Yoga Mandir delivers students access to articles, audio and video resources via our online study platform – Yoga Vidya. Yoga Vidya (Yoga Wisdom or Knowledge) is an integrated platform used by many universities to deliver material specific to each course. Students enrolled at all levels and within programs are provided with material which can be accessed Online to further their understanding and independent practice.
Digital Research Library (DRL)
Yoga Mandir is underpinned by the Digital Research Library (DRL) which is an extensive library of digital resources comprising articles, audio recordings and audio clips as well as videos and presentations. This material has been catalogued into Yogic areas of study and underpins Yoga Mandir's subject categories and programs.
Alan Goode has been traveling to study at the RIMYI since 1983 and began training teachers in the early 1990’s.
‘From the beginning, I took notes, gathered articles and recordings of classes. As I began to train teachers I would draw on this material to educate and inspire those I was training. Gradually these resources grew and I needed to deliver the material systematically as the trainees were encountering specific areas of Yogic thought and practice. My aim was to deliver resources specific to our focus of study at that point in time and allow trainees to discover the subject in Iyengar’s own words wherever possible.
As the internet evolved to I could see the potential to deliver this material online and so I began to digitise rather than photocopy. The Digital Research Library (DRL) sprang from this endeavour (in 2001) and continues to expand and consolidate. The DRL underpins all our online programs and seeks to gather together all available resources from books, articles, audio class recordings, and conventions for study and research into Iyengar Yoga. The material is digitised and filed by theme. This content is organised into individual subjects of study for teachers and trainees. Programs for Trainee teachers, certified teachers, and Teacher trainers deliver a selection of these subjects appropriate to the specific period of a teacher’s development’.
Yoga Mandir has been delivering resources to teachers over the internet since 2008.
Online study programs
Yoga Mandir’s online programs aim to provide resources and practical support for students and teachers to develop a practice independent of the classroom. A practice is not a replacement for a teacher and the work with a teacher underpins what we do in an independent, home practice.
‘The classroom delivers input and guidance to the student as well as a way to correct and adjust the student’s understanding but unless the student applies what is learned in the class they will not progress far. Just as a musician might attend a lesson to learn but practices throughout the week to develop an intimate knowledge of what was taught so too a practitioner practices regularly to gain knowledge from direct experience’.
Online study assists students to develop the understanding (Vidya) and the interest needed to evolve a practice.
Articles and book extracts
The Digital Research Library (DRL) provides an extensive resource of book extracts and articles for students. These book extracts acknowledge copyright law by providing only limited excerpts of material relevant to the focal area of study. All extracts contain Headers/ footers containing details of the publication and students are encouraged to purchase these texts for further reference.
Our student study booklet Yoga Sadhana is a guide for Sadhakas and teachers. It can be purchased at the Institute or online and contains an extensive range of footnotes to articles and sources for those wishing to pursue the topics covered. Copies available through Yoga Mandir resources or at Iyogaprops. An archive of Ala Goode’s articles is provided in the Resources section of the site.
Audio class recordings
Many of the programs offered through Yoga Mandir include class recordings of Alan Goode made at Yoga Mandir teaching asana and pranayama. These audio class recordings are designed to be practiced along to. They provide sequence, timing and pace, as well key points of observation or focus as well as delivering the language of asana. Audio recordings are preferred practice tools as video limits the capacity for an inward focus
‘We began recording classes in 2008 as a way to provide the practice focus that students need beyond the classroom. Since that time we have amassed an extensive catalogue of recordings that focus on Yoga philosophy, yogic psychology as well as asana and pranayama sequences. These class recordings are accompanied by the class notes so that a student can print and prepare themselves before they ‘stream’ the recording for home practice. Due to Australia's unique geography I have students and teachers who live in isolated regions and cannot regularly attend class with a teacher. They are often highly motivated and if given practice resources they benefit greatly. It reflects my own journey of traveling to India to study for a month at a time and then returning to work on my own for a year or more before my next visit’.
It is assumed that students within our programs have a firm foundation in Iyengar Yoga as audio recordings are not a means to learn asanas. There are a selection of audio class recording along with their class notes available for purchase in the resources section of Yoga Mandir and through Iyogaprops https://iyogaprops.com.au/books-av/yoga-dvds-cds/home-practice-resources/printed-resources.
Video recordings
Many of our practitioner programs (including Introducing Sadhana and Sadhaka) use video segments to identify or demonstrate specific elements. These video clips are often between 3-5 minutes long.
Training programs use material from the DRL with longer videos including lectures by the Iyengar family, extracts from conventions, teaching examples to explore the philosophy, psychology and teaching of Iyengar Yoga extensively. Video and audio resources are ‘streamed’ and require an adequate internet connection. Yoga Mandir does not offer recordings on USB drives.