Iyengar

What it is

   Purist yoga named after founder B.K.S. Iyengar. Props like blocks, straps, harnesses, and incline boards are used to get you more perfectly into positions and have earned the style its nickname, "furniture yoga." Appropriate for all ages and abilities, Iyengar yoga is all about precise alignment and deliberate sequencing. (Don't take that to  mean easy.) 

 

Best For   Learning the fundamentals, which builds a superior foundation for other styles. Plus it systematically works every part of your body, giving you great muscle definition, not mass.

Who's gotta have it   Patient perfectionists. Detail-oriented folks who want to do it right rather than just do it will get the most from it, says Roger Cole, Ph.D., a certified Iyengar teacher in Del Mar, California.

Need to know    If you're straining to reach the floor, use one of those foam or wooden blocks to meet your hand halfway. And remember, there's no shame in this. Also, keep in mind that Iyengar teachers are sticklers for alignment and like you to wear fitted clothing so they can check your form.

Trends and trivia   Iyengar can take credit for Andie McDowell's rocking 50-year-old figure and Light on Yoga, the 1966 bible of the discipline.