Welcome to Karen’s Yoga Blog!

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Karen Allgire

Thanks for visiting! I am delighted to share my thoughts and discoveries about the art, science and philosophy of Iyengar Yoga. Visit this blog for ideas about practice, notes from workshops with senior Iyengar Yoga teachers, and reflections about how yoga can help and support us in the art of living. You can also check the August 2008, 2010, 2016 and 2019 archives for entries about my visits to the Ramamani Iyengar Yoga Institute (RIMYI) for yoga study with the Iyengar family in Pune, India.

May your practice flourish to benefit all beings!

Namaste,
Karen

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Abhijata Iyengar at the IYNAUS Convention 2026

Posted on June 14, 2026 by Karen Allgire

We who practice Iyengar Yoga are fortunate to be a part of a living tradition of yoga, in which knowledge is handed down directly from teacher to student in an unbroken line of transmission from the great yoga master, BKS Iyengar. His work was continued through the enormous contribution of his daughter Geeta and goes on today through his children Prashant and Sunita, and his granddaughter Abhijata. These wonderful teachers share Guruji’s work, while also making their unique contributions to Iyengar Yoga.

Mr. Iyengar’s granddaughter Abhijata Iyengar had the opportunity to work directly with Guruji on a daily basis for many years, and he poured his knowledge into her. She is now fully engaged in carrying on this great tradition and teaching us with wisdom, energy and enthusiasm. In May of this year, about 750 students in person in Philadelphia, and about 250 online, joined together to learn from Abhi at our Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States (IYNAUS)  Convention 2026. The convention was a profound experience of learning with Abhi, and of joyful connection with companions on the path of yoga.

It was wonderful to share this experience with five other yoga friends from our Ohio community! Green Tara Yoga teachers and Certified Iyengar Yoga Teachers (CIYT’s) Amy Runnels and Evelyn DeLiso, CIYT’s Julie Tamarkin and Janet O’Brien, and longtime Green Tara Yoga student Karen Fleming, all made the trek to Philadelphia for five days of classes and fellowship.

Abhi’s teaching was inspiring and uplifting. There is a rhythm to her classes that allows her students to move deeply into the work without getting exhausted. She always offered multiple ways to approach a pose, so that everyone was included, whatever their level or limitations might be. Her energy is positive and encouraging. I really appreciate that in her class, I was not anxious about making mistakes but felt free to explore how to do a pose in the way that was right for me in that moment.

If you have been following this blog, you know that I had major surgery on my left leg for lymphedema in January. So less than 5 months later, I was unsure about how I would do in the convention classes. What a happy surprise to find that I was able to do some version of most poses. The other wonderful discovery was that poses I had been avoiding, or wary to try, were actually coming along better than I would have thought. When Abhi announced a pose that I had not done in 5 months, I just gathered my props and gave it a try. It was exhilarating to be challenged, and to find out that I had more capacity than I realized. In 5 days of study with Abhi, I think that my leg improved more than in my own previous month of practice!

Abhi shared many thoughts with us, but I want to highlight two things that stood out to me. One concerned our approach to practice. Abhi said that she was happy to answer our questions, but that she wondered if we might start being able to answer some of our questions for ourselves, through our practice. If we were taught that something was a mistake, could we explore that and fine out why it was considered less than optimal? If an instruction was given, could we find out for ourselves why that exact instruction was given? How does that instruction help us? What problems are avoided if we carry it out?

Abhi shared a brief story that struck me. She said that when she was teaching alongside Guruji, she once changed his words “Dive the tailbone forward” to “Take the tailbone forward” and Guruji challenged her. Did she think that “dive” and “take” were the same? He then told her that sometimes it had taken him decades to find exactly the right words to convey the experiences he was having.

This made me reflect upon the preciousness of our instructions in Iyengar Yoga and the importance of our precise use of language. Certain phrases that we identify with Iyengar Yoga have been carefully and thoughtfully selected to communicate something to us. It is then our job to learn the meaning of those instructions and understand how they impact our practice.

