What is Yoga?

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Yoga is an ancient and timeless art, science, and philosphy.

Yoga is a science of health and spiritual awareness that has endured the ages for a simple reason - it works! It touches a person's life at every level: physical, mental, and spiritual.

Yoga incorporates eight limbs (astanga) or aspects: yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi, or respectively: moral and ethical principles, postures, yoga breathing,withdrawal of senses, concentration, meditation and profound meditation.

Yoga is "skill in action".
Yoga is "evenness of mind".
Yoga is "stilling of the waves of thought".
Yoga is the union of body, mind, & soul.

 
 

What is Iyengar Yoga?

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 Iyengar yoga is classical yoga. It is based upon the teachings of Shri B.K.S. Iyengar, world renowned Yoga master. The Iyengar method is safe, orderly, and progressive, and the postures are adjusted to meet the conditions and needs of each student. Strength, coordination, flexibility and an increased sense of well-being are some of the benefits of the Iyengar method. Applied therapeutically, Yoga is an effective tool in relieving back pain, and many other problems.

The philosophy and practice of Yoga encourage wellness,preventative care and stress reduction. Yoga is a self-help means to health, vitality, and greater personal and spiritual awareness.

 

 Invocation to Sage Patanjali by B.K.S. Iyengar  

 

Sage Patanjali has penned the ancient Indian heritage of Yoga through his treatise the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, which is an encompassing study of the subject which consists of just 196 sutras (aphorisms).In the present century, Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar has made it possible for ordinary human beings to experience the wisdom of these sutras in the midst of living a life.

 
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Guruji & Lineage

 
Yogacharya B.K.S.Iyengar

Yogacharya B.K.S.Iyengar

Yogacharya B.K.S.Iyengar (Guruji) who had taught yoga in unique way to all his students. He found the meaning of the yoga sutras by his practical search and regular practice of yoga. Thus, he had helped all to experience the wisdom of the yoga sutras. His style of teaching yoga is called "Iyengar Yoga" and is now being followed by certified teachers across the world.

Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja (BKS) Iyengar was born on December 14, 1918. His father Sri Krishnamachar was a school teacher and therefore Guruji has all his father's qualities even at this age. Guruji was a victim of malaria, typhoid and tuberculosis in his childhood .

At the age of 16, he was introduced to yoga by his Guru Sri T. Krishnamacharya. At the age of 18, he was sent to Pune, Maharashtra by his guru to teach and preach yoga as he knew a little of English. This missed his opportunity to learn a lot about yoga directly from his guru.

Guruji was a sincere and committed practitioner. His own practice helped him to explore and achieve perfection in yoga asanas. This is reflected in his teachings all over these years. He passed away 2014, August 20th at 3:15 AM in Pune, India.

Iyengar Yoga is named for yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar (1918 - 2014). Called the "Michelangelo of yoga" and named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2004, Mr. Iyengar is universally acknowledged as the modern master of yoga.

B.K.S Iyengar & His Family

 
 
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B.K.S. Iyengar was born the 11th of 13 children during an influenza epidemic. He overcame poverty and deadly childhood illnesses to begin his study of yoga at age 16 with his brother-in-law and guru, T. Krishnamacharya. He practiced and studied intensely for years. In the process, he developed encyclopedic knowledge which fueled his teaching. Included among his many influential books are Light on Yoga, Light on Pranayama, Light on the Yoga Sutras, The Tree of Yoga, and Light on Life. Promoting yoga as an art, science and philosophy, Mr. Iyengar made yoga accessible to ordinary people worldwide, regardless of race, gender, age or religion.

Mr. Iyengar opened the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) in Pune, India in 1975. The institute was named in honor of his beloved wife, Ramamani Iyengar, who passed in 1973. Mr. Iyengar taught classes through his 80s and continued his daily practice until shortly before his death at the age of 96.

Dr. Geeta S. Iyengar began learning yoga as a child by observing her father. She has been actively teaching at RIMYI and around the world since 1962 and is the author of Yoga: A Gem for Women, a pioneering work on yoga for every stage of a woman’s life, and several other books. In addition to serving as Director and teaching daily classes at RIMYI, Prashant Iyengar has written extensively about yoga philosophy and the ancient texts.

 
Sri Prashant Iyengar     

Sri Prashant Iyengar

Dr. Geeta S. Iyengar (L) and Sunita Iyengar (R)

Dr. Geeta S. Iyengar (L) and Sunita Iyengar (R)

Abhijata Sridhar

Abhijata Sridhar

 

Abhijata Sridhar started seriously studying yoga from the young age of 16 under the direct guidance of her maternal grandfather, B.K.S. Iyengar, her aunt, Dr. Geeta S. Iyengar and uncle Shri Prashant Iyengar. She is a fulltime devoted student as well as a Senior Teacher at RIMYI. Abhijata travelled with Mr. Iyengar to Russia and China. She accompanied Dr. Geeta Iyengar to several international conventions and has also taught independently at yoga conventions in the US, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, the UK, and Israel.

Dr. Geeta S. Iyengar and Sri Prashant Iyengar serve as the current Directors at RIMYI and are recognized as leading authorities on yoga. From RIMYI, the Iyengar family oversees the rigorous curriculum and assessment procedures that are standardized throughout the world for the certification of Iyengar Yoga teachers. There are now thousands of CIYTs continuing B.K.S. Iyengar’s legacy, including more than 1,100 CIYTs in the United States.