Many people have recently become interested in a healthy lifestyle. Moreover, this applies not only to a change in taste preferences, but also to the selection of suitable physical activity. In particular, Iyengar yoga is gaining more and more popularity. What is it, how to deal with it, we will tell in more detail.
General information about Iyengar Yoga and its gurus
Iyengara is a kind of hatha yoga already known to many. It was founded in 1975 by Belur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar. At that time, the guru had certain health problems, so in search of a solution, he started yoga, introducing a lot of his supplements into the medical complex. According to fans of the author’s work, the complex includes over 200 different asanas, each of which he has already tested on himself.
As the guru previously claimed, Iyengar yoga (which is an effective form of physical activity, many fans of a healthy lifestyle say today) helped him get rid of health problems and establish harmony in his own body.
Iyengar Teachings Spread
Introducing his own healing technique, the master could not even think that his Iyengar yoga lessons would receive such a loud resonance. Until the very last day of his life, the author of the complex was engaged in teaching, treating people, bringing to the world the knowledge that he received from his teacher Sri Krishnamacharya many years ago. At the time of death, the guru was 95 years old.
According to many yoga lovers, even after the death of B.K.S. Iyengar continues to be considered one of the most authoritative gurus who once taught a set of exercises for the overall development of the whole body. In addition, throughout his long and interesting life, the master wrote detailed yoga instructions, including: “The Light of Life: Yoga”, “Clearing Pranayama”, “The Art of Yoga”, “Yoga Tree” and “Clearing the Patanjali Yoga Sutras”.
What is the essence, idea and features of yoga?
During Iyengar yoga, the focus is on the correct position of the human body. At the same time, the teaching is aimed at maximum emancipation and relaxation in each pose. But for this, all exercises should be performed without trembling muscles and all kinds of tension. To achieve this, according to the author, it is possible by observing the simple rules, which he described in the book "Explanations of Yoga." In it, he not only spoke in detail about the intricacies of each exercise, but also proposed several options for each asana. It is noteworthy that each of the variations has its own degree of complexity and is designed for different types of student training.
Unlike other types of yoga, Iyengar allows both beginner students and those who already have some experience to practice.
Due to which the load on the muscles is reduced?
Based on the teachings of the guru, Iyengar yoga (which you can learn by thoroughly studying the course of the author of the technique) allows you to reduce the load on the muscles in the classroom. And this happens through the use of the following materials at hand:
- wooden blocks or bricks;
- special belts;
- rollers;
- Chairs
- blankets etc.
Iyengar Yoga for beginners involves the use of all of the above equipment. For example, if you cannot reach your socks while bending to your feet, a strap will come to your aid. To do this, you must first pull it out and grab it with both hands, and then throw it on the soles of the feet. After that, reaching for your toes will be much easier. In addition, as conceived by the author, this approach not only makes it easier to complete the process and reduces the likelihood of injury, but also makes it possible to extend the time spent in this asana.
The same goes for tilting down. If you can’t reach the floor while standing with your feet apart (approximately double the width of the hips), it would be more advisable to substitute one or more bars on it to lean on them later. When your body gets used to this position, the bricks can be gradually removed. One of the most famous poses, called the “Inverted Triangle”, is performed on the same principle.
What is a yoga orientation course?
At the moment, the followers of the master Iyengar have opened yoga schools operating around the world. Moreover, in each of them, training is divided into several stages. One of the simplest of them, so to speak zero, is considered an orientation course. It is designed specifically for those people who only heard about yoga or want to learn more about the teachings of the guru.
During this class, those present can master the following:
- the meaning and origin of yoga;
- information about the founder of the method;
- principles of the method;
- related materials for training;
- the results that can be achieved by regularly doing yoga, etc.
In this program, those present can receive a detailed explanation of the asanas that make up the complex. According to students who managed to attend one of these courses, the introductory program itself is designed for one month. And according to its results, participants can familiarize themselves with the basic steps to the shoulder stand.
What courses are available in yoga schools?
If, after the orientation course, you decide to go on to study further, you will find a special course for beginners. During it, students in different positions (lying, standing, sitting) study basic asanas, prepare muscles for more complex inverted poses and learn the relaxation process. Here, beginners perform exercises aimed at further strengthening the limbs and back.
The second stage of training involves an in-depth study of inverted poses, as well as asanas, performed from a lying position, standing and sitting. As a rule, more advanced types of twisting and bending are added to this program. At the third stage, students master the shoulderstand (the notorious "birch") and step by step approach the headstand. In the same course, students undergo basic training in pranayama (learn to control internal energy with the help of special breathing exercises).
And finally, at the final stage, students receive knowledge about how to stand on the forearm and arms. The program also includes twisting, tilting and bending backward, and the load is gradually increasing. At this time, they already get enough experience to independently perform more complex deflections and apply pranayama. And yoga is mastered. The practice of Iyengar makes it possible to study all the abilities of our body using a simple technique.
What is the principle of transition between courses?
The transition between courses, as a rule, is based on the individual characteristics of the students and the speed of their assimilation of theoretical and practical material. If you take on average, then in the classroom 2-3 times a week, you can master the first course in just 1-2 years. Continuing in the same vein, level 2 can be completed in a year and a half. The third - in 1-2 years. However, provided that you have completely mastered all the material and feel great in inverted poses (you can calmly stand in them for 5 or more minutes).
Separate chapter on female yoga
A separate topic in the complex of exercises of the author is Iyengar yoga for women. She was inspired by her faithful wife and assistant Ramani Iyengar, in whose honor at the beginning of 1975 he opened the Memorial Institute of Yoga in Pune.
The program, according to the author, was developed taking into account the existing physiological characteristics of the female body. In addition, many exercises from this technique were directly related to the normalization and restoration of the emotional sphere of the fairer sex.
The guru's daughter, Gita Iyengar, also took part in creating the female exercise complex. Yoga for women has become one of the most sought after practices since the death of the author’s wife. A few years later, the Gita wrote her own book, entitled Yoga is a Jewel for a Woman. In it, she described all the nuances of exercises for the beautiful half of humanity.
The author emphasized that regular classes will allow women to understand themselves, teach them to listen to their body, and allow them to win a difficult fight against aging. By the way, in the female complex there are special exercises aimed at smoothing and improving the condition of the skin of the whole body, including the face.
Iyengar Yoga: The Way to Health
The technique of yogic therapy is currently considered one of the most popular. On its basis, some exercises have been developed aimed at restoring the physical shape of patients who underwent a particular operation. It is used in their daily lives by many stars of show business, popular presenters, journalists, politicians and the whole metropolitan bohemia. This is understandable, because yoga is the path to health. So, for example, one of the inverted postures - the shoulderstand - has a positive effect on the endocrine system, restores spinal mobility and, they say, reverses the aging process.
And the thing is that it is thanks to yoga that it is possible to really eliminate existing problems with the spine, joints, as well as get rid of a number of different diseases. A vivid example of this was one of the master’s successful students - a former dancer who, after an unsuccessful fall, almost became a disabled person. And not one of the doctors could help her.
However, after contacting guru Iyengar, she not only managed to get on her feet, but also improved her health. As a result, she decided to devote her whole life to the teachings of the master and tell everyone what Iyengar yoga is capable of. What is it, now you also know. But to do this or not, you decide.