Thoughts from a workshop with Eyal Shifroni

Ruth Weiss is a long-time Iyengar yoga student and an apprentice teacher.  She studies and practises in Toronto.

Yoga workshops are such a wonderful opportunity to connect with others and refresh your practice. After this extended, pandemic-induced period without the ability to practise in person with others, I was thrilled to participate at Eyal Shifroni’s workshop this month. It was wonderful to be together with the Iyengar yoga community once again. This was Eyal’s first visit to eastern Canada; I am so grateful to Deanna Oliphant and Sharoni Fixler at Calgary Iyengar Yoga for organizing this event.

According to his website, Eyal Shifroni has studied Iyengar yoga for over 40 years, receiving a Senior Intermediate III Certificate [now called Level 3] from B.K.S. Iyengar in 2009. What the website cannot tell us is how his passion and love of the practice are shared through his teaching. Each session began with discussions of yoga philosophy, how it relates to the practice of yoga today and what richness it can bring into our lives, putting a lens on what draws people to yoga and how we benefit from svādhyāya.

During the asana classes, Eyal’s manner and methods encouraged us to explore and engage in the poses to the fullest. There were some innovative uses for the chair – as one would expect, given the books he has published about the use of that particular prop!

There was also a return to partner work, which brought with it the element of play, exploration and joy that simply cannot be reproduced over Zoom.

The involvement of Eyal’s assistant, Liat, and his wife, Hagit, complemented his teaching and ensured that everyone there had the benefit of assistance or guidance as needed.

Eyal’s philosophy is that of Mudita – the joy he gains from other people’s well-being and success. I hope that Eyal will return to Toronto again in the future so more of our community can share, learn, and benefit from his dedication to Iyengar yoga.