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Yoga with the mysterious name of Iyengar is actually one of the simplest and most beneficial practices that grew out of classical hatha yoga. This yoga is well suited for beginners and for people who have some health problems, and, in particular, with the spine. Moreover, Iyengar yoga itself carries an individual approach to each body and includes sets of asanas that are suitable, for example, for pensioners or only for women. Since it was developed on the basis of studying the physical reactions of the body to practice.
Undoubtedly, Iyengar is one of the healthiest yogic practices. But here, as they say, her story obliges. Let’s take a closer look at this point.
A long time ago (joke), actually not so long ago, Iyengar yogi lived in the world. This wonderful, thoughtful person, in his youth, was so passionate about hatha yoga that he gave himself to it, not sparing his soul and, most importantly, his body.
It is no secret that yoga, if not approached wisely, can become quite a traumatic practice. Well, Iyengar himself, with age, earned himself problems with his body, having received various injuries in his zeal. And I want to do yoga, despite the physical limitations. Here Iyengar and I are very similar, and I have many yogis I know who have limitations in exercises due to injuries.
So, Iyengar was a thoughtful comrade, so he came up with the idea to develop a set of exercises for those who cannot perform a full-fledged practice of hatha yoga due to illness or age, or who are just starting to master this path of a yogi, not yet being able to fully control their body.
It was then that he created rehabilitation yoga, which allows different physically people to join the practice and solve health problems.
Features of Iyengar Yoga
firstwhat he did was to break down the basic asanas of hatha yoga, testing them… statically! That is, if, in a simple way, he chose the same pose of trakanasana and rebuilt it correctly, gradually fixing the work of each muscle of the body. This is a very important part of the practice, to feel and control consciously the work of the muscles during the asana. Laying such a foundation, even performing more complex asanas. you won’t harm yourself. And, as it turned out, static yoga is no less effective than acrobatic studies of active yoga.
SecondWhat Iyengar did when developing his methodology was to streamline the asanas. We do not notice this during practice, but sometimes it is difficult not only for the body, but even for the brain to move from one asana to another. This is a question of the order of asanas, and it is the order of yoga that Iyengar pays great attention to. Asanas go in the so-called set and in a certain sequence during this practice, just so that the practitioners feel comfortable moving from one position to another. Start practicing Iyengar yoga, pay attention to this, the order of asanas during class is very important.
And the third, for me, the most ingenious thing is the use of auxiliary objects during the practice of Iyengar yoga. Here I am ready to bow at the feet of its inventor, because it was Iyengar who taught me that the body must be loved, and not tortured because of pride. And it is better to correctly perform a simple version of the asana, using an auxiliary tool, than to squirm in an attempt to achieve perfection in a complex form and damage oneself due to inexperience. All these bricks, pillows, rollers, blankets and even sticks for support, which you can meet in healthy back and hatha yoga classes, all this appeared and came into practice thanks to the yogi Iyengar.
Iyengar for beginners
“If a person who cannot stand tries to walk, he will break his legs. The same thing happens in yoga. For example, in Western countries, people first of all want to learn how to perform padmasana, the lotus position. They say: “I think I can do it!”
Unfortunately, thinking happens in the head, and actions in the knee! If you do not understand with your mind the mechanisms of the knee and force it to follow the wishes of the brain, the knee will break.
The authorship of this quote is attributed to Iyengar and I do not want to doubt its authenticity, as it fully reflects the understanding of yoga from this famous teacher.
Iyengar is an ideal practice for beginners. She teaches how to perform asanas correctly. When the body remembers a simple position, it is much easier to perform a more complex one. It teaches to memorize the order of asanas and the correct transition from one asana to another. This is not an aggressive practice with simple asanas. which is very easy to enter without special training.
If you’re standing in a strong wind, then holding on to a pole is more likely to withstand a hurricane. balance racks at the first stage are much easier to give against the wall. Iyengar gives you this wall.
And most importantly, what many yogis are silent about and what Iyengar gives is the understanding that there is no need to be shy. Yes, it was shyness or pride that caused many injuries among beginners. I can do this pose! Why do I need your wall or belt or brick! And then there is a crunch and life turns into pain.
Therefore, if you are a beginner, be sure to come to Iyengar first to understand that helping yourself is convenient and correct, and then proudly use bricks and straps in more aggressive practices, performing asanas competently and usefully. Your strength is in your awareness and Iyengar teaches you this too.
10 Steps to Effective Iyengar Yoga Practice
These steps are quite simple, but you should pay maximum attention to them before starting the practice of Iyengar yoga and during the performance of asanas:
- Get to know your body and what problems it has now. If you have a bad stretch, knees or neck hurt, be sure to fix everything and tell the teacher so that he knows about your features.
