Becoming a CIYT, Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher, begins with long term thorough and dedicated practice. One is a student of Iyengar Yoga before becoming a teacher. In the assessment process itself, candidates are carefully observed and evaluated as they demonstrate asanas and Pranayamas and as they teach a class of students.
LL Lopez
As a teenager, I began practicing martial arts under Doc Fai Wong in San Francisco. I studied with him for seven years. At 18, I started practicing Yoga and traveled to Poona, India, in 2004, where I met Guruji B.K.S Iyengar for the first time. He was a pure genius who dedicated his entire life to the practice and teachings of Yoga. In 2002, we opened Bija Yoga to offer the teachings to the community.
I continued to study with Guruji B.K.S. Iyengar and his children for the next ten years until his passing in August 2014. I have been practicing yoga for 25 years and teaching for over 23 years.
I am sincerely grateful for the many teachers who have given me incredible guidance over the years, such as Ramanand Patel and Vijay Kapoor, with whom I still study. This ancient knowledge has its place in modern society as a means to open the heart and illuminate the mind to see the self that resides in us all. See you in Class!
Jennifer Macgregor Dennis
Jennifer MacGregor Dennis started practicing yoga under her mother's guidance, who is an Iyengar Yoga teacher. After moving to New York City, Jennifer obtained formal training at the NY Institute and became a certified teacher in 2013. She has continued to practice yoga consistently and has traveled to India multiple times for further study.
In addition to yoga, Jennifer also has training as a bodyworker from the School of Holistic Therapy in Edinburgh. In 2016, she expanded her skills in California by studying expressive movement and art therapy at the Tamalpa Institute under Anna and Daria Halprin.
For Jennifer, yoga provides stability and a deeper understanding of life. When combined with her dance practice, it offers freedom of expression and helps her navigate life's fluctuations, bringing the beauty of the present moment into awareness.
Julia Stirling
Julia discovered Iyengar yoga in her 20s after a long relationship with dance and movement and was immediately drawn to yoga's rejuvenating properties.
The work of BKS Iyengar and his extended family informs all of her studies, practices, and teachings. It is through their teachings and those of other teachers who have studied with the Iyengars that I have a greater understanding of what Iyengar is and how it adapts and expands to meet the needs of all individuals. It is here that one truly sees the genius of BKS Iyengar.
Yoga provides both a physical and philosophical foundation for Julia’s daily life. In her personal practice, she finds yoga to be fascinating, exciting, clarifying, dynamic, and profound – ‘it’s the way I feel after each practice that keeps me coming back.’ She also finds strength and inspiration in the philosophical aspects of yoga. For the last several years she has been studying the Sutras with a group of fellow yoga teachers and examining the relevance of the ancient texts to our modern lives.
Ramanand Patel
When Ramanand was 12, his father introduced him to yoga philosophy and asana, and he learned early on to embrace yoga with a childlike joyousness and delight. In 1968, after coming across a few other yoga teachers, Ramanand became a student of Guruji, Yogacharya Shri B.K.S. Iyengar, who profoundly influenced the strength, discipline, deepening, understanding, confidence and enthusiasm of his asana and pranayama practice. Then in 1994 Ramanand intensified his pursuit of truth and knowledge by studying Vedanta philosophy under H.H. Swami Dayananda Saraswati. He also considers J. Krishnamurti to be a major influence on his thinking.
Ramanand's extensive, distinct, and lifelong yoga experiences inform both his yoga practice and his teaching style. He is recognized and respected internationally and many in the yoga community regard him as one of the world's foremost yoga instructors. Ramanand actively encourages both learning and sharing of ideas amongst his students and peers. Furthermore, he is especially skilled as an innovator in the use of props and in working with students who have special needs; however he does not teach therapeutic yoga.
Ramanand has a special interest in the effects of Sound on yoga practice. He has taught a number of workshops on Yoga and Sound with his friend, the outstanding North Indian Classical vocalist Pandit Mukesh Desai, a senior disciple of world-renowned Pandit Jasraj.
Janet MacLeod
Janet MacLeod began studying yoga in London in the late 1970s and continues studying with the Iyengar family both in the West and India. She has been a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher (CIYT) since 1983. She teaches ongoing classes in San Francisco in person and also online. Born on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, Janet has traveled to many parts of the world, offering workshops and retreats. She has also taught at the Yoga Journal Conference in San Francisco. Her teaching style is faithful to the ancient tradition of yoga but infused with love and light. Janet believes in sharing the joy that she has found in yoga with all who come in contact with her. This, along with the technical skills she has accumulated over many years of personal practice, study, and teaching, makes her a much sought-after teacher wherever she goes.
Barbara Wiechmann
Barbara has been teaching yoga in San Francisco for 50 years. Her primary teachers are BKS Iyengar, Ramanand Patel, Firooza Ali Razva, Swami Dayananda, and Vijay Kapoor. Still, she also loves to take classes with Larry Lopez, Jennifer MacGregor Dennis, and other teachers at Bija! Among the places she has taught are The UCSF Millberry Union Student Center (40 years!!) and her favorite Bija Yoga for 15 years. Her focus is sharing the joy and peace of embodying yoga asanas and breathing techniques as guided by the Iyengar teachings and a Vedantic way of life.
Valerie Velardie - Practicing since 1983, Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher.
As a child, I enjoyed all forms of movement. I received a Masters Degree in Dance Arts from Mills College and I danced and taught until 1983 when I found Iyengar Yoga. While remaining true to the methodology that continues to speak to me so vividly, I am committed to finding fresh new ways to engage in my practice and to my teaching. My favorite Sutra, I:39, embraces an individual’s uniqueness allowing for the student to find their preferred focus for meditation. My own yoga practice is enhanced by my passion for dancing, building Temples, and sharing a vibrant life with my children and grandchildren. I encourage my students to integrate their own life’s rich pageant into their yoga journey hoping to help them find yoga practices that best suit their temperaments.
Nicole Leong - Practicing since 1991, certified Iyengar Yoga teacher.
My design background helps me see art in everything, including yoga. Yoga, to me, is both an art and a science, and it continuously sparks my curiosity to learn more. Inspired by BKS Iyengar’s idea of Involution, I focus on how yoga naturally connects the outer layers of the body to the inner core. As a teacher, I bring both knowledge and heart to every class, paying attention to the details of each asana and the unique needs of every student. My goal is to help others find a quiet focus in both body and mind.
Anne Saliou - Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher
Anne has had the privilege of studying directly and extensively with the Iyengar family in India since 1989, and with many senior teachers in the U.S. She has benefitted firsthand from the therapeutic value of Iyengar Yoga to rehabilitate her back from a sports injury. In the past 30 years, she has helped many students recover from their own injuries and function more efficiently.
Her exposure to the Buddhist teachings of Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh in France and studies of embodied anatomy with Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen have deeply influenced her practice and teaching. Anne aims to share her experience and knowledge of Yoga in a clear, creative, and supportive fashion to guide her students toward greater health, peace, and harmony.