Guruji Prashant Iyengar, BKSIYA, Australia
Where does the Body End and the Mind begin?
you should know the internal geometry of the pose and that is what an Iyengar teacher trains you for. Even if you are trained at a physical level it may not be a physical thing at all.
Evlaleah Howard is a true gem and a rare find among yoga teachers. I consider myself extremely lucky to be under her guidance. Not only is she a gifted yoga practitioner and an extraordinary teacher, but her compassion and sense of community help to create a gentle and supportive environment for healing to take place. I trust her implicitly and my direct experience has consistently validated my absolute faith in her competence.
Before I met Evlaleah two years ago, my mornings were painful. I would wake up each day standing crooked with pain in my lower back, neck and shoulders. After several hours after moving around, at last I could stand up straight with minimal pain. On other days, the pain would persist and no amount of exercise, rest or even Aadvil could make it go away. I began to attend Evlaleah’s Iyengar Yoga classes and saw dramatic results very quickly.
After attending class for a few months, I suffered a neck injury, that prompted me to come to Evlaleah for a handful of 1-on-on sessions. Within the course of just a few sessions, Evlaleah had addressed the root cause of my symptoms and provided prescriptive and differential exercises and stretches, all of them rooted in traditional Iyengar Yoga, to address my specific issues. Within a week, entrenched problems began to loosen and within a month my pain had subsided. Although there are permanent problems that can be seen on my x-rays, including on arthritis and bone spurs, they no longer create difficult symptoms.
After years of finding only temporary and minimal relief through chiropractic, acupuncture and other healing modalities, Evlaleah has provided me with a solution that is effective, reliable and free of any negative side effects. In fact there have been numerous additional and unexpected benefits, such as lower level stress, less anxiety and better focus. And best of all, if I keep up with a regular yoga regimen and attend class, I am now living nearly pain free. As long as I remain committed, I believe Iyengar Yoga will be a permanent solution that allows me to live a full and productive life free of pain. It would be hard to overstate my gratitude.
Esther A.
NonProfit Executive
Dear Dear Evlaleah,
I can’t tell you how much joy I feel at having the chance to be in your classes again. It is a dream come true. Thank you so much for your beautiful teaching and how present you are with each of us.
Much love,
Meredith
At age 43, I was diagnosed with adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder). The pain was terrible and I was having difficulty working as an art teacher and sleeping was impossible. I had gone to chiropractors and acupuncturists and after two cortisone shots and an MRI, my doctor found a slight tear in my rotator cuff that could be rehabbed through physical therapy. I had a horrible hip problem that was causing sciatic nerve pain.
After six sessions in the first Spine Clinic, I had good mobility and relief and there was a need to continue in these classes, so I enrolled in for a full year. After that I was able to have freedom in my joints and was building strength and my posture improved dramatically. I am now a student in the regular classes and for the first time in my life have been able to maintain my health, posture and am building necessary strength in other more difficult poses.
Today I find myself in a personal daily practice of Yoga that is rewarding and keeps me moving forward, mentally, physically and emotionally.
What was advantageous is that the classes are so specific, the teaching is so clear ad that everyone walks out of class happier, relaxed and taller! These classes are suited for all levels of experience and the modifications make everything seem possible. I never thought I could do a handstand after having frozen shoulder, I never thought I could do backbends and even headstand, and now I am learning to hold these poses with greater confidence and strength. I have witnessed amazing transformations of my fellow students through Yoga.
These classes have been a balm for my nervous system and immune system health. I plan on continuing my studies with her as a regular student. I attend classes three times a week.
Katharine B.
Academy Art teacher
I wanted to share with you how Evlaleah transformed my life more than once. I was her student more than once in 1991 when she had her yoga practice in a beautiful hall on Divisadero Street in San Francisco. I had studied yoga intensely in India just prior to coming to San Francisco and had the divine fortune of finding this Senior level Iyengar teacher. She furthered my practice. I then had a long hiatus because I had to go to medical school out of the area and then medical residency.
Several years ago I had adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) and despite all Western, chiropractic and acupuncture therapies, I was still stuck in pain and limited mobility. Then I remembered Evlaleah could help me. I had to work one on one with her because I was not able to even participate in her Spine Clinic. I was that debilitated. With her evaluation, expertise and prescription, I regained full function, no longer in pain. Able to engage more fully in life.
I have seen in classes how many others have been saved by her healing instructions.
I travel from Oakland to Marin because I trust and benefit from HER teaching. Always learning. I hope she continues ti help many more people. I would refer all my patients, if I could but my work practice is in Vallejo a bit far for most.
