I read an article recently that described Iyengar yoga as being in search of the "perfect" pose. My first reaction was defensive: That's not true. That's a misunderstanding of Iyengar yoga. The concept of a perfect pose implies a superficial view of the pose as observed from the outside. But let's consider perfection as presented in the yoga sutras. Patanjali says that
"Perfection in asana is achieved when the effort to remain in the pose becomes effortless".
Perfection, then, is the moment when the body - physical, physiological, mental, emotional and deeper - has settled into the pose and I no longer feel I am doing the pose. Rather, there is a sense that the essential me, my deepest, most basic sense of being alive is present and revealed through the pose.
Understood in this context, then yes, as an Iyengar yoga practitioner and teacher, I strive for the perfect pose.
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