Yoga Samachar SS2017

IYENGAR YOGA NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES

VOL. 21, NO. 1

Practical Applications Crohn’s Disease Scoliosis Lung Health Vestibular Disorders

Plus

Manouso Manos on Sarvangasana Carrie Owerko on Yoga and Hiking

Spring / Summer 2017

EXPERIENCE LOVE, LIGHT, AND JOY ON A YOGA RETREAT WITH JANET MACLEOD - JANUARY 20 – 26, 2018 Practice yoga with Janet MacLeod, Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor, on a blissful retreat at Rancho La Puerta Fitness Resort and Spa. Janet teaches classes at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco. She teaches around the country and worldwide offering workshops and retreats, spreading the teachings of BKS Iyengar wherever she goes. Her teaching style is demanding on all levels, this combined with her ability to create a joyful atmosphere in class has a transformative effect on students.

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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

YOGA SAMACHAR’S MISSION

News from the Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Yoga Samachar, the magazine of the Iyengar Yoga community in the U.S. and beyond, is published twice a year by the Publications Committee of the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the U.S. (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:

From Crippling Pain to Astavakrasana: How One Yogi Overcame Crohn’s Disease — Susan Goulet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Looking Back: The Shape of Scoliosis in My Life — Vicky Grogg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 On Yoga, Hiking, and Getting Off the Beaten Path — Carrie Owerko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Lung Health, Disease, and Iyengar Yoga — Kelly Sobanski and Tony Hirsch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Vestibular Disorders — Michelle D. Williams . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Tribute to Evelia Pineda Torres — Christine Havener . . . . . . 28 Tribute to Ryan Conrad — Edward Gardiner and Deborah Morgenthal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

• 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

Sharon Cowdery: Behind the Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

• Report on studies regarding the practice of Iyengar Yoga

Ask the Yogi — Manouso Manos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

• Provide information on products that IYNAUS imports from India

Musings: At Home at the End of the Road — Lisa Holt . . . . . 33 Book Review: Prashant Iyengar’s Yogasana: An Adhyatmik Academy — Jarvis T. Chen . . . . . . . . . . . 34 2016 Certifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Become a Board Member . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

• Review and present recent articles and books written by the Iyengars • Report on recent events regarding Iyengar Yoga in Pune and worldwide

Treasurer’s Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

• 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

Back Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

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

Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

IYNAUS BOARD MEMBER CONTACT LIST Spring / Summer 2017 Laurie Blakeney laurie.blakeney@gmail.com

Paige Noon paige.noon@gmail.com

Sandy Carmellini yogasandy@rocketmail.com

Anne-Marie Schultz Anne_Marie_Schultz@baylor.edu

David Carpenter dcarpenter@sidley.com

Carlyn Sikes carlyneileen@hotmail.com

Alex Cleveland clevelandalex@yahoo.com

Kathy Simon kathyraesimon@gmail.com

Matt Dreyfus mattdreyfusyoga@gmail.com

Christine Stein shamani108@mac.com

Michele Galen michelebgalen@yahoo.com

Manju Vachher dr.manju.vachher@gmail.com

Gloria Goldberg yogagold2@gmail.com

Nancy Watson nancyatiynaus@aol.com

Scott Hobbs sh@scotthobbs.com

Denise Weeks denise.iynaus@gmail.com

Shaaron Honeycutt shaaron.honeycutt@gmail.com

Stephen Weiss stphweiss@gmail.com

Patti Martin pattimartinyoga@gmail.com

Sharon Cowdery (Director of Operations) generalmanager@iynaus.org

Ann McDermott-Kave amkave1@optonline.net

Contact IYNAUS P.O. Box 538 Seattle, WA 98111 206.623.3562 www.iynaus.org

YOGA SAMACHAR IS PRODUCED BY THE IYNAUS PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE Committee Chair: Denise Weeks Editor: Michelle D. Williams Copy Editor: Denise Weeks Design: Don Gura Advertising: Rachel Frazee Members can submit an article query or a practice sequence idea for consideration to be included 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.

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

Please send all queries to Michelle Williams, Editor, yogasamachar@iynaus.org, and we will respond as quickly as possible.

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 www.iynaus.org/ yoga-samachar. For more information, including artwork specifications and deadlines, please contact Rachel Frazee at rachel@yogalacrosse.com or 608.269.1441.

Cover: Recovery from Crohn’s disease: Susan Goulet does Astavakrasana on the rocky shores of Lake Michigan, Milwaukee, WI.

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

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IYNAUS OFFICERS AND STANDING COMMITTEES OFFICERS President, David Carpenter Vice President, Matt Dreyfus Secretary, Patti Martin Treasurer, Stephen Weiss Archives Committee Scott Hobbs & Chris Stein, Co-Chairs Lindsey Clennell, Elaine Hall, Linda Nishio, Deborah Wallach

Letter

FROM THE PRESIDENT

prasamkhyane api akusidasya sarvatha vivekakhyateh dharmameghah samadhih (Patanjali IV.29) The yogi who has no interest even in this highest state of evolution and maintains supreme attentive, discriminative awareness, attains dharmameghah samadhi: He contemplates the fragrance of virtue and justice.

Certification Committee Laurie Blakeney, Chair Marla Apt, Steve Hornbacher, Peggy Kelley,Nina Pileggi Sue Salaniuk, Jayne Satter, Nancy Stechert, Lois Steinberg

Continuing Education Committee Alex Cleveland & Carlyn Sikes, Co-Chairs Laurie Blakeney, Peggy Gwi-Seok Hong, Julie Lawrence Octavia Morgan, Leanne Cusumano Roque, Shaw-Jiun Wang

Elections Committee David Carpenter, Chair Anne-Marie Schultz

Ethics Committee Manju Vachher, Chair Robyn Harrison,Lisa Jo Landsberg, Faith Russell, Jito Yumibo. Contact Ethics at ethics@iynaus.org

Events Committee Nancy Watson, Chair Sandy Carmellini, Gloria Goldberg, Randy Just, Suzie Muchnick

Finance Committee Stephen Weiss, Chair David Carpenter, Gloria Goldberg

Governance Committee David Carpenter, Chair Michele Galen, David Larsen, Patti Martin

Membership Committee Paige Noon, Chair IMIYA: Jessica Miller & Katya Slivinskaya, Co-Chairs IYACSR: Stephanie Lavender IYAGNY: Ed McKeaney IYALA: Becky Patel IYAMN: Joy Laine IYAMW: Donna Furmanek

IYANC: Richard Weinapple IYANE: Kim Peralta IYANW: Gwen Heisterkamp IYASCUS: Randy Just IYASE: Samuel Cooper IYASW: Carrie Abts

Publications Committee Denise Weeks, Chair Don Gura, Rachel Frazee, Renee Razzano, Michelle D. Williams

Public Relations and Marketing Committee Shaaron Honeycutt, Chair Amita Bhagat, Laura Lascoe, Rachel Mathenia, Zain Syed

Regional Support Committee Anne-Marie Schultz, Chair IYANW: Janet Langley IYAMW: David Larsen IYAGNY: Caren Rabbino IYASE: Lisa Waas IYASCUS: Randy Just IYASW: Marivic Wrobel

IMIYA: Cathy Wright IYAC-SR: Suneel Sundar IYALA: Jennifer Diener IYANE: Jarvis Chen IYAMN: Joy Laine IYANC: Athena Pappas

Scholarship and Awards Committee Carlyn Sikes, Chair Lesley Freyberg, Richard Jonas, Lisa Jo Landsberg, Pat Musburger, Nina Pileggi, John Schumacher

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

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

Volunteer Coordinator Ann McDermott-Kave

Yoga Research Committee Kathy Simon, Chair Jerry Chiprin, William Conde Goldman, Renee Royal, Kimberly Williams

IYNAUS Senior Council Kristin Chirhart, Manouso Manos, Patricia Walden, Joan White

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DEAR FELLOW IYNAUS MEMBERS, By the time this issue reaches you, David Carpenter will be the new IYNAUS President.

I'm very pleased he is taking over the reins for the next few years. I trust his steady hand and his commitment to seeing our community flourish. We have been, and continue to be, in a time of great transition—both in the world around us and in our own yoga community. I have been impressed and touched by the good will and steadiness of purpose I see all around me in our community, even during times that have been so unsettled, that seem troubled and filled with distraction.

B.K.S. Iyengar wrote that dharmamegha samadhi is “the fruit of the practice of yoga,” a rain cloud of virtue and justice that washes away confusion and transforms our personalities to make us open to the universe in a fully humane way. Patanjali’s sutra shows some of the necessary components of a journey toward this lofty goal. It requires vivekakhyateh, the fiercely attentive awareness Mr. Iyengar has insisted we cultivate in our practice. It also requires that we strive for the qualities of someone who is akusidasya: that we seek no gain, that we remain disinterested and untempted by emoluments, that we be ready to relinquish inappropriate attachments. This is an interesting tension: How do we remain fiercely attentive to our practice—both on the mat and in the world—and yet seek no gain, be ready to relinquish what is to be relinquished in the service of others, in the service of peace, virtue, and justice?

IYNAUS is a community of teachers and practitioners devoted to Iyengar Yoga, to the exploration of what yoga can teach us and how it can change us. The amount of volunteer energy that sustains our organization is truly impressive. As our organization grows, the world around us also changes. As we change, people come and go, and, of course, disagreements arise, unproductive attachments are formed, and concerns about status, entitlements, and emoluments entice us and distract us for a while. And yet, our community does have a better side. When we can be fully attentive, open hearted, and able to relinquish status, time, space, prejudices, and positions, we then flourish together and the future is more open and less constrained by our own parochial points of view. It is this better side that shines the most, that nourishes us in our practice, and that keeps our organization vibrant.

I wish for all of you the open-hearted, disinterested attitude we need for our practice and for our world to flourish, the fierce devotion to the practice that Guruji inspires, and a taste of that elusive dharmamegha samadhi of which Patanjali speaks. I look forward to seeing many of you before too long at important upcoming occasions: perhaps in December 2018 in Pune for the celebrations around Guruji’s 100th birthday or perhaps in Dallas in April 2019 for the IYNAUS Convention when Abhijata Sridhar returns to teach us once again (stay tuned for further details).

In the meantime, I thank you wholeheartedly once again for all you contribute to our community and to IYNAUS. Yours in yoga, Michael Lucey Outgoing IYNAUS President Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

News

FROM THE REGIONS

IMIYA The Intermountain Iyengar Yoga Association (IMIYA) consists of four states: Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Each year, we grow in membership size and commitment to the study of Iyengar Yoga. We currently have 147 members including 54 Certified Iyengar Yoga Teachers (CIYTs).

For our 2017 membership drive, we offered five membership classes in February and March. IMIYA shows gratitude for the yearly return of our members, as well as for all new members signing up, with complimentary T-shirts. This year’s design depicts B.K.S. Iyengar in two different asanas, each centered in the thousand petal lotus flower of the high crown chakra. We also give a T-shirt to each of the senior teachers who travel to our states as a way of supporting and thanking them for their personal commitment to sharing Iyengar Yoga.

This year, we have several senior teachers hosting workshops in our region: John Schumacher, Manouso Manos, Dean and Rebecca Lerner, Nancy Stechert, Devki Desai, Elise Miller, Chris Saudek, and Patricia Walden, to name a few. Some local yoga studios offer a 10 percent discount to IMIYA members for senior teacher workshops.

IMIYA takes continuing education seriously, and we have heeded the words of Geetaji from a few years back: “We should learn to be good students, not just good teachers.” Our answer to that was to create a scholarship committee to review applications by anyone—teacher or student—who needs financial assistance to attend a qualified Iyengar Yoga teacher training program or workshop. IMIYA channels all money from T-shirt sales into the scholarship fund. Each year, we make funds available to cover 50 percent of the tuition of a teacher training program or to cover some portion of individual workshops. In this way, we show our commitment to the importance of learning and building up our yogic practice from year to year. For more information about our scholarship fund and to see our t-shirts, please visit www.imiya.org.

We are an active community and growing. We update our website regularly and send out a monthly newsletter announcing news of the month, sharing quotes from B.K.S. Iyengar, and providing links to IYNAUS and other organizations within our greater Iyengar Yoga community around the world.

IYACSR “When your body, mind and soul are healthy and harmonious, you will bring health and harmony to those around you and health and harmony to the world—not by withdrawing from the world but by being a healthy living organ of the body of humanity.” —B.K.S. Iyengar

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

BIRJOO MEHTA WORKSHOP AUG. 31–SEPT. 3, 2017 We are so excited to be hosting Birjoo Mehta once again. Birjoo offers profound understanding with a quiet delivery and approachability. The topic of the workshop is the Vayus, the winds within. The venue is William’s Barn in the Twin Oaks Valley of San Marcos, in North County San Diego. Situated in the middle of Walnut Grove Park, this intimate location is a breath of fresh air.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH The Iyengar Yoga Center of San Diego (IYCSD) featured four CIYTs—Pat McLoughlin, Cyndy Cordle, Kim Kolibri, and Royal Fraser—at the annual San Diego Yoga Festival held Jan. 27-30.

With over 100 classes, this home-grown yoga festival in Ocean Beach, California, is a celebration of all yoga in the region.

IYCSD has been a part of the Ocean Beach community since 1979 and IYCSD teachers participated as part of the center’s community outreach strategies.

Kim taught “Safe and Intelligent Inversions,” Cyndy deepened everyone’s Parivrttas in “A Chair with a Twist,” Royal awakened students with “Jumpings for Physical and Intellectual Vigor,” and Pat presented Iyengar Yoga sequencing for her “Developing Emotional Stability” workshop. We made new friends and also showcased Iyengar Yoga to the greater yoga community. We hope our participation in this diverse event can act as an example for Iyengar Yoga centers nationwide.

IYACSR WORKSHOPS Senior teacher Carolyn Belko taught our annual open Membership workshop on Saturday, Feb. 18. Sharon Maruca (Intermediate Junior II) taught “Seated forward Extensions, from the Ground Up” in May. In the fall, we hope to have Pat McLoughlin’s expertise to share with our members—date TBA. As a member of IYNAUS, if you are in the San Diego area at the time of one of our Free for Members workshops, we will extend that benefit to you, too. IYACSR hosts three Free for Members workshops each year. Add us to your travel plans; we want you to enjoy our Iyengar Yoga community when in you’re in town, too.

For more information on our offerings, please check our website: www.iyacsr.org or visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook. com/iyengaryogaassociationofcaliforniasouthernregion/.

IYAGNY This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Iyengar Yoga Association of Greater New York.

We have come a long way since our journey began as a collective of teachers and students without a dedicated space in 1987. Since then, we expanded into the outer boroughs with the opening of the Institute of Brooklyn in 2013 and 3

NEWS CONTINUED

rechristened the Institute of New York in 2014. We now welcome more than 6,400 students each year, and our dedication to inspire and enable progressive lifetime learning and practice in the art, science, and philosophy of Iyengar Yoga is stronger than ever.

Over the past 30 years, our mission has remained focused on nurturing the study of Iyengar Yoga within our students to ensure that the future of the Iyengar Yoga Association of Greater New York is strong.

In May, we held a party to launch our Yogathon, which takes place on June 4. We anticipate it to be our most successful, thanks to the generous support of our association teachers and students.

About 40 students participated in the inaugural workshop at the Bellur Iyengar Yoga Center, taught

by Manouso Manos.

IYALA “Change is not something that we should fear. Rather, it is something that we should welcome. For without change, nothing in this world would ever grow or blossom, and no one in this world would ever move forward to become the person they’re meant to be.” —B.K.S. Iyengar As so often is the case, Guruji’s words provide much needed wisdom and guidance during challenging times. We are indeed experiencing changes all around us, perhaps more so than ever as the happenings in the first part of 2017 have unfolded and our attention is frequently drawn to national news. The Los Angeles community is no exception, and as Iyengar Yoga students and teachers, many of us find ourselves being drawn into our practice more deeply than ever as we navigate these changes.

We are fortunate to have in our midst an abundance of Iyengar Yoga teachers and studios offering classes, which are a great resource to help us grow and blossom as Guruji advised. At the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Los Angeles, we have had a full schedule of classes and workshops with both local and visiting teachers. One of the many highlights was a course called “Deepening Your Own Practice,” taught by our own gifted teacher Keri Lee. Throughout the six-week course, Keri inspired over 30 of her students to establish or strengthen a daily practice and learn how to listen deeply to their bodies and minds to meet their individual needs. As one student remarked, “My home practice was transformed by learning about the many options available to me, and how to make choices according to my daily needs, which can change in the course of a week or even a day.”