She is a true healer, generous in her teaching and gifted in helping us to be physically, mentally and spiritually better human beings.
Sincerely,
Judy P. MD
I am a loyal yoga student (and fan) of Evlaleah , Senior Iyengar Yoga Instructor and her fantastic studio.
I am very much indebted to Iyengar Yoga and Evlaleah’s detailed and meticulous instructions. I have several health issues which are being addressed through yoga movement sequencing including scoliosis of the spine, stiffness in the thoracic, shoulders, neck and hips from a combination of age and years of poor posture (due to ignorance). More recently I was diagnosed with Adult Onset Asthma – Leah is addressing this through Yoga and after a few sessions, I am noticing an increase in my lower lung capacity and am breathing easier. Best of all – I am avoiding medication, possible surgery and on-going pain. A Kaiser Permanente doctor had recommended putting me permanently on an inhaler for my asthma – I may avoid this fate by rehabilitating my lungs through Yoga.
I am 56 years old – when I walk out of Evlaleah’s .. class my body feels 20 years old again. I have such an ease of movement and no pain. Evlaleah and Iyengar Yoga are truly a blessing to me What could be better than easing into my later years and feel comfortable in my own skin. I sleep better and I am able to do any physical activity. dI have better posture than when I was younger. I am breathing easier. ALl this physical ease helps me to be less tense. I carry a lot of tension with my modern working lifestyle. Yoga trains the mind as much as the body.
When we are born no one hands us an owner’s manual for our body. How many older people I know who would that would have liked that! So many do silly things and cause injury to parts of their body that later cause chronic pain and ruins their “golden years.”
Well Iyengar Yoga IS the OWNERS MANUAL FOR THE BODY! It is for children; it is for teens; it is for adults – it’s never to late! I have discussed only the physical benefits so farad honestly that alone should be enough to convince you to work with Evlaleah to develop her studio further. However there is more that may be of interest … The spiritual side of Yoga…. Spiritual Yoga …
Yoga is a 5,000 to 10,000 year old spiritual tradition with roots in the Indus- Saraswati Civilization in Northern India. Spiritual Yoga teaches the sacrifice of the ego through self-knowledge (jyana), action (karma) and wisdom. Physical health is pursued through study and knowledge of the human body – that unique design by the great Architect. I am enclosing a wonderful article about Evlaleah and her own physical and spiritual journey that lead her to become an Iyengar Yoga teacher.
Susan M.
I have been studying with Evlaleah for the past ten years, She is honestly the best teacher I have found. Having scoliosis, I have tried many classes and teachers, trying to get some sense, some feeling, of real direction toward getting at least a little straighter, a little taller , a little more comfortable. This woman took me there and beyond.
Evlaleah is devoted to the Iyengar Tradition, and her incredible knowledge of Yoga, orthopedic issues and human anatomy makes her exceptional. Able to tailor her classes to the needs of students present at the time, she creates and ever changing program. Her true intuition for how to help people is unmatched in my experience.
I have been diagnosed with scoliosis ( an abnormal curvature of the spine) in my teens and at some point faced a spinal surgery to correct it. I opted out at that time, not wanting an immobile spine and a metal rod in my back, and years before I started yoga. It was under the care of Evlaleah that my spine health improved dramatically. The spine curve a straightened quite a bit, with is beneficial to me everyday. Those who have known me for awhile were able to see the transformation as well.
The poses she prescribed have kept me out of pain and away from surgery, made me aware of the importance of practice under a watchful eye of a gifted teacher, Over the years, I introduced friends and family members to Yoga with Evlaleah, wanting to share my personal transformation and to encourage them to seek relief and abetter health through Yoga.
Evlaleah is a treasure to the community.
Justyna W.
Light Express Store Executive, Lighting Design Expert
I have been a student of Iyengar Yoga for 33 years and a student of Evlaleah at her classes … for over five years. She uses the space with respect and great inventiveness to offer continually fresh and challenging instruction to all levels of student. I have studied with quite a number of Iyengar Yoga instructors and I’ve found Evlaleah to be one of the most informed and insightful of my teachers.
Consider an antenna – a device for receiving and sending signals. If you think of each human being as a tremendous sophisticate antenna, capable of perceiving and acting in the World through our human senses and consciousness, then you can see that focusing on deeply feeling, understanding and adjusting your body , your own breath, spine and posture, extending your skull and freeing your brain oxygenating your tendons, ligaments, joints, bones, organs and tissues, and maybe more importantly, opening your chest and making more room for your heart – these efforts will necessarily affect your perceptions and your actions – the functioning of your antenna. Even a small amount of your regular attention to alignment results in refreshing and enlightening your experience throughout every one of your days. These efforts will assist you, physically personally, at every level – your physical body, your mind, and your spirit.
