A unitard is a skintight, one-piece garment with long legs and sometimes long sleeves, usually stopping at the wrists and ankles. It differs from a leotard which does not have long legs. The leotard is also usually considered a more feminine clothing item, while the unitard is not. The garment can be thought of as a combination of a leotard and leggings , and was historically called a "one-piece long legged leotard". The term unitard is mostly used in relation to sports, while it is usually referred to as a catsuit in other contexts.
30-479: Yoga the Iyengar Way is a 1990 guide to Iyengar Yoga , a style of modern yoga as exercise , by the yoga teachers Silva Mehta and her children Mira Mehta and Shyam Mehta . They were among the first teachers to be trained by B. K. S. Iyengar outside India. The main part of the book is on asanas , yoga postures. This is accompanied by an introduction to yoga, and sections on pranayama (yoga breathing),
60-593: A "backlist bestseller". The authors have been portrayed in some of the asanas illustrated in the book in a set of Indian postage stamps . At the time of the book's publication, Silva, Mira, and Shyam Mehta were teachers of Iyengar Yoga at the Iyengar Yoga Institute in Maida Vale , London. Silva, mother of Shyam and Mira, records that she had a crush fracture of the spine at age 25, leading to osteoarthritis . Yoga with B. K. S. Iyengar relieved
90-457: A "backlist bestseller". The book has been translated into Dutch, French, German, Korean, and Spanish. The book is arranged with an introductory section, three main parts, and an appendix. Each asana is described with a combination of short paragraphs of text and photographs (about half in colour) of Shyam or Mira Mehta. The book is in a large format, 215 mm × 275 mm (8.5 in × 10.8 in), close to A4 size , allowing for
120-457: A back view, complete with detailed instructions in the caption for the attention needed to the back in the pose. A final 'Work in the posture' section instructs on the movements required to achieve a good posture in the asana. The scholar of religion Andrea Jain , in her study of the sociology of yoga, describes the Mehtas as "a family of senior Iyengar Yoga teachers." Yoga Matters calls Yoga
150-474: A complement to Iyengar's own Light on Yoga , and that the combination of big colour illustrations and "explicit alignment points" actually make it rather more approachable. The yoga teacher and journalist Marina Jung, writing in Australian Yoga Life , called the book a "bestseller" and "highly influential throughout the world". The book's authors and their exemplary asanas are commemorated in
180-473: A large photograph of each asana together with several smaller ones showing details and stages for entering the pose. Some of the key Iyengar Yoga asanas such as Utthita Trikonasana are given a double-page spread; others get a single page. Each pose is named in Sanskrit (in a pale colour, giving the effect of a decorative frieze at the top of the page) and in transliteration with diacritic marks . Below that
210-767: A set of Indian postage stamps . Mira and Shyam appeared on a set of 4 stamps issued by the Indian Department of Posts in 1991: Shyam wearing blue in Bhujangasana on a 2 rupee stamp, and in Dhanurasana on a 5 rupee stamp; Mira wearing red in Ustrasana on a 6.50 rupee stamp, and in Utthita Trikonasana on a 10 rupee stamp; the images, all redrawn from photographs in the book, were described as "perfect postures". These references indicate
240-412: A yoga blanket to prevent overstretching of the neck area". In Owerko's words, "Iyengar yoga is very cautious and mindful." Dunn stated that "People have incorrectly pigeonholed Iyengar Yoga into 'alignment, technique, props' rather than 'learning, experiencing, integrating'—which I think are the real words". Until 2019, Iyengar teachers had to complete at least two years of yoga teacher training for
270-411: Is an explanation of the meaning of the Sanskrit words, and a brief summary of what the pose achieves. Utthita Trikonasana is described in three steps, each with a small photograph the width of a column of text. A pair of small detail photographs show how to hold the ankle or to use a yoga brick for support. A 'focus' section instructs points to note in the pose. An inset photograph in the main image gives
300-458: Is closely related to the wrestling singlet , which is basically a unitard with shorter legs. In 1985, Anne White 's decision to wear a white unitard for the first two sets of a match in the Women's Singles Championship at Wimbledon was widely reported. Unitards remain an unusual sight in some sports such as tennis, although Serena Williams wore one during a 2013 Wimbledon practice, and during
