Greetings dear fellow yoga practitioners!
The month of December marks two important dates to celebrate and pay tribute to – the 101st birthday of a Great Yogi, Guru, BKS Iyengar (December 14, 1918 – August 20, 2014) and a passing of a Great Yogi, teacher and his daughter Geetaji Iyengar (December 1, 1944 - December 16, 2018). Birth and Death, celebration and sense of loss, as well as a sense of strong presence of both in our practice.
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.
In this month’s installment of our newsletter, we present an interview with Betty Lewis, where she shares her memories of Geetaji during her time in Pune. Betty is a CIYT who teaches and lives in Maryland.
Our travel blog comes from Craig Schuetze, an anthropologist and IY student of 13 years, CIYT since 2017. He lives and teaches in Louisville, KY and studies with Alex Cleveland. His recollections are from December 2018, during his first trip to Pune, which coincided with the last days of teaching by Geetaji.
In the prop corner we have a treat for you, call it an early Christmas present! Juliana Fair (Senior Intermediate Level I) presents a transcribed workshop on the use of the most widely used prop, a chair. This transcription was prepared by one of her long time students, our member and our wonderful webmaster, Vidya Viswanathan.
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Lastly, I would like to introduce you to our 2020 President, Mariana Scotti, who lives and teaches in Miami Shores, Fl. I have no doubt that her enthusiasm and passion for Iyengar Yoga as well as her love for the members of the Southeast region will ensure success of the Association in 2020.
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May this December bring you nothing but joy! Happy Holidays!
Yours In Peace,
Leah
Leah DiQuollo
IYASE President
CIYT, CYT, IAYT
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Interview with Betty Thomas
Remembering Centennial Celebration
by Leah DiQuollo
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Q. When was the first time you met Geetaji?
I arrived in Pune for the first time on November 30, 2000 and officially met Geeta at one of the feasts celebrated at the Institute. Geeta came up to me and said, “I have seen you in class but have never seen this other woman. Who is she? (Referring to my adult daughter)” That was the first real conversation we had.
Geeta’s classes were wonderful. Her instructions were clear even to my novice ears. I remember that she told me I should do Tadasana and some of the sitting poses with my feet hip width apart. That small adjustment almost instantly gave me more mobility in the hips and helped with balance.
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Prop Corner
"Chairs And Their Effective Use As A Prop"
A Workshop with Juliana Fair
"The chair has endless and valuable uses in an Iyengar Yoga practice.
For the beginner, someone with or recovering from injury, a person with other limitations or general fatigue, knowing how to use the chair enables one to start or to continue ones practice.
For a more experienced practitioner, it can illuminate weak or tight areas and enable an asana to be held longer without dropping into old samskaras (habitual ways of doing things that are not always constructive).
In the workshop in Nov 2019, Juliana focused on using the chair as a prop in standing poses."
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Upcoming Events & Workshops
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Dec. 29 2:00 - 5:00
Don't forget to check out the variety of sequences by some of our most experienced instructors at the IYASE website:
SEQUENCES
From asana workshops to teacher training IYASE has events for everyone:
Does your studio have a workshop or special event you would like to advertise? Please click the link below to submit information about it to our newsletter and website:
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Yogi Travel Blog
This month, we have an essay written by
Craig Schuetze, 2018 India Scholarship Recipient
He shares his experience and thoughts on India and Geetaji
"I have been blessed with many chances to study Iyengar yoga in many different cultures since I first began practicing in 2005. As a doctoral student in cultural anthropology, I have had to travel a lot for research or conferences. I was often alone, and Iyengar centers around the world quickly became some of the more stable homes I had. ...
... As I returned home from the crematorium nine days later, I knew that Geeta was no longer ours. But like our breath, like yoga, she is nonetheless always “for us.” Like a light casting out on darkness, she is always there for us. Like a light standing in light, she is always here for us. ... Wherever I travel, I remember that Geeta is there for me, and it makes me feel less alone in this world."
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Nichole Baker, Owner
Nichole began by teaching yoga classes at gyms and out of her home. In 2005 she and her friend Barbara were teaching classes in an old house that was built in 1933 where she also styled hair. In 2009 she took over the lease and, in addition to yoga classes, she also rented rooms to other business. The old house was off a main street where there were no other businesses around and building up a clientele proved to be a challenge. She suddenly lost her lease when the owners decided to sell the property. At this point Nichole had two options, retire after styling hair for 25 years and teaching yoga for 18 or move her business to a new location.
Nichole loved teaching Iyengar yoga and wanted to continue teaching and helping others as much as she had been helped by yoga which had improved weaknesses in her back due to her scoliosis and disc degeneration. She also wanted the new location to be around more businesses to cultivate more exposure.
Nichole opened StudiOm in the Fondren area of Jackson Mississippi in February 2011. The new location is in a strip mall that has been around since 1946 ( the oldest shopping center in Jackson) and in a neighborhood that was changing and growing into a hip place to live and work. ....
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.... Nichole has been teaching since 1993 and holds an Intermediated Junior III CIYT and International Yoga Therapy IAYT. She hopes to continue sharing Iyengar Yoga with the surrounding community for many years to come and to keep furthering her knowledge and certification.
Nichole says that the transformation and growth she sees in her students is what keeps her motivated.
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