Authors
Tommijean Thomas, PhD and Benjamin Thomas, BS are Senior Certified Iyengar Yoga teachers and authors of this book. They began their yoga practice in 1976, and soon after began teaching. They are long-term students of B.K.S. Iyengar and were trained numerous times in India with him and his family. They have taught classes and workshops nationally, including conducting college courses in yoga and teacher training courses at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco. This text presents their approach to the highly refined, authentic, and classical Iyengar Yoga and was scientifically validated by empirical evidence. This text is appropriate for students of all levels and includes an overview of yoga and a practical plan to begin and/or continue learning about yoga. Impressed with the integrative and holistic benefits and effects of Iyengar Yoga, the authors conducted a large research project consisting of three separate studies. It provided a total of 614 assessed subjects and culminated with a Comparative Analysis. This research project revealed significant and positive physical, psychological, and spiritual benefi ts of Iyengar Yoga, and this information is included in chapter eight of this text. In addition to their dedication to Iyengar Yoga, the Thomases have raised a family of six children and have maintained careers separate from yoga.
Tommi began yoga training at age thirty-four. She is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in private practice, working with both adults and children. A number of her research articles have been published. Her medical benefits from the practice of yoga include a great improvement from painful, debilitating varicose veins and management of edema resulting from leg vein stripping surgery performed before she was introduced to yoga.
Ben began yoga training at age thirty-seven. His college major of mathematics proved invaluable to the couple’s research projects. Ben was in the computer industry for forty years at the executive level and taught yoga in computer corporate settings for twenty-five years. His medical benefits from the practice of yoga include a cure of both migraines and stuttering.