

from the outer world to the inner world. She called this process

a “learned watching” (svadhyaya). “Find out what’s happening!”

She guided the brain to watch passively, while the eyes

withdraw inward. “Enter deep inward,” she said, “and reach

back where you see nothing. The mind wants to look out—

break that habit—enter deep inward and reach back.”

She taught the art of hearing, releasing the eardrums inward to

notice when the breath turns from inhalation to exhalation, for

example. She coaxed the group to be careful and keen in their

observations of these things. She asked that the witnessing of

these qualities spread everywhere inside, not controlling but

watching to find out where we can reach.

Every day there was a point in her teachings when Geetaji

would refer to Light on Pranayama and note that nothing she

was sharing was new. It is all in the book, she would say. And

she encouraged everyone to read the book and learn from it!

As much as Geetaji laid out the landscape of pranayama, step by

step and part by part, she also took us back to the requirement

of vigilance in self-exploration and self-study, without

judgment but with keen interest and practice that comes from

watchfulness.

It is all in the book, she would say. And she encouraged everyone to read the book and learn from it!


“Learn to watch. Learn to observe. Be keen for that moment!”

Our dharma is to adjust and readjust when we notice a

disturbance that might have moved from one part of our being

to another part, such as from the body to the breath, the breath

to the mind, or the mind to the breath.

Geetaji taught that the surrender inward learned in Savasana

is without limit, a “spaceless area within that is timeless.”

She advised us to “get lost in that area.” In each session, she

took the group to passive quiet exhalations to reach that

depth, where the breath “will vanish in the universe of the

body, dissolve in the ocean of the body, like a wave, a letting

go process.”

As much as the sensitivity, surrender, and witnessing processes

were required by Geetaji, an equally humble presence was

advised: “Feel as if you are nobody interesting, without any aim

or any thought.” She took the group deeper and deeper into

vairagya, coaxing, “Wherever you reach, reach comfortably …

whole being dissolving… nothing belongs, nothing is touching

you, nothing is attached to you.”

Geetaji gave the road map for the path into the wonderful

world of our breath. Our dharma is to go and find out!

Naghmeh Ahi is on the faculty of the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Greater New York and the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Brooklyn.

As much as the sensitivity, surrender, and witnessing processes were required by Geetaji, an equally humble presence was advised


MORE ON COMMUNITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS

In May 2013, Birjoo Mehta traveled from Mumbai, India, to

San Diego, California, to teach at the Iyengar Yoga

National Teachers’ Conference and Regional Convention.

Manouso Manos had a chance to sit down with Birjoo to

discuss community, consciousness, and skillful action. This

is Part 2 of their two-part conversation.

Manouso Manos: Getting back to the topic of community again—you have a remarkably unique perspective on the world compared with everyone else on this subject. You are a senior teacher and a well-noted world-class teacher of yoga by all standards. Yet, you also have travelled with an international corporation because of the kind of business you do, and you’ve been able to walk in to communities unannounced. For example, once you were in South Africa, and you said, “I am here. Can anyone use a yoga teacher?” You get to see certain communities in a very different light than many of the rest of us senior teachers. You walk out of a business community on Friday and into a hardcore yoga community on the weekend. I’d like to hear a few of your thoughts on this.

Birjoo Mehta: Well, if you have visited South Africa, you

know that you can visit some beautiful sites, game parks and

things like that, but if you are there for too long, there is not

that much activity other than shopping malls. So I had an

assignment in South Africa once, which meant that I was

there for four to six months overall. Now what would you do

on a Saturday or Sunday in Johannesburg if you have already

seen the sights?

MM: Well, I know you well enough to know that you are going to practice.

BM: Yes. So apart from my own practice, I just called up [some

of the people I was working with] and said, “Hey, I’m here.

Would you like to take a class? I’d be happy to share my

experiences.” And within half an hour they rustled up 20–25

people for a class. That worked out pretty well. It was very nice

because I was meeting people from different places. The same

thing happened while I was in Hong Kong. I was there for

business, and I just called up [my friend Linda and she invited

me over to her studio for a class]. I like to do that because it

allows me to talk and interact with the community. In that

sense, it’s not that I planned to be there to teach or anything

like that.

MM: You’re being very humble because you’ve actually had quite a strong effect on these communities that you’ve walked in and out of. Maybe you don’t even know the ripple effect that you have as a human being and how the community coheres around the teachings that you leave behind. You aren’t the kind of fella who seeks this kind of gratification of the ego on the way out of town, but you have really strengthened those communities in quite strong ways, and I applaud you for it.

BM: I don’t think I have such an impact like that.

MM: You’ve been the keynote speaker at many of the world conventions and have accompanied Guruji on many of his travels, so you know your effect has been felt. I think you have had a remarkable effect on a group of people and their yoga practices and how they conduct themselves.

BM: I don’t give credit to myself. I think it’s their own yoga

practice that has brought about any changes.

MM: Yes, but inspiration comes from the outside. Guruji’s an inspirational figure for me, let me say that straight up. I know you know that, but I’m saying it for the record. But in fact, YOU in particular have this way about you and a way of conducting yourself—some people do see you as a revolutionary figure and an inspirational figure because of how you’ve stood with that strong standard of practice.

BM: I don’t know about standards of practice and things like

that, but let me put it this way: Whatever Guruji says leaves

behind an impression with me. And many times it’s not what

he has taught in the class, but what he has talked about in the

library or what he has said just in passing. Those things leave a

deep impact on me. I may not be able to immediately

understand what he has said, but over a period of time,

suddenly while I’m practicing, something will come back and

[I’ll realize] what Guruji actually meant and then [I’ll work with

that in my practice].

