“Love begets courage, moderation creates abundance and humility generates power.”
B.K.S. Iyengar
This summer has been busy for so many … our members are sharing yoga with each other again in yoga studios, some close by and others traveling to other states & countries on retreats and workshops. It has been an exciting change of routine but at times overwhelming. Finding time for our personal home practice creates the opportunity to quiet the noise and stay on our inward journeys.
I am so grateful for my fellow IYASE Board Members making the time in their already full schedules to serve and go above and beyond in order to support our Southeast Region. Below are just a few of the things they have been up to.
The Scholarship Committee has offered 2 scholarships for members going up for Assessment this Fall and one Lotus Fund grant. In addition, they gave 6 full scholarships for the Abhijata event this month. For up to date information and applications use the following link: Scholarships — IYASE.ORG
We have had such a great response in attendance to the monthly IYASE Free-to-Members Classes and Workshops offered through Membership and Continuing Education Committees. Many thanks to the teachers, board members and students that have organized and participated in these events. What a wonderful community to be part of! Details for the IYASE Virtual Retreat will be shared soon.
The Communications Committee continues to issue this bimonthly newsletter highlighting the studios and teachers in the 13 states of our region. We are still seeking a few communications volunteers to help prepare materials. If interested, email Ned @ iyase.governance@gmail.com. The Communications Committee also continues to share Iyengar Yoga through social media and eblasts of events, pictures/videos, and posts all designed to share B.K.S. Iyengar’s teachings and build our Iyengar community.
The IYASE Board will meet again on August 7th. This meeting will be open to members - details will be shared closer to the date. Our fundamental mission remains to serve the Iyengar yoga community of the Southeast Region and support IYNAUS’s mission to promote the art, science, and philosophy of yoga according to the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar.
If you have anything you would like addressed within IYASE, I would love to hear from you. Please reach out to me directly at iyase.president@gmail.com.
In Gratitude,
Laura Plofchan
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IYASE Newsletter
Tour of our states:
North Carolina
Four of the CIYTs in this area are featured below.
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Janet Lilly (CIYT Level 2) |
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Janet Lilly is a Professor of Dance and Director of the School of Dance at UNC Greensboro. Janet has been studying Iyengar Yoga since 1992 and has been teaching the method since 1995. She holds a Level II Iyengar Teaching Certification.
Find Janet @:
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Randy Loftis (CIYT Level 2) |
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I enjoy being creative on the fly and my teaching is inspired by the students in front of me. I usually come to class with an idea in mind but enjoy seeing where the class takes me. Sometimes I can be loud, directive, and fervent, and other times light and playful. If I had to describe my teaching style in one statement it would be, “Sharing the experiences of the world through the lens of yoga.”
I really want my students to leave class with a better understanding of who they are. I am passionate about the philosophical aspects of yoga and how asana and pranayama are connected to the whole of yoga.
Find Randy @:
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Graham Williams (CIYT Level 2)
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Everyone in our Iyengar Community is familiar with the words Ahimsa, Satya, Santosa, and Yoga cittavrtti nirodhah. I have made t-shirts with these words so that both my students and I will remember them.
Sutra 2.33 Vitarkabadhane pratipaksabhhavanam relates to the yamas and niyamas that if we are dishonest (satya), practice violence (ahimsa), etc. it will be countered with the knowledge of discrimination. Patanjali emphasizes how important it is to practice the yamas and niyamas. "When we are disturbed by negative thoughts, the opposite (positive) ones should be thought of." I am a student as well as a teacher of yoga; I am always learning and I know that if I focus on my negative thoughts, it will make situations worse.
My own practice and my dedicated, wonderful students have helped me through the pandemic. I have had my studio, www.iyengarraleigh.com, in Raleigh, NC for almost sixteen years, and I have built a community of students who have stayed with me through the good and bad. Without my students, surviving the pandemic would have been a more difficult challenge than it was. They have given me the drive to carry on as most of them stayed with me when all classes had to be taught via zoom.
I have done my best to help my students turn negative thoughts into positive thoughts as they have helped me by appreciating the NOW, being grateful for our bodies and what they do for us.
As Gurujii says, "the flexibility we gain in asana is the living symbol of suppleness we gain in relation to life's problems and challenges."
Find Graham @:
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Greta Kent-Stoll (CIYT Level 1)
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I took my first yoga classes while majoring in Dance as an undergraduate at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. When I met my first Iyengar Yoga teacher, Kofi Busia, in my early 20s, I knew I had stumbled upon something truly special. A native to the San Francisco Bay Area, I moved to Asheville with my husband, Randy, in 2016 and we opened Iyengar Yoga Asheville in 2018.
Everything about Iyengar Yoga fascinates me…the practice, studentship, philosophy, and teaching. I love experimenting with sequences, threading actions through poses, and playing with the use of props to create access to asanas and actions that may otherwise be out of reach. I teach public classes at our studio, Iyengar Yoga Asheville, write and edit professionally.
Find Greta @:
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Ned Gardiner (CIYT Level 1) |
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Most of my time is spent working to address the consequences of climate change with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, but yoga is the center of my inner life. Of course, that study is ever-changing, but a recent fall from my bicycle left me with a broken femur and several pieces of metal hardware. My activity on the mat was very limited for three months, so I’ve started to learn Sanskrit. I am thankful for study and practice which lead to transformation (parinama) and will continue to gratefully receive and share what I learn.
