The Indian Tradition and B.K.S. Iyengar
In The Yoga Sutras, Patanjali described eight steps towards spiritual fulfillment. Iyengar Yoga guides students along this journey of Astanga Yoga in a way that’s practical, experiential, and intensely personal.
Yoga is quieting the mind so that the consciousness becomes pure and the true Self shines through. Once this happens, a union with cosmic consciousness is possible. In Iyengar Yoga, this search for union begins with ongoing practice of the yoga postures. We use the postures to penetrate beyond the physical layers (kosas) to the inner layers of mind, energy, and spirit.
In B.K.S. Iyengar’s unique perspective, the yoga asanas and Pranayama (control of the breath) allow us to explore the higher limbs of yoga, including true meditation and even Samadhi, the complete freedom that is the end of the yogic journey. Pauline is firmly grounded in this perspective.
About B.K.S. Iyengar
Called the “Michelangelo of yoga” and the “king of yogis,” named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people, B.K.S. Iyengar is universally acknowledged as the world’s greatest yoga teacher.
Yogacharya (yoga master) Iyengar brought yoga to the west with his pioneering teaching in the 1960s and 70s, the beginning of today’s explosive growth in yoga. His Light on Yoga, called “the Bible of yoga,” has been the source book for generations of yoga students. His most recent books are Light on Life, and Yoga Wisdom and Practice.
Mr. Iyengar pioneered the invention and use of yoga props. Now ubiquitous in yoga studios of all styles, yoga props revolutionized the art. Certified Iyengar Yoga instructors modify yoga postures to the needs of specific students, using blocks, blankets, belts, and other props. These props allow for a deeper penetration into the postures, a longer stay, and a more profound experience.
Mr. Iyengar also revolutionized yoga therapeutics, gaining recognition for yoga as a treatment for injuries and serious medical conditions. He also developed sequences of postures appropriate women in pregnancy, menstruation, and menopause.
B.K.S. Iyengar has been steadily practicing for over 75 years. Having turned 90 in December of 2008, Mr. Iyengar today continues his daily yoga practice at the Ramamani Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune, India. There too his daughter, Geeta S. Iyengar, and son, Prashant S. Iyengar, and granddaughter, Abijata Iyengar, carry on his work as the chief teachers of this method. Geeta-ji is the author of Yoga: A Gem for Women, the pioneering work on yoga for every stage of a woman’s life. Prashnt-ji has also written extensively about yoga.