“Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.”

      - B.K.S. Iyengar



As the clocks fall back and days become shorter, life gets busier. Gratitude in my heart for Iyengar Yoga and all of those I have met on my yoga journey keep me balanced. After participating in the first of the Sunday Sadhana’s, Embodying the Gita in Your Practice with Susan Friedman, I cannot stop rereading passages from the Bhagavad Gita. My favorite: “You have the right to your actions, but never to the actions’ fruits. Act for the action’s sake. And do not be attached to inaction. Self-possessed, resolute, act without any thought of results. Open to success or failure. This equanimity is yoga.”

The IYASE Board continues to amaze me with all they do for our members. As we wind down the year, the gifts and opportunities to grow our community keep on coming. 

Please enjoy reading all about Rosa Santana’s efforts spreading Iyengar Yoga in her community in this Newsletter Issue. She applied for a Community Outreach Grant earlier this year from our Scholarship Committee and used the funds well. For up to date information and applications use the following link: Scholarships — IYASE.ORG

We have one more Free-to-Members Class this year and, while the Sunday Sadhana Series has ended, the recordings are available through the end of the year. These are offered through the Membership and Continuing Education Committees and have allowed existing members to practice virtually together–whether live or via the recordings, as well as bringing new members to IYASE.  

With this Newsletter featuring Tennessee, the last of the states featured in the region, the Communications Committee has completed the two-year tour of our region and its CIYTs and studios. Stay tuned for exciting changes to Communications in 2023 as we continue to issue newsletters highlighting philosophy and community outreach sections and so much more. The Communications Committee is made up of creative individuals that use eblasts, social media, and the website to feature community events, pictures/videos, and posts all designed to share B.K.S. Iyengar’s teachings and build our Iyengar community. (We’re always looking for more creators - if you’d like to help shape IYASE’s message, whether through newsletter editing or just an occasional social media post, let us know!) 

Our last IYASE Board Meeting of 2022 will be on Sunday, December 4th. If there are any issues you would like us to discuss or ideas you'd like incorporated into next year's strategic plan, please send me an email. We are also always on the lookout for members who would like to get involved with IYASE on the board or to work on special projects, take pictures, help plan our role at the convention next year, and so many smaller things that are crucial to our mission but don’t require a huge time commitment. If you’re interested in learning more, reach out to Ned via iyase.governance@gmail.com. The 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.

Laura Plofchan, IYASE President, iyase.president@gmail.com

Aretha McKinney Blevins (CIYT Level 3) Chestnut Hill Yoga

Chestnut Hill Yoga is located in the heart of Nashville. While we have only been at our current location for several years, our studio has been a fixture in Nashville for the last twenty-three years. Due to rising rent we moved from the 12South neighborhood to the Wedgewood-Houston and Chestnut Hill neighborhood in November of 2019. No one was prepared of course for what was to follow our move. The pandemic caught everyone off guard! 

As we adjusted to our new location we also had to implement all the necessary changes that the pandemic imposed. Mandatory closings definitely inspired innovation! We implemented a home-practice blog at the outset of lockdown hoping to inspire students to practice at home. As it became more apparent that re-opening would pose challenges, we integrated Zoom classes and on-demand classes for students unable to leave home. These were all free or donation based to make them as widely accessible as possible. When lockdown was over we offered a small selection of classes in studio to complement our Zoom offerings. For our in-studio classes, we integrated social distancing and restricting class sizes, wearing masks, keeping windows open, and students were encouraged to bring their own props. While many students preferred to join us on Zoom, surprisingly there was a huge show of support to re-open. Many students that had to move to a work life that was entirely based on Zoom were especially grateful to have the studio open and available. The studio gave them a sense of connection and community at a time that felt deeply isolating. Everyone was aware of the risks but we all took great care to minimize risks and integrate safety measures. We are happy to report that we never had one incident of Covid spreading at our center. 

As of now, we are back to a full offering of in-studio classes. We continue to offer one Zoom class and on-demand classes for those that want to join us virtually. One thing that came out of the pandemic was a surge in on-line offerings. You could literally take a class at almost any time of the day and with wonderful and skillful teachers. The Zoom marketplace was (and still is!) almost overwhelming. As a studio owner I had to do a lot of soul searching and one thing that continually came up was the question: ‘Are studios still relevant and even needed?' I think my students have answered that question though with a resounding ‘Yes!’. While many teachers have successfully organized their teaching around Zoom, we have made a very conscious and direct effort to keep our doors open and to remain as a gathering place and hub for our students. It has not been easy, and it has been financially taxing at times, but we are grateful to be around and we hope to serve our community for many years to come. You are more than welcome to join us for classes any time you are passing through Nashville.



Find Aretha McKinney Blevins @:

Website: https://chestnuthillyoga.com/

Facebook: chestnuthillyogastudio

Instagram: @chestnuthillyoga

Leah Nichols (CIYT Level 2) and Tedrah Smothers (CIYT Level 2). Evergreen Yoga Center

Leah Nichols opened Evergreen Yoga Center in 2006. She is a CIYT Level 2.



Tedrah Smothers, CIYT level 2, has been teaching classes and workshops at the center since 2014. As teachers of Iyengar Yoga, we have been learning and growing together for decades.

The studio is in the middle of a residential neighborhood in Memphis, with an Old Growth Forest to its east and the Mississippi River just to its west. Many of our students live nearby and walk to the studio for class. It is common for neighbors to walk past with their dogs and baby strollers and wave hello.

It’s a warm, friendly community of devoted and curious students. We are humbled and grateful for all their consistent support and willingness to adapt throughout the pandemic, as well as their loving dedication to the studio through the years.

