BKS Iyengar Yoga Centre, Oudtshoorn, Klein Karoo, Western Cape, South Africa: 2 Jul 2011

Invocation to Sage Patanjali

yogena cittasya padena vacam
malam sarirasya ca vaidyakaena
yopa karot tam pravaram muninum
patanjalim pranjalir anato smi
abahu - purusakaram
sankha - cakrasi - dharinam
sahasra - sirasam svetam
pranamami patanjalim

To the noblest of sages, Patanjali, Who gave Yoga for serenity of mind,Grammar for purity of speech, And medicine for perfection of the body, I bow, I prostrate before Patanjali, Whose upper body has a human form, Whose arms hold a conch and disc, Who is crowned by a thousand-headed cobra,O incarnation of Adisesa, my Salutations to Thee.

Why we chant the Invocation to Lord Patanjali

As with certain aspects of our daily life, it is custom to give credit, recognition and or thanks to our teachers and/or mentors. It is deemed appropriate to make payment if one makes use of words and ideas that will ultimate benefit the user.
Royalties are paid daily to creators and artists whose words and tunes we make our own, or use for our benefit. Making this information your own without the consent of the 'creator' is tantamount to stealing. Therefore some form of payment and/or recognition is afforded the source.
The same applies to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. For thousands of years, we have been benefiting from this information; the science of Ayurveda for a healthy body, grammar for purity of speech, and yoga for serenity for the mind.
It is fitting that each student recognizes these aspects as they impact on their spiritual and physical lives, and show the appropriate respect to that source, Sage Patanjali.

About Iyengar Yoga

When taught and practiced correctly, Iyengar Yoga is not only meditative but also physically challenging and ideally tailored for all fitness levels and for everyone who wants a vigorous yoga practice. This form of hatha yoga is a powerful asana practice with sequences designed to give the body a challenging workout for increased strength, energy and flexibility, without heating the room or repeating a preset asana sequence every day. In this exhilarating style of yoga practice, students will build strength and tone their muscles. The intensity and variety of postures will revitalize the whole body, reduce stress levels and keep you in peak condition.
Iyengar Yoga is an innovative and inspired approach to the classical Eastern discipline particularly relevant to our Western culture.

Developed over a period of 50 years, Iyengar yoga, which emphasises precision in the execution of postures and also makes extensive use of props, is the most popular approach to Hatha yoga. Iyengar yoga even purely as an exercise, offers what no other from of exercise can offer -- a way to build strength along with relaxation, flexibility along with endurance, and balance along with a peaceful state of mind.

Iyengar yoga is based on the teachings of BKS Iyengar and begins with learning the art and science of asana and pranayama, which fine-tune the body and revitalize the mind. Then we can embrace our personal progress more completely, and live a more whole and meaningful life. Students experience meditation in action, a state of being focused and absorbed in the moment.

Who is BKS Iyengar?
Internationally acknowledged as a Master of yoga, Mr Iyengar began teaching 60 years ago. The Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Institute in Pune, India is at the forefront of modern yoga. Here Mr Iyengar, his daughter Geeta and son Prashant teach and refine the constantly evolving method that is one of the world's most widely practised yogas.

Iyengar yoga : effort and surrender
For the beginning student, the mind is often too undisciplined and unframed to focus on several isolated muscular actions simultaneously. Also, the body is usually weak, stiff and lacks stamina. Consequently, for most beginning students, Iyengar yoga requires a considerable amount of effort. Effort is necessary to resist the tendency of the mind to wonder and the body to collapse.
It not only takes intelligence of mind and body to follow and understand the alignment instructions, but strength and stamina of mind and body to maintain constant muscular action in various parts of the body simultaneously. As one practices regularly, the mind and body become more focused and strengthened. New energetic patterns in the mind and body will develop and so less effort will be needed to perform the poses with proper alignment and action. Any amount of effort in a pose should be balanced or tempered with a sense of release or surrender.
The face should be relaxed and the eyes soft in every pose. Advanced practitioners will express more of the state of surrender and freedom than effort, while beginners will need to focus more on effort and discipline. Effort without a sense of surrender can lead to violent and constrictive action and therefore to injury.

