Blog Archives - Iyengar Yoga UK

IY(UK) Blog

Online Classes: Teacher Listings

6th July 2020

Find an online class with an IY(UK) teacher

Since the lockdown began, many IY(UK) teachers have moved their yoga classes online.

Click here to download a list of teachers teaching online classes.

Teachers: If you want to be added to this list, or amend your details, please complete this form

woman lying on front over a bolster holding left leg with left hand

Image: Anna Macedo

IY(UK) Statement on Diversity and Inclusivity

24th June 2020

IY(UK) statement on diversity and inclusivity

“I am sure that after me, my family, my pupils, their children, and the next generation will carry the message of yoga to every nook and corner of the globe, so that all may live as one human race without geographical division of race, religion, colour or gender.” B. K. S. Iyengar

The principles of Yoga lead us to seek to eliminate violence, oppression or discrimination from society. Recent events have led us to reflect on the apparent under-representation of members of the BAME community in many of our classes, amongst our teachers and in the Committee structure of IY(UK). In turn, this has led us to consider wider questions around diversity and inclusion, especially whether members of certain communities feel able to join IY(UK) and participate in our classes.

While we do not believe that any of our members consciously discriminates against others for any reason, including race, we believe we can do more to promote diversity and inclusivity. We have reviewed our policies, which include a commitment to avoid discrimination on grounds of race, or any other protected characteristics. We feel that now is the right time to take action to ensure that we understand any concerns, and address these.

In his translation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra II:32, Mr Iyengar cites greed, hatred, or delusion as leading to ignorance and violence, and counsels that ‘through introspection comes the end of pain and ignorance.’

We feel that the best way forward is to set up a Working Group whose remit will be to gather data to understand why certain communities may be under-represented in our organisation, and if appropriate, to propose how we can ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to access Iyengar yoga in the UK.

If you are interested in being part of the group, please email us

Prashantji’s Talk: International Yoga Day – Our Responsibilities

17th June 2020

A talk by Prashantji titled ‘International Yoga Day – Our Responsibilities’ has been released on Facebook.

Click here to watch

A series of recent talks by Prashantji on Yoga Education are available on our YouTube channel.

International Day of Yoga – Video Blogging Contest

9th June 2020

For International Day of Yoga on 21 June, the Government of India has announced a video blogging contest open to yoga students around the world. You’re invited to submit a 3-4 minute video on social media and there are awards for each country. The deadline is 15 June.
https://innovate.mygov.in/my-life-my-yoga/#tab2
https://www.mylifemyyoga2020.com/home
https://youtu.be/Ab6-0rBdXJ4

Yogis Unite for NHS: over £33K raised!

26th May 2020

The ‘Yogis Unite for NHS’ event that took place via Zoom over the weekend of 23 and 24 May has so far raised over £33,000 for NHS Charities Together.

A huge thanks to Uday Bhosale and his wife Sonali for this remarkable achievement, along with Abhijata Iyengar and UK teachers Julie Brown, Sheila Haswell, Jayne Orton, Kirsten Agar Ward and Richard Agar Ward. And thank you to everyone who joined the classes and supported this!

Donations can still be made here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/iyengaryogauk

Develop Your Home Practice – Brenda Booth

6th May 2020

How to Develop Your Home Practice

As teachers we try to encourage our students to develop a home practice, and if you’re new to practising yoga at home, we hope these tips from Senior Iyengar yoga teacher Brenda Booth will help.

Brenda says it’s a good idea to start with just 10 minutes a day; that way you can get into the habit in a realistic way. It’s best if you’ve already been to a class with a qualified Iyengar yoga teacher, so that you know the correct way to do the poses.

Are you a night owl or an early bird? Once you’ve decided which, make an appointment with yourself for either morning or evening practice, and stick to it – just as you would an important meeting.

There’s no need to be too rigid, and you can allow yourself a day off! B.K.S. Iyengar himself took one day off a week, to spend with family.

Brenda suggests five base standing poses to start off with. They are the groundwork for all the other asanas, and everything grows from them:

Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)

Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II)

Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I)

Parsvottanasana (Intense Side Stretch Pose)

These can be followed by a seated pose, for example Virasana (Hero Pose), which is a very important pose for supporting a good blood supply to the legs.

Then finally, go up into Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand), and finish off with Savasana (Corpse Pose).

Once you’ve been practising every day for a week or a month, you’ll have got into the discipline and you can start to develop and explore the poses further. And if you want to include poses you’ve learnt in class, try to work with what your body remembers, rather than what your brain remembers.

Taken from notes from Brenda’s session at the IY(UK) Convention in 2018. Brenda is currently teaching here

Teacher using a door to support her leg and arm in a yoga pose

The Circle – a film about yoga and addiction

5th May 2020

IY(UK) teacher Philippa Frisby has just released her award-winning documentary film The Circle, about the transformational power of yoga in treating drug addiction in the street children of Mumbai. It is a disturbing, moving and ultimately uplifting tale of the human spirit.

Philippa received Geeta Iyengar’s blessings for the the film in 2018, when Geetaji wrote: “The problem of addiction is spreading the world over and I hope that the message of Yoga reaches to everyone as everyone is in need of it.”

Philippa says, “With Geetaji’s words in mind, and with the current changing world situation, I feel this is the right time to release the film. People are becoming aware in degrees of what is important, their health in mind, body and spirit, their families and friends and all the things that really matter when all else falls away.”

We are delighted that Philippa has now released the film on Vimeo on Demand. Click on the image below to see it.

Bellur Trust & COVID-19

15th April 2020

The Bellur Trust Supports Workers During the COVID-19 Crisis

The Bellur Trust (the charity founded by B.K.S. Iyengar for the village of his birth in India) have sent us this update about the situation in Bellur:

Due to the pandemic COVID-19 and the lockdown, many of the daily wage workers and migrant labourers are suffering a lot. In association with local Government authorities, the Bellur Trust has started a new task of supplying and delivering the food grains to those in need.

The packet consists of: 5kg rice, 5kg ata, 1kg turdal,1ltr oil, 1kg onions, 1kg potato, 1/2 kg urud dal, channadal, sambar powder, 100gms zeera, mustard, red chilli, 1/4 kg tamarind & jagery….etc….
By April 12th we have distributed 300 packets to serve approx.1800 members in Bellur and surrounding villages (Ramasandra, Mallasandra, Byresandra, Shivarpattana, Jakkasandra, Karadubande and KB Hosahalli). We are planning to distribute another 500 packets in another 9 villages….

Each packet is costing approx: INR 1000. It will support a family with 5-6 members for 2 weeks.