330-479: The 2018 French Open (after which the garment type was banned there). In the 90s, wearing unitards in figure skating was "illegal in competition and discouraged in practice". And although modern rules allow them, they remain a rare sight in competitions, where dresses are seen as more appropriate by conservative judges . The North Carolina State college men's basketball team wore a unitard designed by Nike shortly in 1989 under coach Jim Valvano "to address
SECTION 10
#1732790543372360-963: The Inner London Education Authority starting in 1968. From the start, Iyengar personally assessed the quality of the teaching every year. The first Iyengar Yoga Institute in America was founded in San Francisco in 1976 by Mary Dunn , Judith Lasater , and others; Iyengar visited the area that year. Further Iyengar Yoga Institutes have been opened in 1984 in Los Angeles, and in 1987 in New York. National Iyengar Yoga Associations have been created in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Chile, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan,
390-425: The Inner London Education Authority , from 1970. Mira has been called "the most senior [Iyengar] Yoga teacher outside India, recognised as an authority in all its aspects: asana , pranayama , philosophy and therapy ." Yoga the Iyengar Way was published in paperback by Dorling Kindersley (London) in 1990. It was reprinted in 2006 by A. A. Knopf (New York) and distributed by Random House , who describe it as
420-652: The 1975 founding of the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune, named in memory of his wife. A further major step was the founding of the first of many institutes abroad, the Iyengar Yoga Institute (IYI) in Maida Vale , London, in 1983. The old IYI building was replaced in 1994, and the new one was officially opened by Iyengar in person in 1997. Iyengar Yoga had however been taught in London before that, in evening classes run by
450-402: The Iyengar Way "an influential classic textbook." The journalist and yoga teacher Ann Pizer, writing on Very Well Fit , rated it the best overall runner-up yoga book of 2019, writing that "the photos may look a little dated because of the unitards . However, they're almost preferable to the 'sexy' photos so often seen in more recent books." Pizer comments that many practitioners see the book as
480-542: The Netherlands, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland and New Zealand. Iyengar Yoga is a form of yoga as exercise with a focus on the structural alignment of the physical body through the practice of asanas . It differs from other styles of yoga in three ways: precision, sequence and use of props . According to the Iyengar Yoga Institute, unlike more experiential approaches where students are encouraged to independently "find their way" to
510-705: The Pune institute. In 2019, the Iyengar National Association of the United States decertified one of its most senior teachers, Manouso Manos, for repeated sexual assaults, and updated its ethics standards based on the Yamas and Niyamas in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as a result. Iyengar Yoga (like Iyengar's Light on Yoga ) has the following invocation to Patanjali : The yoga scholar Suzanne Newcombe notes that despite
540-452: The asanas by imitating the teacher, an Iyengar Yoga class is precise, with misalignments and errors actively explained and corrected. It states that the style "emphasises precision and alignment", and prioritises correct movement over quantity, i.e. moving a small amount in the right direction is preferred to moving more but in other directions. Postures are held for a relatively long period of time compared to other schools of yoga; this allows
570-564: The asanas. The props enable beginning students, the elderly, or those with physical limitations to perform the asanas correctly, minimising the risk of injury or strain. B. K. S. Iyengar learnt yoga from Tirumalai Krishnamacharya at the Mysore Palace, as did Pattabhi Jois ; Iyengar Yoga and Jois's Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga are thus branches of the same yoga lineage, sharing many of the same asanas. Iyengar began teaching yoga as exercise gradually, starting with individual pupils such as
600-523: The benefits of a wider variety of asanas via fully "supported" methods requiring less muscular effort. Yoga Journal notes that in contrast to other styles, beginners in Iyengar Yoga are introduced early on to standing poses (such as Trikonasana and Virabhadrasana ), executed with careful attention to detail. For example, in Trikonasana, the feet are often jumped apart to a wide stance,