Senior teachers also helped guide us in our practice: Manouso Manos and Gloria Goldberg continued to bring their wisdom to weekend workshops at the Institute, while Marla Apt taught an intensive for teachers and practitioners in April and Carrie Owerko brought her playful teaching style to us in May. Upcoming workshops include John Schumacher from 4

Laura Baker plants a tree in the garden outside the yogashala in Bellur, India, to celebrate the Bellur Iyengar Yoga Center’s inaugural workshop.

Washington, D.C., Aug 25-27, and a philosophy workshop with Edwin Bryant in September—see www.iyila.org for details.

Gitte Beschgaard (Toronto) and Gloria Goldberg (San Diego) continued to offer their yoga philosophy workshops at the Institute—the most recent one in March concerned “The Mystical Union and Ancient Art of Self-Discovery.” How wonderful to hear students’ beautiful chanting voices reverberating around the walls of our studio.

Many of our teachers also hold workshops and retreats in both local and far-away places. Koren Paalman hosts a Conscious Grieving workshop, offering wisdom through Iyengar Yoga in dealing with the loss or death of loved ones. She also leads students on delightful retreats, most recently on the North Shore of the Big Island in Hawaii (May 19-26). She will hold her annual Ojai Fall Retreat Nov. 9-12. For more information, see www. korenyoga.com. Jeff Perlman of Three Seasons Ayurveda offers ongoing free talks on Ayurveda and other workshops. Details are listed at www.threeseaonsayurveda.com. Nov. 1-15, Jeff is taking a group to Kerala, India, for an Iyengar Yoga and Panchakarma (Indian cleansing and rejuvenation process) retreat, which will be held at a resort and health center in the South of Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

India just steps away from the Arabian Sea. More information about this retreat is available at www.threeseasonsayurveda. com/retreats.

Several members of the Los Angeles community joined more than 300 intermediate students at Yoganusasanum 2016 with Abijhata in Pune, India, last December. Students were grateful for the opportunity to study with the Iyengar family in Pune, enjoying presentations and discussions with Prashant and Geeta. Abhijata delighted everyone with stories of her grandfather, B.K.S. Iyengar, and led the group skillfully through asana and pranayama for eight days.

A smaller group of about 40 students continued on to Guruji’s birthplace of Bellur to study for five days with Manouso Manos—the inaugural workshop at the Bellur Iyengar Yoga Center. Manouso’s skillful teaching brought everyone to an even greater depth of practice in the midst of the community that Guruji spent much of his life building up. Each student in the workshop was invited to plant a tree in the garden just outside the yogashala. Future students at the Bellur center will be able to see the growth and changes in the years to come.

Teacher training at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Los Angeles is in now its 26th year and continues to offer a three-year comprehensive program for prospective and established teachers, as well as students who want to deepen their practice. Nine students continue to study with Gloria Goldberg, Diane Gysbers, and Marla Apt at IYILA, learning the practice and philosophy of Patanjali Yoga as taught by Guruji and his family.

The Iyengar Therapeutics course has also continued under the guidance of Manouso, providing important training for teachers traveling from all over the world. The Institute has also become a regular home of assessments. We continue to have very active student participation, and most consider volunteering to be fun. In previous years, we even had to wait-list students for multiple sessions because volunteering was so popular.

Our Institute has a new therapeutic program for children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): Connecting to Cure Yoga.

This includes monthly yoga classes on Sunday afternoons with pediatric patients from Cedars Sinai hospital, taught by Suzanne Simon. The yoga classes aim to reduce stress, decrease pain and other symptoms, as well as improve patient quality of life.

Informal caregiver sessions also take place at the same time, providing support for parents and family members. This program was a dream of Morgan Check, a certified registered nurse practitioner (CRNP) at the pediatric inflammatory bowel disease center at Cedars-Sinai, who teamed up with Stacy Dylan and Dana Zatulove, founders of the Connecting to Cure Crohn’s and Colitis foundation, as well as Erica Liscano at our Iyengar Institute in Los Angeles. Because of the success of the program, we have extended it to include siblings, other pediatric

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

patients with chronic diseases, and caregivers. To learn more about Connecting to Cure, please visit www.connectingtocure. org. We are delighted to see such positive changes in these youths and their families.

Changes to our physical environment have also been afoot at the Institute. Thanks to a successful fundraising effort (including a generous donation from the Fusenot Foundation), we were able to raise half of our $50,000 goal within the first few months of the year. These funds enabled the Institute to address overdue repairs and refurbishment, as well as to update its computer system. These two initiatives were designed to support the studio experience for our teachers, students, and staff. Manouso dedicated the space after his workshop at the end of April. These have all been welcome changes for our Los Angeles practitioners, and our Institute is now a much brighter place to learn and practice. Please be sure to visit our refurbished studio whenever you are visiting Los Angeles!

IYAMN In December the Iyengar Yoga Association of Minnesota (IYAMN) held its winter yoga day at the Saint Paul Yoga Center to honor Guruji’s birthday. Joy Laine gave a brief talk on the relationship between the practice of asanas and the broader philosophy of Patanjali’s astanga yoga, followed by an asana class. About 50 practitioners attended the event, which concluded with the annual general meeting of IYAMN, refreshments, and socializing. At this event, Treasurer Richard Jones thanked outgoing President Katy Olson for her six years of service on the board of IYAMN. In January, we welcomed two new members to the IYAMN Board, Mona McNeely, CIYT, and Mary Jo Nissen, a long-term yoga practitioner who brings her experience as a cognitive scientist and epidemiologist. We also confirmed our new slate of officers for the IYAMN Board: Joy Laine (president), Luanne Laurents (vice president), Richard Jones (treasurer) and Nancy Marcy (secretary).

Shannyn Joy Potter continues to develop our new web page and social media outlets. The web page now offers a range of online resources for community members who want to delve deeper into current research about the benefits of Iyengar Yoga.

In April, Randy Just visited us from Texas and taught a weekend workshop for students and teachers in our area.

IYAMW Iyengar Yoga shows up in all sorts of lovely ways in the Midwest. You can find classes for the winter blues at Riverwest Yogashala in Milwaukee and Detroit; bilingual classes in Ann Arbor, Michigan; sliding-scale Brown and Black Yoga for people of color at Iyengar Yoga Detroit; and much more.

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Patricia Walden and Manouso Manos at Patricia’s 70th birthday celebration

Patricia Walden and Jarvis Chen at Patricia’s 70th birthday celebration

We are thrilled to provide our first Community Grant to CIYT Erin Shawgo of Detroit. Erin is working on a research thesis as part of her master’s degree program in social work at Wayne State University. The grant will help fund a research project studying the effects that an eight-week introductory Iyengar Yoga class can have on women in a substance abuse treatment program.

The yoga intervention includes 45 minutes of asana, as well as discussion about the Yamas and Niyamas and how they can be applied to recovery and asana.

PATRICIA WALDEN’S 70TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION Friends and students of Patricia Walden from New England and across the country gathered to celebrate her 70th birthday on Oct. 8, 2016. Patricia taught a special class at St. Mary’s Church in Cambridge to more than 100 students early in the day, followed by a gala evening at Walker Memorial Hall at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

We will be giving away $500 mini-grants each quarter, so if you are a CIYT member of IYAMW and teaching in a nontraditional yoga setting or to a community that does not usually have access to Iyengar Yoga, consider applying. Contact scholarship@iyamw.org for information.

CIYT Becca Lindsay has been teaching two community classes through Ann Arbor School of Yoga Action (AASY Action), a nonprofit organization that makes Iyengar Yoga more available and accessible: a bilingual community class in Spanish and English and a Teen Class with students from local high schools.

The teens really love rope Sirsasana.

Mark your calendars for Sept. 15-17 for the 2017 Midwest Retreat at Q Center, just west of Chicago. Senior Teacher Mary Reilly of Petoskey, Michigan, and Intermediate Junior Teacher Peggy Gwi-Seok Hong of Detroit will teach on the theme “Time and Presence.” Through asana, pranayama, and philosophy discussion, we will consider the timelessness of Iyengar Yoga as well as its importance in this particular time and place.

Several needs-based scholarships will be available, so don’t let funds prevent you from taking this time to refresh yourself. The scholarship application form will be up on our website by May. Several board members are completing their final year of service, and we will be holding elections for new members this Fall. If you would like to join our team and participate in promoting Iyengar Yoga in the Midwest, contact us via our website.

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IYANE

The elegant evening celebration was coordinated by Claire Carroll, Roni Brissette, Jarvis Chen, Tristan Binns, and Jo McKendry, with the heartfelt contribution of many others who love her deeply. The day included moving asana demonstrations, gorgeous table decorations made from lemons, a homemade quilt from her students, toasts, roasts, chanting, and video greetings from those who could not attend—including international birthday greetings from a group of headstanders who sang Happy Birthday upside down.

“I never imagined I would even be around for this birthday,” laughed Patricia with disarming dishonesty, “—never mind being so celebrated.”

We were honored to hear tributes from Patricia’s longtime yoga colleagues, Joan White and Manouso Manos. The room at MIT came alive with love, laughter, admiration, and delight that poured from every heart and was graciously received by Patricia, who, by the end of the evening, was almost speechless. Her husband, Tom Alden, gazed at her and said what we all felt: how filled with love for her he was. And their sweet dance perfectly ended the evening.

IYANE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS Our scholarship program got a major boost in late 2016 in connection with Patricia Walden’s 70th birthday celebration. We renamed the program in her honor and raised close to $10,000 to endow it. This comes on the heels of an active two years of work to expand our eligibility categories and outreach efforts.

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

In 2015, we redesigned the program to reach a wider network of current and prospective practitioners throughout New England. We remain committed to supporting applications from dedicated CIYTs who share their expertise and enthusiasm for Iyengar Yoga and who would like to study at RIMYI or in Bellur, but we also invite applications from members of “underrepresented” groups including: • • • •

Full-time high school or college students Students from diverse backgrounds New England residents from outside the Greater Boston area Applicants with documented health issues for which yoga may be helpful (This category of students may only use funds to study with instructors authorized to teach therapeutics.)

Over the past two years, we’ve provided awards to two students currently enrolled in IYNAUS-approved training programs in our region, two attendees at the 2016 IYNAUS Convention in Boca Raton, two applicants from northern Vermont, and one lowincome student in the Boston area. We also funded requests from two CIYTs to study in India.

IYANE COMMUNITY SERVICE COMMITTEE The Iyengar Yoga Association of New England also awarded a scholarship from its Community Service Committee to Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher and Tufts University history professor Kris Manjapra in recognition of his efforts to bring Iyengar Yoga to people of color, marginalized communities, and young people.

In the wake of nationwide concern over police violence in communities of color last summer, Kris Manjapra and Patricia Walden organized and held special community workshops and Kris held classes at Art and Soul in Cambridge, MA, for people of color. In addition to teaching workshops concerning race and yoga, Kris, with the help of Annie Hoffman, organized yoga days at the John D. O’Bryant School, a public high school serving a diverse community in Roxbury, MA. Along with five other Iyengar Yoga teachers (Lucilda Dassardo-Cooper, Carol Faulkner, Jo McKendry, Nadja Refaie, and Mary Wixted), Kris led over 500 students in workshops over the course of two days. IYANE plans to continue making service and community engagement a priority for our association.

IYANW This year has been a time to reflect, to celebrate longevity, and to embrace transitions for the Northwest.

This year, Julie Gudmestad of Gudmestad Yoga Studio in Portland, Oregon, is pleased to celebrate 40 years as a physical therapist, and next year she will celebrate her 30-year anniversary of Iyengar Yoga certification. Julie has spent these decades working to integrate her western medical knowledge with the healing powers of yoga. She has helped hundreds of people along the path of healing to reach optimal health and Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

wholeness. She is honored to be able to share her passion for yoga influenced by a physical therapist's perspective.

On Jan. 20, about 30 students joined together at Jewel Yoga in Portland, Oregon, for a community gathering to nurture equanimity in a challenging and tumultuous time. They celebrated with readings, chanting, and meditation followed by refreshments.

One of our most established Iyengar Yoga studios in the Seattle area changed hands at the beginning of the year. Pat Musburger handed over the “Savasana chime” as she ended nearly 14 years as owner and director of Treehouse Iyengar Yoga. Pat will continue to teach some classes and do weekend workshops but was delighted to no longer have the day-to-day operations of the studio. No one knew at the time how perfect the timing would be. Just a week later, Pat was diagnosed with severe heart disease and on Jan. 13 underwent triple bypass surgery. She came through the surgery with flying colors and amazed the medical staff with her ability to maneuver around without the use of her upper body. She would like to express her gratitude for both the practice of Iyengar Yoga and the support of the Iyengar Yoga community. Best wishes to Pat in her recovery, and to Angela Dawn, the new director of Treehouse Iyengar Yoga.

The Boise community is excited to announce the opening of the Iyengar Yoga Center of Boise. Long-time student Lisa Bescherer and CIYT Don Gura will open the studio this spring in Boise’s historical North End neighborhood. The new studio will be a modern, welcoming space for practice and instruction in accordance with Guruji’s teachings. Through participation in local neighborhood and business associations, along with an active social media plan, Don and Lisa hope to increase the visibility, awareness, and presence of Iyengar Yoga in Boise.

In March, the Iyengar Yoga Association of the Northwest (IYANW) welcomed three new board members and held a productive General Meeting in the Seattle area to brainstorm new ways to support the practice of Iyengar Yoga in our vast region. We always cherish these in-person meetings because of the large geographic expanse our regional association represents—Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, and Alaska.

IYASCUS The Iyengar Yoga Association of the South Central United States (IYASCUS) has been revitalized in 2017 and is moving forward with many new ideas and projects. Our region consists of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas.

Recently, Jawahar Bengara visited Austin to teach a weekend workshop, seamlessly integrating yoga philosophy and asana in his classes. Laurie Blakeney taught in Austin in January, and Dean Lerner taught in Dallas in February. We are fortunate and 7

NEWS CONTINUED

grateful to host these senior teachers in our region.

For Guruji’s birthday, our regional association sponsored a Free Day of Iyengar Yoga. Studios throughout the region advertised the free classes with Facebook events, and the association paid to “boost” the event, which is approximately $25. More than 150 new students attended the event at the Iyengar Yoga Studio of Dallas, and from those numbers, the studio has retained approximately 20 new students. It was a great community event.

In February, through the support of our region, Iyengar Yoga was represented at the 8th Annual Texas Yoga Conference, hosted by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Houston, Texas. This event was a great opportunity to network with the greater yoga community and the public at large.

Exciting Iyengar Yoga teacher trainings in Dallas and Austin are bringing many new teachers into the system and spreading the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar in our communities. Our programs also further the knowledge and experience of our Certified Iyengar Yoga Teachers (CIYTs) on their paths. Randy Just led the first training of the year at the B.K.S. Iyengar Studio of Dallas in February. Many teachers of all levels traveled from all over the country to attend. The education and camaraderie of the group was special. We are a growing Iyengar Yoga community.

In April, Gloria Goldberg taught a weekend teacher training and workshop for Intermediate Junior III to Intermediate Senior II teachers in Dallas. An experienced Senior Teacher, Gloria demonstrated her gift for conveying intricate and sophisticated information with an economy of words. This made her classes understandable and accessible to everyone who attended.

We are happy to report that our beloved George Purvis is feeling better and back to limited teaching. Last year was challenging because he had a recurrence of cancer, but he has persevered and is back to better health.

Information and updates from our region may be found on our website at www.iyascus.org and on Facebook. Our region is growing, and we welcome all of you to come visit us soon.

IYASE The Iyengar Yoga Association of the Southeast (IYASE) held its first board meeting of 2017 on Jan. 8. We welcomed three new members: Samuel Cooper, our new membership co-chair; Denise Rowe, scholarship chair; and Inge Mula Myllerup Brookhuis, member-at-large. We also bid farewell to three outgoing board members: Jann Boyer, Chris O’Brien, and Tay Strauss who gave endless hours of guidance and energy to our association over the past four years.

The continued energy of our newly organized programs have been—and will continue to be—evident in our continuing 8

education lineup. Leanne Rocque, continuing education chair, organized three years of workshops to enable our members to plan ahead for expenses and reserve time. IYASE will provide teaching assistants at the Intermediate Junior 1 or higher level to assist workshop presenters.

In March, Kathleen Pringle from Stillwater Yoga in Atlanta taught the Introductory and Intermediate Junior 1 combined teacher training to an enthusiastic group of teachers and aspiring teachers. One participant was able to attend after receiving a scholarship. The next workshop will be held in Arlington, Virginia, on July 21–23. Juliana Fair will present “Yoga to Manage Anxiety and Depression,” and the workshop is open to all members.

