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Welcome to On the Light. I’m your host, Susan Johnson.

Today I’m joined by longtime Iyengar Yoga teacher Mary Reilly. Mary began practicing yoga in the early days of Iyengar Yoga in the United States, studying with teachers who had just returned from India after working directly with B.K.S. Iyengar. What began as a simple attempt to regain her concentration after finishing a demanding biology degree quickly became a lifelong path of practice and study.

In this conversation, Mary shares what it was like to encounter Iyengar Yoga in its early years, her first trips to Pune during the intensive programs at the institute, and the profound lessons she absorbed from Guruji and Geeta Iyengar. We also talk about the art of teaching, including Mary’s memorable experience participating in the filmed teaching demonstration known as The Art of Teaching in Chicago.

Along the way, Mary reflects on listening with the body, trusting the intelligence of practice, and what it means to teach from the heart rather than simply from the mind.

If this episode resonates with you, I invite you to like, share, or subscribe. And if you’re able, a small monthly contribution helps sustain the continued production of this podcast.

Please enjoy my conversation with Mary Reilly.

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Today I’m joined by Jennie Williford, a longtime practitioner and teacher of Iyengar Yoga. Jennie has spent the past two decades studying, teaching, volunteering, and helping build Iyengar Yoga communities across the Midwest and beyond.

In this episode, Jennie shares how she first discovered Iyengar Yoga, what drew her deeply into the method, and her experiences studying at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune. We talk about the powerful presence of Guruji and Geetaji, the teachings of Prashant Iyengar, and the importance of community and service in sustaining this living tradition.

If this episode resonates with you, I invite you to like, share, or subscribe. And if you’re able, a small monthly contribution helps sustain the continued production of this podcast.

Please enjoy this episode of On the Light.

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Welcome back to On the Light. I’m your host, Susan Johnson.

Today, it is my great honor to speak with Gloria Goldberg, a longtime student and teacher of the Iyengar method, whose decades of dedicated study and service have placed her in direct contact with Guruji, Geetaji, and the Iyengar family for many many years.

Gloria’s journey began in the early 1970s, when she was first drawn to yoga as a way to manage her asthma. What began as a simple, personal practice soon became a lifelong path—one that led her to study in Pune, assist in organizing conventions, help develop teacher education programs, and serve the Iyengar community with extraordinary devotion.

In this conversation, Gloria shares intimate memories of her time with Guruji and Geetaji, reflections on practice as an experiential and transformative process, and the profound responsibility of preserving and transmitting this work to future generations.

If this episode resonates with you, I invite you to like, share, or subscribe. And if you’re able, a small monthly contribution helps sustain the continued production of this podcast.

Please enjoy this episode of On the Light.

Support the show