Who Was BKS Iyengar?
Iyengar is not a word that rolls off the tongue (pronounced ai-yeng-gah), but is the name given for a style of yoga practised in the West. It is named after a man who, first and foremost, devoted his life to the practice of hatha yoga, a postural based style of yoga that has become so popular in the West. Indeed, it was largely due to Mr Iyengar’s efforts, through extensive demonstrations and teachings throughout the world, that the seed was planted for the phenomenal flowering of yoga in the West over the past thirty years. Here we take a look at the life of BKS Iyengar and why he was and is still considered one of the most reputable practitioners and teachers of yoga worldwide.
(Although Iyengar is renowned for introducing the use of props to make the practice of yoga accessible to anybody, no matter how old, stiff or sickly, he was in fact a harsh taskmaster who demanded high standards of effort and exactitude and utmost loyalty. While his surname was common knowledge there was often mystery surrounding the three initials that preceded - BKS - some joking that they stood for Bang Kick Slap, or Both Knees Straight!)
His Early Life
Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar was born on 14th December 1918, the 11th of 13 children (10 of whom survived), into a poor family during the midst of the Spanish flu pandemic. He was afflicted with this disease, along with other maladies such as malaria, typhoid, tuberculosis and general malnutrition, which resulted in him being sickly and weak as a child. 'I was a sickly child with thin arms and legs, a protruding stomach and a top-heavy head. My appearance was not prepossessing and my physical weakness caused me despair. No one could guide me to health. I was a burden to myself and to my family. My condition deteriorated and suspected tuberculosis of the lungs brought me almost to the point of death.’
At the age of 15 he was introduced to the subject of yoga by his brother-in-law, another famous yogi, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, in order to help improve his health. He only spent a short time with his guru in Mysore and his apprenticeship was rigorous, uncompromising and fierce. Their relationship was troubled due to Krishnamacharya’s contemptuous attitude and severe teaching style. 'In my two years in Mysore…..my Guru hardly encouraged me nor did he explain to me either the principles or the more subtle points of Yoga. In two years he did not teach me for more than forty days and never showed me how to get rid of the excruciating pains I had to endure. On the contrary he was frighteningly fearful.’ Despite this those few years were to prove pivotal in his life direction and teaching method.
At eighteen he was sent to Pune to spread the word of yoga, and although immature and ill-prepared, he worked hard in his practice in order to learn, and teach, and earn a livelihood: 'My hard practice caused agony to my body, nerves, mind and to my very soul. I was tossed from one side to the other sometimes, as my body and mind alternately refused to co-operate. My spirit oscillated. My energies were sapped and physical and mental fatigue came on. If I did not try, the self within grew restless; if I tried, failure brought on dejection. Very often exhaustion brought me to the point of collapse. I could neither eat nor drink with comfort. Sleep was almost impossible as both my body and mind were restless with pain and failure. I continued this way for years. When circumstances forced me to live on my own, I sometimes had to go without food for days. Often I lived only on a cup of tea and an inner flame that made me persist in my daily practice. As I had no guide I made enormous mistakes, but I learnt discrimination from observing my own errors. My body grew in strength, but though I started with the practice of Yoga in 1934, it was only in 1946 that an inborn interest arose in me.’
Family Man
Despite his dedication to the subject he refused to become a renunciate and live a secluded lifestyle. In fact, despite Pune becoming a polluted and congested metropolis over the years, he stayed there his whole life and ran his Institute at the front of their family home. He was determined to remain an ordinary householder: 'I set off in yoga…..when ridicule, rejection, and outright condemnation were the lot of a seeker through yoga even in its native land of India. Indeed If I had become a sadhu, a mendicant holy man, wandering the great trunk roads of British India, begging bowl in hand, I would have met with less derision and won more respect. At one time I was asked to become a sannyasin and renounce the world, but I declined. I wanted to live as an ordinary householder with all the trials and tribulations of life and to take my yoga practice to average people who share with me the common life of work, marriage and children.' In 1943 he married Ramamani Iyengar. Together they had 6 children, including Geeta and Prashant, who would follow in his footsteps and become renowned teachers in their own right, carrying forward the mantle of Iyengar yoga. Unfortunately, his wife died at the early age of 46 in 1973. He named his Institute, which was opened in 1975, in her memory - Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, or RIMYI.
Evolving Practice & Recognition
In the early years of his practice, and from the guidance of his teacher, Iyengar would perform a flow (vinyasa) sequence between his poses, with short holds. Over time he realised that such a practice could not penetrate deeply. So Iyengar began to slow down his practice to explore every aspect of each asana and increase time spent in it. This was the beginning of a comprehensive investigation that would lead to a wide-ranging transformation of the subject. 'Jumpings only warm your body. The inner body becomes slightly vibrant. Beyond that, they do not guide you. You have to stay in a pose when the body and the mind are warm. When the mind is warm then you can reflect on the pose you are practising. In that reflection, you re-think and in that rethinking you learn corrections. When you learn corrections, you come to precision. In olden days, this precision was called ‘divine’. We have to learn to understand each and every asana to such an extent that there is a balance between the intellectual and physical aspects of our practice.’
Aside from revelations revealed from long hours of dedication to his practice Iyengar was also starting to attract international recognition. In 1952 Iyengar met the violinist Yehudi Menuhin. This meeting ended up being the catalyst that transformed Iyengar from being an obscure Indian yoga teacher to becoming an international guru. Because Iyengar had taught the famous philosopher Krishnamurti, he was asked to go to Bombay to meet Menuhin, who was known to be interested in yoga. Menuhin mentioned he was very tired and could spare only five minutes. Iyengar told him to lie down in savasana (corpse pose), and he fell asleep. After one hour, Menuhin awoke refreshed and spent another two hours with Iyengar. Menuhin came to believe that practising yoga improved his playing, and in 1954 invited Iyengar to Switzerland. This was the start of scores of trips to all corners of the world where his demonstrations and teaching progressively became more and more well-received.
