Not too long ago, I was looking for an original birthday present for a friend. Inspired by the impressive number of yoga teachers in our community and the whole peaceful, earthy vibe in St Francis, I bought a bunch of yoga classes for us to do together. Explaining that we were both beginners, I was directed towards Sharon van Niekerk’s classes as she describes the poses in detail and uses props to help coax your body into position. This sounded perfect as I doubted that I could even touch my toes at that point. I am not sure when it went from being painful to something I couldn’t do without, but Sharon’s class has been life-changing for me.
DD: Have you got any advice to anybody that would like to start yoga?
SHARON: Be consistent. If you’ve never done it before and you are not naturally a flexible person, it’s not going to be easy. It’s not a quick fix. The discipline is what comes.
Discipline your body, discipline your mind, and you will have the results that you are looking for.
My yoga teacher, David, used to joke and say that when new people want to come to class, he asks them to get down on the floor, and then get up. If you can’t get up off the floor, you should find a class that does chair yoga.
DD: Do you think your class would be suitable for a beginner?
SHARON: Yes, but only if you’re in good shape. Obviously, if you are somebody who has been sedentary for a long time, an older person, or are not naturally flexible, you will struggle.
DD: What motivates people to start doing yoga?
SHARON: Usually because they feel old age starting to creep up on them. Maybe they feel stiff and parts of their body are in pain; it is very rarely for spiritual reasons. However, people also want to start yoga because their mental state is a little bit out of whack, and they want to feel calm.
Iyengar Yoga with Sharon
Monday: 8.15-9.45 (186 St Francis Drive)
Wednesday: 8.15-9.45 (186 St Francis Drive)
Thursday: 8-9.30 (The Pound)
Saturday: 8.15-9.45 (The Dance Studio – Village)
DD: Why Iyengar Yoga and how is it different to other styles of yoga?
SHARON: When I started yoga in the 90’s in Cape Town, it wasn’t as big as it is now, but everybody raved about this guy, David Jacobs, and he was an Iyengar teacher. When I started with him, I realised that it was quite scientific and that appealed to me.
There has to be a reason and a benefit in doing something.
For example, why must I stand on my head? Because it is putting pressure on the crown of the head which creates activation of the pituitary and pineal gland, two important hormonal glands. Pineal is also connected to the third eye – there’s a lot of info one can go into. Generally, beginners aren’t really interested in all of that, but the more advanced you become, the more you understand.
From a physical perspective, why do you do head balance? Because turning upside down flushes fresh blood into all the organs, it works your shoulders, it works the spinal extension and gives you a good stretch. There are also spiritual and mental benefits. So, that’s what appeals to me about Iyengar.
DD: I read that he was very close to Yehudi Menuhin who said that Iyengar was his best violin teacher.
SHARON: Yes, he did yoga with Iyengar for many years and their association probably helped make Iyengar Yoga so popular in the West. Sivananda and Pattabhi Jois (Ashtanga) Yoga also had many followers. I like to call these yogis the Classicists.
Classical Yoga appeals to me because they have thousands of years of knowledge, they’ve got the text. Iyengar translated many books, wrote books himself and taught around the world. He was a seriously intelligent man. I watched a lot of his videos and there was something about him that really clicked with me. If you have the option, you should find a teacher that you click with because that will make you more consistent.
DD: And what about the props? Was that his idea too?
SHARON: Yes, that’s one of the things that makes Iyengar Yoga different. He was a very sickly child from a very poor background. He had tuberculosis and was a skinny little guy. On one of his school holidays he was sent to his sister who was married to Krishnamacharya who was the godfather of their lineage. He said, if you want to do yoga, just do it. So, he wasn’t given much instruction and just started. He soon realised how good it made him feel and as he improved, he was asked to demonstrate his skills. This was often before royalty or other dignitaries as a form of entertainment or spectacle to show what the incredible things his body could do. Eventually he started helping others get the poses. This made him think that there are others who might be weak or sick and suggested they use a wall or a block to make the posture easier.
Having said this, if you have a look at his book, Light on Yoga, you will see he didn’t use any props. I don’t force anyone who doesn’t need a prop to use one. Of course, everything is always changing and is not static. Over the years they found that if you do shoulder balance flat on the floor all the time, depending on the shape of your neck, you can hurt your neck. That’s why I insist on using props for this pose. Using props also involves humility, realising your own limitations and what your body is able to do and isn’t.
Facts about Sharon
Lives in Cape St Francis
Has two dogs
Owns a landscaping business
Studied Fine Art and Horticulture
Completed 3 years of Iyengar Teacher Training
DD: Do you have a favorite pose?
SHARON: Shoulder balance. It didn’t come easily to me when I started, but now it’s so valuable. When I had my cataract surgery and couldn’t do inversions for two weeks, I really felt the difference. It’s actually called Sarvangasana, meaning ‘all limbs’. When you are upside down your muscles are working against gravity, your organs are getting a rest, especially the heart. When you finish the inversion the organs get fresh blood. Also, the pressure of the chin into the thyroid gland stabilises your metabolism – these are some of the physiological benefits. From a mental point of view, it quietens your mind. It is given for respiratory problems, because when you are upside down the diaphragm has to push up against the gut and the intestines, so it tones the diaphragm and makes it strong. It also reaches different parts of your lungs when you are upside down. That’s why consistency is so important. At first it is hard and then with time it becomes easier. Then you start to see the other benefits.
DD: I like how you correct us in the classes. You are constantly manipulating our bodies to nudge them into the right position.
SHARON: That is called adjusting and another trait of Iyengar Yoga. There is always someone in the class doing this, not necessarily the teacher. One of the reasons I think Mr. Iyengar was such a guru was because when he adjusted someone in his class, you could see the whole body just fall into place. Almost like an electric shock. That was his gift – the ability to use the finest touch to put you in position and be sensitive.
DD: If you couldn’t do yoga, what else would you do?
SHARON: I would like to swim beautifully and do capoeira or parkour.
