This week during class, we all took an Iyengar instruction lead by Amita Bhagat. This was my first time participating in an Iyengar class. I personally enjoyed this class a lot more than previous classes that I have taken. Amita was very engaging and did a good job of not only showing but also explaining each movement. This allowed me to have a better understanding of what I was doing and also understand what part of my body would be benefitting from each movement.

    With that being said there was one thing mentioned by Amita that I did not agree with. She stated at one point that one particular movement would trim fat off of the side of the waist. Me being an exercise science major and having a good understanding of the anatomy of the human body and the physiological functions that take place in order to gain and lose fat, This caught my attention because it is physiologically impossible to target fat in one specific area of the body. Aerobic exercise is the best way to lose fat along with a proper diet, and although exercise will hep to build muscle which also assists fat loss, it is not possible to target fat in a specific area of the body. This got me thinking about what other aspects of this practice may be based on false assumptions. I am unaware of other beliefs about the benefits of practicing Iyengar, but I am curious as to what other things are believed that my not actually be possible or accurate.

    Aside from that, I really enjoyed the variety of movements incorporated in this practice. We did poses in both standing and sitting positions and it was nice to rotate back and forth between the two positions. I also found there to be a lot of shoulder mobilization utilized in this practice and I feel like daily practice of Iyengar would be able to help individuals increase the range of motion in their shoulders. All and all I thoroughly enjoyed this class and would definitely be willing to participating in another class in the future!

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