About Iyengar Yoga & The Yoga Place
What is Yoga?
Yoga is joining into union the body, mind, and spirit. It is an ancient Indian system for developing perfect health and a wonderful exercise for the mind and body. The practice of the yoga poses helps maintain or restore physical, physiological and mental well-being.
The active poses emphasize the balance of strength and flexibility while maintaining correct spinal alignment. Restorative poses create energy and encourage relaxation. All the poses promote physical, mental and spiritual awareness.
What Is Iyengar Yoga?
B.K.S. Iyengar was born in 1918 in India and resides in Pune, India. He continues with an active practice of yoga to this day. He is the author of several books including Light on Yoga, Light on Pranayama, Light on the Yoga Sutras, and Light on Life. Mr. Iyengar has developed a vigorous form of hatha yoga based on the ancient texts which emphasizes a balance of strength, flexibility, and endurance.
Iyengar yoga teaches correct alignment of the spine and limbs in all the poses. Many common ailments including back and neck pain, poor digestion, tension, fatigue, menstrual problems, and arthritis are prevented or relieved by the regular practice of yoga. To quote Mr. Iyengar, "Yoga has a threefold impact on health. It keeps healthy people healthy, aids recovery from ill health, and inhibits the development of diseases."
Mr. Iyengar pioneered the use of props such as belts, blankets, blocks, and other wooden objects, bolsters, and chairs to help students achieve precise postures safely and completely according to their particular body type and needs.
A Note for New Students
You do not have to be "in shape," young and flexible to join a yoga class. The yoga poses are a unique form of exercise in that the same pose can benefit all body types. They build strength where strength is needed; they build flexibility where flexibility is needed; they release tension where it is unwanted.
Within a class structure, participants are given individual assistance according to their needs. During some sessions The Yoga Place offers a "special" class for those who need special attention for any reason, whether it be for a medical problem, after long periods of inactivity, limitations due to age, during pregnancy, etc. There are assistants present in the special class to assure extra individual attention. The ageless class is also available for those students who require a less strenuous class.
We do not teach seated meditation or deep breathing to beginners. Yoga is "meditation in action" or the ability to concentrate and focus on just what you are doing at any given moment. We teach all students how to work with awareness and how to pay attention to the functioning of the breath.
Pranayama, or breath control is taught in the higher level classes from time to time. The philosophy of yoga teaches us to be more aware and considerate humans and does not conflict with any religious beliefs. It teaches that the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of life are all connected and interwoven.
History
The Yoga Place was founded in April 1988 and we held classes at 309 Pearl Street for almost ten years before moving to our present location. The studio opened with four classes per week. Thanks to the support of our students, many of whom have been with us for several years, The Yoga Place moved to a better-equipped and bigger studio in November 1997.
Now there are 17 to 19 classes each week! You will find our studio very well equipped, with numerous props to help people with all body types attain the benefits of the asanas (postures). Visiting teachers have commented that it is one of the cleanest and best equipped studios in the country!
