Being a beginner in yoga, I was a little intimidated by the Iyengar Yoga workshop, held at the Ojasyoga centre on 21 June 2009. This was my first experience of Iyengar yoga and learning from an experienced instructor such as Riana, who had trained under B.K.S Iyengar himself. I was afraid I’d be asked to fold myself into a pretzel, and that I would embarrassingly be the reason for a medical emergency holding up the class.
Fortunately, that was not at all what was in store for me. I was assured that the class would be suitable for beginners and so it was. Iyengar is a form of yoga that focuses mainly on holding poses and ensuring that the alignment of each pose is held accurately, from the weight placement of the palms right down to the angle of the feet, so that our bodies could benefit the most from each movement.
Students learning proper alignment for Triangle Pose
Riana set her mat in the class facing the side wall, and not the mirror, puzzling the class. She explained that yoga was about “looking within yourself” to perform the right poses and she wanted us to concentrate on that without being distracted by constantly looking at our own reflections.
A soft-spoken, feminine individual when one approaches her during a break, she emerges a different, sterner, almost military-like instructor once the class begins. She doesn’t hold back when she chides the students for slacking such as “Wider! Feet apart! Look up! Shoulders straight! Don’t look at the door! Why are you looking at the door? Concentrate on the class, concentrate on yourself!” And it worked really well.
Who knew that so much technique went into simple poses such as the common Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog) or the Utkatasana (Chair Pose)?
We were asked to always observe and be conscious of the way we held each pose. At times, Riana conducted the class with the help of belts and blocks to help students achieve the correct posture, such as during the Chair Pose when students had their arms strapped above their heads and were asked to lean against the wall to form the ideal half-seated position with backs straight.
Hamstring & Hip Opening stretch with the aid of the Yoga Belt
Half Moon Pose with the Yoga Block
The classes were also interactive as she often gathered students around her to demonstrate a pose herself or with a student before allowing us to attempt them. With her keen eye for detail, she constantly went round the class attending to students, making sure everyone performed the poses in the correct manner, which I felt helped students to understand the techniques better.
Students gather round to listen attentively to Riana’s instructions
The highlight for me was probably the last part of the class when we attempted the head stand. Some of the more advanced students could already perform the headstand on their own but Riana pointed out some weaknesses in their pose that could potentially lead to injuries, such as the angling of the wrists, shoulders and neck. She stressed that more important than just being able to perform a pose was to learn the proper techniques and balancing to hold each pose safely and in a stable manner.
Riana giving a headstand demo
All in all, the class was an eye-opener where one could learn and develop a strong foundation in yoga. The class is certainly ideal for all students, from beginners to the advanced practitioners who wish to fine-tune their techniques.
Will keep in mind the video demo suggestion.