Life Sketch by Richard Jonas

“I HAVE SHOWN YOU ALL THESE THINGS…”

B.K.S. IYENGAR, 1918–2014

By Richard Jonas

Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar led a larger-than-life life.

His legacy is perhaps even more epic.

Sri Iyengar is credited with bringing the ancient art of yoga into the modern world. His demonstrations and teachings planted the seed for the phenomenal flowering of yoga in the West over the past half-century, winning innumerable followers around the world—including in India, where yoga began.

Universally acknowledged as the world’s greatest yoga teacher and most knowledgeable and respected practitioner, he was called the “Michelangelo of yoga,” the “king of yogis,” and the “lion of Pune.” He was included in Time magazine’s global list of the world’s 100 most influential people and—only the most recent of his scores of honors—received the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian award.

The yoga method he refined for eight decades became one of the world’s most widely practiced, with Iyengar Yoga institutes and associations, teachers, and students in more than 75 countries. Mr. Iyengar trained generations of teachers, including his children, Dr. Geeta S. Iyengar and Prashant S. Iyengar, and his granddaughter, Abhijata Sridhar-Iyengar—now the primary teachers of the method. Four other daughters survive him: Sunita Iyengar Parthasarathy, also a teacher, and Vanita Sridharan, Suchita Sridhar, and Savita Raghu, as well as five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

In time, Mr. Iyengar stood at the apex of a rigorous system of teacher training, assessment, and certification that promises Iyengar Yoga students around the world a yoga experience that is safe, progressive, and transformative. His seminal work Light on Yoga, first published in 1966 and continually in print since, remains the classic guide to yoga, the “bible” for teachers and students of all methods. Hailed by critics as “the best book in English on hatha yoga” and “a superb volume, unlikely to be superseded,” it has been translated into 17 languages and more than 3 million copies have been sold.

His 2005 international bestseller Light on Life summed up a lifetime of teaching and practice, guiding readers on the journey to wholeness, inner peace, and ultimate freedom. The Light on Life book tour brought Mr. Iyengar—fondly called “Guruji” by his students—to the United States for the first time in 12 years, for appearances in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and San Francisco. He also led the Yoga Journal International Yoga Conference in Estes Park, Colorado.

Well into his 95th year, Mr. Iyengar continued to teach around the world. Groundbreaking journeys to Russia, where he taught in Moscow in 2009, and to China, in Guangzhou in 2011, sparked the burgeoning interest in yoga in those countries. He continued to publish: His most recent work, Core of the Yoga Sutras, came out in 2012. And until shortly before his final illness, each morning he reaffirmed his lifelong commitment to yoga with his awe-inspiring personal practice, observed by admiring students. As recently as February, that practice included long, freestanding Salamba Sirsasanas.

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, with commemorative ceremonies following around the world.

Mr. Iyengar pioneered countless innovative ideas during his 80 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. 1937 — Joins the Krishnamacharya, the noted Deccan Gymkhana yoga scholar, initiates Iyengar in Pune as a yoga into the practice instructor 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

1923 — Iyengar family migrates to Bangalore

1927 — Iyengar’s father dies 1935 — Begins teaching in Hubli and Dharwar 1943 — Marries Shrimati Ramamani 1954 — Travels to Europe for the first time to spread the art and science of yoga

is for everyone. With this in mind, he developed and refined the use of a complete array of yoga props including ropes, belts, and blocks. These allow practitioners of all ages and fitness levels to achieve correct alignment, a deeper penetration into the posture, and a longer stay. Students are enabled to experience “meditation in action,” one of Iyengar Yoga’s most important concepts.

Guruji’s unique perspective was that the yoga asanas and pranayama could be a template to explore and experience each of the other limbs of Astanga Yoga, even those of the innermost journey.

Refuting the notion that Iyengar Yoga’s emphasis on strict alignment of each part of the body in each pose made it a more physical and less spiritual form of yoga, Mr. Iyengar famously said, “How can you know God if you don’t know your big toe?” Another often-repeated statement attested to his deep piety: “My asanas and my pranayamas are my prayers.”

In his early days of practice, working 10 hours a day and more, Mr. Iyengar mastered each of the yoga asanas; then he went further, exploring how each pose could be performed by people with different body types and with various limitations. His fiery teaching, strong verbal commands, and dynamic adjustments propelled students to new levels of physical effort and deep inner penetration. In the medical class in Pune, Mr. Iyengar and his family devised sequences of yoga to treat alcoholism and drug addiction, anorexia, depression and anxiety, high and low blood pressure, cardiac problems, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, arthritis, and many more of life’s afflictions.

“Iyengar” is acknowledged in the Oxford English Dictionary as “Noun: A type of Hatha yoga focusing on the correct alignment of the body, making use of straps, wooden blocks, and other objects as aids in achieving the correct postures. Origin: Named after B.K.S. Iyengar, the Indian yoga teacher who devised this method.” For residents of Bellur, the definition following the name B.K.S. Iyengar might well be “benefactor.”

