Lauren Blackham Yoga

I’m so excited to announce after a long break from teaching I will be joining the team , located in the Fremont neighborhood.

Starting Friday April 8, I will be teaching a 1 hour and 15 minute weekly Iyengar yoga class at 10 - 11:15 am PST. The class is hybrid- live in person and on Zoom.

Check out the link in my bio to sign up or click here: https://www.yogatree.com/.

On the website this class is listed as a Hatha yoga class. Iyengar yoga is a form of Hatha yoga, which is an umbrella term for a general level class where students learn and practice proper alignment while touching on fundamentals.

Here’s a bit about my yoga training: I initially completed a 200-hour teacher training at Yoga To The People in San Francisco, CA in 2012 in the power yoga style. The teacher training exposed me to many styles of yoga and I found that focusing on alignment was a beautiful way to quiet the mind and find balance in the mind-body-spirit. In 2013, I completed a second 200-hour teacher training at YogaWorks in San Francisco in an alignment-based vinyasa style. This journey led me to discover Iyengar Yoga, and I dove deep into this brilliant method developed by Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar.

Iyengar Yoga was created over 75 years ago by B.K.S. Iyengar, who devoted his life to the development of his approach to yoga as not just a physical discipline but an art, science, and philosophy. I underwent a rigorous training over four years with my mentors in Oakland, CA and Portland, OR and passed an evaluation to earn my certification as a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher (CIYT) in 2016. Iyengar Yoga is accessible for all ages and all body types. It is known for its focus on precision and timing, and the use of props that were designed by Mr. Iyengar to help the practitioner achieve more intelligence and opening in the body.

Check out these free yoga classes at Jewel Yoga! I'll be teaching the one on Saturday 6/17, 11-12:30. They're for beginners but all are welcome!

Jewel Yoga – Events 876 followers

Come check out my new Level 1 class at Jewel Yoga starting this Saturday, 11 am-12:30 pm! It's a beautiful Iyengar yoga center in downtown Portland. A great way to start your Saturday and a quick jaunt to the PSU farmer's market after. $18 to drop in or $196 to register for 1 class/week for the 14 week term. See you there!

I'm excited to teach a FREE intro class tomorrow, Saturday Aug 20 at Julie Lawrence Yoga Center 11 am - 12 noon. Come check it out!

Julie Lawrence Yoga Center | Free Introductory Portland Yoga Classes The best way to introduce yourself to the benefits of yoga is to start with the basics. Our Introductory Yoga Class is especially designed for people who have never done yoga or are new to Iyengar Yoga. Elementary poses and basic principles of alignment will be introduced to give you a preview of wh...

Visiting Yoga Northwest for John Schumacher's intensive this week - here he is helping me stand up from an urdhva dhanurasana drop back. So fun visiting the Iyengar yoga center in Bellingham and exploring this beautiful city.

Hi friends, I'm subbing tomorrow, Friday, at Julie Lawrence Yoga Center for back care yoga 8:15-9:45 am. Hope to see you there. http://www.jlyc.com/schedule.php

Julie Lawrence Yoga Center | Portland Yoga Classes in Portland Oregon Visit the Julie Lawrence Yoga Center website to view the Portland yoga class schedule. Learn more about our yoga classes in Portland Oregon.” />

"You do not need to seek freedom in a different land, for it exists with your own body, heart, mind, and soul." Happy international yoga day - I am so grateful for my yoga practice and to BKS Iyengar for lighting my path.

Chaturanga dandasana: The four limbed staff pose

One of the most special parts of the Iyengar yoga convention last weekend was those who were close to BKS Iyengar shared stories of their times with him. Senior teacher Chris Saudek shared a lesson Guruji had taught her: to teach from her heart, not from her head. I've been enjoying integrating all the lessons learned at the convention during my practice this week.

Was a huge treat to have the opportunity to attend the Iyengar yoga convention in Boca Raton, FL this past weekend. BKS Iyengar passed away 1.5 years ago and there was a lot of uncertainty about what the future of Iyengar yoga would look like. In the last 10 years of his life he intensely trained his granddaughter Abhijata to carry on the tradition. She came from Pune, India to teach us and her ability to carry forward his teachings with a fresh and youthful perspective became very clear. The practice of asana is a metaphor for the deeper philosophy and essence of Yoga, and our bodies are a prop- to be utilized as a gateway to the true Self. She encouraged us to practice without fear and in the present moment, with no thought of the past, with no dwelling on past memories, and with creativity and intelligence in determining what is needed moment by moment.

So true, Iyengar yoga is multitudes more than "physical alignment" ... it is BKS Iyengar's methodology leading the practitioner to the deeper aspects of yoga

Iyengar Yoga cannot be defined BKS Iyengar was often quoted that he did not name his practice “Iyengar Yoga,” but that was a term his followers used to differentiate his style from others. He said at at a Guru Poorni…