Our space is also home to a Massage Therapist and Chinese Herbalist.

Find Leah, and Tedrah @:

Leah: leah@evergreenyogamemphis.com

Tedrah: tedrah@comcast.net

Website: www.evergeenyogamemphis.com

Facebook: evergreen.yogaevergreen.yoga

Rosa Lopez Santana, IYASE Community Outreach Grant Recipient

Yogarosa officially opened in 2001. It attracted students from all walks of life. In a typical class, the owner of an important car dealership in Miami would be next to a retired professor. We had stay at home mothers, retirees, veterans, students with MS, and high school students, all coming together to learn yoga. 

Our yearly holiday party, coinciding with Mr. Iyengar’s birthday, became a not-to-be-missed event. Young and old, all coming together like a big family. Those that lost their jobs would get free classes until they got on their feet. An Orthodox Jewish woman with 8 kids and anxiety traded soup for yoga classes. As the owner of the studio, I had work exchange programs and scholarships for anyone who could not afford classes. 

My biggest dream was to bring yoga to teenagers of the local high school with a high percentage of teenage pregnancies. I was unable to bring them into the studio. 

In May of 2020, I got Covid-induced pneumonia, and was in bed for 6 weeks. Armed with faith, Iyengar Yoga, and 25 years of practice under my yoga belt, I survived. I realized I needed to focus on my health, so I closed the studio. Two and a half years later, I realize this was a blessing in disguise. Not having a space has made me more creative, and my first thought was, “Now I will have time and many space possibilities for Outreach!”

With limited resources, I realized I needed support to make my ideas come to fruition. So I applied for the $500 grant from IYASE. This is my plan:

Having cultivated a beautiful community in the Miami/Ft Lauderdale area, I get calls all the time for donations for fundraisers, and calls to teach yoga at special events. We have an impeccable reputation. 

I was asked by the National Parkinson’s Foundation to create videos in Spanish for those living with Parkinson’s. After sending them a sample video, they asked if I could improve the lighting. So I will be getting some equipment to do that. 

I was also invited to bring yoga to a group of students who are blind. Their teacher from another system was no longer available, so they asked me if I was interested. Of course I am. My goal since I started yoga is to bring yoga to those who can’t go to the gym to do yoga. To personalize the experience so they feel confident. 

Through my contacts, we have a yoga studio in Ft. Lauderdale which has agreed to donate the space. Their class was only held once per month, and I am planning on expanding that to a weekly class. I will use the grant for a small stipend for the teacher to get the classes going. We will see how it goes and then adapt when the grant runs out. 

I am also in communications with the local park director to begin the teenage yoga program, although the location still has not been secured. I will continue to work on that in the meantime. 

Since the inception of Yogarosa, we have been helping our students to cultivate a meaningful yoga practice. We will continue to plant the seeds of Iyengar Yoga as long as we can, as we know the far reaching benefits of this sacred practice. 

Find Yogarosa @:

Website:https://www.yogarosa.com

Email: contact@yogarosa.com

Text: 954-456-6607

Yoga Sutras in a Nutshell:

An Introduction to Pada III 

Prepared by Mariso de Colsa, CIYT Level 2, IYASE Continuing Education

"Yoga Sutras in a Nutshell - Part 3" is a summary containing the main Sanskrit terms and the most important sutras from this pada, which should be useful for teachers in training or for anyone interested in understanding the Yoga Sutras. 

The first pada (chapter), Samadhi Pada, introduced in a prior newsletter, describes Yoga and its end goal (samadhi), consciousness, the vrttis (fluctuations of the mind), and some of the ways to restrain the vrttis. It outlines what an established practice of yoga is and how to attain it: abhyasa and vairagya (practice and detachment). (You can find the Yoga Sutras in a Nutshell - Part 1 here.)

The second pada, Sadhana Pada, goes deeper into describing the practice of yoga. (Sadhana means discipline or practice.) This pada introduces kriya-yoga (the yoga of action) and its effects. It discusses the klesas (afflictions) and the eight limbs of yoga through which one may attain liberation. (You can find the Yoga Sutras in a Nutshell - Part 2 here.)

The 3rd pada (chapter), Vibhuti Pada, introduces the concept of Samyama. Samyama means integration, the combined practice of the last 3 limbs of Yoga: Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. These three processes are more internal than the other limbs of yoga and, as such, are considered to be more associated with the mind. While the other limbs work to purify the body, prana, and the senses, dharana, dhyana and samadhi purify the mind.

These documents are published and at your disposal anytime at IYASE.org, under the Resources-Philosophy menu.

Find Mariso @:

Websites: http://mbiyengar.com, https://www.yogathat.com/

Email: iyase.continuinged@gmail.com

IYASE Free-to-Members

All-Levels Zoom Classes

IYASE has been offering 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. 

The link for registration will be sent via email and posted on social media approximately a week before the class.

Upcoming Class:

December 29 @ 9am ET - Pranayama with Jerry Farmer

If you have any questions, please reach out to Alixe at iyase.members@gmail.com. 

We hope to see you there!

Even though the series is over, the recordings will remain available through the end of the year! If you have not registered yet but would like access to the recordings, please email Alixe at iyase.members@gmail.com.

Call for Volunteers!

IYASE Needs You!

We are looking for volunteers to serve on our Board and to help with special projects.

Do you have skills in:

• Photography
• Social media
• Graphic design
• Writing/editing
• Or simply a desire to help and give back to the Iyengar community?

We'd love to hear from you!

Reach out to Ned @ iyase.governance@gmail.com.

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.