Just Thank You.

It’s been nearly a year since Manouso started his daily online classes. What a godsend they have been for so many of us. I don’t think any of us could ever have imagined that a pandemic would afflict our entire planet, cloister us in our homes for months on end, and transform how we do school, shop, socialize, and exercise.  Manouso says yoga is skillful action– doing the right thing at the right time, and what did he do? He committed to help us through the pandemic by offering daily online yoga classes until it was safe to go back to class. He found a way to protect his students from IYNAUS so that they could study with him anonymously and still keep their Iyengar yoga certification. He insisted that those who were experiencing financial hardship continue to show up for class though they could not pay. All he asked for in return was that they contact him from time to time. He continued to pay his assistants with the proceeds from his classes which likely eased the sting of IYNAUS taking away their certifications, and FIVE DAYS a week he inspired (and continues to inspire) us with his subtle and sophisticated teaching. His knowledge of the human body in asana is mind boggling. His ability to take difficult concepts and explain them in a way that leaves no room for confusion is astonishing. His deep knowledge and love for the yoga he learned from BKS Iyengar motivates and inspires. Manouso is an artist. In the words of Nick Cave, “Art gives much, but it asks much in return. It demands nothing less than complete commitment and significant sacrifice. Talent is nice if you have it, but in some ways it is a secondary requirement.”

Thank you, Manouso. Just thank you.