Yoga For Everyone BKS Iyengar Style
Yoga For Mind, Body, Focus, & Better Legs!
The Many Benefits Of Yoga For Everyone, BKS Iyengar Style.
Stuart doesn’t listen to me! Sound familiar?
For instance, he recently told me that once he was in a yoga pose, or even getting into it, he often never listened enough to my points on how to do a better pose, or get more from it.
Instead, he assumed that, because he’d done it so many times, there was not much more he could learn about the pose, do in it, or get from it.
Sometimes, he said he even didn’t listen to my other points about how to even make the shape in the first place.
Getting more
You may have noticed that I give you “what to do” points, as well as “get more from it” points.
For example, “put the right foot forward” is a “what to do” point.
But, once you’re in the pose, a point like “press into the back heel”, is about doing the pose better, and getting more from it.
So, it’s a “get more from it” point.
Now, Stuart has realised that if he listened to what I say, and works at doing it, then his strength, focus and toning also improve, or improve faster, or both.
As a result, although the picture below is overdone for emphasis, both Stuart and I can see the new toning and strength in his legs.
Stuart’s legs don’t exactly look like this, but you get my point!
These legs are somewhat more feminine then Stuart’s! But, via better yoga, he’s still got similar toning and muscle increase, and cut the fat hidden in there.
Decades of yoga for everyone BKS Iyengar style
Remarkably, Stuart’s been doing BKS Iyengar yoga for decades!
But he was missing out on a lot of what he could get from listening better to his BKS Iyengar style teacher.
After 30 years of teaching, I know Stuart’s not the only Iyengar yoga student who does this!
By way of further example, what’s going on in Triangle pose starts with strengthening the leg muscles (illustrated in brown in the diagram below).
In addition, Triangle pose tones, and reduces the fat, as shown in yellow in Dr Shah’s diagram.
The late Dr Shah was a medical doctor, and an Iyengar Yoga Teacher in India. So, he’d done enough gruesome dissections to know exactly what’s going on in there!
Some of the ways that you get more from this pose include:
- Pressing into the back heel
- Ensuring both legs are fully straight
- Tightening the muscle above the front thigh.
Once you’re in the asana, a BKS Iyengar yoga teacher will point out such things, so as to help you do it, and remind you to do it.
In the process, you’ll also get more benefits for you major organs.
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As a medical doctor, Dr Shah also knew what was going on inside us. His brown lines illustrate muscle strengthening. Yellow lines show fat removal, or toning. Try Flametree’s BKS Iyengar Yoga for everyone.
As Stuart has now discovered, there’s a lot more going on in Triangle pose than he thought.
Now, by listening to my “get more from it” points, Stuart can do this deceptively simple pose, much better.
Now, he’s listening better for my improvement tips, and working at doing them… even in the poses that he thought he knew well.
At a minimum, these points about doing it better, are just good reminders of useful things to keep working on.
But, as Stuart has found, they also help you learn how to better use the muscles in the legs and feet… and actually DO it.
Balance from using feet better
With his new found listening skills, Stuart’s also more able to get his pose more squarely and firmly onto the so-called “four corners” of his feet.
Your feet have and intricate set of bones and arches that deliver the remarkable mobility that have allowed humans to get to the top of the food chain.
So, Stuart’s improved leg to foot connections also give him greater stability, mobility, and balance.
You may have seen the recent emails or posts where I’ve been talking about how accessing your feet gives you much greater balance overall, and also helps prevent dangerous falls (in your daily life, now and later).
Below, the diagram of the lower leg, shows you the wide range of intricate muscles that you can use, and improve, via better standing poses.
In particular, notice how the leg muscles actually connect onto the top of your feet.
So, Stuart’s realised that by paying attention to his leg muscles, he can get his feet to work better too.
Your leg muscles connect to the bones of your feet
In the feet on the bottom left, notice how the connection of the tendon that comes from your calf muscle.
