The Fourth Niyama

Stephanie Quirk is a globally renowned Iyengar Yoga teacher from Australia and New Zealand. She lived in Pune for over 20 years, studying at RIMYI and working closely with the Iyengar family, assisting Guruji and Geetaji in the medical classes. Drawing on her background in psychiatric nursing and the arts, she brings technical precision and a deeply human approach to her teaching. In this conversation, Stephanie shares why Yoga therapy goes beyond a medical prescriptive model, what it takes for a teacher to truly see and connect with a student, and why doubt can be harmful on the path to healing.____Stephanie QuirkWebsite https://www.stephaniequirk.com.au/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/stephanie.q.yoga/

Christian Pisano reflects on his own evolving process of the exploration of consciousness through the practice of Yoga. He also shares insights into Kashmiri Shaivism, and how studying this philosophy has influenced his approach to teaching Yoga.

Christian teaches at the Iyengar Yoga Institute in Nice, France, and leads Yoga workshops across Europe.

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https://christianpisano.com/

https://www.instagram.com/yoga_iyengar_nice/

Christian Pisano has been practicing Yoga for over 40 years and is one of only three people to have received an Advanced Senior Diploma from Guruji BKS Iyengar. He lived in Pune for several years and studied directly under Guruji, Geetaji and Prashantji at RIMYI.

Christian shares that, over the years, his learning process has involved a lot of unlearning and deconstruction of previous understandings in order to uncover what is truly dear to his heart. His philosophical inclination has led him toward a non-dual approach rooted in the Trika system, more widely known as Kashmiri Shaivism.

Christian teaches at the Iyengar Yoga Institute in Nice, France, and leads Yoga workshops across Europe.

In the first part of our conversation, Christian speaks about how a sense of dissatisfaction and a deeper search in life led him to yoga, and what some of his first lessons were under the guidance of BKS Iyengar. He emphasizes that each person follows their unique process, and that the process itself becomes both guide and teacher. Christian also reflects on ideas of progress, personality, and the phenomenon of the student–teacher relationship.

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https://christianpisano.com/

https://www.instagram.com/yoga_iyengar_nice/

Birjoo Mehta is a senior student of Yogacharya BKS Iyengar and a world-renowned Iyengar Yoga teacher from Mumbai, India. He grew up in a family where the practice of Yoga was an essential part of life; his parents and sisters all studied under Guruji.

Birjoo Mehta has built a successful professional career with Tata Communications, a leading telecom company in India, and has held leadership roles for many decades. While very successful in his profession, he has also been teaching Iyengar Yoga for over 40 years.

In this interview, Birjoo reflects on the benefits of Yoga for the development of leadership skills, creativity, and lucid thinking. He shares his experience of how Yoga practice helped him be more effective as a leader and individual.

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Birjoo Mehta teaches at Iyengar Yoga center in Mumbai - Iyengar Yogashraya ⁠https://iyengaryogashraya.in/⁠

Master class from Guruji BKS Iynegar's 85th birthday, where Birjoo is demonstrating on the stage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OspEAmmcS2A&t=1343s

Nivedita Joshi's journey in Yoga is an example of how the scientific Iyengar's method, coupled with earnest and sincere practice, could bring about remarkable results.

In her teens, Nivedita was stricken by slipped disc and cervical spondylosis. No doctor in India could cure her or diagnose her correctly. She lost the ability to move her hands and legs, and by the time she was 26, after 12 years of struggling with the condition, she was completely bedridden. In 1996, Nivedita met BKS Iyengar in Pune and joined his medical classes as a patient. Her transformative experience of healing nurtured her commitment to Guruji's teachings and motivated her to help others experience the health-giving benefits of Iyengar Yoga.

In 2004, Nivedita opened the first Iyengar Yoga center in Delhi, Iyengar Yogakshema, where she teaches general and medical classes.

In this interview, Nivedita reflects on her remarkable experience of recovery and healing through the Iyengar method. She shares her take on what makes Guruji's approach to mind-body work so effective for health. She also recounts some episodes from her 22 years of close association with Guruji and offers some guidance to the younger generation of students and teachers.

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More information about Nivedita Joshi:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOghTM9NkeQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb89zTipXOE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9MezxWaGdw

Iyengar Yoga center in Delhi - Iyengar Yogakshema https://www.iyengaryogakshema.org/

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Glossary:

सूक्ष्मशरीर - sukshma sharira - subtle body, the vehicle of consciousness with which one passes from life to life.

स तु दीर्घकाल नैरन्तर्य सत्कारा असेवितो दृढभूमि: - 1.14 Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Long, uninterrupted, alert practice is the firm foundation for restraining the fluctuations.

This is the second part of a conversation with Arti Mehta, a senior student and teacher of Iyengar Yoga from Mumbai. For over 20 years, Arti has been working with kids with special needs, helping them to cope with their conditions through the practice of Yoga and improve their quality of life.

In this episode, Arti reflects on her challenges and learnings from guiding children with special needs. She shares that acceptance is the starting point for change. Once a teacher can fully accept and connect with a child, a positive and fundamental shift is bound to happen.

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Iyengar Yoga center in Mumbai - Iyengar Yogashraya https://iyengaryogashraya.in/⁠

Iyengar Yoga demonstration by kids with special needs led by Arti Mehta ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ccTO2TnC5A

Arti Mehta was 10 when she was introduced to Iyengar Yoga and joined Guruji’s classes in Mumbai. She comes from a family where Yoga is an essential part of life; both her parents and all her siblings were studying Yoga from Guruji for many decades.

