Greetings from the southern latitudes of the IYAUM region!
I hope that you’ve enjoyed spring and a sense of renewal that comes with shedding winter layers and getting outdoors into the garden-or wherever your interests take you.
We survived the Covid Winter of 2020, and now seems like a good time to imagine how IYAUM could grow. The Minneapolis and Saint Paul lyengar Yoga community has for decades served as the nucleus and driving force for our region. Looking forward, the IYAUM Board is committed to fostering an expanded sense of belonging and engagement by reaching beyond the borders of the Twin Cities.
Ours is a vast geographical area, extending to Western Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota. Zoom has helped us bridge this gap, and it will be a great resource for our future workshops and events. We hope to start sponsoring yearly member retreats where we can come together for study, practice and camaraderie. In fact, we're in the planning stage for a regional weekend residential retreat in Spring 2022.If you’re a member from the “outskirts” outside of the Twin Cities, please consider becoming involved. Contact us for volunteer opportunities, such as becoming a board member or joining one of our committees. Help us plan for a more inclusive future. Nancy Footner, CIYT
Vice President, IYAUM Board of Directors
Director, Friendship Yoga
Iowa City, Iowa |
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Khara Hesse (She/Her) Home: Minneapolis, Minnesota Years with Iyengar Yoga: About 5 Fun fact: I’m a climber, and I teach restorative yoga at a climbing gym. I’m also studying Couple and Family Therapy in grad school at St. Mary’s University. What change would you like to see in the Iyengar Yoga community? Greater acceptance of students' individual relationships with their yoga practice. |
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While working the front desk at a fitness studio I met Shannyn Joy Potter, who taught Iyengar Yoga there. I had never heard of this type of yoga, but I enjoyed the focus on form and alignment and the educational nature of classes. Two years later, I started teacher training with William Prottengeier. That’s when I really dove into Iyengar Yoga. Part of the reason I chose to complete teacher training was to challenge myself to overcome stage fright and develop confidence in speaking in front of people. Teacher training did help me with that, but also, through that experience, yoga became a very impactful and important part of my life. I’m studying to be a therapist, so I come to yoga practice with a mental health mindset. I practice for physical, mental and emotional self-care. My yoga journey has intertwined with my mental health journey, providing many opportunities for growth. Mindfulness has been the most transformational aspect, changing my internal landscape. In the past I’ve faced internal challenges around my own expectations of what I should be able to do. Sometimes I’ve forced by body to do things that don’t feel good, haven’t rested when I’m tired, or have shamed myself for not successfully doing challenging poses. I’m learning that this can be a form of violence against myself, and have been working on self-acceptance. Some of these messages and expectations have come from external pressures, specifically within the yoga communities. In the Iyengar Yoga community, I have heard strict messages of what my home practice should be. For example, practicing every day for at least an hour, plus at least 20 minutes of meditation. In the fitness yoga community, there is pressure to perform challenging arm and hand balances and to be thin and very flexible. I can say that right now, I rarely have 1.5 hours a day to practice yoga, and while I enjoy arm balances, they aren't a big priority for me. That doesn’t mean I’m not a practitioner or not good enough to be a teacher, and it has taken me a while to realize that. I’ve found comfort and growth in allowing my practice to evolve with what resonates and works for me. I would like to see yoga communities let go of these expectations and standards by which we measure practitioners, and instead, value and validate each individual's unique relationship with their practice. Part of this is understanding that different styles of yoga resonate with different individuals. I enjoy other styles of yoga, but at times I’ve sensed judgement from within the Iyengar community for practicing them. Part of why I study Iyengar Yoga is to improve my form, so I can practice safely at home and in other classes. It’s an important foundation for practicing any kind of yoga, one that I think many in the fitness yoga community would enjoy and appreciate. I also think that if we imply students must choose between Iyengar Yoga and all other styles of yoga, we end up excluding students from our community. I know that diversity, equity and inclusion are important to Iyengar Yoga practitioners, and I believe that addressing these types of exclusionary messages is one way to create a more inclusive community. |
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Supta Baddha Koṇāsana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose, with support) By Tiffany Bergin, CIYT |