Second, through teaching, Guruji has left some very strong

imprints of corrections that he has made. These corrections

have happened across the 40 or 45 years that I have been with

him. After the impression is left behind, I struggle to articulate

that impression, and this articulation can take a lot of time. I

may not use his exact words because those words were actually


meant for me in the situation I was in at the time, with the

shortcomings of the pose. He gave that correction to me. So

what I do is keep that impression with me and then struggle to

articulate how I got it. And I use the instructions that Guruji

has given me when I teach. They may not be directly spoken,

but they will be translated into my own language and then

given to other people. So there is a sense of Guruji’s teachings—

maybe not his words because his words were relative to a

particular context—but I sort of take the context and try to

pass it on.

For a long time, there was a challenge that was always with me.

You know, coming from an engineering background, I place a

lot of importance on objectivity. I don’t trust subjectivity; I go

on objectivity. It is easy for us to measure objectivity and to

work on an objective level because for generations—probably

2,000 years or more—people have been learning objectivity. You

know, 12 years in school and another three to four years in

university, so 15, 16 years of hard training in objectivity. So,

obviously you trust objectivity, and you know how to measure

objectivity. A question came to me that if I injure my knee,

would I not be feeling the same pain as somebody else who also

injured their knee? My thought was obviously that it should be

the same. Therefore, if something happens to me and I can feel

pain, and a similar thing happens to somebody else and he can

also feel pain, then is it possible for me to translate my feeling

onto somebody else?

That’s how I started to work in the standing poses. I’d think, “I

am standing here, what do I feel? Where are my thoughts?

Where do I feel something? Where am I aware of something?

And now what did I do? Where did the awareness go?” So when

I teach, I say, “Okay. This is where your awareness is.” Then I

realized that people’s awareness is not there.

Then I said, “Okay. I have to first give an instruction to ‘do

something .’” So if I say, “Plant the heels firmly on the floor,” the

moment you plant the heels firmly on the floor, the

consciousness goes to the heels. So I say, “Okay. Fine. You are

feeling the consciousness now.” When I say “consciousness”

I mean “awareness.”

I use my body to experiment and see where the awareness

should be moving and give the instruction in that manner so

that the person who is studying with me, his awareness also

starts to move. Then he gets a realization that awareness can

move, so this is what is moving his consciousness.

Otherwise, who knows what consciousness is? What I could do

is make a person do the pose and move his consciousness from

one place to another by giving fast instructions, you know, “Grip

your knee, extend your hand, turn your chest, then lift your

head up.” All these things. And then his consciousness is

moving all over the body.

Once his consciousness moves all over the body, he should feel

the same restlessness as I would feel. He feels the restlessness,

and I ask him, “Are you feeling the restlessness?” That is ksipta

(wavering) citta. When you are not doing anything, and you are

dull, and your mind is wandering all over the place, that is

mudha (dull) citta. You are not aware of any part of your body.

Then I say, “Okay, now focus on your knee. Whatever is

happening, focus on your knee.” And as you remain in

Trikonasana, let’s say, focusing on the knee, I say, “Grip your knee

again.” If you are able to grip your knee again, that means that

it had become loose. If it became loose, it means that the

awareness you had in the beginning lost out. So although your

focus was on the knee, it was wavering in intensity, so that

becomes viksipta (partially stable, oscillating between

wandering and stability) citta.

MM: Right.

BM: Now, if I want you to do the viksipta citta, I tell you that as

long as your mind is on the knee and you’re observing the knee,

your consciousness is there. The consciousness causes the

movement. So while you are observing there, the consciousness

also will continue to move because you are observing that spot.

Whereas, if you focus on your back leg, for example, while

observing the front leg, the movement will come in the back leg

but it will keep the front leg undisturbed. So that becomes

ekagra (one-pointed) citta.

So from that point on, it’s going from mudha citta to ksipta citta

to vksipta citta to ekagra citta, and that is something people

relate to. Then they start understanding what consciousness is.

MM: Your explanation of the asanas with the understanding of the citta is really quite profound. And students can feel the changes that go on in consciousness even without any words attached to them. But they can, in fact, say, “I understand this was dull, now it’s awake.” Now all of my concentration is here, now none of my concentration is here.” Those words are easy for them.

BM: Yes.

MM: It takes later for the philosophy to catch up. This is what I think Guruji has really brought to the subject. [Guruji] gives up talking to my ears because I’m a fool. But he can talk directly to parts of my body, and they respond to him.

BM: Absolutely, it doesn’t require language. The way I see it,

language goes to the mind; the mind interprets it and sends it

across based on whatever experiences you have had. Whereas a

direct teaching is something that happens when he is working

through the consciousness.


MM: Yes.

BM: He sort of attaches you to your consciousness, which is

probably in the knee, and then by giving direction, the

consciousness starts to move, and then he talks to the

consciousness directly. He doesn’t require the mind to follow.

You just have to give in to whatever he is doing.

For example, my personal experience is that I don’t really read

too much in books. [But if Guruji] has said something and a

question comes up, then I go back and read. One time, Guruji

spoke about the different chakras, for example. Of course, he

had talked about them during his 75th birthday, but I hadn’t

heard him then. So he started to talk about svadishthana chakra,

and he started talking about muladhara chakra and all these

things. I had no idea where they were, but I could understand

[what was happening] without understanding where that

chakra was positioned. [Later when I] checked, I realized I was

exactly following what he had said. So I realized very quickly

that he is not talking to the mind. The language may be wrong

or used incorrectly. But the effect is still there. It is as if he is

bringing his consciousness to talk to my consciousness directly

without the intervention of the mind or the words.