Life on Earth is challenging and unbalancing. The world we know is both beautiful and horrible. People are capable of great ingenuity, brilliance, empathy and kindness but we often display much darker propensities. People are attracted to power and are often prone to greed, fear, hubris and the use of violence. There is much self-inflicted human misery. For those of us lucky enough to live in relative wealth comfort and safety, we must contend with the distorting power of consumerism and the increasing pervasive influence of technology. Imbalance in human behavior have now impacted our home planet’s ecosystem. Navigating through such complexity is difficult. It is difficult to keep one’s balance. But more balance is what we clearly, even desperately need.
B.K.S. Iyengar’s method serves to develop this kind of deep balance. Not just a ‘calisthenics’ type of physical exercise, this method encourages meditative attention on body-mind awareness to develop strength, balance, relaxation and self-knowledge. I believe classes do give back to the community in a way that supports ethics, tolerance and personal growth. To really come to know one’s body is a foundational practice for developing honesty, compassion and trust, first, directed toward the self, and then, as a direct and natural consequence and toward others.
Arlene H
Attorney
I have been a regular student of Evlaleah’s since being referred to her …
In that short time, yoga’s influence on my life has been tremendous. A shoulder injury that I had for eight months of physical therapy started feeling better that ever after just a few months of Evlaleah’s guidance. When running in the trails behind my house gave me issues with my lower back and in my left hip, I began to learn how I could counteract this with just a little bit of correct yoga poses. More importantly, I was able to overcome a neck injury I had in my twenties which I believe might have otherwise caused discomfort later in life.
Equally important to me are some of the social connections I have made. Just last weekend I carpooled to a mediation retreat with a woman I met in Evlaleah’s class and my wife and I are considering asking her to be a doll ( a birth assistant ) for the birth of our little girl this fall. I am going to an Indian Classical music concert tonight with another of Evlaleah’s students.
It seems Evlaleah has become the center of my social circle.
Evlaleah’s ability. One of the things that impresses me the most about Evlaleah is that when new students come to see her, they almost always become one of her regular students. I think one of the reasons it took me so long to become interested in yoga is that teachers of Evlaleah’s experience and knowledge are truly rare. That you so much for the beautiful work she does.
Lance
Entrepeneur
I have been a student of Evlaleah’s for … years. Her attention and teachings have had a truly transformative impact on my life. Not only have I become more aware of my body and my physical abilities I have become more self aware, more peaceful and centered.
Evlaleah has create a very sweet yoga community around herself, attracting people who are eager to grow, She has a unique ability to motivate and encourage people, especially those who may feel particularly challenged. She gives her heart in everything she does and inspires her students to do the same.
From my point of view it world be a match made in heaven for Evlaleah and … to join forces in service to the local community and to the county at large.
Annelisa M
Psychotherapist & Doula
Thank you for the ability to be taught the fine art and healing aspect of Iyengar Therapeutic Yoga in your …… It is truly the balance in my life between chaos and order.
Evlaleah is a truly amazing therapeutic teacher and we are so lucky and fortunate ate have her here locally, healing and teaching in your facility. Iyengar himself selected her to teach the the teaching of therapeutic yoga. There are many Iyengar Yoga teachers but only a handful of therapeutic Iyengar Yoga Instructors in this country.
Two years ago I was medically diagnosed with Sjogrens Syndrome. According to Western medicine an untreatable disease, except by use of steroids to mask the pain. This being an auto immune disease it is commonly linked to rheumatoid arthritis, of which ails my older brother. I was on that path as I could not move my hip normally and was unable to stand up straight, for at least five minutes, after sitting.
I took a stand against masking the pain and realized the healing came from within. Tis lead me to Evlaleah;s class and within six months I began to heal and move more correctly with my hip. My hip, I would consider to have normal flexibility now. I stand up easily after sitting and I am no longer dragging my right foot. Although my Sjogrens Syndrome is still challenging sometimes (only two days a week as opposed to before when it was seven days a week) I am definitely in the path to be completely healed. I only wish she had more classes I could attend in the evenings as then my healing could move along faster.
There are so many people Evlaleah has helped and cured with therapeutic Iyengar Yoga. I am a true testimony that she a=is able to heal systemic autoimmune diseases through therapeutic Yoga. It is a journey of self knowledge leading me to the innermost part of myself and my soul. Iyengar Yoga teaches me this. Evlaleah teaches me these principles and movements to heal my soul and my body.