Today, Arti Mehta and all her siblings - Neeta Datta, Birjoo Mehta and Rajvi Mehta are among the most senior Iyengar Yoga teachers globally.

For over 20 years Arti has been working with children with special needs and helping them to cope with their conditions through the practice of Yoga and have a better quality of life.

In the first part of our conversation, Arti recounts the early years of her Yoga practice and her journey into teaching. She speaks about the importance of building an emotional connect with students and shares her experience on how the practice of Iyengar Yoga can make an effective impact for people with dyslexia, autism, and ADHD.

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Iyengar Yoga center in Mumbai - Iyengar Yogashraya

Iyengar Yoga demonstration by kids with special needs led by Arti Mehta https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ccTO2TnC5A

Gabriella Giubilaro is a long-time practitioner and a highly regarded teacher of Iyengar Yoga from Florence, Italy. She joined her first Iyengar Yoga class in 1973, and with curiosity and focus committed to a serious practice. Gabriella quickly developed a deep passion for the subject, since 1983 she has been studying at RIMYI with the Iyengar family.

Gabriella holds a Ph.D. in Physics. She was teaching physics at the University of Florence, before she decided to fully devote herself to studying and teaching Yoga. Today Gabriella teaches in her studio Istituto Iyengar Yoga Firenze in Florence, Italy and conducts workshops around the globe.

In this conversation, Gabriella talks about her journey in Yoga, and recounts her first classes in Pune. Gabriella shares her guidance on how the practice of non-harmfulness towards every human and nature can help deepen our Yoga practice. She also reflects on how her asana practice has evolved over 52 years and why compassion and generosity are key qualities for a good teacher.

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Istituto Iyengar Yoga Firenze where Gabriella Giubilaro teaches: https://www.istitutoiyengaryogafirenze.it

“After the ecstasy, the laundry” by Jack Kornfield https://www.amazon.in/After-Ecstasy-Laundry-Heart-Spiritual/dp/0553378295

“The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali” by Edwin Bryant translated to Italian by Gabriella Giubilaro https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Gabriella-Giubilaro/dp/8827229752

Videos of Gabriella’s classes https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAHbhYCwb_4XslWw7m0KQBfCCsYNwxJAb

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Glossary (Sanskrit words and sutras from the interview):

Karuṇā (Sanskrit) - compassion.

tapaḥ svādhyāya iśvarapraṇidhānāni kriyāyogaḥ - Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 2.1.

In the second part of the interview Lois Steinberg reflects on how her Yoga practice has evolved over the years, and what young and senior practitioners should be mindful of for their practice. Lois speaks about the effects that Yoga has on health. In what ways could Iyengar Yoga make an effective impact for women in coping with various women’s health issues? How could Yoga make a difference when dealing with the diseases like cancer?

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Classes, books and other Lois's work mentioned in the interview:

Guidance for cross bolsters asana https://vimeo.com/604054070

Lois’s article on L-shapes https://www.loissteinberg.com/l-shapes

Videos of BKS Iyengar’s workshop in Panchgani for his 75th birthday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwTqIgP8U6E&list=PLTw0jsrwaLC1vA7A2xZ8fxYzkrr44zTxd&index=1

Iyengar Yoga therapy workshop with Lois Steinberg for Russian students https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=KN8AoPbRrGI&embeds_referring_euri=https://www.google.com/&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE

“Geeta S. Iyengar’s Guide to a Woman’s Yoga Practice” https://www.loissteinberg.com/products/geeta-s-iyengars-guide-to-a-womans-yoga-practice-2006

“Iyengar Yoga Cancer Book” https://www.loissteinberg.com/products/iyengar-yoga-cancer-book-2013

Lois's work for Botswana wildlife rescue https://www.loissteinberg.com/botswanawildliferescue

Lois Steinberg is a highly regarded teacher and devoted practitioner of Iyengar Yoga from Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA. Her first encounter with Iyengar Yoga was in the 1970s when a friend gifted her the book Light on Yoga. She was mesmerized with the man in the photos and the postures he was able to do, as if he had no spine. Soon after, she met her first Iyengar Yoga teacher and committed to serious practice. With her hard work and focus, she was quickly asked by her teacher to begin teaching.

Since 1982 Lois has been studying with the Iyengar family, regularly making annual and extensive trips to RIMYI in Pune.

Lois has authored several books on Yoga, including Geeta S. Iyengar's Guide to a Woman's Yoga Practice and the Iyengar Yoga Cancer Book. She serves as a member of and assessor for the Certification Committee of the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the US. Lois also holds a PhD in Nutritional Sciences, with a focus on the impact of infant nutrition on their behavioral states.

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Lois Steinberg https://www.loissteinberg.com/

“Geeta S. Iyengar’s Guide to a Woman’s Yoga Practice” https://www.loissteinberg.com/products/geeta-s-iyengars-guide-to-a-womans-yoga-practice-2006

“Iyengar Yoga Cancer Book” https://www.loissteinberg.com/products/iyengar-yoga-cancer-book-2013

Books by Lois Steinberg https://www.loissteinberg.com/products

Videos of online classes with Lois:

https://roadstobliss.wordpress.com/guests/lois-steinberg-ph-d/

Articles by Lois Steinberg (in multiple languages) https://www.loissteinberg.com/practice-sequences