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.
My goal as a teacher is simple: to teach so well that my students no longer need me. That might sound strange, but to me, it’s the heart of yoga—building the tools and awareness so you can practice with confidence, clarity, and independence.
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
These calming poses help cool and quiet the system. They tone the abdominal muscles, lengthen the back of the body, and shift our energy inward. When the heart turns toward the ground, the nervous system gets a chance to rest. When practiced actively, these poses are energizing, fun, and challenge our hips and hamstrings to function with optimal ease and mobility.
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
We slow things down and turn inward with supported poses and breath awareness. This is the quieter side of practice—learning to feel subtle shifts in energy, calming the mind, and exploring the inner landscape. Breath practice (pranayama) also improves circulation, soothes sore muscles, and builds emotional resilience.
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.
Week 6: Inversions & Integration
Inversions are calming, clarifying, and balancing. They help regulate the nervous system, drain the lymphatic system, and improve focus. In this final week, we also pull everything together from the past five weeks, so you leave with a strong sense of how it all fits.
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. The next 6-week session is a great place to begin.
No gimmicks. No pressure. Just a steady path forward.
Let’s get started.