Iyengar Yoga Membership Outreach and Education (MORE) program workshops were held in Orlando, Gainesville, St. Augustine, and Daytona Beach, FL. These workshops introduced over 48 yoga students to Iyengar Yoga. We signed up five new IYNAUS members from these workshops. If you are a member who lives in an area where Iyengar Yoga is not taught within 100 miles and want a teacher to come teach a workshop, or if you are a teacher who wants to teach in a community that has no Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher, please consider the Iyengar Yoga MORE program. Workshops are reasonably priced, accessible to all yoga practitioners, and fun.

Let’s spread the word.

Two of our members are providing excellent membership support. Susanne Bulington from Memphis is the driving force behind our monthly Home Practice Plans program. Every month, our members receive a practice plan from one of our senior teachers. Susanne contacts our senior teachers for a plan, takes pictures of the poses using one of our members as a model, and writes up the plan with instructions for the student.

Each month, IYASE sends them to our membership, providing great information and a lovely keepsake.

Sara Agelasto, CIYT, of Charlottesville, Virginia, is heading up our newly formed IYASE YouTube Channel, which we’re using to promote Iyengar Yoga and our talented, highly trained teachers.

If you are a CIYT in the southeast region, please consider making a one- or two-minute video teaching a pose on your current syllabus. Basic guidelines on how to make a video are available on our website at www.iyase.org. Check out the videos on our YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/c/ IYASENEWS and subscribe to see new videos as they are added. Sara has been helping some teachers make their teaching videos but would love contributions from others.

IYASE has awarded several scholarships so far in 2017, including one for a member to attend classes at RIMYI in Pune and two for continuing education. Scholarships are available for members’ continuing education, trips to Pune, general Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

workshops, and certification expenses. We encourage IYASE members to visit our website and apply.

It’s not too early to start looking for next year’s board slate.

Please contact president@iyase.org if you are interested in helping us serve our members or know someone who would be a good fit.

IYASW As the holiday season dissipated after an unusually cold and rainy winter, our delayed spring in the Southwest finally came.

The Iyengar Yoga Association of the Southwest (IYASW) started 2017 with a successful membership drive. New interested members meditated while walking a healing labyrinth. February brought an amazing weekend with senior teacher Nancy Stechert at the Iyengar Yoga center in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Nancy shared how to move from the periphery to the core with her gentle yet dynamic teaching. All students who attended came away eager to practice what they had learned. All appreciated her passion for the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar.

Former IYASW Treasurer (2014-2015) Meredith Smith passed away at the end of February. Meredith was an ardent supporter of Iyengar Yoga and a devoted student. He supported the

growth of Iyengar Yoga in Scottsdale by being the lead donor for the yoga rope wall that was constructed in the fall of 2016 at Scottsdale Community College’s Iyengar Yoga Center. All of us in the Southwest region are saddened by this loss and will always miss him.

In March, we attended the Yoga Festival amid Sedona’s beautiful red rocks. Marivic Wrobel taught an asana class, and Karen Smith lectured on benefits of Iyengar Yoga. IYASW sponsored a booth to promote Iyengar Yoga, sell B.K.S. Iyengar’s books, and share our own passion for this style of yoga. It was an opportunity to spread the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar to yogis who may not have previously experienced Iyengar Yoga.

Our April workshop with Carolyn Belko was a success. The classes were filled with students eager to learn. We are always grateful when Carolyn comes to visit and shares her depth of knowledge and therapeutic modifications.

The yoga community is growing in the Southwest, and we are fortunate to have the support of several senior teachers to guide us on this journey.

FROM CRIPPLING PAIN TO ASTAVAKRASANA: HOW ONE YOGI OVERCAME CROHN'S DISEASE

BY SUSAN GOULET

C

rohn’s disease runs in our family. My father died in 1960 of Crohn’s complications at the age of 27. My sister, brother, aunts, and a cousin all have Crohn’s. I was finally diagnosed in 1996 when I was 38 years old. Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect different areas of the digestive tract. However, with Crohn’s, the immune system not only attacks the gastrointestinal (GI) system, but the inflammation can spread or “spill over” and affect the skin, eyes, and joints.

Symptoms vary from person to person, even within our family.

My sister has diarrhea, my brother constipation. Their “spill over” inflammation affects their skin. She has severe psoriasis, and he has eczema. I didn’t suffer diarrhea or constipation. My main symptom was cramping, and the inflammatory “spill over” affected my eyes, lungs, and joints. I was a graphic designer with my own business. For several years before my Crohn’s was finally diagnosed, I had chronic bouts of both iritis (a painful inflammation of the iris) and bronchitis (chronic inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes). With Crohn’s disease, the immune system can also attack the musculoskeletal system, leading to spondyloarthritis, a painful condition that affects the spine and joints. It was this severe joint and back pain that finally led me to yoga.

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

When I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, my ankles were black and blue and so swollen that they were unrecognizable as body parts. They resembled massive eggplants. I could barely go up and down stairs and was wheel-chaired into my hospital room. I was scoped top to bottom. The doctor informed me that he could not find one square inch of normal GI tissue.

He explained that one of the problems with Crohn’s disease is that the inflammation spreads deep into the layers of the gastro intestinal tissues so that the more surface area of the GI tract that is affected, the less absorption there is of nutrients, which then leads to malnutrition and severe fatigue.

Sitting in the doctor’s office, I listened as his words swam around me. I looked down at my eggplant ankles and gestured 9

Supta Virasana with lots of support

to them. He shook his head and recommended that I start wearing high-top tennis shoes “for support.” The swimming words stopped. I had to dress to give presentations to my clients. I happened to like shoes—fashionable shoes. I was so sick that I could barely keep my head up, but somewhere inside I vowed: No eggplant ankles in high-top tennis shoes. There had to be a better way.

Before I left his office, I asked if I needed to change my diet.

Were there things I shouldn’t eat? I had spent my entire life helping with my sister’s severe food allergies. I was ready for a long list of forbidden foods. Instead, he said gently, “You will know.”

I went home, propped up with prednisone, an anti-inflammatory steroid, and sat down to a generous bowl of smooth, creamy frozen custard. I lived in Wisconsin, the dairy state. Even with all the prednisone, the cramping was unmistakable. I tried pasta.

Ditto. No dairy. No wheat. No corn. No grains. I had stopped eating meat decades before. It had never agreed with me. My new diet of fish, cooked vegetables, and fruit did not save me. I was still getting sick with Crohn’s flare-ups, bronchitis, and iritis.

I went on and off the prednisone and all sorts of maintenance medications. My joint and back pain worsened.

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That was 20 years ago, before the internet. Yoga was not popular or mainstream, particularly in the Midwest. When I met my first yoga teacher, Maria, we were both wives at a university department gathering. She taught yoga classes a few blocks from my home. I had only vague notions of Indian mystics in odd positions, yet she assured me that yoga could help my back. I was so clueless and Maria’s South American accent so thick that I didn’t realize until my fourth class that she was NOT saying “Downward Duck!”

I mention all of this because after doing yoga for so long, it’s not always easy to remember just how foreign and odd yoga can appear to a new practitioner, particularly one who is in pain and fearful. Maria was a new teacher, not yet certified. She had just started training with Lois Steinberg who gave her a Crohn’s sequence. I had spent the previous couple of years hunched over, my arms folded and hugging my stomach in a permanent protective grip against the acute abdominal and bronchial pain, and there I was on the floor, spread open and tied up with a bolster under my back—Supta Baddha Konasana.

The second pose was even more foreign—rope Sirsasana. I watched in disbelief as my tiny, lithe, young teacher scrambled up the wall and flipped upside down. Are you kidding? She

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

hung there, gesturing, “See how this pose stretches out my abdomen. It will make you feel better.” Cold liquid fear flooded my body. I didn’t go upside down. I stood there frozen and terrified and then everything fell away. My only thought: No high-top tennis shoes.

Maria wrapped and tied me up in blankets and pushed me up the wall. I was too weak to pull myself up. During my initial fullblown panic, my hands clenched in fists around the ropes. I waited. The ropes did not snap. Minutes went by. I gingerly let go. Gradually, I could feel my torso lengthening. Suspended, I drifted in and out of this new netherworld and then, the unmistakable sensation of a clump of intestines unknotting.

That was the beginning.

I learned my bolster poses: Supta Baddha Konasana, Supta Swastikasana, Supta Virasana with lots of support and Setu Bandha Sarvangasana—all poses to help me relax AND lengthen my abdomen. When I felt stronger, I did my standing poses at the wall. At home, I did Ardha Chandrasana at the kitchen cabinets, my elbow on the counter, my top hand on my pelvis, rolling it open. For my back, I practiced Ardha Uttanasana with my hands on the counter. Ugh! Sometimes, the universe works in mysterious ways. Maria taught at a dance studio. It was a mixed-level class, and as a favor to the owner, her yoga classes were free to the dancers, which is how I found myself sandwiched between two eighteen-year-old ballerinas. I was in knee length plaid shorts trying to do Uttansasana, my finger tips only reaching my knee caps, and these flexible little Gumbies folded completely in half, their torsos glued to their legs. They were sprites, reminding me how beautiful the human body could be.

Several classes later: Chaturanga Dandasana. Sometimes not knowing is a gift. However, my senior teacher, John Schumacher, always says yoga puts you face to face with your stuff. Maria demonstrated the pose and then gave us directions. “Lie down on the floor. Place your hands by your waist. Roll your shoulders back, etc., etc. And lift off!”

I had one more turning point in my early days. Even though I always felt better after my yoga class, after awhile I let my graphic design deadlines have priority. I missed classes and got sick and sicker. I spent the Christmas holidays horizontal on the couch. Finally, while sitting in yet another doctor’s office, waiting for an appointment, I realized, it takes time to be sick.

The time I wasted in doctors’ offices, I could have spent in class. I was only kidding myself thinking if I worked harder, the work would get done. There would always be projects piled up.

I would never get “done.” So I made up my mind—my first mantra of sorts, even though I didn’t know it at the time. No matter how tired I felt, no matter what aches and pains I had, I told myself I was going to get my ass to class. I did not allow myself to have a choice. All bundled up in the dead of Wisconsin winter, I crunched through the ice and snow, muttering to myself, “Just get your ass to class.”

That winter, after another round of prednisone, I started going to four classes a week. I was determined. No high-top tennis shoes. No more horizontal holidays. As my practice gained momentum in class, my mantra also gained ground. “Get your ass to class” became, “Get on the mat. Every day. No matter what.” I started a home practice, of sorts. In the beginning, it was only a few poses. After a year of my new class regimen and my burgeoning home practice, I told my doctor I wanted to get off the maintenance drugs. They had so many side effects, I had to go in every two months to get my liver checked. He didn’t advise it, but I never looked back.

I went with Maria to my first workshop with Manouso in Chicago. I had never seen so many people doing yoga. We did standing poses for hours. My thigh muscles turned to molten lava. During the Q&A, she asked him about yoga and Crohn’s.

He said, “Parsva Pindasana.” She told him I didn’t do Padmasana. He said, there’s no time to lose. In the car, on the way home, Maria told me how I could use sand bags on my

Nothing lifted off—except my nose. Worse, I was surprised that nothing lifted. I put my head down. Maria rattled off points to get us ready for our next attempt. Tears came to my eyes. Through all of the illnesses, the medications, the doctor’s appointments, I still did not fully, truly comprehend just how sick I had been and how weak I had become. The Gumby ballerinas flanked me.

People 10 and 20 years my senior were readying themselves for their next successful attempt. I let the moment sink in. So, this is where I am. This is where I start.

Ardha Chandrasana at the kitchen counter

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

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Managing Symptoms People with Crohn’s disease all have different symptoms and will need their own sequence, depending on how they feel in any given moment. Are they just achy or in a full-blown flare-up—with or without cramping, diarrhea, or constipation? Often with Crohn’s, there is a lot of fatigue because the body is not absorbing nutrients. In the beginning, I did everything supported, and then later, whenever I was having an off day, I went right back to my supported poses.

• For cramping: Bolster poses such as Supta Baddha Konasana, Supta Virasana, hanging Sirsasana and Setu Bandha over bolsters. Hold each pose for seven to 10 minutes. With cramping, I wanted to create space in the abdomen. Forward bends never felt comfortable for me, even supported ones.

• For constipation: Absolutely no twists and do all poses supported. Hanging Adho Mukha Svanasana, Prasarita Padottanasana, Ardha Chandrasana at the counter or trestle with the upper hand opening the pelvis, rope Sirsasana, bolster poses to extend the abdomen (Supta Baddha Konasana, Supta Virasana, Setu Bandha Sarvangasana), chair Sarvangasana, Ardha Halasana with feet to a chair so the abdomen has space, and Viparita Karani.

• For diarrhea: Bolster poses (Supta Baddha Konasana, Supta Virasana, Setu Bandha Sarvangasana), Viparita Karani and Savasana over a boslter. Absolutely no twists.

I had to learn what poses to do depending on how I felt that day: what energy level I had, my joint pain, my abdominal pain.

The “bolster poses” were my go-to poses when I was sick. Later, when there was no flare-up or discomfort, I did supported standing poses and beginning twists to start strengthening the GI tissues. I did the Sarvangasana cycle with longer stays in Parsva Halasana. Still later, beginning abdominal poses helped strengthen my abdomen.

Iyengar Yoga gave me the tools to relieve my pain, unknot my intestines, and strengthen my immune and GI systems.

thighs in Supta Baddha Konasana. I had seen her do it at the studio so I went straight home and made them out of zip lock bags and garden sand.

After two years of classes, Maria and her husband relocated to the east coast and the dance studio moved to the west coast.

Her other yoga students asked me what I was going to do about the situation. I knew all of them because I had been taking all of her classes. Six months later in October 2000, I opened the Milwaukee Yoga Center (MYC). Within a year, we had outgrown the space. I opened the larger MYC with two studios in 2002. All the while, I trained with Chris Saudek and Lois Steinberg and John Schumacher. After paying off the studio expenses, I transitioned from graphic design to teaching yoga full time.

now I think I do. Unlike taking pills, a yoga practice takes time and effort—months, maybe years, before there is real, major healing. And let’s face it, a yoga practice is not pain free. When every joint is in pain, it’s hard to move into more pain.

Maybe I was actually lucky that my medication was not helping.

The specter of living my life with eggplant ankles in high-top tennis shoes and the reality of my father’s death lit a fire inside me. Others may be managing symptoms enough with their medication that they don’t want to let go of what they know— pain, medication, doctors—and reach for what they don’t know.

There was no guarantee that a yoga practice was going to work for me, but hanging there in that first scary, shaky rope Sirsasana, suspended in that netherworld of not knowing, it was the palpable sensation of a clump of intestines unknotting that gave me faith in Iyengar Yoga.

For 20 years, I’ve been medication-free and symptom-free.

Over the years, I’ve talked to dozens and dozens of people with Crohn’s disease—people who say they want to get well, but they don’t pick up a yoga practice, they don’t change their diet.

They don’t change. For a while, I could not understand why, but

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Susan Goulet (Intermediate Senior I) runs the Milwaukee Yoga Center as well as the vegan, grain-free, gluten-free, cane-sugarfree, peanut-free, whole-plant, no-added-oil Blooming Lotus Bakery in Milwaukee, WI.

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

LOOKING BACK TO FACE MY SCOLIOSIS

BY VICKY GROGG

Elise Browning Miller uses a strap to adjust author Vicky Grogg in Ardha Uttanasana.

I

never thought of my scoliosis as that bad. Yes, I wore a brace to straighten my spine throughout most of high school, but it was a space-age plastic design that extended from below my chest to just above my hips, the type that I could hide under my clothing. I became skilled at selecting artful and loose clothes—something easy to do in the mid1980s—to conceal the fact that I was wearing a bulky contraption 23 hours a day.

After three years of wearing the brace, I was finally free of it. Like many people with scoliosis, I thought I was done or “fixed,” and I put the whole experience behind me.

Nearly 25 years later, I found myself experiencing lower back pain on my left side. It wasn’t debilitating, but it was annoying and present all day. After trying unsuccessfully to find relief in yoga and looking for answers in books that explained back pain as an emotional trigger, I went to a primary care physician who was familiar with yoga.

During my office visit, the doctor immediately saw my spinal curves and reminded me that they were significant and likely Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

contributing to my pain. He determined that X-rays and other diagnostic testing wasn’t needed. Instead, he summed up by saying, “Because of your scoliosis, you would be in a great deal of pain if it weren’t for your regular yoga practice.” At this time, I had been practicing Iyengar Yoga for 15 years.

