About Yoga And Yogacharya B.K.S.Iyengar
The Benefits of Yoga
BKS Iyengar’s pioneering work has touched the lives of people from many different backgrounds. His methodical system of Yoga is taught worldwide by himself and his pupils trained under his exacting guidance. His ideas have had a profound influence and have even been taken on by other schools of yoga.
BKS Iyengar was born in 1918 into a large, poor family in southern India. His childhood was marked by serious illnesses such as malaria, typhoid and tuberculosis, as well as malnutrition.
At the age of fifteen, he was given instruction in yoga by his brother-in-law Professor T. Krishnamacharya. With practice his health started to improve. In 1937 his Guru asked him to begin teaching. Through extraordinary dedication and long hours of practice his understanding of yoga increased and his reputation as a teacher spread.
In 1966 his book, the unsurpassed “Light on Yoga” was published. Since then he has published many more authoritative yoga texts.
In spite of his celebrity BKS Iyengar lives a simple life and, though now in his eighties, continues to practise, research, teach and inspire lovers of yoga the world over.
BKS Iyengar’s influence
The
word “Iyengar” is synonymous with excellence in Yoga and he
is known to almost everyone who practises the subject. His influence
in the world of Yoga continues to be unparalleled in modern times and
he is widely accepted as the world’s foremost authority on Yoga.
Today Yoga has become a household word largely thanks to Iyengar’s groundbreaking books and many years of teaching in India and around the world. Since his first visit to Europe in 1954 at the invitation of his pupil, Yehudi Menuhin, Iyengar has done more to propagate the growth of Yoga than any other person. Through his devotion he demonstrates that Yoga is not merely a fashionable exercise routine but an enduring spiritual subject.
Iyengar’s contributions to the subject have earned him global fame as well as prestigious awards from governmental, academic and spiritual authorities, in India and around the world.
Iyengar has devoted his life to practising Yoga. He is a virtuoso of his art who seeks recognition only for the immeasurable value of Yoga’s ancient teachings and not for himself.
About Iyengar Yoga
BKS Iyengar’s students have coined the term “Iyengar Yoga” to describe his systematic method of teaching classical yoga. It has become the world’s most practised method. The Iyengar method is renowned for its clarity, systematic approach and accessibility; it is practised by people of all ages, and, in all walks of life. It addresses the needs of ordinary people as well as those with particular health needs such as sports people and those with health problems. It is both a challenging and enjoyable way to learn Yoga and experience a feeling of balance, vitality and contentment.
Iyengar developed Yoga as a therapy to help people with a vast range of health problems and disabilities – physical, mental and emotional.
It was Iyengar who devised the use of everyday objects such as chairs, belts, walls and wooden blocks as props in the postures to enable every type and level of practitioner to attain the correct and beneficial effects of yoga in each pose,
Through his discoveries and innovations Iyengar has established himself as the definitive authority on the performance of yoga asanas (postures) and pranayama (breath control).
The stress of modern life makes us neglect our bodies’ leading to strains pain and illness. Yoga provides a way to restore the balance of vital energies and to reintegrate the body with the mind. This helps us to cultivate a harmonious way of living. With experience of better health we find that peace and spiritual contentment are within our reach today.
The practice of Yoga Asanas and Pranayamas has a very beneficial effect on the whole body. The joints and muscles are all toned and strengthened. The circulation, digestion and breathing systems are stimulated, which improves their functions and assists the whole body to eliminate toxins. Energy levels are increased and the ability of the immune system to resist illness improves.
Yoga Asanas are not simply gymnastic exercises. When properly performed they are a physical, physiological and psychological process.
The physiological effects of the stretches, extending, flexing and twisting movements can actually regulate hormone production. Asanas will stimulate a sluggish lymphatic system or pacify over active glands, thus helping to relieve many ailments and prevent suffering.
Yoga is a valuable tool for us to alleviate the strain of conflicting impulses in daily life. Feelings of frustration and alienation can escalate into mental illnesses like anxiety and depression unless we learn how to keep them in check. As our physical well being grows we become calmer and mentally stronger which brings a balance to the mind and a sense of freedom of spirit.
During yoga practice we develop the skills of mental focus and clarity, which mature naturally into deeper awareness and meditation.
The spiritual aim of yoga is Self-realization, a perfect integration of the physical body and the consciousness of the mind. This culminates in the merging of the individual self with the universal.
Yoga is a holistic approach to good health, which encompasses mind, body and spirit. As we follow a clear path we feel less like a victim of circumstance and become more optimistic. Negative feelings of doubt, fear and selfishness are naturally replaced by positive attitudes such as courage, faith and compassion.
Patanjali and the Ashtanga (8 limbs) of Yoga.
The
exact origins of yoga have not been proved, but records from over 2500
years ago show familiar postures and techniques of yoga being used by
the ancient civilisation of the Indus Valley, now part of Pakistan.
Patanjali, a scholar of Sanskrit and Medicine as well as Yoga, codified the essence of Yoga teachings in his Yoga Sutras. Traditionally these aphorisms were learned orally and have only been written down with commentaries in later years.
Yoga was and still is more than a form of exercise. Like the Eightfold path laid out by the Buddha’s teachings, each of the eight parts of Yoga must be integrated into practice if one is to attain one’s full spiritual potential.
The ultimate goal of yoga is liberation from “Avidya” or ignorance of reality. The immediate task is to clear the mind from the impressions of our past experiences. Our conditioning clouds our judgement about what is pure or impure, what is impermanent or eternal what is real or unreal.
In the Yoga Sutras we learn that moral conduct (Yamas) and personal ethics (Niyamas) are required as well as rhythmic breath (Pranayama) and a perfected posture (Asana) if the quest for truth by meditation is to bear fruit.
Through the practice of the first four of the disciplines, (Yama, Niyama, Asana Pranayama) the student of Yoga refines the senses and cultivates deeper awareness. The latter four branches namely Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi are described as the internal quest and are integrated into the teaching of Asanas and Pranayama. As such, meditation is an experience unique to each person and not a technique, which can be taught directly.
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