Iyengar Quotes For Beginners, Explained

Iyengar quotes for beginners: the short version

Think you’re too stiff, too busy or too restless for yoga? The Iyengar family heard that a lot. These Iyengar quotes for beginners are short lines from Mr BKS Iyengar, his daughter Geeta and his son Prashant, each followed by a plain-English explanation and how it shows up in a first class. The message is kind and practical: no special talent is needed, start small, and be patient with a slow start.

These Iyengar quotes for beginners in short form

• No special talent: regularity, determination and discipline are enough.
• Start now: begin, then keep a steady rhythm.
• Go slowly: a car can’t get up to speed in first gear.
• Stiff is normal: keep practising and the body will follow.
• Use what helps: a chair, belt or wall is part of the method.

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. His daughter Geeta (1944 to 2018) and his son Prashant, who still teaches in Pune, became teachers too.

Do you need special qualities to start yoga?

There are no special qualities required to become a student of yoga but only regularity, determination and discipline are needed.

What it means: The answer first: no special talent is needed, only regularity, determination and discipline. Not flexibility, strength or a calm mind. Those you build. What you bring is showing up. For many of us that’s a relief, and it’s the best news a new student can get.

Read more: Yoga for beginners in Darwin · Yoga for beginners notes

There is a popular misconception that yoga is only for those who have power of concentration. But all of us are not so endowed. Yoga can be practiced by anyone, whatever one’s state of mind or health.

What it means: Some people think yoga is only for those who can concentrate well. Mr Iyengar calls that a “popular misconception” and says yoga can be practised by anyone, whatever one’s state of mind. If your mind races or you feel fidgety, you don’t need to fix that before you come. Yoga is where you work on it.

Read more: More quotes on the mind and meditation · Gentle yoga for beginners

The path of Yoga is open to all, irrespective of race, caste, creed, and sex.

What it means: The path of yoga is open to all, whatever your background or sex. That’s Geeta’s plain statement, written in a book for women. At Flametree we say the same: a good Iyengar class has a way into every pose, with props, for every body.

Read more: Using props in yoga · Yoga class levels

As beginners, our intellect is only in the brain. You must have a million eyes, all over the body.

What it means: When we begin, the thinking is stuck in the head, and the body is mostly a mystery. Mr Iyengar asks for a million eyes spread over the body, which means feeling the arms, legs and back as well as the head. Nobody arrives with this, and it grows from practising.

Read more: More quotes on attention and awareness

When I began yoga I did not know what yoga was and my Guru was not willing to explain it when questioned. He only said: Good for your health, go ahead.

What it means: Here Mr Iyengar tells a story from his own start: he didn’t know what yoga was, and his teacher didn’t explain. He only said it was “good for your health, go ahead.” So you’re in good company if you’re a bit unsure. Today you’d get far more explanation, and a good class will tell you what each pose is for.

Read more: Who was Mr BKS Iyengar? · Chris Lalor’s story: starting yoga stiff

How do you start, and how slowly should you go?

It is better just to start, and when you have started, maintain a regular rhythm of practice.

What it means: Start first, and keep a rhythm after that. It’s easy to wait until you’re fitter, less busy or more flexible. Mr Iyengar says it’s better to start and then maintain a regular rhythm. A small weekly class is a fine rhythm.

Read more: Making yoga a daily habit · Beginner yoga classes near me

We all have to begin yoga somewhere. Mild practice is not bad practice, and it is better to sustain what we can do than to collapse and give up.

What it means: Mild practice isn’t bad practice. It’s better to keep doing what you can than to push too hard, collapse and quit. If today you can do only a little, a little is good. A chair, a wall or a belt can make the pose a fair fit for you.

Read more: Chair yoga · Using props in yoga

Just as a car cannot pick up speed in first gear, we require time and patience to understand the subtleties and technical requirements of asanas.

What it means: A car can’t get up to speed in first gear. It takes time and patience to understand how a pose works. The subtleties (fine details of how to stand, turn and lift) come bit by bit. It’s normal that beginner classes are slow.

Read more: Yoga class levels explained · Why the order of poses matters

Begin with small expectations. Restructuring muscles, bones, tissues, posture, and internal organs takes time.

What it means: Begin with small expectations. Mr Iyengar says changes to muscles, bones, tissues and posture take time. It’s a kind way to set yourself up: if you expect little, each small gain is a pleasure.

Read more: Yoga for posture · Yoga for stiff guys

Initially, repetition is more important than duration.

