• SIGN IN/JOIN
• MY SAGE GUIDE
• SUGGESTION BOX
• WRITE A REVIEW

Iyengar Yoga

Iyengar yoga was created by the famous Indian yoga teacher, Bellur Krishnamarchar Sundaraja Iyengar, commonly known as B.K.S. Iyengar. Iyengar Yoga emphasizes correct alignment and uses props, such as straps, blocks, and bolsters, to help students maintain difficult poses until they can maintain them without props.

B.K.S. Iyengar was born in 1918. His use of props to aid in yoga practice may trace to a sickly childhood. He was introduced to yoga when he was young and noticed that yoga improved his health. Eventually he began teaching yoga to others, many of whom had health challenges. As a result, he developed the use of props to enable a large variety of students, even those with physical limitations, to gain the benefits of yoga.

Today, in his nineties, Iyengar continues to practice yoga in Pune, India. There, his children continue to teach his method of yoga to instructors who come from around the world to train. The standards for becoming an Iyengar yoga teacher are higher than for many other branches of yoga. A teacher must complete a rigorous 2- to 5-year program to become a certified Iyengar instructor.

Video

Here is a 2-minute video that gives an overview of Iyengar yoga and demonstrates a typical pose using a prop. (Warning: This video starts with a commercial.)

Books

Here are some books about Iyengar yoga to check out.

B.K.S. Iyengar: The Path to Holistic Health by B.K.S. Iyengar This book was written by the world-famous yoga teacher who founded this branch of yoga practice.

Websites

bksiyengar.com

iynaus.org