The doctor prescribed physical therapy to strengthen my core muscles and told me to keep practicing yoga but to stay away from deep back bends until my back felt better. The physical therapy exercises were intended to strengthen my back and core muscles, and I found some of the movements similar to Setu Bandha Sarvangasana and Salabhasana. They helped me a little bit but not enough to keep paying for the physical 13

AS LIFE BECAME BUSY, I RELEGATED MY LOWER BACK PAIN TO A LOW PRIORITY ON MY LONG TO-DO LIST AND FORGOT ABOUT MY SCOLIOSIS. therapy sessions that were not covered by my insurance. Again, as life became busy, I relegated my lower back pain to a low priority on my long to-do list and forgot about my scoliosis.

Fortunately, I recently had another opportunity to tune into what my body was trying to tell me—this time in the form of a yoga workshop. Elise Browning Miller, who has an MA in Therapeutic Recreation and is a senior Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher, was coming to teach at the studio where I regularly take classes, Jewel Yoga (formerly Julie Lawrence Yoga Center) in Portland, OR.

Into to Yoga for Scoliosis The promotional flyer for Elise’s workshop, called “Into to Yoga for Scoliosis,” promised the class would identify the different types of scoliosis and “how to adapt yoga poses with breath awareness to improve structural alignment and relieve pain.”

Eager to find a break from my ongoing pain, I quickly signed up for the workshop.

At the beginning of the three-hour class, Elise explained the four typical patterns of structural scoliosis, which are caused by uneven growth to the sides of the vertebrae during the juvenile and teenage years, deformities at birth, or as a result of an accident. Structural scoliosis may be diagnosed at any time from birth into young adulthood. Most cases are diagnosed during adolescence. When X-rayed, if the spine shows a lateral (or sideways) curve of more than 10 degrees, it is considered scoliosis. However, imbalances usually are not noticeable until the curve is more advanced at 20 degrees or beyond.

Next, Elise went on to differentiate structural scoliosis from functional scoliosis, a condition that can cause pain and influence the spine after years of repetitive action but is not a congenital spinal distortion. Once everyone in class understood the various patterns of scoliosis, she helped us identify the pattern of scoliosis we each have so that we could modify poses based on the specific location of the convex and concave curves of our spines.

To identify everyone’s curve pattern, Elise asked each student to bend at the waist for the Adams Forward Bend Test, an accepted method to determine structural scoliosis. When it was my turn, my mind went back to the day in middle school when the gym teacher did the same test, and I was sent to stand with the small group who needed further evaluation. As Elise traced my curves with her index finger, I remembered the physician explaining where my curves are and how my spine also twists closer to my lumbar.

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Students lengthen in a variation of Utthita Trikonasana at the wall, a pose that is beneficial for all curve patterns.

Elise suggested that I had a “right thoraco-lumbar” pattern, or what’s commonly known as a “C” curve. It’s the longest of the four major curves and the curve starts at the bottom of the shoulder blade and arcs down into the lower back. When I looked at the picture in the handout she provided, my X-rays from so long ago and the shape of my brace came flooding back to me. It all made sense. Yes, this was definitely my pattern.

Some people in the class were already intimately aware of their curves, citing the exact degree of each bend (a measurement called the Cobb Angle Measurement taken by a physician, the severity of which determines whether a brace or surgery is recommended). Yet just as many people were like me, choosing to forget they had any spinal deformity until pain forced us to remember.

It was cathartic to see so many people in the same room who live with scoliosis and struggle daily with compression and discomfort. And it was humbling to see so many people coping with spinal curves far greater than mine. Most important, it was a relief to know that even basic yoga asanas can help if they are practiced accurately for your pattern of scoliosis.

After 40 years of teaching and practicing yoga, Elise knows that yoga can help alleviate pain and symptoms of scoliosis.

However, she makes it clear that yoga does not and should not replace your doctor’s recommendations. She is also careful to tell teachers not to give medical advice to their students.

Instead she advises, “Give empathy, not sympathy, to your students. Empower them to do something for themselves.”

Lengthen, Breathe, and Strengthen As Elise taught, the importance of lengthening, breathing, and strengthening a body with scoliosis became clear. She suggested that we lengthen our backs by using a rope (or a strap around a doorknob) around our hips and stretching our torso and arms forward with our hands on a chair. As space is Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

IN HINDSIGHT IT SEEMS OBVIOUS, BUT DIFFICULTY BREATHING IS AN ISSUE THAT I NEVER RELATED TO SCOLIOSIS. created, you can slowly take your hands to blocks and eventually the floor.

In her new book, Yoga for Scoliosis: A Path for Students and Teachers (www.yogaforscoliosis.com), Elise presents another method of lengthening a back with scoliosis, called the “ThreePart Kitchen Sink Pull” (see sidebar). This trio of modified poses—Downward Facing Dog, Chair, and Garland—can be done anywhere there is a sink, and it works as a simple way to get spinal traction. I feel instant relief from pain when I do this and have incorporated it into my daily practice.

our backs. A couple of the asanas reminded me of the physical therapy poses I was given years ago but stopped practicing.

Returning to poses such as Salabhasana and Setu Bandha Sarvangasana with my rediscovered “curve awareness” is helping me build strength and stamina in areas that are weaker from my scoliosis.

Elise ended the workshop by sharing one of her guiding principles, “Don’t let what you can’t do interfere with what you CAN do.” They say you find teachers and the lessons you need only when you’re ready to hear them. Thirty years after being diagnosed with scoliosis, I think I’m finally ready to listen.

Vicky Grogg took her first Iyengar Yoga class in 1996. She lives in Portland, OR, with her husband, dog, and two cats.

THE THREE-PART KITCHEN SINK PULL Poses for spinal traction

During class, Elise taught new ways to think about familiar poses such as Parivrtta Trikonasana, Prasarita Padottanasana and Bharadvajasana and how different movements and different focus points influence the curves in our backs. For example, in Prasarita Padottanasana, I need to bring my hip back strongly on the left side to lengthen my back evenly. While many teachers have told me to take my hips back in this pose, those instructions made more sense to me after I gained a clear understanding of the curves in my spine.

Another “aha” moment for me came when we did Parsvottanasana.

For the past couple of years, this has been my favorite pose to avoid. I don’t feel pain while in the pose, but I always feel lower back discomfort on my left side after I come out. I shared this with Elise, and she suggested that I do the pose using a rope around both hips in an effort to lift and stretch back the left hip. Because of my pattern of scoliosis, my left hipbone is higher than my right hipbone, and this naturally creates a shorter left side that is challenging for me to correct on my own. Working with the rope has noticeably changed the pose for me. It’s still not my favorite, but it’s one I no longer dread.

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In hindsight it seems obvious, but difficulty breathing is an issue that I never related to scoliosis. I regularly hold my breath and can attribute irregular breathing to stress and anxiety; however, my physical make up may also contribute to an unevenness of breath. Looking at X-ray photographs of ribs in people with scoliosis in Elise’s book and handouts, it’s clear how the ribs can be affected by scoliosis. Typically one side of the ribs is collapsed while the other side is overextended. This imbalance creates breath restriction on one side and usually leads to the opposite lung taking on the majority of breathing duties.

Lengthening and practicing breath awareness or pranayama every day is important for everyone, and it can be especially helpful for people with structural scoliosis.

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Finally, Elise shared poses that strengthen core muscles and Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

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ON YOGA, HIKING, AND GETTING OFF THE BEATEN PATH CARRIE OWERKO

“OF ALL THE PATHS YOU TAKE IN LIFE, MAKE SURE A FEW OF THEM ARE DIRT.” — JOHN MUIR

Carrie Owerko at Petra, Jordan

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few years ago, I had the opportunity to teach in Amman, Jordan. After the workshop was over, I visited Petra, where a Bedouin guide took me to the top of the mountainous park and into areas often closed to the public. It was mid-November and, after hiking around the ruins, the sun began to set rapidly. We made our way down the ungroomed slopes at the back of the parkland, and it became quite dark. The slopes were steep and slippery, and I was, admittedly, pretty scared. My guide was practically barefoot, and the way his feet conformed to the rocks and debris was unlike anything I had ever seen. He was completely at ease. In total darkness, he took hold of my arm and swiftly and adeptly led me down what seemed like some very treacherous terrain.

The next day, my lower legs and feet ached in such a way that every muscle and every track of connective tissue felt as clear and vivid as if I were looking at a highly detailed anatomy book.

Though our asana practice takes our body through a wide variety of joint configurations, they are often predictable and repetitive.

When hiking in Jordan, the unusual variety of positions and deformations that the bones of my feet, lower legs, hips, and whole body were subjected to as we navigated the rocks, brush, and all manner of natural debris was unique, constantly changing, requiring not only a whole body presence but agility and adaptability. My feet became my eyes. I had to see with my body—and trust its capacity to guide me. Did I mention how sore I was?

I live in New York City. Though I grew up hiking and wandering in the mountains of northern New Mexico, I have been a city dweller for more than half of my life. And though I love New York, I miss the wilderness, the wildness, the diversity of the natural terrain. In New York, we have parks. Some offer variations in grade (slopes) and the opportunity to get off the

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beaten path and onto some unmanicured ground. Riverside Park, which stretches along the Hudson River on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, is where I go for a dose of daylight and natural terrain when I am in New York. Fortunately, I travel frequently and that often gives me the opportunity to find natural habitats of variable terrain in which to wander. It feels so important, essential even, to get off the smooth and sterile surfaces and into the rough, the bumpy, the unpredictable.

Life is unpredictable. It is full of curveballs and random events and encounters that we hope we can navigate with grace and ease. These wonderful variables, these “obstacles,” are not problems; they are required if we are interested in cultivating resilience and adaptability. These encounters force us to wake up and make new connections within ourselves and develop a fluid mind-state that recognizes the dynamic nature of stability. We learn not to waste vital energy on trying to control all the particularities within our immediate environment and are better able to devote our energy toward developing greater levels awareness and presence.

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

MY FEET BECAME MY EYES. I HAD TO SEE WITH MY BODY— AND TRUST ITS CAPACITY TO GUIDE ME. Hiking, walking, and exploring natural, unpredictable, and obstacleladen environments provides a rich landscape of proprioceptive stimuli that is like food for our complex organism. The unevenness, randomness, and inconsistencies of such a landscape require an alert, responsive nervous system. We must adapt and change our movements moment by moment, constantly responding and adapting to the diversity presenting itself.

Hiking in nature is also an integrative experience. The crisp scent of pine and wet, rotting wood are as important for our sense of smell as the constantly changing dance of leaves, light, and shadow are for our eyes. When I am out in nature, it sometimes feels as if every part of me is merging with the surrounding environment. It feels like a homecoming. When practicing yoga, I have similar feelings of coming home to myself and experience a deep sense of belonging. In those times, there is nothing to move away from or toward.

When I am hiking, I am, however, occasionally in pursuit of something. It might be a mountain lake described in a guide book or a summit. The same might be true in my yoga practice.

Yet, what I enjoy most is simply the experience of the hike (or the walk or the practice) itself. It really doesn't matter if I make it to the summit, to the lake, to the goal, whatever that might be.

It is the act of moving, connecting, and being in nature as my body adapts to the dents and deviations within and beneath me. During such experiences my body has a life of its own, and an innate intelligence. Getting off the beaten path (in the woods or in my practice) gives my cells the opportunity to express and develop this intelligence. And then there is the sheer joy of doing something purely for its own sake.

Explore how you are using your eyes in Surya Namaskar, for instance, especially as you take your arms and eyes up to the ceiling or as you take a standing back arch. Try standing in Vrksasana and relax your eyes as if looking over a wide horizon.

Does this change your experience of the pose? Try closing your eyes. Are you still able to balance? Can you “see” without your eyes? Try practicing challenging poses in a dimly lit room sometimes. How did the low light affect your experience and the quality of your effort?

By witnessing my mother’s loss of the majority of her vision because of macular degeneration, I have learned how important it is to practice seeing and sensing with the whole of my body.

My mother had to learn new ways of seeing, moving about, and relating to the world and the people in it. It was not easy. She sometimes felt isolated or separated from those around her because she could not see their facial expressions, and she often felt disoriented and fearful in unfamiliar environments.

I learned how critical it is to maintain one’s capacity to balance after my father died from a head injury resulting from a fall.

“Adversity will happen, rest assured,” the late Mary Dunn used to say. We cannot prevent adversity. But we can practice for adversity by deviating from our habitual patterns here and there.

We can add little bits of adversity and uncertainty, and perhaps be better able to handle the big adversities as they arise. Something as simple as hiking or walking out in nature is a great way to add a little variability and diversity to our movement experiences.

If we only move about on flat unvarying surfaces or become too set in our routines, if we don’t take time to try things differently—

When out and about in a natural environment, we are away from the constant din of man-made sounds, which is especially important for those of us who live in urban areas. In nature, our cells are not subjected to the sirens, sledgehammers, and car horns of city life. The soundscape of crickets and birds, all the insect and animal noises, are so soothing. It’s the natural symphony that has accompanied our species for most of its evolution on this planet. Just listening to these sounds and the silences that punctuate them feels therapeutic for my heart and brain.

Consider your eyes for a moment (which quite possibly spend way too much time staring at a computer screen). When hiking in nature, they get the opportunity to look at things near, far, and every distance in between. This is so good for the muscles of our eyes, and it is so good for our sense of perspective, both literally and figuratively.

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

Carrie Owerko in Squaw Valley, CA

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HIKING, LIKE YOGA, CAN CHALLENGE OUR CAPACITY TO BALANCE, WHICH IS IMMENSELY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY AS WE AGE. or expose ourselves to variables that challenge our organism in some new or novel way—we can become less resilient and less adaptable. We may even become more fearful of change and of the unknown. This goes way beyond the physical and can affect so many aspects of our lives.

Hiking, like yoga, can challenge our capacity to balance, which is immensely important, especially as we age. To better experience the interplay between the two, try practicing poses that challenge your ability to balance on a daily basis. Include in your daily practice poses that require you to stand on one leg. Use the support of the wall if you must, gradually learning to be your own support. If you want to increase the challenge, try these poses on a variety of surfaces. This way of practicing can help prepare your body and nervous system for the diverse and unpredictable surfaces you might encounter when hiking in nature—or just moving about on icy, snow-laden sidewalks. Try moving your arms in different ways, turn your head to the right or left, or look up to the ceiling while standing on one leg. Try closing your eyes. Bend and straighten the leg your are balancing on or rise up on the ball of your foot. All of these variations increase the balance challenge, sharpen your reflexes, and help increase proprioception. Adding some variables to the practice of your standing balances can significantly improve your ability to balance, especially when you are in less predictable physical environments.

Isn’t it wonderful how a classical standing pose sequence requires us to shift from two legs to one leg to one hand and one leg? These poses are great for developing the strong yet flexible feet, ankles, knees, and hips that we need when out on a hike. Adding a little variety to this sequence occasionally can be really helpful for hiking because nature is full of variety and is often unpredictable. Try elevating one or both feet up on a block occasionally or practice on a more dynamic surface such as three mats, placed one on top of another. If you really want to have fun, sandwich a blanket between two sticky mats.

This type of experiment mimics the way the top soil displaces itself relative to the bottom, especially when going downhill.

Add little doses of adversity so that your body can make new connections.

Have you ever found yourself on a more difficult hike than you anticipated? A friend and I found ourselves on one such hike when teaching together at a yoga festival in Squaw Valley a few summers ago. The granite rocks and cliffs we encountered while trying to make it up to a much talked about mountain lake

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Carrie Owerko in Squaw Valley, CA

were significantly more challenging than the arm balance class I had taught that morning! Ekapada Koundinyasana II on the rocks, anyone? Though the shapes our bodies made on the rocks were somewhat similar to those we made in the class, on our hike we had the additional requirement of a huge variety of unique joint configurations as our bodies continuously molded themselves to the ever changing surfaces of the craggy, slippery surfaces. We utilized all the pushing, pulling, and reaching patterns we see our primate cousins access so effortlessly. Imagine for just a moment how many diverse angles your legs and arms (not to mention feet, knees ankles, fingers, etc.) must accommodate on such rough and variable terrain. All of this while maintaining some semblance of stability.

In this context, our skin becomes one of the most important parts of our body, just as it is in yoga. Our skin must be supple yet strong, it must simultaneously protect us yet serve as our largest sensory organ. It is one of our greatest tools of bodily awareness. B.K.S. Iyengar articulates an aspect of this idea so clearly in Light on Life when he uses this subtitle in the chapter on stability: “Awareness: Every Pore of the Skin Has to Become an Eye.” (Aside: It is interesting how the rope work we do in Iyengar Yoga might actually be a great way to strengthen the skin on our hands and improve this vital connection between the hands and the whole body.)

