Iyengar yoga attracts beginners. It is the most accessible direction of all eastern practices. Practices in this area will help to realize the full benefits of Oriental techniques.
Pieces of training within the framework of this discipline are static and soft. The most significant emphasis is on the construction of asanas (unique body positions). For the body to take the correct part, you can use special equipment – blankets, blocks, and rollers, which provide convenience for novice users and dramatically simplifies the task. The practice is not only the most accessible but also the safest.
The methodology developed by B.K.S.Iyengar based on Hatha yoga has aroused great public interest in oriental practices.
Iyengar fans have been changing themselves and their lives for more than a decade through training. Someone wants to strengthen their health, someone wants to find understanding with themselves and the world around them, and everyone finds what they are looking for in this technique! Classes should be held in small groups, as the teacher should pay attention and choose a hike for each of his wards.
Briefly about the history
The direction founder is still considered one of the most potent gurus in the yoga world. B.K.S. Iyengar started his journey when he turned 16. Being a sickly young man, he did not immediately master yoga practices. They seemed difficult to him, almost impossible. His teacher was a well-known master of his craft, Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, who tried to impart all his skills to his students. The thorny path and strong support contributed to the fact that Iyengar developed his unique concept and accessible understanding of the correct construction of asanas. A few years later, the young man could comprehend eastern practices perfectly. With their help, his body became hard, and his spirit became strong.
With the realization of all the principles, Iyengar’s zeal did not become weaker; moreover, he began independent teaching. His mentor entrusted him with working with women, as they were more inclined to train under the guidance of a young guy than a mature man. The status of a mentor inspired its owner to do a deeper study and develop adapted techniques.
The essence of Iyengar’s activity was to help physically weak people. The influence of yoga with a therapeutic effect. He opened a new look at asanas and pranayamas. This fresh and understandable trend attracted a massive number of followers. The particular style was appreciated not only by beginners but also by current masters of the practice. Most of all, Iyengar yoga was to the taste of Europeans.
Soft adaptation allowed everyone to realize the possibilities and needs of their body. Iyengar could not physically work with all the people he wanted to help. Awareness of the insufficient scale of activity contributed to the opening of the Ramani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (the master gave the institution a name in honor of his wife). The first Iyengar yoga school opened in the 70s of the last century. The trend reached our compatriots only by the end of the 90s.
Adherents of Iyengar yoga have been among the residents of Russia before. Only they had to study exclusively according to a book from an ideological inspirer. In 2003, the Iyengar Yoga Association, which still exists today, was opened. Since then, official schools have been opened in Moscow and throughout the country, where Iyengar’s followers shared their experiences directly.
Features of Iyengar Yoga
The main focus of Iyengar’s practices is on the construction of asanas. It is not as easy to perform even the most straightforward exercise correctly as it may seem to an uninformed person. Taking a specific pose is not all the task of the practitioner. He also needs to work in this position and hold it for a particular time. The healing effect of yoga lies in keeping the job; asanas impact the muscles, ligaments, joints, and internal organs. If a newbie puts in a lot of time practicing a single aspect correctly, they will see and feel improvements in their physical and mental health.
As mentioned above, Iyengar techniques do not prohibit auxiliary means; moreover, the presence of pillows, rollers, and belts during training is mandatory. This simplified approach allows you to work even on the most problematic areas of the body, for example, storing the memory of injuries, stress centers, and others. Most often, people do not realize the existence of such places in their bodies. They are found directly at pieces of training.
For the body to function correctly and not interfere with the development of the mental system, a balance must reign in it, that is, harmony between all the billions of cells that make up it. Iyengar yoga fights for symmetry and proportion, so special attention to stretching the body. It helps bring the body’s energy levels back into balance, essential for maintaining overall health. The energy channels of a person perform the function of cleansing consciousness, which has a positive effect on the emotional state. Conditions are under which every cell in the human body will strive for life and constant reproduction.
The most crucial difference between Iyengar’s teaching and other methods of teaching yoga is that vegetarianism is the best nutrition system here. Iyengar does not insist on giving up meat food. He urges you to listen to your body, understand its desires, and give it what it needs. Suppose a person can independently understand himself and his body and know moderation. In that case, he will want to practice vegetarianism on his own is not necessary for everyone, and violence against oneself has not benefited anyone yet.
Levels of Iyengar Yoga Cognition
Since the technique at people without experience, it has an appropriate classification according to the level of complexity. The program consists of one preparatory and four primary groups, each surpassing the other in terms of the degree of disclosure of practices and increasing complexity. Each asana refers to a certain level of sophistication—some over several.
The basic levels are not related to the therapeutic effect—it into an individual unit of self-improvement. However, modern educational institutions understand that people do not have several free years for consistent study, so basic and therapeutic classes may overlap. In clubs, you can find a wide variety of teaching Iyengar yoga – specialized women’s and children’s courses, stress management classes, rehabilitation classes, working with older people, and many others.
How does Iyengar yoga practice?
During the training, you will not do anything beyond your strength; these will be restorative asanas, bends, and bends, the simplest poses from a standing position. Standing asanas are the simplest. At the same time, they contribute better than others to strengthening a person’s physical body, which is preparation for subtle mental work. Next will be the preparation for breathing exercises is the most crucial task before moving to the basic levels.
The basic level comes into effect when the basic asanas have already, and the students are ready to perform breathing exercises. It is already a conscious practice, a work on oneself. The complication happens gradually. The student moves to the next level only when he is ready. That is why Iyengar, as a direction implies small groups, a personal approach is essential. If an unprepared person begins to perform elements that his body is not yet capable of, this can be fraught with severe damage to health.
The benefits of Iyengar practice
An essential quality that a modern person can get from Iyengar yoga classes is the ability to withstand stress and fight depression. This effect transforms consciousness by manipulating the body and its positive changes. The benefit of the musculoskeletal system’s normalization is the restoration of the spine’s natural position and the human body’s movable joints. Practitioners gain vitality and a positive attitude.
