Book Review - Yoga for Breast Care

Yoga for Breast Care - What Every Women Needs to Know is written and illustrated by Bobby Clennell.

She has taught Iyengar Yoga for over 30 years and her and her husband have spent a lot of time at the RIYMI Institute in Pune studying under yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar.

I have read and often refer to her one of her other books, The Woman's Yoga Book.
This is a nice companion book as it, "discusses breast problems that can leave a woman feeling vulnerable."

The book is divided into five parts: About the Breasts, Breast Problems, Yoga Poses for Breast Care, Practicing Yoga and Everyday Breast Care.

As a woman, mother and yoga teacher myself I have found this information helpful in approaching other woman on this topic. From how posture, types of bras, food, etc. can effect breast health and how simple poses and lifestyle changes can improve our own self-care.


Visit www.bobbyclenell.com for more information on her teaching schedule and other fine books.

Namaste.
Pamela Nelson
Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor

www.plnyoga.BlogSpot.com
plnyogastudio@gmail.com

Still learning from BKS Iyengar!

The latest edition of Yoga Rahasya has many articles of tribute for the late yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar.

Each one expresses that Mr. Iyengar practiced what he taught, and that is truly following the yogic path.

Geeta, his daughter, spoke to the media on August 20th, 2014 saying, "Only his body has ended.  One person's efforts from inside out changed the acceptance of yoga throughout the world. Nothing was hidden from the time he began his practice, to his illness and his death."

Mr. Iyengar didn't try to hide the wisdom he had gained, but tried to teach in a way that we could bring the realization to ourselves.

Prashant, his son, also wrote about how he remembers his father before he became well known and of course once he was well known and through all this he never changed how he interacted with others.

Abhijata, his grand-daughter expressed that, "While teaching Guruji never cared for himself. His lessons to me in the classes were not just the techniques on the way he helped people but on the way he healed them."

Although as a teacher, we teach certain points. They are meant to help open people up to explore themselves, bring awareness to themselves, not just to get the points right. That is the true essence of yoga.

There is many more tributes in this issue. But I will end with one by Father Joe Pereira.
He is a Catholic priest and has been a student of BKS Iyengar since 1968.

He writes, "In the past 46 years, the journey of the practice of Iyengar Yoga has been an inward journey. Unlike many modern day yoga teachers, Guruji's teaching and practice was no a "work out". It was a "work in". It was, as he would always emphasise, a journey from the periphery to the core. From the sympathetic nervous system to the Central nervous system and this was done via the autonomous nervous system."

"Guruji was faithful to his original gift of exploring the wisdom of the body. If the body was to be revered as the temple, then every asana was to become a prayer. His integration of the antaratma and antaranga sadhana in every asana made his practice spiritual.

Let your practice bring you inward to experience that wisdom!  With deep respect and gratitude to BKS Iyengar.

Namaste.
Pamela Nelson
www.plnyoga.blogspot.com
plnyogastudio@gmail.com

NEW Winter 2015 Session Classes, workshops and retreat dates!

I have added some new Classes to the 2015 Winter Session.
I am excited to include a Saturday Youth class, All levels class and Iyengar Flow.
The Flow and All Levels class are at the same time and the Youth will be after.
Check out the schedule in the PAGES section of this blog under classes, workshops and retreats!

I have also created a yoga practice and retreat centered around - your heart!

I will try and post better posters in the next few days.  Just wanted to get the information out there.

 

 

Namaste.

Pamela Nelson - Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor

 

www.plnyoga.blogspot.com

plnyogastudio@gmail.com

 



You are a Gift Worth Receiving

You are a gift worth receiving. Accept the gift.”

~ Anonymous

Many years ago I read a book by Erich Schiffmann.
In it he wrote,

"You are as natural and legitimate an expression of nature as a tree or cloud."

I really had to re-read this line many times. I never thought of myself in this way, as part of nature or not since I hugged trees when I was a kid.
I saw humans as being so destructive, trying to control every plant and animal around.

To let go of control of the earth and surroundings we become one with it and are just like the birds, trees and clouds.

