From the moment I met Lin before her workshop began, I knew we were in for something special. Her twinkling eyes shone with excitement as she enlightened me of her plans for the day, saying that she would be guided by us students as to the exact direction of the morning asana class.
We all gathered round closely to listen to Lin describe the theme of the day, which was strongly centred around one of the Yamas: Brahmacharya (or chastity, restraint), and the importance of channelling our energy correctly when performing an asana. That we should be aware in our own personal practice that we were not leaking energy, and that the energy created by the asana should be focussed in the correct direction.
Very few adjustments were made in the morning asana class, because Lin was communicating with us very deeply about the importance of Tadasana and finding our Tadasana in every pose we do. We started in Tadasana, and Lin guided us to lean very slightly backwards, to experience a ‘bite’ in our lower abdomen, which meant that we were doing the asana correctly. By being in this position, it allowed us all to experience the strong lift from the bottom of our abdomen to the top of our diaphragm.
We then performed some basic asanas (including Utkatasana, Utthita Trikonasana, Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, Parsvakonasana with our foot on a chair), and encouraged us to find our Tadasana in those poses- the bite in the lower abdomen, and the space created from the lower abdomen to the diaphragm. We all agreed that this insight had improved our postures within those poses, it was an exceptionally enlightening experience!
In Prasarita Padottanasana, before we placed our hands down, we put a block onto the top of our sacrum and were told to lift our legs up into the block. Lin then told us to find our Tadasana and the space within our bodies before we descended into the full pose.
Lin showed us a technique to assist us into Padmasana, from Upavista Konasana, to place one leg into Janu Sirsasana, then rolling over onto that leg to place the foot into Padmasana more easily, before sitting up again and finding Tadasana in our bodies. I certainly felt that it helped me further into Padmasana than I have previously been able to accomplish.
Lin definitely gave us the insight to open gateways into what is going on inside our bodies when performing asanas, and to focus on the layers within our bodies to channel the energy created the most effectively.
I loved that Lin mentioned that ‘yoga is our secret’ and that our friends and families do not understand how phenomenal it makes us feel inside. Lin has such an incredibly personable and approachable teaching style – everyone was encouraged to ask questions and she was very happy to discuss how to adapt certain poses for any health issues the attendees had. It was a really interactive workshop. She has the most wonderful way of maintaining eye contact with everyone so that we all felt included, we were all completely enraptured!!
After lunch, for half an hour we were extremely lucky to experience some Vedic Chanting, of which Lin clearly has a huge passion for and it rubbed off on us all! She very kindly gifted us all with a booklet with some simple chants in it and explained in a very clear way how to read the texts in a way that we could practice at home. Chanting is a new technique to many of us, and after just a short session I was feeling incredibly relaxed and wanting to learn more! Lin is starting some online Vedic Chanting courses if anyone is interested in delving deeper into the subject. If anyone would like more information on the course, please contact us at DHIY.
This was followed by a wonderful inversions practice. We worked our way through Adho Mukha Vrksasana, Pincha Mayurasana and Sirsasana. Lin was on hand to answer everyone’s questions, assist with ways to improve or achieve these poses, and gave personal attention to those of us who asked for her assistance. Unfortunately by this time we were disappointed to learn that we only had five minutes left! The day went so fast, I am sure that we could have all continued for hours under Lin’s guidance!
This was absolutely unlike any workshop I have attended previously. We were taken right back to the very basics, and I was genuinely filled with wonder about how I can improve my personal practice by utilising everything I have learned. Lin’s passion for Iyengar Yoga shone brightly through, and was so infectious!
If you weren’t able to make it to this incredible workshop, Lin has very kindly agreed to come back to teach us again in 2027, so we will be working to get that arranged. It will definitely be an unmissable experience and one for the diary!