Celebration of Knowledge and Tradition

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When December rolls around, the Iyengar Yoga community comes alive with special celebrations and offerings of yoga all around the world! Our hope is to remind all students of yoga the impact that the Iyengars have had on the spreading of the subject of yoga in general and the depth of knowledge they have left for posterity to keep such an ancient subject alive and well in our current age.

BKS Iyengar would have been 104 on Dec 14th. His daughter, Geeta, would have been 78 on the 7th. Still living and teaching from the source of the subject in India are his son Prashant, daughter Sunita, and granddaughter Abhijata, not to mention the countless certified teachers around the world that have taken on this practice as a life’s work and passion. Practice and studentship of the subject is at the heart and foundation of any teaching of Iyengar Yoga, and the legacy that the Iyengar family has left for the world is vast and awe inspiring. There is no end to learning and no end to practice…it just changes over time. It is specifically the Iyengar method that makes it possible to practice yoga from childhood to old age, in sickness or health, for therapy or for fun, without break or abandonment.

As I celebrate the subject of yoga in my life, I always reflect and connect back to the lineage that has fed my passion. I remember all the teachers that have touched and transformed my practice in so many different ways. Iyengar Yoga is a methodology that can be transmitted in as many ways as there are personalities, body types, and interests. It is a practice that encompasses movement and steadiness, discipline and exploration, history and present moment, tradition and evolution.

I look at my shelves of books full of the knowledge the Iyengar family has shared with the world and feel full, in awe, and overwhelmed all at the same time. In their lifetime, they have given us lifetimes more of learning to explore and experience our true Self through yoga.

The Yoga Place is no different than any other Iyengar Yoga community in offering its celebration and excitement of the subject of yoga! You can join us for regular class at any time, but we will be coming together for our regional and local community celebration next Sunday, Dec 11, for YOGA DAY ! A Yoga Class for ALL levels in person and online will be followed by refreshments in the studio. Hope you can join us!

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Jennie Williford CIYT

Jennie Williford (CIYT Level 3) is a transplant to LaCrosse via Montana, Illinois, and originally Texas. Throughout her life moves and 5 trips to India, Jennie has acquired a well-rounded and multi-faceted approach to Iyengar Yoga since her start in 1998. Jennie loves the experimental and explorative nature of yoga in accessing deeper knowledge of the Self on every level. The practice of yoga can be intense and introspective, however as practitioners we can be light-hearted and open-minded in our discipline. Jennie is intrigued by the philosophy of yoga and hopes to share this depth of subject while teaching the physical and mental benefits that come from the practice of posture.