THE PHILOSOPHY IN OUR PRACTICE

A series of 8 classes in 8 months based on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras

starting Saturday October 12 2024

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are a collection of 196 aphorisms compiled some 2500 years ago. They represent a foundational text for understanding the philosophy and practice of yoga.

Inspired by our Iyengar yoga methodology which begins at the most tangible physical experience to connect the intellectual mind to the here and now of what is being done and felt, in the same way it seems correct to approach the yoga philosophy from the topics that spontaneously emerge from our practice.

These topics are very well synthetized in some of the Sanskrit terms that populate the Yoga Sutras, and Patanjali offers answers and clarity to the questions that naturally arise in a practitioner’s mind. Terms such as chitta, vrtti, abhyasa, vairagya, Prakrti, Purusa, gunas, kriya yoga, ashtanga yoga and many others act then as magnets and allow us to dive into their depths, giving us a chance to connect, not always in a linear way, to this wonderful text.

All are welcome to this course who have a genuine interest in yoga and can commit to it from October to May. As you see from the presentation, it is essential to have an established Iyengar yoga practice. In this way the study is not a mere intellectual effort but acts as a bridge to connect the subjective experience with the intuitive understanding of the Sutras.

Content of the class: At the start of each class there will be a moment when we chant the (complete) invocation to Patanjali after a short vocal preparation, for a correct pronunciation of the Sanskrit. Then I will initiate the conversation with one question, we will share some answers and I will present what the Sutras have to say on that topic. To finish, there will be a short practice of asana, pranayama or seated still meditation where we let the new information sink in or inform our actions. Example: if we have touched on the subject of vairagya (detachment), then we can explore what it means while practicing a specific asana.

Teacher: Barbara Queirolo

Time: 15.00-17.00

Dates: Saturday October 12, November 16, December 7 2024; January 25; March 15 and 29; April 12 and May 17 2025

Location: IYCA, Molenpad 15, Amsterdam

Cost: 200 euro

What is needed: “Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali” by BKS Iyengar

Registration: Write to the teacher at info@iyengaryogacentrum.nl and you will be sent the link for the payment of the course fee. As places are limited, the earlier you apply the earlier you reserve a place.

My biography and motivation to teach this course:

I have been a yoga practitioner for the last 30 years and have completed 3 subsequent teachers’ trainings from 1993 to 2004. My beginnings are with the Sivananda Vedanta Yoga School, followed by a 4-year teachers’ training with the Italian Yoga Federation and finally a three-year teachers’ training at the B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Institute in Amsterdam under the guidance of Cle Souren, Annemieke Post and Charles Hond. Since then, my Iyengar yoga training has been on-going and has brought me to study directly with Gita, Prashant, Sunita and Abhijata Iyengar, to meet BKS Iyengar and witness his own daily practice in Pune, India, and to be qualified further as a certified Intermediate Senior II teacher.

In every one of my teachers’ trainings Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras where study matter and recognized as the philosophical base of the yoga we practiced. After those trainings, still and always fascinated by the depth of this text, I underwent a 4-modules introductory course spanning over 2 years with Gitte Bechsgaard Ph.D., followed by a sequel advanced course, both on the Yoga Sutras, this time learning the correct pronunciation and recitation of the Sutras in Sanskrit.

This last experience has made the Sutras part of my regular practice, more accessible and more useful. They not only put the asana, pranayama and meditative practices into their right perspective, but they give guidance, motivation and inspiration in everyday life.

For these reasons, and finally feeling ready to give this a try, I want to share this part of the yoga wisdom with my students. I will only share what has been sufficiently understood and integrated. Therefore, I call this an introduction to the yoga philosophy, with the wish to ignite some interest in the subject by providing a solid base from which to explore further.

Barbara Queirolo