He led a transformation of his ancestral village, building a free hospital; water-treatment facilities; India’s first temple dedicated to Sage Patanjali; a free school that supplies uniforms, books, and a hot lunch to the children of Bellur and surrounding villages; a secondary school; and a college.

It was in Bellur, in the Kolar District of Karnataka, that the glorious life story of Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar had its humble beginning.

There he was born, into a large family and a poor one, on Dec. 14, 1918. The 11th of 13 children, he suffered typhoid and tuberculosis among other childhood illnesses. The family migrated to Bangalore in 1923, and his father died in 1927.

At 15, Sri Iyengar went to Mysore to help care for his sister’s children. His brother-in-law T. Krishnamacharya (1888–1989), the noted yoga scholar, initiated him into the practice. Though weak and sickly, the young Iyengar immersed himself in yoga. Called upon to demonstrate difficult asanas, he suffered tortured nerves and bruised muscles but gained strength, health, and mastery of yoga. Though he had to discontinue school at graduation level, he received a diploma in yoga from Sri Krishnamacharya.

He began teaching in Hubli and Dharwar in 1935. He joined the Deccan Gymkhana in Pune as a yoga instructor in 1937, then began teaching privately. In 1943, he married Shrimati Ramamani.

As his reputation grew, more students sought his help, including Sri J. Krishnamurti, who described him as the best teacher; their association lasted two decades. Swami Shivananda of Rishikesh granted him the title Yogi Raja. Distinguished pupils included Indian national leaders and, in 1952, celebrated violinist Yehudi Menuhin, who described Sri Iyengar as “my guru in yoga” and “my best violin teacher.”

1966 — Light on Yoga is first published 1971 — Introduces yoga to the U.K. at the London Educational Auditorium

1973 — Foundation stone of the 1981 — Light yoga institute in Pune is laid; three on Pranayama days later Mr. Iyengar’s wife dies is published suddenly and the new institute, the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI), is named in her honor 1984 — Demonstration at the first International Iyengar Yoga Convention in San Francisco

1985 — The Art of Yoga is published 1988 — The Tree of Yoga is published

Menuhin, who wrote the introduction to Light on Yoga, was eager to introduce to the West the teacher who had helped him overcome his health problems. Two years later, Mr. Iyengar traveled to Europe, the first of scores of journeys that spread the art and science of yoga to all corners of the world. In 1954, he began teaching in Bombay.

During his first visit to the United States in 1956, he taught Mrs. William Harkness and her family and gave several lecturedemonstrations. Photos appeared in Life magazine. During a thrilling demonstration in 1973 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he began with Tadasana, then moved through every pose in Light on Yoga. His 1976 demonstration at Haverford College inspired the creation of the monumental sculpture, “After Iyengar.” “It was absolutely the most incredible physical and mental expression I’ve ever witnessed,” said the sculptor, Robert Engman. Other notable demonstrations highlighted the International Iyengar Yoga Convention in San Francisco in 1984—the first devoted to yoga of any method—and the North American Yoga Convention at Harvard University in 1987. Regular yoga conventions, and now regional conferences, have met in the U.S. every few years since; Guruji taught personally in San Diego in 1990, in Ann Arbor in 1993, and in Estes Park in 2005.

Mr. Iyengar introduced yoga to the U.K. at the London Educational Auditorium in 1971. He returned to inaugurate London’s Iyengar Yoga Institute. Iyengar Yoga continues to flourish throughout England and Europe.

Just three days after the foundation stone of the yoga institute in Pune was laid in 1973, Mr. Iyengar’s wife died suddenly. The Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) was named in her honor. For four decades, it has been the foremost seat of yogic learning and a pilgrimage center for students and teachers from around the world. Light on Pranayama, Mr. Iyengar’s second book, was published in 1981, and a third, The Art of Yoga, in 1985. The Tree of Yoga appeared in 1988 and Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali in 1993. The “Light on…” series also includes Light on Astanga Yoga, published in 1999.

Additional publications by Mr. Iyengar include Body the Shrine, Yoga Thy Light, published in 1978 by the Yoga Research Trust; 70 Glorious Years of Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar, 1990; Iyengar: His Life and Work, 1991, and The Art of Yoga, 1993. On his 82nd birthday, the first of the eight-volume Astadala Yogamala was released; other volumes followed every few years. Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health was published in 2001, Yoga Wisdom and Practice in 2009, and Yaugika Manas in 2010. Yog Sarvansathi was published in 2001 in the Marathi language.