Another important idea that Abhi shared with us was that we should understand that the poses are to be practiced differently depending on how they are functioning in the sequence. A pre-Sirsasana (Head Balance) Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose) is not the same as a post-backbend dog pose. They are serving completely different purposes. Is the pose being done at the beginning, middle or end of the sequence? Is it meant to be dynamic and energizing, or is it intended to be calming and pacifying?

I personally love this feature of Iyengar Yoga. From an outside view, it might seem as if we are rigid in our approach, when in truth, we are precise, but not rigid. On the contrary, our method is highly adaptable, offering multiple ways to do any given pose depending on not only the sequence, but the age and condition of the practitioner, and many other factors – time of day, time of year, what was practiced the day before, and on and on.

This means we do not have monolithic poses, but sensitive, responsive and lively poses that work for us in the context of the moment. What a beautiful metaphor for the whole meaning of yoga – being in the present, adapting to changing circumstances, and being responsive and resilient.

What good fortune it is to be a part of this great tradition!

If you are a regular Iyengar Yoga student and have not yet joined IYNAUS, I highly encourage you to do so! While the main reason to join is to support the spread of Iyengar Yoga, you will also find there are some wonderful member benefits, especially a great catalogue of free recorded classes with our senior teachers.

Join IYNAUS Today!

Namaste,
Karen

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Student Spotlight: Guest Post by Nikki Rodney

Posted on May 1, 2026 by Karen Allgire

From Karen:
I have recently been inspired to do a new regular feature in our monthly newsletter – the Student Spotlight. This will allow some of our students to share their yoga story, and inspire us with the ways yoga has enhanced their lives. A short version will be seen in our newsletter, with the extended version of the student’s reflection published here as a guest blog in the Karen’s Yoga Blog space. I hope you enjoy it!

I would love to hear your yoga story! If you would like to be featured in a Student Spotlight, contact me at info@greentarayoga.com

Our first featured student is Nikki Rodney. Nikki is a seeker, chant writer, birth and death doula, and acupuncturist, based in Cleveland, Ohio. She holds a doctorate in medical anthropology and is a lifelong stress researcher who has published widely on the intergenerational effects of trauma on the body. Nikki has been studying Iyengar Yoga at Green Tara Yoga for three years. She is also a student of Jozef Frucek of Fighting Monkey. You can find her at nicolerodneyacupuncture.com

From Nikki:
If we want a consistent yoga practice, we often think we need more time, more space, or more discipline. But what I’ve found is the opposite: what we need is less friction. As an acupuncturist in two busy clinics, my days are structured around brief pauses between patients. Instead of waiting for the “right” time to practice, I created a simple yoga setup in each office — just enough to make it easy to step onto the mat at any moment. What I thought would be barriers — cost, or how it might look to others —quickly faded when I realized how little was actually required to begin.

What unfolded in those small windows of time surprised me. I didn’t use them to build strength or master new poses — I used them for restorative asanas. A few minutes in a supported shape, a conscious breath, a chance to feel my body again. These moments became less about doing yoga and more about being in relationship with it. Over time, they changed the texture of my days. I felt more grounded, more present, and more resourced to care for others. Yoga didn’t need an hour—it just needed an invitation.

The result of this simple setup was not the practice I expected, but the one I needed. Instead of striving or advancing, I found myself resting. In those brief moments, restorative shapes offered a return—to breath, to sensation, to a deeper sense of care. Seeing patient after patient requires presence and heart, and these pauses became the very thing that sustained it. The practice met me in stillness, offering permission to soften, to receive, to be held. What began as a practical experiment became something much more: a quiet, daily devotion to returning to myself.

