Ingelise Nherlan, a long time, dedicated student of Guruji’s passed from this life on March 15, 2020.  She fell in love with Iyengar yoga and was passionate in sharing this love through her teaching.  When Guruji asked Canada to form an association and conduct assessments, Ingelise brought her energy and passion to the process. She lived life fully and will be greatly missed.

I remember Ingelise…

Below are thoughts from the Canadian Iyengar yoga community…

Dearest Ingelise,

Wishing you all ease in the new dimension.

Thank you for your teaching and support, with your  love for Guruji and his family always shining through. 

You are like my older yoga sister. You were Maureen’s first student and I was the last (while apprenticing with Maureen, I travelled from Galiano to West Vancouver for classes). Both of us with our roots in the  land of fairy tales – little Denmark.  It was always sweet to share a Danish sentence or a line from a childhood song when our paths crossed in the yoga world.

You said: What is yoga all about? Yes, it’s all about doing it.

I especially wish to thank you for your inspiring  chanting of Patanjali’s Invocation.

I will miss your presence. With  love and  thanks and Knus from ANNIE OKUDA, Galiano Island BC

When I think of Ingelise, I hear her singing before class, like a songbird. Her classes were a wonderful blend of precision and playfulness.

I remember her saying when new students contacted her if there was a prerequisite, she would say, “If you can walk up all the stairs to the studio, you can join”.  I still say that to the people I teach.  Luckily there is an elevator for those in the Gentle class.

A great woman who contributed so much to our World. – DONNA RAO, Salmon Arm BC

 

One of my vivid recollections of Ingelise is a moment when she was teaching a workshop in Ottawa. During the lunch break, the studio was empty and quiet. Light was pouring through the windows and ingelise stretched out in a patch of sunshine on her back facing the windows, where there was a photo of Guruji on the sill. I don’t remember her exact words, but they were something like “I bask always in Guruji’s warmth and radiance.”

As some of you know, Ingelise was a marvellous vocal performer. Occasionally, she brought this into her teaching. Once at a workshop in Kelowna, she was teaching us to raise and lower our legs in Urdhva Prasarita Padasana. In an ever-so-slightly exasperated effort to convince us to actually breathe at the same time, she finally burst out “You should be able to siiiiing in the pose!” and proceeded to do just that in her gorgeous voice!

Ingelise was imbued with bhakti from the core to the periphery, and from the periphery to the core. The light of her joy and devotion will live on in our hearts. – BARBARA YOUNG, Ottawa ON

 

The news of Ingelise passing is so sad, I can only hope she is at peace and pain free, her struggles over.

Yoga Centre Toronto brought Ingelise to lead/teach an intensive some years ago. It was the only time I met her, she made an impression. What she showed and gave the students was a joy and happiness in practice. She laughed, I think she giggled; her Ohms in invocation rang long and true. For asana she told us to cast our eyes up, look up look up. I did, it made a difference; it gave hope.

Another guest teacher came a bit later. I was looking up and the person sternly asked me – what are you looking up for? Are you looking for God?

Yes.

Thank you Ingelise, with tears of hope for your peace in my eyes, and gratitude in my heart I see you in the Divine Light, I always have. Rest in peace.

– HILARY WEST, Toronto ON

 

 

On Thursday mornings for 16 years, I attended Ingelise’s  yoga class. After a boisterous version of the Invocation we were ready for what adventure would lie ahead; where would she take us today? On occasion my thoughts would flash to “oh my, I’m not quite warmed up yet for this”, but we would follow along and rise to the challenge. By the time we reached Savasana we had all but turned to butter and any resistance had long since melted away. We would leave the class grateful and transformed.

Ingelise’s devotion to Guruji was evident in every class with either one of his quotes or a reference to her time spent in Pune with him. We hoped she’d produce a booklet of her unique approach to asanas, as her creativity was unsurpassed. With her gumby-like body, her exceptional flexibility left us jaw-dropped. And yet she’d be candid at times when sharing some of the complexities of her life; she could bare her soul.

Thank you Ingelise for being exactly who you were. We were so fortunate to have you in our lives.  – With love,  SARAH GODFREY, Bowen Island BC