About IYASW
IYASW is a non-profit volunteer organization working to bring the pioneering teachings of yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar to the Southwest. Iyengar Yoga is one of the most widely taught and trusted methods of yoga in the world. With its attention to alignment, wise sequencing of poses, clear instruction and emphasis on safety, Iyengar Yoga already has helped millions of yoga students to experience freedom in their bodies and peace in their heart. IYASW hopes to introduce the method to more people and communities.
IYASW strives to foster a climate of purposeful inclusion of all people. We welcome members regardless of age, race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, range of abilities, financial means, education, and political perspective. We offer financial scholarships to members and have created a Community Service Program to encourage our teachers to bring yoga to underserved populations. IYASW hosts regular workshops with Senior Teachers, and strives to bring additional special events to its members.
History of IYASW
Our regional association began in 1996 as the Southern Nevada Association, serving the Iyengar community in Las Vegas. As interest in Iyengar Yoga grew in Arizona, the two states came together in 2012 to form the Iyengar Yoga Association of the Southwest. Today IYASW represents Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and West Texas.
Mission
Our mission is to study, teach, disseminate, and promote the art, science and philosophy of yoga according to the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar. Our purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.
Board of Directors
2023 - 2026
President: Adam Vitolo
Adam is a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher and has been teaching the Iyengar method since 2000. Adam has been a faculty member at the Iyengar Institute of New York since 2007 and has recently relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada. Adam teaches the Iyengar Method through his own experience with clear and mindful instruction, helping his students navigate through the body with the application of the mind; allowing them to have an experience that is full and profound. He incorporates Yogic Philosophy and humor into his teaching to help his students not take themselves too seriously, and give them the opportunity to understand that Yoga is not just a practice that takes place on the mat in class, but an opportunity to develop an internal awareness that can truly transform their life.
Vice President: Rachel Polednak
Rachel was introduced to Hatha Yoga 28 years ago. Not really knowing too much about the subject at all. She passively practiced on and off for several years; then more and more till the asana practice became habitual. One of Rachel's teachers suggested that she might consider becoming a yoga teacher. She gave it some consideration and decided to to go through several different forms of teacher training. After many years of teaching Rachel still felt she needed more yoga knowledge for both her and for her students. A friend suggested the Iyengar Center of Las Vegas; owed and run by Aileen Epstein-Ignadiou. After walking through the door, the studio became home. Rachel is a (level one) CIYT and studying with Gloria Goldberg.
Treasurer: James 'Jim' Osti
Jim’s yoga journey began when he was incapacitated by a pair of frozen shoulders at the age of 59. Even though Jim was a RN with 2 advanced degrees, the outcome of his malady seemed very much in doubt. A co-worker suggested yoga and for the past 15 years he has not only talked the talk, but also walked the walk. When he retired he immediately started his yoga teacher training. Jim is a 200 hour RYT with certifications in Vinyasa, Yin, Yoga Nidra, and advanced yoga training in working with individuals with paralysis. He started his Iyengar practice during his yoga teacher training and is an avid fan of Iyengar. Jim was approached by the Board about being the treasurer for IYASW and he gladly accepted. His board experience includes being the treasurer of a non-profit organization for 2 years. Jim was also the executive director of a non-profit and is committed to helping IYASW reach its goals.
Secretary: Phyllis Radack
Phyllis began her yoga practice in her 50’s at the Iyengar Yoga Center of Las Vegas, wanting to improve her posture and strength and ward off osteoporosis. After years of once weekly practice, she was finally able to make greater progress by attending frequent Zoom classes and in-person classes taught by the excellent Iyengar teachers in Las Vegas. Now that she is retired from her career in environmental management, she has focused on improving health, strength, and well-being, and maybe someday actually getting into Vrksasana.
She is honored to serve on the Board of Directors of the IYASW.
Iyengar Yoga
What is Iyengar Yoga?
Iyengar Yoga is a method of yoga named after yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar (1918-2014) and is firmly rooted in the 2500 year old classical yoga tradition of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. One of most widely practiced types of yoga in the world today, Iyengar Yoga emphasizes the alignment of body in yoga poses (asana) in order to achieve balance between the body, mind and breath. This precision builds strength, stamina, balance and flexibility, avoids injury, and provides a deep sense of well-being. While Iyengar Yoga uses the physical alignment of the body as a starting point, the practice eventually leads students to experience greater and greater self-awareness. Intelligence spreads throughout the body and the practice of asana then can become a form of “meditation in action.”
