News | Iyengar Yoga Ireland

Introducing the first four new Level 2 teachers in the UK and Ireland!

Below is an article written for the Spring 2025 edition of Iyengar Yoga News magazine.

What was the hardest aspect of the new Level 2 assessment?

JB: None of the assessment was easy! For me, one of the more challenging aspects was finding a mentor. There are very few Level 3 teachers in Northern Ireland, which meant I had to travel further afield to find one. Thankfully Eileen Cameron agreed to take me on. This meant travelling to Dublin every month, a 270-mile round trip, a massive commitment from me. It meant I had to be very disciplined, focused and even more efficient with my time.

Ciara in Utthita Padangusthasana 2 with Jayne adujusting

Ruth Hussey, Ciara Maguire, Maura Gribbin and Jayne Baillie

MG: It was challenging trying to balance the demands of the work for the Level 2 assessment with the demands of a full-time demanding (non-yoga) job and family commitments.

CM: I found the hardest part to be the two assessment days, particularly day one. The first day was so intense; it started with a backbend practise, followed by group feedback to the assessors, a 25-minute inversion practise, some one-on-one chats with the assessors and then lunch. We all ate together and then went into a strong Level 2 run through, followed by our individual presentations. Waiting in turn to do our presentations was the first part of the day I felt like we had to ourselves, without the assessors watching us.

RH: It took a long time to fix a date for the assessment, making it challenging to maintain momentum. As we were the first group in the UK/Ireland, there were a lot of firsts in terms of assignments and what exactly assessors would be looking for. The 45-minute teaching part was the bit I was most apprehensive about. Luckily Eileen Cameron was a great mentor and guide and really invested in us; I have friends in the French Iyengar community who had been through it, some unsuccessfully, so it was useful to get their feedback.

What was the most enjoyable part?

JB: There are a few aspects which I really enjoyed: furthering my knowledge of Iyengar yoga. Without a doubt, embarking on the training for my assessment deepened my theoretical knowledge, improved the quality of my teaching and developed my own personal practice of Iyengar yoga. Being part of a community. Although the commute to Dublin was long, once I arrived, I loved every minute of being in a class, even on those days when Eileen would unexpectedly ask you to teach a pose you hadn’t prepared for! It put me very much out of my comfort zone, but helped develop my confidence as a teacher and reinforced my standing in the Irish Iyengar community. Last but not least were the friends I made with my fellow trainees, Maura, Ciara and Ruth. We shared many late-night messages, stressing and supporting each other. It was wonderfully comforting to know that how I was feeling, the highs and the lows, was just how the others were feeling. It would have been a very lonely journey without them.

MG: During my journey through the Level 2 process I developed and evolved my understanding of yoga, my personal practice and my teaching of yoga. Our mentor, Eileen Cameron, is a very skilled Iyengar yoga teacher. I thoroughly enjoyed every session with her, and the knowledge, support, reassurance and encouragement she provided.

Ciara in Bhujapidasana with Ruth adjusting

The support and reassurance from the other mentees were also vitally important to me and we have firm friendships, which I value greatly.

CM: Forming a solid relationship with my mentor and three fellow assessees. We spent a lot of time training together, and chatting on a WhatsApp group, I think we now have an amazing bond and this will be a friendship we will always have.

RH: That would have to be the community – although there were only four of us – we bonded very much in our get-togethers, we were two in Dublin and two in Northern Ireland and our Whatsapp group was a-buzz as we explored the syllabus, shared notes, frustrations, laughs and nerves as the weekend approached.

What was your individual performance about?

JB: My individual presentation was based on my daughter's diagnosis of dyslexia, and how she overcame the difficulties experienced with reading. On receiving her diagnosis, I searched for someone who could help her learn and improve her focus and concentration. I came across a lady who used tried-and-tested methods developed by the Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology. She gave us simple, repetitive exercises which had to be practiced and repeated daily over many months. The exercises immediately struck me as to being very similar to many yoga poses I was familiar with practicing. This led me to wonder how these yoga asanas could help children who suffered from dyslexia, and other neurodivergent disorders. My presentation explored the reasons as to why the yoga asanas she had to practice helped improve her attention, concentration and reading skills.

