Intensive Yoga Course : Iyengar School

Iyengar Yoga techniques focus on Asanas, which is the 3^rd limb of Astanga Yoga. Most of Yoga school focus on Pranayama but Asana is Important preceding step for them as well. Unlike Buddhist techniques like Vipassana or Zen Meditation which do not explore the variations of Asanas and skip them for direct psychological experiences, Iyengar is a very strict physical technique to first get the aligned body then the mind.  If someone wants to achieve the inner peace in a perfect Yoga asana poses, Iyengar is one of the best school to go with. Correct usage of props (like chair, ropes, pillows, etc.) makes asana so easy that any injured person can also achieve the alignment of the pose perfectly. I chose Rishikesh because I wanted to visit my village also in the same trip, which is 4hrs drive from there, otherwise Pune is the best place to learn Iyengar Yoga. Intensive course focusses on developing the intelligence toward the body so that one can feel what is the best posture or alignment in order to get a soothing, balanced and divine connection between mind and body. Balance and aligned body maintains the internal organs healthy and regulate the flow of energy properly.

View from Ganga Sadan

I was feeling so positive about myself that without considering a beginner or intermediate course, I Directly landed up for the advance intensive course of 8days. For which they asked for at least 3year of regular practice. They offer 12 sessions for Asanas/Pranayama and 2 sessions for Philosophy.  Morning session 8:30 to 11:00 and evening 5:00 to 6:30. Due to corona, Ganga Sadan stay (by the Ganga River) was almost empty. People told me that during normal times, strength goes to 60, and you get no place to spread your arms. 50% of learners were foreigners. 

Soon I realized that I was sitting among yoga teachers, about 18 in numbers. Some of them were practicing this style from last 5-10 years. Usha Devi, was our teacher, a Swiss woman (and very much Indian by practice) who learnt Iyengar yoga (Medical) after having 23 surgeries, after two major accidents.  Below is a brief account of what I learn during the course. Intention is to give an idea how they carry out this course at Rishikesh. Although DVDs of Intensive Course carried out by BKS Iyengar himself are already there on youtube.

Day 1

Session 1:

Tadasana

First Session opened up with very a basic pose Tadasana for which we were told that how a balance should be achieved while standing at the base of the foot with the mindfulness  about each inner mound of the toes, heel and edge of the foot. How mounds should role from smaller toe to big toe. How foot arch should be stretched up with the extension of the knee. Then the same awareness was maintained through Virbhadraasana, Trikonasana and Urdhva Uttanasana.

Every time when she used to call call for a new asana, I use to go very slow, so that I can copy from others, I did not even know the terminologies.

Same basis was applied to the palm as a base. Wrist should be put to the ground first and then palm should be rolled upward. Inner knuckles should spread apart same with the fingers. Middle finger should point forward. Try to touch each mound of the finger on the ground. All mounds of the palm should be pressed with a stretch to form a vacuum. Strong and wide base at the palm and fingers allow a proper transfer of the weight and balance is achieved with this mindfulness. Then the same awareness was maintained through Adho Mukha Svanasana.

Adho Mukha Svanasana

Session 2:

Bhardwajasana

This slot was for hips. Usage of ropes holding with one hand for opening and alignment of the hips by dropping the hip with the movement of raised leg (by rotating) against the wall. Once we learned the rotation of the hip, then same intelligence could be used for other asanas like Trikonasana and Parsvottanasana. 

Another very under rated asana called Bharadwaj Asana was taught using blankets under one hip for spine alignment.

Day 2

Session 1:

Swastikasana

Swastik Asana was explained in detail. With basic alignments, three important locks were explained. Lock at the femur sockets, shoulder blades in to the body and lock in the temples (gates of the mind). Eyes, forehead skin moving outward and backward. Do not curl or move the eyes while closing.  Why we tie our head tightly during headache explained to reason the Position of head. 

