Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja (B.K.S.) Iyengar
Sri B.K.S. Iyengar (1918-2014) is a contemporary yoga master. He was born in Bellur in southern India. The weak baby, who suffers from fever attacks and tuberculosis, is not given much chance of survival: B.K.S. Iyengar is considered a hopeless case, is often ill and hardly goes to school. At the age of 16, he was placed in the care of his brother-in-law Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. T. Krishnamacharya teaches yoga at the Royal Palace in Mysore. Iyengar is allowed to attend classes from time to time and take part in certain performances. This provides him with relief and gradually improves his state of health. Although T. Krishnamacharya is not an easy person, B.K.S. Iyengar worships him.
A doctor brings B.K.S. Iyengar to Pune, where he soon works as a yoga teacher and teaches mainly women. It is here that B.K.S. Iyengar taught himself most of the knowledge that would later form him and his philosophy. He expanded on this knowledge throughout his life. In addition to his passion for yoga, he also discovered a penchant for teaching: B.K.S. Iyengar wanted to understand yoga and pass on his knowledge to others.
At the age of 24, B.K.S. marries Iyengar Ramamani. The couple settles in Pune and rejects possessions. The marriage produced six children – including Geeta and Prashant. The two also teach yoga at the institute in Pune. Greeta also immerses herself in therapeutic yoga and develops the therapeutic school together with a doctor. She suffers from a kidney disease and dies on December 16, 2018. Prashant does not want to leave his parents’ home and teaches exclusively at home. For this reason, the granddaughter, Abhijata, is trained by Guruji as a successor at a young age.
Yoga with Scientific Rigor
In Pune, B.K.S. Iyengar researches, meditates and teaches and thus lays the foundation for his method, which is based on breathing exercises (pranayama) and postures (asana). He continues to perfect the method and organizes it clearly. B.K.S. Iyengar roots his teachings in tradition and at the same time gives them a scientific rigor. He shares his knowledge without distinction between genders and castes.
Over time, more and more people become aware of his teachings. Especially in the post-World War II period, countless people from all over the world travel to Pune to learn from the Master. These include numerous stars such as the musician Yehudi Menuhin, who makes B.K.S. Iyengar known as one of the first in the West and invites him to teach in the Bernese Oberland from the 1950s onwards.
Yoga students from all over the world
Guruji’s students are driven by existential questions and increasingly seek him out in Pune. To be able to receive them better, B.K.S. Iyengar founded RIMYI – the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute – at the beginning of the seventies.
In the sultry heat of the sprawling building, between the famous turquoise walls, the master gives courses to perfect his yoga as well as therapeutic yoga classes. The institute’s library contains more than 8,000 books. In the early morning or late evening, B.K.S. Iyengar can often be found in the library. He is usually engrossed in a book and acquires new knowledge.
Light on Yoga in 20 languages
In 1966, B.K.S. Iyengar publishes his first book “Light on Yoga”, which is translated into 20 languages. Other titles such as “Yoga – the path to holistic health” and “The tree of yoga” follow. To disseminate his knowledge and guarantee its authenticity, B.K.S. Iyengar’s followers created a network of certified teachers spanning every continent.
B.K.S. Iyengar gives more and more interviews, courses, seminars and lectures. He also appears in various films. The master’s influence expands into artistic, philosophical and spiritual spheres. On August 20, 2014, B.K.S. Iyengar dies at the age of 95. His granddaughter Abhijata, who still lives and teaches in Pune today and upholds the tradition of B.K.S. Iyengar together with her family.
Iyengar Yoga has a tradition in Switzerland
After his death, the Anglo-Saxon press wrote: “Iyengar is the man who introduced yoga to the West.” Switzerland played an important role in this introduction: B.K.S. Iyengar’s first courses outside India took place in the Bernese Oberland, where B.K.S. Iyengar often travelled at the invitation of the great violinist Yehudi Menuhin.
The violin virtuoso had attended courses with B.K.S. Iyengar in India from 1954. As a thank you, he invited the master several times to his chalet in Gstaad, where B.K.S. Iyengar gave public courses and conferences. The photos taken on this occasion now hang in yoga studios around the globe. Even when there was a demand for him throughout Europe, Guruji continued to come to Switzerland regularly to teach here. Over time, a group of enthusiastic followers were formed who spread the yoga and the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar throughout Switzerland.