BKS Iyengar Yoga

Anyone today considering the practice of yoga has a wonderful variety of styles to select from. This is similar to deciding which college class to take in the upcoming semester or finding the right dress or suit to wear for a friend's Christmas party. Yoga styles have spread and will more than likely continue to grow in the future as college classes and styles of clothing have grown. For example, today one will find Iyengar yoga as a prominent form or style of yoga practice.

This yoga form and style was mostly developed by living yoga master B. K. S. Iyengar. This form of yoga encourages and involves the use of props to assists with the movements and body positioning. The props may include blankets, blocks, chairs, pillows, and straps used by students and teachers. The form focuses on proper alignment of the body. He was born in 1918, and studied with yoga guru Krishnamacharya in India. Iyengar suffered from tuberculosis and studied and practiced yoga in an effort to cure his health issues.

He perfected his style and form of yoga and started teaching yoga in 1936. He is well sought after today in his practice. His son, Prashant, who is an accomplished violinist and director of the Ramamani Memorial Institute, and his eldest daughter, Geeta, who is also a director at the institute also assist him with his teachings. The Iyengar Memorial Institute is located in Pune, India with branches throughout the world. Like their father, both children are recognized as leading authorities in the practice of yoga. Naturally, this shows that family tradition in the arts or profession is still relevant today and runs in the family over generations.

Several books are available regarding the practice of Iyengar yoga from which to study and learn. For example, Light of Yoga, published in 1966, delineates hundreds of yoga positions and a variety of breathing techniques. Iyengar has also published Light on Pranayama which concentrates on the breath. Another wonderful book by B.K.S. Iyengar is entitled, Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, which is an interpretation of Yoga Sutras. This translation and interpretation assisted Iyengar in developing his philosophical framework for his method, style, and practice of yoga. Light of the World, which is his most recent book, digs deeper into the mental and spiritual perspective of yoga and its applications.

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