Events

Yorkshire is fortunate enought to have a vibrant Iyengar Yoga community and there are events organised almost every month by the two associations; Bradford and District  Iyengar Yoga Institute (BDIYI) and the Sheffield and District Iyengar yoga Association(SADIYA). There are also events nationwide listed on the national iyengar yoga website, you can click through to them here

Future Events

I have no special events currently planned. For other local and national events in the meantime go to:

www.iyengaryoga.org.uk

Recent and Memorable Events

This is not a comprehensive list by any means, it simply covers events either that I have lead or that I have found especially interesting or enjoyable.

January 2012

BDIYI Yoga Day with Alan Brown (local senior teacher)

The focus of this rewarding day was the link between an idea from yoga philosphy (koshas) and our physical practice of yoga asana (poses). We were constantly reminded throughout the teaching to remain focussed on the moment to moment experience in a pose. Not to be overcome with desire to reach an imagined 'end point' of an impossible 'perfect' pose!

(Here is a link to some further information about Koshas - This is not a specific reference from Alan, this is just one I have found to be useful on the subject)

September 2011

Firooza Ali workshop (Senior teacher from India)

I was lucky enough to have been taught by Firooza in 2010 when she visited Sheffield. That visit was so much talked about that she came back in 2011 and lead a number of workshops including a 2 day workshop in Saltaire which I attended.

Firooza is an inspiring teacher who brings reality to the phrase in the Yoga Sutras; 'Yoga is effortless effort'. Watching her demonstrate and talk at length in prolonged holds of headstand and challenging backbends was wonderful. Her theme was yoga as the link between the inner and outer body and months later I am still finding freshness in the ideas that she brought.

July 2010

Relaxation and Pranayama 

Lead by Jo Cook we took 2.5 hours to focus on relaxation and breath. Our breath is a gift that we can use at any time to help us to find calm and quiet but this is a skill that has to be learned and comes more and more easily with practice. We will began with poses to help the body open and release and them moved onto beginners pranayama and guided awareness of the movement of the breath in the body. There will be follow up workshops in the future.

Feb 2010
Sheffield Yoga Centre
Asanas for healthy knees

Another excellent workshop at the Sheffield Yoga Centre, it approached knees from a different angle - by looking at hips! Or more specifically by looking in detail at the muscles within the hips that often hold this joint tight and therefore make the knee overwork. Very insightful and thought provoking, as so often in yoga, made me aware of parts of my body I never even knew existed!

August 2009
Sheffield Yoga Centre
Yoga Summer School with Frances Homewood
Frances is simply a wonderful, inspirational, yoga teacher and this summer school was a chance to take time out from the hustle bustle of daily life and immerse ourselves in our yoga. There was particular focus on self study and awareness which produced some intense and deep feelings but I emerged, blinking, into the day light, feeling rejuvenated and happy.