The Iyengar Yoga method is renowned for its focus on precision, timing and use of props. Created and developed over 75 years by Yogacharya BKS Iyengar, the Iyengar method is firmly based on the traditional eight limbs of yoga taught by Patanjali over 2,500 years ago.
Iyengar Yoga will help you to achieve mental, physical and spiritual stability and strength. BKS Iyengar created props, such as bolsters, benches, bricks, straps and sand bags, to help students experience the full benefits of asana and pranayama.
In an Iyengar Yoga class, you can expect detailed instructions from the teacher, who will often demonstrate poses to help students deepen their understanding of the postures and develop an overall awareness of body and self. You will also be encouraged to work at your own capacity, and deal with injuries or conditions you may be working with.
“I have no right to brand my practices or teachings as Iyengar Yoga. My pupils, who follow me, call it Iyengar Yoga. The only thing I am doing is to bring out the in-depth, the hidden qualities of Yoga to the awareness of you all. What I do is pure, authentic traditional Yoga. It is wrong to differentiate traditional yoga Iyengar Yoga, as it is also not fair to brand Yoga, as Raja-yoga, Hatha-yoga, Laya-yoga, Kundalini-yoga, Taraka-yoga and so forth. There is no distinction between one Yoga and another. Yoga, like God is one.”
— BKS Iyengar
Improved physical health, increased flexibility, higher energy levels and enhanced mental stability and focus are just some of the benefits of Iyengar Yoga. As a regular practitioner, you can also expect to improve your overall wellbeing, strength, posture and mobility. While it is not a ‘quick-fix’ for health problems or conditions, those who practice Iyengar Yoga often report they eat better, sleep better and feel better overall.
Everybody can do Iyengar Yoga – from absolute beginners to experienced yoga students. If you are a brand new student, you will be able to join any Iyengar Yoga class for beginners, where you will be closely guided by your teacher to develop confidence and capacity at your own pace in a systematic way.
BKS Iyengar devoted his life to the practice, study and teaching of yoga. Born 14 December 1918 in Bellur, India, Iyengar overcame extreme poverty and illness early in life through his study of yoga. As well as being a devoted student and teacher, Iyengar was a prolific writer. His book Light on Yoga (1966) remains the seminal text for Iyengar Yoga students and teachers around the world. BKS Iyengar is widely credited for bringing yoga to the West.
The Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) welcomes students and teachers of Iyengar Yoga from all around the world. It was established on 19 January 1975 in Pune, Maharashtra, and was the home and practice hall of BKS Iyengar during his lifetime. The RIMYI is a popular place of pilgrimage for Iyengar Yoga students, offering classes, workshops and educational seminars run by the Iyengar family.
Congratulations to the following Teachers who were successful at the May 2024 Mid Year Assessments.
Congratulations to the following Teachers who were successful at the April/May 2023 Mid Year Assessments.
Jo Seymour, Glenys Clarke, Nina Poelsma, Karen Hermann.
Introduction from Arjun von Caemmerer.
My exposure to Praṇava-Japa, the repetition of ĀUṂ, at the Ramāmaṇi Iyengar Memorial
Yoga Institute (and at other Iyengar Yoga schools) has been limited to the 3-fold recitation of ĀUṂ that prefaces ‘The Invocation to Patañjali’ at the commencement (and
sometimes also the conclusion) of classes. In this article I wish to consider Japa Yoga in
more depth, particularly in its relationship to the practice of prāṇāyāma. It is noteworthy
that in Patañali’s Yoga-Sūtra there occur almost as many sūtras on Praṇava-Japa as there on āsana and prāṇāyāma counted together.
Link to pdf of full article.
Sounding the Depths : On Japa Yoga
Arjun von Caemmerer is certificated as a Level 3 Iyengar Yoga teacher with Iyengar Yoga Australia (IYA) and is a medical practitioner, specialized in general practice (FRACGP),consulting in Moonah, Tasmania. He has, with Naomi Cameron, run the Hobart School of Iyengar Yoga, since 1995. He has had roles with IYA as a teacher trainer, assessor and moderator, and has served on the Teachers’ and Ethics Committees.
Have a read through the inaugural IYA Newsletter from 1985. It includes a great interview with BKS Iyengar from ABC radio in Sydney, plus member contributions from when the association had 90 members.