The New York Times published an article recently called “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body.” The story was reported by William J. Broad who coincidentally has a new book coming out soon. Nothing like a little sensationalism to sell a few papers and cover the cost of printing a hardback book!
The article and an NPR Fresh Air interview with the writer has generated a lot of conversation among my yoga friends and colleagues. It’s made me take a careful look at what we are teaching at Evergreen, and articulate our mission a little more clearly — sort of an EYC manifesto.
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The yoga we offer here is different than exercise.
- We emphasize the importance of attention and presence of mind when you are doing the poses.
- We believe that awareness is more important than rushing through a series of postures to break a sweat or to “get a good workout.”
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Our teachers are engaged in an ongoing rigorous training process.
- Our teachers are actively engaged in training as Iyengar students and teachers. The Iyengar method is known to be the best and most challenging training for yoga teachers.
- Some people who call themselves yoga teachers have been through weekend certification training programs or training programs that provide little teaching experience.
- As a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher, I hold all of our teachers to a very high standard of professionalism, ethics, knowledge and ongoing study requirements.
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Yoga has the power to transform your body and mind.
- Sounds like a big claim, but it’s true.
- It makes sense that anything that has this much power to cure and to heal also has the power to damage.
- Yoga is a powerful tool. Just like a knife or fire, it must be respected and you must learn to use it skillfully.
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We empower students to make intelligent choices about how they practice yoga.
- We urge current students to ask questions about the practices and philosophies taught here.
- We want you to do your research and find the very best yoga teacher for you.
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Progress depends on diligence, patience and persistence.
- We encourage students to practice yoga on their own at home.
- We would rather students come to class once or twice a week and practice daily on their own, than come to class every day and never practice at home.
- We provide the tools needed for each student to have a transformative and self-guided yoga practice.
- We instill confidence in each yoga student to make intelligent decisions about what is right for him or her.
If you have read this far, then you know a lot about us.
We are a welcoming, kind, disciplined, yet fun-loving group of people. We work hard in class, and we also learn how to relax deeply and let go of what we no longer find useful.
We span all ages, shapes, sizes, backgrounds, colors and religious backgrounds. Some of us are vegetarians and some of us are meat-a-tarians.
Most of all, we are committed to providing the opportunity for transformation through yoga. We love yoga and we love our community!
From L to R: EYC teachers Laura Allen, Leah Nichols, Wendy Trenthem, Courtney Oliver, Debbie Denny (not pictured: Jessica Banti)