Association - Iyengar Yoga

Why create an association ?

The Belgian Iyengar Yoga Association was created in 2010 under the initiative of Willy BOK, Alexis SIMON, Rita POLVOORDE and Dorothée LANGLOIS VAN OPHEM. This does not mean however that the Iyengar Yoga was not known or practiced in Belgium before that date. Simply put, the creation of an association has gradually been considered essential for ensuring both a sustainable evolution of this practice and an appropriate supervision over spreading the teaching of Mr Bellur Krishnamukar Sundara Iyengar, also known in friendly terms as Guruji. The Belgian Association is affiliated with Ramamani Yogar Institute (RMYI) based in Pune, India, and is therefore authorised to use its official logo (Hanumanasana).

The main objectives of the Association are the following :

Promote Yoga Iyengar teaching in Belgium to the highest standards in terms of personal conduct, civic principles and the notion of service.
Organise any event (convention, conferences, workshops, projections, publications, etc) enabling further dissemination and deepening of B.K.S. Iyengar’s knowledge.
Organise the certification process for Yoga Iyengar teachers and proceed to their regular assessment according to the guidelines provided by the RMYI.
Establish a national register of Yoga Iyengar certified teachers.
Establish a national register of teachers entitled to train new Yoga Iyengar teachers.
Conduct research on the well-being of Yoga Iyengar and initiate any project which would allow for its further dissemination.

Who can become member ?

Any person interested in practicing Yoga Iyengar can become a member of the association. Membership, proved by the payment of the annual membership fee, is required in order to participate to events organised by the Association. Membership includes insurance coverage in case of problems encountered during practice. Each member is invited to attend the Association General Assembly. However, only the members who have officially expressed their intention to play an active voluntary role inside the Association have the right to vote. Each year, the General Assembly approves the list of active members. In order to become an “active member”, it is sufficient to tick the dedicated box on the membership form. The members who play no active role over a period of two years have their “active” profile automatically removed. Any member can equally submit her/his candidature to sit on the Association Board, as well as on any committee established by it. The vacant positions are announced before each General Assembly. Any member can, at any time, propose new initiatives.

Background documents

Available here : – the latest version of the Association statute – The RMYI guide for establishing an association (Pune, India)

General Assembly

The General Assembly is the body that decides the major orientations of the Association. It takes place at least once a year. All the members are invited to attend and can propose that any item they deem useful is put on the agenda. At this moment in time, they have access to the moral and financial reports of the Association. The General Assembly shall approve the Association’s annual accounts and give leeway to the Board for the management of the past year. adresse mail. The minutes of the past General Assembly meetings can be consulted here.

Board of administrators

The members of the Board are elected for a period of three years (subject to renewal) by the Association’s members at a General Assembly. If one or more positions become vacant, all Association’s members will receive an invitation to submit their candidature. The candidate(s) having obtained the majority of the votes are elected. The Board meets as often as required. Each Board member has a specific role depending upon her/his availability and competences. All administrators are volunteers. The majority are Yoga Iyengar teachers. The current Board is composed by the following members: You can at any time get in touch with the Board via the contact page

The current Board is composed by the following members: :

Nicole Rouaux	Mandat jusque 2018	Présidente
Beatrijs Strijpens	Mandat jusque 2018	Administratrice
Amélie Meunier	Mandat jusque 2018	Administratrice
Stéphane Bourhis	Mandat jusque 2018	Administrateur
Stefania Righetti	Mandat jusque 2021	Administratrice
Eva Kemala Rodenburg	Mandat jusque 2019	Administratrice
Luc Nicolas	Mandat jusque 2019	Trésorier
Willy Bok	Mandat jusque 2021	Administrateur

Technical committee

The objective of the Technical committee is to set up a teacher Yoga Iyengar certification procedure in Belgium. Until now, the teacher certification is done by foreign teachers. Only senior level teachers, entitled to train new Iyengar teachers, can be members to the technical committee. Within the framework established by the Ramamani Yogar Institute (RMYI), this committee defines the requirements, the path, as well as the practical modalities for certifying Iyengar teachers. Willy Bok and An Brossens are current members.

Ethics committee

The objective of the Ethics committee is to verify that the conditions for the use of the Iyengar label in Belgium are met. Each teacher claiming to use the Iyengar method must be certified, and this in order to ensure quality of teaching. The list of Yoga Iyengar certified teachers can be consulted on this website. The chair of this committee must also be a member of the Board. Any other member can join without meeting any specific requirement. In case of fraud suspicion, please contact the committee via this e-mail address The current members are Stefania Righetti (chair), Juan Benitez and Anne Delatour.

Volunteers

Even if you are not an active member or do not practice yoga at all, the Association is regularly in search of people of goodwill. If you have time and specific competence to offer, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.