Who Was Mr BKS Iyengar? The Man Behind Iyengar Yoga

BKS Iyengar: the short version

A boy who survived serious childhood illnesses became the man TIME magazine named one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2004. Mr BKS Iyengar (1918 to 2014) was an Indian yoga teacher from Bellur who taught in Pune, wrote Light on Yoga, and pioneered props. His style, Iyengar yoga, is the one we teach at Flametree. This note tells his story briefly, explains what “alignment” means in his teaching, and points you to where to learn more.

This note in short form

• Born: 14 December 1918 in Bellur, India, and died in Pune on 20 August 2014, aged 95.
• Known for: Light on Yoga (1966), his teaching in Pune, and the use of props.
• Recognised: named in TIME’s 100 most influential people in 2004.
• Alignment: in his teaching it means more than straight lines, as he told it himself.
• His family: his daughter Geeta Iyengar taught for decades and directed his institute in Pune.
• Next step: try Iyengar yoga in a class, in the studio or LIVE online. Your first class is free if you’re new.

Back to our Iyengar Yoga and Philosophy notes.

Who was Mr BKS Iyengar?

Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar was born on 14 December 1918 in Bellur, India. The Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States says he was the 11th of 13 children and that he overcame poverty and “deadly childhood illnesses”. He died on 20 August 2014 in a hospital in Pune, aged 95, according to a report from public radio’s The World.

Iyengar yoga is the style developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. In the 20th century he did more than anyone to set down traditional Indian yoga, through his books and his teaching, and he pioneered the use of props. It is sometimes called modern classical yoga, and it’s the style we teach at Flametree.

How did he begin teaching?

He began studying yoga at 15 with his brother-in-law, T. Krishnamacharya. Krishnamacharya sent him to teach in Pune in 1937, according to the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States. Sources differ on the year of his first class, with TIME giving 1936, so it is safest to say the mid-1930s.

The violinist Yehudi Menuhin became his student and a lifelong friend. In 1954 Menuhin invited him to teach in Europe, and that opened the way to the West. In 1975 he founded the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) in Pune, named for his wife, Ramamani, who died in 1973.

What is Light on Yoga?

Light on Yoga is his book, first published in 1966, with about 300 pages of instruction and photographs of postures. It has been in print continuously since, according to the same national association. TIME wrote that it introduced yoga to people around the globe.

When TIME named him in its 2004 list, it described his idea that the body should flow into a posture the way light fills a well-cut diamond. That image is a good way into the next question.

What does alignment mean in Iyengar yoga?

Alignment is the arrangement of the body so that each part works in harmony with the rest. In Iyengar yoga it also reaches into the mind. Mr Iyengar’s own summary was short: “Yoga is alignment.”

In an article Flametree shared in 2019, Eyal Shifroni, an Iyengar teacher and author, cites a 1982 interview in which Mr Iyengar said alignment began with the skeleton and muscles and then extended to the mind, the intelligence and consciousness. Shifroni also tells how Mr Iyengar once looked over photographs of his poses and drew lines to show where the body drifted from the line. Shifroni noticed that he was looking for something else as well: grace and harmony in each pose.

Chris tells her own version. In Triangle Pose one day, after weeks of detailed instruction, the pose suddenly came together. She felt her footing, space between her ribs, and stability and openness at once. She says the block under her hand was not making the pose easier. It was teaching her body the correct actions. That is her experience, and it is how alignment is taught in class.

Alignment is a method of teaching and of paying attention. It is not a measured treatment, and we do not claim it is. We cover how the method works in our page on how Iyengar yoga is taught.

Where did the props come from?

Mr Iyengar pioneered props in modern yoga. Eyal Shifroni cites him saying he used to pick up stones and bricks lying on the roads and use them as supports and weight bearers. Iyengar Yoga UK reports that he used everyday things such as chapatti rolling pins, bolsters and house bricks. We tell the whole story in our note on using props in yoga.

What happened after 2014?

