This American Edition, 2021 First American Edition, 2001 Dorling Kindersley Limited Published in the United States by DK Publishing 1450 Br oadway, Suite 801, New Y ork, NY 10018 Copyright 2001, 2008, 2014, 2021 Dorling Kindersley Limited Te xt copyright 2001, 2008, 2014, 2021 Kirloskar Computer Services Limited Te xt and Images copyright for Chapter 1 (pp.833) 2021 B.K.S. Iyengar Copyright in all photographs 2001, 2008, 2014, 2021 Kirloskar Computer Services Limited with the exception of those listed in the acknowledgments. DK, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC 21 22 23 24 25 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 001322725May/2021 PUBLISHERS NOTE Neither the publisher nor the author is engaged in rendering pr ofessional advice or services to the individual reader . The ideas, procedur es, and suggestions contained in this book are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician. All matters regar ding your health r equire medical supervision. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book. All rights reserved. Wi thout limiting the rights under the copyrights reserved above, no part of this publication may be repr oduced, stor ed in or intr oduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electr onic, mechanical, photocopying, recor ding, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owners. Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited A catalogue recor d for this book is available fr om the Library of Congr ess. ISBN 978-0-7440-3372-4 DK books are available at special discounts when pur chased in bulk for sales promotions, pr emiums, fund-raising, or educational use. For details, contact: DK Publishing Special Markets, 1450 Broadway, Suite 801, New Y or k, NY 10018 SpecialSales@dk.com Printed in China For the c urious www. dk.com This book was made with Forest Stewar dship Council certied paperone small step in DK s commitment to a sustainable future. For more information go to www .d k.com/our -g reen-pledge THIS EDITION DK UK Senior Editor Dawn Titmus US Editor Kayla Dugger Senior Designer Glenda Fisher Designer Mandy Earey Senior Jacket Designer Nicola Powling Jackets Co-ordinator Lucy Philpott Production Editor David Almond Production Contro llers Kariss Ainsworth, Rebecca Parton Managing Editor Ruth ORourke Managing Art Editor Christine Keilty Art Director Maxine Pedliham Publishing Directors Mary-Clare Jerram, Katie Cowan DK DELHI Managing Editor Soma B. Chowdhury Senior Editor Janashree Singha Ass istant Editors Arushi Mat hur , Ankita Gupta Senior DTP Designer Pushpak T yagi DTP Designers Manish Upreti, Satish Gaur , Anurag T r ivedi Pre-produc tion Manager Sunil Sharma Editorial Head Glenda Fernandes Design Head Malavika T alukder FIRST EDITION Consultant Dr . Geeta S. Iyengar Project Editor Ranjana Sengupta Project Designer Aparna Sharma Editors Dipali Singh, Sheema Mookherjee Designers Ankita Saha, Nikki Duggal DTP Designer Sunil Sharma Managing Editor Prita Maitra Managing Art Editor Shuka Jain
Paschima Baddha Hastasana 1 Ta dasana Paschima Namaskarasana 1 Ta dasana Gomukhasana 1 Utthita T r ikonasana 1 Utthita Parsvako nasana 1 Ardha Chandrasana 1 U ttanasana 2 P rasarita P adottanasana 2 A dhomukha Svanasana 2 Dandasana 2 V irasana 2 U rdhvamukha J anu Sirsasana 2 B addhakonasana 2 S wastikasana 2 P aripurna Navasana 2 Upavista Konasana 2 Paschimottanasana 2 A dhomukha Paschimottanasana 2 Janu Sirsasana 2 A dhomukha Vi rasana 2 A dhomukha Swastikasana 2 Bharadvajasana 2 M arichyasana 2 U tthita Mari chyasana 2 P arsva V irasana 2 S alamba Sarvangasana 2 Halasana 2 V iparita K arani 2 S etubandha Sarvangasana 2 V iparita D andasana 2 U strasana 2 S upta Padangusthasana 2 Supta Baddhakonasana 2 Supta Vira sana 2 Savasana 2 P RANAY AM A WITH PROPS 2 The Importance of P ranayama 2 Ujjayi Pranayama 2 Viloma 2 Pranayama 2 Y OGA FOR AILMENTS 2 Yog a Therapy 2 Heart and Circ ulation 2 Respiratory Sy stem 2 Digestive Syste m 3 Urinary Syste m 3 Hormonal System 3 Immune System 3 Muscles, Bon es, and Joints 3 Skin 3 Brain and Nervous System 3 Mind and Emotions 3 Women s Health 3 Men s Health 4 I YENGAR YOGA COURSE 4 Guide to Y o ur Y o ga Practice 4 20-Week Y og a Course 4 A natomy Guide 4 G lossary 4 L ist of Asan as 4 I ndex 4 R esources 4 A cknowledgments
FOREWORD Yo ga is for everyone. Y o u need not be a n expert or a t the peak of p hysical f itness to practice the asanas describe d in this book. The strain of m odern lif e can lead to p hysical p ain and illness, a s we neglect our bodies in t he race for material success . The stre ss of modern life can also lead to m ental suff ering: fe elings of inadequa cy, isola tion, or powerless ness. Y o ga helps inte grate the mental and the physical plane, bringing about a se nse of inner and outer balance, or what I te rm alignmen t. T r ue alignmen t means that the inner mind rea ches every cell and fiber of t he body. During 73 years of t eaching an d practicin g, I have observed that some students pay attention o nly to the physica l aspec t of yoga. Their practic e is like a fa st-flowing s tream, tumbling an d falling, which lacks depth and dire ction. By attending to t he mental and spiritual s ide, a sincere student of yoga becomes like a sm oothly f lowing r iver tha t helps irr igate an d fertil ize the land aro und it. Just as o ne canno t dip into the same river twic e, so each and every asana re freshes y our life forc e with new energ y. My eff ort in this book has been to f ocus on technique s so that even the beginner will have a thoro ugh understa nding of how to p ractice asan as in ord er to obtain the maximum benefit. By using a fe w simple pro ps, stud ents wit h diff erent c apabilities c an gradu ally buil d up strength, c onfidence, a nd flexi bility w ithout t he thre at of strain or i njury. T he yoga techniqu es described a nd illus trated i n this book can also help those with specific ailment s. Regul ar practice b uilds up the body s inner stre ngth and natural re sistance; h elps all eviate p ain; and tackles the ro ot, rather than the symptoms, of the pro blem. Acro ss the world, there is now a gro wing aware ness that alternative therapies are more conducive to health than conventional o nes. It is m y hope that this book will help all those who want to c hange their live s thro ugh yoga. May yoga s blessin g be on a ll of you. FOREWORD by Y og acharya B.K.S . Iyengar
