Mr. Iyengar sat on the back of a student who was in the sitting forward bend, paschimottanasana. That wasn’t what enthralled me about yoga, though it was a powerful approach. What drew me were the weekly three-hour yoga classes with Iyengar’s student, Barbara Linderman, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
The classes were filled with a sense of community, communion, yoga poses (asanas), breathing exercises, long relaxation sessions (shavasana), chanting, meditation, and sacred readings. Our first assignment was Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. That was 1974. Linderman encouraged us to continue our daily one-hour asana practice sessions and engage in regular meditation. She enticed us to attend weekend retreats where the immersion in that yogic lifestyle of chanting, meditation, sacred talks and asana practice did indeed enthrall me. The chanting especially ignited a fire of joy within me that continues to glow.
Yoga
The word yoga means “to join, to unite.” It is a joining and aligning of body, mind and soul. There are many ways to do this, by following the four paths of yoga: the path of Bhakti, or Devotion; the path of Jnana, or Knowledge; the path of Karma, or Dedicated Action; and Raja Yoga, the path of Discipline which includes Meditation (Dhyana), Yoga Postures (Asana), Breathing Exercises (Pranayama), and more.
The practice of Yoga is one of the greatest joys and passions of my life, and I have been blessed to share it with thousands of yoga students on the East Coast, West Coast and in Hawaii since I began teaching yoga professionally in 1976. In 2007 and a few subsequent years, I enjoyed offering devotional music for retreats and workshops led by Richard Miller, Ph.D.
Yoga in America
Yoga in America has changed significantly during the past four decades. I learned Iyengar Yoga from Iyengar’s students Barbara Linderman and Karin Stephan, and from Mr. Iyengar himself on occasion. In those days, there were no certification programs. We simply dedicated ourselves to the daily practice of yoga, with a 3-hour group class once per week, for two years without a break. Then our teacher encouraged a few of us to start teaching.
During those 2 years, I spent a semester abroad, living with a yoga teacher and his family near Paris, France, where I studied and worked at the European Center for Yoga with renowned Iyengar yoga teacher, Karin Stephan
I subsequently trained with Sita Frenkel, Lillias Folan’s teacher, in Sivananda Yoga for one year as an apprentice at her yoga studio in Washington, D.C. Thus far, each teacher I had worked with incorporated postures, breathing exercises, relaxation, meditation, and chanting in their yoga practice.
I finally trained in the healing, flowing style of Synergy Yoga as taught by Charmaine Lee, based on Randolph Stone’s Polarity Therapy. This did not incorporate meditation or chanting, but was based on a healing modality that promotes physical and emotional health and well-being.
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Hannah Caratti, LMFT, integrates psychology, trauma-informed yoga, and iRest® Yoga Nidra to help individuals cultivate resilience, healing, and lasting well-being.
She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT 50289) and an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT).