Iyengar yoga : discomfort vs. pain
As stated in "effort & surrender", Iyengar Yoga is a very challenging physical and mental discipline. Consequently, physical and mental discomfort is often experienced by beginning students because of lack of flexibility, strength, stamina and mental focus.
As one puts forth effort to perform postures that the body and mind are not used to, many resistances are felt. These resistances commonly manifest in the body as discomfort. A feeling of discomfort in a general area of the body while performing a posture with good alignment is not a problem. The discomfort will cease when one comes out of the pose. Discomfort is a relative feeling. A beginning student performing the same pose with the same good alignment will generally feel much more discomfort than the advanced student.
Discomfort does not indicate injury. The feeling of discomfort will often soften and lessen if one does not mentally fight the feeling.
Pain in a yoga pose, on the other hand, usually indicates a physical misalignment or improper muscular action. A specific burning or intense, localized sensation in the body is referred to as pain. If one feels pain in a muscle or joint, one should immediately change or modify the posture until the pain is relieved. One should closely observe the postural misalignment that caused the pain, and correct the pose accordingly. Pain indicates that injury will probably occur if the misalignment is maintained.

Iyengar yoga : use of props
Iyengar Yoga does not aim at the perfect posture - but aims at bringing the performer to the full use of his potential, even when that leaves the pose imperfect. External tools, aids and props tend to distract the attention from the real pose and give a false sense of accomplishment. It is better to do the pose slowly and to your capacity even if that capacity is limited, rather that force the body with the aids of props to do what its own innate intelligence is not yet capable of handling.
So a healthy body that still does not achieve perfection in a pose must not be given a prop just for the sake of helping him to reach perfection. We as students and teachers must work on the flow of energy and inner awareness, persistence and much repetition - and eventually greater perfection will be achieved. But never should we curtail the learning curve by allowing unnecessary use of props.

BKS Iyengar, Guruji at the Patanjali Jayanti

Become a member of our Institute. Enhance your personal knowledge and growth of the B.K.S. Iyengar system, by becoming a member of our organization. Membership benefits include:  Contact with Iyengar yoga locally and internationally.  Grow your knowledge of yoga.  Potential to train “at the source” in India.  Reduced fees at events.  Newsletter receipts. Never done Yoga before? The B.K.S. Iyengar system of Yoga is the most practiced from of Yoga worldwide. This system of Yoga is suitable for all people, regardless of level of fitness. Our organization has many highly qualified teachers in Southern Africa. If you are considering starting Yoga, try and find a BKS Iyengar Yoga teacher in your area. Find a teacher: visit our website: www.bksiyengar.co.za

B.K.S. Iyengar - founder and teacher of Iyengar Yoga

International acknowledged as a master of yoga, Mr. Iyengar began teaching 60 years ago. The Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute he founded in Pune, India is at the forefront of modern yoga. Here Mr. Iyengar, and his daughter and son, Geeta and Prashant Iyengar, teach and refine the constantly evolving method that is one of the world’s most widely practiced yogas. Here, too, teachers from around the world come to practice and hone the skills they will take back to their own Iyengar yoga communities. Mr. Iyengar is the author of “Light on Yoga”, “Light on Pranayama”, “Light on the Yoga Sutras”, “The Tree of Yoga” and other seminal yoga reference works

Essential book list

“Light on Yoga” – BKS Iyengar

"Tree of Yoga" - BKS Iyengar

"Art of Yoga" - BKS Iyengar

"Preliminary Course - Yoga in Action" - Geeta S. Iyengar

"Basic guidelines for teachers of Yoga" - BKS & Geeta S. Iyengar

“Light on Pranayama” – BKS Iyengar

“BKS Iyengar Yoga, Path to Holistic Health”

“Light on Life” – BKS Iyengar

“Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali” – BKS Iyengar

“The Illustrated Light on Yoga” – BKS Iyengar

“BKS Iyengar, Yoga Wisdom and Practice”

“Iyengar, his life and work”

“Yoga, a Gem for Women” – Geeta S. Iyengar

“Iyengar, the Yoga Master”

