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THE INSTITUTE Faculty
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| Faculty: A to C
Naghmeh Ahi Naghmeh has studied yoga since 1999 when she began classes with James Murphy and Kevin Gardiner. She continues to study and apprentice with James, her mentor and primary teacher. She has taught since 2002, completing the teacher training program at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of New York, led by senior teacher, Mary Dunn. She has studied with Geetaji Iyengar on several occasions and long-term in Pune, with the Iyengar family twice. Prior to yoga, Naghmeh worked in several international organizations in France and in the U.S. in various capacities in research, production, and translation. She is fluent in French and Farsi, her native language. She was also a practitioner of Mkeka-do karate, a Japanese martial art; the discipline in this art form she found similarly in Iyengar yoga, where involvement is total. She plays piano or paints, on a whim. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English literature, where her focus of study was the epic form; this, too, yoga fulfills through its sources, the sacred texts, and its practice that is based on a respect of tradition through the ages. The neutral state that Iyengar yoga calls upon, where a united breath, mind and body equally embrace the self, continually draws Naghmeh to practice and share this path.
Her advice to students: Study on a regular basis with one teacher and learn the foundations well. Be content with your efforts.
Lara Brunn Lara Brunn has studied yoga since 1986 and taught Iyengar Yoga since 1994. She has studied in India once with the Iyengars; her primary teacher is Mary Dunn. Lara first encountered Light on Yoga at the age of 12. She was enthralled and began yoga within the year. At university, she practiced with a Shingon Buddhist group combining Chinese Yoga, seated meditation, and martial arts. When her teacher went away, Lara filled in. From that first class she knew she wanted to teach yoga. After receiving a bachelor of science degree from the University of East Anglia, in England, Lara moved to Brooklyn, where she founded the HipJoint Yoga Studio, and worked as an environmental organizer with the Council on the Environment of New York City. As an environmentalist, Lara worked with young students to improve New York’s environment. Through yoga, transformation is more tangible and personal. “As dedicated practitioners of yoga,” she believes, “we are empowered on a very visceral level to make positive and lasting changes in all aspects of our lives.” Lara also has room in her life to perform as a flamenco guitarist with the Brunn Project, a flamenco sextet. Lara has an energetic presence and beautiful demonstrations, and she teaches classes that are dynamic and challenging. She serves on the Institute’s Executive Council.
Carolyn Christie Carolyn Christie has practiced yoga since 1988 and taught since 1995. Mary Dunn is her primary teacher;she also studies with Robin Janis, Patricia Walden, and Gabriella Giubilaro. Carolyn has studied in India with the Iyengar family five times; she has also studied at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco. Carolyn has a bachelor’s degree in art history and painting, and remains an art enthusiast, spending some of her happiest hours looking at art. Carolyn was an avid cyclist who led bicycle trips around the world. She served in the Peace Corps in Thailand, where she was introduced to Buddhism and yoga, a “life-changing” experience. Since then, she has endeavored to study and practice the teachings of the Buddha and of B.K.S. Iyengar. With a teaching style that’s “grounded, energetic, and kind,” Carolyn advises students, “Have faith in the practice and the teachers—and yourself. The Iyengar method teaches students to be in an asana fully, with complete involvement, creating awareness that allows one, eventually, to study the mind.” Carolyn believes it is possible to experience all of one’s life as yoga: “I try to practice when I’m walking, sleeping, looking at art. It’s about bringing the practice into daily life.”
Marcela Clavijo Marcela Clavijo has studied yoga since 1976 and taught since 1985. She studied in India with the Iyengar family in 2000, and counts Judy Brick Freedman, Mary Dunn, and Robin Janis, all senior instructors in the New York area, as her primary teachers. Born in Colombia and fluent in Spanish, Marcela is an ordained Tibetan Buddhist nun, and considers her roles as daughter, sister, and aunt to be equally influential aspects of her life journey. Before deciding to focus solely on her spiritual quest, she earned a bachelor’s degree in art history and worked as a museum registrar. Describing her classroom approach, she says, “As a teacher, I try to understand students and help them understand Iyengar's teachings. This method of practice provides much-needed focus, groundedness, and skillful application of one's own innate intelligence. It provides the experience of sobriety and joy.” Her advice to potential students: “Practice with trust and consistency. Take time to find a method that is appropriate for you and find a teacher who is appropriate for you. Then embark on a path of learning with full confidence and dedication.”
Bobby Clennell Bobby Clennell has practiced yoga since 1975 and taught since 1977. She has studied in India with the Iyengar family 15 times and considers B. K. S. Iyengar her primary teacher. In 1991, after working in film animation in London for 20 years, she moved to New York. Incorporating her skills as an animator and illustrator, she has written and illustrated three yoga manuals: Props and Ailments, detailing the therapeutic applications of Iyengar Yoga props; Iyengar Yoga Glossary, an introduction to the unique “language” of Iyengar Yoga; and A Cosmic Body Map, a key to the Vedic gods, their location and function within the body, and their mythological significance. Bobby is experienced in using yoga for therapeutic purposes, including fertility and prenatal needs. Her newest book, A Woman’s Yoga Practice: Poses for the Menstrual Cycle, is to be published in 2006. “In my teaching, I try to help students restore the balance between the constant pull of the external world and our own—oftentimes neglected—individual world,” she says. “Yoga helps us operate on a quieter, less ego-driven path.” Describing Chaturanga Dandasana as one of her more challenging poses, she says, “All of us face challenges in our individual practice. Have faith and give Iyengar Yoga a chance.”
Lindsey Clennell Lindsey Clennell has studied yoga since 1970 and taught Iyengar Yoga since 1977. He has trained 16 times in India with B. K. S. Iyengar, his primary teacher, and the Iyengar family. Originally a medical student in England, he became a documentary filmmaker and writer, producing and directing more than 200 music videos, concert series, and specials. Among his subjects were Muhammad Ali and Mikhail Gorbachev, and he was nominated for an award for Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema by the British Film Academy. Reflecting on one of his last film projects—which led to the release of 30 American hostages before the first Gulf War—Lindsey cites a favorite quote from Sri Aurobindo: “All life is yoga.” This concept would have been unobtainable for him without Iyengar’s teaching, which gave him the stamina to endure creative demands and stress. Since retiring from film, in 1991, Lindsey has focused solely on Iyengar Yoga and its physical and psychological healing effects. A student of philosophy, Lindsey imparts the in-depth teachings of B. K. S. Iyengar's presentation of Patanjali's Astanga Yoga. “Iyengar Yoga enables students to envision new possibilities,” he says. “It gives them a process for discovery and evolution.” He advises new students to be realistic and to “start with a short but regular practice.”
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