Category: Iyengar Yoga

The barn is quiet for the winter. Charles is away on sabbatical in Pune, India, deepening his practice at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, the home of Iyengar yoga. Classes resume in Spring 2027, and he’ll bring what he learns back to the barn. But your practice doesn’t have to pause. Charles has recorded two free Iyengar yoga classes you can follow at home, whenever it suits you. They’re made for beginners and for returning students who want to keep their practice going until spring.

Class 1: Iyengar yoga for beginners at home (25 minutes)

Recorded for International Yoga Day 2025, Iyengar Beginners and Beyond is a short, grounding practice you can return to any time you need it. All you need is a clear stretch of wall. You’ll start lying down with your legs up the wall, move into chaturanga wall push-ups, and finish stretching out in Ardha Uttanasana (half forward bend) with your hands on the wall. If you have yoga blocks, or a couple of thick books, you can place them under your hands for some of the standing poses.

Class 2: Hamstrings, Hands, and Happiness (30 minutes)

A practice-along class with poses to open the backs of the legs and prepare you for handstand. You’ll need a mat, a belt and a sturdy chair. If you’re brand new, start with Class 1 and come back to this one once you feel at home on the mat.

Iyengar yoga props you already have at home

In the barn we use blocks, belts, bolsters, blankets and chairs so every pose is within reach. You don’t need to buy anything to start practicing yoga at home. Household swaps work well:

• Belt or strap: a dressing-gown cord, a long scarf, or a sturdy necktie.
• Blocks: two thick hardcover books, taped together if they slide.
• Chair: a sturdy kitchen or dining chair without arms, placed so it can’t slide (on your mat, or against a wall).
• Bolster: a couple of firm cushions, or a blanket rolled tightly.
• Blankets: any firm, folded blanket or large bath towel.
• Mat: a yoga mat is best. Otherwise a rug that won’t slip on the floor, never a bare slippery surface.

Tips for practicing yoga at home safely

• Clear a little space near a wall. Iyengar yoga uses the wall often, for support and alignment.
• Practise on an empty stomach, ideally a couple of hours after a meal.
• Go at your own pace. Pause the video whenever you need to. Work with effort, but never into sharp pain.
• If you have an injury or a health condition, skip anything that doesn’t feel right and check with your health professional first.
• Little and often beats long and rare. Twenty minutes, two or three times a week, will keep your body ready for spring.

See you in the barn this spring

When classes return in Spring 2027, we’ll open registration for the new six-week term. If you’re new, your first class in the barn will be free. Join the list and we’ll email you as soon as registration opens.

To understand this fully, it helps to go back to the roots of yoga. In the second verse of the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali, we’re told:

    Yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ

    Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of consciousness.

But that’s just the start.

From the Gross to the Subtle

As practice deepens, awareness begins to move inward—from the annamaya kośa (physical body), through the prāṇamaya kośa (energy body), and eventually toward the manomaya and vijñānamaya kośas (mind and intelligence). In Iyengar Yoga, this journey from the outer most body towards the innermost self (like Russian Nesting dolls) isn’t left to chance. It’s mapped out methodically. We start with the body, move towards the breath, and end with SELF from the most tangible aspect of ourselves to the most intangible. As a teacher I am able to see the students body and help bring their attention to areas that are ‘dull’. To a lesser extent, I am also able to see how they are breathing and help guide them to direct their breath in more efficient breathing patterns. The mind cannot be seen. If I ask someone to close their eyes for meditation I am not able to see or adjust their minds!

Prashant Iyengar often reminds us that “Asanas are not merely to be performed, but to be observed.” This means we are not just doing the pose; we are using it as a mirror to reflect the workings and tendencies of the mind. The body is a vessel, it is a container for the mind. As we move and shape the container, the contents of the container are correspondingly adjusted and manipulated. Where is the body stuck? What area is lacking freedom in movement and therefore breath? Where is the mind during the posture? What area of the body can the mind not witness or see? What does it mean to be truly present in the soles of the feet, thighs, sternum, or the fingertips?

Awareness Through Alignment

In a seemingly simple pose like Tāḍāsana (Mountain Pose), we might be instructed to press the inner edges of the heels down and lift the inner arches. Then we notice: how does that action ripple up the legs, affect the pelvis, and maybe even lighten the sternum bone?