Light On Yoga
In 1966 Iyengar published Light On Yoga which contains a detailed account of the various limbs of yoga, and simple and clear instructions on how to do more than 200 postures. Of even more value are the photographs of BKS Iyengar expertly presenting each one of these postures often in various stages leading towards the final asana, and photographed from various angles. It was considered groundbreaking at the time and became known as the ‘bible of yoga’. Even to this day remains the classic guide to yoga and is considered the ultimate reference book on asana practice. It has been translated into 17 languages and more than three million copies have been sold.
Development Of Props
One of the most distinguishable attributes of Iyengar yoga is its use of a wide range of props. While Iyengar started using props in the early days for himself by putting stones on his legs that were stiff from numerous cycle trips throughout Pune each day to give his classes, mostly he was strong enough and his classes were small enough for him to use his own body as a prop for his students. Over time he began to use them on students with medical problems or those that were not able to do the poses or to stay long enough in them to experience the beneficial effects. As he himself aged and his classes started to get bigger, and after suffering a serious spinal injury from a motor scooter accident in 1979, his invention of and use of props became more wide-ranging. Whereas initially they were used for people who were sickly or stiff, their sophistication and benefit for penetrating the body more deeply and awakening intelligence in dull areas of the body became more apparent.
Therapeutic Yoga
The development of props, combined with the knowledge he gained over many years of dedicated and sincere practice, and an inherent insight he had into the human condition, made him a master of yoga for therapeutic purposes. He ran medical classes at the Institute where treatment of diseases and ailments ranging from Parkinson’s disease, cardiac problems, polio, scoliosis, spinal & disc injuries, depression, etc. were handled by Guruji himself en masse. 'Guruji had this unique ability to “see the circuits”within our body. He indeed had X-ray or should I say MRI vision. By looking at the arms and legs, the elbows and the knees—he could assess how the bones, the ligaments, the tendons and cartilage were placed: which side was overworked and which side was under-worked. By looking at the shoes of a person, he was able to diagnose the part of the spine that was affected. And, after this diagnosis, which happened in milliseconds, he would immediately start on the correction. He corrected with his own hands, his head, his legs and then used the help from his students. I don’t think anybody has used Yoga effectively as a therapy before him. This entire speciality of Yoga therapy has emerged from Guruji’s observation and skills. At that time, we were just mesmerised by his ability. But, today I wonder how much he must have studied the human body in the different asanas to be able to work so quickly and efficiently.’
Intense And Inspirational
Throughout his life as a yoga practitioner and teacher Iyengar received a multitude of honours, doctorates and awards, as well as being the subject of numerous filmed tributes. Despite this he was always found in the practice hall of his Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, where he continued to practice daily and, surrounded by his students, to teach and guide. It was here that perhaps he left his most marked impressions as the following quotes from students attest:
'He created an intense atmosphere that demanded every moment of my attention and focus. We had no time to think about anything other than what he was saying and wanting us to do. It was scary yet exhilarating at the same time. I was amazed at his ability to communicate what he wanted even when he didn’t have the language. He was mercurial in his ability to notice what was happening and to change how he was expressing himself until all could understand.He was fascinating. He was the best teacher I had ever experienced in his ability to communicate with his class. I was hooked.’
'He taught what was supposed to be a 2 hour class. Well, it went for 4+ hours and I had never seen anything like it in my life. I have a college degree and I had never seen anyone teach like that man. I had never seen anyone that could command a room like that. I’d never seen anyone with the kind of understanding and control of the human condition and I knew it right away. The big change for me was the day I was in front of that man watching him conduct a class. Nothing has been more profound since. His belief in the subject and his ability to get people moving was really something. No one could do that like him. That is the problem with people trying to describe him. It is easy to describe that he slapped me or he adjusted me here, but the charisma that he had in his communication and the command that he had in the room is difficult to explain.’
'It was electrical going into that first class. He was head and shoulders above what I understood at that moment what humans could be. He pulled the group in, he worked it. He had an extraordinary authority, he had an extraordinary way of understanding of how to work with us. We were held and we were with him entirely. We were held in his hand and we worked, at whatever level we were at. I understood I was starting to walk on a pathway. This man was teaching me and I felt like bits and pieces of myself were coming together.’
'In his classes, no matter if he was teaching or practising, we had no other choice than to give the best of ourselves. Guruji had an energy that was possible to feel, but impossible to describe. As soon as he left the room the energy level was different. It was as if he had his eyes directly on each one of us the whole time. Practising with him, or talking with him, I felt like I had no secrets—he could even see my thoughts. His practice, his tapas, his love for Yoga brought him to a different level that affected each of us. With him, it was possible to go beyond your boundaries. This was Guruji for me.'
BKS Iyengar passed away on 20th August 2014 at the age of 96.
Experience a class taught in the tradition of BKS Iyengar - all classes can be attended in-person or online.
James Hasemer
James Hasemer is the Founder and Director of Central Yoga School and a Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher, Assessor, and Moderator. He is also currently a Teacher Director on the Iyengar Yoga Australia Board
References
[1] Iyengar His Life and Works BKS Iyengar et al.
[2] Guruji BKS Iyengar and RIMYI in the ’70s Julia Pedersen
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._K._S._Iyengar
[4] https://iymv.org/how-yoga-transformed-me-by-bks-iyengar/
[5] https://iymv.org/iyengar-yoga-london-bks-iyengar/
[6] https://iymv.org/bks-iyengars-speech-at-opening-of-maida-vale-institute-november-1997/
[7] https://www.yoga-props.eu/Iyengar-Props:_:35.html