“Iyengar Yoga for Motherhood” – Iyengar, Keller and Khattab

“Astadala Yogamala”

"A chair for Yoga" - Eyal Shifroni

“Sparks of Divinity” – Noellë Perez Christiaens

“Yoga explained” – Mira Mehta

“Yoga, the Iyengar Way” – Silva, Mira and Shyam Mehta

“How to use Yoga” – Mira Mehta

“Health through Yoga” – Mira Mehta

“Yoga Body – anatomy, kinesiology and asana” – Judith Lasater

“30 essential yoga poses” – Judith Lasater

Yoga Rahasya

“Fire of Love” – Aadil Paikhavala

“Iyengar Yoga, the integrated and holistic path to health” – Dr. Tommijean Thomas and Benjamin A. Thomas

“The Language of Yoga” – Nicolai Bachman

“Awakening the inner body” – Donald Moyer

“The Woman’s Book of Yoga and Health” – Sparrowe and Walden

“Dancing in the body of Light” – Dona Holleman

Recommended Books

"Yoga and Scoliosis" Marcia Monroe

“Moving towards balance” – Rodney Yee

“Yoga for Dummies”

“Yoga and medical science” – F.A.Q.

“A matter of health” – Dr. Krishna Raman

“Stretch and relax” – Maxine Tobias

“Health , healing and beyond” – Desikachar

“Iyengar Yoga” – Judy Smith

“Yoga and Pilates”

“Teaching yoga” – Mark Stephens

“Yoga anatomy” – Kmneff

“Pilates Yoga” – Judy Smith, Emily Kelly, Jonathan Monks

“Anatomy of Yoga” – Authors Firefly

“Yoga the poetry of the body” – Rodney Yee

“Yogi Bare” – Philip Self

Styles of Yoga

Most yoga taught is a form of hatha yoga, which is comprised of physical postures, breathing techniques, relaxation and meditation. Hatha yoga is the umbrella under which most of the sub-specialties of yoga fall. What makes the styles different from each other is their emphasis and technique. The type of yoga you choose depends upon why you want to practice and what you want to get out of the experience. Therefore sample different classes until you find one that satisfies your needs. The teacher is a most important factor in your decision. Ask the teacher for their credentials and background. The match between student and teacher is crucial.

Iyengar Yoga
Iyengar Yoga, a dynamic and challenging style of yoga, is named after BKS Iyengar, an Indian Yoga Master who is one of the world's most influential yoga masters. Iyengar focuses on precise alignment, posture and attention to subtle details. The poses are held for longer periods of time and repeated several times. Standing poses are emphasized for beginners, because they set the foundation and build correct alignment from the feet up. When the student has reached a certain level of mastery, the study of the breath, called pranayama is introduced. Like ashtanga yoga, Iyengar yoga is not for the casual practitioner as it is an incredibly challenging practice that will require a serious level of involvement, both physically and emotionally during its practice. The training of an Iyengar teacher is rigorous and challenging. Teachers must meet specific requirements to receive Iyengar certification.

Ashtanga Yoga

Power Yoga

Bikram Yoga

Sivananda Yoga

Kundalini Yoga

Other styles of Yoga (not so popular)
Viniyoga
Kripalu Yoga
Integral Yoga
Ananda Yoga
Ishta Yoga
Anusara Yoga

There is a style of yoga for everyone and there is some overlap between styles. As a new student, please take some time to find the type of yoga that's right for you.

Comments from students after workshops

Dear David and Juergen - November 2012

I cannot thank you enough for the 6 day retreat that I have just returned from. Even though I had a dodgy hamstring and a crampy shoulder, I did not once feel like I was missing out, or that I couldn't cope. You were so accommodating in adapting and adjusting, and sharing ways to deal with what we have. This made me realize something. I always thought of the "yoga body" as the ones many of the instructors have, the petite, bendy, slight build. I have now realised that the yoga body is the one that practices yoga. So - I have one after all!

Thank you and I hope to see you again soon at your beautiful haven in the place with the bluest sky.

lots of love

Anet Ahern

I would like to thank you both for an absolutely wonderful (exhausting!!) weekend.

