Why Iyengar Yoga?

"Using Physical alignment a s a starting point, Iyengar Yoga encourages the spread of the intelligence throughout the body, the growth of self-awareness and the experience of the asanas as a form of "meditation in action."

Skilled Teachers

Certified Iyengar Yoga teachers know how to guide students of all ages and abilities. Deep-seated understanding and experience of the yoga asanas (postures) allow instructors to teach appropriately to the group in front of them, whether they are younger, older, athletic, or have physical limitations.

From the beginning, Iyengar Yoga develops strength, stamina, concentration, coordination, flexibility, and more. Using physical alignment as a starting point, Iyengar Yoga encourages the spread of intelligence throughout the body, the growth of self-awareness, and an experience of the asanas as a form of "meditation in action."

Ability to clearly demonstrate the postures. Sharp observation skills. Effective teaching points. These are the marks of a Certified Iyengar Yoga teacher. Classes are sequenced to promote health and skill in the body and stability in the end. This total approach ensures that students progress from posture to posture, class to class, and year to year.

Students in Iyengar Yoga begin with basic standing poses. In time, forward bends, back bends, twists, inversions, restorative poses and more are taught. As students mature, so does the practice. Teachers may use prop such as blankets, blocks, belts, and wall ropes to help students benefit from the poses regardless of their physical condition or level of experience.

Mr. Iyengar's revolutionary use of yoga props is now ubiquitous in yoga of all styles.

Deep Roots

Yoga is union - the union of mind, body, and spirit. The Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali lay out an eight - step path towards this spiritual fulfilment. Iyengar Yoga, firmly grounded in ancient tradition, guides modern students along this eight - fold path in a way that's practical, experiential, and intensely personal.

In B.K.S. Iyengar's unique teachings, the yoga asanas and Pranayama (the control of the breath) create the springboard that allows students to penetrate beyond the outer, physical layers and explore the inner layers of mind, energy, and spirit. The two guests of the physical and the spiritual are not separate but interdependent parts of a total approach to self -mastery and enlightened living.

B.K.S. Iyengar

Called the "Michaelangelo of yoga" and named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people, B.K.S. Iyengar is universally acknowledged as the world's foremost yoga teacher.

Yogacharya (yoga master) Iyengar brought yoga to the west with his pioneering teaching in the 60s and 70s, the beginning of today's explosive growth in yoga. His Light on Yoga, called the bible of yoga," has been the source book for generations of yoga students. His most recent books is Core of the Yoga Sutras.

Now in his mid-90s, Mr. Iyengar continues his daily yoga practice at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) in Pune, India. There, too, his daughter Geeta S. Iyengar, his son Prashant S. Iyengar, and his granddaughter, Abhijata Iyengar, as well as a cadre of highly trained teachers carry on his work, teaching eager crowds of locatl and international students. [Editors's Note: Since this informational article by the IYNAUS was published, both B.K.S. Iyengar and his daughter Geeta S. Iyengar have passed away, leaving the legacy to be carried on by their survivors and students.]

Find A Teacher You Can Trust

Certified Iyengar Yoga Teachers are held to unusually rigorous standards, earning their certification after years of dedicated practice, training, and evaluation by trained, qualified assessors. The Iyengar Yoga Certification Mark is your guarantee of a yoga teacher who is able to meet you right where you are.