"Every day you must walk that fine line between courage and caution."
- BKS IYENGAR

PHOTO BY TAI KERBS
GARTH McLEAN
Garth is a Senior Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher (CIYT, Level 3, Intermediate Senior III), a Certified Yoga Therapist with the International Association of Yoga Therapists and a Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT 500) with Yoga Alliance.
Based in Los Angeles, Garth teaches public classes, and specialty workshops in the US and internationally. All classes are taught in the Iyengar tradition. Private instruction is available.
Photo by Tai Kerbs

Certified Iyengar
Yoga Teacher



WHAT'S NEW...

SPRING 2025

May Days
For many years I have found the month of May to be a profound time of reflection.
“May Day” and “Mayday” are terms that are recognized as either a time of celebration or it can also be a call of distress.
The double meaning of May day has significant relevance for me in that it can identify a potentially perilous situation or a joyous occasion!
Friday, May 23, marks 29 years since I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
An unexpected, life-altering event, it ironically was the catalyst for discovering Iyengar Yoga and being catapulted onto a pathway of healing, health and joyous transformation. I am deeply grateful for the discoveries that ensued since that May Day back in 1996 and finding a way to maintain Mobility and Stability in the face of adversity. Not to glorify the situation, but the concept of Mobility and Stability, tenets of Iyengar Yoga, definitely offered me a more welcome take on the “MS” acronym.
Of late, I was honored to have been invited to offer a series of in-person yoga classes in various European locations on the positive impact a judicious practice of Iyengar Yoga can have on the nervous system and related conditions. I am deeply grateful to everyone, students and teachers alike, who attended the sessions.
I am also super grateful to have been able to attend the Iyengar Yoga Association of Canada’s convention with Abhijata Iyengar in late April in Montreal. Abhijata’s teaching was simply stellar.
Throughout the month of June, I look forward to returning to the UK to continue to offer a series of workshops in Scotland and other locations in England.
See details listed below for upcoming locations and registration information.
May you be blessed with good health, mobility, stability, and happiness!
Online Classes

Current online classes
Saturday MS and Movement Challenges Class
Saturday mornings
9:15am-10:45 am (Pacific Time)
(Limited classes resume July 2025)
Wednesday MS and Movement Challenges Class
Wednesday mornings
8:00-am-9:30am (Pacific Time)
(Limited classes resume in July 2025)
Links to online classes for which you are registered are automatically emailed within two weeks before the registered class and again approximately 1 hour before the class starts.
Private Sessions
and
Consultations
Schedule Here
With travel, if available times do not suit your schedule,
Email Me Here or at yogarthman@gmail.com
to coordinate a mutually convenient time

In-Person or Online
Private Sessions
Email me at yogarthman@gmail.com
to schedule an in-person session.
2025
In-Person Workshops

~In Person Only~
May 30-June 1
Yoga Now Studio
Edinburgh, Scotland
June 6-8
Yoga Inverness
Inverness, Scotland
June 13-15
The Yoga Extension
Glasgow, Scotland
June 20-22
Dorset Hampshire Iyengar Yoga
Bournemouth, England
June 27-29
North East England Iyengar Yoga
Newcastle, England
~Autumn 2025~
September 2, 3
Iyengar Yoga Festival
Botley, England
September 12-14
Atma Yoga Studio
Paris, France
September 19-21
Generace Centrum
Slany, Czech Republic
September 26-28
Iyengar Yoga London
London, England
October 3-5
Yoga Iyengar Vannes
Vannes, France
October 10-12
iYoga Utrecht
Utrecht, Netherlands
Book Review
” … a little masterpiece”
Honored to be reviewed by the New York-based, internationally recognized neuroscientist, Dr. Patrizia Casaccia, in the Spring 2021 issue of Yoga Therapy Today.
Originally published in Yoga Therapy Today, a publication of the International Association of Yoga Therapists. Reprinted with permission.
Resources Page

Check out my
Info on vaccines as they specifically relate to MS,
Asana Sequence for Immune Enhancement,
Recent Interview
and more….
Yoga, MS, and Health
With my direct personal experience of overcoming some of the most frightening symptoms associated with MS, I can wholeheartedly attest that the practice of Iyengar Yoga offers the practitioner a pathway to manage many symptoms associated with MS, and to also navigate the challenges of life.
Through the practice, some of the symptoms I’ve managed to ease and work through include: gait abnormality and imbalance issues (ataxia); drop foot; muscle weakness; inability to judge distance or scale with arms (dysmetria); burning neural pain in arms hips and feet; numbness and tingling in limbs (parasthesia); optic neuritis; double vision (diplopia); spasticity (paraparesis) of legs & MS hug in torso; bladder and bowel dysfunction; crushing fatigue; LHermitte’s symptom (an uncomfortable electrical charge in the spine when bowing the head); Uhthoff’s phenomenon (heat intolerance which can temporarily worsen symptoms); and depression.
The result, I’ve found, is a more balanced life — physically, emotionally and psychologically.
Health is simply a by-product of proper yoga practice. Through iconic alignment of asana (physical postures) and pranayama (breathing) we can fortify stability, keep mobile and endure with relative ease what may not be able to be cured.
Disease implies an absence of ease or imbalance. An internal storm. A perfect breeding ground for fear, uncertainty and doubt, all of which seem to resonate in our current global climate.
When we are diagnosed with a chronic incurable disease, it can be a life-altering, calamitous event. In addition to dealing with whatever physical adversity we may have to face, we may also have to face how to navigate a previously unknown landscape of uncertainty, fear, grief, isolation, anger and depression. It makes sense.
When I was diagnosed as a younger man inhabiting a body I could not feel or control, I was scared, unsure and filled with trepidation about an uncertain future. BKS Iyengar opened up a door to possibility for me through the practice of yoga and gave me the tools, and a good dose of realistic hope, to take the necessary action to move beyond my limitations with courage and caution.
Committed to helping others through yoga, I became a teacher of the subject to share what has so profoundly helped me.
Since teaching, it has been a great honor and privilege to work with so many people across the globe with all ranges of ability in the various stages of MS, Parkinson’s, post-stroke rehabilitation and other neurological and movement challenges. Though it’s not a cure, the yoga practice has helped so many.
To offer further insight, I penned a book based on my experience, to perhaps serve as a reference for others on the path who seek health and well-being through the applied practice of Iyengar yoga. The book is intended as a starting point for self-ambulatory people with MS who are able to self-transfer, either to the floor or a second chair, and willing to utilize yoga props or common household items for support.
The book includes photos to demonstrate a range of traditional yoga poses, as well as adaptations, to accommodate varying degrees of physical challenge.
Though it is impossible to address every possible scenario and degree of challenge with MS, in this book I hope to offer a reference for others with MS, in order to keep mobile, hopefully slow progression of the condition and maintain reasonable functionality.
“Yoga and Multiple Sclerosis, A Practical Guide for Persons with MS and Yoga Teachers” is available worldwide.
The practice of yoga helps one to face times of fear and uncertainty with poise and presence of mind.
I look forward to seeing you soon!!
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