I got to learn from both of you, not just your knowledge of the asana's, but your wealth of wisdom and information. Your kindness and love for people and environment that radiated from your souls, touched me.

David, your knowledge, your willingness and patience to answer our questions, your guidance through the asanas, your wit....Jurgen...your loving help - the twinkle in your eyes, your little chirps ..... you encourage my exhausted body to go further!!!

You have to be a special kind of person to be able to share so readily with others. Know that all I sponged up from you will now be passed onto my pupils,and I will do my best to impart that knowledge as best as I can!!

Until our paths meet again Thank you and Namaste

Gill Grobler (St Francis Bay, Nov 2011)

Surviving the Stretching Rack

As I haven’t been practising yoga for that long, and feel somewhat fraudulent calling myself a Yogi, I was quite surprised to find that I had signed myself up for the Daddy of all yoga lessons, a two day course with yoga guru, David Jacobs.

Anxiously, I awaited the D-day with trepidation, my mind constricting my brain with unhelpful thoughts of being banished from the class on a stretcher for my arrogance at thinking I could actually cope with this class.

Finally the day does arrive, a clear crisp early Saturday morning, and somewhat fearful, I arrive at Cheryl’s yoga studio. The studio is neatly organised with props and mats, setting the tone for a very well run and prepared course. I find my mat, and as I place my uneasy body down onto its new cushy surface, I can feel the dynamic and cohesive energy that is filling the room as people chatter quietly and I realise that this is actually going to be great.

David is a tall fit man, with a distinctive voice and a firm but approachable manner. His knowledge about yoga is as expansive as the Himalayan mountain region, and his expectations of his student just as high. Jurgen, the gentle giant, is David’s wingman. He is unobtrusive, helpful and encouraging. Together this Bonnie & Clyde duo, prove to be somewhat of a force to be reckoned with, both on the body and the mind.

Throughout the two day course, we are stretched to the limit, pushed beyond our perceived capabilities and gently nudged into better yogis. The occasional moan and groan or exclamation of wonder escapes our lips(especially from Hillary) when overcoming tough poses and watching each other do better, go further and reach higher.

The day is broken by lunch. Having spat and polished our poses for hours, Margaret’s delicious vegetarian food is like grandma’s silverware –priceless. Although, stopping after just one helping proves harder than a chataranga!

Re-energised from lunch, it’s back to the studio for round two. David’s ability to teach a class of various levels with ease and flow is to be commended. His ‘drill-sergeant’ attitude promotes his students to the next level and his clear passion for yoga is infectious. While Jurgen’s compassion-antennae works overtime to encourage those who are flailing and to push those at ease.

By the end of the second day, our bodies are tired, and muscles we didn’t even know existed are sore. But we feel stronger, braver and more in tune with our bodies and minds. Like real yogis.

I leave the studio, somewhat emotional, hobbling home to a warm bath. As I drift off to sleep that night, with a well deserved ‘look at what I accomplished’ smile on my face, my mind no longer swirls with negative thoughts of inadequacy, but rather David’s voice enters my head with commanding instructions, ‘head back’, ‘bend further’, ‘stretch higher’. And I realise that although the course is sadly over, the lessons have been carved into my better aligned bones.

So this is to say thank you.

To David and Jurgen for sharing your expertise with us.

To Cheryl for organising the course with such meticulous care and thought.

To Margaret and Khosi for their culinary skills and generosity of their time.

To Clive for taking one for the male team, and for helping out with the organisation.

To Amanda for encouraging me to sign up and challenge myself.

And finally to all the students for your camaraderie, dedication and enthusiasm. (Taryn, Johannesburg 22/23May 2010)

About six weeks ago, events that were in total conflict with the observation of ahimsa in my life led to the fracture of the base knuckle of my thumb and the detachment of the ligament. The ligament had to be surgically reattached, with the surgeon’s instructions– no movement or pressure on that hand for at least eight weeks and the continual wearing of a supportive cast for twice that time. Now my personal practice is the Ashtanga Vinyasa method and I darkly pondered the prospects, no Upward or Downward-facing Dog, Chaturanga Dandasanas and none of the numerous arm balances I so enjoy, for at least two months!