What it means: This comes from a guide for teachers, but it applies to students too. At first, repeating something several times matters more than doing it for a long time. Short, repeated tries teach your body the shape better than one long, tiring hold.

Read more: How long to hold yoga poses

Don’t wait till you reach ‘B.K.S. degree’ of the pose to attain the fruits of it, because the fruit can be attained at every degree.

What it means: Prashant says don’t wait until you reach “the full version” of the pose to enjoy its fruit. Each degree of a pose, even the beginner’s version, has its own value. His “B.K.S. degree” is a joke about the full, polished version of the pose as Mr Iyengar did it. You don’t need that standard to start benefiting.

Read more: Yoga class levels explained · Using props in yoga

What if progress feels slow, or the body feels stiff?

Beginners show intense interest in yoga but it dies before it sprouts.

What it means: He’s honest about it: beginners show a lot of interest, but it often fades before it takes root. Like a seed that never gets watered. The answer is boring but real: go regularly, even when you don’t feel like it.

Read more: Making yoga a daily habit · More quotes on effort and discipline

One’s progress in this field depends entirely on one’s inner strength and endurance. One need not feel disheartened if progress is slow.

What it means: Progress depends on your inner strength and endurance, and slow progress is no reason to be disheartened. Geeta says the pace doesn’t measure you. A slow, steady line can take you a long way.

Read more: Managing effort in your yoga practice

Do not despair if a posture eludes you: continue the practice and elasticity will be achieved in due course.

What it means: If a pose escapes you, keep practising, because the elasticity will come in time. There’s no deadline. A prop can get you into the pose now, and the body can catch up later.

Read more: Yoga for stiff guys · Yoga for flexibility and stiffness

The preparation for a literary pursuit, too, has its beginning with the alphabet. Meditation also must have its humble beginning which finally leads to supreme joy.

What it means: Before you write a poem, you learn the alphabet. Meditation is the same: it has a humble beginning. Geeta’s point is that starting small is the way, so sitting still for a few minutes is a fine start.

Read more: More quotes on the mind and meditation

The beginner should avoid the use of a mirror because it is necessary to be inwardly aware of what one is doing.

What it means: Geeta says a beginner should skip the mirror, so the awareness stays inside the body. A mirror shows how a pose looks, but it can pull you away from how it feels. In class you’ll often be asked to feel first and look later.

Read more: More quotes on attention and awareness

Do not shut your eyes while practising asanas as all the movements have to be observed carefully. A beginner will lose all awareness if the eyes are shut.

What it means: Keep your eyes open so you can watch your movements carefully. Geeta says closing them early makes beginners lose awareness. With open eyes you can see your hands, feet and the room, and check where you are in the pose.

Read more: More quotes on attention and awareness · What to wear to a yoga class

Related pages

• Yoga for beginners: notes, stories and first steps
• Yoga for beginners in Darwin
• Gentle yoga for beginners
• Yoga class levels explained

More Iyengar quotes, explained: Attention And Awareness, Effort And Discipline, Learning, The Mind And Meditation, Practice, Teaching. Or see all the quotes on the Iyengar Yoga Quotes, Explained page.

Frequently asked questions

What did Mr Iyengar say to people starting yoga?

He said, “There are no special qualities required to become a student of yoga but only regularity, determination and discipline are needed.” He also said it is better to just start, and then keep a regular rhythm of practice.

Why did Mr Iyengar say to begin with small expectations?

He explained that changes to muscles, bones, tissues and posture take time. Starting with small expectations means each small gain is a pleasure, and you are less likely to give up.

Why did Geeta say beginners should avoid a mirror?

She wrote that a beginner should avoid a mirror because it is necessary to be inwardly aware of what one is doing. A mirror shows how a pose looks, but it can pull attention away from how it feels.

Can I start Iyengar yoga in Darwin if I have never done any yoga?

Yes. Flametree teaches Iyengar yoga in Darwin and LIVE online, with props such as chairs and belts to make poses reachable. The beginner timetable shows the classes.

Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga in Darwin and LIVE online. This page is general information, not medical advice. The quotes are short credited extracts from works by the Iyengar family; each credit names the source. Sources quoted on this page: A Class After a Class, Astadala Yogamala, Basic Guidelines for Teachers of Yoga, Light on Life, Sparks of Divinity, The Tree of Yoga, Yoga: A Gem for Women, Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health. Further reading: Mr Iyengar on Wikipedia · Geeta Iyengar on Wikipedia