B. K. S. Iyengar

A totally holistic approach to wellbeing

Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar is the founder of Iyengar Yoga and is considered one of the most important living yoga masters and attributable to the popularity of yoga all over the world. He has been hailed as “the Michelangelo of yoga” (BBC) and named one of the Time magazine’s 100 most influential people.

B.K.S Iyengar was born in southern India in 1918. Throughout his childhood he struggled with ill health taking up yoga at the age of 15 years old under the guide of Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. His health began to improve and at the age of 18 he moved to Pune where he spent long hours practicing and experimenting with various techniques. There was no particular system to the teaching he received but through dedicated practice he developed one himself.

In 1966 Light on Yoga was published, a book considered to be the bible of yoga, dedicated by it’s author B.K.S Iyengar to the philosophy and practice of yoga.

B.K.S. Iyengar later developed yoga practice with the use of props as a means of teaching those with injuries and disabilities. His approach has changed how yoga is taught all over the world with a continued culture that yoga is for everyone.

The Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute was opened in Pune in 1975 in memory of his wife. The institute is a place of learning and practice where students from all over the world attend to understand and learn the values of yoga.

B.K.S. Iyengar sadly died in 2014. His insight and wisdom continues to be shared by his children, Geeta and Prashant and his granddaughter, Abhijata, who are themselves distinguished yoga teachers and authors.