Or in Adho Mukha Śvānāsana (Downward Facing Dog), the teacher may direct your attention to the base of the index finger—the inner wrist—and ask you to ground that point. Over time, you’ll feel how that subtle action stabilizes the shoulders and awakens the deltoids (shoulder muscles). These are not just bio-mechanical cues; they are pathways to concentration and integration.

Meditation Through Movement

B.K.S. Iyengar wrote, “Meditation is not just sitting with closed eyes. It is the art of seeing clearly with the inner eye in action.” In Iyengar Yoga, meditation begins the moment you stand on your mat and align your awareness with your breath, your bones, your muscles, your prāṇa (life force).

This kind of inner seeing cultivates ekāgratā—a one-pointed focus. Rather than withdrawing from the world to concentrate, we use the pose itself to sharpen awareness. Each action, each adjustment becomes a tool to anchor the mind in the present moment.

Geeta Iyengar emphasized this in her teaching: “Do not simply stretch your body. Stretch your mind. Stretch your consciousness.” That’s what makes Iyengar Yoga unique: it uses āsana as a laboratory for self-study and self-transformation.

Yoga as a Work-In

We live in a culture that often treats yoga like a fitness routine. But the deeper work of yoga is internal. It’s not just about how flexible your hamstrings are—it’s about how flexible your mind becomes. Can you stay grounded when things get hard? Can you breathe when discomfort arises? Can you see yourself clearly, without judgment?

Through this kind of consistent, mindful practice, we gradually move from the outer form to the inner formless. From the earth of the body, through the air of the breath, toward the subtle light of the self—the intelligence, or puruṣa, within.

A Clearer Path to Strength, Balance, and Self-Awareness

If you’ve practiced yoga before—maybe in a flow class, a hot studio, or online—you’ve probably experienced some of the benefits: less stress, more flexibility, and maybe even better sleep. But if you haven’t tried Iyengar Yoga, you might be missing a key part of what makes yoga a truly transformative, lifelong practice.

My name is Charles Sanderson, and I teach at The Yoga Barn PEI, a space I built with the intention of offering something both grounded and spacious—just like the practice itself. I’ve been teaching yoga for years, but my own journey began during university, when I stumbled into an Iyengar class that changed the course of my life. Since then, I’ve studied in India with master teachers and opened The Yoga Barn to share what I’ve learned with others.

What Makes Iyengar Yoga Different?

One of the things people notice right away in my classes is the emphasis on alignment. This isn’t about creating picture-perfect poses—it’s about working with your body, not against it. When the bones and joints are well-aligned, you feel more stable and supported. Movements require less effort, and you tap into a sense of energy and flow that doesn’t burn you out—it builds you up.

Alignment isn’t just physical—it creates space for awareness. You start to notice when something feels “off,” not just on the mat, but in your day-to-day life. You begin to make more mindful choices: around food, rest, how you respond to stress. You learn how to listen more closely to your body’s signals.

This kind of awareness brings us into better balance—physically, emotionally, and mentally. It protects us from injury, helps us open tight or blocked areas in the body, and allows well-being to grow in a sustainable way.

What We Practice—and Why

Each 6-week intermediate session I teach at The Yoga Barn is built around weekly themes. We explore a different focus each week, and together these layers form a well-rounded, integrated approach to practice. You don’t need to be an “advanced” student to join—if you’ve done some yoga and you’re curious to go deeper, you’ll be right at home.

Here’s how we usually move through the session:

Week 1: Standing Poses

These are the foundation of the practice. They build strength, stamina, balance, and body awareness. No matter your age or experience, standing poses give you the intelligence and alignment needed for everything else we do.

Week 2: Forward Bends & Seated Poses

Week 3: Back Bends

Backbends wake us up. They aren’t movements we do often in daily life, which is exactly why they matter. Practicing them helps reverse our common slouched posture, lifts the chest, strengthens the back, and often improves our mood and energy.

Week 4: Breath & Philosophy

Week 5: Arms & Abs

This week is all about strength—building power and stability in the upper body and core. These movements help us support ourselves better in more demanding poses and in daily life.

A Practice That Meets You Where You Are

Iyengar Yoga has supported me through injuries, stress, big transitions, and deep periods of personal growth. It’s not just a way to move—it’s a way to listen, to learn, and to reconnect with what’s essential.

If you’re someone who wants to understand your body better, develop a clearer connection to your practice, and build something that will support you long term, I invite you to join me at The Yoga Barn PEI. Classes resume in Spring 2027. Join the list to hear when the next 6-week session opens.

No gimmicks. No pressure. Just a steady path forward.

Let’s get started.