Larissa is a Certified Senior Intermediate Level 3 Iyengar Yoga teacher and has been teaching Iyengar Yoga since 1995.  She was awarded her Senior 3 certificate in August 2018 by Geeta Iyengar, the daughter and successor to founder B.K.S. Iyengar, at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune, India.  She danced for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company in New York City until an injury forced her to retire, whence began her yoga journey. She studied with Mary Dunn and Genny Kapular in New York City, became certified as a teacher in 1996, and started teaching at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Greater New York and Columbia University shortly thereafter. She is a member of The Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States (IYNAUS) and the Iyengar Yoga United Kingdom (IYUK), where she sits on the Ethics and Appeals Committee and the Therapy Committee.

 

Larissa is a certification assessor for IYUK and in addition to being an Iyengar Yoga Therapist she is also a certified yoga therapist with the International Association of Yoga Therapists (C-IAYT).  She has been four times to study directly with the Iyengars in Pune, where she studied for a month at a time and assisted at the medical classes there. Her classes include beginner, general and intermediate levels.  She also teaches one-to-one, therapy, and pregnancy yoga classes.  Her popular Iyengar Yoga Therapy class at the Secret Space in Hertford is a welcome sanctuary for those who are unable to take a normal yoga class. It includes students recovering from cancer and musculo-skeletal injuries, and addresses such diverse conditions as Scoliosis and Multiple Sclerosis. 

 

"I attended the Iyengar Yoga Remedial therapy course with Larissa to help ease my back pain caused from OCD, scoliosis, lower limb discrepency and a prosthetic limb. She was a warm, assuring and considerate teacher. I remain particularly impressed by her knowledge of Iyengar Yoga and how it can be adapted to meet bodies with diverse needs like mine. Since attending the course I have gained a renewed confidence and strength in myself. Thoroughly recommended! Needless to say I am feeling very grateful to be a part of this class!”

-Terry (Hertford)

 

"I have studied Iyengar Yoga with Larissa for several years in St Albans.  Her classes are lively, challenging and compassionate.  The changes in my body have been profound and I am able to do things I didn’t think I could at the start.  Her expertise is really apparent, I am so happy to have found her class that now feels like a family and I feel really grateful for all that she has given me.  Hugely recommended!"

-LK (St Albans)

 

 B.K.S Iyengar (1918-2014) was one of the most influential students and brother-in-law of Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888-1989), often referred to as ‘the father of modern yoga’. Building on a great and ancient tradition, B.K.S. Iyengar developed his innovative and inspired approach to yoga through intense practice and self-study. His seminal book, Light on Yoga, has been continuously in print since it was originally published in 1966. Iyengar Yoga is differentiated from other methods by a world-wide, standardized system of instruction. Certified Iyengar Yoga Teachers (CIYTs) undergo rigorous training and evaluation to earn their certifications, which progresses through 12 different levels. Only CIYTs are permitted to describe their method of instruction as "Iyengar Yoga." CIYTs are trained to provide clear demonstrations of each posture and are skilled in the use of simple props to maximize the opening and awareness of the body, providing support to the less flexible, and extra extension to the more advanced student.

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Teaching in Iyengar Yoga is oriented towards gradual but steady progress, rather than quick and fleeting results. Each class is a unique sequence developed by the CIYT to guide students through a safe and systematic progression. Utilising skilled instruction, students learn to penetrate beyond the physical body to the inner kosas (layers) of mind, energy and spirit, gaining vitality, clarity and calm through the practice of Yoga.

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Iyengar Yoga is a powerful and sophisticated discipline which can be practiced in all stages of life. The benefits are far-reaching and will assist the practitioner in every aspect of daily living.

 

“The aim and culmination of yoga is the sight of the soul, but it has a lot of side effects which are health, happiness, peace and poise." -BKS Iyengar

 

To find out where Larissa holds her yoga classes please visit the contact page.