Iyengar Yoga Props & Books

Iyengar yoga is a restorative form of yoga that uses props and has a focus on alignment, timing and sequencing. Alignment is important in all yoga styles but can get overlooked in a busy class. Iyengar yoga allows for props to ensure that the student is able to best achieve a posture without creating any risk of injury, pulling the body into a new position. Some people may find Iyengar classes slower than they are used to because poses are held for substantially longer periods. It is designed to ensure that you are not only correctly aligning the body but also developing strength from the depth of the pose. Holding a pose for longer is also very important for flexibility, and it is important that the student remains present and aware of the connection between the body and mind. Finally, poses are practised in a specific order, known as sequencing, because it has been designed to create a structured progression that specifically opens and balances various elements of the physical body and the link to the spiritual body.

BKS Iyengar is the father of this particular style and practice. He developed it during his time, practising with and as a disciple of T. Krishnamacharya.

Because of his work, he will forever be remembered as one of the leading yogis responsible for bringing modern yoga into the West and Iyengar Yoga to the UK.

In 2004, he was cited in the hundred most influential people in the world, a list created by Time magazine.

He was awarded three prestigious titles by the Indian government in 1991, 2002 and 2014, shortly before his death. He lived a long and healthy life, finally passing away at the age of 95 in 2014.

If ever testament was needed as to the benefits of yoga, specifically the Iyengar style, he was certainly an impressive role model for his own practice. He was still regularly practising Iyengar yoga right up until his death.

He inspired various Iyengar Yoga Institutes who have committed to his practice and strive to pass the original knowledge and wisdom game from him down to the new generations of yogis everywhere.

There are many different props used in Iyengar yoga. However, you do not need to own them all and may never use them all. But listed in full, this style of yoga uses blocks, belts, bricks, blankets, chairs, bolsters, iron weights, sandbags, back, benders, wooden poles, wall ropes and the wall itself. Yoga blocks, straps and bolsters are very common items and also used in other styles of yoga, so you may well have come across them before. In order to ensure correct alignment, it is important that Iyengar yoga props are used correctly. You can find information in the range of Iyengar yoga books that we have on sale or attend classes with a qualified professional or Iyengar yoga teacher. The Iyengar yoga chair is one prop that is fairly unique to this style of practice, so you may well not have come across it anywhere else. However, it is a very simple chair that is used for support and ensuring correct posture in a variety of different poses. You may also recognise the wall as being used as a supporting prop in other styles of yoga. For example, legs up the wall, which features in many practices, including Hatha yoga, also require you to use the wall to counterbalance. You will find that any Iyengar yoga class has all of the props available to use, which is a great way to see what they do and whether they need to form part of your regular practice. There is certainly no need to go out and buy them all before you have established whether Iyengar yoga is going to be the best discipline for you.

YOGA BLOCKS

YOGA CHAIRS

YOGA BOLSTERS

YOGA BELTS & STRAPS

There is no reason at all why a beginner should not start with Iyengar yoga as a form of practice. The most important thing for beginners is to learn the basics. This could be from one of our many Iyengar yoga books or from studying with a teacher in person or online. It is very important that attention to alignment is upheld in every session of practice. This is often achieved in the beginning with props, so it's really important that you understand how to safely and correctly use each prop in order to assure optimal alignment. It is a restorative style of yoga because the therapy it offers for various postural conditions cannot be overlooked. Iyengar himself was unwell as a child, and this is one of the reasons why he started practising yoga because he understood that it could be a very restorative form of exercise that combines benefits for the body, mind and spirit. The use of props came from his own study as he realised that people were all different and the strengths and weaknesses each of his students bought to class were unique.

The use of Iyengar yoga props is one of the key ways that Iyengar yoga differs from other styles of yoga. Also has a focus on correct alignment, timing and sequencing, which is unique to this style. You may find that poses seem strange because they are held for a lot longer than other styles of yoga. The Iyengar yoga props are used to help create correct alignment in order for the body to realise the new posture it is being asked to use. Instead of just learning a pose, students are required to bring precision to each pose. The sequence of asanas throughout the exercise is also vital in Iyengar yoga. The founder BKS Iyengar carefully curated the order in which poses should be performed. The reason behind this is that each pose prepares the body for the next set of moves minimising the risk of injury from muscles that are not yet correctly warmed up or stretched. Sequencing is considered very important in Iyengar yoga.

If you are looking to become an Iyengar yoga teacher, you will need to have a strong background in personal practice. Look for a suitable Iyengar Yoga Institute who are recognised for providing training to the standards set out across the world. The most authentic training should be personally supervised by Iyengar yogis in Pune, the birthplace of the founder, BKS Iyengar. The training is a minimum of three years before any certificates can be obtained, and the training is very much in-depth. There is a strict schedule to follow, and the training remains part of life moving forwards even when they are fully certificated and able to teach. As with all forms of teacher training, you should find a mentor who is more experienced than you are, and this will come from the Iyengar yoga teaching Institute where you study for your qualifications. Learning to be an Iyengar yoga teacher is a lifelong commitment, and you should expect to be a student in one way or another for the rest of your life, even when you are teaching students of your own.

Iyengar yoga is no harder to learn than any of the other styles on offer.

The most important thing is that Iyengar poses are practised in the correct sequence and with proper alignment. You will find a wide range of information on offer, from Iyengar yoga books to Iyengar yoga online, as well as in-person classes.

Online is a great way to study if you do not have a specific Iyengar yoga class close to you. It is a different style of yoga to others on offer, so it's important that if you want to study Iyengar yoga, you work with someone who has undertaken professional study in this area as the three key pillars of the practice, alignment, sequencing and timing, are taken into consideration.

Like all forms of yoga, learning Iyengar is a case of doing and seeing and then repeating this practice between your formal lessons.
Iyengar himself would likely have told you that there is never a point at which you start learning, and it is never too late to start.

It is, therefore, the perfect style of yoga for beginners and more experienced yogis alike.

Iyengar yoga has a wide range of body and mind benefits. It is known to be able to support and heal psychological health as well as the physical body.
Because of the focus on alignment, it is able to alleviate issues caused by structural malalignment and relieve postural problems. Iyengar yoga can help when it comes to the need to release any tension from the emotional side of the body.
Any yoga practice, but Iyengar yoga specifically, is wonderful for increasing concentration and building focus outside of the classroom. Exercise is vital for the body, but there is something particularly special about yoga when it comes to creating an increase in energy.
Yoga practice, specifically Iyengar yoga, because of the focus on timing and alignment, helps you reconnect with your inner body, and you will also learn correct breathwork and breathing techniques.
Finally, Iyengar yoga helps you clear your mind and brings focus and intelligence to each part of your mind and body.

It may be helpful to think of hatha yoga as being the original practice and Iyengar yoga as a style that stemmed from it. Before developing his own style, BKS Iyengar was a proponent of hatha yoga. Hatha yoga has a much longer history going right back thousands of years. However, the more modern styles of hatha yoga have only become popular in the west over hundreds of years. In modern yoga practice, Hatha is considered more of an exercise form that does not have a religious or spiritual side. However, that is not to say that students cannot bring about a spiritual connection with the yoga practice should they wish to do so. You may find some yoga props used in Hatha yoga, although on a smaller scale than Iyengar yoga. Hatha yoga is perhaps a little easier to learn because there is not quite the same focus on alignment and timing. Poses in hatha yoga tend to be held for a shorter time than in Iyengar yoga. However, alignment should always play a vital role in any style of yoga that you practice.