“I HAVE SHOWN YOU ALL THESE THINGS…” B.K.S. IYENGAR, 1918–2014 By Richard Jonas
Y
ogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar led a larger-than-life life.
His seminal work Light on Yoga, first published in 1966 and
His legacy is perhaps even more epic.
continually in print since, remains the classic guide to yoga, the “bible” for teachers and students of all methods. Hailed by
Sri Iyengar is credited with bringing the ancient art of
critics as “the best book in English on hatha yoga” and “a superb
yoga into the modern world. His demonstrations and
volume, unlikely to be superseded,” it has been translated into
teachings planted the seed for the phenomenal flowering of
17 languages and more than 3 million copies have been sold.
yoga in the West over the past half-century, winning innumerable followers around the world—including in India,
His 2005 international bestseller Light on Life summed up a
where yoga began.
lifetime of teaching and practice, guiding readers on the journey to wholeness, inner peace, and ultimate freedom. The
Universally acknowledged as the world’s greatest yoga teacher
Light on Life book tour brought Mr. Iyengar—fondly called
and most knowledgeable and respected practitioner, he was
“Guruji” by his students—to the United States for the first time
called the “Michelangelo of yoga,” the “king of yogis,” and the
in 12 years, for appearances in New York, Boston, Washington,
“lion of Pune.” He was included in Time magazine’s global list of
D.C., Los Angeles, and San Francisco. He also led the Yoga Journal
the world’s 100 most influential people and—only the most
International Yoga Conference in Estes Park, Colorado.
recent of his scores of honors—received the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian award.
Well into his 95th year, Mr. Iyengar continued to teach around the world. Groundbreaking journeys to Russia, where he taught
The yoga method he refined for eight decades became one of
in Moscow in 2009, and to China, in Guangzhou in 2011,
the world’s most widely practiced, with Iyengar Yoga institutes
sparked the burgeoning interest in yoga in those countries. He
and associations, teachers, and students in more than 75
continued to publish: His most recent work, Core of the Yoga
countries. Mr. Iyengar trained generations of teachers, including
Sutras, came out in 2012. And until shortly before his final
his children, Dr. Geeta S. Iyengar and Prashant S. Iyengar, and
illness, each morning he reaffirmed his lifelong commitment to
his granddaughter, Abhijata Sridhar-Iyengar—now the primary
yoga with his awe-inspiring personal practice, observed by
teachers of the method. Four other daughters survive him:
admiring students. As recently as February, that practice
Sunita Iyengar Parthasarathy, also a teacher, and Vanita
included long, freestanding Salamba Sirsasanas.
Sridharan, Suchita Sridhar, and Savita Raghu, as well as five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Mr. Iyengar died on Aug. 20, 2014, at the age of 95 in Pune, after a brief illness. A wake and a memorial service were held there,
In time, Mr. Iyengar stood at the apex of a rigorous system of
with commemorative ceremonies following around the world.
teacher training, assessment, and certification that promises Iyengar Yoga students around the world a yoga experience that
Mr. Iyengar pioneered countless innovative ideas during his 80
is safe, progressive, and transformative.
years of teaching; perhaps the most revolutionary is that yoga
1918 — B.K.S. Iyengar is born on Dec. 14 in Bellur, India
1933 — Moves to Mysore to help care for his sister’s children; brother-in-law T. Krishnamacharya, the noted yoga scholar, initiates Iyengar into the practice
1923 — Iyengar family migrates to Bangalore 1927 — Iyengar’s father dies Fall 2014/Winter 2015 Yoga Samachar
1935 — Begins teaching in Hubli and Dharwar
1937 — Joins the Deccan Gymkhana in Pune as a yoga instructor 1943 — Marries Shrimati Ramamani
1952 — Meets celebrated violinist Yehudi Menuhin and becomes his teacher
1956 — First visit to the United States, where he teaches Mrs. William Harkness and her family
1954 — Travels to Europe for the first time to spread the art and science of yoga Begins teaching in Bombay 3
