What a Chair Can Teach Us

Many students assume that practicing a twist on the floor is the most authentic way to learn the pose. However, in Iyengar Yoga, props are often used not to make a posture easier, but to make its actions more visible.

Twisting postures provide a good example.

One of the most common challenges in seated twists is maintaining a level pelvis while lifting the spine. When one hip lifts or the pelvis shifts unevenly, the spine loses its foundation. Instead of creating healthy rotation, the body often compensates by collapsing or forcing the movement.

A chair helps solve this problem.

By supporting the pelvis and providing leverage for the hands, the chair allows practitioners to focus on the essential actions of the pose. The spine can lengthen upward before rotating. The chest can broaden. The shoulders can remain relaxed. The twist becomes a movement through the entire spinal column rather than a struggle to turn further.

The lesson is not simply about twisting more deeply.

It is about understanding that extension and rotation must work together. The more stable the foundation, the more freely the spine can move.

This is one reason chair work remains such an important part of Iyengar Yoga. The support creates clarity, and that clarity can then be carried into more traditional versions of the pose.

When practiced thoughtfully, twists can improve mobility, stimulate circulation, refresh the back body, and bring a sense of alertness and ease to the entire system.

Why Chair Twists Can Improve Your Yoga Practice
Kathy Cook

And what to do about it –Iyengar Yoga

Many students experience discomfort or compression in the lower back when practicing forward bends. It is often assumed that the lower back itself is the problem, but in many cases the cause lies elsewhere.

The relationship between the hamstrings, pelvis, and spine plays an important role in how we move into forward extensions. When the hamstrings are tight or the pelvis cannot tilt forward freely, the lumbar spine is often asked to compensate. Instead of lengthening, it rounds and compresses.

This is why active work in the legs is so important. The legs are not passive in forward bends. When the feet, thighs, and pelvis are working intelligently, they help create the conditions for the spine to extend evenly.

Props can also be valuable tools. Blankets, blocks, straps, and chairs can help reduce unnecessary strain and allow the body to experience the correct actions more clearly. Rather than forcing a deeper position, they help create space and understanding.

Forward bends are not about reaching further. They are an opportunity to develop awareness of how the legs, pelvis, and spine work together. When this relationship becomes more integrated, the lower back can soften, the breath becomes easier, and the pose feels more spacious and sustainable.

With patience and attention, forward bends become less about flexibility and more about intelligent extension.

Why the Lower Back Compresses in Forward Bends
Kathy Cook

Core Strength | Length, Stability & Quiet Abdominal Intelligence

Core Integration, Length, and Quiet Strength

This class cultivates deep abdominal intelligence without hardness, linking the legs, pelvis, and spine through progressive work. Beginning supine allows the body to organize quietly, so strength emerges from clarity rather than force.

We open with Supta Padānguṣṭhāsana (Variation I) using a strap to establish length through the legs and stability in the pelvis. From there, Supta Tadasana with the strap in Urdhva Hastasana integrates the arms into the trunk, connecting the shoulder girdle to the core.

The work deepens with Ūrdhva Prasārita Pādāsana, progressing through 90, 60, and 45 degrees stages.

Supported with blanket and strap, this phase builds measured strength in the abdomen while maintaining extension in the lower back and quietness in the face and throat.

We then transition to seated balance work with Paripūrṇa Nāvāsana, explored with wall, chair, and strap support before moving toward independent balance. This progression teaches how to lift the spine as the legs rise, rather than gripping or collapsing.

From there, Ubhaya Pādānguṣṭhāsana refines coordination and control, inviting lightness and precision.

Between efforts, Adho Baddha Koṇāsana offers release and receptivity, sometimes supported with a block to quiet the abdomen and soften the groins. Daṇḍāsana is revisited to re-establish upright clarity and neutrality in the spine.

Alternating Ardha Nāvāsana with supported Adho Baddha Konasana creates a rhythm of effort and release, allowing the work to deepen without strain.

The class concludes with Śavāsana, where the effects of the practice settle. The abdomen softens, the breath becomes natural, and the nervous system returns to quiet balance.

