When I began taking yoga classes, the teachers would often tell me not to hyper-extend my knees. I’m quite flexible and several of my joints can be overstretched, particularly my knees and elbows.

The first time I studied at the Institute was in July 2011 and I remember in anticipation of that trip I was pretty nervous. I didn’t know if I had the stamina or depth of practice to keep par.

Salamba Sarvangasana has always been a tough pose for me. Because of the issues with my spine and the shape of my body, I have never been able to keep the weight of my legs ascending.

In my opinion, there is no such thing as a yoga expert. BKS Iyengar teaches to approach the mat each day ‘as a beginner’.

Scoliosis can manifest in many different ways and how to work with scoliosis varies significantly from person to person. For me, in my specific circumstance, my Senior Teacher recommended working with straps.

We began by exploring Virasana. Interestingly, we observed that our bodies had opposite tendencies. For Zhanna, the weight needed to be transferred to the big toe side of her foot. For me, to the small toe side. For Zhanna, the shoulders tended to be too far forward. For me, too far back.

In an Iyengar Yoga class, the last week of the month is typically a restorative practice. I find it interesting that more so than any other week (standing pose, forward bends, or back bends) restorative week garners the strongest response from the students.

So apparently there’s a trend called ‘pop up retail’ or ‘pop up stores’. It’s not a new trend (I admit, it’s not unusual for me to be a bit out of touch when it comes to popular culture).

Well, it occurred to me today that the way I feel about Adho Mukha Svanasana is kind of how my friends feel about their shoes, their pens, and the many other things people are oddly attracted to :).

Not too long ago, I was in a class where my teacher was taking us through some fairly intense backbends. I suffered my way through. I felt like my body was not yet ready for the more advanced presentations of Urdhva Dhanurasana and Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana she was teaching.

The illustration below is my attempt at conveying the inner dialogue that goes on in my head. I often begin a practice by approaching my poses systematically.

Yoga is a practice. It’s not a routine or a workout it’s a practice. Practitioners of Yoga, I believe, have a responsibility that goes beyond being guided into and out of the shapes of the asanas.

Any serious yoga student will tell you that regardless of how much you practice, sometimes, practice alone is not enough. You also need to put in the time.

This post is the 5th & final post in a series detailing my struggle with chronic back pain and my journey to the path of Iyengar Yoga.

This post is the 4th in a series of posts detailing my struggle with chronic back pain and my journey to the path of Iyengar Yoga.

This post is the 3rd in a series of posts detailing my struggle with chronic back pain and my journey to the path of Iyengar Yoga.

This post is the 2nd in a series of posts detailing my struggle with chronic back pain and my journey to the path of Iyengar Yoga.

This post is the 1st in a series of posts detailing my struggle with chronic back pain and my journey to the path of Iyengar Yoga.