Frequently Asked Questions - Courses, classes and programs at Yoga Mandir

• No need to bring a mat, we have mats and other props for class. However you are welcome to bring your own mat.
• Do not eat 3 hrs before class – food in your stomach will make you feel heavy and lethargic. Later on when your asana work develops you will feel sick if you have eaten before practice.
• Hydrate yourself well before the class but do not drink water during class or bring a water bottle. The senses, which include the way the salivary glands function, become feedback information for us and we do not want to obscure the message coming through the senses.
• Wear clothes that have an elastic waist and wear pants that allow teachers to see knees and ankles. Bike shorts or tights work well. Please wear a modest shirt that has a reasonably firm fit.

The Practitioner program course levels are explained on the website.  Read carefully and reflect upon the descriptions given about each of the levels.  The recommended number of attendance terms at each level is an excellent guide for students.  Progress in Yoga is based on experience and therefore the number of hours we spend on our mats and in a classroom really matters.  It is easy under our western model of education to intellectualise about our progress and to interpret our development through the filter of our personality (our desires and fears).  The influence of the personality on interpretation of experience is exactly what Yoga advises us about: that mind is not able to observe the objects of life clearly.  Think carefully about the number of terms of practice experience that you have had and how much you practice at home.  Make a decision about what level to enrol into based on that information rather than where you think you should be or where you would like to be. If uncertain, consult your teacher.

• Doors open 15 minutes before start of class time. The doors will not open early.
• Please remove your shoes before entering the Yoga room
• Check your name off with the teacher as you come into class
• Come on time to class and do not leave early
• Turn phones off
• Use the toilet whenever you need
• Focus on yourself
• Attend regularly so that learning is systematic
• The Institute policy of 2 make-up classes per term (for 10 week Practitioner Yogasana Programs) encourages discipline
• Make-up classes do not carry beyond the term
• It is best not to come to class if you have fever or a contagious illness
• Your personal belongings and valuables remain your responsibility at all times. Yoga Mandir does not provide secure lockers for student belongings.

Instruction

• Teaching instruction is directive – not conversational.
• Sanskrit is the key language of Yoga and poses are named in English and Sanskrit. In time it is expected that you will get to know the Sanskrit names.

The Institute encourages progressive attendance through the syllabus of the Institute. Students with extensive experience of Iyengar Yoga may, with negotiation, join the the Institute in the Foundation practitioner program. However these students are encouraged to attend, in the same term, the entry level program: Introduction to Iyengar Yoga Methodology. The Institute is unique in the delivery of syllabus via the devolution of Yoga philsophy and science into subject areas that consider grades of practices and levels of integration (as outlined by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras and futher examined and detailed by BKS Iyengar in Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali). Students are strongly advised to remain in each practitioner program level for the recommended number of terms. However the Institute does recognise that development is dependent upon practice experience and negotiation with a teacher may support movement into the next level in less than the recommended number of terms.

Yes. A student who has attended the recommended number of terms in one program level, for example 4 - 6 terms in the Foundation program, may also in the same term enrol in a course within the Developing practitioner program. This dual level enrolment is especially indicated when students have been within their current program level for the minimum number of terms (for example 4 terms in the Foundation program) and are considering moving into the next program level. Holding two enrolments across two program levels is very supportive for practitioner development.

A student enrolled in a Practitioner yogasana course can carry credit for two missed classes in each 10 week term. This includes classes missed due to any Public Holidays that fall within a term. Credit must be used within the current term through attendance within the Open, Lunchtime and Dynamic classes.

There is no need to book in advance. The doors open 15 minutes before class. Let the teacher know of any medical conditions/injuries/pregnancy/menstruation. Let the teacher know you are making up a class and which Practitioner Course you normally attend. Pregnant students may only attend classes taught by certified teachers. 

There are no make-up classes for missed Led practice or Pranayama classes. In the case of pranayama, enrolment entitles a student to one audio class file. Students are encouraged to practise at home using this if they miss a pranayama class. Similarly, students who miss a Led practice session are encouraged to practise at home using the Led Practice handout that is available on enrolment.

In exceptional circumstances additional credit may be provided for any course. The calculation of credit will be based on the number of classes a student will miss from the date the Yoga Mandir office is notified and will be either:

• a credit of 50% of the cost of missed classes, carried on the student's record for future use, or
• in the case of missed Practioner Yogasana classes: an Open class card, valid for 3 months, for the number of classes the student will miss.

No. The Institute's courses are booked and paid per term. Term attendance is the most supportive approach to the development of a Yoga practice. Your best option is to attend classes within the Open program.

Teachers are allocated to teach specific courses and students can see on the Institute timetable who is teaching each course. Because Yoga Mandir is a training institute for teachers, there are two weeks each term (weeks 5 & 6) where you may be allocated a different teacher. This teacher will either be a registered trainee teacher, or a qualified teacher from another school who is here attending professional development. It is also possible that your course will be taught by two teachers. This happens when your main teacher is away in India at the Iyengar Institute.

You can attend one or a number of classes in the Open yogasana program before committing to a term program. Open yogasana classes can be attended on a casual basis. There is no need to book and you pay at the door. There are Open yogasana classes on weekdays, weekends and over holiday periods.

Alan Goode is an Intermediate Senior Level III Iyengar teacher who is authorised to train teachers. All of the teachers at the Institute have been trained or are undertaking training with Alan. The BKS Iyengar Yoga Association of Australia (BKSIYAA) has responsibility for assessing teachers. There are five levels of qualifications: •Introductory (up until May 2015 these were known as Level I and II, as of May 2015 Intoductory Level 1 is no longer assessed and the basic qualifying assessment is known as "Introductory") •Intermediate Junior (Levels I, II and III) •Intermediate Senior (Levels I, II and III) •Advanced Junior (Levels I, II and III) •Advanced Senior (Levels I, II)

If a student only ever experiences Yoga as an instruction based learning experience, their development in Yoga is limited. Yoga is a quest for freedom from suffering through clarity of perception. The quest develops an internal locus of control and requires careful weighing and measuring of experience. Personal practice experience that is free of external instruction facilitates this inward journey.

Led Practice is available to students simultaneously enrolled in Foundation, Developing, Established or Maturing Practitioner Yogasana Courses.