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

Another oft-mentioned problem for many who want to hike or do yoga is pain in the knees. Many people complain that their knees hurt when hiking, and there can be many reasons for this. The way in which we are moving can dramatically affect how our joints experience our weight. Environmental variables exacerbate these tendencies. The slope or grade that one faces when going up or down hill can be hard on the knees, especially if our legs are not strong enough or if the knee is traveling too far forward over our toes in its bent or flexed position. This way of moving is not inherently bad, but it might increase the load experienced by our knee joints. This can also occur when climbing up or down stairs. The load is not our weight, per se, but how our various tissues experience our weight. If we can learn to keep our shin bones a bit more perpendicular as we are going uphill, for example, we can better utilize the muscles of our buttocks and hamstrings. This, along with the action of our back leg and foot, can help save our knees from unnecessary wear and tear. This is not unlike the way we move from Virabhadrsana I to Virabhadrasana III or from Trikonasana to Ardha Chandrasana.

people are not sufficiently conditioned to handle the loads created by this activity. Our ability to utilize the support of the muscles in our pelvic region can help our body move much more efficiently. Here, as in yoga, we are learning to distribute the work in such a way that we do not unnecessarily tax one particular region while neglecting another. We become more efficient because we are inviting the entire orchestra to participate in the symphony.

If we are in the habit of tucking our pelvis under excessively, we might experience pain in our knees when we are going downhill. When we move this way, our quadriceps tend to fatigue more quickly because they need to work hard to help decelerate the mass of our body as we go downhill. Many

Carrie Owerko is certified at the Senior Intermediate 2 Level, is a Laban Movement Analyst, and lives in New York City when not traveling the world to share her love of Iyengar Yoga.

Now back to the hike in Squaw Valley … As my friend and I began our descent after finally making it to the elusive lake, we came across an older (much older) couple. They did not look as if they could have made it up those rocks, yet here they were remarking to each other about the genus of a particular mountain flower that one of them had stumbled upon. We said hello and sheepishly asked how they had managed that rock face and the climb up from the valley. The woman, looking up from the flower said laughingly, “We move in botanical time.”

They move in botanical time! Another wonderful way to get off of the beaten path.

LUNG HEALTH, DISEASE, AND IYENGAR YOGA

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ony Hirsch has been a registered respiratory therapist for 34 years. He has worked with all age groups in the areas of intensive care, emergency medicine, and home care. His own health history has involved two sternotomies over the past two decades with subsequent open-heart surgeries to replace defective aortic valves. He also has neuropathy in his right arm from spondylosis in his cervical spine, which he has essentially solved through Iyengar Yoga.

His yoga teacher, Kelly Sobanski, says having Tony in class has taught her a lot about lung anatomy and disease, and how Iyengar Yoga can be used to improve lung health for everyone. She is now more motivated to focus on the lungs in her classes.

Here’s a conversation between Kelly and Tony about all things lung.

Kelly Sobanski: Please explain how the lungs are affected by respiratory ailments.

Tony Hirsch: The quality of our breathing is affected through lung impairments that result from diseases of the lung caused by factors such as smoking, air pollution, exposure to toxic particles, fumes and gases, genetic disorders, heart disease, and obesity. Many people have difficulty breathing these days because lung disease ailments and processes produce Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

changes in the muscles and physiologic structures of the lungs, both of which are important for gas exchange. This directly affects our ability to regulate the vacuum of inspiration and the relaxation of expired breath. When we push air completely out, we exhale down to a residual volume of air. All of us exhale down to a certain pressure called our functional residual capacity. It takes a certain amount of remaining residual volume of air in the lungs to create the vacuum that pulls outside air into the lungs.

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Notice, for example, how it is easier to blow a balloon up to size if you begin with a little bit of air inside the balloon than it is if you begin with the balloon completely empty. Similarly, our balloon-like lungs need a certain volume of air always remaining for the next breath. This vacuum during inspiration allows an exchange from a high-pressure area (our atmosphere) to a lower pressure area (our chest cavity) in which we take in oxygen and exhale our metabolic waste product of carbon dioxide. Breathing, or ventilation, is all about using muscular movement to create this vacuum. This vacuum is part of the physiologic and anatomic process that creates efficient gas exchange. Yoga helps tone the muscles of breathing for efficient ventilation.

Given some of the factors that cause an imbalance in breathing, I believe yoga teaches us to renew energy and helps us build strength in our breathing. Through yoga practice, the vacuum of inspiration and the relaxation of muscles during expiration are both renewed and empowered to fuel us as life gives us breath.

KS: How does gas exchange between the lungs and the atmosphere work?

TH: Planet Earth supports us because she is a wonderfully pressurized “bubble” of gases. For humans and other life forms, oxygen is the most important of these atmospheric gases.

Oxygen exists at Earth’s atmospheric pressure, which is higher than the pressure in our lungs. When we inhale, we bring oxygen into our lungs using muscles of the lungs—mainly the diaphragm and chest-lifting muscles that enlarge our thorax or rib cage—and this causes our lungs to expand. Expansion of our lungs is what creates a pressure differential between the lower pressure of our lungs and the higher pressure of the atmosphere.

Two good examples that relate the importance of air pressure to our breathing are mountain climbing and traveling in an airplane at high altitudes. As we approach altitudes of 2,000, 4,000, and 10,000 feet above sea level, atmospheric pressure decreases and begins to equal the pressure inside our lungs (or alveolar pressure). Because we no longer have an effective pressure difference between the atmosphere and our lungs, the ability of oxygen to load or absorb into our pulmonary circulation lessens. We feel these effects in our breathing as shortness of breath. Airplane cabins are pressurized at high altitudes so this phenomenon does not occur, and we can breathe easily.

KB: How do you approach working with people who have trouble inhaling or exhaling?

TH: As a respiratory therapist, I first listen to my patients’ stories and experiences of their difficulty with breathing. Once I understand their story, I can then work to determine whether the breathing difficulty (and possibly the root cause of the disorder)

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Yoga helps tone the muscles of breathing for efficient ventilation. is an inability to inhale a successful breath, to exhale a successful breath, or a combination of both.

Even if we do not have a lung disease process, our lungs still wear out over our lifetime. Humans have a lifetime high of between 400 million and 600 million grape-like clusters in our lungs, known as “alveoli.” The alveoli exchange oxygen and give off carbon dioxide in pulmonary circulation. These alveoli begin to atrophy around age 44 in all humans. Yoga practice gives us an opportunity to strengthen our lungs using postures and movements that benefit the muscles and structures that support breathing.

My yoga practice gives me compassion, observation, and personal experience to educate people and demonstrate the many benefits of renewing their lung health and lung strength.

KS: In Light on Pranayama , B.K.S. Iyengar states that pranayama “neutralizes lactic acid, which causes fatigue, so that recovery is quick” (p. 49). Can you elaborate?

TH: We benefit from pranayama because the relaxing and calming of muscle tissue triggers a healing response in our bodies. Soreness and inflammation can be reduced with repeated practice. So when B.K.S. Iyengar says that pranayama “neutralizes lactic acid,” I believe he is emphasizing the benefits of breathing techniques that restore normal oxygen to the damaged tissues and metabolize toxic lactic acid.

KS: Are there exercises you do as a respiratory therapist that are similar to Iyengar Yoga practices?

TH: Chest percussion, vibration, and postural drainage are similar practices. This therapy entails placing the patient in a forward tilted posture where the head is below the lungs and the lower trunk of the body. With the patient lying on the stomach, the practitioner cups his or her hands and uses a percussive, rhythmic tempo while beating on the ribs to cleanse the lungs below.

When treating disease processes such as bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, and pneumonia, the vibration and percussive rhythmic movement of cupped hands helps to mobilize secretions of mucous from the smallest airways into larger airways that spread out like branches of a tree. Mucous travels up through the bronchial tree into the trachea, our breathing pipe. Then we can cough to rid ourselves of mucous. When mucous moves from smaller to larger airways, the pathways in our lungs open up, and this process revitalizes muscular and physiologic gas exchange.

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

Tony Hirsch performs postural drainage on Kelly Sobanski.

Practicing Halasana to Paschimottanasana, as shown in Geeta Iyengar’s Intermediate Course, is helpful in utilizing gravity and muscular movement to help secretions move from the lowest zone of the lungs up through the bronchial tree, thereby helping get rid of pooled secretions. It is beneficial to do Tadasana or Dandasana after practicing the Halasana to Paschimottanasana movement because the transition from horizontal to vertical orientation produces a good cough that will effectively rid secretions and restore the flow of air in our bronchial tree.

KS: How is the spine connected to respiration and ventilation?

TH: Each thoracic vertebra has articulating points of connection to the spine. Our ribs move in a motion that resembles that of a handle on a bucket. The rib cage wraps around from the chest area of our bodies to the spine. When we inhale and exhale, our ribs either rise or fall, and spinal movements affect the orientation of the ribs. The spine stabilizes the rib cage so it can move in a full range of motion. This is another great example of the symbiotic relationship of our rib cage and spine working together.

KB: How do twists help the lungs?

TH: A twisting asana gives us an opportunity to open segments of lung tissue. If you close off one area, the lungs compensate.

Blood tries to find where it can go to exchange the oxygen it is receiving and the carbon dioxide it wants to give off. When squeezing one area of the lung, another area of the lung that is Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

Yoga practice gives us an opportunity to strengthen our lungs using postures and movements that benefit the muscles and structures that support breathing. not being compressed can open up for maximal blood flow in pulmonary circulation.

KS: How do forward bends help the lungs?

TH: The benefit comes from focusing on pulling the abdomen inward. This allows the diaphragm to maintain its piston-like movement. Forward bends renew our relationship with our posterior and side lungs because those areas open up more in the forward bending asanas.

KS: How do backbends help the lungs?

TH: Backbends stretch the muscles of respiration; they encourage a maximal expansion of the chest cavity. Backbends help the diaphragm move in a piston-like function and allow the muscles of the abdomen to work for better exhalation. Because the rib cage is essentially winged and open at its maximum capacity, the intercostal muscles can become long. To me, it’s the most beautiful exercise for the lungs and for the airways to open. When you are back bending and the head is hyperextended backward, the diameter of the trachea has the 21

We need to think about how the air we breathe feeds our brains.

Without gas exchange, the organs cannot receive oxygen and the muscles cannot detoxify.

our brains. Without gas exchange, the organs cannot receive oxygen and the muscles cannot detoxify. It is essential to learn about what is going on in the thoracic cage because the benefit of asana for whatever region you are working on, whatever organ or pain you are working with, will not improve without the functionality of the lungs.

most opening, which brings fresh oxygen.

KS: Tell me about your home practice.

KB: Why is pranayama breathing important for pregnancy?

TH: It happened naturally. I discovered through studio practice in this sixth decade of my life that Iyengar Yoga began giving me something so very intrinsic. I can manage chronic pain without relying on daily medications. Without really fully understanding why, I just found myself practicing the asanas I had learned in class at home on the days I was unable to go to class.

TH: A pregnant woman breathes to sustain not just her own life, but also the life of her growing baby. As the baby grows, it presses upward against the mother’s abdominal contents and then progressively further upward against the diaphragm. The diaphragm is our primary breathing muscle. It helps draw breath into the lungs. Just like a piston, the diaphragm does not change its radius as it descends. With a growing baby pressing up against the mother’s diaphragm, the diaphragm’s range of motion is decreased.

Because movement of the diaphragm is especially compromised as birth approaches, breathing becomes more rapid and shallow. That’s why some moms experience the challenge of shortness of breath. Breathing becomes difficult because the mother’s body needs more oxygen and also a balanced release of carbon dioxide.

Pranayama enables the mother to control her pattern of breathing (ventilation) to restore a balanced intake of oxygen and exhalation of carbon dioxide. In the words of B.K.S. Iyengar, “the cellular system is completely energized.”

There are so many wonderful tools I utilize including websites that feature current Certified Iyengar Yoga Teachers, books written by B.K.S. Iyengar, and shared experiences of my fellow practitioners. I cannot go wrong. Home practice has evolved so naturally.

It’s such a great fit where heart, mind, and soul is fed in yoga practice at home and in the studio. I truly am grateful.

Kelly Sobanski (Intermediate Junior I) teaches at Yoga Mala in Bloomington, IN, and assists in Lois Steinberg's therapy class in Champaign/Urbana, IL.

Tony Hirsch in Chatushpadasana

KS: How can Iyengar Yoga teachers better integrate breath awareness into our classes to take a lung practice to the next level?

TH: It would be beneficial if yoga teachers could talk about pulmonary health, hygiene, inhaling, and exhaling as a way to bring calmness and a state of focus to the mind or body. We need to think about how the air we breathe feeds 22

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

Standing on Her Feet: HOW IYENGAR YOGA HELPED A VESTIBULAR PATIENT REGAIN BALANCE

BY MICHELLE D. WILLIAMS Ruth Ann Bradley adjusts Sandra Roberts in Trikonasana. Using the trestle for support after she was diagnosed with a vestibular disorder was critical to helping Sandra regain her balance in standing poses.

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n May 2013, Sandra Roberts underwent a brain surgery called “microvascular decompression.” Cranial nerves 7 and 8 on the right side of her brain were compressed, causing facial spasms. Cranial nerve 7 is responsible for facial expressions, and cranial nerve 8, also known as the vestibulocochlear nerve, controls the systems of hearing and balance.

During the surgery, Sandra’s cranial nerve 8 was compromised, and she lost hearing completely in her right ear. “When I came out of surgery, I was dizzy and I had no balance—it was an immediate result of the surgery.”

In Sandra’s case, symptoms were severe—the entire world spun around her and she had no depth perception. “I would try to grab a door handle and just miss it. Or I’d be walking across a room and would bump into a wall.”

She was diagnosed with vestibulopathy of the right side, which meant the entire right-side nerve in charge of balance was damaged.

But our bodies are amazing. When one system goes down, the brain calls for reinforcements. When the brain stops getting information from its usual sources, it immediately starts to adapt.

The vestibular system includes the parts of the inner ear and brain that process sensory information to control balance and eye movements. Disease, injury, genetics, and environmental conditions can all contribute to a vestibular disorder. According to a recent epidemiological study1, approximately 35 percent of adults 40 years and older have experienced some kind of vestibular dysfunction. Symptoms can include vertigo and dizziness, lack of balance, vision disturbance, hearing changes, cognitive changes, and headaches.

Sandra’s doctors knew this and assumed that as she continued to heal from the surgery, she would get her hearing and balance back—but they had no idea how long that might take.

Unfortunately, for Sandra, it took three years for her brain to compensate for the damage to her right vestibular system. She now has control over her balance issues, but her hearing has still not returned.

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

OVERNIGHT CHANGE After leaving the hospital, Sandra began vestibular rehab 23

“ I would try to grab a door handle and just miss it. Or I’d be walking across a room and would bump into a wall.” therapy (VRT), which is similar to physical therapy but geared toward movements and exercises for balance. “I had to do squats and walking back and forth in a line.”

Sandra’s life was completely disrupted by her new condition.

She had been laid off from work prior to the surgery so her schedule was more open than previously, and her kids were teenagers, so they were pretty self-sufficient. On the one hand, this gave her time to focus on healing and regaining her balance. But many of her day-to-day activities and household duties were impossible.

She couldn’t drive. Her husband had to take over all the errands that Sandra had normally done on her own, or someone else had to give her a ride. She couldn’t go into supermarkets or shopping malls because the lights, colors, and crowds made her dizziness worsen. Restaurants were an unpleasant experience. When you are deaf in one ear, it can be difficult to differentiate between overlapping layers of sound—such as overhead music playing in public places and people talking to you. In these environments, Sandra would often just hear an echoing kind of noise.

“At the time, I thought all these symptoms were temporary, that I was healing,” Sandra says. “I had no idea it would take so long.

You just take one day at a time, and you're waiting to get better.”

FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN Luckily, Sandra had been an Iyengar Yoga student at the Yoga Institute of Broward in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, studying with Ruth Ann Bradley, for 10 years prior to the surgery. When she came out of the surgery and found out that she now had a vestibular disorder, she knew immediately that yoga would be a part of her recovery and longer-term management of the condition.

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“Somehow I knew my yoga practice—as well as meditation and help from my personal trainer—were the things that were going to get me through,” Sandra says. “I always knew yoga was beneficial—I saw the benefits every day, but when you have a traumatic event or crisis, that’s when it really comes through.

It’s like I fell in love with yoga all over again.”