Hip opening during the Ardhchardra asana were practiced in a sequence with Virbhadrasana 1 and Utthita Trikonasan.

Session 2:

Sarvangasana

My usual practice was to directly get into the Pranayama in the morning before any yogasan. But there is a preparation required before it. Series of asana to erect the spine straight. Prasarita Padottanasana, Legs wide open in standing position with the head down on the folded blanket on ground. Adho Mukho Veerasana straightening of arms over the pillow, Shirshasana and then last Sarvangasana on the chair. These all helps blood to rush to the head and opens the chest. Then ultimately we did the pranayama Sitting over the bolster pillow and pranayama pillow on the thighs and chanted for 20min and  Shavasana  after that to complete.

Day 3

Session 1:

Session opened with different kind of sitting asanas, like Padamasana, Veerasana, Baddha Konaasana (butterfly pose) for offering the prayer. And then again extreme extensions in Adho Mukha Svanasana using blocks against wall. That was the preparation for Veerbhadraasana 3.

Self-practice in the evening.

Day 4

Session 1:

We started with the warming up doing Suryanamaskar a quick circuits including Utkhatasana, Dandasan and Adho Mukha Svanasana with belt tied on middle thighs together. And then also extended to Utkhatasana 1 & 2 and rolling back and fro to massage the back, which drenched my T-Shirt with the sweat at 7 deg celcius. Adho Mukha Svanasana is the resting asana in Iyengar yoga. 

All asana, Trikonasana, Utthita Prashvakonasana, Ardhachandra asana with jumping, six times each.  Jumping was introduced to bring the intelligence that how foot reaches the right position.

Session 2:

Stupa Baddha Konasana

This was a pranayama class. We just started with the Baddha Konasana using a belt around our feet and hips resting our spine over the Bolster pillow. Head resting over the folded blanket. Arms wide long relaxing, open palm facing sky rolling outward. With deep inhaled breath sternum was going high ribs were widening and with exhalation pelvis was reclining down. 

Day 5

Session 1:

Pincha Mayurasana

Morning was cold without sun so we started with the handstand (Adho Mukha Vrksasana) and Elbow stand (Pincha Mayurasana). Hands align to the shoulders, eyes on the corner of the wall and jump. We realized jump with another leg was difficult. Buttocks away from wall head straight and eyes looking front. For Elbow stand, elbows should be narrow than palms, chest coming out and side ribs widening.

Then we moved to Utthanasan. Hand straight up while standing, small toes aligned with heel, palm facing each other, bend forward without bending the lumbar & knees and with stretched spine touch the pinky finger on the ground to expand the ribs and extend the torso more. Hold the ankles all finger backward, expand the elbows to stretch the hamstring more and bend forward. Then without moving hips, swipe to one leg to stretch it more and then to another, rest for a while and then take a breath and come up. Same principles for Pashchimutthanasana.

Upavista Konasana

Upavista Konasana, sitting little high on the blanket so that sacrum should erect straight, foot fingers towards the sky, hamstrings touching the floor, take a brick block between palms, raise it high turn the arms and stomach right and put the block down behind the foot and stretch the right hamstring without moving the left buttocks. Get back with the inhalation and do the other side.

Parivrtta Trikonasana, one of the variation of Trikonasana. We were taught how to align the hips (which is foremost important to achieve) and legs of the partner using belt. This can be done with the bed, wall, wall corner, ropes on the wall, etc.

Session ended with Setubandh on the bench and using Bolster Pillow to counterbalance the hips.

Self-practice in the evening.

 

Day 6

Session 1:

Urdhava Mukha Svanasan, forearm perpendicular to the ground, blocks below the palms & middle thighs, all the toes touching on the floor, back of the foot should not touch the ground as it makes stomach harder. Heels pointing to the sky (can spread legs little wide). Now push the chest up and roll the shoulder back and down, there should be a gap in armpit. Hand finger sharp and hands stretched. Thighs hard and long, sacrum to be pushed vertically up, pinch the buttocks inside and push the pelvis down.

