Iyengar Yoga Philosophy Quotes, Explained
Iyengar yoga philosophy quotes: the short version
Is yoga a workout, a philosophy, or something else entirely? Mr BKS Iyengar had a sharp answer, and so did Geeta and Prashant. These Iyengar yoga philosophy quotes are about the body and mind as one, yoga being for everybody, and the ego that gets in our own way. They are written plainly and need no belief, only curiosity.
This page in short form
- Body and mind together: you cannot separate them.
- Yoga for everyone: any background, any belief or none.
- A practical science: built on trying and noticing.
- The ego: it is on an elastic, and it pulls back.
- Philosophy as living: what you do, not what you read.
- Try it: your first class is free if you are new to Flametree.
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 and his son Prashant trained with him and became senior teachers in their own right, and you will meet their words on this page too.
Quotes appear here in the words of Mr Iyengar, Geeta Iyengar and Prashant Iyengar, each with where it comes from. Our notes underneath say what it means and where you may meet it in a class. All the quotes are short, credited extracts. Pages for the other topics are listed at the bottom, and the main quotes page has them all.
Is yoga physical, philosophical or both?
Mr Iyengar kept being told his yoga was “only physical”. He had a reply.
You people! You say that Iyengar yoga is only physical! But where is the spiritual person who does not have a body? Show me that person! Where is he standing?
What it means: Mr Iyengar was answering people who said Iyengar yoga is “only physical”. His reply is a challenge: show me someone who has a spirit and no body. The body is where we start, because it is where we live. Looking after it, with care and attention, is not a lesser kind of yoga.
Read more: Yoga for body, breath and mind | Quotes on the body and alignment.
Chris Lalor in Upward Hands Pose, arms straight beside the ears, in front of a sandstone escarpment.
People say that yoga is a spiritual subject. I say it is a physical, physiological, physio-neurological, neuro-psychological and psycho-spiritual subject. You cannot separate them at all.
What it means: That is quite a mouthful, and he meant it to be. He lists body, bodily function, nerves, mind and spirit, and says you cannot separate them. A pose changes how you breathe, and how you breathe changes how you think. Yoga in the Iyengar tradition works with all of it at once.
Read more: Who was BKS Iyengar?.
If you say you are your body, you are wrong. If you say you are not your body, you are also wrong.
What it means: This is a puzzle on purpose. If you say you are only a body, you are wrong. If you say you are not your body at all, you are also wrong. The honest answer sits between the two. Poses are a way of exploring that middle ground, with the body as the doorway and not the destination.
Read more: Quotes on the body and alignment.
Yoga is a philosophy, a way of life, wherein art and science meet.
What it means: Geeta describes yoga as both art and science. The science is the careful method: alignment, sequence, breath. The art is the way you bring it alive in your own body. A way of life is not a set of rules. It is the habit of paying attention.
Read more: The eight limbs of yoga in plain words.
Like anatomy, yoga is a practical science dealing with human development. There is no question of miracles.
What it means: Mr Iyengar compared yoga to anatomy. It is a practical science about human development, built on observing and trying. There is no magic in it. What you get comes from what you practise. This is also how Flametree tries to teach: show the method, and let you notice what happens.
Read more: Yoga for body, breath and mind.
People speak about philosophy because they have read books. Philosophy is a way of living, not something to study.
What it means: People can talk about philosophy because they have read about it. Mr Iyengar said it is a way of living, not something you study. You can see it in how someone treats a hard pose, a slow day or another person. Philosophy in yoga is what you do when the class is over.
Read more: Yoga philosophy and Iyengar yoga: our Yoga Notes.
Is yoga for everyone?
The Iyengar family said yes, and meant it.
Yoga might have had its origins in India, but it belongs to everybody.
What it means: Yoga began in India, and Mr Iyengar never denied it. But he said it now belongs to everybody. Anyone, anywhere, can learn it and use it. That is part of why his books were written for people of all backgrounds, and why a studio in Darwin can teach the same method.
Read more: Who was BKS Iyengar?.
I never wanted my pupils to call my method Iyengar yoga. Yet they continue to do so. For me, yoga is yoga.
What it means: This is a modest line from a man whose name is on a whole style. He did not want pupils to call it Iyengar yoga, because for him there was only yoga. We still use the name so people can find the method. It is a handy label, not a brand.
Read more: Who was BKS Iyengar? | Quotes on teaching.
Iyengar Yoga is not a brand. It is a quality.
What it means: A brand is a name on a label. A quality is how something is done. Mr Iyengar said Iyengar yoga is a quality: care, precision, patience and attention to detail. That is a good test for any class. Look at how it is taught, not what it is called.
Read more: Yoga for body, breath and mind | Quotes on teaching.
What did Mr Iyengar say about the ego?
He used light bulbs, elastic and a lot of humour.
Ego has been compared to the filament in a light bulb, which, because it glows with light, proclaims itself to be the light’s source, electricity.
