The 11th Child who took the world by Yoga Storm- B.K.S. Iyengar

Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar, popularly known as B.K.S. Iyengar was born in 1918 into a poor family in Kolar district Karnataka, India -southern India - He was the 11th of 13 children (10 of whom survived) born to Sri Krishnamachar, a school teacher, and Sheshamma.

When - B.K.S. Iyengar was five years old, his family moved to Bangalore. Four years later, the 9-year-old boy lost his father, who died of appendicitis.

At the age of 16, he was introduced to yoga by his Guru Sri T Krishnamacharya. When he was only 18 he was sent to Pune, Maharashtra by his master to educate and lecture yoga. He continued his journey in the field of yoga and went on to establish the style of yoga known as "Iyengar Yoga" and is viewed as one of the chief yoga educators on the planet. He composed many books on the yoga practice and philosophy.

In 1943, BKS Iyengar married Ramamani. He is father of five daughters namely Geeta, Vinita, Suchita, Sunita and Savitha and only son Prashant.

B.K.S. Iyengar educated many prominent personalities like, J Krishnamurti, Jayaprakash Narayan, Achyut Patwardhan and numerous doctors and industrialists. His lessons are much valued by one and all.

Iyengar also supported nature conservation and had donated Rs. 2 million to the Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, Mysore. In 1998, he taught 800 students for a week on the occasion of his 80th birthday at Pune.

The Indian government awarded Iyengar the Padma Shri in 1991, the Padma Bhushan in 2002 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2014In 2004, Iyengar was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine.

The Iconic Yoga Guru died on August 20, 2014, Pune. His devotees, students mourn his death to this date.

Some popular B.K.S. Iyengar quotes

"Do not aim low, you will miss the mark. Aim high and you will be on a threshold of bliss."

"Anything physical is always changing, therefore, its reality is not constant, not eternal."

"When you have an anger, irritability, or disappointment mound, the conditioned reflex works like this: Suppose you’re irritable with your parents, and your mother comes into the room. She might only say "Dinner’s ready," but the irritability reflex is ready to spring up."

"By drawing our senses of perception inward, we are able to experience the control, silence, and quietness of the mind."

"Our flawed mechanisms of perception and thought are not a cause for grief, but an opportunity to evolve, for an internal evolution of consciousness that will also make possible, in a sustainable form, our aspirations toward what we call individual success and global progress."

"Spirituality is not some external goal that one must seek, but a part of the divine core of each of us, which we must reveal."

"When we free ourselves from physical disabilities, emotional disturbances, and mental distractions, we open the gates to our soul."

"We must create a marriage between the awareness of the body and that of the mind. When two parties do not cooperate, there is unhappiness on both sides."

More quotes by B.K.S. Iyengar

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