The emotional storm clouds moved in.

Light in this apparent darkness came in the form of an Iyengar workshop led by David Jacobs that was being held in the exquisite location of Hogsback. It was time for me to vacate my familiar Ashtanga surroundings and allow the light of something a little different to shine on my yoga practice.

The workshop began on a cool Friday afternoon as a soft veil of mist moved in to stifle the last few efforts of the sun and to add an almost “out of focus” like quality to the surrounding forests of Hobbitville. David began with an invocation on Patanjali for the simple reason that we consider him as our Guru in yoga. As Iyengar has said “this great sage gave us grammar for right speech, medicine for health and yoga for mind culture, when we are in our yoga sadhana, we should think of him and pay our reverential respects to him so that our minds may be tuned to the good thoughts of his works”. He then recited one of the sutras and our asana practice commenced.

The teachers in our group were asked to identify themselves and to then perform a particular asana. Critical assessments were made to highlight the importance of samskaras (mental impressions of the past) and the responsibilities teachers have when imparting knowledge to students. As a student of David and in my capacity as a teacher I value criticism, because after all “teaching is learning, and re-learning is true teaching”.

There were twelve students taking part in the workshop ranging from beginners to “not such beginners” and there was a continual flow of attention from both David and his assistant Jurgen. Any critique leveled at a posture executed with a flagging sense of tapas (ardour or austerity) always came from a foundation of respect for that person’s greater potential. For every student, throughout the entirety of the workshop, no matter what their strengths or limitations were, every asana was accessible and the use of props made sure there was no excuse not to seek and apply technique. There was the salt of sweat, the salt of tears, there was laughter too and always the ache of muscles that had been stretched beyond their perceived boundaries.

David’s teaching has a strong core of strictness and discipline but also an aura of love and compassion. One is continually aware of the deep reverence, respect and gratitude he has for his teachers, Guruji and

the entire Iyengar family and also for the roots of the yogic system. When the practice ended for the day we all sat together, sharing vegetarian meals that I can only describe as magnificent, whilst David and Jurgen regaled us with tales of their travels to India and experiences of their classes at the Iyengar Institute in Pune.

For Monday morning I prepared a Vinyasa flow class containing a strong warrior sequence with a more than usual focus on alignment. I couldn’t help noticing during one of the earlier Warrior 1 postures as I

took the breath count past five, I received a few corrective glances as if I had possibly lost the ability to count correctly. When I took the breath count past ten, more than a few glances turned stormy!

The benefits of a soaking rain, although initially appreciated, are only truly realized a few days later when the grass seems to glow a little greener and the flowers start to bloom. I started my morning practice with an extension of gratitude to David for the light he has shone on my practice, my teaching and my life. To everyone involved at the weekend in Hogsback, Namaste`. (Alan Waite, Hogsback E.C May 2010)

"Your 3 day yoga workshop in early September in Harare was one of the highlights of my year. Successive years of running ultra marathons to make up for a misspent youth have left my body as stiff as a piece of karoo biltong. I have never before participated in a course that required so much stamina and will power and which was conducted so professionally. It was great for the first time to be in the presence of two men who had mastered the art of yoga and were it not for the incredible humour of the two of you i am sure i would have dropped out instead of collapsing on the floor in a fit of hysterical laughter. It is a real gift and credit to both of you that you can bring people from all works of life together and not make even the most amatuerish yogi feel like the class dunce...thank you and i will be back." ( Chris Ventura, Zimbabwe October 2009)

“I wanted to thank you both so much for the inspirational workshop. It was such a gift to us. Thank you for your passion and dedication to yoga, that naturally overflows from you both and touches your students. Thank you also for your warmth, compassion, guidance and joy. It was truly an honor to spend the time with you both. I know that I speak for peta jenny and myself when I say that your teachings have transformed and inspired all of our practices and our yoga journeys”. Philippa,

Zimbabwe

May 2009

".....you might be surprised to know that I have probably been practising Yoga longer than anyone else present that day, having started in the early 60's as a student! Even with a couple of breaks over the years, I still have a good many years' practice under my belt. Regrettably, years of backpacking, bad posture and an unsuccessful encounter with an orthopaedic surgeon have left me with messed-up knees, neck and feet respectively. However, in spite of these problems, I really enjoyed the day on Saturday. I felt I was being pushed to my capacity, but not beyond it, and I was in serious need of being reminded of my bad posture. I am now trying to be more aware, and have asked friends to nag me when they catch me slumping! It will have been clear to you that everyone enjoyed the weekend enormously, and those more proficient than I will have learnt a great deal.