What it means: A filament glows, so it thinks it is the source of the light. The real source is the electricity. Mr Iyengar used this picture for the ego (the “I” that claims credit). Our thoughts and efforts may glow, but they are lit by something larger. It is a helpful thought when you feel proud of a pose or cross about one.
Read more: Quotes on the mind and meditation.
It is me, me, me by means of my, my, my.
What it means: Listen to your own thoughts for a minute and you may hear this: me, me, me, my, my, my. Mr Iyengar’s comic line shows how the ego grabs everything for itself. Noticing it is half the work. You do not have to scold yourself. You can smile and carry on.
Read more: Managing effort in your yoga practice.
Ego is on an elastic and will always pull you back.
What it means: You may think you have let go of your ego, and then it snaps back. Mr Iyengar says it is on an elastic. Every time you stretch away, it pulls you back. The answer is not to give up, but to keep noticing. Each time you do, the elastic gets a bit looser.
Read more: Quotes on the mind and meditation.
Pride is a smear of dirt on the mind.
What it means: A smear of dirt on a window blocks the view. Pride does the same to the mind. When you are proud of a pose, you stop seeing it clearly. This is why a good teacher asks you to look at what is, not what you want to show.
Read more: Quotes on philosophy.
If overstretching comes from a swollen ego, then understretching results from a lack of confidence. If overstretching is exhibitionism, understretching is escapism.
What it means: This one is very practical. Pushing too far can come from ego: look what I can do. Holding back too much can come from fear: I don’t think I can. Both miss the right amount. A good practice sits in the middle, using props where needed to find the line.
Read more: Using props in yoga | Quotes on effort and discipline.
How should we treat the world and each other?
These quotes bring philosophy down to everyday life.
Virtue is an ideal. Integrity is a reality.
What it means: A virtue is a nice idea. Integrity is what you do when nobody is looking. Mr Iyengar’s short line asks you to practise it, not admire it. In class, integrity looks like working honestly in a pose, not copying someone’s shape that you are not ready for.
Read more: Quotes on life and happiness.
We should not use truth as a club with which to beat other people.
What it means: You can be right and still be unkind. Mr Iyengar warned against using truth as a club to beat other people. Truth works best when it is offered with care. It is a good rule for a teacher, a parent or a friend.
Read more: Quotes on teaching.
If our house is gloomy because the windows are dirty, we don’t say there is a problem with the sun; we clean the windows.
What it means: If the house is gloomy because the windows are dirty, the sun is not the problem. You clean the windows. Mr Iyengar used this to explain practice. The light is already there, and the work is clearing what is in the way. Poses, breathing and attention are the cloth.
Read more: Quotes on practice | Santosha: contentment in plain words.
Passivity is a form of Activity. Passivity is not inactivity.
What it means: Prashant says passivity is not doing nothing. Think of standing in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) or lying in a supported pose. You are not busy, but you are awake and working inwardly. Active and passive are partners, not opposites.
Read more: Mountain pose: how to stand properly | Stillness in yoga.
Stuart McGill in Tree Pose with arms raised on rocks at Edith Falls.
Iyengar systems are not complicated. They are delicate and intricate.
What it means: Iyengar yoga can look complicated because it has so much detail. Prashant says the detail is delicate and intricate, not complicated. Complicated means hard to follow. Intricate means finely made, like a watch. You learn it one small piece at a time.
Read more: Yoga class levels explained | Quotes on learning.
Related Flametree pages
- Yoga Philosophy And Iyengar Yoga: Notes And Articles From Flametree
- BKS Iyengar: Who He Was
- Eight Limbs Of Yoga
- Yoga For Body, Breath And Mind
- Santosha
More Iyengar quotes, by topic
Frequently asked questions
What did BKS Iyengar say about the ego?
He used pictures. He said ego is like the filament in a light bulb, which glows and so claims to be the source of the light. He also said the ego is on an elastic and will always pull you back, and that pride is a smear of dirt on the mind. His advice was to keep noticing it rather than to fight it.
Is Iyengar yoga only physical?
Mr Iyengar said no. He called yoga a physical, physiological, physio-neurological, neuro-psychological and psycho-spiritual subject and said you cannot separate them. Iyengar yoga starts with the body because that is where we live, and it works on breath, attention and mind as well.
Did the Iyengars say yoga is for everybody?
Yes. Mr Iyengar said yoga might have had its origins in India but it belongs to everybody. You do not need any particular belief to start. Flametree teaches it in a plain, secular way. Our page on yoga for body, breath and mind answers the question of whether yoga is a religion.
Where can I put these ideas into practice in Darwin?
Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga in Darwin and LIVE online. Your first class is free if you are new to Flametree, so you can just come along and see how the method feels. The timetable is linked in the box below.
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, in the studio or LIVE online.
- Beginners: see the half price 10 class pass for new and lapsed students
- Already done some yoga: see the half price 10 class pass for new and lapsed students
- See the timetable, including online classes
Can’t make a class? Practise at home with our video courses.
Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga in Darwin and LIVE online. This page is general information about Iyengar yoga philosophy, not medical advice. Every quote is a short, credited extract, and the notes under each one are Flametree’s own words.
