Kristal Clark Member of the BKS Iyengar Yoga Teachers' Association

My studio in Leeds 8

Iyengar yoga posture


Iyengar yoga posture


Iyengar yoga posture


Iyengar yoga posture


Iyengar yoga posture

 What is yoga?

Yoga can be desrcibed as an art, a science and a spiritual practice. Yoga is an ancient practice derived from a system of life philosophy and lifestyle. Yoga is first mentioned in ancient texts called the Vedas and evidence of yoga positions in sculptures goes back as far as 3000BC. The esoteric aspect of yoga is embraced directly in the practice of Tantric Yoga as espoused by the system of Kundalini Yoga and breathwork yoga as taught by the guru Gitananda.
No single teacher can be described as the originator of yoga, however the first person believed to have systematized yoga into a series of 'sutras' (aphorisms) was Patanjali, an academic and grammarian, who is sometimes called "the father of yoga". These aphorisms describe how we can reach our full and personal potential through the practice of yoga as a physical and lifestyle practice.Until he wrote this, yoga was taught orally to the student in an important relationship of learning.

In the West, there are many styles of yoga taught and each school of yoga has been developed by the guru's own experiences which explains why each yoga system is self-contained and cannot be mixed with other systems another than in an eclectic way. The different emphases are as follows:
breath and movement
mainly breath-work
postures and breathing
therapeutic benefits of posture alignment
devotional practices
meditation
energy-work based on the chakra system

Whichever style you choose to follow, there is a shared aim - to bring about mental, emotional and physical equilibrium. Physical Yoga practice embodies the practices of Mindulness and Meditation. The practice of postures requires us to be 'mindful' i.e. fully aware in the present moment as we put our body into a posture. It is easy to become distraced by thoughts, a competitive nature, a wish to avoid stretching discomfort and so using the concepts of mindfulness can help bring our mind to the practice of a posture, in the moment. When we are stronger and can hold postures for a minute or two, the practice may become meditative i.e. we focus on the body, our breathing and notice the state of our mind. ultimately, Yoga teaches us to live with awareness of ourselves as we go about our daily lives.
Each system of yoga will appeal in different ways and perhaps at different times of life. A vigorous energetic yoga style may appeal to your personality or may appeal to you when young and energetic. A quieter meditative approach may be what is needed. If you are an older person you may want something gently stretching and relaxing rather than postures that require a lot of muscle strength. On a health matter, pre-menopause and during the menopause, it is necessary to avoid certain postures and to practice others more regulalry to help with the hormonal changes.

What are the benefits of yoga?

One of the most important benefits of regularly practising any style of yoga is the mental restfulness and feeling of well-being. The physical practices give benefits that equate to ordinary aerobic exercise but without the strain on the body. A dynamic yoga practice of 90 minutes gives the same benefits as a 2-mile run!

We live in an era that requires achievement, success and high use of the intellect. Yoga helps to bring focus in present time which can help with competitive sports or dance as well as in how we live and work generally. Yoga is non-competitive and therefore you work at your own pace. You learn to listen to yourself rather than following the crowd. It is a practice that contributes to self-confidence and less stress in the mind.

Unlike most forms of aerobic exercise, 'correct' yoga practice provides you with benefits to the entire bodily system i.e. inner organs are massaged, blood supply is stimulated, the heart is stimulated or rested, the nervous system is calmed, the glandular system is regulated, the brain receives a good supply of blood, appetite is regulated as the digestive system is improved. All the physical benefits that can come from correctly aligned and varied postures contribute to our good health, unless damage has already been done. Stamina develops over time due to the aerobic quality of dynamic postures, the body develops an internal and external robustness and the mind becomes steadier.

Apart from having a direct therapeutic benefit on our body, yoga is also a mindfulness practice as it is our ability to focus on the postures that help to clear the mind of unwanted distractions. Being mindful can then extend from the yoga class to everyday life.its practice trains us to become harmonized at all levels - mental , emotional, physical, psychical. Some postures will directly calm the brain whether we are conscious of it or not.

There is sometimes snobbery expressed about a 'physical' yoga practice and this reflects a misunderstanding of the practice of yoga. Whilst most practices induce certain states of mind, the tool to reach a state of mind can be the breath, the mind, the body, the voice/sound or devotional ritual. It is therefore the tool of choice which determines whether you are breath, body, voice or mind orientated. As people operate differnently in the world, it is inevitable that some prefer the body, others the breath....and so on. An im,portant aspect of Iyenagr yoga is the emphasis on body alignment as it is the physical alignment that creates physical good health. when the body is put into postures with a correct aligment, the inner organs and glandular system benefit.

Iyengar Yoga

Iyengar Yoga has been developed by BKS Iyengar and is based upon the teachings of Patanjali. He and Pattabhi Jois (who developed Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga) shared the same teacher - Krishnamacharya and from their studies the two men produced two different systems of yoga practice which share the same postures. Both systems are complementary and either system offers great benefits.

Iyengar Yoga focusses on correct posture, finding good alignment and reaching a point of stillness in each pose. Mr Iyengar created some of his own postures from helping students who had physical difficulties or injuries and has developed the use of props in order to do this. The props are a way of helping you without putting strain on your body. His system is adaptable to working with specific ailments e.g. back stiffness, chronic fatigue, arthritis, headaches, migraine, menstrual problems, menopausal symptoms, joint weakness, blood pressure symptoms, pregnancy and others. Most people can benefit from attending regular classes in which props can be used as an aid.

What can I expect from a class?

My classes vary. I teach fom the starting point of 'mindfulness' - mind-full-ness. which is about cultivating a focussed, relaxed mind in the present moment. In other words, during your yoga class you may be able to forgret your daily concerns whilst concentrating on, or being present with, your yoga posture or your breathing.

I like to teach either a range of postures so that your body receives good exercise or I may focus on a certain area of the body and incorporatin postures for that area. Sometimes I will teach relaxing postures for a restful class. I always include a relaxation at the start and end of a class. I aim to progress your practice by introducing new postures as we go along.

It is important to practice at your own pace so that your body and mind do not become strained. It is also important to maintain a practice everyday for more lasting benefits - it is better to do 15 minutes per day rather than 2 hours once a week.

Yoga can be considered an effective form of exercise for people of all ages and can be started at any time of life. The exception is when there are medical conditions present. These must be brought to your teacher's attention. If you are pregnant for the first time and have never attrended a yoga class, you may not be accepted into a class unless you have done regular forms of other exercise prior to your pregnancy. If you are at risk of miscarriage it is recommended that you leave physical exercise until after the first trimester or that you practice very carefully.

Some postures...
To the right, and below, are some of the postures that I teach. These vary in difficulty: the Beginners' classes feature the more accessible postures.