Iyengar Yoga Standing Poses: A Comprehensive Guide

What Are Iyengar Yoga Standing Poses?

In Iyengar Yoga, standing poses are foundational asanas that emphasise balance, strength, alignment, and body awareness.

These poses focus on grounding through the feet while building stability and mobility in the legs, hips, spine, and shoulders. They serve as the starting point for most yoga practices and are essential for improving posture and preparing the body for more advanced asanas, including forward bends, backbends, and twists.

With the precise alignment and use of props characteristic of Iyengar Yoga, standing poses can be adapted for practitioners of all levels, making them versatile tools for building a strong, balanced yoga practice.

At Yoga Selection, we delve into the world of standing asanas through an extensive range of classes that explore individual poses, themed sequences, and tailored adaptations. This guide provides an overview of some key standing poses and introduces a variety of themed classes to help you deepen your practice.

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Key Iyengar Yoga Standing Poses

Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) – Exploring Nine Versatile Approaches

Discover the versatility of Trikonasana through nine distinct approaches designed to deepen your understanding of this key standing pose.

In this class, we focus on the essential actions that define its classical form. Various adjustments are explored to optimise the pose, such as:

Improving stability
Alleviating shoulder or upper back stiffness
Elongating the spine
Opening the chest

We also discuss the therapeutic benefits of Trikonasana and how it serves as a foundation for more advanced standing asanas.

Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II) – Exploring the Warrior Pose

Take a deep dive into the empowering Virabhadrasana II. This class unravels the basic elements of this foundational asana and explores alignment techniques.

Key Focus Areas:

Props: Support different areas of the body, such as the shoulders, hips, and knees, using props.
Energy Conservation: Ease the effort required in the pose to conserve energy and maintain harmony.

Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose) – Deepening Understanding

This class on Parsvakonasana is designed for experienced students, aiming to deepen your understanding of the pose.

Alignment: We start by optimising alignment and improving upper torso rotation.
Variations: Additional variations open the shoulders and enhance the extension of the top arm.
Wall Support: Wall-based modifications provide support, allowing for deeper exploration of the pose.

Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose) – Strength, Balance, and Focus

This 20-minute tutorial on Ardha Chandrasana consolidates the fundamental techniques needed to confidently practice this asana.

Wall Support: Initial exploration uses a wall to isolate key actions without the distraction of balance.
Gradual Progression: As stability increases, reliance on the wall is reduced, empowering independent practice.

Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana (Revolved Half Moon Pose) – Enhancing Balance and Spinal Mobility

In this class, we focus on Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana, challenging your balance and improving spinal mobility.

Preparation: We use complementary poses like Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana III and Parivrtta Trikonasana to build strength and confidence.
Props: Use a wall, chair, and blocks to support your practice and explore key actions with more control.

Virabhadrasana III (Warrior III) – Exploring Connections in a 360-Degree Perspective

This class revolves Virabhadrasana III to link it with related standing poses, inversions, and reclining poses.

Connections: Discover how it relates to Parsvottanasana, Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, Adho Mukha Vrksasana, and Supta Padangusthasana.

Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle Pose) – Enhancing Mobility and Refining Alignment

Explore Parivrtta Trikonasana with key actions to enhance mobility in the spine, neck, shoulders, and hamstrings.

Troubleshooting: Learn techniques to overcome common challenges and refine alignment.
Variations: Preparatory variations help to optimise the pose for those familiar with its basic form.

Parivrtta Parsvakonasana (Revolved Side Angle Pose) – Introducing Deep Twisting and Balance

Parivrtta Parsvakonasana features deep lateral rotation, promoting spinal mobility.

Using a Chair: Initially, a chair is used to separate the twisting component from balance, allowing you to focus on rotation.
Transition: Apply insights gained to the unassisted version of the pose.

Parsvottanasana (Intense Side Stretch Pose) – A Versatile Standing Pose

Take an in-depth look at Parsvottanasana, a versatile pose that can be adapted to various sequences.

Key Techniques: Learn to lengthen leg muscles without straining the spine and explore shoulder-opening namaskar arm actions.
Preparation: This pose can be used as a preparation for forward bends, backbends, and restorative practices.

Themed Standing Pose Classes

In addition to individual poses, we offer themed standing pose classes that cater to a variety of needs and interests. These themes include sequences focusing on specific areas of the body, props, energy levels, and more.

Props and Support:

Wall Support: Improve alignment and stability using the wall.

With Yoga Blocks: Learn how blocks can support and deepen standing poses.

Dowelling: Incorporate a length of dowelling to refine posture and alignment.

With Chair, Block, and Wall: A complete support-focused class that helps with balance and alignment.

standing poses with chair wall and blocks

Or Use Minimal Props: A minimalist approach to standing poses.

Specialty Focus:

For Forward Bends: Prepare for deeper forward bends, enhancing leg and hip flexibility.

Twists: Explore twisting actions in standing poses to enhance spinal mobility.

Upper Body Strength: Target the upper body using standing poses to build strength.

Knee Care: Focus on building knee strength and flexibility with careful alignment.

With Breath Awareness: Integrate breath with standing poses to deepen the mind-body connection.

Restorative: Calming sequences that restore energy levels, incorporating standing poses in a more gentle manner.

Foundational and Essential Sequences:

8 Essential Standing Poses: A class focusing on the must-know standing poses for every practitioner.

Basics of Standing Poses: An introduction to fundamental standing poses, perfect for beginners.

With Simple Essentials: Focus on simple and essential actions within each standing pose.

The Role of Props in Iyengar Yoga Standing Poses

Iyengar Yoga is known for its use of props, which support practitioners in achieving correct alignment and safely accessing poses. Props are used only when needed, making the practice adaptable and effective for all levels.

In our standing pose classes, we may use:

Chairs: To support balance and alignment, especially in challenging poses like Parivrtta Parsvakonasana, allowing you to isolate key actions.
Blocks: To bring the floor closer in poses like Trikonasana, enhancing stability and enabling deeper exploration.
Bolsters: For restorative variations, relieving tension and promoting relaxation, especially during times of low energy.
Belts: To extend reach and maintain form, aiding flexibility in poses such as Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana.
Wall: To provide support in standing poses, improve alignment, and offer stability during balance-focused asanas like Ardha Chandrasana.

By incorporating these props thoughtfully, practitioners can explore poses more deeply and safely.

Enhancing Your Standing Pose Practice

Yoga Selection provides an opportunity to explore standing poses in-depth, building strength and refining your technique.

Whether you’re a beginner learning the basics or an experienced practitioner seeking new challenges, our classes are designed to adapt to every stage of your yoga journey.

Ready to deepen your understanding of Iyengar Yoga standing poses? Explore our on-demand classes and start building a more balanced, mindful practice today.