David, you have the rare gift of bringing out the best in pupils with just the right amount of strictness, tempered with gentleness and good humour, and with Jurgen seemingly everwhere at once to assist where needed, you make a fabulous team! Thank you both for your kindness and understanding."

Love, Sally-at-the-Back (YYI course in Durban May 2009)

CLOSED - the sign outside the studio, empty yoga studio that had been my practice for many years. No warning. No hint of the reasons behind it The studio shut its doors, scattering a community of students and teachers. What would become of my practice now, without the physical space that housed it?

After my shock subsided, I asked the universe for guidance. The response was clear. Try every studio in the area. Reach out and take every class you can. The practice of your past will not be the practice of the future.

I've been a devoted yoga student, but with the studio's closure, my kind of yoga was no longer available in my town. I had to open up to other styles of yoga, a choice I wouldn't have made for myself. I learned new asanas. I have learned that the true practice is within, that you can be happy and stagnant at the same time, and that you can turn away from new possibilities without realizing it.

A door closes: many others open. Students and teachers from the old studio reconnect in new places and in new ways. I miss my former studio, but since its closing, my practice has expanded exponentially - and along with it, my perception of myself as a yoga students and as an individual in the world. Anonymous

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..... there is very little said about the actual yoga and what others could expect at David's workshops. Well, it is deep yoga practice, with focus on complete and deep movement, gently. Bolsters and supports are used, with thorough and friendly instructor attention. Knowledge is shared freely, and as many attendees are ioistructors too, much is shared and learnt. The perfect definition of workshop. Both Jurgen and David could be describe by a Yidish auntie as "Mensch". I can not ask for a more complete instruction, and will be back." See you in Hermanus! Niel Jonker (January 2009)

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"I would just like to thank you both for the opportunity to have been in the presence of your expertise and your infectious convictions. My experience and knowledge acquired from your workshop have been put into action, and no doubt will benefit the yogi's who come to my classes. The intelligence and refinement you bring to my personal understanding and practice can only come form two such souls who have answered their calling in life!"

Namaste, Sabrina (Lyndhurts, Johannesburg September 2008)

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"Namaskar dear David and Jurgen - just a short note to thank you both for a great workshop at Kerry's Haum of Yoga studio. You're such fabulous people (I'm sure you hear this often) and David, you're such a wonderful teacher - I don't think I would find another whom I could trust so implicitely!!!!! I am in awe and feel most honoured, to say the very least. It was a truly profound experience (and fun in a rather sado-masochistic way!). I learnt so much and will definitely be at the next and the next and the next (hopefully by then with looser hips, an improvement in the sacral area and less fear!) I'm going to try to find "Yoga the Iyengar Way" as you suggested, to use in my self-practice sessions. And with a bit of luck I'll be able to do the wheel without choosing to rather put needles in my eyes instead!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish you both all the very best, much happiness and continued health, success and wellbeing."

( Norma Kidson, Haum of Yoga, August 2008)

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"David is a natural born teacher who brings out the best in all his students. He has the ability to get under your skin and make you fully aware of your body and state of mind. He is vigorous, authoritative, and some say relentless. Yet by the same token humorous, extremely perceptive and caring. His workshops are much talked about and for good reason. He generates a feeling of connectedness and group spirit even among large crowds and challenges us to go beyond our perceived limits. Not only do you feel elated and fully stretched in all compartments, but you will walk away having learned a myriad of innovative and creative approaches to improve your own practice or teaching methods. He might even sow the seeds of a life-long yoga practice in you – something he certainly did for me." (Lars Krüger, Iyengar Teacher at Yoga Warrior May 2008)