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“Supta” means reclined, “baddha” bound or fixed and “koṇa” angle. This āsana is a favorite of mine, as well as my students, for its many benefits. We allow many areas of the body to expand while reclining in this pose, and with the added support of props, we can release at a deep level. Widening the legs provides suppleness in the hips and pelvic area. The base of the spine is grounded, allowing the abdomen to soften and receive more blood flow. The chest is lifted and spread, promoting beneficial circulation for the heart. The nerves, mind, and throat quiet down. The brain’s energy can diffuse into the body as we stay in the pose and drop into stillness. While teaching, I tend to sequence this āsana near the end of a class to help students settle down or prepare for Prānāyāma. In my own practice, I often take this pose in bed before I fall asleep. It soothes the abdomen and is a proven savior during menses. Although Supta Baddha Koṇāsana is a backward extension, I’ve found that when we use support, the brain quiets, as it often does in forward bends. Instructions: Set up a bolster or folded blankets to support the length of the spine, and a blanket for the head. Have blocks or blankets to support the outer upper thighs. You can use a belt to support the legs, or place the toes at a wall so the feet don’t slide. Sit on the floor in Daṇdāsana in front of the bolster so that it meets your buttocks. Bend at the knee and bring each foot in for Baddha Koṇāsana (soles of the feet together). If using a strap, make a large loop and bring it over the head, neck and below the waist (near the sacrum). The belt will rest along the inner groin with the loop placed under the feet. Secure the belt (not too tight), ensuring the buckle is not touching the skin. Use your arms to help you lie back evenly on the bolster. Release the flesh of the buttocks away from the waist. Adjust the blanket for your head to ensure the head is not tipping back. Allow the chest to open and rest with the palms facing the ceiling. Use the arms to help you up, release the legs and sit in Daṇdāsana.
Tiffany teaches online classes and private yoga sessions. Her schedule can be found at justbealigned.com. References: Iyengar, B.K.S. The Path to Holistic Health. Penguin Random House, 2014. Iyengar, Geeta. Yoga a Gem for Women. Timeless Books, 2002. Iyengar, Geeta. Yoga in Action: Intermediate Course I. YOG Mumbai, 2013. |
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Suffering: Redemption or Disease? By Joy Laine, CIYT |
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heyaṁ duḥkham anāgatam The pains which are yet to come can be and are to be avoided (II.16).[1] Last month we looked at Patañjali’s diagnosis in II.15 that human existence is pervaded by suffering. Having emphasized that life is inextricably bound up with suffering, it may seem in II.16 as though Patañjali swings from an overly pessimistic worldview to one that is overly optimistic. Patañjali tells us that future suffering is avoidable, and hence the proper response to duẖkha is to avoid it—if we can avoid suffering, the implication is that we should. This idea may seem Pollyannaish, for surely it is an escapist fantasy to believe that embodied humans could exist free of suffering. In addition, we may think that suffering plays a complicated role in our lives, that its presence may sometimes be necessary for achieving a greater good. Consisting of just three Sanskrit words, II.16 provides us with a powerful and ongoing prompt to think about the role of suffering in our lives. In order to properly understand the challenges of Patañjali’s response in II.16, we should look at each element in Patañjali’s claim separately: (i) that we can avoid future suffering, and (ii) that we should avoid future suffering. Can we avoid suffering? Certainly, it would seem that much of our suffering is unnecessary and within our ability to control. People can get quite unhappy over phenomena that are insignificant (in the grand scheme of things)—a small scratch on a new car, a delayed flight, the bridesmaids’ dresses made in the wrong shade of green, not getting the table you wanted at the restaurant, and so forth. We can literally make ourselves ill fretting over such things. Even though we may not be able to prevent the occurrence of these kinds of minor irritations, we can change our attitude towards them to one of acceptance, thereby avoiding much unnecessary suffering. We would therefore agree with Patañjali that this kind of suffering can and should be avoided. Yet even with these small inconveniences, it may not be so easy to let them go by. Sometimes we require some kind of jolt to give us back a reasonable perspective on life. Even so, these types of challenges can be considered the “easy” suffering—we just need a change of heart, a wider perspective on life, something like yoga to keep us calm and make us stoic. With a little bit of work, we can imagine and wish for ourselves a life free of this kind of suffering. Common sense tells us that we can and should avoid suffering of this caliber. But this leaves a remnant of “hard” suffering which isn’t so easily relinquished. In addition to natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes, disease, old age and death are forms of suffering that are largely beyond our ability to control, and hence avoid. We are unable to prevent those events that are at the heart of some of our profoundest suffering. If we interpret Patañjali as saying that such events and their accompaniments of despair can be avoided, then this is a difficult