The trend of practicing yoga has become extremely popular among people. While there are several types of yoga techniques practiced today, Iyengar Yoga is considered to be the most common and easily accessible one. Harvey Shapiro Boston mentions that this style of yoga is equally loved by both beginners and advanced yogis, and is favored by numerous people around the world. Harvey himself is an avid practitioner of Iyengar yoga. He is based in Boston and enjoys other physical activities like hiking and basketball as well.
Iyengar basically is a form of hatha yoga, and is focused on proper alignment of the body and the usage of a precise technique. Harvey Shapiro Boston points out that this yoga technique combines poses and breathing exercises to build stamina, flexibility and strength. Typically, a wide variety of props are used in this yoga technique, including belts, blankets and blocks in order to help perform certain asanas. These props are largely needed to help beginner learners, the elderly, as well as ones with physical limitations to perform the asanas correctly, while reducing the risk of injury or strain.
There are several advantages of practicing Iyengar Yoga. Here are some of the top ones underlined by Harvey Shapiro Boston:
- Builds strength: In this yoga practice, one needs to hold their pose ideally for more than a minute or so. This helps in strengthening and toning the muscles. Standing postures involved in this yoga technique, especially the tree or warrior 2 poses can help people to increase the strength of their lower body and core.
- Increases flexibility: Yoga, in general, is popular for improving the flexibility of a person and Iyengar yoga is not an exception. As per a study, after six weeks of the practice of this yoga technique, the practitioners observed a considerable increase in their hamstring and spine flexibility.
- Improves posture: Putting a strong emphasis on body alignment, a regular practice of Iyengar yoga can help people to develop a better posture. This yoga practice focuses on correcting the stiffer or weaker areas of the body of the practitioners, especially in their back and neck.
- Boosts energy levels: According to a study that analyzed the impact of Iyengar yoga on patients suffering from chronic respiratory disease, a marked decrease in the fatigue levels of the patients subsequent to practice of this yoga technique. This was majorly due to the release of endorphins or increased blood flow to their brain.
- Calms down the mind: Once a person in a yoga pose, this practice encourages them to focus on the precise alignment or position of their body, while disengaging other thoughts. This helps the practitioners to be fully present in the moment. This whole process can be a bit like a meditation, which helps in calming down the mind, while taking away negative thoughts.
One can explore the web to know more about the Iyengar Yoga technique.