Iyengar
Iyengar yoga is a style of
Hatha Yoga named after the
living master, B.K.S.
Iyengar. It uses the same
postures (asanas) that
practitioners of all types
of Hatha yoga are familiar
with. What distinguishes
Iyengar Yoga from other
disciplines is the attention
to detail in alignment.
B.K.S Iyengar explored the asanas within the framework
of anatomy and kinesiology.
The primary intent of
Iyengar yoga is that all
bodies move towards balance;
physical, mental, emotional
and spiritual. As
participants in life we are
all one, yet, in our unity
every body is unique. Every
body has different
proportions, different
physical and emotional
memories to store. The
result of our body's efforts
to protect and defend
ourselves manifest in
different degrees from
person to person. These
differences that led to the
creation of yoga props.
Through the use of supportive props, everybody can
participate in most of the
asanas in a manner that will
challenge their patterns of
imbalance. The use of props
is strictly individual and
depends on what your body
requires to participate in
any given asana mindfully.
One of the benefits of
taking Iyengar Yoga, in a
class or privately, is that
you will get an objective
point of view of your
tendencies and patterns from
a teacher. This allows you
to use props more
efficiently.
Because of the extensive use of props and the rigorous
attention to alignment,
Iyengar Yoga is considered
to be a therapeutic yoga.
Many students come to
Iyengar Yoga to alleviate
back problems, to prevent
surgery, address internal
health problems, as well as
a variety of other health
issues.
"...if you are mindful of
your breath, you are mindful
of your life... mind your
breath, mind your life..."
-Courtney M Miller
When you participate in an
Iyengar class, it is
important to leave your
expectations at the door.
Iyengar Yoga is
instructional in style.
There is a lot lot of
sharing of information, so
that you become sovereign to
your divine self. We will
spend longer amounts of time
in single poses, creating an
opportunity to move deep
within yourself so that you
may bear witness to your
patterns and habits. With
this observation you may
move on to gift your Self
with the opportunity to make
conscious decisions of how
you wish to act and what you
wish to create.
