History of Iyengar yoga in Canada… flashback to 1982!

As we mark the anniversary of the birth of B.K.S. Iyengar – 14 December 1918 – the long history of Iyengar yoga in Canada comes to mind.

While there had been Canadians who visited Pune in the 1970s, it was in 1982 that a large group of Canadian students and teachers visited the Institute in Pune to study with the great master.

Celia Ward, of Victoria BC, was among the early Canadians to study in Pune. She attended intensives in 1982 and 1985. She also participated in the first international convention, in San Francisco USA, in 1984. Below she shares some photos from the Canadian visit to the Institute in Pune, organised by Ingelise Nherman, in 1982…

During this visit, Shirley Daventry-French had the privilege of interviewing Mr. Iyengar. The interview was published in the March and April 1983 newsletters of the Iyengar Yoga Centre of Victoria. For convenience, you can access an extract here.

Within this interview was a harbinger of works to come…