With the popularity of yoga increasing, styles of yoga are coming into the foreground. Iyengar yoga is one style of yoga that uses progressive postures to increase strength, flexibility, wisdom and health. Iyengar yoga teachers are trained extensively over the years and are frequently reevaluated to maintain certification. Iyengar yoga offers several levels of teacher training from the beginning teacher, who has still had at least 5 years of training as a student and teacher, to an advanced instructor, whose time involved varies based on skill and practice.
Iyengar yoga poses focus on aligning the spine. Exercise using Iyengar yoga poses with expert tips from a yoga instructor in this free fitness video.
Iyengar's back bends energize and invigorate the body by opening the chest. They build strength in the wrists, arms, legs, buttocks and spine and stretch the abdomen, hips, thighs, shoulders and chest.
While Iyengar yoga is a unique school of yoga with its own traditions and specialties, many of the basic poses are the same as those performed in other types of yoga. There are a variety of poses accessible to all levels of yoga student that focus on stretching the legs. Since Iyengar yoga encourages appropriate use of props while learning new poses, many of these stretches can be deepened by using a yoga strap or non-stretchy scarf, and some can be practiced with a pillow or cushion for a deeper level of relaxation.
Considered one of the safest and most user-friendly types of yoga, Iyengar focuses on the proper alignment of the body in the performance of asanas. Iyengar instructors use various props to help students safely complete different postures. This type of yoga also prescribes the order in which to do its postures. Because it emphasizes precision and technique, Iyengar yoga is one of the best types of yoga for beginners.