We teach in the Iyengar tradition. Iyengar Yoga is a form of Hatha Yoga in which there is a particular focus on the structural alignment of the physical body.It is characterised by Alignment Precision,Use of Props,Sequencing and Timing.

       The teacher instructs the student to perform postures through physical example and very clear verbal instruction which gradually grows in detail and refinement instep with the students capacity. Gradually through a process of repetition the student's sensory perception and coordination of his/her body move from the gross to the subtle as he/she performs increasingly demanding postures

      Instruction is given to initiate physical movements in the form of postures (asanas)  enabling a student to move into, stay in and come out of a posture in accordance with the breath. These motions can be vertical, horizontal, spiral, expanding or contracting. The instruction and the subsequent  motions are  applied to the different parts of the body growing in specificity until they become detailed actions of alignment in establishing and unfolding of the postures.

     Singular to this methodology is the Use of Props; belt, blankets, bolsters, bricks, chairs and wall ropes.The props are a signature of BKS Iyengars methodology and have been adopted by many teachers of other styles of Hatha Yoga. In this tradition the props provide a unique aid for  understanding the structure of an asana and to help awaken sensory perception…'the felt sense' in the student.

    They also facilitate the unfolding of the variations, modifications, and intensifications of postures  enabling the elderly, injured, tired or ill students to benefit from a  "supported" asana practise requiring less muscular effort or for a more experienced student to deepen his practice.

    The Asanas are divided into 5 groups; Standings, Twists, Seated Forward bends, Inversions and Back bends. 

   Underlying the teaching of individual postures is the Sequencing of them in a class. It is built on two foundations. The first being the complexity of comprehension and performance of the posture in relation to the students experience.The second is the complimentary nature of a certain order or specific combination of postures which will have a specific intended effect.

     "The postures are like a necklace of pearls linked by the thread of consciousness. It is by sequencing that the postures whisper their richness and coloration and where they reveal their different energetic resonances."   - Christian Pisano

      And finally Timing. The time spent in poses, which was not important in the beginning stages of learning,now comes into play. Initially the student was concentrating dynamically on focalised actions in a fragmented perception of the body.Once sufficient strength,flexibility and purification has been achieved the extended time in the pose enables the the students perception to spreads like warm oil over the body's entirety, immersing him/her in the form of the pose, the breath patterns of the pose and consequently the energetic resonance of the pose. Stable and comfortable in the pose 'sthira sukham asanama'  replete with awareness the student is able to observe the fluctuations of the mind.It is through this observation that one is able to re-align ones sense of identity with consciousness rather than thought, thus emerging from ignorance.This enables us to transcend  attachments and aversion; Liberation (moksha)

                                                      "To realize that you are not your thoughts is when you begin to awaken spiritually."

                                                                                                                                                 – Eckhart Toll