It is also worth noting that there is no way to know what will come out of it if you try this. For me, someone with a lot of energy and a lot of determination, I expected to be kicking up into handstand and counting my progress. What I found was the exact opposite. As I opened myself to the practice, the practice told me that it was there for me in the moments between patients so I could rest. When I looked at the props sitting there, with two minutes to use them, it was easy for me to see that what I needed was restoration. I still work at yoga, but that’s in class or at home on a Saturday morning. At work, in those stolen quiet moments, restorative asanas have given me access to a quality of life I struggled to touch a year ago. Permission to rest. Intense relaxation that can be felt from my jaw bones to my toe bones. Tremendous joy in feeling cared for. The result for me is a better quality of life: more awake to myself, more awake the patients who wait on both sides of the two minutes.

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Practice Inversions, Some Amount of Time, Most Days

Posted on March 28, 2026 by Karen Allgire

As I continue my recovery from a major surgery, I have been thinking about how important and precious the inverted poses are in my yoga practice. In Iyengar Yoga, inversions are emphasized because of their profound physiological effects, and their benefits to our mental and emotional state. Sirsasana (Head Balance)and Sarvangasana (Shoulder Balance) are considered the cornerstones poses of our practice, king and queen of all the asanas.

Knowing the importance of the “topsy turvy” poses from my studies, it was frustrating that my own experience of these poses was full of difficulty. I had trouble holding the poses. I had frequent neck and shoulder injuries. I did not feel particularly good during or after these poses that were supposed to be like medicine. Although I did not enjoy the inversions, I did keep practicing them, even if only for a few minutes.

I learned that much of my difficulty stemmed from the stiffness of my shoulders and upper back, so I worked on all the Hast Mudra (Arm Actions) and  Purva Pratana Sthiti (Backward Extensions) that would give me the needed mobility and strength to do the inversions with good alignment and correct actions.

While I never became a practitioner who could hold long inversions with ease, these poses improved gradually over time, and I grew to appreciate how they make me feel. As I rebuild my yoga practice post-surgery, it is a real joy to be able to do those poses again. I have a fresh appreciation for their place in my practice and how they make me feel.

I started with Adho Mukha  Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose) which is a semi-inversion, and also prepares the arms and shoulders for other inversions like Adho Mukha  Vrksasana (Hand Stand), Pinca Mayurasana (Forearm Stand) and Sirsasana (Head Balance). Once my dog pose became stable, I knew I was ready to try a handstand. After another week or so, it was time to go further.

My first Sirsasana was short but sweet! I did not realize how much I had missed this wonderful pose. I was then able to do Sarvangasana with the support of the chair. Afterwards, I felt joyful and calm. I realized how the inversions help improve my mood and reduce anxiety. It is one thing to read about these effects in a book, and quite another to experience them directly.

Now that I can again do all the classic inversions, I am striving to build up my timing, so as to receive the deeper benefits that come from longer holds in the poses. Some of those benefits include improved circulation, hormonal balance, improved digestion, toning and soothing the nervous system, mental clarity, and emotional tranquility. (For more details about the powerful effects of inversions, I refer you to Light on Yoga by BKS Iyengar and Yoga: A Gem for Women by Geeta Iyenger.) To give you a taste, here is a wonderful quote from Yoga in Action: A Preliminary Course by Geeta Iyengar:

“These asanas work on the respiratory, circulatory, nervous and glandular systems. They change the very personality and the mental attitude of a person for the better, so that one’s mind gravitates towards purity. These asanas help one to strengthen will power, improve memory, increase intellectual capacity and bring emotional stability, provided they are regularly practiced.”

I am so happy to be able to do these poses again! It has inspired me to even further encourage and persuade my students to practice them regularly. If the classic versions can’t be done, or have not been learned yet, there are many options. Some versions of Sirsasana can be done on two chairs, on stacked blocks, on a “headstander” prop or on yoga ropes. Sarvangasana can be done with the support of a chair. Almost all practitioners can do Viparita Karani (Reversed Practice), in which the pelvis is supported on a bolster and the straight legs rest up the wall.

