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Joan White
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BIOGRAPHY:
Joan began her yoga training in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1968. In a 1972 horseback riding accident she broke her back and sustained other serious spinal injuries. She suffered from temporary paralysis and slowly began to recover by doing some yoga poses. Joan participated in a 1973 class in Ann Arbor taught by B.K.S, Iyengar .Watching her closely, he advised her what to do and what not to do. From the very first asana she knew that she had found her teacher.
Certified by B.K.S. Iyengar at the Advanced level, Joan has been studying with the Iyengar family since 1973. She has traveled to India 27 times and currently travels at least once a year to study with the Iyengars She was the Chair of the national certification Committee for the Iyengar National Association for six and a half years. She has been awarded best of Philly four times the last in 2009. The Philadelphia Magazine labeled her the doyenne of yoga.
In 2005 Joan had another horseback riding accident, which left her with a broken back, eight broken ribs, a destroyed shoulder and a punctured lung. Despite all of this she has continued to practice and learn from her experience. She has also had to learn how to work with both aging and injuries.
Joan’s teaching is true to the tradition’s high standards. Her language is direct and succinct. Her understanding of the poses draws from over thirty nine years of study with the Iyengar family. She is k;nown for her spontaneity, her sequences and her sense of humor.
List of Joan’s Sessions
Title:
Type:
Ananda Visnu Middling
Length:
2.5 hour(s)
Description:
Passionate about your yoga but confused by Vairagya or dispassion?
Guruji translates Sutra I:12 in LOYS as “Practice and detachment are the means to still the movements of consciousness”. Further on Guruji says: “Vairagya is a practice through which the [practitioner] learns to be free from desires and passions and to cultivate non-attachment to things which hinder [one’s] pursuit of union with the soulâ€.
Is there a way to love yoga but not be passionate about it? How can we continue to grow in yoga if we no longer can do asanas the way we used to? Or conversely, how can we continue to improve our asana practice but still move inwards? What are some of the ways of using our knowledge of asana and pranayama so that we can begin to work with Vairagya?
If you have the courage, the knowledge of asana, and the interest to get started, then I welcome you to take this class. (Not suitable for beginners).
Notes:
Requirements for this class: You will need a working knowledge of asana including inversions, twists, back extensions and forward extensions. Alternatives will be suggested as needed.
Older students who can no longer ’do‘are welcome and encouraged to take this class. There is no age limit on learning
Suggested props:
Mat,
Blankets as per your needs
one or two straps or more if you normally use more in your practice
chair you can lie over
2 blocks
If you have ropes you can use them when appropriate.