message to absorb. Is Patañjali engaging in supernatural thinking—that old age, disease and death are somehow unreal? Or that events after death will somehow put everything to rights? Or alternatively, Patañjali may be teaching that although we cannot prevent these events from occurring, we can become immune to them: we can change our response to them so they no longer cause us to suffer. Maybe one possible way to interpret Patañjali, therefore, is that through training, specifically through the practice of yoga, we can transcend our human condition and become beings capable of enduring disease, death and other causes of deep despair without suffering. Should we avoid suffering? In addition to doubting the possibility that we can avoid future suffering, we might also want to question the second part of Patañjali’s proposal, that we should avoid future suffering. At first sight this seems to be less problematic than the claim that we can avoid future suffering. We may readily agree that if there is any suffering that we can avoid, then we should surely do so. Yet surprisingly, this second claim is particularly challenging, because although it might seem an initially attractive option, it is actually hard to envisage a life free of suffering that we would willingly embrace. This is because there are things in life we consider essential, but they can be achieved only if we are prepared to undergo some suffering. For example, most mothers would say that the pain of childbirth is worth the joy of having a child. If someone chooses to avoid the suffering involved in pregnancy and childbirth by not becoming pregnant in the first place, then she might lose out on a greater good, the joy that comes from being a parent. It’s not therefore clear that we would necessarily seek a life devoid of all suffering. On the other hand, perhaps the joy of being a parent isn’t as great as it’s made out to be. Our children often bring us considerable suffering and disappointment, and our children will also face disease, old age and death. Although it might be true that our children, spouses and parents are a major source of suffering, it might also be true that such suffering is the price for experiencing a greater good, the joy of loving and being loved. I could live the life of a recluse, avoiding all forms of human intimacy in order to avoid the inevitable pain involved in such relationships. This path was attempted by some yogis who renounced their social entanglements with the world in an attempt to escape the inevitable suffering that accompanies human intimacy. Many of us would consider that too high a price to pay. We’d rather live a life rich in warm, loving human relationships, despite the price that we must pay in suffering. Therefore, it’s not clear that we would seek a life devoid of all suffering. There may be things that one can only achieve by accepting an element of suffering as a means to an end. At the very least, living a life in which the prime motivation is the avoidance of suffering seems to be a fearful strategy, leading to an impoverished and timid existence. There are two different responses to suffering. First, there are those who may accept the presence of suffering in their lives as a means to an end, but regret that life is like this—that good things in life come with some cost. Let us call those who hold this view “regretters.” If regretters could achieve their goals without having to suffer, then they would do so. If I could have a child without the pain of childbirth, etc. then so much the better. In contrast, there are those who see some intrinsic value in suffering and would not choose a life totally devoid of suffering, even if such a life were possible. Let us call those who hold this view “redeemers.” For redeemers, the presence of suffering required to achieve some of life’s goals isn’t always a cause for regret, but can actually contribute to the value of the experience. Consider running a marathon. It inevitably involves considerable hardship, but the hardship is precisely why some take on this challenge. How many marathoners would be attracted to the idea of a suffering-free marathon? The suffering seems to be part of the experience, what makes it valuable and worthwhile to those who undertake it. We believe that in such cases, the suffering builds our character and makes us better persons, or that the suffering is a demonstration of our strength and endurance. It is because of the pain involved that marathon runners feel such a sense of achievement, and it is because of the pain involved that the rest of us congratulate them for their achievement. Most of us believe that life contains an element of suffering that is necessary and worthwhile, allowing us to develop virtues like perseverance, courage etc. A life without hardship would be a life without challenge, dull and unsatisfying. Furthermore, for those whose lives are already sad, for those who suffer from depression, for example, it may be important to find value in their suffering in order to give it meaning. This is the view of the redeemer, someone who sees some redemptive value in suffering. It is at the heart of traditions such as Christianity. One last worry about a suffering-free life is that we might lose our very humanity in the quest to avoid all suffering. What kind of creatures would we be if we were no longer subject to human emotions such as grief at the loss of a loved one? To be human is to have the capacity to suffer. It is through our own suffering that our compassion for others is strengthened. When we are going through a difficult time, we often seek out those who have experienced our specific form of suffering. Someone who has lost a child to cancer, for example, may seek out others who have suffered a similar tragedy in the belief that they will be fully capable of understanding the pain involved. B.K.S. Iyengar, writing from his own experience, tells us that, “when you have known pain, you will be more compassionate. Shared joys cannot teach us this.”