Iyengar Yoga

Much more so than any other style of yoga, Iyengar yoga teaches precise alignment. Postures are often adapted using props like chairs, blocks, straps, bolsters, and blankets. These not only make poses accessible for all body types, but they enable students to reap more benefits by comfortably holding the postures for some time.

Iyengar's emphasis on alignment is meant to even out physical effort. Because many people have developed bad postural habits, they stretch with their most flexible muscles or hold poses with their strongest muscles. Iyengar yoga corrects these habits, teaching students to find relaxation and effortlessness within each yoga posture. Iyengar builds strength where needed, and flexibility where it's lacking.

The postures practiced in Iyengar yoga are the same as those practiced throughout other yoga styles. However, they're often adapted with the use of props. And the postures are linked together in all kinds of sequences so that every area of the body receives attention. Poses might be held up to a few minutes with the intention of finding effortlessness and a state of active meditation. There's no flow to be found in Iyengar Yoga, but holding poses brings its own benefits of strength, flexibility, and a stable mind.

Students who are new to Iyengar start out learning standing poses to increase stamina and improve both flexibility and balance. As they progress, other types of postures and even yogic breathwork are introduced.

If you're interested in anatomy, the technicalities of yoga, and meditation, Iyengar is a great option. It encompasses not only the asanas, but yoga's other aspects of breathwork, training the mind, and yogic philosophy.

If you're new to yoga, recovering from an injury, or have limited movement, Iyengar yoga will teach you to adapt yoga postures to your body. The Iyengar method is therapeutic in nature and truly makes yoga accessible to everyone. However, this doesn't mean that it's easy. Iyengar yoga definitely offers a challenge to even the most advanced yogis.

Although many of the poses listed here are similar to those practiced in vinyasa, hatha, Bikram, Ashtanga and other styles, the use of props offers unusual expressions of otherwise common postures.