What kind of yoga is this??

From time to time, I get students asking me what "style" or type of yoga I am teaching in class. While many yoga instructors adhere to just one teaching style, I feel that my classes are a blend of both Vinyasa and Iyengar traditions.

My first teacher when I was a beginning yoga student was trained in Iyengar. We held poses and really focused on alignment and form. Later, when I completed my yoga training through Yogafit, I was taught "how to teach" a vinyasa flow style of yoga. What I appreciated most about my yoga training was the emphasis on safety for students in class. As a result, even though we were learning a vinyasa style flow (matching breath and movement) we also spent a lot of time in poses and we took time to learn proper alignment. After all, proper form is not about getting perfection in a pose, but rather an effort to keep joints stable and the body safe in the various postures/asanas.

I have never had any formal Iyengar training, but the idea that yoga should be accessible to all and that props can help students achieve and get into postures safely is an idea that I have tried to incorporate in my classes. My hope is that my classes are "do-able" for students and that they leave realizing that yes, they CAN do yoga!