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Introduction to Iyengar Yoga
If you are looking for precision and structural alignment in your yoga practice,
Iyengar yoga may be the right pick for you. Founded by B.K.S. Iyengar, this system
of yoga is easy to spot for its use of props, including belts, blocks, cushions,
benches and more. It is a form of Hatha Yoga and is very popular in the United States.
In a logical way, Iyengar systematically presented the asanas from Patanjali into
a structure of 200 asana (poses) and 14 pranayama (breathing techniques). There
is a progression from easy to difficult, so that the body is supported in steady
growth and improvement of flexibility, strength and balance.
Iyengar yoga focuses on keeping the body in proper alignment, which prevents injury
and pain. What if you aren’t a pretzel yet? He thought of that…wanting us all to
maintain correct posture and not just push ourselves into a pose, Iyengar emphasized
using props such as blocks and belts to extend our reach and support our muscles.
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Poses are held for a longer length of time to allow the body to settle into a pose
and receive the benefits from the physical and energetic position. This has lead
to Iyengar being very useful for therapeutic rehabilitation for people with physical
problems such as chronic backache.
Iyengar yoga classes are heavy on standing poses, which are said to improve circulation
and balance and help provide a strong foundation for advanced level practice.
What makes it different than say Vinyasa is its flow (or lack thereof)? Vinyasa
flow is all about creating a smooth transition from one pose to the next through
using the synchronization of movement with either an inhale or an exhale. In Iyengar
Yoga, rather than flowing from one pose to the next, you spend extra time in a pose
perfecting it, and then return to a child’s pose or corpse pose. You won’t get the
aerobic workout that you would get in an Ashtanga class, but it builds your strength
and flexibility up slow and steady.
Once a student of Iyengar yoga has a foundation in proper asana alignment, a more
focused study of pranayama comes into play. Focusing on posture and flexibility
allows the student the time to develop the skills of lung capacity, alignment and
strength that it takes to be able to properly practice pranayama. Breathing is essential
for effective meditation, although important emphasis in Iyengar style yoga.
Iyengar yoga is a very precise and calculated yoga. Everything is precisely done
in a specific order with measurable effects. It is a great yoga for those who are
rehabilitating from an injury, who have never done yoga before, or who are worried
about injury. If you are thinking that you are too out of shape for yoga, then Iyengar
yoga is a great place to start. However, that doesn’t mean it’s too basic for the
experienced yogi. Advanced students in other types of yoga, say Vinyasa and Kundalini,
might benefit from studying Iyengar Yoga to learn about the precise alignment of
the structure of the body and the finer points of asana.
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