Find Ned@:
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During COVID-19 I had total hip replacement and completed level one Iyengar assessment. One of my teachers helpfully coached me "you will need to work to have equanimity to return to teaching yoga" after gyms were allowed to reopen in NC.
Find Carolyn@:
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Spotlight on Community Outreach
Ella Ran, DeLand, FL
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Over time, I’d found that my students often struggled with establishing a home practice. They were unsure of where to start and how to create a practice sequence. Geeta Iyengar's Preliminary Course book has always been among the very first that I recommend to my students who are looking to build a home practice. However, I decided to take that even further, offering a free 28-week series following Geeta Iyengar's Preliminary Course sequences.
The series was geared specifically towards using Geeta’s book to help my regular students deepen their understanding of the asanas to be able to craft sequences for their home practice. Each week we practiced together, allowing time for questions and reflection throughout. Our discussion often focused on which pose or poses were added that week and why, helping to provide insight on some of the nuances of sequencing. As the weeks went on, students were amazed at how many inversions were included! The students who joined me found it to be an invigorating practice.
This community practice provided a wonderful opportunity to help my students refine and expand their practice, and feel more confident in creating a sequence at home. This time we spent together and our interactions and discussions also allowed me to get to know my students better, work with them in a slightly different way, and build community among us. I look forward to offering this series again in the near future, with the intention of exposing others to the value of an Iyengar yoga practice.
Find Ella @:
Instagram: theyogashed_delandfl
Facebook: yogadeland
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Our August/September newsletter will feature South Carolina! Please send information and photos about classes, yoga, and life in South Carolina.
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Yoga Sutras in a Nutshell, Part 1
An Introduction to
the First Pada
Prepared by Mariso de Colsa, CIYT 2,
IYASE Continuing Education Chair
This is a summary containing the main sanskrit terms to learn and the most important sutras for teachers in training or for anyone interested in a basic understanding of the Yoga Sutras.
Find Mariso @:
Miami Beach Iyengar Center:
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Upcoming Workshops and Events |
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Toward Peace and Recovery
IYNAUS 2022 Sadhana with Abhijata Iyengar
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July 14, 16, and 17, 2022
9:00–11:00 a.m. EDT
3-class event cost:
$175 beginning June 21, 2022
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Free-to-Members All-Levels Zoom Classes
IYASE continues to offer monthly Free-to-Members All-Levels classes via Zoom, taught by some of our own Level 1 teachers. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link and recording link.
Upcoming Classes:
July 28 @ 8:30-9:30am - Alison Lintal
August 25 @ 10:30-11:30am - Kathryn Wroth
September 29 @ 5:30-6:30pm - Ella Ran
We hope to see you there!
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Free-to-Members Online Workshop with Peentz Dubble
August 28th, 1:00-3:00 pm EDT
Deepening your Practice: Asana/Pranayama through the doorway of Pratyahara, Dharana & Dhyana.
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Peentz is renowned for her sequencing and her ability to personally connect with her students. Her deep love of poetry and imagery infuses each class!
Free for Members of IYASE; $25 for non-members
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Healthy Hips Two Day Workshop With Paula Weithman
In Studio @ iYoga Delray Beach
July 22-23, 2022
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Iyengar Yoga Weekend Intensive with Swati Chanchani
In-Person at Iyengar Yoga Asheville
July 22 - 24, 2022
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Join Swati Chanchani, long-time student of B.K.S. Iyengar and co-founder of the Yog-Ganga Centre in northern India, for an inspiring weekend of asana, pranayama, and Yogic philosophy. Steeped in the rich culture that accompanies yoga techniques, Swati engagingly shares her deep understanding both of the physical postures and of the history and ethical implications of the practice of yoga. This is a great opportunity to study with one of Mr. Iyengar’s dedicated pupils, highly respected for her gifts as a yoga instructor! You can read more about Swati HERE.
Workshop Address: 111 Grove Road, Asheville, NC 28804 US
Phone Number: (828) 484-1607
Workshop Level: Prior Experience
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Unity Woods Yoga (online)
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With: Doerthe Braun, Nazli Weiss, Sarah Hull
Tuesday, August TBD 2022, 1:15-2:30pm
Explore the Upanishads, one of the most ancient, insightful and inspiring spiritual texts that has come out of India! All are welcome.
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A Day for Teachers with John Schumacher:
What are the Alternatives?
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Saturday, August 20th
10:00 am - 1:00 pm and 2:00 - 4:00 pm (ET)
Explore alternatives for those unable / ill-advised to do poses you are teaching. Opportunity to teach with caring feedback from John.
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Click the button below to email the details of your workshop
if you would like to be listed in the next newsletter.
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Call For Photos and Videos of Iyengar gatherings |
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Help us build our IYASE community and share images, audio, articles and video clips that you may have of events, workshops or other Iyengar gatherings. We are building an IYASE Archive so we can continue to share and enjoy those memories with our members and for the promotion of the legacy of BKS Iyengar.
Please make sure when submitting content that you own the copyright to the content. You can submit your items by clicking the button below.
Thank You and Namaskar,
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Yoga and Equity Information |
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The Yoga and Equity Regional Leaders Forum is a valuable opportunity to share information about DEIJ efforts taking place within the regions, talk about developing and implementing DEIJ programs, and learn how the Yoga and Equity Committee can support those efforts. Meetings are held quarterly.
If you're interested in learning more or attending the next meeting, please reach out to Theresa St.John-Siegel at tmstsiegel@gmail.com.
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