Laura began her Iyengar yoga journey as a teenager and quickly fell in love with its ability to energize the body and calm the mind. Laura has been practising Iyengar yoga ever since and is excited to have recently attained Level 1 teacher certification through IYAC (Iyengar Yoga Association of Canada). 

 

Laura has studied with senior Iyengar yoga teachers Marlene Mawhinney and Jocelyn Hollmann. Laura enjoys participating in yoga workshops and intensives and has recently had the opportunity to learn online from Abhijata Iyengar and Raya Uma Datta from RIMYI (Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute) in Pune, India. 

 

When asked about her experience with Iyengar yoga, Laura said, “I feel safe in an Iyengar yoga class. I feel as though my practice is truly being seen and that the precision and accuracy of the teaching leads to a healthier development of the Asanas. I appreciate that the use of props makes Iyengar yoga accessible to everyone. I have really come to value over time that all bodies are able to enjoy and benefit from Iyengar yoga.  I feel purposeful and motivated in my practice and that is why I hope to share my passion with others.”

Jocelyn is the senior teacher at Yoga Toronto 196.  She is a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher, with a Level 3 (Intermediate Senior I) international certification.  Her entire yoga journey has been in the Iyengar method.  She began practising yoga in 1997 and has been teaching since 2005.  Also since 2005, she has made regular study trips to the Iyengar Yoga Institute (RIMYI) in Pune, India, and attends study intensives with senior teachers from RIMYI frequently. She serves as a mentoring teacher and teacher assessor for the Iyengar Yoga Association of Canada.

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Jocelyn tells us, “Yoga FYI – it’s For Your Improvement.  For me, the teachings of  B.K.S. Iyengar and the Iyengar method are all about exploring yourself, from the periphery to the core, on a physical, emotional, mindful and intellectual level. It is teaching me to balance and align my strengths and weaknesses.  It is a holistic approach to wellbeing and joy.  I believe the Iyengar method allows anyone to plant seeds of happiness in themselves and others.”

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Zuzana is an apprentice teacher at Yoga Toronto 196.  About her yoga journey and her thoughts on yoga, she tells us...

 

" I attended my first yoga class – which, by chance, was an Iyengar yoga class – in 2011 in Australia.  Yoga has been a part of my life ever since. I am a traveller and I have lived in many different parts of the world; this has given me the good fortune to be guided under the highest standards of Iyengar yoga by many inspiring teachers.  Having settled in Toronto, I decided to deepen my learning with the help of my mentor, Jocelyn Hollmann.  I decided also to work towards becoming an Iyengar yoga teacher.

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The precision of the teaching in Iyengar yoga, the detailed instructions as to where to be attentive in an Asana, make me feel safe during class. The depth of the Iyengar yoga teachings seems infinite – since I started studying Iyengar yoga, I have never been to the same class twice; each class, each practice, is a new discovery! 

As a pharmacist, I have always been interested in the study of the human body and in helping people.  This sparked my interest in becoming a teacher; I believe I can study and help through teaching Iyengar yoga… and not just for people who don’t enjoy full health, but, also, for anyone who would like to be stronger, more grounded, more connected to the present moment and to oneself.  I believe yoga brings physical, mental and emotional balance to those who practise it. "