This beautiful piece was shared by Chanti Mai, www.chantimai.com.
May the light of Iyengar always be in our hearts.
Beloved spiritual teacher and yoga pioneer has passed away this morning at the age of 95. He has a huge impact on yoga in the Western world. For me he was a great inspiration as well and I loved his teachings and classes and I love his books. One of my favorite books and most famous one has become my bible named “Light on Yoga”.
No matter what style of yoga we practice or where, whether it´s Ashtanga, Yin Yoga, Hatha, your yoga has been influenced by B.K.S. Iyengar. Many of his innovations were standard features today: he molded the way we think about alignment and developed anatomically precise terms to convey it; pioneered the use of props as learning tools and taught how to minimize esoteric Hindu trappings without sacrificing the yoga quest for union of body, mind, and soul.
One of his most significant contributions, however, has been the use of yoga as a therapeutic tool. His discoveries have provided evidence of yoga’s power to deal with a host of maladies and the results of his work have raised the credibility of yoga in the scientific and medical communities.
Thank you for giving me this light to my own yoga practice. Prayers and deepest respect. Namaste.
“I always tell people, live happily and die majestically”
14 Dec. 1918 – 20 Aug. 2014
Bellur Krishnamukar Sundar, Iyengar