MM: Yes.

BM: So, what you said is very right.

MM: This is why the senior teachers, yourself being one of the great ones, do not go and try to parrot exactly what they have heard out of India, but they try to interpret what happened inside of them and then find a way to communicate that into the consciousness of the people in front of them.

BM: Yes.

MM: And you’re really quite gifted at that, but those people are failing who go home and try to find the exact words that were given to them, whether it was by Guruji or Geetaji or Prashantji. Instead, they should find the essence of where they were taken and the path that maybe got them there.

BM: Exactly. What did I feel, what did I feel? And the interesting

thing is, you don’t need to know how you did it. To appreciate

good food, you don’t need to know how to prepare the food,

right?

MM: You don’t need to understand how to manufacture an automobile to drive.

BM: No. Exactly. It is for you to feel. Once you [feel something],

then you can start building an articulation around it. What did

I do then? Okay, I pressed my heel, okay, fine. What did I do

then? Yes, I brought my calf muscles down and then I moved

from my knee and I moved the hips forward so that my thigh

muscles went down. So this kind of thought and articulation

is required.

Articulation is not yoga, but the articulation helps you get to

a stage where you can cross the boundary. And to me, the

challenge is always, how do I articulate what I have felt? But

Guruji makes it so clear. Sometimes when he’s explaining, it

seems as clear as daylight. I sometimes feel that Guruji is

able to read minds. I’m not sure in what respect I am saying

this, but there was a question that was troubling me for a

few months, and I would not ask this question to Guruji

because I thought I needed to understand it, find out the

answer. The question was about how to know where your

mind or your awareness is not reaching.

I was wondering, and I sort of struggled for a time, and then I

said, let me ask Prashantji. So I asked Prashantji, but I didn’t get

an answer that was meaningful. Of course, he gave me some

guidance in terms of practice, but still that thing didn’t come.

Then I went to the library, and Guruji just spoke as he normally

would and said, “You see, when the sun is there . . . and if there

is a cloud between the sun and the earth, that cloud will put a

shadow.” So if you trace the path from the shadow to the sun,

you’ll see the cloud. Or, in other words, if you come from the

sun and you encounter a cloud—these are my words, but the

intent was that—once you encounter the cloud, from that line

if you go further, there is darkness. If you encounter a cloud,

everything below it is darkness.

I realized that this is exactly what I see. If I follow from the

center of the body, which is here, and I start to follow, if at any

point I feel that cloud, I can be sure that below that cloud,

downstream from that cloud, is the darkness. Then, if I remove

the cloud I will get to understand that that was the darkness I

could feel. Because earlier, I was not feeling that. If I was not

feeling it, how did I know it existed? By removing the cloud, I

can keep it in existence through awareness. Those are the kinds

of things I’ve experienced a number of times. He just

remarkably answers your questions without you having to

articulate them.

MM: Yeah, it’s remarkable that way, and I’ve had those same experiences. I finally figured out in my own tiny awareness that he knows himself and has studied himself so well, that [to] the people in front of him, it looks like he’s reading their minds. But his awareness of what’s going on in the universe is so sharp that he’s instantly ready to act on what’s going on.

BM: Absolutely, absolutely.

MM: We are already over time. Anything you want to close with, any final comments?


BM: Sure. To go back to the first questions about community—

let me look at it this way: You have different parts of your body.

These are the different individuals in the community. Okay?

Each part of the body does a different thing because that is for

the dharma. If every part started to do the same thing, then the

human body would not work. Right?

In a similar manner, if you say a community is united when

each part does its own thing, as it should be doing, what is the

dharma? What is the duty? If everybody starts to do the same

thing, that shows attachment. And attachment doesn’t lead to

dharma. So what we need to do is [have] each one do what is the

right thing for himself and the community, for the community

to grow. What it does not mean is that everybody should be

doing the same thing.

If [every body part tried] to do the same thing, the human body

would not work. For example, if the ears attempted to do what

the eyes are doing or if the tongue tried to do what the ears are

doing, the human body would not function. Similarly, the

community functions when each [person] does his or her own

job. Each person’s view will be different. It has to be. Because

what the eyes see and what the ears hear have to

be different.

Therefore, forget about trying to bring consensus, but bring

about the dutifulness in terms of the ethics about it that [ask],

“Is what I am doing the right thing for me to do for the

betterment of the community?” If that is so, go ahead and do it.

You are not likely to cause any problem. But the problem comes

in when we try to say, “Oh, I need to slight somebody.” You know,

that is attachment.

When you try to slight somebody [or become attached], that’s

where things start to fail. And I think that is the beauty about

the communities Guruji has brought together. He believes that

the community should develop, grow, work in its own best

manner. And you find that communities are flourishing.

And most of the other Gurus, as you might know, have this kind

of hierarchy, like a pyramid, that leaves behind only one way to

do things. Whereas this community…

MM: It keeps growing.

BM: Yes, it keeps growing because it’s like nature. It just keeps

growing and growing and growing, and so I wish the U.S.

community well and thank you.

MM: Birjoo, thank you very very much from all of us. It’s been quite enlightening.

BM: Thank you.


