What is Yoga?
"If the foundation is firm the building can withstand calamities. The practice of yoga is the foundation so that the self is not shaken under any circumstances." |
B.K.S. Iyengar |
Yoga is a classical Indian science or system dealing with well being in mind, body and spirit. The classical yoga system is depicted as an eight-limbed tree addressing ethical behavior, physical and spiritual practice for focus and concentration, and meditation. Yoga is not a belief or religion. It is a practical philosophy, a science involving every aspect of a person's being. It encourages the evolution of the individual through the development of self-discipline and self-awareness.
What is commonly referred to as yoga in the West refers to the discipline of physical yoga. Through a series of physical poses, called asanas, yoga teaches us how to quiet the mind by placing attention on the breath and on the movement (and stillness) of the body. A refined system of physical development, the practice of yoga focuses not only on flexibility but also on strength, balance and endurance.
Yoga in the Iyengar Tradition
"When the asana is correct there is a lightness, a freedom. Freedom comes whenever part of the body is active. Let us be free in whatever postures we are doing. Let us be full in whatever we do." |
B.K.S. Iyengar |
B.K.S. Iyengar developed his approach to yoga based on the yoga tradition handed down to him by his teacher, Shri T. Krishnamacharya, a classically trained Hindu scholar and yoga master. Mr. Iyengar's system of yoga is unsurpassed in grace, subtlety, and precision. Iyengar-style yoga emphasizes alignment and develops flexibility, strength, balance and endurance. It emphasizes the importance of regulated breathing; the use of blocks, chairs, and other props; and the therapeutic value of adapting the poses to the needs and limitations of the individual students. Mr. Iyengar has authored a number of classic texts on hatha yoga including Light on Yoga. In his 90's, he continues to practice and teach yoga at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Institute in Pune, India, along with his daughter, Geeta, and son, Prashant.
Benefits of the practice of yoga
"Extension brings space, space brings freedom, freedom brings precision. Precision is truth and truth is God." |
B.K.S. Iyengar |
The benefits of yoga are many and include :
- proper functioning of organs, nerves, and glands
- improved circulation and respiration which are both essential ingredients for cardiovascular fitness
- an aid to digestion
- strengthening for the immune system
- improved coordination
- increased vitality
- stress reduction
- strengthening for the bones due to weight bearing nature of many of the poses
- an aid to the endocrine system in maintaining hormonal balance
What to expect in a yoga class?
| "You should do the asanas with vigor and at the same time be relaxed and composed." |
B.K.S. Iyengar |
A yoga class is typically 90 minutes in length and will include combinations of some or all of the following types of poses:
- Standing poses for flexibility, strength and stamina
- Seated poses for a healthy back, poise, and reflection
- Forward bends for calming and nurturing the body/mind
- Inverted poses for circulation and stress reduction
- Breathing awareness and deep relaxation for energy and renewal
The poses or asanas have Sanskrit names which the teacher may use interchangeably with the English translation. Props such as blankets, mats, bolsters, ties and blocks may be used to modify or prepare for some yoga poses.
Breathing and Yoga
| "In the work of Pranayama, the back is the blackboard, the air comes to write, and the mind holds the chalk." |
B.K.S. Iyengar |
In yoga class you will be invited to breathe in and out of the nostrils, and in most poses, to use abdominal breathing. In some classes you many actually focus on more controlled breathing or be asked to observe normal breathing in a seated or supine position. This latter is the beginning of another aspect of yoga, Pranayama.
Namaste
At the end of yoga class, the teacher may bring the hands together in prayer position and say to the students, Namaste. Namaste is a traditional Indian greeting of respect and reminds us that we are all on the same path.
| I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides, I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace. |
| I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us. |
Continue to Beginning Poses 1 (asanas)