His work continues through his institute in Pune, his books and the teachers he trained. His daughter Geeta Iyengar, his eldest child, directed RIMYI and taught for decades. According to an obituary circulated by Iyengar Yoga New Zealand, she died on 16 December 2018. It describes her as the senior-most teacher in the Iyengar community. Our own pages draw on the Iyengar tradition, in notes such as what santosha means and the eight limbs of yoga. If you want the studio’s own take on his teaching, see Iyengar style yoga for everyone.

Who should check first?

This note is history, so there is nothing to check for reading it. If you try Iyengar yoga, talk to your yoga teacher, yoga therapist, and your doctor if you wish, about any injury or health condition, such as high blood pressure that is not under control, glaucoma or a neck problem. Poses can be adapted with props. If you feel pain, numbness or dizziness, come out and rest.

Practise this at Flametree

Your first class is free if you’re new to Flametree. New students, and anyone who has been away three months or more, can also get a half price 10 class pass with 2 extra classes free, to use online, in the studio, or both. We teach in the studio at Woolner in Darwin and LIVE online. For the studio, just come along. For an online class, click the class time you want and we email you the link to join.

• Beginners: see the half price 10 class pass for new and lapsed students
• Not a beginner: see the half price 10 class pass for new and lapsed students
• The timetable, including online classes

Questions people ask about Mr BKS Iyengar

Who was Mr BKS Iyengar?

Mr BKS Iyengar (1918 to 2014) was an Indian yoga teacher who developed Iyengar yoga in Pune, wrote Light on Yoga and pioneered the use of props. TIME named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2004.

When was Mr BKS Iyengar born and when did he die?

He was born on 14 December 1918 in Bellur, India, and died on 20 August 2014 in a hospital in Pune, aged 95. The age follows from those two dates.

What is Light on Yoga?

It is his 1966 book, with about 300 pages of instruction and photographs of postures. It has been in print continuously since 1966, and it introduced yoga to many people around the world.

What does “yoga is alignment” mean?

It means arranging the body so each part works in harmony, and then extending that attention to the mind. Mr Iyengar said alignment began with the skeleton and muscles and went on to the mind and consciousness. Shifroni cites it from a 1982 interview.

Did Mr BKS Iyengar invent yoga props?

He pioneered their use in modern yoga, using everyday items such as bricks, rolling pins and bolsters. Older yogic traditions also used simple props, such as a strap, so the idea was not entirely new.

Who was Geeta Iyengar?

Geeta Iyengar was Mr Iyengar’s daughter, the senior-most teacher in the Iyengar community and a director of his institute in Pune. An obituary circulated by Iyengar Yoga New Zealand says she died on 16 December 2018.

Is Iyengar yoga the same as other styles?

No. Iyengar yoga is known for detailed instruction on alignment, longer holds and the use of props. Chris describes flowing styles as moving more quickly from pose to pose, where in Iyengar classes we slow down to go further.

Where can I learn Iyengar yoga in Darwin?

Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga in the studio at Woolner in Darwin and LIVE online. Your first class is free if you’re new to Flametree.

Flametree Yoga Studio, Darwin NT, teaching Iyengar yoga in the studio and LIVE online. This note is general information, not medical advice.

Sources

• Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States. BKS Iyengar. iynaus.org/bks-iyengar
• Crossan A. Life and legacy of Indian yoga guru BKS Iyengar. The World, 20 August 2014. theworld.org
• Iyengar Yoga UK. Remembering BKS Iyengar (from an article by Sallie Sullivan, Yoga Magazine). iyengaryoga.org.uk/remembering-bks-iyengar
• Shifroni E. About the use of props. Eyal Shifroni’s blog, 2021. eyalshifroni.com/blog/about-the-use-of-props
• Shifroni E. Alignment and Iyengar yoga, as shared on the Flametree Yoga Studio Facebook page, 2 March 2019.
• TIME magazine, The TIME 100, 2004 (as quoted on the Flametree Facebook page, 4 August 2021).