This sequence includes:

Supta Padangustasana 1 w/ strap

Supta Tadasana w/ strap in Urdhva Hastasana

Urdhva Prassarita Padasana

90,60,45

w/blket and strap

Paripuna Navasana

wall, chair, strap, w/o& balance

Ubhaya Padangustasana

Adho Baddha Konasana

Dandasana

Ardha Navasana

Adho Baddha Konasana w/ block

Ardha Navasana

Adho Baddha Konasana w/ block

Savasana

30 Mins Iyengar Yoga for Abdominal Awareness
Kathy Cook

Lighten the Shoulders, Free the Neck

In this practice, the shoulders, neck, upper back, and arms are brought into integration. As the shoulder blades descend with steadiness, the chest opens, allowing the neck to lengthen without strain.

As the outer shoulders and front body soften, areas of habitual holding begin to release. Gradually, accumulated tension in the upper body dissolves.

With this release, the neck gains a greater sense of freedom, no longer bound by habitual tightness. The chest, supported and open, is relieved of chronic tension, allowing both breath and movement to flow more naturally.

From this, a quality of lightness and spaciousness emerges, along with a clearer inner direction that becomes steady and self-sustaining.

This sequence includes:

Shoulder work at the wall (hand, shoulder, arm)

Baddhasana

Baddhagulliyasana

Paschima Namaskarasana

Supta Paschima Namaskarasana

Supta Baddhagulliyasana

Gomukasana

Wall, strap, brick

Paschima Baddhagulliyasana

Garaudasana (arms only) — face out, toward wall

Supta Tadasana w/ block at shoulder blades

Viparita Dandasana w/ chair and bricks

Crown of head or back of the head

Forward Virasana — hands high on wall; lower wrists at wall

Adho Mukha Svanasana — hands at wall

Savasana with chair

Upper Body Tension Relief — Shoulders, Neck & Chest—Iyengar Yoga
Kathy Cook

Lateral Rotation and Gentle Twisting

Awaken the back body through extensions, lateral movements, and gentle twists that stimulate circulation, strengthen the spine, and support the digestive organs, kidneys, and respiratory structure.

The focus here is through both twisting compression and wringing, and through lateral extension and opening.

This sequence includes:

Dandasana

Bharadvajasana I with wall and strap

Tadasana

Utthita Hasta Padasana

Parvritta Trikonasana with side trunk wall and block

Tadasana

Parvritta Trikonasana with heel to the wall

Utthita Hasta Padasana

Tadasana

Dandasana

Parsva Janu Sirsasana with wall and chair

Dandasana

Parsva Janu Sirsasana with wall and chair

Dandasana

Pascimottasana with bolster and 2 blocks

Savasana

Back Strength and Tension Release—Iyengar Yoga
Kathy Cook

Intermediate Iyengar Yoga

Standing postures require strength, but also balance, especially when the body is supported on one leg. Through this work, we develop confidence and poise—both essential to finding the middle line. We learn to move from the outer body toward the inner body, requiring a focused mind and a stable physical foundation.

Once this inner stability is established, awareness can expand outward again. In this way, effort gradually transforms into effortlessness.

By combining standing and seated postures, including balance and forward extensions, the nervous system settles and the mind becomes quiet. The body becomes steady, and the mind learns to rest within that steadiness.

“When the body is balanced and steady, the mind becomes calm and focused.”

— B.K.S. Iyengar

This sequence includes:

Tadasana

Utthita Trikonasana

Virabhadrasana II

Utthita Trikonasana

Tadasana

Ardha Padma Padottanasana

Hips and shoulders at wall

Tadasana

Ardha Padma Padottanasana

Facing the wall

Tadasana

Ardha Padma Padottanasana

Facing away from the wall—balancing

Tadasana

Dandasana

Janu Sirsasana

Dandasana

Janu Sirsasana

Dandasana

Ardha Baddha Padma Paschimottanasana

Dandasana

Ardha Baddha Padma Paschimottanasana

Dandasana

Savasana

Balance & Stability in Hip Opening
Kathy Cook

A Supportive Way to Begin the New Year

This class offers a gentle, nourishing way to start the new year. We take time to rest in postures, using props to reduce effort and stay longer without strain.

Holding poses with support allows the work to penetrate more deeply into the cellular body, rather than remaining superficial. Clear connections from the legs into the pelvis help the front groins soften and open, creating both stability and spaciousness.

Through mindful use of the arms and legs, we stimulate and support the lymphatic system, which plays a vital role in immune function.

The lymphatic and immune systems work together to fight infection and transport pathogens efficiently.

By encouraging circulation and ease in these systems, the practice supports overall health and resilience.

As the body settles, the mind is also given permission to rest. This calming of the nervous system helps cultivate a more positive outlook and a deeper sense of well-being.