Karen B.
Interior Designer of the BKSIYS Marin
With Respect,
There are many Yoga teachers; and there are specifically trained Iyengar yoga teachers, but then there are unique Iyengar Yoga teachers like Evlaleah who have the experience, knowledge and dedication to truly help individuals to be aware and heal. As one builds the temple with bricks, she builds the temple of the body through yoga – one pose, one class one epiphany at a time.
Evlaleah continually amazes me at how adept she is at identifying where individuals bodies ate misaligned, stressed. in pain and / or are in need of basic attention. In my experience, other instructors guide their classes through classic poses but give minimal individual correction. In contrast, Evlaleah takes a real interest in each of her students’ needs abilities and progress – it’s not always easy – sometimes it’s tough love with a hug.
As a grandmother, I feel these yoga classes are essential to growing older gracefully.I typically leave class with both a feeling of physical wellbeing and inner calm. the more I can be productive and healthy, the greater capacity I have to experience, learn and enjoy life – to be a more positive force wiwithin and without for myself, my family and the community at large.
I am thankful to have found Evlaleah as a teacher and am thankful to all the grace in this world that has brought her unique teaching of Iyengar Yoga to the Bay Area.
Jennifer C.
I have major issues with my right shoulder, elbow, and ulnar nerve. When this area is really bad, it is extremely painful such that I cannot type, pay sports or function in my daily life. Without Evlaleah’s yoga classes I would still be experiencing this terrible pain. I found Evlaleah’s classes after I moved to Marin and needed help quickly.. a few weeks of consistent yoga and persistent attention from Evlaleah made a major difference and allowed me to live my life pain free. Continuing yoga with Evlaleah continued to move me beyond pain and to reshape my body to prevent the pain from reoccurring. Yoga is such an amazing, transformative experience and a constant joy in my life. Evlaleah is knowledgeable and attentive to each student’s needs pains and abilities. she is certainly an expert in helping her students.It is a pleasure taking her classes and I would not be functioning well without her expertise. I feel strongly that Evlaleah’s classes are life altering by bringing peace of mind and body transformation. I love going to class.
Thanks,
Jillian
Attorney, Competitive Swimmer
We are so grateful to have our amazing teacher Evlaleah bring us together a beautiful expanding community.
She embodies the Iyengar tradition and teaches us with love and commitment how to align our bodies, minds and spirits.
I fully support her, her school and community.
Thanks Evlaleah,
You are a blessing.
Love,
Claudia
Naturopathic doctor
Acupuncturist
When I was a child, my mother introduced me to Yoga. She shared with me and my brother the importance of developing a union between the body and mind so that we would gain not only strong physical health, but mental health as well. She felt that her children should be aware of their breath ( to calm down), the sensations in their body (such as thirst, hunger, feeling tired) to remind them to care for their body and care for others; and to have strong bodies. Ultimately she believed that this deep awareness of self would help her children to make good decisions so that they would not harm themselves or others.
With this introduction to Yoga, as I became an adult I set out to find a teacher that would guide me to deeply understand and manifest these principles. This is when I found Iyengar Yoga. The Iyengar Yoga teaching practice upholds and instills the values my mother wanted me to learn.
Upon finding Iyengar Yoga, I have travelled the world and have had the good fortune to study Iyengar Yoga with senior level teachers. Recently, I relocated from Beijing to Marin. When I move Quickly set out to find an Iyengar Yoga teacher here. TO my luck I found Evlaleah. She is truly one of the most extraordinary teachers I have ever studied with. As a teacher, she embodies kindness, wisdom, knowledge, a notion of community and reminds us always to be gentle and forgiving to ourselves ( which ultimately impacts how we treat others0. When I am out of town and miss a class, I feel sad!
Through Evlaleah’s classes, I have met several other students, that travel from all over the Bay Area to learn from her. All of the students feel that she is a profoundly gifted teacher. and after each class we share with each other what we have learned from her. i truly hope that Evlaleah is able to expand her teaching practice … as this would be not only a thriving business, but bring together a community of people seeking to find peace through the body and mind so that they can be better citizens in our society.
Rachael Katz
Meditation Instructor
Child Development Specialist
I am writing this letter to express my deep gratitude for the Iyengar Yoga led my Evlaleah.
