I was thrilled to hear that Abhijata Iyengar was going to be coming to the UK for our annual Iyengar Yoga convention in 2024. Although my family and I have recently moved to Lisbon in Portugal, I was planning to return to London for the convention and combine it with a visit to friends and family. When the tickets came out, I sadly missed out on getting an in person ticket to the event and after some deliberation, I decided to attend the convention online. I had attended a convention with Abhijata in Harrogate in 2014 (a year after Mr Iyengar’s death) and it had been wonderful to be a part of. I remember being adjusted by Abhijata and feeling the effects of the adjustment long after in my practice.

Photo credit: Iyengar Yoga UK

I am fortunate to have a very supportive wife and son, who make space and time for me to engage in my yoga practices at home or in a studio. As the weekend of 4^th May began and I turned on the computer and set up my mat and props. There was some sadness when I saw so many of my old yoga buddies in the video at the convention this year as I felt that I would have loved to be there to connect with the community. However, I was grateful for the opportunity to take part in the teaching and what a wonderful weekend it was. 

Abhijata’s teaching was insightful and fully grounded in the reality of our lives and needs. She took so many opportunities to connect with the students in front of her, that it felt like we were being invited into her front room as a colleague and co-practitioner. She listened, she watched, she shared her experience, without ever seeming arrogant or judgemental. Every instruction was given with generosity and strong will. Even though I was practicing online, I felt her voice penetrating my body and the beautifully sequenced lessons brought back awareness where I had forgotten it existed. Once of my key take-aways was the reminder that the only way to combat stiffness is through movement. Sometimes we get too static in Iyengar Yoga practice and the presentation can mask what is actually going on in the body. Abhi’s teaching, whether in the standing poses or in baddhakonasana and padmasana reminded me to work with the body, for the body before working with the body for the mind. 

It was also a pleasure to listen to the Q&A sessions with Abhijata. I enjoyed her ability to turn the questions around and reflect them back at us. She didn’t give any simplistic answers but offered ideas and suggestions based on her experience. As a teacher myself, I respect this skill and appreciate her willingness to have a conversation that opens the subject up. 

In the coming month I will be returning to the recordings and re-visiting the rich teaching that occurred during this convention in my home city. Even though I wasn’t there in person, I felt like I was a part of it. Thank you to all involved and especially to Abhijata!

In August 2023, my family and I moved to Lisbon in Portugal to start a new chapter in our lives. It all happened very quickly and after our wedding in June, we had two months to pack up our flat in London, find somewhere to live in Portugal, say goodbye to our friends and families and jump on a flight out here! It was most definitely up there as one of the most stressful and intense periods of my life and we are still getting over the shock of that initial upheaval. I started a new job in September so had very little time to think about it as there was so much to learn and deal with, and most of it happening in a new language.

I think I can say that we are now beginning to feel a little less overwhelmed and with Spring around the corner, we are starting to enjoy the many joys that our new home has to offer. Lisbon is a beautifully located city on the edge of the Atlantic ocean and with so many hills and incredible views, we are now getting our bearings. We live in Costa da Caparica, a beach town on the southern side of the river Tagus, about 20 minutes from Lisbon by car, train or ferry. It’s a popular spot for those seeking good surf, nice restaurants and beautiful sunset views over the Atlantic and we have come to love our little home by the sea.

Teaching yoga online has been a great way for me to stay connected with my teaching practice, and to keep in touch with my long term students in the UK. My visits to some of the Iyengar yoga studios in Lisbon have given me some insight into the local studios and helped me to meet some of the yoga community based over here. It’s a truly international place and although the majority of the people we encounter day to day are local Portuguese speakers, there are many ex-pats from all over the world so you never feel alone.

I have to also mention how incredible the food is out here! The biggest challenge has been to limit my intake of delicious pastel de nata and various other pastries. We regularly take the ferry over to Belem which is the home of the pastel de nata as well as some incredible historic sites and IMO the best botanic garden in Lisbon. 

Next Monday 21st June is the International Day of Yoga and I will be celebrating this on Sunday 20th with a special class on Zoom. 

We’ll be working through a sequence designed by Geeta Iyengar for the first International Day of Yoga in 2015. Please join me on Sunday at 10.30am at the usual time. 
Looking forward to seeing you! 