ERIC SMALLBy Janet Lilly

Ihave had the pleasure of sitting on the

IYNAUS Board of Directors with

Intermediate Senior II Iyengar Yoga

Instructor Eric Small for the past two

years. I always look forward to his

stories about his early studies with Mr.

Iyengar. At 81, Eric has been practicing

Iyengar Yoga for over 50 years. He is a master storyteller and

we had such fun with this interview! There were so many

wonderful tales to recount that I could have written at least

two more Lifelong Practice columns!

Janet Lilly: How did you discover Iyengar Yoga?

Eric Small: I started with an early student of Mr. Iyengar’s,

Indra Devi. I was using two canes at the time. [Eric was

diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 22.] After six to

eight months of study, I went from two canes to one, and in

another six months, I was able to venture out on my own

without my caregiver. Within two years, I was fairly

independent, so I moved out of my grandmother’s house into

a garage out back where I could have a studio for my practice

(my grandfather wasn’t too pleased with this arrangement

because he had a beautiful Packard car stored in the garage).

I would use the Packard’s hydraulic lift and some plywood as

props to practice yoga.

JL: Can you share a favorite memory from the early days with Mr. Iyengar?

ES: In 1974, after studying with Indra Devi for two and a half

years, she told me that I should try and see Mr. Iyengar when

he came to Berkeley. Unfortunately, the event was sold out, and

there wasn’t a mat to be had, but I found a way to watch Mr.

Iyengar from a propped-open door in the hallway. I was sort of

flopping around out there, and on the second day, Mr. Iyengar

came out to see what I was doing. He said, “Everyone in there is

here to show me what they know, but you are here to learn

what I know.”

JL: How has your practice changed over the years?

ES: I still have a fairly complete practice. These days I do some

of my asanas in my pool. For example, I practice

Pascimottanasana (forward bend), Upavista Konasana, and my

standing poses using floats. During each of the decades of my

life, I have been able to sustain a practice because I adjust my

practice to what I need at that moment. My practice has not

always been the same, but it has always been inventive.

JL: How have you seen the Iyengar Yoga student population change over the years?

ES: The students now are far more are perceptive. I believe they

perceive that with Iyengar Yoga you just get the truth—there

are no distractions, manipulations, or merchandising. As

students of Iyengar Yoga, we are learning from Guruji the truth

about what Hatha yoga really is.

JL: What do you see as most important for the Iyengar community today as compared with the 1970s and 1980s?

ES: I believe that the future of Iyengar Yoga is with the

therapeutics work. The appendixes at the back of Light on Yoga

show us how to save our own life.

JL: What interferes with your practice?

ES: My household and my life are built around supporting my

practice. For me, my practice space is sacred. I have a fountain

and an outside shady area where I can do my pranayama. I

know that many don’t have this luxury, and I encourage my

students to commit to a dedicated space and time to practice

for themselves.

JL: How do you find enough time to practice with your teaching schedule?

ES: I wouldn’t have a life if I didn’t have my practice. When

you go to class, that is not practice. You are learning

something that you will do in your practice. Class is where

you gather information and acquire knowledge. That is what

makes our certified Iyengar Yoga teachers different; we are

there to share and inform students about Mr. Iyengar’s

system. What makes Iyengar Yoga teachers unique is our

ability to inspire students to look within and become

observant of what they are actually doing.

When you go to class, that is not practice. You are learning something that you will do in your practice.

Lifelong PRACTICE


I just started a class at the Iyengar Institute of Los Angeles

because Mr. Iyengar requested that I do so. I complete an intake

session with every incoming student. I ask incoming students

general health and experience questions, such as, “What are

you looking for? How can I be of service to you?” The session

only takes 10 minutes, and it helps me make good decisions

while teaching the class.

JL: How has your relationship to eating and/or sleeping changed as your practice has matured?

ES: With multiple sclerosis, sleeping is an issue. I used to have

to take a lot of drugs to sleep. Supported forward bends such as

Janu Sirsasana or Pascimottanasana with head support and

inversions help with sleep difficulties, as does a meat-free diet.

JL: How do you juggle your work and administrative responsibilities with your practice and your teaching?

ES: The most practical answer is that I delegate the

responsibilities for my various philanthropic organizations.

The M.S. Yoga Foundation, my Adaptive Iyengar Yoga Program

for the M.S. Society, also supports the Eric Small Iyengar Yoga

Program Achievement Center at UCLA, USC, and at Rancho

Los Amigos (a state rehab center for rehabilitation). My

Stress Control Systems Trust handles my classes and

teaching, publications, and public appearances. I am also on

the boards of The L.A. Philharmonic, The L.A. Opera, The

Thornton School of Music, USC, Doheny Eye Institute, and

Saint Johns Health Center.

JL: Any final thoughts that you would like to share with our readers?

ES: Guruji teaches us how to be generous, how to be conscious,

and how to realize consciousness. When I look back at my life, I

remember being told that with multiple sclerosis, I wouldn’t

want to be alive. Instead of accepting that statement and just

sitting around on my tookus, I have become self-reliant. A long-

time yoga practice makes you very self-reliant, and in turn, you

live to give back what you have learned from Guruji without

expectation of rewards.

Janet Lilly is president of the IYNAUS Board of Directors. If you have recommendations for future Lifelong Practice interviews, please email them to Janet at [email protected].

Guruji teaches us how to be generous, how to be conscious, and how to realize consciousness.

