Sarah has been practising Iyengar yoga since 2000 and teaching yoga since 2008. She was awarded an Introductory Level 2 Iyengar Yoga Teaching Certificate in 2009 after three years of training. Sarah has attended classes taught by Geeta Iyengar in Australia.
Sarah is a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher
What is Iyengar yoga?
Iyengar yoga is accessible to anyone.
Iyengar yoga maintains a particular focus on precision and alignment and quality of movement. You learn to move with ease in your body while working within your limits. Postures are held for longer than in some other styles, allowing tight muscles to lengthen and relax and helping to focus awareness. There is a focus on the musculoskeletal, physiological and psychological structuring and sequencing of yoga poses (asana) and yoga breathing (pranayama). Often props are used in an intelligent and innovative way to enable all individuals to practice and gain the benefits of yoga and to improve one’s understanding of the poses. Iyengar yoga is also known for its rigorous teacher training and accreditation standards.
Throughout a block of classes students are gradually introduced to a range of poses starting with standing poses and moving to a fuller range of sitting and reclining poses, forward extensions, backward extensions, inversions, twists and arm balances. Each of these groups of yoga poses develops the body in different yet recipriocal ways and have different qualities: grounding, energising, strengthening, stimulating, calming.
What is unique about Iyengar Yoga is that it is characterised in the practice of postures with the innovative approach emphasising precision and alignment, planned sequencing, timing and the use of props. This approach has allowed people of varying ages, levels of health and fitness to enjoy the benefits which a sustained practice can bring – the ability to face the physical, mental and emotional challenges of contemporary life with strength, vitality, mobility, thoughtfulness and equanimity.
While the different yoga postures are practised regularly no two yoga classes will be the same: I select yoga postures from the different group of poses to emphasise various aspects of the practice.
This information is adapted from the Iyengar Yoga Institute, London.