BOERUM HILL — A neighborhood studio for “Iyengar yoga,” named after a famous Indian practitioner, is bringing a focused and modest form of yoga to Brooklyn.
The Iyengar Yoga Institute of Brooklyn, located at 525 Pacific St., opened earlier this week and is the first location in the borough for the Iyengar Yoga Association of Greater New York.
The slow, instruction-oriented form of yoga focuses on “strength, stamina, flexibility, balance” and “meditation,” said Oliver Luisi, executive director of the organization.
“You’re really focusing on each step all the way,” said Luisi. “No one breaks a sweat.”
B.K.S Iyengar brought the practice of Iyengar yoga to America years after he began teaching the form in India in 1936.
Teachers of Iyengar yoga typically train for about two years, said Luisi, adding that 10 instructors will lead classes at the Brooklyn institute.
The Boerum Hill studio will hold 12-week programs over fall, winter, spring and summer terms, said Luisi, with each class holding 26 students.
“Your greatest progression will take place with consistent practice over many weeks,” said Luisi, who encourages students to commit to the entire length of the program.
At the Manhattan location, the organization also holds classes for “special needs” groups, like breast cancer patients, those with chronic injuries, amputations and an array of sessions for other specific communities, said Luisi, who hopes to bring some, if not all, of the classes to the Brooklyn Institute.
Iyengar yoga allows students to gradually work towards their goals within the practice, without driving them to perform great feats, he said.
“There’s no immediate push to have you standing on your head.”
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