Please use the following link for Sunday and Tuesday classes:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9896256749

Meeting ID: 989 625 6749

Sundays 10.30am – 12.00pm – £10 – All Levels/GeneralWith best wishes fromGuy 
www.yogawithguy.com
instagram: @yogawithguybfacebook: /yoga.guy.54

I’m pleased to be taking part in a great initiative to make yoga more accessible to students.

From this Wednesday 20th January I will be teaching a new class at 5pm-6pm aimed at University and College students, but open to all. These classes have been organised by Iyengar Yoga teachers in the UK.

The price for students is only £3 per class or £10 for 4 classes and the classes take place on Zoom. If you know anyone at university at the moment who would enjoy an introduction to Iyengar Yoga, please do forward these details on to them. And feel free to come along yourself!

More details here

Hello!

Please take some time to fill in the questionnaire about my classes!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdApfUq4SMOlvs-5hckznntxHG-EE0y474Tcx7HEAxBhzsMAQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Namaste

Guy

Hello friends,

I believe that yoga can only be learned through practice and experience, and it is difficult to assess progress and set goals in terms of ability to perform asanas and pranayamas. My honest opinion is that once qualified, teachers should become part of a community of teachers (where possible) who regularly support each other as they progress with the help of senior teachers. I am fortunate to have a community like this in London but it often feels that it is quite closed and not inclusive.

I am a school teacher by profession, and work in state education in London, where teachers are regularly observed by peers and targets are set to develop skills based on what is needed. I feel that there needs to be a more collaborative approach to developing already certified teachers, rather than an assessment model. I have felt tremendous pressure and stress through my last two assessments and don’t really feel like they contributed to a greater depth of understanding or had a positive impact on my life. I agree that the first stage of certification needs to be assessed. However, I think that after this initial stage, we should all be working together to develop our knowledge, skills and understanding of yoga rather than maintaining a pass/fail culture.

I was greatly inspired by Geeta Iyengar’s work and books as a trainee teacher and loved her approach and insight, in being able to break down learning the asanas into stages. I believe that as teachers, this is a vital part of our job. If we are to continue to just plough through a massive syllabus of asanas and build our egos with what we can perform, we will lose touch with new students and those who want to be introduced to the subject will go elsewhere. In my experience as a teacher of Iyengar Yoga, students are in need of a more simple, step by step breakdown of instruction. This needs to be taught by trainers and mentors and can be done through a small range of asanas. The beauty of the previous syllabi were that many of the asanas would come up again and again to encourage a new approach and a greater depth of understanding within the same asana.

I also believe that Pranayama should have a greater focus in the future and that this should be reflected in teacher development. So many teachers neglect to teach pranayama and have little understanding of Light on Pranayama, when it is such a vital aspect of what BKS Iyengar taught. Why is it not encouraged more? Again I am fortunate to have had teachers who have an excellent knowledge of pranayama and were able to share some of this with me. I think that Pranayama seems to be tagged on to the end of a syllabus without much care or thought about how it should be done. Yet, for me this is the key to a huge treasure that is being ignored.

Last month I took my Junior Intermediate Level 2 assessment in the Iyengar Yoga teaching system. It was an intense day of practice and teaching in front of 3 senior teachers and with students that I had never seen before. Unfortunately I didn’t pass this time but was given some clear feedback to work with. Initially I felt quite angry and dejected and it brought up insecurities about not being a “good enough” teacher. On reflection, I think it is more to do with how comfortable I felt in my role as an Iyengar Yoga teacher on that day. I’ve been teaching now for about 6 years and in that time have had many different challenges in my teaching practice. Not least the challenge of constantly asking myself whether my students are making progress in their practice.

How do you see whether your students are progressing? Is it about how well they follow instructions? Is it about whether they can stay in headstand for longer? For me, I look at whether my students are growing in confidence in their asana practice. Are they able to penetrate more deeply in a shorter amount of time? We may only work on 3 or 4 asanas in some classes but in some depth. Iyengar yoga is known for the amount of scaffolding and detailed instruction given to help you achieve the benefits of the asanas. However, surely we should be aiming to help students work from within to develop an internal understanding of the practice?

In London there are countless yoga classes, countless yoga teachers and “styles” available. There are some days when it feels like a challenge to even convince people that it’s worthwhile doing a good shoulderstand. I know that I will continue to grow as a teacher and am fortunate to have a great teacher who offers regular teacher development opportunities. Next time I face an assessment, hopefully I will have a bit more steadiness and will feel more comfortable in my role as an Iyengar Yoga teacher.