“YOU ALL COMPLAIN THAT YOU

DO NOT HAVE TIME TO PRACTICE,

BUT THE TRUTH IS YOU DO NOT

MAKE THE TIME. ONCE YOU

MAKE THE TIME TO PRACTICE,

YOU WILL FIND YOU HAVE MORE

TIME FOR EVERYTHING.”

—PRASHANT IYENGAR

MEMBERS RECEIVE 10% OFF ORDERS

FROM THE IYNAUS STORE!Remember to use the code 2014MEMBER at

checkout to receive your discount.

For wholesale orders, please call 206-623-3562.

Eric Small in Adho Mukha Svanasana


Musings

Summertime.

4:30 a.m. Still dark. The alarm rings needlessly: I’ve been

awake since Finnian, 3, sat up and cried half an hour ago,

needing a hug to send him back to sleep. Forrest, 5, also sleeps,

his left arm slung over my neck, his right leg across his

brother’s tummy. Their noses touch. I peel down the covers, slip

out, slowly dress in T-shirt and shorts, then tip-toe out onto the

landing. All the windows are open. The floorboards creek in the

cold. I sneak back for sweater and socks. Downstairs in the

kitchen I turn on the light, grind coffee beans, set out milk

and sugar.

5 a.m. Sukhasana. Winnie-the-pooh and his stuffed companions

loom in the half light from the tall, narrow shelf that tops the

wood paneling in the dining-turned-toy room. Dawn is pristine,

magical, orderly—my best time. I bow my head, hear birdsong,

smell fresh dew, feel a cool breeze, watch my thoughts.

7 a.m. Amazed. I have actually completed two uninterrupted

hours of Sirsasana, seated forward bends and Sarvangasana. No

one has woken up. I savor their snooze.

7:01 a.m. Uneven footfalls on the staircase: Forrest and Finnian

thumping their way down, sleepy-eyed, hair-tousled. “Mama!

Mama! Are you doing yoga? Come SLEEP with us Mama, in the

BIG BED!!” Forrest’s arms grip my neck; Finnian jumps on my

back, wrapping his legs around my waist. Forrest broad jumps

over my crossed legs, misses, falling heavily on my right thigh.

Finn, grinding his teeth, grabs folds of my neck, shoves his face

against mine. We rub noses.

8:35 a.m. I back my car out of the long driveway. Forrest,

racing, follows like a German Shepherd I once knew. He stands

by the brick gatepost, waving. Finnian salutes me from the

porch. “Good-bye Mama. Bring me a treeeeeeeat!”

I love the 25-minute drive through woodsy back roads and

small towns until I reach the long, rectangular sign announcing

“IYENGAR YOGA SCHOOL OF NORTHERN NEW JERSEY.” The

thrill of seeing it remains.

9 a.m. I open the glass doors, switch on the fans, sigh. Today

will be hot. After one long Adho Mukha Vrksasana, I prepare for

the 9:30 class: sweep, check the bathroom, dust the photos of

Guruji, Geetaji, and Mary Dunn.

9:15 a.m. An elderly woman clad in Bermuda shorts wanders

up. Her large black dog wears a red bandana around its throat.

She carries a small radio, blasting out a 1940s swing tune, pokes

her head round the door, and says, “Can you levitate?” I explain

politely: “It’s not what we do here.” I give her a schedule, and

she waddles off. I feel a strange kinship with her: Like me, she

is an anomaly in suburbia.

11 a.m. As the last student drifts away, I too drift away in a long

Savasana. Somewhere in the middle of it, I fall asleep.

11:35 a.m. Eyes open. I see without looking and wonder: Is it

possible to be dead and alive at the same time? I savor the

thought, conclude that death is just a word, and that living

lasts forever.

Kim Peralta is a certified Intermediate Junior III teacher in Brooksville, Maine. She wrote this piece in 1997, when her children were small and the family lived in New Jersey.

AN ANOMALY IN SUBURBIABy Kim Peralta

Photo: Michelle D. Williams/Curtis Settino



Dear IYNAUS Members,

Guruji recently sent a letter to all Iyengar Yoga Associations worldwide informing them that teachers are not to teach until fully

certified. He advised IYNAUS to combine the Introductory I and II assessments into one assessment. He made this change in

response to our questions regarding the status of the Introductory I teacher. The IYNAUS Board and Certification Committee

recently made these requested changes to our certification process effective for the 2015 assessment cycle.

We know there are many questions about this change, and we hope this note will answer some of them. Beginning in 2015, we will

offer assessments for the Introductory level, combining the Introductory I and Introductory II syllabi and required knowledge into a

single assessment. The certificate level for passing this assessment will be called Introductory Levels I and II. Upon successful

completion of the combined Introductory I and II assessment, candidates will be considered fully certified Iyengar Yoga teachers

and can use the Iyengar name freely to describe their classes.

With this change, our new teachers will be welcomed into the community of Iyengar-certified teachers directly after passing their

first assessment.

The Introductory I and II syllabi will continue to be listed separately in the Certification Manual for progressive study and learning.

The Introductory I material is still an important stage in the training process and should be attained before proceeding to learn the

Introductory II material. The new 2015 Introductory I and II assessment will be a sensitive and practical combination of the two

syllabi. The assessment will be much like the current Introductory II assessment. The Demonstrated Practice will draw from both

syllabi, and the Demonstration of Teaching Skills portion of the assessment will consist of six asanas.

Those who have passed Introductory I assessment or those taking the Introductory I assessment this year will still have the option

of taking a designated Introductory II assessment in 2015 or 2016.

