"Remember
to breathe," Barbara Kaplan says smiling as her class holds a challenging pose.
Walking around the room, she gently guides students into better alignment. "All
sensation is temporary," she says kindly, encouraging students to relax into
the pose or to come out sooner if their bodies have had enough. Students of
every age, shape, and size fill the room.
"B.
K. S. Iyengar developed props so that every type of body can do yoga," Barbara
explains. "It's wonderful. If you can't do a backbend, than you can do a little
backbend over a blanket." Every pose, she believes, promotes health and balance
and prevents disease.
Barbara's
own graceful body -- strong and flexible -- radiates an aura of health and serenity.
Celebrated in photographs, she moves fluidly from one pose to the next in a
seemingly effortless motion. Discovering her first yoga class at 14, Barbara
fell in love with how yoga made her feel. No mirrors lined the walls, as they
had in her ballet class. There was nothing to memorize, no teacher critiquing
her, and no feelings of inadequacy. The healing power of self-acceptance she
experienced developed into the philosophy Barbara brings her own students today.
Believing
that we are each here on Earth for a purpose, Barbara's vision is to help people
live more comfortably in their bodies. Gifted at reading people, she gently
introduces yoga to every student at a level that feels comfortable and safe.
Even the students who never imagined themselves crossing her doorstep find unexpected
pleasure. Perhaps they live in their minds; their bodies embarrass them; they
feel they can never experience flexibility. "Once they are open to just trying
it," Barbara's face lights up, "it changes their life."
Rich
and complex, yoga brings boundless benefits. For many, it is a step along the
path of health and consciousness. Awakening the senses, yoga allows a person
to experience his or her body in a new way. Back pain disappears, digestion
improves, breathing feels easier. For others, it is a meditation that opens
the mind and body to self reflection and wisdom. For some, it provides a moment
of solace in a hurried, hectic life. "There are many paths up the mountain,"
Barbara smiles. Embracing every path -- including yours -- Barbara guides each
student along his or her way one pose at a time.
