Iyengar Yoga

What is Iyengar yoga? That's what we're going to see right away ;-)

Iyengar Yoga is a type of postural yoga where the emphasis is on very precise alignment of the body in postures and on breathing.

Rigor and concentration will be your allies in the practice of Iyengar yoga which in return will bring you muscular strengthening and inner peace. The use of accessories such as yoga blocks, straps, blankets and chairs is common to promote the correct positioning of all parts of the body.

Texts / reference person : BKS Iyengar is the founding father of the eponymous yoga. A sickly and sick child suffering from malaria, typhus and tuberculosis, he introduced the use of accessories into his practice to help himself in postures. It is certainly his dedication to yoga that will make him almost a centenarian since he died at the very beautiful age of 95. To find out a little more, you can read his book “Therapeutic Yoga”.

Intensity : relatively intense while being restorative, with series of postures organized in order of increasing difficulty to allow the novice a progressive evolution

In summary : alignment, precision, rigor, balance, strengthening, healing

Equipment : All accessories are allowed and even welcome during an Iyengar yoga session: mat, blanket, bolster, strap, chair, brick... to make your task easier. Otherwise, it is common but not obligatory to wear shorts with a mindset of deprivation (wearing as little fabric as possible on the body) rather than exhibitionism.

For who ? : Iyengar yoga naturally attracts Cartesians and people who like order, although it is those who feel a lack of grounding who would benefit the most. This type of yoga is ideal for people, like BKS Iyengar, who need to adapt their practice due to illness or injury: “Yoga teaches us to heal what is not necessary to endure, and to endure which cannot be cured.” said the master. Finally, this type of yoga is an excellent complement for high-level athletes to avoid injuries.

Video: In this video, Maryse Lehoux from Diva Yoga offers us a complete introduction to Iyengar Yoga not without a nice Quebec accent. If you've got a taste for it, follow Sophie Manant on the mat for your first Iyengar yoga class .

Discover here our eco-responsible yoga outfits made in France from recycled materials, perfectly suited to practicing all types of yoga!

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Discover the other types of yoga:

• Vinyasa Yoga
• Nidra Yoga
• Iyengar Yoga
• Yin Yoga
• Ashtanga Yoga
• Dervish Yoga
• Kundalini Yoga
• Ananda Yoga
• Kripalu Yoga
• Hatha Yoga
• Bikram Yoga
• Jivamukti Yoga
• Aerial Yoga

Photo credits :

• Carl Barcelo
• Christopher Campbell