Of course there are times when the inversions should not be done. Students should avoid practicing inversions if they have high blood pressure, problems of the eyes or ears, heart disease, dizziness or nausea, or during menses.

Otherwise, inversions should be done daily. Students should be sure to get good instruction from a qualified teacher to help build up a proper foundation for the inversions. Then a practitioner can experience the healing properties of these wonderful poses for themselves.

I was thinking of the phrase made famous by the author Michael Pollan. To encourage healthy eating, he wrote that we should:

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

So my new catch phrase for my students (and myself!) is

“Do inversions. Most days. Some amount of time.”

Namaste,
Karen

To study Iyengar Yoga with (and inversions!) with Karen and the other Certified Iyengar Yoga Teachers at Green Tara Yoga, visit our web site at www.greentarayoga.com

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 Asanas as Friends

Posted on March 14, 2026 by Karen Allgire

As I gradually rebuild my asana practice, I have been thinking about how each pose has a kind of character or being that makes doing the pose feel like visiting a friend. As I explore more possibilities, I feel a fresh appreciation for the gifts of each asana.

When you have a close friend, but have not seen them in a long time, there is a beautiful joy in the moment of reuniting. I am experiencing that joy when trying a pose and finding that I can visit that good friend once again. Maybe with some props, maybe a modified version, but still, the pose welcomes me.

This process is highlighting the intrinsic character and the distinctive features of each pose. Not just their shapes, but the way they affect my breath, my mind, my mood and my innermost being. The way they speak to me. About two weeks into my convalescence, I was able to do chair Sarvangasana (Shoulder Balance). What a joy! Returning to this good friend helped me understand more deeply its gifts – nourishment, contentment, tranquility, inner spaciousness. A couple weeks later, I was able to try Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana (Two Legged Reversed Staff Pose) through the chair, and got to tase its unique flavor – openness, buoyancy, optimism, expansive energy.

Revisiting poses and reacquainting myself with their actions and effects has given me a refreshed appreciation of the power of asana practice, and the importance of working in all the categories of poses. Standing poses, seated poses, twists, forward extensions, back extensions, inversions, abdominal/lumber poses, and restorative poses all have a place in our practice. Each pose, like each friend, has its individual ways of educating, culturing and informing us, drawing us toward a state of balance and wholeness.

My efforts to rehabilitate my surgical leg continue. Knee flexion has improved, but my leg still feels quite rigid. I have been swimming, walking, practicing yoga and receiving massage. Physical therapy will begin soon. I am doing my best to remain patient and to appreciate subtle changes. One section of BKS Iyengar’s Light on Life is titled Always Be Happy with the Smallest Improvement, so I am trying to keep those words of wisdom in my heart.

At my post op appointment in early March, I received some tremendously good news. One effect of this surgery is that even the non-treated lower left leg and the non-treated right limb benefit, as the whole lymphatic system is being regenerated. My lower leg, which was not treated, is already responding so well to the surgical intervention that Dr. Chen feels it is not necessary to do the liposuction procedure on the lower leg. The lower leg treatment is even more painful and difficult than the upper leg, so it is a huge and unexpected relief that I do not need to do it.

Instead in the fall, we can go on to the super microsurgery called LNVA (Lymph Node to Vein Anastomosis.) In this procedure, the doctor will use 40 times magnification and a suture 8 times finer than a human hair to connect lymph nodes to veins in the groin. The result is that the veinous return of blood to the heart helps the lymph fluid to move as well. This surgery is much less invasive and painful than the one I just had and should result in an even deeper benefit to the lymphatic system.

Over time, I look forward to returning to my full yoga practice, and to regaining my ability to hike, travel, attend concerts, and other activities that have been curtailed by lymphedema.

The journey continues! My love and appreciation of yoga continues to grow, along with my love and appreciation of you, my companions on the path.

With love and thanks,
Karen

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