What happens if you start again at the base? In the back of Light on Yoga there is an exercise program designed by BKS Iyengar, in which he takes you step by step through the āsanas from the book.

This course year, Course I from Appendix I of Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar takes center stage. The original course lasts 30 weeks. During this edition of the In-depth course you will also practice the program at home for thirty weeks. During the course days we delve into the postures that are introduced in the different phases and connect them with themes from yoga philosophy and practical anatomy.

Repetition and regular return to the same āsanas provides depth. You get the time to really get to know and understand the postures. The course days and your own practice at home reinforce each other: in class you research and refine, and at home you put what you have learned into practice.

4 oktober 2026 – Hiske | Book day 1

Beginning with the Basics · Sādhana & Abhyāsa

The course begins with the basic āsanas from the first weeks of Course I. How does B.K.S. Iyengar build the practice step by step in Light on Yoga?

We also explore the meaning of sādhana and abhyāsa, and the difference between the two. What does regular and dedicated practice ask of us? What attitude towards practice helps us move forward, and how does our practice change over time?

Read: Yoga Sūtra’s I.13–14

Practice: week 1-4

7-8 november 2026 – Nanda | Book day 2 | Book day 3

Non-Violence and Truthfulness · Ahiṃsā & Satya

Ahiṃsā and satya, non-violence and truthfulness, are familiar concepts from yogic philosophy. What do they mean in practice? As āsana and prāṇāyāma become more refined, these qualities can develop as well: not as goals in themselves, but as something that can emerge from the practice.

As we work through the following weeks of Course I, new āsanas are introduced, while returning to familiar poses creates space for refinement and deeper understanding.

Read: Yoga Sūtras II.30–31, II.35–36

Practice: week 5-8

28-29 november 2026 – Kerry | Book day 4 | Book day 5

Stability and Ease · Sthira–Sukha

The āsanas in Course I gradually become more extensive, requiring increasing attention to the quality of practice. Sthira and sukha, stability and ease, take on an increasingly precise meaning.

A stable and friendly relationship with the mind is essential for finding stability and ease in āsana. The foundations of dhāraṇā, concentration, are introduced, along with a simple seated practice for home. The Yoga Sūtras describe different aspects of the nature and movements of the mind, offering a framework for understanding our own experience on the mat.

Read: Yoga Sūtras I.2–I.4, II.46

Practice: week 9-13

16-17 januari 2027 – Kristien | Book day 6 | Book day 7

Working with Pain and Injury · Heyam duḥkham anāgatam

At this stage of Course I, the connections between different āsanas become clearer. The longer sequences also call for an intelligent approach to effort, limitations and recovery.

Heyam duḥkham anāgatam points to the possibility of preventing future suffering. What does this principle mean for daily practice? Pain, difficulties and injuries provide an opportunity to look more closely at what the body needs. Practical questions, troubleshooting and space for questions arising from your own practice are central to this weekend.

Read: Yoga Sūtra II.16

Practice: week 14-15

13-14 februari 2027 – Hiske | Book day 8 | Book day 9

Yoga in Action · Kriyā Yoga

As āsanas are practised repeatedly and in different combinations, they take on increasing meaning within the practice as a whole. Prāṇāyāma also becomes part of the practice.

Tapas, svādhyāya and īśvara-praṇidhāna together form Kriyā Yoga. Regular practice can make patterns visible while also setting something in motion. What happens when practice is not only an exercise, but also a means of inquiry and transformation?

Read: Yoga Sūtra II.1

Practice: week 16-18

20-21 maart 2027 – Nanda | Book day 10 | Book day 11

Patterns and conditioning · Saṃskāra & Vāsanā

The Course I sequences become increasingly rich, and familiar āsanas return in a broader context. This repetition brings subtle differences to light: in the body, in the breath and in the way the mind responds.

Why are we naturally drawn towards what feels pleasant and repelled by what feels unpleasant? Saṃskāras and vāsanās refer to patterns and conditioning that influence our thoughts and actions. Preferences, resistance and uncertainty also become visible during āsana and prāṇāyāma. Practice offers an opportunity to recognise these patterns without automatically acting on them.
Reading: Yoga Sūtras II.10–15

Read: Yoga Sūtra’s II.10-15

Practice: week 19-21

17-18 april 2027 – Kerry | Book day 12 | Book day 13

Less (Effirt) is more (Ease) · Prayatna Śaithilya (YS II.47)

As we go further into Course I, more and more elements of the practice come together. Repetition makes it possible to focus less on performing individual poses and more on the quality and direction of effort.

Prayatna śaithilya, the softening of effort, is the starting point. The philosophy of the kośas, the five layers of our being, offers a way of directing our attention increasingly inward. Sensitivity and discernment can help us use effort more intelligently, until effort and ease no longer seem to be opposites.

Read: Yoga Sūtra II.47

Practice: week 22-25

15-16 mei 2027 – Kristien | Book day 14 | Book day 15

Turning inward · Pratyāhāra

In the final weeks of Course I, the different elements of the practice increasingly come together. A longer and more independent practice takes shape, with more room for personal choices.

Pratyāhāra, the turning inward of the senses, marks the transition towards the more inward aspects of yoga. Breath, attention and stillness play an important role. What changes when our attention becomes less determined by external stimuli?

Read: Yoga Sūtra’s II.54–55

Practice: 26-30

13 juni 2027 – Hiske | Book day 16

Discernment en clarity · Viveka

The final course day brings the year as a whole into focus: thirty weeks of Course I, from the first basic āsanas to a more independent and integrated practice. What has the systematic progression revealed? Which poses have become familiar, and where is there still room for exploration?

Viveka, discernment, means seeing clearly what is actually happening. Through regular practice, our ability to distinguish gradually develops: what works, what does not, what helps and what gets in the way. This clarity supports an independent practice that can continue beyond the course year.

Read: Yoga Sūtra’s II.26–29