A restorative, steady practice—both grounding and renewing.

This sequence includes:

Supta Virasana

Forward Virasana

Ustrasana

Parvatanasana in Virasana

Adho Mukha Svanasana

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana

Repeat four times

Virabhadrasana I with wall

Parsvottanasana

Utthita Parsvakonasana

Setubandha with blocks

Chatuspadasana

Sitting upright, extend arms upward

Supported Salamba Sarvangasana

Savasana

Restorative Sequence for Lymphatic Flow & Immune Support
Kathy Cook

Utthita Hasta Padangustasana

This class requires a strong and attentive practice. Balance is essential, but equally important is learning to use your limbs efficiently so they stay connected to the center of your body. Through this integrated use of the arms and legs, the pose develops a sense of compactness and inward gathering.

Although your limbs extend away from the body, the central connection—through the pelvis, spine, and standing leg—must remain firm and steady. Working this way refines coordination and prevents the pose from becoming scattered or strained. The positions are held a little longer to build stamina and resilience, cultivating both physical strength and mental steadiness.

Benefit:

Builds balance, stamina, and coordinated strength while strengthening the central axis of the body.

Props used (to enhance the pose):

– Wall: Supports balance and helps maintain vertical alignment of the spine and standing leg.

– Strap: Assists in extending the lifted leg without disturbing pelvic stability or central lift.

– Chair or wall support: Allows longer holding with clarity, reducing strain and encouraging precision.

This sequence includes:

Utthita Hasta Padangustasana

At wall; away from wall; with strap; without strap

Tadasana between each side

Resting Uttanasana

Virabhadrasana III

Tadasana

Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana

Foot at wall; hand on calf or floor

Uttanasana

Adho Mukha Svanasana

Forward Virasana

Savasana

Balance, Strength, and Stamina
Kathy Cook

A Gentle Sequence to Support Healthy Digestion

Digestive issues can be complex and may arise for many different reasons. This sequence, practiced during the holidays, is designed to soften the abdominal area, create space, and encourage deeper circulation to support release and ease.

The quiet, restorative quality of the sequence helps relax the mind and calm the nervous system—an important benefit during the often busy and stimulating holiday period. As the nervous system settles, digestion is naturally supported, allowing the body to return toward balance.

This sequence includes:

Supta Swastikasana — Reclining Cross-Legged Pose

Supta Baddha Konasana — Reclining Bound Angle Pose

Virasana (Forward) — Hero Pose (Forward Extension)

Adho Mukha Svanasana — Downward-Facing Dog Pose

Bharadvajasana (on Chair) — Seated Twist on a Chair

Marichyasana I — Sage Marichi’s Pose I

Supta Ardha Matsyendrasana — Reclining Half Lord of the Fishes Pose

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Supported) — Supported Bridge Pose

Janu Sirsasana — Head-to-Knee Forward Bend

Paschimottanasana — Seated Forward Bend

Viparita Karani — Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose

Savasana — Corpse Pose

Iyengar Yoga for Digestive Wellness
Kathy Cook

Parvritta Parsvakonasana and Parvritta Trikonasana with the support of a chair

In this class, we’ll explore poses like Parvritta Parsvakonasana and Parvritta Trikonasana with the support of a chair. The chair will help us feel more stable and bring greater awareness to the back body, so we can move with confidence and clarity.

We’ll flow through a family of related postures, connecting the arms and legs in different directions while keeping the trunk long, the front body open, and the back body spacious.

These poses strengthen and extend the body while stimulating the internal organs, supporting healthy movement and natural detoxification. By adding mindful breathing, we’ll awaken energy and leave the practice feeling refreshed and renewed.

Namaste.

This sequence includes:

Parsva Prasarita Padottanasana

Parivrtta Parsvakonasana

Adho Mukha Prasarita Padottanasana

Eka Pada Parsvottanasana with chair

Parivrtta Parsvakonasana with chair

Prep with Virabhadrasana I

Parivrtta Parsvakonasana with chair

— Facing toward back rail

— Facing out toward front edge of chair

— With mat at groin

Virasana

Parivrtta Trikonasana with chair

Tadasana

Virasana

Parivrtta Trikonasana facing away from chair

Without chair support

Utthita Trikonasana

Ardha Chandrasana

Utthita Trikonasana

Savasana

Twists for Stability & Detox: Parritta Variations
Kathy Cook