And she says she knew instinctively which poses were going to help. “It was funny. After the surgery, for some reason, I kept hearing in my mind, ‘Utkatasana, Utkatasana,’ so that’s the first pose I practiced,” Sandra says. “It’s not one of the poses I had practiced regularly and definitely not one of my favorites, but I just had this voice in my head from the first day after surgery telling me that this would help me.”

FINDING BALANCE At first, Sandra was confined to home because of the dizziness.

But about a month after her surgery, Sandra started taking weekly private classes with Ruth Ann. That’s when she began to see tremendous improvement with her balance.

“They say that when the student is ready, the teacher appears, but this can go the other way too,” Ruth Ann says. “A teacher has to be ready to take on what her students appear with.” And Ruth Ann took on the challenge wholeheartedly.

They didn’t do that many poses at first, but they held them longer. For example, she did Ardha Chandrasana using the trestle for much longer than it would normally be done in the middle of the room. The idea was to put her brain in a variety of positions—not just as it is when standing up or lying down. This

Maintaining balance depends on information received by the brain from three peripheral sources: eyes, muscles and joints, and vestibular organs. All three of these information sources send signals to the brain in the form of nerve impulses from special nerve endings called sensory receptors.

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

“ If I do a really conscientious Tadasana, I can improve my symptoms by 50 percent in just a couple minutes.” brain workout encouraged the left side of her brain to start to compensate for the right.

Many vestibular patients with symptoms of dizziness, lack of balance, and headaches want to lie down flat on their backs and close their eyes. But that avoids the very movements that can kick-start the brain into compensation mode.

Most of the asanas Sandra did early on in her practice with Ruth Ann were supported. She did a supported Sirsasana using the rope wall. She did Ardha Halasana. “We used all the props that were in the studio—the trestle, chairs, everything,” Sandra says. “I learned how props can really help.”

“Restorative poses just make sense after any surgery, and that is where we started,” Ruth Ann says. “I stayed informed as to what her vestibular therapist had her doing and related those movements to asanas. The fact that they had her doing so much movement gave me the go ahead to get her back to her yoga practice.”

Sandra says Iyengar Yoga has been especially good for her because of its pace. “You do a pose. You go into the next pose.

You come back. You take your time.”

One challenge for Sandra was that she couldn’t look up while in certain poses or she would lose her balance. This was especially a problem in Trikonasana and Utthita Parsvakonasana.

So Ruth Ann had her look down instead of up, which helped.

“Usually when you’re in Trikonasana, you’re either looking straight ahead or up at the ceiling. I couldn’t do that without losing my balance,” Sandra says. “But when I looked down, I could hold the pose.”

Because Ruth Ann knew Sandra’s issues, Sandra was able to attend classes alongside her private lessons. “My approach changed depending on what kind of day Sandra was having,” Ruth Ann says. “I noticed that if she had had an overstimulating day before her private session, she would be dealing with more dizziness and balance issues. In that case, we would start with restorative, quieting poses or sitting poses. If she came in rested and feeling good, we did more standing poses, inversions, and eventually backbends and twists.”

It took about three years before the dizziness began to fade away, and she still has it once in awhile, but it’s not continuous Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

like it was at first. With her ongoing private lessons, classes three times a week, and home practice, she is now managing her disorder with no medical therapies at all.

“Ruth Ann was a blessing,” Sandra says. “That’s what I’m most thankful for.”

POSES THAT WORK Ruth Ann advises teachers who have students with vestibular disorders to start with the basics. “Lots of people starting as beginning yoga students have balance issues that have nothing to do with any disorders.”

It makes sense that the first pose Sandra turns to when she feels dizziness or a headache coming on is Tadasana. “If I do a really conscientious Tadasana, I can improve my symptoms by 50 percent in just a couple minutes,” she says. “Sometimes everything is blurred and turning around, but when I do Tadasana, I’m immediately grounded. Then I can think, ‘OK what’s next?’”

For Sandra, the most important asanas have been those that take her out of vertical and supine positions. These poses challenge her brain to find balance. Backbends are especially helpful. “If you have balance issues and try to do certain backbends, it can be difficult to understand where you are going as you arch back.”

Sandra does backbends most days. She also has a stable of poses she turns to when specific symptoms arise. When she’s dizzy, Sandra says Viparita Karani works magic. Salamba Sarvangasana is also very good, but she prefers Viparita Karani because she can do it quickly and easily. If you have no balance, it can be challenging to set up all the props and get into a more challenging pose.

One of Sandra’s favorite poses is Uttanasana. She does it every day because it really helps with her balance. “I’m sure there is a scientific reason for it. That forward bend with my head down feels important.”

She says she used to do Uttanasana at a wall when she was first diagnosed, but now she usually does it in the middle of the room. “It’s similar to Sirsasana in some way,” Sandra says.

“Going upside down—inversions and forward bends—are very good for me.”

She also loves restoratives, especially when her symptoms flare-up. Ardha Chandrasana has been a very important pose for Sandra. And, she says, Prasarita Padottanasa really helps— another standing forward bend.

“I don’t have to fix my gaze in Prasarita Padottanasa. I could do it with my eyes closed,” Sandra says. “The poses where I have to keep my eyes open and fixed in a certain direction are more 25

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challenging because my vestibular system relies on my eyes.

And it’s a relief to not have to engage the eyes for balance.”

Now, four years after her surgery and subsequent diagnosis of vestibulopathy, Sandra feels dizzy symptoms and migraines less and less. She’s gone from having symptoms constantly to every other day to only when triggered by overstimulation. Busy days, trips to the mall, crowded places—all can provoke dizziness.

But Sandra has developed the skills and awareness to keep her symptoms in check. In addition to her asana practice, she meditates daily and practices pranayama.

“Breath is very very important,” Sandra says. “I love pranayama.

During critical moments, it just comes to me—Ujjayi breath somehow just comes. And Viloma helps me center.”

“Iyengar Yoga to this day helps me stand on my feet.”

Michelle D. Williams is the editor of Yoga Samachar. She has been practicing Iyengar Yoga for 23 years and studies at Jewel Yoga in Portland, OR. 1. Agrawal Y, Carey JP, Della Santina CC, Schubert MC, Minor LB. Disorders of balance and vestibular function in US adults. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(10): 938-944.

Sandra Roberts in supported Sirsasana at the rope wall.

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Evelia Pineda Torres May 11, 1955 – Feb. 17, 2017 “LOVE MUST RADIATE FROM YOU TO OTHERS.” — B.K.S. Iyengar

Photo: Kaveh Kardan

We were all drawn to Evelia’s vitality. Her beautiful smile, her distinct laugh, her arms outstretched to hug you—she embodied Guruji’s words, “Love must radiate from you to others.” Evelia’s passion was practicing and teaching Iyengar Yoga. She started practicing in the early 2000s and quickly knew she wanted to be a teacher. She taught many places in Honolulu, but her true yoga home was the Silent Dance Center (IYSDC). Her devoted students loved her, and she loved them back. When asked why she could speak so many languages, she said, “I like people, and I want to be able to talk to them!”

Evelia was a healer. Through her teaching and her massage work, Evelia exemplified compassion in action, embodied joy and love of life.

Born and raised in Mexico, Evelia was always outside and on the go—hiking the mountains of Acapulco, swimming in the ocean, playing with animals. In 1997, she and her husband, Kaveh Kardan, moved from Canada to Hawaii. The beauty of Hawaii fed her.

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When she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in March 2015, nature became her refuge. Even then, you couldn’t keep up with her as she bounded up the hiking trail. Her daily swims in the Pacific Ocean bolstered her spirit. She was Wahine Koa—warrior woman.

Our community is heartbroken that Evelia is no longer here with us in her physical form, but she leaves behind a legacy of love, friendliness, compassion, gladness, and joy. Her light will forever live in our hearts. A hui hou, dear friend.

Christine Havener is a certified Intermediate Junior III Iyengar Yoga Teacher who lives and teaches in Honolulu. She and Evelia were friends and colleagues at IYSDC and shared many adventures on and off the yoga mat.

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

Remembering Ryan Conrad

BY EDWARD GARDINER, WITH HELP FROM DEBORAH MORGENTHAL Ryan Conrad—our friend, teacher, student, and mentor—died peacefully on Feb. 23, after a yearlong illness. Family and close friends gathered at his home in Asheville, North Carolina, and sang “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” as his body was carried away amid rose petals, tears, and hugs. His body was 38 years old, but his essence lives on.

Ryan’s yoga story is an extraordinary reminder of how Iyengar Yoga has the capacity to transform our shared and personal journeys through life.

FINDING THE IYENGAR YOGA PATH Ryan’s serious yoga practice began at Lighten Up Yoga in Asheville in 2002 when he was in his early 20s. He studied with Lillah Schwartz, who recalls Ryan “taking that very deep passion and flame and making it his own. Ryan recognized, as many of us do, the value of observation, honesty, and presence in each moment.”

encouraged us to practice at home, and his great respect for B.K.S. Iyengar was ever present.”

Ryan was committed to learning. He believed that the sustained practice of yoga allowed him to gain a fuller understanding of his strengths and weaknesses, and who he was as a person.

“Yoga,” he said, “has given me a place of stability to move through life. I am grateful for all of my teachers who continue to humble me with their insights and knowledge.”

In 2005 at the IYNAUS convention in Estes Park, Colorado, Ryan attended an advanced pranayama workshop led by Mr. Iyengar, who observed Ryan struggle to settle his breathing and release his body. Guruji stood over Ryan in Savasana for about 20 minutes. This close observation and encouragement ignited Ryan’s own practice and teaching of pranayama, which became subtle and refined.

In 2014, Ryan attended a two-week class in India with Geeta Iyengar. The next year, Cindy recommended Ryan for Iyengar Yoga certification, which he earned in 2016, just months before his cancer diagnosis. Throughout his illness, he continued to attend workshops and correspond with senior teachers, including Manouso Manos, Dean Lerner, Eddy Marks, and Lois Steinberg.

According to fellow student Letitia Walker, “Ryan’s exuberance was fueled by true dedication and sincerity, tinged with a little goofiness. Lighten Up was a place for serious practice with reverence for the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar. It was the blending of art and science with the self as the object of study that fascinated Ryan.”

In the last class he taught, Ryan reflected on the cycle of practice and learning. The teacher observes, offers insight, and the student goes home and works with the offering. The student then becomes the teacher, asking questions internally and moving to a new level of understanding. This is the lesson Ryan wanted most to pass on: to use the specificity of alignment cues to deepen your awareness and grow your practice from that center.

EXCEPTIONAL TEACHER AND STUDENT Ryan, after earning a 200-hour Yoga Alliance certificate in 2004 under Lillah’s tutelage, began studying and teaching at One Center Yoga, also in Asheville. Cindy Dollar, studio owner and Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher, says, “Ryan was in his element when he taught—radiating clarity, strength, and compassion.

There was no division between his yoga life and his ‘real’ life.”

A BRUTAL DIAGNOSIS MET WITH LOVE AND EQUANIMITY Ryan was deeply moved by the abundant support, generosity, and kindness he received from people close to him, as well as from people he’d never met, whose donations have left a nest egg for his wife and son. This support powerfully demonstrates that our capacity to do good in the world is limitless when we understand the stakes and get involved personally.

Martin Fletcher, one of Ryan’s longstanding students, describes his teaching style as precise and passionate, with humorous zeal: “His students were lit up with his infectious fire as he held us in his laser beam and tricked us to go beyond our comfort zones. Ryan always started his classes by invoking what he referred to as the ‘Authentic Self’ and called upon his students to serve that which is greater than ourselves. Without fail, those two poles of intention were met by the end of class. He always

Throughout his illness, we talked often about strengthening Iyengar Yoga offerings to benefit everyone in our community.

“Ryan was a consummate practitioner and inspiration,” says Manouso Manos. “His belief in the powers of Iyengar Yoga was infectious, even during his health struggles. He took our community as part of his family and allowed us into his heart.

He will be deeply missed by all who came in contact with him.”

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MOVING TOWARD GRACE “After his diagnosis, Ryan began the yoga of his life and death, which he approached with the same equanimity and clarity as he approached assessment,” says Cindy. “He inquired of his teachers, sought out the writings of Mr. Iyengar, and kept on living—right up until his last exhalation. On his bedside altar sat a photo of Guruji in Savasana. I imagine them practicing together on the yoga mat of the great beyond.”

Years of practice prepared Ryan for death. He accepted and spoke openly about his disease. He said cancer was the greatest spiritual teacher he ever had. With a smile, he told us he wished this teacher wasn’t deadly, but its relentless nature required him to pay attention in every moment. His practice shifted from vigor to restraint and eventually to an exclusive focus on Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi.

Showing yogic intelligence, Ryan conserved his energy through the dying process, at the end withdrawing from the attention that so many admirers would willingly have given in order to save precious words and emotions for his wife, son, and mother.

When I visited Ryan toward the end, I read to him from

Mr. Iyengar’s translation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, and we discussed Light on Life, one of the few books he was able to continue reading even as his energy faded. We agreed that its clarity delivered a penetrating, life-affirming message. Facing his own death, Ryan never stopped being Ryan—selfless, whole, loving, and joyous.

Ryan once told me that a student at the Estes Park convention yawned during one of Guruji’s speeches. Although the person was far from the central stage, Mr. Iyengar saw and made it clear to everyone that it was important to pay attention because he would not be around forever. In the last class Ryan taught, he caught me yawning and called me out. I hear you, Ryan, and yes, I do miss you. I cherished Ryan. I am his student. I will always be his student.

“It’s our job to stand on the shoulders of the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar and his students and all the people that we consider to be teachers and then become our own teachers.”

Ryan Conrad, Dec. 11, 2016 For more tributes to Ryan, please visit http://onecenteryoga. com/remembering-ryan-conrad.

SHARON COWDERY: BEHIND THE SCENES

M

any IYNAUS members know Sharon Cowdery as the voice at the other end of the phone when they call IYNAUS. Others recognize her as one of the people who staffs the IYNAUS stand at our conventions. She does an immense amount of work behind the scenes keeping IYNAUS operations running. Recently, the IYNAUS Board of Directors voted to change her title from General Manager to Director of Operations.

Here is a short Q&A with Sharon for those of you who would like to know her better.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR HISTORY WITH IYENGAR YOGA. In 1994 I was unsettled and searching for “something” but unsure exactly what. My physical body was stressed from running and cycling, and my psyche was hungry. As luck would have it, I stumbled upon Iyengar Yoga at Yoga Northwest in Bellingham, Washington (thanks for your marketing efforts, Ingela!). I think my first class was with CIYT Kim Lacy. Over the next 10 years, I was lucky to study with and draw inspiration from CIYTs William Prelle, Lauron Ray, and Ingela Abbott. I can still recall the palpable fear about whether I’d be able to endure the whole weekend of my very first workshop with Dean Lerner.

Decades later, his insistent voice still resonates in my brain, reminding me at regular intervals to lift my collar bones and expand my chest.

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Kristina Bavik, IYNAUS store manager; Sharon Cowdery, director of operations; and Hiroko Karrfalt, operations assistant

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

IYNAUS has always been sustained by the efforts of superhero volunteers devoted to Guruji and eager to share the transformational benefits of Iyengar Yoga with others.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR HISTORY WITH IYNAUS. Life is full of unexpected surprises, and in 2004, I relocated to Manhattan. As a way of finding my sense of place in the Big Apple, I sought out Iyengar Yoga. Over time, I prioritized class attendance over working late and began volunteering for the Iyengar Yoga Association of Greater New York (IYAGNY), ultimately managing the Iyengar Yoga Institute of New York (IYINY) under the guidance of Mary Dunn, James Murphy, and the IYAGNY Board of Directors. I transitioned to General Manager of IYNAUS in November 2008.

IYNAUS has always been sustained by the efforts of superhero volunteers devoted to Guruji and eager to share the transformational benefits of Iyengar Yoga with others. When I came on board, we consolidated the many volunteer activities under one umbrella: establishing a single point of contact, a single repository for historical records, a person to correspond with in real time about membership, store purchases, assessment, and where to find Iyengar Yoga classes. Over the ensuing years, we’ve tried to move into the “modern age” by moving dues payment and the teaching assessment application process online. We’ve worked hard to provide improved benefits and events for students and continuing education opportunities for certified teachers, and to imbue the sense of community with other Iyengar Yoga practitioners in the U.S., Pune, and all over the world.

teacher trainee, and assistant extraordinaire. Among her many responsibilities, Kristina manages the IYNAUS online store, handles fulfillment for online and wholesale orders, keeps our membership roster up to date, and sends acknowledgement letters for all donations received for IYNAUS and The Bellur Trust. I couldn’t do it without her hard work and good humor.

