The great “Lion of Pune” B.K.S. Iyengar turns 92 today! Happy Birthday Guruji!
Here he is with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, November 20, 2010, meeting together to discuss the mind and culitvating happiness, where he said:
“…the moment the intellect of the heart and mind meets through complete understanding of body and mind cleansing, that is when the consciousness of the egoistic self or the “I” is nullified and a practitioner experiences boundless uncolored joy.” (via dalailama.com)
Read senior Iyengar teacher, and devoted student, Bobby Clennell’s tribute to Guruji. A tribute to B.K.S. Iyengar
In birthday celebration, please share your own experiences with Iyengar the practice, or Guruji himself in the comments.
BKS Iyengar last year on his 90th Birthday
Salamba Sarvangasana
Sirsasana at the Grand Canyon! via bksiyengar.com
Classic footage of BKS Iyengar in his early 20’s from a 1938 newsreel, and just about 45 years later in a 1987 master class:
——
Earlier…
- Caption This: BKS Iyengar Blesses Bikram Choudhury in India? (photo)
- ‘Don’t call it Iyengar’ and other enlightenments from Interviews with Yogacharya BKS Iyengar (videos)
- YogaDork Giveaway! Hey Kids, Win New Children’s Book ‘Watch Me Do Yoga’ by Bobby Clennell
YD original Tshirt: What Would Guruji Do?
buy here
I went to Pune in 1989 to study at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute. Before I left, people assured me that he was harsh and strict, and that at some point during the three-week intensive, he would make me cry. I found the opposite to be true. He was helpful, respectful, and even joked with me from time to time.
Iyengar changed the way we practice by “cleaning up” the system. His emphasis on alignment has allowed us all to create a clear, focused container for our prana to move freely. His boundless energy, even at 87 (the last time I saw him) is a testament to his practice and method. I’m honored to have been able to work with him and so many of his longtime teachers.
(correction: pic says 90 at last year, but that’s 2 years ago) 🙂
I have only been studying with an Iyengar-certifed teacher for a year, but it has been transformative. The magic is less in the technique than in the doing, but even so, the technique makes the doing possible. Happy birthday Guruji!
Guruji takes the Hindu Wisdom of Yoga out East !
Guruji gets a rousing welcome during his visit to China.
Check it out at :
http://www.hindu.com/2011/06/22/stories/2011062258252400.htm
In an earlier era, a Hindu monk from India visited China, and taught the Chinese the martial-arts, that we know today as Kung-Fu.
The Chinese word Chen and the Japanese word Zen are both derived from the Sanskrit word Dhyan, which connotes a combination of meditation and mental-concentration.
Happy Birthday Guruji…
Happy Janma-Dinam, Guruji !
93 glorious years of Spreading the Light !