Iyengar Quotes On Standing Poses, Explained

Iyengar quotes on standing poses: the short version

How do you know your front leg is really straight in Triangle Pose? Mr BKS Iyengar said most of us only think so. These Iyengar quotes on standing poses come from Mr Iyengar, Geeta and Prashant, and they are about feet, legs, balance and paying attention. Each one is explained in plain English, with links to our notes on Mountain Pose, Triangle and Warrior 2.

Iyengar quotes on standing poses in short form

• Standing poses come first: strong legs and feet are the base for everything else.
• Watch the base: correct a pose from the part nearest the ground.
• Thinking is not knowing: check that the leg really is straight.
• Stay in the pose: Prashant says it begins when you arrive.
• Simple is not unimportant: Mountain Pose teaches the most.

Iyengar yoga is the style developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. In the 20th century he did more than anyone to set down traditional Indian yoga, through his books and his teaching, and he pioneered the use of props. It is sometimes called modern classical yoga, and it’s the style we teach at Flametree. The quotes below come from Mr Iyengar, his daughter Geeta S Iyengar and his son Prashant S Iyengar, who both became leading teachers in the tradition.

Why do the standing poses come first?

Geeta explained again and again why an Iyengar course starts on the feet.

Without the firm foundation of strong legs and feet, the brain, which is the seat of intelligence, cannot be held in correct alignment with the spine. Hence the standing poses are introduced first.

What it means: Geeta explains why classes begin with standing poses. A tall building needs a firm base. Strong, steady legs and feet let the spine stay long and the head stay balanced on top.

If the base is wobbly, everything above it has to grip to compensate. Start from the ground and the rest of the body can be quieter.

Read more: why the order of poses matters, pose and practice notes. See also: More quotes on body and alignment.

Before attempting to balance on the head, it is essential to stand erect on one’s feet. Most people do not know how to stand.

What it means: Before you go upside down, learn to stand the right way up. Most people do not know how to stand, Geeta says, and she is not being unkind. We spend our whole lives on our feet and rarely look at how.

That is why the first lessons in an Iyengar course are standing poses, and why headstand comes later and with plenty of help.

Read more: learning headstand at a wall, why the order of poses matters. See also: More quotes on poses (backbends, inversions, forward bends and twists).

The standing asanas break the tamasic, inert, lazy nature of the body and bring activeness in the practitioner.

What it means: Tamasic is an old word for heavy, dull or sleepy. This line says that the standing poses wake the body up. They get the legs working and make you more alert.

If you have had a sluggish day, standing poses are a good place to start. They give you something definite to do with your attention.

Read more: Warrior 2, pose and practice notes. See also: More quotes on effort and discipline.

Throughout most of our waking hours we stand on our legs, but we do not pay attention to the correct method of standing. These asanas bring our attention to how we stand and correct the posture of the body.

What it means: We stand at the kettle, the bus stop, the checkout. We hardly ever notice how we stand. Geeta says the standing poses bring that attention back and correct the posture along the way.

Try this: stand for one minute and ask which foot carries more of your weight. Most people find one side is doing most of the work.

Read more: Mountain Pose (Tadasana), yoga for posture. See also: More quotes on attention and awareness.

Do not consider this asana unimportant since it is very simple. The more you attend to it, the more you begin to realise the defect in your own body’s posture.

What it means: Geeta is speaking up for the plainest pose. Do not think a simple pose is unimportant. The more you attend to it, the more you see how your body really stands: one shoulder lower, one hip forward, a knee that locks back.

Simple poses are honest. They have nowhere to hide a mistake, which makes them good teachers.

Read more: Mountain Pose (Tadasana), yoga for beginners notes. See also: More quotes on beginners and stiffness.

What do the Iyengars say about feet and the ground?

Mr Iyengar and Geeta start from the ground and work up.

Always watch your base: Be attentive to the portion nearest the ground. Correct first from the root.

What it means: Start at the ground. The part nearest the floor comes first. In Triangle Pose that is the back foot. In Mountain Pose it is the four corners of each foot.

When the root is right, the pose above it often corrects itself. It is a useful habit in any pose: before fixing the arms, ask what the feet are doing.

Read more: Triangle Pose, Mountain Pose (Tadasana). See also: More quotes on attention and awareness.

Feet are like the root of a tree. If one can’t stand properly on one’s feet, one develops a negative attitude toward life, and one’s yoga too becomes unsteady.

What it means: Mr Iyengar uses a tree. If the root is weak, the tree sways. He says an unsteady stance can turn into an unsteady attitude to life.

Whether or not you take it that far, many students notice that standing firmly on their feet makes them feel more confident. Spread the toes, press the heels and see.

Read more: Mountain Pose (Tadasana), Warrior 2. See also: More quotes on life and happiness.

When the legs are shaky, the mind is also shaky.

What it means: Anyone who has wobbled in Tree Pose knows this one. When the legs shake, the mind shakes with them. Mr Iyengar saw the connection both ways.

So if you are rattled on the mat, plant the feet and the mind has something to hold. A steady base gives you a steadier head.

Read more: balance, bones and strength notes, stillness in yoga. See also: More quotes on mind and meditation.

We think of opening the chest, opening the lungs, but even the bottom of the feet has to get aerated.

What it means: Geeta turns a familiar idea upside down. We talk about opening the chest and the lungs. She says the soles of the feet need to be awake and open as well.

In practice this means spreading the toes and lifting the arches so the whole foot is alive. Try it and see whether your legs feel lighter.

