The name IYENGAR® is now a registered trade mark along with this logo.
Only properly trained and certified teachers, who have maintained their professional development in contact with B.K.S.Iyengar or his senior teachers are legally permitted to use his name or logo.
Yoga is an ancient discipline which promotes mental and physical health and well being. You will learn movements to discover strength, suppleness and poise and to become at ease with your body and yourself. No special abilities are needed to start; many minor tensions, aches and pains will disappear.
The practice of Yoga has been around for about 6,000 years in India. The word 'Yoga' means union. It has the same root as the English word, yoke. The union referred to is the union of one's true self with the universal - in modern language - "to be at one with the world".
In about 3rd Century BC, the sage Patanjali defined eight aspects of yoga (The Eight Limbs of Yoga, or Ashtanga Yoga):
These are:
1. Yama - morals
2. Niyama - personal conduct
3. Asana - posture
4. Pranayama - breathing
5. Pratyahara - sense withdrawal
6. Dharana - concentration
7. Dhyana - meditation
8. Samadhi - bliss
Iyengar yoga is the method of practising yoga developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. It is charactarised by precision and attention to detail. All aspects of yoga are incorporated into the way postures are performed, so that the student comes to his or her practice from a life of treating themselves and others well; in the correct alignment of each pose the natural breathing is enhanced and the student can become absorbed in the action so that a quiet, meditative state of mind is achieved. As in music, the richness, subtlety and depth of understanding which is possible in the study of Iyengar Yoga reveals itself through years of practice.
There is a long tradition in India of using yoga to cure or alleviate illness or injury. The body can be supported in positions which improve blood supply to organs, enhance the actions of nerves and glands, and put bones in the optimum position for healing.
If you are unwell or in pain, don’t stop coming, but ask your teacher how to modify your practice to enhance your recovery.