Rules & Regulations

Iyengar Yoga

Students of Iyengar Yoga begin with elementary asanas or postures, with an emphasis on the standing poses. As their study progresses other postures are added including forward bends and backbends, inversions and restorative poses.

Much emphasis is laid on an introduction to alignment and sequence, the understanding of which is a requirement for perfect practice.

Students are encouraged to develop their own home practice, without which the study of Yoga is incomplete. Students do not have to be young or athletic or flexible to begin their study. Guruji's method can be adopted and modified to students of any age and physical condition. 

Some Important points while practicing Yoga Asanas

The ultimate goal of Ashstanga Yoga is Vivek Khyati (Discriminative Discernment) leading to Kaivalya (Absoulute Freedom). Guruji all the time emphasises that neither freedom nor beatitude is possible without discipline.

Without firm foundation a house cannot stand.  In the same way without the practice of the principles of yama and niyama, which lay the firm foundation for building character, there cannot be an integrated personality. Practice of Asanas without yama and niyama is mere Acrobatics. Discipline does not arise from one's own mind, it has to be learned from outside. External discipline puts you on the right path.  Only a disciplined person is a free person. Patanjali says the rules of yama and niyama are the mighty universal vows. They are the golden keys to unlock the spiritual gates.

• Regularity and Punctuality are essential parts of discipline. Pupils should be present and ready ten minutes before the commencement of class.

• Its only under unavoidable circumstances that the Pupils are permitted to remain absent.

• Yoga demands cleanliness and purity, Students should wash their hands and feet before entering the yogashala. It is desirable to have a bath before coming to the class. The yoga clothes should be washed everyday. Kindly do not use perfumes and strong soaps in the class.

• The body is sustained and influenced by the food we eat. It is desirable to take Sattvik (pure) food which is free from eggs, meat, fish, onion, garlic and too much spice, oil and fat. Impure food makes the body dull and stiff, such a body resists the inward flow of consciousness and prevents subtle experience.

• Avoid drinking tea or coffee or smoking, drugs and alcohol are strictly forbidden. Their effect on mind and body reverses all spiritual efforts. They create confusion, weaken the energy and destroy the sense of discipline and responsibility. They have no place in true Sadhana.

• Yoga should not be practiced immediately after food.  Five to six hours should elapse between eating food and practicing yoga. A cup of milk, herbal tea or fruit juice or fruits may be had an hour before starting yoga. Food may be taken half an hour after yoga.

• Regular bowel movement aid in keeping the body healthy and pure, one should establish the habit of moving one's bowels every day in the early morning. If the bowels are not moved, the asanas do not come smoothly and subtleties are not grasped. It is harmful not to move the bowels daily, therefore a conscious effort should be made to cultivate this habit.

• Yoga clothes should be clean, decent and comfortable. Proper shorts for men are recommended. The chest or upper part must be covered by a banian (vest worn under shirt) or T-shirt. Women should wear under pants, shorts or Iyengar style bloomers, bra and T-shirt.

• Those who practice other systems of yoga should practice only the Iyengar system during the course. They should not join courses elsewhere at the same time, because different systems can clash, producing adverse effects.

• Yoga is a Darshana, a mirror to look at ourselves from within.

• Control of mind is Yoga. When the mind is controlled, stilled and silenced,

What remains is the soul. It is the quest of the soul,
The Spark of Divinity within us, which is the very purpose of yoga.