Better toning, poses, and even blood flow
Focusing on pressing the heel of the back leg, for example, gives you a way to use the legs and feet better.
In the process, you also tone and improve the muscles in your legs and feet.
Of course, it’s only possible to do any of this if your legs and knees, are straight.
Stuart said that’s he’s now starting to notice this for himself.
As I teach Stuart, I can therefore also see his poses, strength, and toning steadily improve.
It’s all part of the many advantages of yoga for everyone, BKS Iyengar style.
Fixing Stuart’s swollen feet
You’ve also probably heard me say that working your muscles also improve your blood flow.
For example, Stuart notices that after he been sitting as his desk all day, his ankles sometimes swell up a bit, or get stiffer, or both.
But, after he’s been to yoga, the use of the leg muscles causes more blood flow, and the swelling disappears.
For instance, you can see how this happening in the calf muscle on the right of the picture below.
Working your leg muscles improves blood flow too
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On the left, see how using the calf muscle helps your blood flow.
So, by working his muscles as he does each yoga pose, Stuart is also getting better blood circulation.
Variations of this process happen throughout your body.
Good teaching focus of yoga for everyone BKS Iyengar style
One of the great advantages of BKS Iyengar yoga, is that all the teachers are extensively trained in this type of teaching.
As a result, you get more of the benefits I’ve mentioned.
Even doing good physical yoga is much more than just making shapes.
Although BKS Iyengar yoga includes flow, it’s not solely about aerobic movement. It’s also about holding poses, and holding them so you get more from them.
So, BKS Iyengar teachers are extensively trained in giving you both “what to do” points, AND “get more from it” points.
It’s also why studio, online, or video classes are better than led practice, or home practice.
Benefits for your mind too
Of course, following the “get more from it” points I make, also in due course gives you greater access the numerous mental benefits of yoga.
It’s because the physical pose also becomes another way to learn to better focus your mind.
In turn, such focus is a process of also accessing additional brain waves, such as the Alpha waves you’ll see in the diagram below.
Yoga generates focus, leading to more Alpha brain waves. See Green row.
The Alpha wave expansion, as shown in green, is what you get from focussed yoga. The increase in Alpha waves, proven to come from mind body yogic practices, shows your mind body connection at work. Try Flametree’s yoga for everyone BKS Iyengar style.
As a result, good physical yoga, is also working to give you a greater body mind connection, and get all the benefits that mental focus delivers.
Of course, some of the finer points I’m talking about, will become more apparent to you if you do even one more class a week.
In particular, if you’re only doing one class a week, then consider increasing it to two classes a week.
The benefits you get from yoga, are directly proportional to how many classes you do.
In addition, whatever yoga you’re doing, try paying more attention to the various “get more from it” points.
Then, you’ll get even more benefits from your yoga.
I’d love to hear what you notice as a result. Try yoga for everyone BKS Iyengar style.
Flametree Yoga Studio, online & studio
Flametree beginner classes are LIVE online, at the local time of Darwin, Australia (+9.30GMT).
The classes are all standard BKS yoga poses in the Iyengar yoga style.
The online format also allows you to get a wide range of more specialised classes than are often available locally in your area.
There’s also many options, including Gentle Yoga, Yoga for Back (& Neck & Shoulders), and Restorative Yoga.
At the non-beginner level, there’s extra options like Yoga For Immune System, Fifty Plus Yoga, and more advanced levels.
If you like, check out what other Flametree students have said about Flametree’s yoga and pranayama classes.
Try Yoga For Everyone BKS Iyengar Style
Easy restorative or conventional yoga pose to build hip flexibility, as well as get the weight reduction, calming, focus, toning, and the many other benefits of Flametree’s BKS Iyengar yoga for everyone.
Try Flametree’s BKS Iyengar yoga deals
Flametree beginners yoga can be started at any time, online or in-studio.
Follow the orange links below to learn more, and get one some of best deals you’ll find.
Try Yoga For Everyone BKS Iyengar Style
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