I came to the Institute years ago with acute back pain. I had ruptured my disc in 2007. I tried chiropractic, acupuncture and physical therapy and found some relief. However my ability to function as a Program Director of the Anbhuti Retreat Center in Novato, was very limited. I could not sit for more than an hour in front of the computer. I have a high threshold for pain but i walk hunched over and limped when I walked. My whole body was out of alignment. I could not find anyone to help me strengthen my back and get me out of pain.
When I first came to the Institute I was not able to lift a single yoga prop, not even a wooden brick.. I began classes twice a week at the yoga studio and after a few months I had noticeable improvement. I could lift five pound weights and sit in my chair for three hours, Now after years of coming regularly to the Institute , my posture and may body strength are better than before my injury. I recently saw a photo of myself before the injury and I could see the difference. My health, strength and ability to perform are better that compared to a decade ago.
Evlaleah is an amazingly talented and gifted yoga instructor and trainer. She makes you work hard. I would not be able to do it on my own from manual or a YouTube video. She teaches each individual at their own capacity. She is more than just a Yoga instructor. She gives lessons on occupational hazard, anatomy and teaches you how to stand on your own two feet. She encourages each student to have their own daily practice.
I would like to see her services expand so that she can help more people improve their lives and teach more instructors to be like herself. Most people deserve to know about this amazing Yoga practice.
Elizabeth P.
Program Director
Anubhuti Retreat Center
We both as well as many others, have found relief and cure from chronic pain from Iyengar Yoga classes as taught by Ms Howard. She teacher=s with decades of experience but it is he attitude of service to people in pain that has made the difference in may lives we have witnesses.
Leta and Bob
I am Lakshmi A. I am a student of the Iyengar Yoga from three years studying with Evlaleah Howard. I wanted to write to you how I came to Evlaleah. I have been suffering from different body pains for almost 15 years. I was going to different doctors and specialist. Initially it began with back and hip joint pain. Slowly the pain spread across my shoulder, knees, neck etc. I could not sit on the floor even for a minute. It was surprising because growing uo in India, we always sat on the floor. I had to sit on a chair even for my meditation and prayers. I could not sleep at night because of my shoulder and back pains.
I went to different specialists. They gave me cortisone shots. This treatment was done 3 or 4 times with no positive results. Later during one of my visits to India, I went to a orthopedician. He said I should never walk uo the stairs, stop walking etc. I had to sit down and think abut it. I was not even 50. If this continues what will happen to me if I live 80 or 90 years.
My sister heard of Iyengar Yoga and suggested I look into it. I searched on the web and found Evlaleah. This is the best thing that could have happened. I attended her spine class. First day I was afraid to sit on the floor. But with her props I could sit. Then I signed up for one consultation. I got so much relief after the first session itself. Then I continues a few more consults. Within three months I could also attend regular beginner classes. I could actually sit on the floor for or my regular meditation and prayers, I could also walk two miles a day. Ev has done something the doctors could not do in 15 years. in less than six months.
I referred several patients to her. She is a treasure to the community.
Thank you for letting her teach in your center. You are doing a great service to the community by letting her teach there.
Lakshmi
I first found my teacher Evlaleah ‘Ev’ at the Larkspur Masonic Center on January 2014. It has been a life changing and enriching experience these past years. When I first found Ev, I had not studied yoga for a number of years. I had been a dedicated daily runner. It was the only way I made it through years of a sedentary and stressful job that had me sitting at a desk, key-boarding under a nearly constant time crunch for more than two decades. However there was a point at which the running was no longer giving me the physical and emotional release from stress I sought.
In 2009 I suffered two broken fingers in a sudden hard fall and closed reduction surgery to correct the two fractures in two fingers of my left dominant hand. Soon after I experienced sudden onset of what is know as frozen shoulder syndrome, an extremely painful shoulder capsule restriction that quite suddenly and without warning makes basic movements painful and impossible. Frozen shoulder syndrome nearly completely incapacitated me, although out of necessity I continued somehow to report daily to my sedentary and stressful full-time job that involved at least eight solid hours daily of driven, sedentary keyboarding. As my frozen right shoulder started to resolve, as rapidly, the same pain and restriction suddenly moved to my left shoulder too with all the same scary restriction.
My general practitioner recommended physical therapy that was utterly useless to me. I was told there was nothing more I could do other than steroid injections, and if it did not resolve, surgery, which I was told, consists basically of a surgeon forcefully rotating the shoulder while the patient is under general anesthesia. This seemed violent at best and at the same time, offered no guarantee of success. I did what I could to seek out a good massage therapist. Slowly, over the course of a year, the pain and much of the restriction subsided. However my shoulders were still far from fully functional after two years. I was just learning to live with the restriction over time.
