Julie on Sabbatical for the Summer Term

Julie is taking a well-deserved sabbatical for Summer term.

Recently she spent a week enjoying the excitement and delights of New York City with her husband Michael. Enjoyments all: yoga classes at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of New York, impromptu opera in Central Park, street pianos, walking the High Line (Manhattan's mile-and-a-half-long elevated park), amazing culinary delights, a Broadway play and of course MoMA and the Met. The rest of the time was spent just walking, walking, walking.

Julie will resume her full schedule of classes in the Fall term.

Iyengar Yoga Certified Teachers’ Convention in Portland — A huge success!

Brilliant, welcoming, superbly organized…these are just some of the words used by the participants to describe the U.S. Iyengar Yoga Association’s certified teachers’ convention, which was held here in Portland this past May.

Certified Iyengar Yoga teachers from all over the world attended this year's much anticipated convention on Iyengar Yoga therapeutics. Almost 20% of the participants were from other countries. Among the countries represented were: Argentina, Bermuda, Brazil, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, South Africa, and many countries in Europe.

Each morning the 500 teachers gathered for class at the Oregon Convention Center. In these classes, Geeta Iyengar addressed many aspects of therapeutic yoga. Her clear and precise course for the convention methodically took us from the ground up. We are eternally grateful to Geeta and the Iyengars for sharing the depth of their knowledge, devotion and generosity with us. It is our privilege to personally explore their work in our practice and pass it on to our students.

A warm thank you to the many students who volunteered their time. The teamwork of all the volunteers together with the organizers, helped make this convention run seamlessly. The feedback that we received consistently highlighted the feeling of a strong Iyengar Yoga community, camaraderie, dedication and the feeling of family that was present at this event.

Call for Volunteers

In May, Portland is hosting Reflection, the Iyengar Yoga Certified Teachers' Convention. We need volunteers for a variety of jobs before, during and after the convention. There is a sign up sheet with a full list of volunteer positions at JLYC. Or visit the convention website for more details.

Benefit Class for Mercy Corps Haiti Relief Effort

On Saturday, January 30, Julie Lawrence taught a class to benefit the work that Mercy Corps is doing in Haiti. Mercy Corps is focusing on the immediate humanitarian needs on the ground such as water, food, temporary shelter, supplies and much more. As the most basic needs are met, Mercy Corps’ response team will transition from relief to long-term rebuilding and recovery efforts. This seemed to be a cause well worth supporting. 100% of the class fees were donated to Mercy Corps.

To quote BKS Iyengar, “My body is my temple, the asanas, my prayers.” On that day, students used their bodies to express the prayers and vision of their hearts for the people of Haiti – that they might find even some small measure of relief and peace from suffering.

The theme was balance, that point of middle ground between chaos and stagnation. Balance is that point that minimizes the negatives of both extremes. It is born of stability and mobility. (Is this beginning to sound familiar?) It was an afternoon of balance poses, intention and quite a bit of laughter.

We ended with a healing light meditation that we sent out into the world and especially to Haiti.

There is an African proverb that is the story of a hummingbird that sees all the jungle animals fleeing a fire. The hummingbird races to the river, picks up a drop of water, and carries it to the fire. Time and time again. The animals ask, what exactly do you think you are doing? The hummingbird answers, whatever I can.

Congratulations to student Amy Duncan

JLYC extends congratulations to Amy, Duncan, long time JLYC student, for passing her Teacher in Training Iyengar Yoga assessment. We wish her many joyful years of teaching.

B.K.S. Iyengar in the News

“B.K.S. Iyengar at 90” is the lead article in the current issue of the journal Parabola. In this interview conducted in India by Annie Schliffer, B.K.S. Iyengar speaks about the path of yoga, his current daily yoga practice and how the eight limbs of yoga are foundational to the practice. Remarkable photographs of his practice accompany the article. Parabola editor, Jeff Zaleski, remarks that B.K.S. Iyengar is a living testament to the potential benefits of finding and following a true spiritual path.

JLYC Nominated for Willamette Week’s “Best of Portland”

Thanks to all of our students who voted us “the best of Portland” in Willamette Week’s 2009 reader poll.

New Book by B.K.S. Iyengar

B.K.S. Iyengar has a beautiful new book, Yoga Wisdom & Practice. It is available for purchase at JLYC.

A practical and inspiring anthology, it offers B.K.S. Iyengar’s insights into yoga, life and the path to peace and happiness. Yoga practice lies at the heart of the book and it is illustrated with more than 60 asanas shown step by step. Through B.K.S. Iyengar’s wise words, we learn how yoga can help us face the many challenges of modern life, have compassion for ourselves and others and cultivate true inner peace.

JLYC Bids Jane Carlsen Farewell

Spring is Jane Carlsen’s last term of teaching at JLYC. It is with both sadness and understanding that we say good-bye. She has decided she wants to have more time for all that her life encompasses.

Jane is director of First Street Yoga in Newberg. As a member of the JLYC faculty, she has always been generous with her ideas, articulate in her discussion of vital topics and ready with creative ideas for our consideration. She has been a committed supporter of our scholarship fund.

We hope to continue to see Jane in classes and workshops at JLYC and wish her the best.