Until an Iyengar Yoga teacher is fully certified, student teachers should not be teaching public classes and cannot identify

themselves as Iyengar Yoga teachers. However, to gain experience, they can teach to the public under the direct supervision of a

certified teacher. They also can teach to family, friends, in study groups with colleagues, or practice teaching sessions with volunteer

Iyengar Yoga students. Yoga studios can employ their certified teachers to oversee classes taught by student teachers preparing for

certification. With this change, teachers who pass the Introductory I and II assessment can teach independently and identify their

teaching as Iyengar Yoga. We live in a large and diverse country. There are many models that can work to prepare our future

teachers and build our community.

Those who are currently teaching should fulfill their commitments and proceed to complete the certification process.

Among other benefits this change will bring, the process will be more expeditious and less costly. The change also will bring clarity

to the status of any candidate who passes an IYNAUS assessment as a fully certified Iyengar Yoga teacher. Mentors, recommending

teachers, and current candidates for Introductory certification should discuss these changes to make an informed decision about

certification this year. It may be appropriate and beneficial for many candidates to keep their study momentum going and assess in

2014.

We encourage further mentoring of Introductory-level candidates by our Intermediate Junior, Senior, and Advanced teachers of the

student teachers as they learn to observe, assist, and teach. We are confident this change will bring more interest to Iyengar Yoga

and the certification process.

All the best,

Leslie Bradley, Mary Reilly, and the Certification Committee Please contact Leslie Bradley, certification chair, at [email protected] with any questions or concerns.

Certification Committee



Intermediate Senior IIIRebecca Lerner

James Murphy

Intermediate Junior IIPatrina Dobish

Isabela Fortes

Tonya Garreaud

Donald S. Gura

Vladimir Jandov

Linda Nishio

Koren Paalman

Kishor Stein

Manju Vachher

Holly Walck

Intermediate Junior IWinnie Au

Cynthia Bates

Peggy Berg

Cynthia Berliner

Doerthe Braun

Antonietta Capotondi

Christina de la Fuente

Jennifer Edwards

Donna Furmanek

Holly Hughins

Diana Jacaman

Deborah Lapkin

Casey Love

Vimla Maharaj-Banks

Rachel Mathenia

Monica Rose

Pauline Schloesser

Anne-Marie Schultz

Netta Sella

Suzanne Simon

David Slack

Tedrah Smothers

Anastasia Sofos

Barbara Steif

Kathleen Swanson

Catherine Veit

Rebecca Weisman

Nuvana Zarthoshtimanesh

Introductory II (newly certified)Cathy Adamo

Carol Ahuna

Kevin Allen

Wendy Alter

Roberto Astorga

Beth Aucoin

Nadya Bair

Joanne Boccassini

Barbara Boris

Kathy Jo Brisker

Karen Bysiewicz

Galit Carthy-Katalan

Dina Chalom

Brendan Clarke

Julia DeHoff

Nathalie Fairbanks

Annie Fedler

Daryl Fowkes

Stephanie Foxman

Susan Friedman

Jane Froman

Martha Garvey

Jill Hagar

Lisa Henrich

Howison Hollenberg

Abbey Hope

Aziani Ismail

Barbara Laird

Rebecca Lascoe

Leslie Lekos

Stefie Livingston

Kristin McGee

Kathy Morris

Kathy Oshaughnessy

Marilyn Patton

Joan Pope

Rosa Maria (Rosie) Richardson

Michael Romero

Tahsha Sanbrailo

Mary Bruce Serene

Ginna Sloane

Bernadett Szasz

Jean Torrey-Canney

Mary Ann Travis

Anne Underwood

Da Gang Wang

Josh Warren

Jennifer Wert

Sarah Wilner

Marivic Wrobel

Introductory I (not yet certified)Anne Adams

Nil Akin

Jayne Alenier

Susan Allen

Sara Arends-Haggith

Vanessa Bacher

Barbara Bair

Afsaneh Bakhtiar

Stephanie Barnes-Castro

Jeanine Berlocher

Jenn Bowen

Susan Brower

Charley Brown

Huijung Campbell

Susan Carter

Sandra Castellano

Duncan Catanach

Enrique Cayeiro

Helen Chandler

Barbara Chiancone Gitlin

Thecla Chomicz

Darren Christensen

Angela Cooper

Christine Corsa

Sharon Cotugno

Carmen Coyle

Sheri Cruise

Leanne Cusumano Roque

Marilee Dejacimo

Kerry Doyle

Robert Tokusho Flory

Michael Furmanek

Mary Garbiesi

Claude Goldstein

Katy Groves

Elizabeth Gudrais

Ana-Mari Hamada

Penny Hanna

Emi Harnden

Kathleen Harris

Gail Heaton

Sally Hoesing

Alison Jackson

Liz Juarez

Robyn Katz

Lesa Kingsbury-Taub

Holly Korab

Louiza Koumoutsakis

Katherine LaSpina

Diane Lassman

Achala Jeff LeGro

Cindy Lee

Laura Lenee

Molly Lesmeister

Lisa Longton

Jennifer Macgregor-Dennis

Tessa Manning

Michelle Mansfield

Elizabeth Marple

Patti Martin

Hector Jairo Martinez

Linda McReynolds

Erika Meir

Marjorie Minkler

Christine Miyachi

Natalia Momchilova

Inge Mula Myllerup-Brookhuis

Lori Neumann

Elizabeth Pagan

Mimi Pajo

Prakash Parameswaran

Becky Patel

Dana Perkins

Sue Phan

K. Clark Phipps

Veronique Porter

Shannyn Potter

Erica Quam

Noelle Reyes

Orli Rudolph

Jean Saad

Kimberly Scott

Marilyn Dale Shields

Cyndi Simpson

Myra Slepoy

Margaret Spear

Julie Tamarkin

Roberta Tewes

Ashley Thayer

Christine Thompson

Lizet Tirres

Sarah Tuttle

Mimi Visser

Lisa Waas

Suzannah Walker

Michele Weis

Maria Wigmore

Nancy Witters

2013 Iyengar Yoga AssessmentsHere are the names of those who went up for and passed an assessment in 2013. Our method provides ongoing education for

teachers at every level. Congratulations on your hard work and dedication!


