What does it mean to be an Iyengar teacher?

All of the instructors at The Yoga Place teach only in the Iyengar tradition. We do not mix methods and do not teach other exercise disciplines. We specialize in yoga because it is an all inclusive discipline to uplift the individual. In addition to its many physical benefits, yoga enhances mental clarity and emotional tranquility.

To be an instructor at The Yoga Place, one has to be a dedicated student for many years and demonstrate that he or she has developed a personal practice. All of the instructors have also observed the more senior instructors teach and worked with them in a student-mentor relationship for teacher training. They have studied and showed proficiency in how to demonstrate, instruct, sequence, modify and adjust poses. They all have experience in working with students with special needs such as pregnant women, the elderly, people with common orthopedic problems, etc.

To become a certified instructor of Iyengar yoga is a lengthy process; there are less than 500 certifited instructors in the United States. There are five levels of certification from Introductory to Advanced Senior. For a student to be assessed at the introductory level he or she must first teach yoga only in the Iyengar method for two years, have two recommendations from Iyengar certified teachers and go through the application process, which includes a written test, demonstrated practice, and a forty-minute teaching exam. If a student passes these tests he or she becomes a "teacher-in training".

A teacher-in-training is expected to follow ethical guidelines, continue their asana (the postures) and pranayama (breath control) study and teaching, read yoga, anatomy, and physiology literature and take classes in teaching technique.

After a year as a "teacher-in-training", another assessment test must be passed to become a certified Iyengar teacher. The length and thoroughness of this process contrasts sharply with other teacher training programs that certify teachers, who may have never even taken a yoga class previously, in anywhere from one week to a few months.

The Yoga Place is proud to have teachers dedicated to the Iyengar tradition who are knowledgeable and highly experienced. Chris and Francie are senior level certified teachers. They were both featured teachers at the Iyengar Yoga Convention held in Minneapolis in May, 2004.

All of the teachers at The Yoga Place continue their personal study of yoga with the Iyengars and/or with other senior teachers and colleagues throughout the United States.

Chris Saudek

Chris is the director of The Yoga Place. She has been studying the Iyengar method since 1978 and made her first trip to study in Pune, India, at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in 1980. Chris has been teaching regular classes and workshops since 1982. Since 1980, she has traveled to India to study with the Iyengars on several occasions. While in India, she has attended general classes, intensives, and assisted in the medical classes.

Chris has been featured in the La Crosse Magazine (Winter 2005) and was named one of the 30 Coulee Region Women of Influence in 2006 (August/September 2006, Coulee Region Women) Chris holds a Senior Intermediate III certification from B.K.S. Iyengar and serves as an assessor for the Iyengar National Association of the United States. She teaches workshops and trains teachers throughout the United States and Canada. She has a degree in physical therapy which complements her yoga training.

Francie Ricks

Francie has been teaching at The Yoga Place since 1993 and previously taught Iyengar yoga in Southern California for 15 years. She has also studied at the Iyengar Yoga Institute in Pune, India on numerous occasions. Francie is the owner of the Winona Yoga Center and divides her teaching time between there and The Yoga Place.

Francie holds a Senior Intermediate III certification from B.K.S. Iyengar and serves as an assessor for the Iyengar National Association of the United States.

Carol Anne Kemen

Carol Anne Kemen is a longtime student of The Yoga Place, and has been teaching Iyengar yoga in Viroqua for nine years. This is her 5th year of participating in Chris Saudek's Teacher Training Program in Madison. In 2009 she successfully passed her Introductory assessment by IYNAUS.

Cynthia (Sam) Licht

Cynthia (Sam) Licht has been a student at The Yoga Place since 1990, has assisted with the special needs and Level I classes, attended several advanced level workshops, taught yoga through the YMCA, at WWTC, and the Winona Yoga Center. Professionally she has made her career as a full-time certified/licensed massage therapist.

Jenelle Lee

Jenelle has been a student at The Yoga Place since 1998 and has bene teaching yoga for La Crescent Community Education for the past two years. She has attended workshops, teacher training, and assisted in classes at The Yoga Place. She holds a degree in Community Health Education and has taught a variety of fitness classes for the past 27 years.

Rachel Hazuga

Rachel Hazuga has been studying and teaching yoga for 7 years. She is an instructor in the Exercise and Sports Science Department at UW-La Crosse.