Julie Lawrence quoted in a New York Times article that appeared April 9

Bonding With Their Downward-Facing Human
By Bethany Lyttle

In Chicago, Kristyn Caliendo does forward-bends with a Jack Russell terrier draped around her neck. In Manhattan, Grace Yang strikes a warrior pose while balancing a Shih Tzu on her thigh. And in Seattle, Chantale Stiller-Anderson practices an asana that requires side-stretching across a 52-pound vizsla.

Call it a yogic twist: Downward-facing dog is no longer just for humans.

Ludicrous? Possibly. Grist for anyone who thinks that dog-owners have taken yoga too far? Perhaps. But nationwide, classes of doga — yoga with dogs, as it is called — are increasing in number and popularity. Since Ms. Caliendo, a certified yoga instructor in Chicago, began to teach doga less than one year ago, her classes have doubled in size.

Not everyone in the yoga community is comfortable with this.

“Doga runs the risk of trivializing yoga by turning a 2,500-year-old practice into a fad,” said Julie Lawrence, 60, a yoga instructor and studio owner in Portland, Ore. “To live in harmony with all beings, including dogs, is a truly yogic principle. But yoga class may not be the most appropriate way to express this.”

Appropriate or not, this is how it works: Doga combines massage and meditation with gentle stretching for dogs and their human partners. In chaturanga, dogs sit with their front paws in the air while their human partners provide support. In an “upward-paw pose,” or sun salutation, owners lift dogs onto their hind legs. In a resting pose, the person reclines, with legs slightly bent over the dog’s torso, bolster-style, to relieve pressure on the spine.

Doga instructors are not required to complete certification, though teacher training seminars do exist, like ones taught by Brenda Bryan, 43, a yoga and doga instructor in Seattle who has just written a book on the subject. In general, instructors learn informally by sharing techniques. Guiding these techniques is an agreed-upon, though not officially stated, philosophy: Because dogs are pack animals, they are a natural match for yoga’s emphasis on union and connection with other beings.

Ms. Yang, 39, a financial analyst in Manhattan, has gone to doga classes for more than a year. Though she says that her 10-pound Shih Tzu, Sophie, has helped deepen her stretches by providing extra weight, the main reason she goes is to bond with her dog. “I always leave with a smile,” she said.

Such post-doga smiles run about $15 to $25 a class. Whether this is a bargain or overpriced depends on how — and why — the class is taught. Paula Apro, 40, of Eastford, Conn., owner of an online yoga retail store, tried a class near her home last summer.

“A stuffed animal — but not even a dog-shaped stuffed animal — was used by the instructor,” she said. Owners struggled to get their very real dogs to replicate the stuffed-animal poses, she said, and bags of treats were used to get the dogs to change positions. “It was lunacy,” Ms. Apro recalled. “Peanuts, my retired racer greyhound, didn’t participate at all. Instead, I did downward-facing dog while he ate the most treats he’s ever had in a 60-minute period.”

Ms. Caliendo said such tales are the exception. She offers her class in conjunction with the Royal Treatment Veterinary Spa in Chicago, which specializes in holistic animal care. “In no way is doga for teaching dogs silly tricks,” she said. “The dogs are never manipulated into any type of pose.”

Ms. Caliendo’s classes focus on poses and massage for dogs aimed at improving digestion and heart function, and poses for people that emphasize stress reduction and feeling well.

Ms. Bryan, the author in Seattle, said: “It’s a new field so there can be confusion about what doga is and isn’t.” Her classes are loosely structured and filled with humor. “Who cares if everybody’s facing the same direction and doing exactly the same thing?” she said. “Besides, laughing is spiritual.”

Ms. Bryan said some of her earliest classes were a challenge. “I was brand new to this, and in one class, this dog just wouldn’t stop barking,” she said. “There I was, trying desperately to look tranquil and calm, but inside I was, like, ‘Shut up!’ That was the turning point for me. I mean, this was a dog. Plus, he was having the best time of his life.”

Kari Harendorf, 38, teaches doga in Manhattan. “Jobs are disappearing,” she said. “Mortgage payments are looming. Change is everywhere, but your dog remains steadfast. So, why not spend time together?”

Ms. Harendorf links yoga to reductions in stress hormones, like cortisol, and blood pressure. “People always ask me, ‘Do dogs need yoga?’ ” she said. “I say, ‘No, you need yoga. But your dog needs your attention, and bonding with your pet is good for your health.’ ”

She is saying something many dog owners already know: Were it not for their pets, many people would never take daily walks in the park. By extension, it’s easy to see how taking your dog to doga may be a surefire way to make certain you do yoga yourself.

Geeta Iyengar Coming To Portland

The Iyengar Yoga National Association of the US will hold its next convention in Portland, May 12-16, 2010.

Geeta Iyengar, daughter of Shri BKS Iyengar, has accepted the invitation to be the honored guest and to share the genius of her teaching. Since she has never been to Oregon, we hope to offer her many opportunities to experience the natural beauty of Portland and the Pacific Northwest.

The convention will be open to all IYNAUS Certified Teachers and those who have passed the Teacher in Training level assessment.

There will be many opportunities for Northwest area students and teachers to volunteer. Think about what you would most enjoy doing to help. As the time gets closer, we will put out calls for volunteers and ask that you contact us at that time. For students, volunteering for this event is a great opportunity for you to participate in the larger Iyengar Yoga community.

Mark your calendar now!