Later when I was on a brief trip to Portland, Oregon to visit my youngest daughter in her new home there in 2014, I took a restorative Yoga class. I decided right then that I must set the intention for myself to find a really good Iyengar Yoga teacher back home in Marin. I had experienced Iyengar Yoga years earlier. but because of the demands of my employment, I was never able to find time for regular practice. Instead I had to rely on jogging daily, from 6 to 7am which was the only time I was free. In an attempt to maintain my physical health necessary for the relief from daily stress, I had managed to maintain that discipline for over 20 years, but I was missing my upper body strength and flexibility. Back home I found Evlaleah and called her. She returned my call promptly and encouraged me to come see her as soon as possible. I did and the rest as they say, is history … a wonderful, life changing history that set me on a path toward renewed health.
When I started classes with Ev. I had very little mobility in my shoulders, and still was experiencing pain very restricted movement. I never thought I could get better. I was also quite stiff from years of sitting for long periods and from running but not stretching my body. It had been a couple of years since the worst, most painful period of the frozen shoulder syndrome had resolved, but my upper body strength was weak and my shoulder mobility was impaired. Years of sitting daily at a desk, key boarding typically for eight to ten hours daily in a very stressful work environment, had made me older than my years.
After my first class with Ev, already I felt so much better I never wanted to stop. The freedom, strength and confidence were completely life changing for me almost immediately! I never thought I would have the courage and strength to do what Evlaleah masterfully guided me to learn, surprising me more than anyone! Today I am confident and strong and able to perform important transformative core Iyengar yogasanas, like headstand, backbend, shoulder stand and handstand, all positions that I found it difficult to believe I could ever master a few years ago!
In addition to building physical strengthen and resilience, the emotional benefits of Iyengar Yoga practice have been astounding to me! It all begins with relaxing and rejuvenating the nervous system. This happens naturally as we learn the asanas, and the breathing and awareness that come with precise movement and attention to our bodies in space. The careful attention to correct natural movement and breathing induces a meditative state. This awareness is completely transformative. I can only describe it as a profoundly joyous, beautiful, life enhancing and altering experience.
Ev accepted and encouraged me from the beginning. She expertly taught me to understand the mechanics of my body in exquisite detail. It was a completely embowering experience. Evlaleah is an incredibly talented and caring teacher whose gift is founded in a deep desire to help her student to feel better, to feel strong and powerful, and to realize their full physical potential or freedom! With that comes deep respect, not only for the wonders of our human bodies, but equally respect and importantly, kindness towards ourselves. When we find that kindness or compassion for ourselves, through the practice of Iyengar Yoga, we naturally feel compassion for others. I feel part of a loving community in Ev’s class. It has been difficult for me to experience that in any other forum given the incredibly burdensome demands of daily life and economic pressures of living at this time in the Bay Area.
I know that many others would benefit from Iyengar Yoga and that many have already benefitted from Iyengar Yoga with my master teacher Evlaleah. I know that many others could still benefit, and I truly hope that Ev’s dream of helping more people and thereby fulfilling her sense of duty, service, and gratitude to BKS Iyengar will come true. I wish everyone could experience Iyengar Yoga with my teacher Ev. I am sure that would only help our local and extended community with the challenges facing all of us. I hope many others in our community might come to experience the joy of physical strength and freedom through practicing Iyengar Yoga with Evlaleah.
Jennifer H.
You are magnificent woman. The calm worker bee in the eye of the storm. I am so blown away by your perception of how humans are whole, are loved, are strong, and your talent and wisdom at leading them through asana sequences which coax and stir the wellness that bubbles below the surface. Lorna I know kind of here and there, I am thrilled that she found you, and was mesmerized at your skill and fearlessness in the company of her own fear. You talked her back into herself. Bravo you.
Xoxoxo
Charlotte H.
Hi Evlaleah.
We met at the Iyengar conference in Minneapolis. I attended your spine injury workshop and it was wonderful! On the off chance that you might remember me, we walked over to the conference center from the hotel together, just before your spine injury workshop.
With all that aside, I wanted to thank you for your time and attention. The adjustments you gave me on the “horse” and chair in your workshop were quite helpful and I felt great for the rest of that evening. I’ve found that strong adjustments, done lovingly without aggression, have long lasting effects on my body. Your adjustments on me were just that. They will stay in my body for years to come. Even as I’m typing this note to you, I’m in a better posture, so that’s a start!
Thanks again for your time and energy. You are an inspiration, and I hope to have the opportunity to work with you again in the future.
