A Teaching Approach Iyengar Yoga
A Teaching Approach Iyengar Yoga
Developed in the 1930's by a yogi who wanted to improve his health
despite his tuberculosis, malaria, and typhoid, Iyengar yoga gets its name from its creator, B.K.S.
Iyengar.
B.K.S. Iyengar was born in 1918 and suffered from numerous
ailments when he was younger.
He now teaches yoga (though over 80 years old) at the Ramamani
Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Prune, India, which he initiated in honor of his wife. Two
fellow world-renowned yoga experts assist him:
Geeta, his oldest daughter, and Prashant, his son. B.K.S. Iyengar
has taught such notables as the Queen mother of Belgium, as well as having taught special classes
for military academies and commandos.
His writings are considered amongst the top yoga texts, especially
his work Light on Yoga, first published in 1966 and now translated into 18 languages.
This man's methods are so prevalent that most other forms of yoga
will include elements of Iyengar, like a Hatha yoga lesson that lets a beginner use props. Props in
general are a modern addition to yoga, from the Iyengar influence.
Iyengar as a modern form of Hatha yoga uses a countless number of
props to assist the yogi in reaching different poses, lending itself to beginners not used to
exercise and to people with back and joint problems, though that doesn't mean this type of yoga is
easy.
Progression from pose to pose is slow, making proper alignment
critical in each pose. This type of yoga is meticulous, for every detail of bodily position must be
correct. Even yoga students advanced with other types will learn Iyengar to correct their incorrect
alignment.
Proper alignment is the number one focus of Iyenger yoga, for it
declares that there is only one proper way to do each pose, which a student will learn through
practice.
Props are used as needed to enable a student to reach proper
alignment. Iyengar stresses certain classical poses, making it a useful foundation for people who
might want to use it as a method to jumpstart into other methods.
Iyengar yoga tones muscles, easing tension and chronic pain in the
meantime. Nonetheless, it has no flow from pose to pose. Between each pose, the yogi rests in
Corpse or Child's pose.
This lack of flow makes it less of a cardiovascular workout than
the other forms of yoga, though its use of props makes it more attainable for a wider
population.
If you are looking for a program to begin a yoga regimen, try this
form to learn correct alignment and start slow, working up to more difficult forms of
yoga.
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