Iyengar Yoga is a variant of Hatha Yoga, which dates back to its beginnings in the West around the 1960s.
In order to have a clear knowledge of what this type of yoga concerns, one must mainly know about its propellant, called BKS Iyengar, one of the most outstanding people in the history of Yoga, who wanted to transfer all his knowledge gained over the years with the experiences lived with this practice, thus creating the great Iyengar Yoga.
BKS Iyengar started practicing yoga because he suffered from a debilitating illness and chose to practice yoga as his healing method because it would allow him to strengthen his body.
And so it was, yoga worked as a therapy, and in fact today is used most of the time for this purpose making use of postures and breathing.
This modality of yoga stands out from the others because when practicing it is possible to make use of various types of complements such as pillows, chairs, blankets, among others.
This makes it much more striking and at the same time simpler to practice for those who are just beginning in the world of yoga.
Is the practice of Iyengar Yoga recommended for everyone?
This discipline can be carried out by any person of any age and gender since the postures performed are very simple to perform unlike other types of yoga, this is due to the use of extra supplements that will serve as support and facilitate their practice.
But the fact that it is easy to practice does not mean that it does not make you burn calories through sweating, because despite its simplicity will equally make you sweat.
It should be borne in mind that the use of complements in Iyengar Yoga is not done precisely with the purpose of making it easier to practice, but with the purpose that the postures that are performed can be done with greater precision.
In general, practitioners of this discipline have some kind of health or health disorders since the Iyengar Yoga is recommended for such problems because of its great healing effects.
The positions of this discipline are specially designed for the healing of people.
Although if you have a good state of health, it does not mean that you are not suitable for Iyengar Yoga practices or that you will not be useful, since it is quite the opposite.
Even if you are totally healthy, you can still provide many benefits and you can focus your mind on a profitable activity, and even more if you are a lover of yoga because you enjoy its practice doing the correct alignments of their postures.
The peculiar characteristics that define Iyengar Yoga
– His methodology is based mostly on the performance of asanas with great precision to achieve that the practitioner concentrates as much as possible and establishes a connection between mind and body so that it is possible to meditate deeply.
– Likewise, the masters fulfill a great function in this modality of yoga, since they are the ones in charge of helping frequently correcting their students in the way to carry out the postures. Therefore, the quality of Iyengar Yoga is directly related to the quality of instruction that the teacher has, because it will depend on them to perform the asanas with due precision.
– The Iyengar Yoga must be carried out in complete silence, the only noise that is allowed is the voice of the teacher because he must give instructions to his students, always in an appropriate tone of voice so that the practice can be completed successfully.
– While the practice is taking place, music is not allowed because it can disturb people when they meditate and are concentrating.
– One of the characteristics for which it stands out the most is because it is a dynamic practice of little stillness. The teacher in the yoga session will often be giving directions for the student to keep his attention focused and thus achieve harmony between body and mind (meditation).
– When meditation is achieved, the student will be in a state that will allow him to be attentive to the corrections made by the teacher, which he will only do if and when it is really necessary.
– Execute each posture requires a certain time, in addition to that also the same is done following a sequence and proper alignment so that they can achieve the desired results.
The reasons why you should practice Iyengar Yoga
- Simplicity through the use of accessories: The Iyengar Yoga uses accessories so that the student can simplify the performance of the asanas and perform them in the correct way. You can use blankets, chairs, belts, ropes, etc., all this with the purpose of increasing the benefits that this discipline provides.
- The precision of the postures: The practice of this yoga is based mainly on executing the asanas aligning the body correctly, benefiting in this way the muscles, joints and ligaments, with the purpose of the body exercising harmoniously.
- The teachers are quality professionals: To be an instructor in Iyengar Yoga, the main requirement is to have been instructed and trained for five years, since the knowledge they have must be strengthened before becoming teachers. Having such a level of instruction, they will be able to determine what each practitioner’s need is, and will be able to plan the postures and accessories to be used based on each person.
- The postures last a long time: With the practice of this discipline strength, flexibility and concentration can be fortified due to the time interval in which each posture must be executed. And as a consequence of the time that each posture lasts and the precision with which it is performed, in addition to being personalized based on the needs of each person, it is possible to benefit from this yoga as a kind of therapy for those areas in which there are motor problems or are injured.
- Reduces stress: When Iyengar Yoga is practiced, meditation must be reached, which gives tranquility to the body and mind, thus reducing cortisol in the body, which is the hormone responsible for generating stress. It also controls blood pressure, contributes to heart health, improves the digestion process and optimizes the immune system.
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