Halasana with Chair, bolster pillow and blankets. And this time I did halasana in a slightly different way. And I don’t know why Usha devi pointed me out and praised my expression on the face so much. She showcased me in front of the whole class and asked everybody to look at the face. The forehead, eyes, lips and facial skin everything was stretched to the back of the head and there were no thoughts in my mind.

Session 2:

Gaumukhasana, sitting on heels, toes on the ground. Pair of knees, toes and heels joined together. Raise one arm then bend the arm, palm on the back to hold another arm from behind, upper hand should not go outward. Do the both side.

Stupa Baddha Konasana with palm on the eyes, and then hand stretch wide with inhalation making torso wide and strong.

Vipreetkarni asana with bolster pillows.

Day 7

Session 1:

Utthita Prashvakonasana

Trikonasana, Virbhadrasana-1 and Utthita Prashvakonasana against (perpendicular to) the wall, further details were explained, that legs should start bending from the back leg and hands on the femur head should guide the bend. Against the wall help us to extend the pelvis more outward. While against the wall, the mounds of the front foot should be on the wall, all mounds of the toes should touch the wall, check if we can lift, the toes while mounds are touching the wall. Brick block should be used to get more length away from the wall.

Dandasana, more details explained, the front thigh joints should be pressed more deep in order to get the more extension in the sitting bones, back legs and lower back.

Urdhava Dhanurasana (using chair)

Urdhava Dhanurasana (using bench), put bench against the wall, lay down and bring hips closer to the bench, feet on the bench, arms next to the head, lift the body up to rest the head on the crown, now lift the body further up to raise the hips, hips should be sucked & pinched. Other variation using a block between the legs and Shirsasana while being on the crown.

Session ended with Halshavasana.

Self-practice session in the evening.

 

Day 8

Session 1:

Trikonasana

The session started with lot of discussion over deep breathing . I contradicted by mentioned that Zen breathing technique is different from Pranayama. Tanden is a point located below the navel, and the idea is to hit that point with the breath. Tanden (Zen) technique is similar to Diaphragmatic breathing which helps us relax our Vagus nerve (which connects all the vital organs to the brain) and makes out abdomen soft. Some of the students were having similar opinion with supporting example of infant breathing with stomach. During Pranayama we expand our chest, and in Tanden(Zen) Technique the expansion of chest is not allowed.

Trikonasana was the main focus of this session and I realised that Usha Devi, during the complete course was trying to develop our understanding and intelligence toward this asana including its variations. There is a complete book on Trikonasana called "Alpha & Omega of Trikonasana" which describes the importance of it.

Session 2:

Ultimately, we were resting upside down on those intriguing ropes tied to the wall like Spiderman. We were doing Baddha konasan, the rope and gravity was pulling our upper and lower body apart from the hip joint. We also learnt dual asanas (Sarvangasana & Halasana) on two chairs, which counter balance each other for the chest posture.

Baddha konasan on ropes

List of Asanas taught:

Swastik Asana

Dandasan (Staff pose)

Tadasana

Adho Mukha Veerasana

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Down Dog)

Urdhava Mukha Svanasan (Up dog)

Shavasna

Virbhadraasana, 1,2&3

Trikonasana

Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide stance forward bend)

Utthita Prashvakonasana, (Extended side angle pose)

Ardhachandrasana

Shirshasana 1&2

Suryanamaskar

Utkhatasana 1 & 2

Padamasana,

Veerasana,

Baddha Konaasana

Bharadwaj Asana

Bhishmasana

Pincha Mayurasana

Adho Mukha Vrksasana

Utthanasan (Standing Forward bend)

Parivrtta Trikonasana

Setubandh with bench

Setuband with blocks and bolster pillow

Pashchimutthanasana (Forward bend)

Gaumukhasana (Cow face)

Vipreetkarni asana (Legs up the wall)

Urdhava Dhanurasana (using bench)

1.