MG: My presentation focused on a knee issue I had experienced and how I had worked with props to help support and improve the issue.

CM: My presentation was about how I adapted my yoga practise after tearing a calf muscle and how I then used yoga to aid recovery. It was something specific to me, I knew and understood it well, so felt I confident talking about the topic.

Jayne in Adho Mukha Vrkasana with Ciara assisting

RH: Mine was quite personal, it was about my life as a practitioner and teacher with a large chest and the physical and psychological challenges I have had along the way. In summary, I went through how Iyengar yoga solved my back pain and inspired me to teach and demonstrated some asanas I have had difficulties with – particularly Sarvangasana, and adaptations I have made over the years. I rehearsed it loads so the timing worked and we had performed our pieces to each other with our mentor so it felt well prepared

What would you say to any Level 1 teachers thinking about going for Level 2?

JB: Know what you are committing to. It’s a lot of work and a massive time commitment. A Senior teacher told me that once you start your training, do not get married, have a baby, get divorced, move house, start a new job – no life-changing events until after your training is complete, and she was right!

MG: I would certainly encourage a Level 1 teacher to consider going for Level 2 but would advise them to give themselves at least the recommended two years before considering going for it. Anyone working towards Level 2 will learn and develop in many different ways, but it is important they are prepared for the time and commitment that is required. I would advise teachers to study the Mentoring Manual to ensure they understand the requirements so they can bring these into their preparation work.

CM: I’m not sure I'm the best person to ask about this. I had every intention of continuing on and doing Level 3 If I passed level 2, but I found the assessment so gruelling that at the start of the run-through I remember thinking I would never put myself through another assessment again. I have not changed my mind and I cannot see that happening.

RH: I would encourage anyone to do it. Although it is an enormous amount of work and a big time commitment, it deepens your knowledge of all aspects of the spiritual and physical practice of this multi-layered method of yoga.

How has becoming a Level 2 teacher changed your teaching?

JB: My teaching has changed, even while I was training my students noticed the shift in my teaching style. I can better explain postures by giving the right instructions for the intended actions, but I also feel more able to guide students on a deeper and different level in their practice.

MG: I believed my teaching has evolved and improved and I now have the ability, confidence and knowledge to work with a wider range of students. My knowledge of the connections and sensitivities in the body and in asana have also evolved.

CM: I feel I plan my classes better. I decide which asana I’d like to include in the class and plan the class around those. I also try to make my students more aware of how to bring their practise inwards, to be more sensitive to how doing a self-adjustment in one area impacts other parts of the body and how they can use their breath to improve and strengthen their asana.

RH: I feel it has improved my teaching – I have more sensitivity to the subtleties of the asanas in terms of breath, skin and the body/mind connection and a more measured approach in general. It's great to be able to bring some of my students along in their practice too.

Jayne in rope Trikonasana

Ruth in Ardha Chandrasana with Eileen Cameron adjusting

Please add anything else that you can think that might be interesting to our readers.

JB: Starting on the journey to become a Level 2 teacher is not for the faint hearted! It’s a long, difficult and emotional journey, but one that is absolutely worthwhile. I'm delighted to have gained my Level 2 teaching qualification, but also very relieved it's done.

RH: Initial proposals for the assessment included a section of the weekend where the senior teachers were to demonstrate teaching with sensitivity which I thought would have greatly added to the weekend, but it was dropped in subsequent manuals. I would say that although the weekend is designed to be more friendly and interactive, it was still quite gruelling, I was totally exhausted after it and felt under a lot of pressure during it, so it's still not for the faint-hearted!

MG: It is a lot of work, but there is much to be enjoyed and gained from the process. I found the three assessors to be very supportive and friendly. They did everything they could to help put the candidates at ease, while carrying out their duties with professionalism and integrity.

Maura and Ciara in Parivrtta Upavishta Konasana

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