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Baie dankie vir die manier hoe julle inligting met ons buite die Iyengar groep deel, vir die kennis en praktiese toepassing, die passie, dissipline en manier hoe julle met elkeen in die groep gewerk het en geïnspireer het. Julle toewyding en suiwerheid van die manier hoe julle werk het duidelik na vore gekom en word waardeer. Almal het presies geweet wat verwag word en dat daar nie lyf weggesteek kan word nie.
(Hester Van Zyl, Young Yoga Institute, Nelspruit 2008)

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I just wanted to express my sincere thanks to you both for the two wonderful workshops that I have experienced (so far!) with you - the YYI - La Verna workshop in March, and then our own Nelspruit workshop last month. I found the experience exhilarating, stretching (in both senses of the word..), and learned a lot about my own limitations and frustrations. Not to mention how much I have learned in terms of becoming a better teacher. I am inspired to greatness by your examples. So thanks for the humour, the strength, the sternness, the passion, the gentleness, the eloquence, the intelligence, and the confidence with which you share your teachings. Thank you indeed for being prepare to share. May the fresh mountain air always fill your lungs, golden sunshine warm you, and the ancient wisdom of Africa embrace you.
(Kim Olbrich, Nelspruit 2008)

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Wow! What a weekend.

I must admit to having felt a bit anxious at the prospect of attending a 16-hour workshop. With David, moreover. Would my body hold out? (Would my mind hold out…) Would my husband have packed his bags and left the kids with the neighbours by the end of the weekend? Had my preparations/maintenance been enough since David and Jurgen left Camps Bay half a year ago? I recalled the 90-minute sessions with them, after which I would emerge, sopping with sweat, to go to bed as though I had run a marathon. Was I mad contemplating 16 hours of it? Granted, broken up into two seven-hour days and one evening session – but, still. Quite a tall order for a rookie who still finds most of the standing poses quite a challenge!

Thankfully, I was able to leave my worries at the door and, together with most of the other participants, saw it through to the end. For my part, I found it a thoroughly absorbing, informative and challenging time. From the obligatory standing postures (often with the useful approach of graduated exercises leading to the final posture); to the pranayama sessions at the beginning of each day (who would have guessed that there was so much to breathing – and that was just the exhaling bit!); to the extended sessions of forward-bends, back-bends, twists (ending with neutral poses, not extreme counter-poses – got it!) and inversions (how I still need to build up that stamina…) and, of course, some restoratives and ever-welcome savasanas. Never forgetting Jurgen’s ever-attentive administrations - a quiet word of encouragement here, a gentle adjustment there, a twinkle in the eye and mood-lightening quip when he senses your resolve is wavering.
What more could one ask for?
This is not to say I breezed through it. Certainly not. Easy is not what I’ve come to expect from David – but who wants easy? I laughingly recalled during the course of the weekend how traumatic my first two lessons with him had been. How devastated I was to discover how uncooperative and stiff my body had become – and how he noticed every single misplacement and misalignment, and let me know it! (I reckon his hawk eyes must have caught me out upwards of thirty times in each of those first two lessons.) It took a large dollop of courage and a pretty strong leap of faith to come back.
And how glad I am to have done so.
My motivations were of course initially very much ego-centred – somewhere between bloody-mindedness (“I’m going to get his criticisms down to under ten per class if it kills me in the process!”) and a bizarre need to please this hard-to-please man (“just one thing right, just one thing right, please!”) But somewhere along the road it became
apparent to me that what I was interpreting as criticism (how fragile our egos are…) is simply a purist’s insistence on imparting to us the exact workings of this art/science/life that is yoga. And it’s an insistence that we actually get it right. I could choose to take it personally, or I could shed (or at least pack in the boot before class) my ego, immerse myself, and learn all I could. If one is lucky to find a teacher of this calibre who has spent most of his time living and breathing his subject, it is strongly advisable to make the most of the opportunity.

So, thank you to you both for this wonderful experience. I trust that you will both continue to bring enlightenment to your pupils, wherever you may settle – or even in your current gypsy format! Teaching is your gift.Anonymous

BKS Iyengar Yoga Centre, Oudtshoorn, Klein Karoo, Western Cape, South Africa

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