September Focus of the Month — Alignment

Iyengar AlignmentIt is through the body that we realize we are a spark of divinity. –B.K.S. Iyengar

With the recent passing of B.K.S. Iyengar, whose contribution to yoga brought us a new understanding of the human body and its possibilities, we would like to focus, this September, on alignment. For many yogis, the word alignment calls to mind specific anatomical cues: “This limb externally rotates while that appendage abducts; this joint opens while that muscle contracts or extends.” All of this is incredibly useful for entering asanas correctly, for preventing injury, and for sustaining longevity in the practice. But for Iyengar, a pristinely correct, anatomically driven asana practice was only one small part of the bigger yoga picture. It is he who said, “Health is the state of complete harmony of the body, mind, and spirit.” It is only when we achieve the alignment of these three elements, he would have reminded us, that “the gates of the soul open.”