Projo Fitness Blog

The economy may be bad right now, yoga, it appears, is thriving during the downturn.

More than 400 people have signed up for the New England Iyengar Yoga Conference at the Rhode Island Convention Center on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, even though fees for the event range from $175 for a full-day pass to $375 for the entire weekend -- and many are also booking hotel rooms in Providence and will have travel and meal expenses.

Patricia Walden, founder of the BKS Iyengar Yogamala center in Cambridge, Mass., and one of the biggest draws of this weekend's conference, says that although it's not an issue for her as an established teacher, she's been wondering about the economic health of smaller yoga studios.

"But it hasn't effected [many classes] because people are going through a period of stress" right now that yoga helps its practitioners handle, Walden says.

"One of the greatest gifts" of a yoga practice is "to learn to relax cope with stress." Walden notes that she often notices how her students look as they enter her class, and then after "savasana" -- or corpse pose -- at the end of their session. "It's a mini-transformation," Walden says.

"With Iyengar, increasing as I teach workshops all over country, I find fuller and fuller workshops. "The future of Iyengar is good, my yoga classes are larger than ever before and other teachers are doing very well.

The conference will likely be good for Rhode Island's economy as well, bringing yogis from as far away as California to Providence. Walden says she believes some of the finest yoga teachers in the country will be attending this weekend's event.

"We decided to have the conference in Providence to help build a greater sense of community in New England among Iyengar studios," Walden says. "This is the first time we've been able to gather this many senior teachers in a major workshop."

Although there are only two certified Iyengar studios in Rhode Island, Naama Gidron, director of Motion Center yoga studio in Providence, notes there are more teachers about to be certified in the state.

"A surprising number are starting to crop up all over the place," Walden says.

Walden herself gave up her yoga studio at St. Mary's Church in Cambridge because of her national commitments, but notes the some of her colleagues have kept the center open to reinforce that community spirit.

Iyengar yoga is based on the teachings of Sri B.K.S. Iyengar, one of the world's most highly recognized yoga master. The founder of this practice, Iygenar, 90, is largely responsible for popularizing yoga in the West.

"There are some wonderful things about the Iyengar method," Walden says. "I call it a multi-faceted jewel because it's more than just poses and deep breathing."

The conference's class schedule is tiered so that "any practitioner, of any method, and in any stage in their yoga practice" can participate, Walden notes.

In addition to offering sessions on asanas, or poses, and pranayama (deep breathing), there are special topics' classes such as one Walden will host Sunday on "emotional healing."

"We have classes on poses for high blood pressure, rotator-cuff injuries, yoga philosophy, teacher training," she said, "and specialized attention to certain aspects of doing yoga, including yoga for the depressed. All things studios don't offer."

In her more than 30-year career in yoga, Walden has specialized in applying the benefits of the practice to certain groups, especially women. "I wrote a book with Linda Sparrowe about five years ago, "The Woman's Book of Yoga & Health" that covers all stages of a women's life from puberty to menopause," she notes.

"There are certain asanas that work with each stage of life. A woman's life is steered by cycles, be it premenstrual, pregnant ... there are ways to practice" that help with each physical and emotional mood a woman experiences.

The Iyengar method especially stresses the need for props and bolsters, something Walden says is "so important."

"If you're doing uttanasana -- a standing forward bend -- and your hamstrings are tight why, not use blocks? The goal is doing the pose. I've taught for 30 years and I can say that using props prevent injuries."

"For beginners, it helps with something like a leg stretch. If you reach up and try to hold your toe you get pain and resistance, but put a belt around your foot and you get acceptable sensations."

Back to the economy, Walden notes that practicing yoga is economical compared to joining a gym or investing in other exercise programs that require expensive equipment.

"The main reason to go to class to learn to practice at home -- I think. Going to a class is great because you can connect with other people who love to do yoga, but when you are at home at your mat practicing, you are really learn about yourself -- and that you are so much more than just your body. You are no longer living at the surface of your life, you understand yourself at a deeper level."

"The main focus (of all forms of yoga) is that as you stay with the practice, it's really about changing your mind."

(This entry was first posted at 6:40 a.m., and has since been corrected to clarify the name of Motion Center yoga studio and other typos.)

 Tags  New England Iyengar Yoga conference Patricia Walden Providence yoga

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