Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar better known as B.K.S. Iyengar was the founder of the style of yoga known as ‘Iyengar Yoga’ and was considered one of the foremost yoga teachers in the world. He was the author of many books on yoga practice and philosophy including Light on Yoga, Light on Pranayama, Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and Light on Life. Iyengar was one of the earliest students of Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, who is often referred to as ‘the father of modern yoga’ He has been credited with popularizing yoga, first in India and then around the world. The Indian government awarded Iyengar the Padma Shri in 1991, the Padma Bhushan in 2002 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2014. In 2004, Iyengar was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine. May his quotes inspire you to know who you are so that so that you may live your dreams.
1. “By drawing our senses of perception inward, we are able to experience the control, silence, and quietness of the mind.” B.K.S Iyengar
2. “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.” B.K.S Iyengar
3. “One’s spiritual realization lies in none other than how one walks among and interacts with one’s fellow beings.” B.K.S Iyengar
4. “Yoga is a light, which once lit, will never dim. The better your practice, the brighter the flame.” B.K.S Iyengar
5. “Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.” B.K.S Iyengar
6. “Nothing can be forced, receptivity is everything.” B.K.S Iyengar
7. “As breath stills our mind, our energies are free to unhook from the senses and bend inward.” B.K.S Iyengar
8. “Yoga is meant for the purification of the body and its exploration as well as for the refinement of the mind.” B.K.S Iyengar
9. “There is no difference in souls, only the ideas about ourselves that we wear.” B.K.S Iyengar
10. “Action is movement with intelligence. The world is filled with movement. What the world needs is more conscious movement, more action.” B.K.S Iyengar
11. “All people are born with different constitutions. Never compare with others.” B.K.S Iyengar
12. “The head is the seat of intelligence. The heart is the seat of emotion.” B.K.S Iyengar
13. “There is only one reality, but there are many ways that reality can be interpreted.” B.K.S Iyengar
14. “Be inspired but not proud.” B.K.S Iyengar
15. “Yoga is like music. The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul creates the symphony of life.” B.K.S Iyengar
16. “Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind, and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.” B.K.S Iyengar
17. “But a yogi never forgets that health must begin with the body. Your body is the child of the soul. You must nourish and train your child. Physical health is not a commodity to be bargained for. Nor can it be swallowed in the form of drugs and pills. It has to be earned through sweat.” B.K.S Iyengar
18. “As we explore the soul, it is important to remember that this exploration will take place within nature (the body), for that is where and what we are.” B.K.S Iyengar
19. “The hardness of a diamond is part of its usefulness, but its true value is in the light that shines through it.” B.K.S Iyengar
20. “Yoga does not just change the way we see things, it transforms the person who sees.” B.K.S Iyengar
21. “Do not aim low, you will miss the mark. Aim high and you will be on a threshold of bliss.” B.K.S Iyengar
22. “You exist without the feeling of existence.” B.K.S Iyengar
23. “Yoga allows you to rediscover a sense of wholeness in your life, where you do not feel like you are constantly trying to fit broken pieces together.” B.K.S Iyengar
24. “You must purge yourself before finding faults in others. When you see a mistake in somebody else, try to find if you are making the same mistake.” B.K.S Iyengar
25. “It is through the alignment of the body that I discovered the alignment of my mind, self, and intelligence.” B.K.S Iyengar
26. “When we free ourselves from physical disabilities, emotional disturbances, and mental distractions, we open the gates to our soul.” B.K.S Iyengar
27. “Love begets courage, moderation creates abundance and humility generates power.” B.K.S Iyengar
28. “Meditation is oneness, when there is no longer time, sex, or country. The moment when, after you have concentrated on doing a pose (or anything else) perfectly, you hold it and then forget everything, not because you want to forget but because you are concentrated: this is meditation.” B.K.S Iyengar
29. “Each one’s capacities are a function of his or her internal strength.” B.K.S Iyengar
30. Know your capacities and continually improve upon them.” B.K.S Iyengar
31. “Yoga allows you to find a new kind of freedom that you may not have known even existed.” B.K.S Iyengar
32. “Spirituality is not some external goal that one must seek, but a part of the core of each of us, which we must reveal.” B.K.S Iyengar
33. “Breath is the King of mind.” B.K.S Iyengar
34. “The union of nature and soul removes the veil of ignorance that covers our intelligence.” B.K.S Iyengar
35. “You do not need to seek freedom in a different land, for it exists with your own body, heart, mind, and soul.” B.K.S Iyengar
