ELIZABETH'S STORY
WHY I LOVE TEACHING YOGA AFTER 30 YEARS
Video Credit: Julia Baier
I was born and raised in Philadelphia, in the United States, and have been living in Berlin, Germany since 2000. I started practicing Iyengar yoga in New York forty years ago as a nineteen-year-old college student.
In college, I studied anthropology and dance and then worked as a professional dancer, dance teacher, performance artist, and arts administrator while continuing to practice Iyengar yoga.
One day, another invitation came when the director of a dance studio asked if I could substitute for the yoga teacher who was on maternity leave. I asked my teacher, Joan White, if I could teach and she said, " Yes." So, in 1991, I began teaching yoga and joined Joan's teacher training program and became a certified Iyengar yoga teacher in 1996.
It wasn't until I moved to Berlin that I started to think about devoting myself to yoga full-time. I was less pulled to performance and more interested in yoga practice. The creativity, physicality, community, and critical thinking that interested me in dance and art, I found in in yoga teaching and practice.
While living in Germany, I pursued further studies and became a Senior Intermediate 2 teacher in the old system, today a Level 3 teacher.
My yoga practice has supported me through countless life phases, including young adulthood, pregnancy, and menopause to name a few. Yoga helped me grow up, be a parent, face aging, and deal with grief and countless injuries and illnesses. I have been fortunate to study numerous times in Pune, India at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute since 1997 and with wonderful teachers in Europe and the USA.
Part of my yoga practice is to being engaged with my local and national community. In addition to co-directing the Iyengar Yoga Zentrum Berlin, I mentor new and established yoga teachers and assess Iyengar yoga teacher exams in Germany and other European countries. I also enjoy writing about yoga and life and have a newsletter on Substack, Elizabeth Brass Yoga Writing and blog on this site. I was the project editor of the book, Iyengar Yoga European Teachers Convention 2009 with Dr, Geeta S. Iyengar and am currently on the board of Iyengar Yoga Deutschland.
WHAT MY STUDENTS SAY
"When the pandemic made my world very small, Elizabeth's online community became a breath of fresh air. It's a way to see things outside of my bubble and connect with teachers from different countries. This welcoming, open community keeps challenging how I think about yoga and teaching - it's been invaluable."
Timothy Grundy
Sadhana Circle & Teacher Circle Member, Germany
"I live in Spain where there are no Iyengar teachers nearby. Discovering Sadhana Circle has been perfect - Elizabeth makes online practice work beautifully, even with minimal props. I love how she mingles philosophy with practice and her friendly, knowledgeable approach. The recorded library is fantastic, and seeing up to 60 people from around the world in our sessions is quite marvelous."
Gita Wolhuter
Sadhana Circle Member, Spain
"I've been practicing yoga for two-thirds of my life, and when I met Elizabeth at a workshop in Slovenia, I felt an immediate connection. Sadhana Circle gives me a shield against the world's problems - it's the community that helps me stay on the yogic path. Elizabeth interacts with us at the heart level with tolerance, generosity, and empathy. It is indeed my yoga community, thanks to the energy created by Elizabeth in the first place."
Metka Zupancic
Sadhana Circle & Teacher Circle Member, Slovenia
"I've been with Sadhana Circle from the beginning. Although it's online, you can really feel the group energy with people from all over the world. Elizabeth creates an atmosphere of deep study that's also relaxed and joyful. The monthly themes open new ways of practicing, and the Q&A sessions help with real-life integration of yoga. This appeared during COVID and was the good thing that happened to me - it's now a very important part of my practice."
Nolween Le Martelot
Sadhana Circle & Teacher Circle Member, France
WHAT MY STUDENTS SAY
"When the pandemic made my world very small, Elizabeth's online community became a breath of fresh air. It's a way to see things outside of my bubble and connect with teachers from different countries. This welcoming, open community keeps challenging how I think about yoga and teaching - it's been invaluable."
Timothy Grundy
Sadhana Circle & Teacher Circle Member, Germany
"I live in Spain where there are no Iyengar teachers nearby. Discovering Sadhana Circle has been perfect - Elizabeth makes online practice work beautifully, even with minimal props. I love how she mingles philosophy with practice and her friendly, knowledgeable approach. The recorded library is fantastic, and seeing up to 60 people from around the world in our sessions is quite marvelous."
Gita Wolhuter
Sadhana Circle Member, Spain
"I've been practicing yoga for two-thirds of my life, and when I met Elizabeth at a workshop in Slovenia, I felt an immediate connection. Sadhana Circle gives me a shield against the world's problems - it's the community that helps me stay on the yogic path. Elizabeth interacts with us at the heart level with tolerance, generosity, and empathy. It is indeed my yoga community, thanks to the energy created by Elizabeth in the first place."
Metka Zupancic
Sadhana Circle & Teacher Circle Member, Slovenia
"I've been with Sadhana Circle from the beginning. Although it's online, you can really feel the group energy with people from all over the world. Elizabeth creates an atmosphere of deep study that's also relaxed and joyful. The monthly themes open new ways of practicing, and the Q&A sessions help with real-life integration of yoga. This appeared during COVID and was the good thing that happened to me - it's now a very important part of my practice."
Nolween Le Martelot
Sadhana Circle & Teacher Circle Member, France
Copyright © 2025 Elizabeth Brass. All Rights Reserved.
Photo & Video Credit: Julia Baier