Denise Mehlman - Iyengar Yoga Teacher

04/11/2025

🌿 IYCE CELEBRATION WORKSHOP – 30 YEARS! 🌿

📅 Saturday 15th November 2025
📍 Highwood Village Hall, Loves Green, Highwood, CM1 3QG

Join us for the final 30th Anniversary Celebration of the Iyengar Yoga Centre for Essex (IYCE) — a free event open to all practitioners!

✨ The day includes:
🧘‍♂️ Yoga Workshop with Paul Brown – 9:45–11:45
🪷 Talk by Susan Long – 11:45–12:45
💬 Q&A with a panel of Level 3 Teachers
☕ Refreshments – 12:45–14:00

In February 1995, a small group of Iyengar Yoga practitioners met at Susan Long’s home to discuss how to develop Iyengar Yoga in Essex. From that gathering, the Iyengar Yoga Centre for Essex (IYCE) was born — and 30 years later, we’re celebrating how far it’s come!

About Paul Brown:
Paul is a much-loved Level 3 Iyengar Yoga teacher — one of the first to be trained in Essex. Over the years, he’s refined his practice and teaching and now leads several popular classes across the county.

🎟️ This event is FREE, but booking is essential as places are limited.
Bookings will be taken on a first come, first served basis.

If you have a question you’d like to ask our teacher panel, please include it when you book!

Sandra Hitchcock is co-ordinating the bookings for this event. Please return a
completed booking form to her by email at sandra.hitchcock@outlook.com.

03/11/2025

We’re delighted to announce that booking for our 2026 convention is now open.

Our Teacher:
Birjoo Mehta is a senior Iyengar yoga teacher based in Mumbai, India. Birjoo’s parents were Iyengar yoga teachers and encouraged Birjoo and his sisters to practice yoga as they were growing up. As a young man, Birjoo travelled with B.K.S. Iyengar to many international events, demonstrating and teaching. Birjoo currently teaches at Iyengar Yogashraya - Mumbai and is a trustee for the Light on Yoga Research Trust.

Venue
The convention will be held at The Hilton,1 William Street, Glasgow, G3 8HT.

Experience level
The convention is for practitioners with a minimum two years of Iyengar yoga practice.

Book here https://iyengaryoga.org.uk/birjoo-mehta-convention-2026/

03/11/2025

New yoga courses starting this week 🧘🧘🏼‍♀️🧘‍♂️
Spaces available tonight and Thursday morning

28/09/2025

All those that have been in my classes know this to be true 😂😂

No chance 😂

28/09/2025

24/09/2025

Twists in yoga are not just about “turning the spine.” They carry deep physiological, therapeutic, and structural benefits that impact the whole torso.

🔹 Promote Spinal Health & Circulation
By bringing circulation to the spine and nourishing the organs, twists make the ribs more pliable—preparing the body for both forward and backward bends.

🔹 Increase Rotation & Create Space
The essence of a twist is rotation of the spine. The key is to grow tall on inhalation and then turn on exhalation. This upward extension creates space, allowing the vertebrae to rotate more freely and safely. Remember: turn from the tailbone up the spine—not just the hips.

🔹 Engage the Abdominal Organs
Twists create a squeezing and soaking action for the abdominal viscera. Sharper exhalations—like turning the navel and waist—enhance this internal massage effect, stimulating digestion and organ health.

🔹 Relieve Neck & Shoulder Issues
Postures like Ardha Matsyendrasana help release neck and shoulder tension while aligning the elbow joint. Pro tip: look opposite to the turn to deepen the twist and avoid compressing the neck.

🌿 In essence: Twists rejuvenate the spine, invigorate circulation, massage the organs, and restore balance to the torso—keeping the body supple, strong, and aligned.

In your next practice, turn not just the body—turn awareness inward.



🌍 https://www.bksiyengaryogashala.com/

16/09/2025

🌿 Why does yoga care so much about just… sitting up straight? 🌿

At first glance, Dandasana (Staff Pose) looks like nothing special. You’re just sitting on the floor with your legs stretched out, right?

But here’s the truth: this “simple seat” is one of the most important building blocks in yoga. It’s not about sitting still — it’s about learning the principles of alignment and awareness that carry into every single posture you practice.

✨ Here’s why Dandasana matters so much:
🔹 It builds spinal extension & alignment.
Instead of slouching, the spine rises tall, vertebra by vertebra. With each exhalation, the spine lengthens, the chest opens, and the posture becomes alive.

🔹 It stabilizes the pelvis & grounds you.
When the buttocks descend evenly, the pelvis anchors. This stability prevents your hips from shifting in twists, forward bends, and countless other poses.

🔹 It frees the breath.
By lifting the chest and diaphragm, the breath flows more easily. A light chest makes the legs feel light — suddenly, “sitting” is no longer heavy.

🔹 It wakes up the legs without strain.
The heels push forward, the thighs move back, the calves lengthen. Instead of locking the knees or compressing the joints, energy flows upward from the feet through the whole body.

🔹 It sharpens whole-body awareness.
Dandasana teaches that what happens in one part of the body affects the whole. This awareness becomes the foundation for more complex asanas, twists, and balances.

💡 Think of Dandasana as yoga’s measuring stick — the posture that reveals your habits, alignment, and awareness. It may look simple, but it’s where the body and mind begin to truly work together.

So the next time you sit up straight in Dandasana, remember:
➡️ You’re not just sitting.
➡️ You’re building the foundation for your entire practice.
➡️ You’re training posture, breath, and awareness to move as one.

✨ Your turn: What do you notice when you sit in Dandasana for a full minute? Does “just sitting” feel different? Share below 👇

🌍 https://www.bksiyengaryogashala.com/

05/09/2025

🎉 Iyengar Yoga Centre for Essex – 30th Anniversary Workshop! 🎉

We’re excited to welcome Jayne Orton for a special celebratory workshop:

📅 Saturday 13th September 2025
📍 Highwood Village Hall, CM1 3QG
💷 £65

Jayne is Director of the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Birmingham, an advanced teacher, and long-time student of Guruji. This will be a fantastic opportunity for all general & intermediate practitioners to practise with her again here in Essex.

✨ Two sessions with a break for lunch (snacks & drinks provided).
📩 To book, email Sandra Hitchcock: sandra.hitchcock@outlook.com

Come celebrate 30 years of IYCE (1995–2025) with us! 🙏

04/09/2025

New course starting Monday 8th September High Ongar Village Hall 🧘‍♂️

04/09/2025

New course starting Tuesday September 9th Highwood Village Hall 🧘‍♂️