I have been practicing yoga since the 1970′s, and teaching Iyengar Yoga for over 10 years.
Mr. Iyengar said, “Words cannot convey the value of yoga – it has to be experienced.”
My aim, as an Iyengar Yoga teacher, is to help you towards that experience. Yoga postures are done primarily to change the mental state, the mind-set, and through them, to reach the deeper layers of the mind – the consciousness. Yoga is also the most effective and the most natural therapy for stress. We know that stress is the cause of many chronic, non-specific symptoms in the mind and the body, and can be the trigger for all kinds of disease. The benefits of regular practice on our bodies quickly becomes apparent. The effect on the mind takes longer to register because yoga is dealing with the causes, not just the symptoms. The restless mind, once taught to draw inward, becomes calmer. This is the beginning of transformation for you and is a light which, once lit, will never diminish.
With regular practice, people find they sleep very well. A person’s capacity to deal with any crisis in life is vastly improved. This can lead to much better performance under pressure, as a calm mind thinks rationally and clearly and even under stress will make better decisions. Flexibility in the joints, elasticity in the ligaments and tendons, strength in the muscles – all these build with practice and the benefits are quickly felt. Yoga practice offers protection for people involved in other sports – they report a marked decrease in injury as the elasticity of the connective tissues improves.
The action of the postures on the organs of the body is cleansing, strengthening and healing. The compression and release, the deep inner stretching and opening can be built up during a class and over time, allowing circulation to penetrate deeply into the tissues and cells. Yoga practice is the perfect activity for your detox – it will refresh the body and the emotions, and so change the mind and the consciousness.
I have run many holidays, taught many groups and classes over the years. It is a great pleasure to me to see how much people gain from their practice. And speaking for myself, my yoga it is the rock upon which my life rests, a place to go to time and again to find pleasure, solace, peace, fun and, perhaps most important, myself.
Yoga is a gift to us all, first described originally by Patanjali, defined and refined today by the world’s best, loved, and most esteemed teacher and Guru, BKS Iyengar and his family.
This mark signifies that the individual is an accredited and fully insured Iyengar Yoga Teacher, certified to teach at Intermediate Junior Level 2.
You have been my teacher for now nearly 7 years and I always admired your calm and collected style of teaching. No matter what was going in your life your teaching was continually solid. If a student had a question or query about something you always seem to know the appropriate answer and you never seem to get impatient with anybody!
As my sister, you have been a constant inspiration for me and I’m so glad that you have continued with your yoga and that it has sustained you as it has me.
Your patience and compassion are always at the forefront of your teaching and I know that your students admire you greatly and are also inspired by your example.
Om Shanti!
I really enjoyed the class last night, no one else has ever got me into a comfortable head stand!