And we become gifts in this beautiful world, where we are worth receiving.
In turn we must be humble and grateful enough to give back by practicing ahimsa, or non-harming in our actions, thoughts and speech.

Namaste.
Pamela Nelson

www.plnyoga.blogspot.com
plnyogastudio@gmail.com
 

Iyengar Yoga - From the Source

Iyengar Yoga - From the Source

I am part of the Iyengar Yoga Association of Canada
The last annual general meeting I was able to attend was in Toronto.

It was called From the Source and was an awesome time with two teachers coming all the way from the Iyengar institute in Pune, India to teach.
This year another will come to Vancouver. His name is Zubin Zarthoshtimanesh 
So excited to attend.

 

 

Namaste.

Pamela Nelson

www.plnyoga.blogspot.com

plnyogastudio@gmail.com

 

Iyengar Certification Mark

 

Iyengar Certification Mark

 

Ever wonder what this symbol represents?

 

For me it has been years of interesting and fascinating hard work to achieve and hold this certification mark. It began with a desire to learn more about yoga and then share with those around me.

 

The certification mark is a registered trademark granted to those teachers who have been trained and approved by National Certification Boards.

 

Endorsed by B.K.S. Iyengar, the certification mark denotes the teachers's authenticity and commitment to the Iyengar system of Patanjali's astanga yoga.

 

All certified Iyengar yoga teachers are required to take out this certification mark in accordance with the wishes of B.K.S. Iyengar.

Only certified teachers of the Iyengar method have the privilege of using the Certification Mark (registered trade mark) on their credentials. This is to ensure proper standards of training and accountability are achieved and maintained.

All Certified Iyengar yoga teachers undergo rigorous training, lasting years. Once certified, teachers must continue training regularly and complete professional development training each year to maintain their membership with the Iyengar Yoga Association of Canada (IYAC).

These high teaching standards are part of the reason Iyengar Yoga is the most widely
performed method of Yoga worldwide.

This certification mark is the guarantee of this quality.

For more information please visit: www.iyengaryogacanada.com

or www.bksiyengar.com

I hold this symbol as that, a symbol of my commitment to sharing the teachings in these high standards to the best of my knowledge and to continue to study the yoga tradition.

Namaste.
Pamela Nelson
www.plnyoga.BlogSpot.com

plnyogastudio@gmail.com

 

Health and Happiness - A by-product of yoga

"Health and happiness are only the by-products of yoga."

 

-B.K.S. Iyengar

 

Mr. Iyengar and even Prashat Iyengar often write or have talked about how health and even happiness are not yoga but the by-products of yoga.

 

This may seem strange to read for many as one of our main goals in life is to be healthy and happy.

We see the impressive asanas (postures) in books and magazines so that at the surface it appears to be only physical. And if you look good, you must be happy right?

 

What then is yoga if not to bring health and happiness?

 

Mr. Iyengar says that the physical level is not the end and aim of yoga.  We must not stop at the by-product, see what more it can give.

 

He says we hold inside of us many precious jewels and yoga penetrates deeper within to areas that can not been seen, but only felt.

 

At first the practice builds physical strength and stability, helping to clean the outer and inner body.  Continued practice of yoga brings the mind inside, moving the outer mind that is easily distracted to the inner mind, the consciousness or as Mr. Iyengar says to the divine seat of the self. 

 

In an interview in Russia he says that "Yoga helps to transform the instinctive intelligence to become intuitive intelligence." and that "here all actions begin from the soul or the self and not from the agent of the self like the body, the mind."

 

 



"Yoga helps to transform the instinctive intelligence

 to become intuitive intelligence."

 

Namaste.

Pamela Nelson

www.plnyoga.blogspot.com

plnyogastudio@gmail.com

 



 



Attaining One-ness in Practice

"The placement of intelligence in the body brings grace in the consciousness so that the consciousness graces the physical body, the mental body and the physiological body."

B.K.S. Iyengar

Namaste.

Pamela Nelson

Www.plnyoga.blogspot.com

Plnyogastudio@gmail.com