630-420: The book's biomedical claims , such as of toning up various organs of the body, were attractive to its audience but were stated directly without any supporting evidence. Authorities such as the yoga scholar Elliott Goldberg have described it as the bible of modern yoga ; the book has sold over three million copies, and has been translated into at least 23 languages. Iyengar Yoga became an institution with
SECTION 20
#1732790543372660-490: The forward foot is turned out, and the centre of the forward heel is exactly aligned with the centre of the arch of the other foot. The New York Times writes that Iyengar Yoga is distinctive in its diversity of sequencing and choice of asanas. This, suggests Carrie Owerko, an Iyengar Yoga teacher, helps reduce injury. Owerko states that the style emphasises the inversion poses , headstand ( Sirsasana ) and shoulderstand ( Sarvangasana ), more than other styles, "insist[ing] on
690-701: The introductory certificate, with additional assessments for intermediate and senior levels of certification, potentially entailing a decade or more of training. The system was replaced from 2019, with a requirement for at least six years of practice, including three years of mentoring, before assessment. Practitioners in the West can attend the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Institute (RIMYI) in Pune , Maharashtra, India once they have practised yoga for eight years. A "Protocol" governs attendance at
720-417: The issue of jerseys coming untucked", but they were retired after only two games. Colourful unitards are the trademark of fitness coach Mr Motivator . Superheroes in comics, ads, TV shows and films are frequently depicted wearing costumes that resemble unitards, although they are rarely called that explicitly. The members of the rock band Queen were known for wearing unitards during their concerts in
750-635: The muscles to relax and lengthen, and encourages awareness in the pose. Props including belts, blocks and blankets are freely used to assist students in correct working in the asanas. The New Yorker writes that Iyengar Yoga is characterized by great attention to detail and precise focus on body alignment. Iyengar pioneered the use of "props" such as cushions, benches, blocks, straps and sand bags, which function as aids allowing beginners to experience asanas more easily and fully than might otherwise be possible without several years of practice. Props also allow elderly, injured, tired or ill students to experience
780-430: The pain, and she went on to work helping people with physical problems to practise remedial yoga . Shyam and Mira learnt yoga from Iyengar from an early age. Shyam states that yoga has given him determination and the ability to concentrate on office work. Mira had a scoliosis which she gradually overcame with yoga, eventually becoming a full-time yoga teacher. Silva ran the first yoga teacher training program approved by
810-499: The parts of the Yoga the Iyengar Way text being discussed. Iyengar Yoga Iyengar Yoga , named after and developed by B. K. S. Iyengar , and described in his bestselling 1966 book Light on Yoga , is a form of yoga as exercise that has an emphasis on detail, precision and alignment in the performance of yoga postures ( asanas ). The style often makes use of props , such as belts, blocks, and blankets, as aids in performing
840-403: The philosophy of yoga, the surrender of the self including meditation , and recommended courses of asanas for different conditions. The book presents the asanas with a combination of a brief text and photographs of Mira and Shyam on a single page or a double-page spread. The book has been well received by critics, who have called it "an influential classic textbook"; its publisher describes it as
870-546: The references to Patanjali, Iyengar did not ask students to adopt any set of beliefs. She describes Iyengar as trying to "teach an embodied experience of concentration and unity of body, breath, mind and soul", focussing on "asana while teaching a method accessing all the different aspects of yoga within this single limb." Unitard Unitards are worn by acrobats , gymnasts , dancers , equestrian vaulters , athletes , circus performers, as well as others who require overall body coverage without impeding flexibility. It
900-506: The violinist Yehudi Menuhin , whom he met in 1952; Menuhin's fame helped to propel Iyengar Yoga as a brand in the Western world. A landmark was the publication of Iyengar's bestselling book Light on Yoga in 1966, describing over 200 asanas in "unprecedented" detail. The yoga scholar Andrea Jain called the book "arguably the most significant event in the process of elaborating the [Iyengar Yoga] brand". Jain and others have noted that
#371628