Iyengar Yoga is one of the most popular types of yoga. The he alth benefits of practicing Iyengar Yoga are invaluable, and positive reviews are flooding the internet! The Iyengar method was developed in the last century, but the number of people practicing it is constantly growing. Check what Iyengar yoga is all about and find out if it is intended for beginners.

Iyengar Yoga is an excellent yoga method for beginners and those more advanced yogis. Not only does it teach the correct technique of movement and breathing, but also thanks to yoga equipment allows every practitioner to exercise without discomfort and risk of injury. It's hard to make any negative opinions about Iyengar's yoga, because this system of movement and breathing practices was designed with virtually all of us in mind.

Contents:

  1. Iyengar Yoga - Who Was B.K.S. Iyengar and where did this method come from?
  2. Iyengar Yoga - what is it?
  3. Iyengar yoga - how it differs from other forms of yoga
  4. Iyengar Yoga - Who is Iyengar Yoga for?
  5. Iyengar Yoga - sample asanas
  6. Iyengar Yoga - He alth Benefits

Iyengar Yoga - Who Was B.K.S. Iyengar and where did this method come from?

B.K.S. Iyengar, or rather Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar, was born on December 14, 1918 in Belur, a town in South India. He was one of the greatest contemporary yoga authorities and the creator of an original method that is still practiced today. Iyengar Yoga, because that is what this system is called, comes from hatha-yoga and is a system of movement and breathing practices.

Iyengar was a sick and weak child from his youth, and nothing indicated that he would become a yoga master in the future. It all started when Iyengar's brother-in-law became his asana teacher. B.K.S. After years of studying with his first master, Iyengar moved to the south of India to Puna to teach and spread his yoga system there. He gradually gained recognition not only in his country, but also in other parts of the world. Iyengar's most prominent students are Yehudi Menuhin, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Aldous Huxley, and others.

Worth knowing

Iyengar has published several books to learn his yoga method, incl. "Yoga" (1990), "Pranayama", "Yoga tree", "Yoga with lightlife ". He has also won many prestigious awards for his activities, and has been recognized by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

Iyengar Yoga - what is it?

  • Movement and action

A characteristic feature of Iyengar's method is the precision of each movement and the extraordinary methodicality of the practice. According to master Iyengar, this translates into an effective fight against the imperfections of our body and psyche. Discipline and patience are the most important determinants of any asana. The movement is not smooth here (as in dynamic Ashtanga yoga, for example), and each asana is performed as a separate exercise. According to Iyengar, this method allows you to focus all your attention on one activity, clear the mind of external stimuli and achieve perfection in a given position.

Movement in iyengar yoga is static. Learning individual asanas always begins with standing poses. These positions allow you to learn the basic skills that should be learned through yoga: peace, stability, and balance. After you have mastered the asanas in standing postures, you move on to the following asanas - sit down, forward bend, twist, inverted postures, bends, and prone positions.

Once we have established the basic asana technique, Master Iyengar then recommends that we start learning pranayama, or the respiratory system. Iyengar understands yoga as a whole of movement and breathing practices, and understanding this characteristic and putting it into practice allows you to achieve a specific state of meditation that unites mind and body.

  • Asana personalization

A very important component of Iyengar's method is also personalizing the asanas. The master says that the most important thing in yoga practice is concentration and concentration when performing a given pose. It is not necessary to perform each target asana position perfectly right away, but the most important thing is that our body and mind reach the right state during the practice. If every cell in our body has the right work to do, then the asana can be considered to be done correctly, whether we use aids such as a brick or a towel.

Such a holistic approach to exercise allows you to overcome even the strongest external stimuli that affect our body in a negative way, and even deal with some ailments or diseases.

  • Building blocks and other aids

Iyengar created his method with every person in mind - sick, less stretched or extremely fit. Thanks to this, his method became popular all over the world, and Iyengar Yoga can be practiced invarious purposes, including rehabilitation.

The master of hatha yoga has developed special aids for the practice of his method to facilitate the practice of asanas. For this purpose, he designed professional blocks, belts, blankets, bolsters and other devices. Thanks to this, everyone has a chance to get into a position appropriate for their body without causing injuries and feeling significant discomfort in the body.

Iyengar yoga - how is it different from other forms of yoga?

Iyengar yoga is strongly rooted in and derived from hatha yoga, but differs from other styles of this variety. The contrast between the styles can be seen, for example, between this system and the equally popular Ashtanga yoga.

Both styles focus on pranayama (breath control) and asanas (body postures) and consist of eight paths of spiritual and physical development. These are the three similarities that both styles share. What about the differences?

You could say that Iyengar yoga is static yoga and Ashtanga yoga is a bit more dynamic. The movement in the latter is fluid, and each asana flows into the next and flows out of the previous one. In iyengar yoga, the most important thing is stability and balance, and in Ashtanga, the energy flow between successive sequences. For example, in Iyengar yoga we will focus on the stable position of the tree and mastery of the breath, and in Ashtanga yoga we will focus on the smooth execution of the entire sun salutation sequence.

Ashtanga's aim is to stimulate blood circulation, increase blood supply to internal organs, and make the body more flexible and flexible, while Iyengar's system focuses primarily on diligent technique, patience and the ability to hold the position.

A characteristic difference between Iyengar yoga and shtanga yoga is also the use of auxiliary devices to practice asanas. This is a proper hallmark of the Iyengar method, which is sometimes borrowed by other systems, but you have to remember that it is derived from Iyengar.

Iyengar Yoga - Who is Iyengar Yoga for?

Iyengar Yoga is intended for beginner, intermediate and advanced yogis, which is basically for everyone! Iyengar yoga is especially recommended for beginners, because this system is extremely safe and minimally invasive for our body. This type of yoga can be practiced by anyone thanks to the auxiliary devices.

Where we can't reach, straps are helpful. Pads will be useful to keep the balance, and when we have sensitive knees, wrapped towels will help us to lean on. Iyengar Yoga will be perfect for beginners from this toobecause he teaches more and more difficult asanas step by step.

Iyengar Yoga can also be successfully practiced by people with a history of injuries and minor injuries. Not only is it safe for your he alth, but it also speeds up the healing process and recovery.

The Iyengar system will also be very helpful for people suffering from he alth problems and ailments. They include, but are not limited to:

  • bronchial asthma,
  • problems with the circulatory system,
  • heart disease,
  • osteoporosis,
  • chronic stress,
  • headaches
  • problems with the immune system.

Iyengar yoga also helps people who suffer from ailments from the locomotor system.

This yoga method can also be practiced by people who have already de alt with yoga, but want to work on the technique of asana and breathing practices.

Iyengar Yoga - sample asanas

Iyengar Yoga - He alth Benefits

Iyengar Yoga has a lot of positive feedback, and interest in this system is not diminishing. Not surprisingly, Iyengar has created his practice system for every person who wants to start or continue practicing yoga. He alth benefits of Iyengar yoga include:

  • better immunity of the body
  • increasing the flexibility and flexibility of the body
  • improving the work of the cardiovascular system
  • improve blood circulation
  • elimination of tensions in the body
  • stress reduction
  • cleansing the body of toxins
  • cleansing the mind and increasing control over thoughts
  • oxygenation of the body
  • increasing body stabilization
  • improve mood
  • hormone regulation
  • elimination or reduction of he alth ailments and some diseases

Category:

Yoga