Iyengar Yoga & Yoga Wall | Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Iyengar Yoga Classes

Iyengar Yoga is a form of Hatha Yoga. It is characterized by great attention to detail and precise focus on body alignment. Iyengar pioneered the use of "props" such as cushions, benches, blocks, straps and sand bags, which function as aids allowing beginners to experience asanas more easily and fully than might not otherwise be possible without several years of practice. Props also allow elderly, injured, tired or ill students to enjoy the benefits of many asanas via fully "supported" methods requiring less muscular effort.

Standing poses are emphasized in Iyengar Yoga. They are said to build strong legs, increase general vitality, and improve circulation, coordination and balance, ensuring a strong foundation for study of more advanced poses

Iyengar Yoga focuses on the structural alignment of the physical body through the development of asanas. Through the practice of a system of asanas, it aims to unite the body, mind and spirit for health and well-being. This discipline is considered a powerful tool to relieve the stresses of modern-day life which in turn can help promote total physical and spiritual well-being.

Class Description

Iyengar Yoga, developed by BKS Iyengar, places great emphasis on alignment, awareness, and precision.

In this class, these aspects of the practice will be studied in various categories of poses. Standing, sitting, forward extension, backward extension and inverted poses will all be addressed, so that the student comes away with a feeling of having had a "balanced" practice.

The yoga wall is used as a prop to deepen asana by opening and creating space in the body using therapeutic techniques.

**Please bring a mat for this class. Mat rentals are $2. You may leave your mat at the studio within a mat bag for future use.

Meet our Iyengar Yoga Teachers

Val Shaffer

I was introduced to Iyengar yoga in December of 1986, while residing in my home town in southern Indiana. Since I was a musician, my mother thought that yoga would help me improve my musical endeavors. (Which it did!)

My first teacher was Jack Busch, who although not certified, was teaching right out of "Light on Yoga," BKS Iyengar's classic text. Jack taught at a health club that my mother had a membership at, and once I took the first class I was hooked. When I moved from home in 1990, I continued to practice in earnest, mostly on my own, again referring to Iyengar's "Light on Yoga." I attended a few workshops/retreats during these years, but it wasn't until I decided to pursue teaching (while living in Los Angeles) that I sought a regular teacher. In the latter part of 2000, I started taking classes with Karin O'Bannon, who was then the senior teacher at the Iyengar Institute of Los Angeles. In 2001, I was accepted into the 3 year teachers training program at the intitute. (I graduated in December of 2003, and also apprenticed with Karin for over 2 years during this period.)

I began teaching in 2002, and by January 2004 became a full time teacher in the Los Angeles area. Currently, I am certified at the Intermediate Junior 1 level of Iyengar certification. I have studied with the Iyengars in Pune, India, and also with: Anna DeLury, Carrie Owerko, Diane Gysbers, Faeq Biria, Kevin Gardiner, Kofi Busia, Manouso Manos, Paul Cabanis, and Stephanie Quirk, among others. I moved from Los Angeles to NYC in August of 2008, and am currently studying with Genny Kapuler.

Click to enroll in a class with Val.

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