Mr. Iyengar’s birthday celebrations highlighted his ongoing mastery of yoga and the dedication of his students. In 1993, during his 75th birthday year, he conducted mega-classes at the U.S. convention in Ann Arbor as well as in Canada, Bombay, Bangalore, and London, with a special intensive for teachers in Panchgani. The Light on Yoga Research Trust celebrated Guruji’s 80th birthday with a 10-day festival near Pune. During the celebrations, the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, headquartered in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, honored him as Arsa-Kula-Sresthah for introducing yoga to the world, using innovative teaching methods without compromising its classical form. Similar celebrations marked his 85th, 90th, and 95th birthdays.

Over the years, Mr. Iyengar’s honors multiplied. They include honorary doctorates from the Medicina Alternativa Institute, affiliated with the Open International University for Complementary Medicine; the University of Mysore; the Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune; the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka; the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusadhana Samsthanam, Deemed University; and the University of Pennsylvania. The Mattel Children’s Hospital

recognized him for his work in relieving pain. He received the Padma Shri award in 1991 from the government of India. The Padma Bhushan followed in 2002. The prestigious Padma Vibhushan was presented in March 2014 in New Delhi at one of Mr. Iyengar’s last public appearances.

1991 — Receives the Padma Shri award from the government of India 1993 — Teaches megaclasses at the U.S. convention in Ann Arbor 2004 — Included in Time magazine’s global list of the world’s 100 most influential people 2009 — Teaches in Moscow at the age of 91

1993 — Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is published 2002 — Receives the Padma Bhushan award 2005 — Light on Life is published; Guruji teaches in Estes Park, CO 2011 — Meets His Holiness the Dalai Lama for a discussion moderated by Sri Rajiv Mehrotra

When Indian Prime Minister Sri Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited RIMYI in its silver jubilee year, in 1999, he was shown a demonstration of yoga asanas and Mr. Iyengar explained the development of yoga therapy and the use of props. Also that year Mr. Iyengar was named Man of the Year by the American Biographical Institute.

A 2008 story named him one of India’s “Influentials” and an “ageless wonder,” adding: “If the world does pranayama today, the credit goes to him… His long life is proof of the restorative effects of yoga.” The Times of India included Mr. Iyengar in its 2012 list of the greatest men of India after Mahatma Gandhi. In 2013, he received the Mother Teresa Sadbhavana Award for outstanding achievements in yoga from the Indian Solidarity Council.

Guruji met His Holiness the Dalai Lama for a 2011 discussion moderated by Sri Rajiv Mehrotra; the DVD Path to Happiness records the historic occasion.

Sri Iyengar was included in many national and international lists of achievers, including the International Directory of Distinguished Leadership, 500 Leaders of Influence of the Twentieth Century, the Dictionary of International Biography, 2000 Outstanding People of the Twentieth Century, and the Who’s Who of International Authors.

Many films have chronicled Mr. Iyengar’s life in yoga, from the widely seen silent demonstration of 1938 to the Film and Television Institute of India’s Samadhi: Ultimate Freedom, a 59-minute demonstration filmed in Ann Arbor in 1976. Other films include Guruji, from 1985, which depicted his heroic struggle to success; Leap of Faith, released on his 90th birthday; Sculpting Human Kind; and Atma Darshana, produced for the 2004 U.S. convention. Filmed demonstrations and lectures, master classes, and interviews help preserve his legacy. A new film, Sadhaka: The Yoga of B.K.S. Iyengar, directed by Jake Clennell with Senior Teacher Lindsey Clennell as executive producer, draws on unprecedented access to the Iyengars; it is now in post-production.

Obituaries recounting Mr. Iyengar’s lifetime achievements and worldwide impact appeared on the front pages of major newspapers including The Times of India and The New York Times, and media and social media brought new attention to Mr. Iyengar and the method that bears his name.

Throughout the world, Iyengar Yoga continues to grow and prosper. Transcending nationality, race, religion, gender, and caste, it brings the benefits of yoga to people of all ages and physical capabilities. Hundreds of Iyengar Yoga institutes and studios train students and teachers in India (with centers in cities including Bangalore, Bombay, Delhi, Madras, Dehra Dun, and Rishikesh), the United States, and Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, lsrael, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Latvia, Lesotho, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, and Slovenia, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Zimbabwe.

Speaking to his granddaughter Abhijata on the day before he died, Mr. Iyengar said: “I have shown you all these things, now realize them for yourself.” Our Guruji is gone. His light remains, to guide us on the path forward.

Richard Jonas (Introductory II) is on the faculty of the Iyengar Yoga Institute of New York and is a former IYNAUS vice president. He was a film reviewer and wrote TV commercials before becoming a full-time Iyengar Yoga teacher in 2001.

2011 — Teaches in Guangzhou, China, at the age of 93

2012 — Core of the Yoga Sutras is published 2014 — Receives the prestigious Padma Vibhushan in March in New Delhi—one of his last public appearances

2014 — B.K.S. Iyengar dies on Aug. 20 at the age of 95