For the past several years, the IYNAUS Board of Directors has been attempting to improve the association’s financial performance. I

am pleased to report that these efforts bore fruit in 2013. In addition to the fact that we realized a profit from the San Diego regional

conference and convention, 2013 was the first year in some time in which revenues from our other activities exceeded the

associated expenses. At the same time, our financial results in 2013 were influenced by events that cannot be counted on in future

years, and the board of directors is now considering investing in new initiatives to promote Iyengar Yoga. Thus, while the 2013

results were gratifying, we will continue to pursue measures to increase our revenues, to be vigilant in controlling our other

expenses, and to rely on our members’ generosity in donating time and other resources for IYNAUS’ programs.

Below is a table that summarizes IYNAUS’ revenues and expenses for each of the past four calendar years (for convenience, I have

moved all revenues and expenses associated with the 2010 Portland convention, the 2011 Chicago regional conference, the 2012

Washington, D.C., regional conference, and the 2013 San Diego convention and regional conference to the year in which each event

occurred). This table shows that 2013 was, comparatively speaking, a successful year financially.

REPORT—IYNAUS FINANCEStreasurer’s

Financial Report for 2013By David Carpenter

IYNAUS PROFIT AND LOSS STATEMENTREVENUES 2010 2011 2012 2013

Unrestricted Revenue

Dues (less regions’ shares) 85,825 72,650 84,920 74,360

Event revenues (including receivables) 84,513 35,366 -24,000 48,968

Store revenues less cost of goods (store sales at events are in parenthesis)

112,055 (70,000) 69,522 (3389) 58,443 (6053) 82,062 (7565)

Charitable contributions to IYNAUS 7,485 4,750 1,720 1,550

Yoga Samachar advertising revenue 0 0 0 4,000

Restricted Revenue

Certification mark (less payments to India) 22,600 16,580 16,785 16,743

Earmarked Revenue

Assessment fees and manual 48,895 47,985 46,850 63,784

Bellur donations 23,726 7,658 4,290 26,717

TOTAL REVENUES 385,099 254,511 189,008 314,184

EXPENSES

Bellur donations 23,726 7,658 4,290 26,717

Salaries and employment taxes 79,864 76,807 64,531 69,817

Production expenses for Yoga Samachar 24,044 22,012 25,516 24,242

Assessment expenses 48,108 52,470 54,559 63,818

Legal fees 12,358 13,919 17,631 0

Website design and maintenance 46,659 29,002 25,929 21,082

IYNAUS board meeting travel expenses 10,304 12,035 10,532 12,413

Bookkeeping 12,750 5,475 4,853 1,550

Office supplies and expenses 7,487 6,004 5,981 11,499

Merchant and bank fees (for store) 27,212 22,565 15,429 17,696

Nonemployee insurance and taxes 7,054 5,612 2,434 3,896

TOTAL EXPENSES 299,566 253,559 231,685 248,730

NET REVENUE 85,533 952 -42,677 65,454

NET REVENUE—Exclusiding convention/regional conferences and store sales made at these events

-68,980 -37,803 -24,720 8921


Photo : Lois Steinberg

A major factor that contributed to last year’s success was the

regional conference and national convention held in San Diego

in May 2013. In addition to providing phenomenal experiences

for all who attended, this event generated $48,968 in profits for

IYNAUS (and some $19,070 for the San Diego region). Many of

you no doubt recall that I provided a much lower estimate of

IYNAUS’ profits from this event in my report six months ago.

But that was a preliminary figure, which turned out to be

inaccurate in a number of respects. The correct and final figure

is $48,968. That said, there are no regional conferences

scheduled in 2014 or 2015, and IYNAUS will not have another

convention before 2016. Thus, it appears that it will be some

time before IYNAUS realizes event revenues again.

For that reason, it is gratifying that IYNAUS also realized positive

net revenues from all its other activities in 2013. For the first time

in the past four years (and within anyone’s memory), the

association had positive net revenues ($8,921) in a calendar year

even excluding net revenues associated with events (i.e., event

profits plus the store sales made at the events). Accordingly, last

year was the first year in which we did not need event revenues to

subsidize our other programs and activities.

Several factors contributed to last year’s exceptional results.

First, IYNAUS store sales were strong in the last half of 2013 as

a result of the demand for the Intermediate Course and some

other exciting new books from India. Second, for the first time

in many years, we incurred no legal fees or other related

expenses in 2013, as we were able to arrange for pro bono

advice and representation whenever legal issues arose. Third,

Mary Reilly and the Certification Committee did a magnificent

job managing the costs of our assessment program, with the

total assessment fees virtually matching the total out-of-pocket

costs of assessments. (And because of the generosity of

assessors and studios, our assessment costs again consisted

solely of travel expenses because assessors donate their time

and studios host assessments rent-free). Finally, in a case of

extreme financial conservatism, we elected not to fill a part-

time clerical position on the IYNAUS staff in 2013. Fourth, last

year, we began selling advertising in Yoga Samachar, and we

realized $4,000 from these ads.