Hallmarks of Iyengar Yoga
Intelligent Sequencing
Intelligent sequencing of poses keeps students safe and allows them to study in a logical and progressive manner. Sequencing also is used to achieve particular physical and emotional affects such as lengthening the spine or quieting the nervous system.
Use of Yoga Props
Iyengar Yoga uses props as teaching tools and aids, allowing students of varying abilities to work in the poses with integrity and alignment. Props also are used to educate students and to deepen their experience of asana.
Excellence in Teaching
Iyengar Yoga has a highly developed teaching methodology. Practitioners train for many years to become a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher (CIYT). They are precise in their teaching instructions and in their demonstrations, have keen observation and adjustment skills, and know how and when to offer modifications to students to keep them safe in class.
Lineage
B.K.S. Iyengar
Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar (B.K.S. Iyengar) (1918-2014) was born during an influenza epidemic. The 11th of 13 children, he overcame poverty and deadly childhood illnesses to begin his study of yoga at age 16 with his brother-in-law and guru, T. Krishnamacharya. Through his passionate study and practice of yoga, he developed an encyclopedic knowledge on the subject and became an internationally renowned teacher. Promoting yoga as an art, science and philosophy, Mr. Iyengar made yoga accessible to ordinary people worldwide, regardless of race, gender, religion or ability.
B.K.S. Iyengar brought his profound method of teaching to the West in the 1960’s and 70’s and is responsible for today’s explosive growth in the popularity of yoga. Among his many lasting contributions to the study of yoga is his development of yoga props such as blocks, straps, chairs and bolsters so that everyone — regardless of age, strength, or flexibility — can benefit from the study and practice of yoga. For his role in making yoga a ubiquitous element of mainstream culture, Time Magazine in 2004 declared Mr. Iyengar to be one of the 100 “most powerful and influential people” in the world.
B.K.S. Iyengar is the author of many books including the seminal Light on Yoga, Light on Pranayama, Light on the Yoga Sutras, The Tree of Yoga, Light on Life, and Core of the Yoga Sutras.
Geeta Iyengar
Dr. Geeta S. Iyengar (1944-2018), the eldest daughter of B.K.S. Iyengar, began learning yoga as a child by observing her father. She began teaching just after graduating high school in 1961 when her father was away on teaching tours, and brought her own passion to the subject. An avid practitioner and scholar with a doctorate in Ayurveda, she went on to become one of the world’s most influential female yoga teachers. After her father’s retirement in 1984, she became co-director of the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) in Pune, India where her devotion to her father and her students became legendary. Despite painful health issues, she continued to teach until only days before her death. Geeta Iyengar is the author of several books including Yoga: A Gem for Women, a pioneering work on yoga for every stage of a woman’s life.
Prashant Iyengar
Sri Prashant Iyengar is the son of B.K.S. Iyengar and director of the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) in Pune, India. He is a life-long student, practitioner, and teacher of yoga and author of numerous books on the subject of yoga philosophy, ancient scripture and texts. Prashant Iyengar conducts daily classes at the Institute, bringing his own unique style and extensive philosophical knowledge to his teaching. He also is an accomplished violinist.
Abhijata Iyengar
Abhijata Iyengar began studying yoga at the age of 16 under the direct guidance of her maternal grandfather B.K.S. Iyengar, her aunt Dr. Geeta S. Iyengar and uncle Sri Prashant Iyengar. She received a Bachelor of Science in Zoology in 2003, and a Masters in Bioinformatics in 2005. Rather than pursue a Ph.D., she decided to follow in the footsteps of her family by teaching yoga. She now is a senior teacher at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) and regularly teaches around the world carrying forward the profound teachings of her family with charisma, humor and humility. In response to a question about the most important thing she learned from her grandfather, Abhijata said: “I vividly remember he said life is as dynamic as the River Amazon. As that river flows, life flows with that energy, hence your practice and your living has to be so dynamic.”