Most recently, Hiroko Karrfalt has joined IYNAUS as an operations assistant. Hiroko has been a dedicated student and member of the Seattle Iyengar Yoga community and is continuing her path toward certification. Hiroko has a background in accounting and will be a great asset, helping with financial data entry among other projects.

WHAT ARE SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT YOURSELF THAT IYNAUS MEMBERS MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW? When I’m not working or practicing yoga, I’m most likely outside riding my bicycle, walking, or enjoying time with friends. I’ve met my closest friends through Iyengar Yoga. It began simply: the shared love of dogs, the convenience of carpooling to class together so we could take advantage of the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and make it to class on time, witnessing my practice at the gym—all sparked a conversation that led to Iyengar Yoga and ultimately to deep, ongoing friendships.

WHAT DOES YOUR CHANGE IN TITLE MEAN FOR IYNAUS? AND HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IYNAUS GROW IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS? Going forward, we’ll continue to work on improving our website as a resource for teachers, students, researchers, and the general public. We’ll expand our library of practice sequences and learning tools for members and provide access to material from our archives. I’m so pleased that our efforts seem to resonate, judging from our steady growth in membership and newly certified Iyengar Yoga teachers. And above all, I’m probably most excited to work on our very longstanding goal of expanding opportunities to experience Iyengar Yoga in underserved communities.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR ASSISTANTS AND WHAT THEY DO. In addition to our volunteer board of directors, I’m very fortunate to have the support of Kristina Bavik, an Iyengar Yoga student,

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Ask

THE YOGI

“When I come down from Sarvangasana and am resting on my back, I notice a tightness in my mid back that causes my exhalations to be very shallow and almost painful, sort of like the feeling you get when the ‘wind gets knocked out of you.’ The only thing that really helps is to sit up and not put pressure on my back for about five minutes. Have you dealt with this before? Any suggestions?” —Anonymous The problem you are describing typically takes place when the diaphragm gets restricted in an aberrant fashion. B.K.S. Iyengar used the translation of Salamba Sarvangasana as “whole body pose.” Anga being the part that represents the whole.

You are probably gripping the diaphragm to hold yourself in the pose. Often, this comes from too much arm and hand work and not enough lift from the lower torso.

Take a closet rod in hand while doing Sarvangasana, being careful not to strike people or furniture around you.

Move the hands away from each other and the elbows toward each other, thereby bringing yourself higher up on the shoulders, with your hands wider apart than your shoulders. The stick should be close to but not on the bottom of your shoulder blades. From there, lift your quadriceps up and attempt to get the spine and legs perpendicular to the floor. Do not rest on the stick.

Though this may demand more extension from your neck, it should solve the problem. After several practices this way, get rid of the stick but let your body find these actions without that prop.

Manouso Manos is certified at the Advanced Senior I level and lives in San Francisco, CA.

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Musings AT HOME AT THE END OF THE ROAD

BY LISA HOLT On an out-of-the-way wall of the studio where I practice yoga is a framed newspaper article with the headline, “104 and Not Too Old For Yoga.” Below the headline is a faded, color photograph of an old woman, looking bird-like somehow in her seated twist, one elbow hooked over a bent knee, her other leg stretched out before her. I smile every time I see it. It’s inspiring to think that, if I live to be 104 and keep practicing, I will still be in good enough shape to do some yoga.

That is, after all, part of the reason I originally decided to learn yoga—to keep myself in good enough shape to do the things I like to do for as long as I can. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb when I say that reaching certain mileposts on the road of life can trigger some anxiety. These mileposts are the subtle and not-so-subtle signs reminding me that this road doesn’t go on forever. For instance, there Illustration: Curtis Settino was the moment when I noticed that I was regularly borrowing my husband’s reading glasses, and the day I realized that instead of looking forward to my kids’ bedtime, I was looking forward to my own.

I sprinted along the first half of my life without knowing what it meant to slow down and was baffled by the concept of hiking poles. Here in the second half, however, I find myself relating strongly to Yoga Sutra II.9, most certainly afflicted by my desire for self-preservation. But if I am attached to life, at least I am in good company since, according to Patanjali, even the wisest among us begin to look for ways to maneuver a U-turn or slow our roll to the inevitable end.

Enthusiasts will tell you that yoga is an effective brake in the aging process, and a quick Google search produces a long list of articles touting yoga’s effectiveness against things like Alzheimer’s and atherosclerosis, and as a tool to build strength and maintain a straight spine, good posture, and unfailing balance. While I can’t personally corroborate the former two, I have found the latter four to be delightful side effects of a regular yoga practice, and indeed, they are among the things I cite when I recommend yoga to friends and colleagues. I might also tell them that what’s good for the heart is good for the head, and while that may sound at first like a platitude, when I reflect on the reasons I have continued my own practice, I realize that for me, that’s actually closer to the truth of it. It’s about harmony.

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

Underneath the sore neck and back, stiff knees, slumping shoulders, and poor circulation that go along with a full-time desk job, without yoga, my body develops a dissonance. It’s subtle at first—a sluggishness that I’ll shake off with a brisk dog walk or weekend hike—but it gets louder every day that I decide in favor of inaction over action. I’m tired, but I don’t sleep well at night; I’m hungry but don’t have much of an appetite; I should really get on my mat and at least do an Adho Mukha Svanasana or maybe just one Sirsasana, but instead I keep sitting. It’s as if something inside me splits in half and those two halves immediately start bickering, like a quarrelsome child and an exasperated parent. They go round and round and get louder and louder until finally I can’t stand it anymore, and I go … to my yoga class. During class I may discover that I’m not able to do as much as I could before the inactive gap and that with some poses I’ve regressed back to near-beginner status. But regardless of what I can and can’t do with my body, by the end of class, it is always more in sync with my mind. Harmony is restored.

The further I get down my own road, the more I like feeling at home in my skin, and I feel more at home when there is harmony in my house. A regular practice that includes pranayama and meditation creates an interesting and satisfying sense of self-containment within me, as if I am fully occupying and filling the space beneath my skin. In this state, I know that the word “yoga” means union, not because my teacher told me, but because I can feel it. If I read in the sutras that yoga is the stopping of the movements of the mind, so that the yogi can dwell in his or her essential nature, my practice has allowed me to feel the truth of this, even if only on occasion. These occasions of visiting my “essential nature,” along with that immediate sense of internal harmony, become for me a sort of positive feedback loop: the more I experience them, the better I feel and the more inclined I am to experience them again. This then is why I do yoga. Not to defy the aging process but to embrace a practice that makes the concept of aging a nonissue, so that 104 is left alone to be what it really is: just a number.

Lisa Holt works and writes in Bellingham, Washington. She has practiced Iyengar Yoga at Yoga Northwest for seven years. With their nest now only half full, she and her husband are beginning to get used to the idea of it being empty.

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Book

REVIEW

YOGASANA: AN ADHYATMIK ACADEMY BY PRASHANT S. IYENGAR

BY JARVIS T. CHEN I remember the first time I was a student in a class with Prashant Iyengar. Accustomed as I was to the sequencing and the precise focus on physical actions in Iyengar Yoga classes at home, it was surprising and perhaps not a little disconcerting to experience the uniqueness of Prashantji’s teaching: being told to just “go to Utthita Trikonasana” instead of being instructed into the pose part by part; the many options given for things to do in the pose (“exhale extraordinarily deeper,” “inhale with unusual volume,” “exhale with confinements,” “do the pose gastrointestinally!”); the multiple repetitions of simple asanas working in different “modes”; the repeated exhortations to “learn” and not just “do” and to “somehow try to evolve the literacy in asanas”; the clever turns of phrase and sometimes hilarious wordplay; and the long philosophical disquisitions where we would “sit and listen for a while.” As with many first time visitors to Pune, I found the classes to be a radical departure from what I thought I knew “Iyengar Yoga” to be. And while there were times I felt something profound was happening to me while practicing in his class, more often than not I was confused about how all the different concepts he was teaching fit together in my practice of yoga.

I found the classes to be a radical departure from what I thought I knew “Iyengar Yoga” to be.

Over many successive visits to Pune, I became better at taking classes with Prashantji. Each time I came back, I felt I was slipping midstream into an ongoing conversation Prashantji was having with his regular students about the goals and methods of yoga sadhana through yogasana. Sometimes I would wonder what I had missed by coming into this conversation in the middle, but eventually I started to relish diving deep into the swirling vortex of “by the body for the body,” “by the body for the mind,” “by the breath for the body,” and “by the breath for the mind.” My anxieties about “getting” what he was saying and worrying that I wasn’t practicing the right way started to give way to a faith that if I just allowed myself to take up the strands of what he was talking about at any given moment, the transformational process in body, breath, and mind would take care of itself. Once I heard him remark that “in yog(a), you are casting a spell,” and I realized that in many ways Prashantji does exactly this for us. Immersing myself in the ritual of practice and letting his words swirl around me 34

like incense leads me step by step toward the goal: the awakening of the intelligence and vision of the Self that both Guruji and Patanjali tell us is possible.

In recent years, Prashantji has published a number of books in English that act as a guide to the philosophical concepts he has expounded upon in class for many years. For the dedicated student of Iyengar Yoga, they provide a key to understand how yogasana can be used for involution and for purifying the mind to reach the Self. While there is no substitute for the experience of diving deep into the swirling maelstrom of Prashantji’s class, it is comforting for those of us who are more linear in our thinking to be able to refer to the written word to make our experiences in class more legible. If The 18 Maha Kriyas of Yogasana is a guide to what actions (kriyas) are to be done in our practice of asana, Yogasana: An Adhyatmik Academy is the companion volume that helps us develop literacy in what we are to learn through yogasana. And learn we must if we are to truly know the Self in its own true nature.

Prashantji begins by explaining what is meant by adhyatmik, contrasting the “spiritual, ethereal, trans-mundane, and transcendent” qualities of adhyatmik endeavor with the nonadhyatmik activities of our everyday mind, which is constituted around “I,” “Me,” and “Mine.” Early on, he introduces the threepart classification of “subjective entity, objective entity, and instrumental identity,” e.g., “knower,” “knowing,” and “known,” pointing out that in all non-adhyatmik endeavors, there will be at least one of these entities that is external to us. For example, in the statement, “I will eat food,” food is external and other than “I.” In contrast, what makes yoga “profoundly and profusely adhyatmik” is that the subject, object, and instrument are “inherently within our self.” This is an aspect of Iyengar Yoga with which most of us are already familiar. Guruji showed us that focusing the mind on our own embodiment through the practice of asana is particularly conducive to developing meditation in action (compared with, say, focusing on the flame of a candle, which is external to our self). “Yoga is richly adhyatmik,” Prashantji writes, “because everything is in the embodiment, of the embodiment, with the embodiment, on the embodiment and by the embodiment.” He goes on to say that our yoga sadhana serves the purpose of exploring, revealing, and experiencing every aspect of our embodiment, so that, as the Mundaka Upanishad says, “by knowing it, everything is known” (I.1.3). This process of “knowing” is at the heart of Prashantji’s philosophy in Adhyatmik Academy. In order to know, however, we must address a fundamental problem long recognized by the Upanishads. The goal of yoga is to realize Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

the Self (purusa), but the mind cannot know purusa in its own true nature because it is of prakrti and thus less subtle than purusa. “By what means can one know the knower?” asks the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (II.4.13). “Not by speech, not by the mind, not by sight can the Self be grasped. How else can that be experienced, other than by saying ‘It is?’” (Katha Upanishad VI.12). As Edwin Bryant writes in his commentary on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra I.41, “Only purusa can know itself. But mind can, however, redirect awareness back to its own original source and thus indirectly reflect purusa, just as a mirror can reflect a face. In other words, purusa can become aware of itself by means of the reflective nature of the pure sattvic mind.”

Sadhana, then, is for purifying subject, object, and instrument of knowing (which are nothing other than our own embodiment) so that true knowledge (adhyatmik jnana) becomes possible.

The process is iterative and cumulative because each instance of associating the elements of our embodiment in our practice transforms subject, object, and instrument, bringing about a new configuration of the embodiment to be experienced and understood, all the while nudging us in the direction of sattva.

It is perhaps for this reason that a class with Prashantji is not simply, “do this, do that, and do the next thing,” where doer and done are distinct and fixed. Instead, he gives us a plethora of techniques—an array of frameworks for knowing—where each experience enriches our knowledge and develops within us the intuition to know where and how to proceed.

It is not possible to do justice in this short article to each of the techniques and frameworks Prashantji has given, but perhaps a short list will suffice. First, there are “the preliminaries” by which the practitioner associates body, breath, and mind in asana to develop a “kneaded condition,” which is “needed” for yoga sadhana to commence. Physical, physiological, and physiotherapeutic considerations are “set right” through this process. Similarly, mind, senses, breath, awareness, consciousness, and conscience are set right through these “surface treatments.” Varnassramadharma—consisting of the four castes (brahmin, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra) and stages of life (brahmacari, grihastha, vanaprastha, sannyasi) are given as another framework for practice, whereby Prashantji applies these concepts to the relationships inherent in the subjectobject-instrument triad.

The psychology of asanas is another broad topic, where actions, reactions, and responses of body, mind, senses, and breath are “psychoanalyzed” in relation to what Prashantji terms “drive, motive, motions, executions, and purpose.” The practitioner develops a psychological and pragmatic perspective on dharma (virtue and duty-mindedness), artha (spiritual materialism), kama (spiritual flesh gratification), moksa (emancipation), kartavya (duty), jnana (essential knowledge), karma (action concept), dhyana (meditatively), and bhakti Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

…focusing on any one of these modes of yogic practice provides us with work for an entire lifetime. (devoutness), where each of these categories is seen as a source of mind, awareness, and consciousness. Prashantji further explores what he calls karma mimamsa and jnana mimamsa in asana, providing several frameworks for analyzing “doer-doing-done” and “knower-knowing-known” in relation to the gunas (tamas, rajas, and sattva) and various qualities of the mind. Touching on the modes of working, he describes in The 18 Mahakriyas of Yogasana, he discusses the “kriyacomplexes” of body, mind, breath, vayu, prana, tattva, cakra, and yog kriya, incorporating sound forms to work on the prana vayus, the cakras, the elements (tattva), and inter-relations between each of these concepts and qualities and activities of the body, breath, and mind.

The breath plays a particularly important role in our practice according to Prashantji, and he devotes several sections to “breath-ology, breath-osophy, breath-o-logics, breath-isms, breath-onics, and breath-ographies.” Interested students will find an accessible exposition of what Prashantji calls “graphical modes of breath” and how to use them (e.g., cylindrical, reverse conical, obverse conical, spiral, orbital, etc.) as well as breath confinements (frontal, facial, oral-vocal, thoracic, diaphragmatic, umbilical, pelvic, composite), which can be applied in one’s practice.

The array of practice methods and conceptual frameworks may feel daunting to some. A few years ago, a friend of mine asked Prashantji about just one of his recommended practices: the vacika-kriya (“speechly act”) in asana whereby one internally and silently articulates a “running commentary for actions, reactions, responses, effects, changes, etc.” while executing asanas. “But Prashant,” she said, “it seems that it’s not possible to verbally articulate every single thing that is happening from moment to moment in the limited time we are in the asana.”

“Yes,” he replied. “That is the point.” I take this to mean that focusing on any one of these modes of yogic practice provides us with work for an entire lifetime. But the moment we embark with wholehearted effort in this process, we are already beginning to know the whole—we are beginning to develop that adhyatmik jnana “by knowing which everything is known.”

Jarvis T. Chen is a Junior Intermediate III Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher who lives, practices, and teaches in Boston.

He studies with and regularly assists senior Iyengar Yoga teacher Patricia Walden. He also travels to Pune, India, annually to study with the Iyengars. In addition, Jarvis is a social epidemiologist and a research scientist at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.

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2016 IYENGAR YOGA ASSESSMENTS Here are the names of those who passed an assessment in 2016. Our method provides ongoing education for teachers at every level. Congratulations on your hard work and dedication!