Peace and Blessings to you and Guruji.
JoAnn Edwards
When I first came to work with Evlaleah, I was feeling broken and in half. A broken left ankle and my right shoulder and wrist seized up from years of work at a computer and neglect both had left me feeling almost crippled. An additional diagnosis of Lupus, with its constant and shifting joint pains, crippled my spirit too. But after my intensive with Evlaleah, and my continued practice in her classes and on my own, I regained the freedom to move my right side. More than just the physical strength and flexibility, Evlaleah’s gift to me was to show me a new courage to take my yoga practice beyond my wildest dreams of what I was capable. The day I stood on my head, a pose I wouldn’t attempt even when I was young and free of pain and ailments, I had a taste of the true meaning of yoga as the “subtle science of the body, mind, and soul” (B.K.S. Iyengar). That day, I also witnessed in full, Evlaleah’s dedication to teaching yoga as the “human subject” that it is.
-Maria B.
In February 2006, I developed an ache in my right knee and by March the ache turned into pain that radiated from my hip to my foot. My doctor gave me pain pills, and prednisone, one of which helped and wanted to give me an epidural but not an MRI. I refused the epidural and paid for the MRI myself. The MRI showed that I had 2 herniated discs and that all my discs from Li through the mid thoracic showed signs of degeneration. By this time the pain was so bad, it was controlling my life with nothing to relieve the pain. In May of 06, I was introduced to Evlaleah and had my first meeting in which she told me the pain and the discs could regenerate. I signed up for her intensive for 2 ½ hours a day, five days a week. In as little as one week, I got some relief. I have been 99% free of pain for 6 months, Evlaleah is extremely knowledgeable in the area of therapeutic yoga and is dedicated to every student.
-Joe B.
Evlaleah is one of the best yoga teachers you could ever take a class from. She has been teaching for nearly 40 years and Mr. Iyengar is her teacher. She has vast knowledge of the body and therapeutics and is helping me tremendously with my scoliosis. Take a class with her and you will never want to go to another teacher 🙂
Marc L.
This is a real Iyengar studio. If you care about a full practice then attend and become conscious.
Drew
Evlaleah is one of the most intuitive, gentle, KNOWLEDGEABLE souls I have come across in many years (since the old Primal Therapy days in Marin) !
Her classes are extremely reasonable, long (90 minutes, sometimes longer – but it NEVER feels like a long class), and her sense of what eachindividual can and can’t/should and shouldn’t do is uncanny. I havebrought/introduced friends to a class and she reads them so fast – it’s amazing ! She puts you at ease, and at the same time pushes you beyond the limits you thought you had… without you knowing it … exactly.
When I started, my knees were very painful in sitting positions (where you put your feet near your butt on the floor). She taught me how to do a temporary fix on that, and then, damn, 3 months later I could bend BACKWARDS in that position (hadn’t been able to do that in 30 years…I’m 56). And that’s just the beginning…
VERY cool woman (very high, in so many ways), and I recommend anyone reading this to take 1 or 2 classes just to see what real, healing yoga is all about !
This may sound like a commercial, and it is… an unpaid, unsolicited raving review of this woman and her knowledge.
Susan H.
– Back care class/BKSIYS student 2 years (I stopped about 6 months before your departure because I had my back surgery).
– Your class was the only place for hundreds of people to find CORRECT advise and treatment for back care. You treated everyone individually as everyone had different conditions. We all were so helpless in our search for the cure. Modern medicine had left us out to dry. For the first time I felt I was in control of my future and my health and did not have to live a life of pain. You gave me hope that I could beat it. After all, there stood in front of me a strong, powerful, intelligent, beautiful woman who had overcome the same. As you know I was young and wanted my life back very badly. You always brought the best out in me. You gave me a plan of attack for sudden attacks and spasms as well as a maintenance program that I still use today. I liked that you listened but you never let it be a pity party. You had eyes on the back of your head. You corrected and inspired me to do better when I was performing something incorrectly and you gave praise when you saw progress.
I often thought of what we all would do if you didn’t exist. Who would help us? Unfortunately, that reality came true. I think we all thought you would come back or be accessible some how. Sadly, someone couldn’t share you. I had hoped you had found happiness in a life partner. You seemed very deserving as you gave so much of yourself to help others.
I elected to have my surgery because my husband had decided he could not stick around through my back problems. I opted for the surgery because I thought it might be my last chance to have it covered by insurance. I had one of the best surgeons but the surgery didn’t work well for me. I wish I could have worked through the herniated disk without surgery but no sense dwelling on that. I quickly realized how screwed I was. Post surgery physical therapy was a joke. I waited two weeks between appointments and the instruction was so pathetic. Medications did nothing and I progressively got worse.
