Brooklyn, New York transplant Dini Berger turns to the publication Women’s Health to expand her knowledge of the latest fitness and wellness trends. To improve her own health, Dini Berger is a longtime practitioner of yoga and attends in-studio classes at Yogaworks teaching spaces. The studio offers courses focusing on multiple types of yoga, including Iyengar yoga.
Iyengar yoga falls under the branch of hatha yoga, which focuses on physical form. In the late 1960s, Founder B.K.S. Iyengar standardized and refined more than 200 asanas, or poses, that promote wellness and stronger connections between the body and mind. Iyengar yoga is distinct from other forms of practice due to its focus on alignment, longer poses, and specific sequences.
Iyengar yoga practitioners use props such as belts, blocks, and chairs to modify poses and reduce the likelihood of injury. Beginners are encouraged to perfect their alignment in simple poses before moving on to more complex asanas.
Additionally, Iyengar yoga follows a slower pace. Practitioners may hold a position for up to 60 seconds, which is considerably longer than in more intense practices such as Vinyasa. For these reasons, Iyengar yoga is well-suited for people with posture problems or injuries.