INTRODUCTORY I & II

Cassie Jackson

Zain Syed

Winnie Wai-Yu Au

Alexander Aguilar

Margaret Jacobi

Karen Tercho

Nichole Baker

Melanie Alsworth

Jeremy Jenks

Lily Tista

Jennifer Waterbury Beaumont

Amy An

Marie Johnson

Sondra VanderPloeg

Cynthia K. Berliner

Pamela Anderson

Lois Joy

Sharon Voelker

Amy Block-Hamilton

Kat Arbour

Anna Kelchlin

Bonnie Walker

Christopher Briney

Javinta Armoska

Brittany Klipper

Kendra Webber

Claire Carroll

Kim Bagnoli

Meiko Krishok

Michele Weis

Katie Davidson

Tiffany Bergin

Laura Kunin

Deb Weiss-Gelmi

Jonathan Dickstein

Louise C. Bergman

Nicci Kushner

Claudia Wepper

Rose Dwyer

Camille Bharucha

Kaori Tominaga Landau

Eddy Wylie

Vicky Elwell

Lauren Villasenor Blackham

Lauren Leary

Erin Burke-Webster

Elizabeth Carney Leuthner

Sandy Carmellini

Shara Lewis

Patrick Carroll

Rebecca Lindsay

Anne Catura

Connie Long

Dana Chamblin

Matthew Lurie

Upma Chauhan

Barbara Lyon

Azul Cobb

Anna Belle Marin

Tanya Coert

Jessica Miller

Trisha Copeland

Mary Margaret Moffitt

Jill Crawford

Ruchi S. Murlidhar

Ermin Cruz III

Olivia Nguyen

Rita Cruz-Zaterka

Ashley Norwood

Solange da Silva Gonske

Tanya Novak

Lucilda Dassardo-Cooper

Anne C. O’Connor

Cher de Rossiter

Cassie O’Sullivan

Brad Denning

Mary Elizabeth Osborn

Leah DiQuollo

Sheri Petrowski

Mira Drinchich

Lee Raden

Boguslawa Dworecki

Michaela Reis

Cindy Espinoza Thornburgh

Nancy Renaud

Justine Fisher

Martha Richardson

Carol Gardner

Kristi Ronningen

Lenka Gargalovicova

Elysa Rose-Coster

Brina Gehry

Denise Rowe

Shiri Goldsmith

Chigusa Saga

Suzanne Gormley

Sadie Sandquist

Elinor Grabar

Carrie Schafer

Donna Gross Javel

Marly Spieser-Schneider

Daniel Guida

Patricia Scott

Katherine Hall

Victoria Seff

Gillian Stephanie Harper

Daniel Shuman

Gail Heaton

Irina Sidorenko

Santiago Fernando Hernandez

Jessica Skandunas

Michal Hochman

Desarae Skidmore

Leah Hogarth

Amy Stewart

Ross Jonathan Holland

Rebecca Summerhays

Kristin Holmes

Tony Svetelj

Pamela Ann Hunter

Lisa Amille Swanson

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INTERMEDIATE JUNIOR I Olga Boggio Karyn Bristol Kerry Doyle Royal Fraser Martha Garvey Eleanor Goldfarb Shari Goldin Jill Hagar Edwin Horneij Terese Ireland Anna Karasek Kelly Kennedy Kim Kolibri Barbara Laird Laura Lenee

Laurie Medeiros Freed Jill Ganassi Rose Goldblatt Heide Grace Eve Holbrook Tulsi Laher Janet Lilly Vimla Maharaj-Banks Susan Marcus Anne-Marie Schultz Tedrah Smothers Suneel Sundar Kathleen Swanson Sawyer Ward Denise Weeks Kimberly Zanger Mackesy

Randy Loftis

INTERMEDIATE JUNIOR III

Vindra Maharaj-Roy

Roni Brissette

Kelly Marie

Nikki Costello

Kristin McGee

Mary DeVore

Inge Mula Myllerup-Brookhuis

Aaron Fleming

Jeff Perlman

Vladimir Jandov

Stephanie Rago

Debra Johnson

Phyllis Rollins

Tal Messica

Nadine Sims

Linda Nishio

Suzanne Spencer

Suzanne Simon

Jean Stawarz

Kishor Stein

Judy Summers Brown

Shaw-Jiun Wang

Chere Kelly Thomas

Catherine Wright

Ellen Wagner Tatyana Wagner

INTERMEDIATE SENIOR I

Richard Weinapple

Susan Goulet

Sachiko Willis

Brian Hogencamp

Carol Wipf

Gary Jaeger

Nancy Witters

Michael Lucey Athena Pappas

INTERMEDIATE JUNIOR II

Jito Yumibe

Suzana Alilovic-Schuster Tricia Amheiser Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

BECOME A BOARD MEMBER The IYNAUS Board of Directors, like the boards of the 12 regional Iyengar Yoga associations across the U.S., is made up of volunteers who have been appointed or elected through their regional association. For many board members, service provides an opportunity to devote time and energy to sustaining a community that has had a profound and transformative impact on their lives.

Each region has one or two representatives on the IYNAUS Board, and all members serve a four-year term (and can be re-elected for a second term for a total of eight consecutive years of service). Terms are staggered so that four new people join the IYNAUS Board each year.

Do you have organizational skills, financial skills, legal skills, experience with not-for-profit or membership-based organizations, technical skills, skills with social media, public relations, or development skills? Are you a good writer or good at strategic planning? The IYNAUS Board—as well as the boards of our regional associations—needs members with these kinds of skills.

In addition to seeking Certified Iyengar Yoga Teachers (CIYTs) with these skills, the IYNAUS Bylaws require that a substantial minority of the board be individuals who are not teachers. In an

ideal world, our board would include a significant number of longstanding Iyengar Yoga students who have had successful careers in law, advertising, public relations, finance, information technology, management consulting, or other businesses or who have had significant experience on other nonprofit boards of directors.

If you know of any such students or if you are such a student and are interested in serving on the IYNAUS Board, please write to us at president@iynaus.org. We’d be very glad to hear from you, discuss the possibility of your service on the national board, and then make a recommendation to your regional association for appointment.

Please consider becoming involved at either the regional or national level. Our organization depends on the energy and commitment of its members.

To learn more about our regional associations, take a look at their websites: https://iynaus.org/iynaus/regions.

If you’d like to become involved on the national level but not necessarily serve on the IYNAUS Board, please review current volunteer opportunities on our website: https://iynaus.org/ volunteer.

Classifieds CALL FOR MUSINGS Yoga 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. Please send your own Musings to yogasamachar@iynaus.org by July 1.

ASK THE YOGI Yoga Samachar seeks questions for our “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 yogasamachar@iynaus.org by July 1.

JOIN IYNAUS To join IYNAUS or renew your current membership, please visit our website and apply online: https://secure.iynaus.org/join. php. Membership fees begin at $70, with $40 of each membership going to support teacher certification, continuing education, and member services.

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

YOUR AD HERE Yoga 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 rachel@yogalacrosse.com or (608) 269-1441 for more information or to submit an ad.

CORRECTION In the Fall 2016/Winter 2017 issue of Yoga Samachar, Kris Manjapra was mistakenly referred to as “she” in the article “Burning the Seeds of Bondage: Iyengar Yoga and Social Justice.”

Kris is cis-gendered and uses the pronouns “he,” “him,” and “his.” The editors of the magazine apologize for this mistake.

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Treasurer’s

REPORT — IYNAUS FINANCES

BY DAVID CARPENTER This report is my last as IYNAUS treasurer. In April, I became IYNAUS president, and Stephen Weiss is our new treasurer. I hope you share my satisfaction with our progress during my tenure as treasurer. I know further progress will be made under Stephen.

OVERVIEW IYNAUS has very limited resources. Our paid staff consists of Director of Operations, Sharon Cowdery, and a few modestly compensated part-time employees. We accomplish as much as we do because of volunteers. Yet IYNAUS’ finances are quite complicated because we perform a large number of discrete functions.

First, we run events: a convention every three years, periodic continuing education workshops for CIYTs, and occasional conferences co-sponsored with regional associations.

Second, we operate our assessment system. It is almost entirely run by volunteers: assessors who donate their time, studio owners who provide rent-free use of their facilities, and a hardworking certification committee. The only costs are the travel expenses of assessors, the modest compensation paid the certification committee chair, and programming costs for the assessment portion of our website. Candidates pay assessment fees, but these are generally insufficient to cover assessment costs. We perennially struggle with the question of how best to fund this system.

Third, we publish information about Iyengar Yoga—through Yoga Samachar, our website, and our e-blasts. We pay modest compensation to Samachar’s staff and incur significant Samachar production and distribution costs as well as significant information technology (IT) expenses. Otherwise, our publications rely on volunteers.

Fourth, we operate an online store that sells books, CDs, DVDs, and a few props. The store now has a part-time employee devoted exclusively to its operations.

Fifth, we engage in activities to promote Iyengar Yoga.

Sixth, we assemble, preserve, and manage archival material.

Our archives are primarily funded by member donations that can only be used for that purpose.

Seventh, we engage in a complicated array of annual financial transactions with the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga

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Institute in Pune, with the Bellur Trust, and with the Iyengar family. These activities include registering students for intensives conducted in India; collecting and remitting U.S. royalties and licensing fees from the Iyengars’ intellectual property; collecting and remitting donations for the Bellur project; and distributing Yoga Rahasya.

Our largest source of annual revenues is membership dues.

Generally, members jointly belong to IYNAUS and a regional association, and dues payments cover both memberships.

Finally, because of the range of our activities and the very large number of annual transactions relative to our size, annual audits of our finances would be prohibitively expensive—which I very much regret. However, in recent years, we have been fortunate to have a retired PricewaterhouseCoopers CPA review our accounting data and tax returns.

CASH RESULTS FOR 2016 AND PRIOR FOUR YEARS The following table shows IYNAUS cash revenues and expenses in 2016 and in the four prior years. For ease of comparison, I moved event revenues and expenses to the year in which each event occurred. For each year, I also show our results with and without the effects of events and other extraordinary items.

In absolute terms, 2016 was the most successful year financially in IYNAUS history. But the results were buoyed by several “extraordinary” items—that is, revenues that will not recur in typical years.

First, our 2016 results included about $135,000 in net revenues from last year’s Boca Raton convention. As I explained in prior reports, the board has ended our historic practice of using convention revenues to subsidize our operations in nonconvention years. Instead, we are using the proceeds from the 2016 convention to finance website improvements and to establish reserves that will enable us to take more calculated risks. While IYNAUS will benefit from the Boca Raton convention, those proceeds will not reduce our future operating revenue needs.

Second, our 2016 results included the receipt of about $35,000 in receivables. These monies represented dues revenues that were earned by IYNAUS in prior years but that had been withheld and retained by two regional associations. These monies (plus interest) were paid in full in 2016.

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

IYNAUS PROFIT AND LOSS STATEMENT Revenues Unrestricted Revenue Dues (less regions’ shares)

2012

2013

2014

2016

2015

84,920

74,360

89,368

99,606

154,900

Previously withheld dues plus interest

12,769

34,597

Continuing education workshops (net revenue)

2,065

Event revenues (including receivables)

-24,000

48,968

Store revenues less cost of goods (store sales at events are in parenthesis)

58,443 (6,053) 82,062 (7,565)

60,142

85,921

109,431 (12,560)

Charitable contributions to IYNAUS

1,720

1,550

3,703

4,331

25,213

Yoga Samachar advertising revenue

0

4,000

2,604

5,091

5,554

Restricted Revenue

Certification mark (less payments to India)

16,785

16,743

17,768

20,962

25,439

8,621

6,661

3,156

Charitable contributions to archives

135,103

Earmarked Revenue

Assessment fees and manual

46,850

63,784

84,955

93,125

98,188

Bellur donations

4,290

26,717

20,811

19,001

21,024

Total Revenues

189,008

318,184

287,972

349,532

612,605

Expenses

Bellur donations

4,290

26,717

20,811

19,001

21,024

Salaries and employment taxes

64,531

69,817

70,412

88,804

93,169

23,633

24,947

85,640

115,838

111,456

PR consultant expenses Production expenses for Yoga Samachar

2,625 25,516

24,242

Yoga Journal advertising

29,413 10,000

Assessment expenses

54,559

63,818

Legal fees

17,631

0

Website design and maintenance

25,929

21,082

21,995

28,659

16,838

IYNAUS Board meeting travel expenses

10,532

12,413

14,906

16,178

24,516

Bookkeeping

4,853

1,550

995

3,545

995

Office supplies and expenses

5,981

11,499

16,899

30,648

23,775

Merchant and bank fees (credit card processing fees)

15,429

17,696

32,498

46,077

94,724

Nonemployee insurance and taxes

2,434

3,896

2,512

7,235

10,068

Total Expenses

231,685

252,730

308,706

379,618

421,512

Net Revenue

-42,677

65,454

-20,734

-30,086

191,093

Net Revenue—Excluding Events and Other Extraordinary Items

-24,720

8921

-20,734

-30,086

-6,167

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

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TREASURER’S REPORT CONTINUED

Third, we also received an extraordinary charitable donation in 2016: a $15,000 bequest. While these monies are not legally restricted, the donor asked that we consider using them to extend Iyengar Yoga to underserved communities. We are thus exploring a new program to do that.

We also experienced a significant jump in credit card processing fees in 2016—due in part to credit card transactions for the convention. We are exploring ways to reduce these expenses.

Without these three extraordinary items, we would have had a deficit in 2016 of a little over $6,000. This can be considered our “operating” deficit. While this deficit is not good news, we had forecast a much larger operating deficit—of $30,000 to $40,000—as recently as November 2016. Our actual 2016 operating deficit was an improvement over prior years.

PROSPECTS FOR 2017 We are optimistic about 2017. Even if we have normal attrition in membership, the dues increase should cause our total annual revenues to go up by about $50,000. Because we have taken steps designed to make IYNAUS membership more attractive and will launch a significant membership drive, we are hopeful that we will not experience the historic levels of postconvention attrition and that dues revenues will increase by a greater amount in 2017.

That said, our 2016 results were likely not representative of what we can expect in the foreseeable future in other respects.

Foremost, dues revenues in 2016 were about $60,000 greater than in 2015. Some of this increase is a product of growth.

However, a portion of the increase is likely attributable to the effects of the convention. Historically, our membership has spiked in convention years because many individuals join IYNAUS solely to attend the convention, and we have traditionally lost about 15 percent of our members in the year following a convention—although we will try hard to halt that trend in 2017. Further, our 2016 dues revenues may have been artificially inflated by one extrinsic event. Last fall, we announced that, effective Jan. 1, dues would be increased by $10 for general members and $20 for CIYTs. This announcement may have caused some people to make their dues payments earlier than normal, and it is possible that some of the 2016 dues revenue represented early payments of dues that otherwise would not have been received until 2017.

Another noteworthy aspect of our 2016 results is the big jump in travel expenses for board meetings. These had been increasing by about $2,000 a year, but in 2016, they increased by $8,000 up to about $24,000. Indeed, that number could have been much higher, but many board members did not seek travel reimbursement for the meeting held immediately after the Boca Raton convention. The increased travel expenses result from growth in the size of the board—now 20 members. This growth has occurred because we have now fully phased in the bylaw provisions that require different levels of board representation for each of our 12 regional associations.

However, as a matter of governance, it has proven inefficient to have monthly calls and two meetings a year with such a large board. Consistent with our bylaws, we have decided to place greater reliance on board committees, to have the board’s executive council (of nine members) address most matters in the first instance, and to have only a single annual meeting of the entire board in 2017. So board travel expenses should decline in 2017.

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Even with these few caveats, all in all, 2016 was a satisfactory year.

As I explained in my report last fall, we plan to use these increased revenues to fund a number of different measures that can increase the effectiveness and impact of the association.

With this greater financial strength, we also will be able to take some calculated risks. For example, 2017 was the first time in a number of years in which we did not increase fees for assessment. We held these fees constant despite the fact that the expenses of our assessment system exceeded its revenues by over $13,000 in 2016. In past years, a deficit of this magnitude would have led to an increase in the next year’s fees.

But we held the assessment fees constant in 2017 for two basic reasons. First, our new certification chair (Laurie Blakeney) is experimenting with a new way of managing the assessment system that has the potential to reduce overall costs. Second, with our enhanced financial resources, we can assume the risk of a year or two with substantial shortfalls while this new management model is tested.

And just as our enhanced financial position has allowed us to hold the line on assessment fees, there are myriad other possible ways for IYNAUS to serve our teachers and members and to increase the relevance and impact of Iyengar Yoga. We now can explore many of these as well.

In sum, our financial future is brighter now than at any other time during my tenure as treasurer. But with this greater financial strength comes new challenges and opportunities, and the IYNAUS Board will do its best to meet these.

David W. Carpenter IYNAUS Treasurer Feb. 20, 2017

Yoga Samachar Spring / Summer 2017

Geeta and Prashant Iyengar work on a student’s shoulders at RIMYI, 1977 Photo: IYNAUS Archives

B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States P.O. Box 538 Seattle, WA 98111 www.iynaus.org

Yoga Samachar editor Michelle D. Williams ascends stairs at Pura Besakih, the Hindu “Mother Temple� in Besakih, Bali, Indonesia, 1996. This temple is the most important, the largest and holiest of the Hindu religion in Bali, and one of a series of Balinese temples.

Photo: Curtis Settino