- Watch your mood. If you have no desire to do some asanas today, skip them and do not force yourself. Mood is the most important component of Iyengar yoga classes.
- Don’t look at others, look at yourself. You may need two bricks or even three blankets, feel free to use as many tools as you need.
- Don’t do more than you can. Tired – be sure to lie down in the poses of a child and rest
- Practice regularly. In Iyengar, not only the sequence of asanas is important, but also regular practice. It is then that your health problems will be solved thanks to a constant load.
- Asana sequence. As I wrote above, this is a very important part of Iyengar. Remember the sequence and follow it correctly so as not to injure yourself
- Don’t make sudden movements. Yoga is the water in the world of exercise. Be slow and smooth, without sudden jerks
- Control your body. Do not move from one asana to another until you have built it correctly. Yes, it’s hard, but it is the statics in Iyengar yoga that gives the maximum load and effect.
- Properly warm up your body before practice, take the maximum time to warm up. Yes, sometimes the warm-up can seem boring to you, but it is it that is your protective armor against injuries.
- Smile! You won’t take my word for it, but it’s true, during practice, a sincere smile will make it easier to perform the most difficult asanas!
Iyengar yoga at home
Doing Iyengar yoga at home is a pleasure. Having taken up this particular practice, you realize that simple pieces of furniture can serve you as an excellent and very convenient tool for practicing. For example, as in this video, a chair can be used to diversify your practice with maximum benefit.
There are always a few blankets at home, and instead of a bolster, you can use a rolled pillow. A yogic belt will easily replace a belt from a robe, and bricks for support – several hardcover books.
The main thing is your desire to practice and caution when performing asanas!
Benefits of Iyengar yoga
While reading the book “Another round on the carousel” by Tiziano Terzani, I was surprised to find how the author describes one of the Indian ashram clinics based on the Iyengar method by one of his students. The author himself came to India for that. to find a cure for cancer, and along the way studied local medicine and culture. Being close to yogic practitioners, he discovered with surprise and admiration that it was in this clinic that they worked with disabled people, conducting rehabilitation with them using the Iyengar yoga method. And what delight people experienced when they saw how effective such exercises were for the body and how easier it became to walk in the past for a hopelessly injured person.
Without a doubt, I consider Iyengar to be the most beneficial yoga practice for health. Doing Iyengar yoga for several years, I partially solved my problems with scoliosis (no, of course I didn’t get a perfectly straight back, but I became much less stooped). Plus, with a lot of sports injuries, I can still practice fully using Iyengar support tools (roller and brick are my best friends during practice)
Iyengar solves problems:
- back and neck pain;
- pain and crunch in the joints;
- joint hypermobility (due to muscle control);
- improves blood flow and brain function;
- and even problems with the intestines, as they are inextricably linked with our spine.
Harm of Iyengar Yoga
During practice, you need to pay attention to the correct performance of asanas. No matter how useful yoga is, if you do asanas incorrectly and without controlling your body, it will only be to your detriment and not one magic brick or vanik, alas, will save you.
Any yoga can injure and harm if you do the exercise through force, so it is very important not to force yourself and not put pressure on yourself either physically or mentally.
Yoga doesn’t hurt. If you feel pain, immediately exit the asana and stop doing it. Any pain is a signal that you are doing the asana incorrectly. This is very important to consider.
Basic Iyengar yoga exercises
The basic asanas of Iyengar yoga are the same as in classical hatha yoga:
- Tadasana
- Vrikshasana
- Utthita Trikonasana
- Utthita Parsvakonasana
- Virabhadrasana I
- Virabhadrasana II
- Parshvottanasana
- Adho Mukha Svanasana
- Sarvangasana (if there are no problems with the neck and back)
- Halasana (if there are no problems with the neck and back)
- Viparita Karani
- Savasana
But the technique itself is different. For example, in trikonasana and lean with your hands not on the ground in a deep deflection, but on your leg or on a brick. Or bend your knees while doing padangushthasana.
At the same time, it is very important to observe the order of performing asanas when moving from one to another. The list I gave above is in order to be suitable for beginners in the first or second week of classes, over time the teacher can complicate this list for you, marking your progress.
And yes, Iyengar was a modest man and yoga was already called by his followers. He himself believed that he was engaged in ordinary hatha, just for people with health limitations. And he named his school after his wife Ramamani Iyengar, he loved her very much. But that’s a completely different story.
Practice with pleasure according to the Iyengar yoga method and take care of yourself!