Everyone told me to let it heal and to take it easy. My doctor said fusion was my next option. For almost two years I stopped all the activities people thought were to much. I got worse and worse and worse. Finally a nurse practitioner asked me some questions one day and determined I had SI joint dysfunction. I later discovered that thousands of people get this after their surgeries. She told me to read a yoga journal article. It read like the story of my life. So, I decided I would return to yoga for help. I had a hard time thinking I could find someone to fill your shoes.
I tried to find a replacement for you. I don’t want to mention who I found to help because I didn’t have a great experience. I worked my way back up through level I&II because I couldn’t find a back care only class and I needed to get up to speed again. My entry level teacher was great but she did not know about my condition and what to prescribe me. She really tried and I go back to see her every once in a while. The person, expert Iyengar instructor, that I worked my way up to see, did not work out for me. I think that person is almost abusive. I found myself trying so hard to please him that I was really hurting myself. I think the class is great for people with no disabilities. Everyone in class worships this person like he’s Iyengar and they love to wait in line to talk to him. I would muster up the courage to ask him something before class and he didn’t seem like he had any time for me. I’m also not into the approach of public humiliation and slapping people’s body parts. It seemed like such an ego festival. I would drive 70 miles back from my manufacturing plant to get to class only have this person scream at us like we were all worthless. The helpers were so afraid that the teacher was going to humiliate them in front of class that they would over correct and touch me. They had no idea about my condition and I did not feel they were qualified to touch me. I’m, not looking for someone to mother me through class. I am definitely not a slacker. I’m a type A ex-ballerina! I’m sure this teacher means well but I’m a pleaser and it’s not healthy for me to be in this class. As you say, “it’s so unyoga”. One class the teacher had us jumping very quickly through poses for an hour and a half to celebrate our power in the midst of war. I have no cushion in my back to be jumping. I clenched my butt muscles to power house through the class and I could barely walk for two weeks. I’m such a loser for not speaking up.
So, I swim a hundred laps a day and I bike up to 50 miles here and there. I go to the chiropractor (it helps…go figure?) and I go to a trager practitioner. I tried pilates but she was very frustrated by my yoga and ballet habits.
I also took up Tahitian (the faster Hawaiian) and had my first performance to a sold out crowd at the Julia Morgan Center in Berkeley. I love it so much that I make myself work hard all week so I can attend. My body wants to seize up and not let me move fluidly, especially to the back. At first my hip circles are jerky. Sometimes I can’t even do them! I talk myself into letting the movements happen. I tell myself it will be okay. By the end I am so loose and I can give myself my own adjustment. The two years I wasted really screwed me up because my body is so programmed to not accept movement and to go into protection mode. I just didn’t trust anyone like I trusted you so it took me a long time to get to where I am. I still don’t trust anyone so I listen and apply only what I think is right. No one knows anything about SI. I’m on my own.
So, I hope you find peace. If you need any help, let me know. I am a very tough critic and I rarely praise anyone but I always admired you and I’d hate to think someone, who says they love you, would want to take away all that makes you so amazing.
Stay Strong… Much Love,
Nicole Chouinard (Nikki)
Te Reo, Te Reo (0)
“the voice that I heard”
E Reo No te Manova
“it’s the voice of conscience”
E Reo no te Aroha
“it’s the voice of love”
E Reo Turama to’u Mana’o
“this is the voice that lights my thought”
Turama te Orara’a
“who clarifies my life”
Turama I to’u Mata
“who likes my eyes”
E Reo Maru
“it’s a soft voice”
Reo Mahanahana
“it’s a hot voice”
E Reo Mara Marama
“it’s a clear voice”
Ave, e Reo no te Mafatu
“it’s a voice of the heart
Turama to’u Avei’a
“who shows the way of the spirit”
Te pii nei au I to oe Reo
“I urge your voice”
La Mahuta Mai I te po
“that it rises in the night”
Aue, ia Mahuta Mai to Aho
“that the wind takes it high”
Faati’ ama te Here
“that it frees your love”
Faati’ ama to’ aau
“that it frees your soul”
Tahitian Aparima (story telling dance) “Te Reo” the voice
Nicole Chouinard
Evlaleah is the real deal, a true master. My body thanks me after every
class I take. I appreciate her knowledge and her communication to ease
into the poses all the while matching my ability.
TM
Burnt Ranch