One curiosity about the results in 2013 is that we had lower

dues revenues than in 2012. Because 2013 was a convention

year, it should have been a peak year for membership. That

said, it may be that there was no decline in membership last

year and that the year-to-year fluctuations in dues revenues

were caused by timing differences in dues payments (e.g., large

numbers of members paying 2013 dues in 2012).

In light of the financial success of 2013, the association’s

balance sheet is also stronger today than it was six months ago.

In the fall 2013 issue, I included our balance sheet as of October

2013. In the interest of conserving space (and in thus saving

money!), I will not provide a complete balance sheet in this

issue. But I can report that our “net worth” increased to

$302,352.04 as of Feb. 28, 2014, and that our unrestricted cash

(which is what is most important to me) increased to $137,185

as of that date.

While the developments of the past year were certainly

welcome, we obviously cannot count on a continuation of all

the factors that led to our positive financial results in 2013. For

example, we have now decided to fill the clerical position that

was vacant most of last year. In addition, our store sales can be

expected to return to their historic levels when the initial

demand for the recent publications from India is met, and it is

entirely possible that we will have legal costs, increased

assessment costs, and increased clerical costs in 2014 or future

years. Apart from the inherent uncertainty surrounding the

costs of our existing programs, the board is actively exploring

new programs and additional steps to take to promote Iyengar

Yoga, and some of these measures would entail significant

additional expenditures. Thus, in addition to our ongoing efforts

to minimize expenses, the board of directors will continue to

examine ways to increase IYNAUS’ revenues.

In this latter regard, in both my column and Janet Lilly’s

President’s Letter in the fall issue, we asked members who have

the financial wherewithal to consider making charitable

contributions to IYNAUS, stating that we would accept both

unrestricted gifts for general support and gifts that would be

restricted for use by Eric Small’s Archives Committee. Because

the fall issue generally did not hit the streets until early 2014,

there was no opportunity to make gifts last year. But I am

pleased to report that $3,160 was contributed to the Archives

project, and $750 was contributed to IYNAUS generally, in the

first two months of 2014. This is a wonderful start, and we

thank all of you who have contributed to these efforts. We have

now added a “Donate Now” button on the IYNAUS website,

which will facilitate future contributions.

In short, last year was a financial success. But this year brings

new challenges, and we have work to do to continue our

historic programs and more effectively promote Iyengar Yoga.

David Carpenter

IYNAUS Treasure

March 2014


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Iyengar Yoga Therapeutics (IYT)Announces a comprehensive three-year therapeutic teacher training course with Manouso Manos and our faculty beginning in 2015. Open to all certified teachers. In the first year, Manouso will teach three weekends in Los Angeles: Feb. 13–15, July 17–19, and Dec. 4-6, 2015. For more information, contact [email protected].

Book ReviewsHave you read a good book lately? Yoga Samachar seeks thoughtful and well-written reviews of books by the Iyengars or Iyengar-certified teachers or books that cover topics related to Iyengar Yoga. Please send a query letter regarding the book you’d like to review to [email protected] by Aug. 1.

Call for MusingsYoga Samachar seeks submissions for our “Musings” column, which features a range of short thought pieces from members. These can be philosophical in nature or might focus on more practical topics—for example, a great idea for managing your studio or for creating community in your home town. See page 31 for Musings by Kim Peralta, who teaches in Brooksville, Maine. Please send your own Musings to [email protected] by Aug. 1.

Ask the YogiYoga Samachar seeks questions for our new “Ask the Yogi” column. Rotating senior teachers provide answers to a range of questions submitted by IYNAUS members. We welcome your questions related to how or when to use props, how best to deal with specific health conditions, philosophical help with the sutras, tips on teaching or doing certain poses, and more. Please send questions to [email protected] by Aug. 1.

Want to Volunteer?In the past year we have had talented, generous volunteers step forward to help the IYNAUS Board and Committee Chairs with various tasks. Rachel Frazee became our Ad Sales expert for Yoga Samachar, and Shaaron Honeycutt got our Facebook page up and running with great style and little fuss. Thank you! Now we are looking for someone to help the Research Committee. For more information, please check the volunteer page on the IYNAUS website: http://www.iynaus.org/volunteer.

Join IYNAUSTo join IYNAUS or renew your current membership, please visit our website and apply online: https://secure.iynaus.org/join.php. Membership fees begin at $60, with $30 of each membership going to support teacher certification and continuing education.

Your Ad HereYoga Samachar accepts short, text-only ads to announce workshops, offer props for sale, list teacher openings at your studio, or provide other yoga-related information. Ads cost $50 for up to 50 words and $1 per word over 50 words, including phone numbers, USPS addresses, and websites. Please contact Rachel Frazee at [email protected] or 608-269-1441 for more information or to submit an ad.

http://www.martiscloset.com







http://www.iynaus.org/volunteer

https://secure.iynaus.org/join.php



“ Balance does not mean merely balancing the body. Balance in the body is the foundation for balance in life. In whatever position one is in, or in whatever condition in life one is placed, one must find balance. Balance is the state of the present—the here and now. If you balance in the present, you are living in Eternity.”

—B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life

B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States P.O. Box 538 Seattle, WA 98111

www.iynaus.org

Illustration: Carol Nichols


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Yoga samachar spring summer2014

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