[2] Even if it were possible to cultivate a mind that was immune to suffering, it might be that in pursuing such a mind we lose our humanity. For example, would we want to parent a child whilst remaining immune to our child’s sufferings? Would we want to live in such a cold, aloof place? Anaxagoras, a well-known figure in Stoicism, responded on hearing of his son’s death, “I was already aware that I had begotten a mortal.”[3] Is he to be admired or deplored for his apparent immunity to normal human emotions? Suffering as disease Suffering can be thought of in different ways, and how we think about it will influence our attitude towards it. At the very heart of Patañjali’s view of suffering, and hence at the very heart of the teachings contained in the Yoga Sūtras, is his understanding of suffering as a disease. Because Patañjali views suffering through the lens of disease, this sets his basic responses to the problem of suffering within the medical paradigm. A first consequence of viewing suffering as a disease is that, although widespread, suffering is not intrinsic to the human condition. For Patañjali, suffering is an illness, an aberration from a state of health. As is the case with any disease, a cure is potentially possible and desirable. Patañjali composed the Yoga Sūtras as a therapeutic manual, a guide for the individual practitioner seeking health and wholeness. A second consequence of viewing suffering as a disease is that when Patañjali poses the question, “Why do we suffer?” he is looking for a causal, factual explanation rather than a moral or theological justification. The particularity of Patañjali’s approach to suffering, as one among a range of possibilities, can be better appreciated by setting it against other approaches. For example, in the Christian tradition, suffering is viewed more as a theological problem. When a Christian theologian asks, “Why do we suffer?” she is not asking a medical or factual question in the spirit of seeking a cure, but rather, she is posing a theological question. If our cosmos was made by a loving and powerful God, why would such a God cause us to experience so much suffering in our life? The problem of suffering in this context is the problem of attempting to reconcile the ubiquity and reality of suffering in the world with a belief in a powerful, loving God. This is not Patañjali’s problem. He is asking the question in the same spirit as a doctor would ask the question, “Why does your body ache?” or “Why is your knee swollen?” Like any good doctor, Patañjali’s mission isn’t to judge, rationalize, or justify, but to heal. Unlike the medical doctor however, Patañjali isn’t looking for specific cures for specific ailments but, rather, one generic explanation and cure for all human suffering. What is Patañjali’s vision for a life free of suffering? This will be our topic for next time and it will take us to the heart of yoga metaphysics and psychology. Joy Laine teaches philosophy at Macalester College and Iyengar Yoga around the Twin Cities. References - Translation by B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on the Yoga Sūtras.
- B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life, p. 52.
- Phillip Mitsis, “Stoicism” in Shields, Christopher, editor. The Blackwell Guide to Ancient Philosophy, p.254. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2003 Oxford UK Cicero’s Tusculan Disputations 3.30.3.
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SAVE THE DATE Sunday, July 25th is IYAUM Yoga Day, a celebration of Guru Purnima. Let's come together to celebrate our Guru and renew our sangha community. - This event will be both in-person and live stream via Zoom.
- CIYT Katy Olson will lead us in an āsana class to achieve ease in back extensions.
- We request that all in-person attendees be fully vaccinated.
COST: Free to all IYAUM members, $20 to non-members, $10 for IYNAUS members of other associations, $10 suggested donation for Zoom LOCATION: Brookview Golf Course in Golden Valley, MN SCHEDULE: 11:30am to 1:00pm: Āsana class, & 1:00 to 2:00pm: Reception with hors d'oeuvres DETAILS: Attendees will need to bring their own props ( 1 mat, 1–2 blankets, 1 block, 1 belt). Registration coming soon! |
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2021 IYAUM Board of Directors President: Nancy Marcy Vice President: Nancy Footner Treasurer: Julie Sybrant Secretary: Katharine Wood Membership: Bethany Valentini Media & Communications: Shannyn Joy Potter IYAUM Liaison to IYNAUS: Susan Johnson Contact: iyengaryogaaum@gmail.com IYAUM Committee Newsletter Editor: Irene Alderson Visuals: Shannyn Joy Potter Contact: news@iyaum.org Iyengar Yoga Association of the Upper Midwest P.O. Box 582381 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55458 |
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