Read more: Mountain Pose (Tadasana), yoga for body, breath and mind. See also: More quotes on attention and awareness.

Tadasana is a simple pose because you are just standing there. From this simple standing pose you get more knowledge because with less movement there is more knowledge.

What it means: Tadasana (Mountain Pose) is just standing. Geeta says that is why it teaches so much: with less movement there is more knowledge.

When the body is still you can feel small things: which foot is heavier, where the knees lock, how the chest lifts. Busy poses can hide those.

Try this: stand quietly for five breaths with your eyes soft. Then tell yourself three things you noticed. Next time, aim for four.

Read more: Mountain Pose (Tadasana), stillness in yoga. See also: More quotes on learning.

In the correct positioning of Samasthiti, the mind is engaged in watching the limbs and trunk, resulting in a turning of the mind inward towards the core.

What it means: Samasthiti is the plain standing pose where you stand evenly, feet together, arms by your sides. Geeta says that watching your limbs and trunk turns the mind inward.

You are not thinking about the shopping list because you are busy looking at your shoulders and knees. Attention has a home.

Read more: Mountain Pose (Tadasana), meditation classes. See also: More quotes on attention and awareness, More quotes on mind and meditation.

How do you know a standing pose is right?

A pose is more than a shape. These six quotes are about knowing, staying and balancing.

If I were to ask you if your leg is straight in Trikonasana, you say, “I think so.” You are not sure. Your intelligence is in darkness in your leg in this asana.

What it means: A fair question for anyone. Is your front leg straight in Triangle Pose? “I think so” is the common answer. Mr Iyengar’s point is that thinking so is not knowing.

He calls this your intelligence being in the dark in that part of the leg. The answer is attention: press the thigh back, feel the kneecap lift and look. Mirrors and a teacher’s eyes can help you check.

Read more: Triangle Pose, using props in yoga. See also: More quotes on attention and awareness.

I will sometimes assume a standing asana in front of the class, and I will tell them that what I have done is a perfect asana. Nobody can tell me it has any defect. It is perfect in appearance but dead inside; my mind is elsewhere.

What it means: Mr Iyengar tells a story against himself. He shows the class a standing pose that looks perfect, but his mind is somewhere else. He calls it perfect in appearance and dead inside.

It is a reminder that a pose is not just a shape. If you hold Warrior 2 with your head full of the weekend, the shape is there and the pose is missing.

Read more: Warrior 2, pose and practice notes. See also: More quotes on attention and awareness.

After having completed the doing aspect of Trikonasana, you must stay there. That’s when the pose starts, and not when the right hand goes down and left hand goes up.

What it means: Prashant says the pose does not start when the hand reaches the floor. It starts after you arrive and stay. First comes the doing. Then the staying is where you learn.

In Triangle Pose that means holding for several breaths and noticing the legs, the breath and the neck. Many of us rush out of a pose just as it becomes interesting.

Read more: Triangle Pose, stillness in yoga. See also: More quotes on practice.

Not to fall does not mean to balance.

What it means: A neat distinction. You can stay upright without really balancing, by gripping hard and holding your breath. Prashant says not falling is not the same as balancing.

Real balance feels light and responsive. Next time you stand on one leg, see whether you are propping yourself up or letting go of the extra effort.

Read more: balance, bones and strength notes, Warrior 2. See also: More quotes on practice.

We get the balance, but the moment the thought arises, “Oh, wonderful, I’m doing it!” we wobble or topple. Only in stillness of mind can it be successfully maintained.

What it means: Anyone who has balanced in Half Moon Pose will know the moment. Everything is steady, then the thought arrives: “I’m doing it!” and you topple. Mr Iyengar says only in stillness of mind can it be kept.

The practical lesson is to keep your attention on the work rather than on how well it is going.

Read more: balance, bones and strength notes, stillness in yoga. See also: More quotes on attention and awareness.

Attention is sharpened with the demand to balance.

What it means: Balancing demands that you pay attention. You cannot balance and daydream at the same time for long. Geeta says that demand sharpens your attention.

That is one reason balance poses are used. They train you to be here, in this leg, in this moment.

Try this: stand on one leg beside a wall, with a fingertip ready to touch it. Hold your gaze on one spot. Watch how your attention tightens up around the leg.

Read more: balance, bones and strength notes, Warrior 2. See also: More quotes on attention and awareness.

Related pages

• Iyengar yoga poses: pose and practice notes
• Mountain Pose (Tadasana): how to stand properly
• Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)
• Warrior 2 pose
• Why the order of yoga poses matters

Frequently asked questions

What did Mr Iyengar say about Trikonasana?

He asked students whether the leg is really straight in Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose). The usual answer is I think so, which he said shows the intelligence is in darkness in the leg. His fix is attention: look, feel and check.

Why did Geeta Iyengar say to learn to stand before standing on your head?

Geeta wrote that before attempting to balance on the head it is essential to stand erect on the feet, and that most people do not know how to stand. A steady base makes later poses safer and clearer.

Are standing poses too simple to matter?

Geeta said the opposite: do not consider an asana unimportant because it is simple. The more you attend to it, the more you see the defects in your own posture. Simple poses are honest teachers.

Where can I learn standing poses in Darwin?

Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga in Darwin, at Woolner and Coolalinga, in the studio and LIVE online. Your first class is free if you’re new to Flametree, and the timetable shows what is on.

Flametree Yoga Studio, Darwin and LIVE online. Information only, not medical advice. The quotes on this page are short credited extracts from the books, articles and talks named beside each one.