Iyengar Yoga

Iyengar Yoga was developed by B.K.S. Iyengar who is one of the foremost and respected yoga teacher in the world. B.K.S. Iyengar lives in Pune, India and has practised yoga for over 70 years. Iyengar Yoga is characterized by great attention to detail and precise focus on body alignment. Iyengar Yoga is regarded as the most influential and commonly practised type of yoga in the world.

Iyengar Yoga is initially learnt through practising the asanas (yoga postures) and pranayama (yogic breathing). The yoga asanas are broken into categories: standing postures, forward extensions, spinal twists, supine & restorative postures, inverted postures and backbends.

In an Iyengar Yoga class the student learns the correct body alignment for each posture so the student suffers no injury or pain when practising. Props, including belts, bricks, blocks, blankets, are used to help students work towards achieving correct postures. Students learn how to work in individual yoga asanas, becoming more aware of parts of their body and learning how to go deeper and more fully into each asana. As well as being very good for physical health, this process is also meditative, and helps the student become physically aware by improving their understanding of their own anatomy.

In Iyengar Yoga classes, unlike other forms of yoga where students imitate the teacher’s movements, instruction is highly verbal and precise with mistakes and incorrect alignment actively corrected by the yoga teacher.

Iyengar Yoga teachers have to pratise Iyengar Yoga with a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher for at least 3 years before they can begin a teacher trainers course. Then Iyengar Yoga teachers have to complete at least 2 years of rigorous training and pass strict and closely regulated exams at both level 1 and 2 before they can hold classes and teach members of the general public. In the U.K. these exams are run and regulated by the I.Y. U.K. (Iyengar Yoga Association U.K.) Due to this system you can be sure that when you attend an Iyengar Yoga class you have a teacher who has been practicing the discipline for at least 5 years, often a lot longer, and a teacher who has been trained and tested at the highest standard.

In the beginning standing poses are emphasized. They build strong legs, increase vitality, improve circulation, balance and coordination as well as toning, opening and lengthening muscles, ligament & tendons for the more advanced asanas.

Pranayama (yogic breathing) when added to the asanas brings numerous benefits including toning the digestive, respiratory, nervous and circulatory systems as well as creating a feeling of calmness and energy.