What is Iyengar Yoga?
Iyengar Yoga is based on the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar, who still
lives, teaches and practices in Pune, India. He began practicing yoga as a young boy for health reasons, and over his lifetime, has trained many teachers around the world, given thousands of workshops, and taught many classes worldwide.
How is Iyengar Yoga different
from other kinds of yoga?
The most apparent difference is that in this method, alignment plays a
large role. The teacher looks at your alignment of a certain pose from
different angles, and talks about the points of a pose in such a way
that the student is guided towards a more aligned pose. Props are used
to experience the future of a pose. This means, if a student cannot
reach the floor, a block is used. This brings the floor to the student,
so the student can experience the pose and practice the pose. Over
time, the block can be taken away. Often, this takes some years. If a
student cannot reach his or her toes, a belt is used. This gives the
student the experience of moving closer to his or her feet, and over
time, the toes are able to be reached.
Iyengar yoga is not a flow class. Nor is it necessarily aerobic, but it can be. Poses are taught methodically, and often, the class is stopped so that a certain point can be made and shown. Iyengar yoga is not fast or quick. It is suitable for students with injuries because there is time to make adjustments, to grab an extra blanket, or to do an entirely different pose.
