Yoga the Iyengar Way

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Yoga the Iyengar Way is a simple, shorter guide to Iyengar Yoga written in 1990 by Silva Mehta and her children Mira and Shyam Mehta. The authors were among B.K.S. Iyengar’s first teachers outside India. The book mainly explains yoga postures (asanas) but also offers an introduction to yoga, breathing techniques (pranayama), basic philosophy, meditation, and recommended sequences for different health needs.

Each pose is shown with clear photographs of Mira or Shyam and a short text. The pages are large to give space for the pose and its details. Sanskrit names appear with transliteration, followed by a brief explanation of what the pose means and what it trains. For example, Utthita Trikonasana is shown in several steps with close-up photos of feet, alignment notes, and a focus section to help you hold the pose correctly.

The authors’ background: Silva Mehta, who had a spinal injury, found relief through Iyengar Yoga and went on to teach with her children in London. Mira is described as one of the most senior Iyengar teachers outside India.

Publication and impact: The book was published by Dorling Kindersley in London in 1990 and reprinted in 2006 by Alfred A. Knopf in New York. It has been translated into Dutch, French, German, Korean, and Spanish. Critics call it an influential, practical textbook with clear alignment guidance, and many readers see it as a helpful companion to Iyengar’s Light on Yoga. The Mehta family’s work is even honored on Indian postage stamps featuring their poses.