In the Presence of BKS Iyengar

There are moments in the lives of those of us whotrip to India, and attended two other conventions
seek truth and beauty that leave us forever changed.where he taught before seeing him this year in Estes
For yoga enthusiasts, one such moment was thePark. Each time I have been impressed with his
recent Yoga Journal conference in Estes Park, CO. inforthright honesty and instinctive knowledge and skill. I
September 2005 where BKS Iyengar began hishave watched him time and again adjust people in
teaching and U.S. tour for his new book Light on Life.poses, add a prop, give weight and resistance, or take
As a yoga student, I was first introduced to thethe resistance away, always with the end result of
Iyengar method in 1977. The intelligence behind therestoring them to balance and lightness of being,
practice gave me support, stability and freedom frombeyond their pain and suffering. Yes, he was always a
nagging back and shoulder pain. BKS Iyengar was apassionate and demanding teacher, but not in any
student of Sri Krishnamacharya, the man who revivedordinary way, only 100%. This year I saw a mellow
the teachings of Astanga Yoga in the 21st century.man of 87 years, easy to smile and make a joke. Yet
The Astanga yoga path has at its base the Yogastill absolutely clear about what was important, the
Sutras of Patanjali, the guiding principles on the path ofintegration and inner freedom that was possible for
yoga, or Union.every human being through the mindful practice of
Mr. Iyengar shares this lineage with other notableyoga. He wants us to see what he sees and know
teachers such as Patahbi Jois, T.K. Desikachar andthe importance of every nuance on the path to
Indra Devi. BKS Iyengar's outstanding contribution isfreedom. As his students he calls us to study long,
how he has codified and refined the practice of Asanaobserve carefully and learn to be fully human so that
(poses) and Pranayama (breath control) to reflect inwe might serve others in the highest sense.
action, the whole of the Yoga Sutras. Mr. Iyengar'sHaving myself studied and performed the basic yoga
methods have been recognized the world over. Inposes thousands of times over the past 25 years, I still
2004 the Indian government crowned him the Emperorscurried between poses to cryptically jot down each
of Yoga, a prestigious education award, and the BBCrenewed or deeper insight, refusing complacency and
has hailed him as "the Michelangelo of yoga".thirsting for the larger vision of yoga, for the truth of
At Estes Park in September 2005, 800 of us stood onbeing. I have never been disappointed by Mr. Iyengar,
our mats inside a perfectly designed rectangle tobut rather awed by his simple yet profound teachings,
define our personal space. We waited patientlyhis keen observations, and his deep sense of
chanting the Yoga Sutras and reviewing our Sanskritcompassion and wisdom. I am still puzzling over his
on the overhead projectors. Then like a singlecomment that we either breathe and draw oxygen
organism, we were drawn to the stage anticipating thefrom our brain or breathe and draw oxygen from our
appearance of BKS Iyengar. The applause began thelungs.
moment his face appeared and continued seeminglyMr. Iyengar is no doubt a living master who has
forever until every cell of our bodies were filled withreached out and touched so many, often giving them
gratitude for this great man and his life's work. Andback their lives after illnesses and injury. For those of
then class began. Each senior teacher took turnsus who have seen him in action he has awakened in
teaching a yoga pose to the crowd and, after givingus a deep sense of compassion and a desire to learn.
their best instruction, the master would speak:Those yoga students who had the great good fortune
"Observe your mind...what is its state? Now (into be in Estes Park with Mr. Iyengar have had a
tadasana), bring the inner skin of the big toe moundglimpse of the light, the wisdom, the truth, and the vast
down onto the floor. Observe, did your mind becomepossibilities yoga has to offer. To quote the master
quiet? Peaceful? Yes or no?" Invariably, the answerhimself, "The Light of yoga, which once lit will never
would be "yes." And so it went, pose after pose,dim, the better your practice, the brighter the flame."
pearls of awareness that expanded and tied togetherAfter studying and teaching for 25 years and assisting
our consciousness into a seamless strand of action,thousands of people in finding pain relief through yoga...
peace and poise.I am grateful and humbled as I return again to my mat
This was not my first experience being a student in histo investigate the polarity of nature and soul, to study,
presence. I met Mr. Iyengar in San Francisco in 1984 atto learn and to grow.
the 1st International Iyengar Yoga Convention, made a