Snow is melting and spring is in the air. The spring schedule of classes is now open for registration. Get ready for your spring and summer activities with a session of yoga classes including an in studio ropes class with Krisna.

Find out more about classes and upcoming events at kelownayogahouse.org.
Congrats to Joni - our newest Level 1 Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher
On the weekend of February 25 our teacher Joni Barbagallo had a successful assessment and is now a Level 1 Certified Iyengar Yoga teacher!
It was the first assessment following the new guidelines from Puna and was done virtually. Krisna Zawaduk was also involved as an assessor. Leslie Hogya from Victoria reflected on the experience in the March 11 IYAC journal found at iyengaryogacanada.com/first-full-assessment-with-the-new-pune-guidelines.
Joni adds -
Sending many thanks out to the Iyengar Community for all the support that I received during my teacher training.
 A huge shout out to all those who rallied to create an online experience that managed to capture the essence and integrity of the assessment process. Never would have imagined that the assessors and my fellow candidates would end up in each other’s homes rather than at a yoga studio. It was odd at first but we adapted rather quickly and success was had by all .
Trailblazing at its finest. ❤️
KARMA YOGA by Krisna Zawaduk
Karma Yoga has become somewhat of a buzz phrase at many local studios these days. People are trading their time in service for yoga classes. This is not true karma yoga. You may already be aware that the word karma means action. We are always in action. Even when seemingly doing nothing, we are thinking, breathing, sleeping etc. Karma Yoga is the yoga of action--it is the intentional application of action with a corresponding attitude.

Giving selflessly is karma yoga. If we are trading our time for money, there is nothing selfless about it, we are getting a reward. What makes any act one of karma yoga is the attitude and intention behind it. If we are serving others for the benefit of others, this is truly selfless service. Less self, more focus on the other.  Our motivations can be very tangled and convoluted. It takes constant self-observation to reveal those hidden agendas. Karma yoga is a study of right action. We attempt to align ourselves with what is wanted and needed in the moment. 
When we are in the service of others, and perform that service without the hope of any personal gain, we are practicing karma yoga. Serving others dissolves the sense of separation that we feel. Always operating from a place of self-referencing is lonely and isolating. When we have the wants and needs of others in mind, we are connecting with the world and with God. Some of us have a very hard time extending ourselves in this way. However, I will speak from experience when I say it gets easier and more natural. 
Read Krisna's full article on our website or click here
Upcoming Events
Our Spring schedule starts April 1. We have classes online and in the studio. New for this session, Joni is teaching early morning classes, Krisna has a Tuesday morning ropes class and Phofi will be teaching in the studio Wednesday mornings. We also have an open practice time in the studio starting April 11. Visit our website to see the new Spring class schedule or click on the purple links below to register for events in March
The March offering in our series of workshops celebrating KYH's 20th Anniversary
Join us for this exciting in-studio workshop opportunity to share in the wisdom of our former KYH teacher. One-year experience in Iyengar yoga and ability to set up for sarvangasana required.
Not yet ready for registration but mark your calendars for Sunday April 24 for an online workshop with Senior Iyengar teacher from Victoria, Ann Kilbertus.
History of Props - Bricks and Blocks
For me, prop is not only for the Asana. It should contribute to the position of the body which in turn can let the mind be calm and state of ‘Chitta Vṛtti Nirodhaḥ‘ be experienced. Body is my first prop. The body is a prop to the soul. – B.K.S. Iyengar

Wood blocks, foam blocks and cork blocks are commonly used props in Iyengar yoga classes as shown by KYH teachers.

Mr. Iyengar tells us…
"Nowadays bricks are an integral part of standing poses, but they were first used for Sirsasana to reduce pain in the neck and heaviness in the head. Many people could not do Sirsasana, so I used to give them one horizontal and one vertical brick. The vertical one was for the back near the wall and the horizontal one offered exact support to the shoulder blades. It proved to be very effective. Brick is helpful in other postures too. In Supta Virasana, the back does not touch the ground completely especially in the region of lumbar spine. To support this area and to make the asana comfortable, I was trying different materials like blankets, pillows, rolls of mattresses etc. but they were not helping.
I expected something firm and circular at the top, which every material failed to deliver. A soft support only provides a cushion. This style is needed for people who have soreness or tenderness in the muscles. Otherwise, dense props like the ones made of wood that I designed are better. “

Credit to to RIMYI 2013 calendar and the IYAC online Journal
Tracy has a brick placed vertical and narrow at the bulk of the calf muscle. which helps the action of pulling the front thigh muscles up and to the thigh bone and activates.
Terry in Uttanasana with support so her palms can press down
Krisna in Sirsasana with a foam block - an excellent assistant for inner rotation of the thighs and lifting the legs.
Joni in supine Bishmasana - a back extension Need a pick me up on a cloudy day? Try placing a block along the dorsal spine to support and open the chest at the heart centre.
Kari with support in paryankasana. This brick set up allows Kari to lift her upper back through the back extension and to support the back of her head so that there is no pressure on the neck.
"Giving does not impoverish, withholding does not enrich" BKS Iyengar
"Established through a generous donation, the Kelowna Yoga House is a non-profit society dedicated to sharing the gift of Iyengar Yoga with the community by promoting physical, mental and spiritual well-being."
Address: 1272 St. Paul Street Kelowna, BC, 
Canada V1Y 2C9
Phone: 250-862-4906