Prepare yourself physically and mentally to learn more advanced asanas.  We will explore, in depth, an advanced asana by looking at how the elements of familiar poses can take you beyond the outward appearance toward a challenging target.  From this understanding, learn how to work toward unfamiliar poses with greater confidence.

Open to experienced Level 2 students and above.

This ongoing program is for serious students with an interest in developing a better understanding of Iyengar Yoga. Bring greater depth and breadth to your yoga practice by studying all eight limbs of yoga—not just asana.  Meeting twice quarterly, we’ll discuss key concepts from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Bhagavad Gita with an emphasis on how these ideas are relevant to the practice of asana. Topics and readings will be assigned beforehand to help enrich our discussions.

Iyengar Yoga Studies is offered each quarter throughout the year. Students may join at the beginning of any quarter. For greater continuity and to enhance the learning process and community development, students are encouraged to participate on an ongoing basis.

We juggle many roles throughout the day, which can lead to stress. Stress can be helpful when it gives us energy and makes us more alert; but when it becomes chronic, more serious health conditions can develop.

Back extensions in our yoga practice challenge our body. They help us open the hips, shoulders, and chest, where tension hides. They increase our power in the arm, leg, and back muscles, as well as increase mobility and mindfulness in the spine.

Backbends, like stress, activate the sympathetic nervous system. The rise in adrenaline and cortisol cause our heart rate and blood pressure to increase; this heightens our awareness and creates opening. Sometimes when we practice extending back these feelings cause us to come out of the pose quickly in order to try to calm our body down. Back extensions put us in a position of vulnerability.

In this workshop, we will explore our response to stress using the back extending asanas. As we practice moving in back-bending poses we learn new ways of processing our emotions and response to stress. We discover options when we are open and receptive.