Birjoo Mehta - Influence of Iyengar Yoga on shaping effective leadership skills
Birjoo Mehta is a senior student of Yogacharya BKS Iyengar and a world-renowned Iyengar Yoga teacher from Mumbai, India. He grew up in a family where the practice of Yoga was an essential part of life; his parents and sisters all studied under Guruji.Birjoo Mehta has built a successful professional career with Tata Communications, a leading telecom company in India, and has held leadership roles for many decades. While very successful in his profession, he has also been teaching Iyengar Yoga for over 40 years.In this interview, Birjoo reflects on the benefits of Yoga for the development of leadership skills, creativity, and lucid thinking. He shares his experience of how Yoga practice helped him be more effective as a leader and individual. ___Birjoo Mehta teaches at Iyengar Yoga center in Mumbai - Iyengar Yogashraya https://iyengaryogashraya.in/Master class from Guruji BKS Iynegar's 85th birthday, where Birjoo is demonstrating on the stage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OspEAmmcS2A&t=1343s
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1:08:36
Nivedita Joshi - From the grip of affliction to radiant health - a testament to Iyengar’s method
Nivedita Joshi's journey in Yoga is an example of how the scientific Iyengar's method, coupled with earnest and sincere practice, could bring about remarkable results.
In her teens, Nivedita was stricken by slipped disc and cervical spondylosis. No doctor in India could cure her or diagnose her correctly. She lost the ability to move her hands and legs, and by the time she was 26, after 12 years of struggling with the condition, she was completely bedridden. In 1996, Nivedita met BKS Iyengar in Pune and joined his medical classes as a patient. Her transformative experience of healing nurtured her commitment to Guruji's teachings and motivated her to help others experience the health-giving benefits of Iyengar Yoga.
In 2004, Nivedita opened the first Iyengar Yoga center in Delhi, Iyengar Yogakshema, where she teaches general and medical classes.
In this interview, Nivedita reflects on her remarkable experience of recovery and healing through the Iyengar method. She shares her take on what makes Guruji's approach to mind-body work so effective for health. She also recounts some episodes from her 22 years of close association with Guruji and offers some guidance to the younger generation of students and teachers.
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More information about Nivedita Joshi:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOghTM9NkeQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb89zTipXOE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9MezxWaGdw
Iyengar Yoga center in Delhi - Iyengar Yogakshema https://www.iyengaryogakshema.org/
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Glossary:
सूक्ष्मशरीर - sukshma sharira - subtle body, the vehicle of consciousness with which one passes from life to life.
स तु दीर्घकाल नैरन्तर्य सत्कारा असेवितो दृढभूमि: - 1.14 Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Long, uninterrupted, alert practice is the firm foundation for restraining the fluctuations.
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Arti Mehta - Building an emotional connect with students is a key to their transformation | Part 2 of 2
This is the second part of a conversation with Arti Mehta, a senior student and teacher of Iyengar Yoga from Mumbai. For over 20 years, Arti has been working with kids with special needs, helping them to cope with their conditions through the practice of Yoga and improve their quality of life.
In this episode, Arti reflects on her challenges and learnings from guiding children with special needs. She shares that acceptance is the starting point for change. Once a teacher can fully accept and connect with a child, a positive and fundamental shift is bound to happen.
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Iyengar Yoga center in Mumbai - Iyengar Yogashraya https://iyengaryogashraya.in/
Iyengar Yoga demonstration by kids with special needs led by Arti Mehta https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ccTO2TnC5A
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Arti Mehta - Building an emotional connect with students is a key to their transformation | Part 1 of 2
Arti Mehta was 10 when she was introduced to Iyengar Yoga and joined Guruji’s classes in Mumbai. She comes from a family where Yoga is an essential part of life; both her parents and all her siblings were studying Yoga from Guruji for many decades.
Today, Arti Mehta and all her siblings - Neeta Datta, Birjoo Mehta and Rajvi Mehta are among the most senior Iyengar Yoga teachers globally.
For over 20 years Arti has been working with children with special needs and helping them to cope with their conditions through the practice of Yoga and have a better quality of life.
In the first part of our conversation, Arti recounts the early years of her Yoga practice and her journey into teaching. She speaks about the importance of building an emotional connect with students and shares her experience on how the practice of Iyengar Yoga can make an effective impact for people with dyslexia, autism, and ADHD.
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Iyengar Yoga center in Mumbai - Iyengar Yogashraya
https://iyengaryogashraya.in/
Iyengar Yoga demonstration by kids with special needs led by Arti Mehta https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ccTO2TnC5A
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Gabriella Giubilaro - Compassion and generosity are essential for a good teacher
Gabriella Giubilaro is a long-time practitioner and a highly regarded teacher of Iyengar Yoga from Florence, Italy. She joined her first Iyengar Yoga class in 1973, and with curiosity and focus committed to a serious practice. Gabriella quickly developed a deep passion for the subject, since 1983 she has been studying at RIMYI with the Iyengar family.
Gabriella holds a Ph.D. in Physics. She was teaching physics at the University of Florence, before she decided to fully devote herself to studying and teaching Yoga. Today Gabriella teaches in her studio Istituto Iyengar Yoga Firenze in Florence, Italy and conducts workshops around the globe.
In this conversation, Gabriella talks about her journey in Yoga, and recounts her first classes in Pune. Gabriella shares her guidance on how the practice of non-harmfulness towards every human and nature can help deepen our Yoga practice. She also reflects on how her asana practice has evolved over 52 years and why compassion and generosity are key qualities for a good teacher.
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Istituto Iyengar Yoga Firenze where Gabriella Giubilaro teaches: https://www.istitutoiyengaryogafirenze.it
“After the ecstasy, the laundry” by Jack Kornfield https://www.amazon.in/After-Ecstasy-Laundry-Heart-Spiritual/dp/0553378295
“The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali” by Edwin Bryant translated to Italian by Gabriella Giubilaro https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Gabriella-Giubilaro/dp/8827229752
Videos of Gabriella’s classes https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAHbhYCwb_4XslWw7m0KQBfCCsYNwxJAb
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Glossary (Sanskrit words and sutras from the interview):
Karuṇā (Sanskrit) - compassion.
tapaḥ svādhyāya iśvarapraṇidhānāni kriyāyogaḥ - Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 2.1.
'The Fourth Niyama' is a place where conversations on timeless teachings of Yogacharya BKS Iyengar unfold. Join us as we explore the vast subject of Iyengar yoga with senior Iyengar Yoga teachers, direct disciples of Guruji BKS Iyengar. Here they reflect on their journeys in Yoga, share their experiences, lifelong lessons, and recount moments of joy and growth when studying under the guidance of their Guru BKS Iyengar.
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