Joan White, who teaches Iyengar Yoga in Philadelphia and holds an Advanced Junior I teaching certification began studying with B.K.S. Iyengar in 1973. Now she is coming back to Berlin and will share her knowledge in a workshop at the Iyengar Yoga Zentrum Berlin on March 30-31!
In one of her recent interviews, Joan shared her reflects on her time studying with the B.K.S. Iyengar. As a preview to the upcoming workshop in Berlin we have some excerpts of the interview.. The full interview can be read @yogajournal
What made B.K.S. Iyengar exceptional as a teacher?
JW: He could see instantly if people got it or not. He would come up with another way to say things. That became one of the hallmarks of his teaching, that ability to never say the same thing twice. I studied with him for 41 years and in those years he never repeated himself one moment to the next. He always talked to the people in front of him. He said you have to teach from the known to the unknown. In the early years, he used to end every class with us saying, “May today’s maximum be tomorrows’ minimum.”
Iyengar's Legacy: Yoga is for Everyone, Every Body
JW: He’s left us the idea that you can take a philosophical text like the Bhagavad Gita or the Yoga Sutras and you can work, using the physical body to achieve the results that are described in these texts. His legacy is that you can find means within yourself through self-study to take yourself as far towards God or the Self or the soul as you are willing to go, if you are wiling to do the work. The other important thing in his legacy is that yoga is for everyone, every body, not just a chosen few. It doesn’t make any difference if you’re ill or infirm because there are ways for you to still experience the benefits of these poses and the benefits of your own intuitive self knowledge. He never put down other people – we are all doing yoga. Everybody has to find their way.
March 30-31, 2019
Saturday, 12 – 6 pm
Sunday, 12 – 4pm
Price: €190
Registration: info@iyzb.de
Images:
Joan White Yoga | http://www.joanwhiteyoga.com/
Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) | http://bksiyengar.com/default.asp