As an Iyengar Yoga students would often fumble when asked ‘what is Iyengar Yoga?” It is yoga as practiced by Guruji Yogacharyaa BKS Iyengar. If we were asked to specify in what way it was different from ‘other’ styles of yoga, then we would be unclear in our responses. Many of us had never done ‘other’ forms of yoga and knew yoga as Iyengar yoga. Many of us had never bothered to study the yoga texts to be able to articulate what was so unique about Iyengar yoga and in what way it authenticated what was stated in the ancient texts. So, its necessary that we clearly know what we are teaching and practicing or supposed to practice and so clearly articulates the unique features o “Iyengar Yoga.”
Precision and alignment:
Precision and alignment in the practice of the various asanas forms the hallmark of Iyengar Yoga. If legs are to be straight then they have to be absolutely straight. If the legs are to be bent at the knees, then they should be right angle between the thigh and the calf. There has to be an alignment between each part of the body and their interdependence on each other during an asana practice . Its the co-ordination of various parts of the body while performing an asana , how the weight has to be equally distributed on the front and back of the foot in in specific asanas .
The precision in the asana is not merely meant for the alignment of the part, but for the proper functioning of the human being. If the body is aligned with precision then the breath is aligned with that same precision, if the breath is balanced then the mind, emotions and senses get balanced. We have to study the connections of how these precise adjustments work on the entire human being.
So the precision and alignment should be accompanied by a study on the effects on the breath and the mind. As a practitioner progresses, he/she needs to learn how the senses, the mind and the breath have to and should be utilized to align the body. Iyengar’s yoga lays a lot of importance to the unison of BODY MIND and BREATH during an asana practice .
Timing:
Iyengar’s Yoga practitioners are known for their “ability” to stay for prolonged duration of time in different asanas. For a beginner, it does mean developing a will-power and is essential in early stages of practice. However, one has to evolve beyond the realms of external force i.e. will. One should stay in the asana as long as one is contemplative, reflective in that asana so that one becomes meditative in whatever asana one is performing. We may extend our chronological duration of staying in the asana, but at the cost of quality. Such a practice has no meaning but is in fact detrimental.
The performance of an asana includes going into, staying and coming out of the asana. We tend not to give enough emphasis to coming out of the asana. For us, the asana ends with the staying phase. We extend the chronological time to out stay to such an extent that we have no energies left to thoughtfully come out of the asana. It is like utilizing all one’s energies and resources while going up the mountain and having nothing left to come down.
Sequencing:
As Iyengar Yoga practitioners, we are aware that it is not just the asana but how you perform them, how long you perform them and also the sequence in which they are performed, which determines the effect of these asanas. The sequence in which the asanas are performed is determined by various factors. These include the purpose of practice, the weather, and time of day, the health status of the practitioner and the level of practice. With over 200 asanas, there can be any number of permutations and combinations. However, there are certain thumb rules. Its important when during the period of the day which asana needs to be performed , or which asana needs to be performed given a certain physical and mental conditions of the practitioner on a given day
Before an asana is performed , its important to tune the body and mind into a state to perform the intricate asana , hence we need to take recourse to performing a certain set of asana which would be complementing and preparing the body and mind to perform the asna that we have in mind . These sets of asnas need to be performed in a given sequence , thus sequencing of asanas is a key of the Iyengar’s yoga .
Props:
Props have been a fruit of BkS Iyengar;s ( Guruji’s) innovative genius. It is because of the prop that people of all ages and health status can perform asanas with ease and attain benefits of the practice of yoga. Props are extension of our own body parts and hence plays a very important role in the teaching and practice of Iyengar;s yoga for the novice and the elderly . Props ensure teh safety of a practitioner while performing asanas , and ensure that injuries are avoided during pracatice