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| Can Iynegar strengthen and tone the muscles as effectively as ashtanga? Can it be as diificult a workout as ashtanga? |
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| When you ask this question: Please let us know what do you mean by 'Iyengar' and "Ashtanga".
Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| Oh my goodness, yes! To both questions. Now some may argue that but I have been practicing Iyengar for 5 years and know it can be a very challenging practice. There is one big difference, though. (OK, there are more than one but this is key...) Do not go to class expecting to get the big workout there. Sometimes it WILL be a workout - no doubt about that - but Iyengar classes are for learning and YOU must establish your own practice working from what you have learned in class. This makes the practice both more difficult, because you are on your own and need to have more self-discipline and learn internally about the poses, and it makes it easier (not to mention cheaper) because you don't have to take yourself to class all the time. Less travel (hey - that makes Iyengar more environmentally friendly!  ), less time lost, no need to worry about presentable clothing. Heck, you can roll out of bed and practice in...well, whatever you sleep in 
I have heard that Iyengar students tend to have more open chests and Ashtangis tend to have heavily developed shoulders and upper backs from all those chaturangas. I am keen to hear other's takes on this question!
PS - oh Neel  Iyengar asana practice as taught by BKS Iyengar and Ashtanga asana practice as taught by Pathabi Jois....  |
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| If you're curious, take a class of each and decide for yourself. If your primary motivation is a good workout, you might want to check out other styles, too - Power, Bikram, etc. |
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| I mean Iyengar yoga and Ashtanga yoga, the physical practices. |
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| I practice Ashtanga, and love it. It is phsycially demanding and I like that. I've never been to a Iyengar class (would like too, though), but reading Light on Yoga I've determinded that an Iyengar practice can be just as demanding. He suggests holding the asanas for 30 seconds, a minute and longer. Tourist, you mention being in shoulderstand, paschimottasana and headstand for 10 minutes or longer. That's pretty demanding!! Especially keeping your alignment proper throughout. While in Ashtanga you are constantly moving, in Iyengar you are really focusing on getting a particular pose right and while that may not work up the sweat that all the jumping back/through does in Ashtanga, its really difficult to stay focused and breath while hanging out with your feet in the air, or in a lunge. If nothing else, it seems more emotionally demanding!! |
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| Good knowledge and practice of iyengar will benefit you when practicing ashtanga. For me iyengar is the perfect base from which you can move into other styles of yoga.
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| Like Afroyogi said, these styles (and, I think, any yoga styles) are not mutually exclusive. They have different benefits which can be complementary. I think the "flow" styles (like Ashtanga and power yoga) are the most fun, and are good workouts & good for strengthening. But Iyengar strengthens differently (with the long holds) and gives you the alignment and solid foundation that makes the flow go better.
Also if you have the flu, you will fall over when doing Ashtanga, but can do some Iyengar successfully. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Yes, holdings are a challenge! You may not do bakasana or mayurasana for years after starting Iyengar but that is fine. Holding vira III for a minute per side, chaturanga for 30 secs several times etc. plus the ten minute headstand (sometimes in advanced classes they hold 10 min THEN start the variations!), shoulderstand etc. is plenty tough  |
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| tourist - 2005-09-29 7:15 PM
Yes, holdings are a challenge! You may not do bakasana or mayurasana for years after starting Iyengar but that is fine. Holding vira III for a minute per side, chaturanga for 30 secs several times etc. plus the ten minute headstand (sometimes in advanced classes they hold 10 min THEN start the variations! ), shoulderstand etc. is plenty tough
That's freakin' crazy if you ask me. I am not mentally stong enough for that!!! I'd want to cry at the end of every class. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State | Well, I practice both styles, and they are just different. Ashtanga is
all motion, and it's a high heart rate practice. Iyengar is about stillness
and alignment. In Iyengar yoga, you sequence for increasing depth in
the asanas, and I very much prefer it for doing deep backbends. In
Ashtanga yoga, poses like Kapotasana or Viparita Salabasana are placed
