Approach
Our
OUR APPROACHWe practice and teach in the tradition of B.K.S. Iyengar, who developed an innovative approach to classical hatha yoga. It emphasizes alignment while developing strength, stamina, flexibility, balance and a renewed sense of well-being.
THE IYENGAR METHOD
A method of yoga that is for everyone
B.K.S. IYENGAR
No one is too old or too stiff, too heavy or too thin, or too tired. Students of all ages and physical conditions can access a yoga experience that is profound, intelligent and transformative.
The teacher devises sequences of poses that build skill and understanding, as students progress from posture to posture, class to class, and year to year.
Students learn to rest and relax deeply, completely releasing the body while drawing the mind toward the peace within.
Firmly grounded in the ancient Indian art of yoga
Our approach guides students along the journey of Ashtanga Yoga, as described by Sage Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras, in a way that is practical, experiential and intensely personal.
Yoga means union: the union of mind, body and spirit. This search for union begins with an ongoing practice of yoga postures. In time, students learn to penetrate beyond the outer, physical layers to the inner layers of mind, energy and spirit.
THE LINEAGEThe light of a Master and his daughter
Called the “Michelangelo of yoga” and the “king of yogis,” and named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of the century, B.K.S. Iyengar is widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost yoga teachers. Teaching around the world for decades, he also authored a large number of books.
Yogacharya (yoga master) Iyengar brought yoga to the West with his pioneering teaching in the 1960s and 1970s, at the beginning of today’s explosive growth of yoga. His first book, Light on Yoga, nicknamed “the bible of yoga,” has been the source book for generations of yoga students.
B.K.S. Iyengar’s invention of yoga props, now ubiquitous in yoga studios of all styles, revolutionized the art. The correct use of those props helps modify yoga postures to the specific needs of each student, allowing for deeper penetration into the postures, a longer hold, and a more profound experience.
B.K.S. Iyengar lived, practiced and worked relentlessly until the age of 95. He passed on August 20, 2014. Among the many words of wisdom he left us: “I always tell people, live happily and die majestically.”
His eldest daughter, Geeta S. Iyengar, carried her father’s vision and legacy for decades, until her last breath on December 16, 2018. She devoted her entire life to yoga “in the light of her father,” in her own words. Author of numerous books, she contributed immensely to the training of several generations of teachers, travelling worldwide and co-directing his Institute in Pune, India.
BEGIN
Private study begins with a conversation about where you are in your practice.
GALLERYThe practice in the world
Yoga is both intimate and expansive: a discipline practiced within oneself and carried into the wider rhythms of life. Sophie’s teaching reflects a life of study, practice, and dedication shaped by place, experience, and lineage.
