In Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar the King of all asanas is Salamba Sirsasana known as Fully Supported Head Pose (also known informally as head balance). There are several different variations of headstand depicted in Light on Yoga. This yoga posture requires knowledge on how to achieve correct muscular skeletal alignment in the yoga …
Progress in Iyengar Yoga is not linear. Many long time Certified Iyengar Yoga Teachers (CIYTs) frequently advocate for Iyengar Yoga students to not focus exclusively on improving one’s yoga pose. By practicing Iyengar Yoga daily we can become more in tune to purifying our yogic consciousness as opposed to making our yoga postures better. Backsliding …
Are you a student of yoga? Many people are intrigued by yoga because of its bountiful health benefits. When I first read Light on Yoga I was attracted to reading the “Effects” section of all the yoga pose descriptions. It was not until many years later that I learned to read and re-read the method …
The first wide standing yoga pose introduced in B.K.S. Iyengar’s Light on Yoga is Utthita Hasta Padasana, Extended Hand Foot Pose. We stand wide in this yoga pose. The inner feet are kept parallel to each other like railroad tracks like in Tadasana, mountain pose. The knee caps lift up and the backs of the …
During yoga class it is normal for one to do an alternative yoga pose from what is taught. There are many different yoga poses available. If you are not sure what yoga posture to do instead of the one being taught, speak up and let the yoga instructor know you need something different. This is …
How do we let go of judgements and come closer to acceptance? When can we move past self-comparison with others and reach self-understanding? Can we recall a time when we attempted a yoga pose that felt impossible? We did it and our posture did not look like the demonstration? What was the reaction? Sometimes those …