India, the land of Yoga has given the world the Yogic guru. He is none other than Mr. B. K. S. Iyengar. B.K.S. Iyengar is one of the foremost teachers of Yoga in the world and has been practicing and teaching for over 60 years. Millions of students now follow his method and there are Iyengar yoga centers all over the world. He has written many books on yogic practice and its philosophy including "Light on Yoga", "Light on Pranayama", "Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali" and many more.

B. K. S. Iyengar

    Mr. Iyengar was born in 1918 in a big poor family in the village of Bellur in Karnataka, under very difficult circumstances. His mother gave birth to him during an influenza epidemic, leaving him sick, and weak. His father died when he was only nine-year-old. As a result, he was sent to live with his brother in Bangalore. In his childhood he suffered from malaria, tuberculosis and typhoid, together with malnutrition.

    At the age of 15, Mr. Iyengar was invited to Mysore to stay with his eldest sister by her husband, the scholar and yogi, Sri. T. Krishnamacharya. Krishnamacharya conducted a yoga school in the palace of his patron, the Maharaja of Mysore. It was here that Mr. Iyengar eventually received some basic instruction in asana practice to improve his health. His diligence in practice gradually paid off as he mastered some of the postures that improved his health condition.

    Then in 1937, Mr. Iyengar was asked by his Guru to go to Pune to teach yoga. In Pune, life was still very difficult. He was a strange there with weak language skills, speaking only a little English as well as the local language, Marathi. As he had not completed his education, he had to continue to make his living by teaching yoga. Moreover, as he had little experience or theoretical knowledge, he decided to practice with determination and learn by trial and error.

    In the beginning, his students showed keen interest so he would dedicate many hours a day to practice, sometimes surviving for days together with only water and perhaps some loaf of bread or rice. This was also a difficult time as he would suffer great pains through incorrect technique. He often had to place heavy weights on his body to relieve the aches. However, through determination he gradually began to understand the techniques of each posture and their effects. The number of his students also began to increase, though financially times were still incredibly hard as yoga was not greatly respected or understood, even in India in those days.

Then in 1943, his brothers arranged his marriage to Ramamani. Initially, life continued to be very hard for them, but bit-by-bit they worked their way out of poverty. They agreed that she would take care of the family while he provided the income. Strangely it also fell upon her to introduce the subject of yoga to her children for some time.

    Gradually, Mr. Iyengar's recognition as a yoga teacher grew but it was a meeting with violinist Yehudi Menuhin in 1952, which led to Mr. Iyengar's eventual international recognition. It was Yehudi Menuhin who arranged for Mr. Iyengar to teach abroad in London, Switzerland, Paris and elsewhere. Though physically quite capable of continuing, he felt it was time to "let the next generation come through" and did not want to become attached to his position there. Classes still conducted regularly which are hugely popular and oversubscribed and are conducted by Geeta, Prashant and other senior teachers.

    B.K.S. Iyengar is now over 85 years old and still remains unsurpassed in his practice and teaching. YOGA-the very word is Sanskrit. An lndian origin spiritual and ascetic discipline of simple meditation, mind and breath control, which allow free flow of blood all over the body, and thereby prevent paralysis.

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