without the kind of preparation that they deserve if they are to be
done well. On the other hand, Ashtanga vinyasa has a way of focusing
the mind that takes me away from my vrttis quickly, whereas I need the
10 minutes of headstand in Iyengar yoga to reach the same quietness of
mind. Iyengar yoga is unquestionably strength building, but it is generally
either isometric strength or the kind of lifting strength that comes from
doing an arm balance by itself. Ashtanga has an element of endurance
to the strength it builds and is more like running. I mix these two styles
as sort of a way of cross-training....but my practice is about 80% Iyengar. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State | tourist - 2005-09-29 7:15 PM
Yes, holdings are a challenge! You may not do bakasana or mayurasana for years after starting Iyengar but that is fine. Holding vira III for a minute per side, chaturanga for 30 secs several times etc. plus the ten minute headstand (sometimes in advanced classes they hold 10 min THEN start the variations! ), shoulderstand etc. is plenty tough
The full headstand cycle in Iyengar yoga takes a bit more than 20 minutes. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State |
And the full shoulderstand cycle takes 25-30 minutes. |
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| How long does the shoulder stand sequence take you in astanga? |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State |
The Ashtanga closing sequence only includes a few pieces of the shoulderstand cycle,
and none are held very long. In the Iyengar sequence, you hold shoulderstand itself for
about 10 minutes. In Ashtanga, you hold it for about 15 breaths.
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| For the original questioner, let me give you my opinion:
Choose two weeks. Then, do Iyengar and Ashtana alternatively each day 1 to 2 hours depending on your time and intention. And, then you shall see
- Pros and Cons of Both
- What you shall like to do.
neel kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org |
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| I'm still not sure why a person who is primarily looking for a strength/endurance workout would limit their choices to ashtanga or iyengar. At a traditional shala they're going to be working through beginner at iyengar or suryanamaskars at ashtanga for a while. A nice power class is going to give a better "workout" from day 1. |
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| I'm the original poster. I've been practicing power yoga for three years on my own(1.5 hours, 3-5x/week) because there are no studios that teach power yoga in my area. I would like to learn how to do more advanced poses such as headstand and scorpion. I know that power yoga is kind of the child of ashtanga yoga(from reading Doug Swenson's Power Yoga book), but there are no Ashtanga yoga studios in my area either, but there are a couple of Iynegar studios and I was planning on taking classes there if Iynegar could provide as much of a strength workout as ashtanga and power yoga do. |
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| well, building strength and learning advanced poses are two different objectives. I'll leave the strength training advice to the cross-training gurus on the site (see the arm balances thread as an example) but I'd definitely recommend learning advanced postures from a teacher. Honestly, your best bet is to find a teacher that you like and trust and work with them. If a certified Iyengar teacher is near you, then you're better off than a lot of people...
Edited by Mitch 2005-09-30 6:25 PM
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| Klepto24: Now I understand your question better. Without giving my real opinion about your yoga practice (which I can do only if you are my student), I am only trying to answer your question to my best. My answer is as follows:
If you want to learn advanced Poses (Headstand is NOT an advanced pose. In my style, it is a basic pose, but let us say it is), without any doubt ,and without any exception Iyengar Style is far more superior to Ashtanga Style.
If you want to get a workout that you get in Ashtanga Style, you can NOT in general get that workout in Iyengar Style Yoga Class. You can get it if you learn Iyengar Style practice and do more at home to get that much work out.
And, if you only have Iyengar Style class available, and you want to choose one of the two styles you mentioned, you have no choice.
Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org |
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| Igyengar vs. Ashtanga
I have both however I always go back to Igyengar becuase of my teacher. She is the one that makes it the best in my mind for me. Ashtanga is a wonderful peace of mind work out, but i just do not have the teacher in Ashtanga that I do in Igyengar.
Know people in both who are elitest pigs about it. |
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Igyengar vs. Ashtanga
