B S Iyengar Quotes & Sayings

When the asana is correct, there is lightness, a freedom. Freedom comes when every part of the body is active. Let us be free in whatever posture we are doing. Let us be full in whatever we do. — B.K.S. Iyengar

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.
This is the way to take judgment and to turn it into improvement.
Do not look at others' bodies with envy or with superiority.
All people are born with different constitutions.
Never compare with others.
Each one's capacities are a function of his or her internal strength.
Know your capacities and continually improve upon them. — B.K.S. Iyengar

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

The flexibility we gain in asana is the living symbol of the suppleness we gain in relation to life's problems and challenges. — B.K.S. Iyengar

I think overall the majority of people who are practicing it as a subject are following the right line. For the aberration, don't blame yoga or the whole community of yogis — B.K.S. Iyengar

Without education, confidence does not come. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Yoga is meant for the purification of body and its exploration as well as for the refinement of the mind. — B.K.S. Iyengar

You must be as joyful when you fail again and again as you are joyful when you succeed. It is often when you fail that you move toward the goal without being aware of it. You must feel joy even when you have not fully succeeded but only moved toward achievement of your goal. — B.K.S. Iyengar

After a session of yoga, the mind becomes tranquil and passive. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Ignorance has no beginning, but it has an end. There is a beginning but no end to knowledge. — B.K.S. Iyengar

The cure to combat the three Ss- stress, strain, and speed- can be found in three Ws- the work of devoted practice, the wisdom that comes of understanding the self and the world, and worship because ultimately surrendering to what we cannot control allows the ego to relax and lose the anxiety of its own infinitesimally small self in the infinitude of the divine. — B.K.S. Iyengar

In whatever position one is in, or in whatever condition in life one is placed, one must find balance. Balance is the state of the present - the here and now. If you balance in the present, you are living in Eternity. — B.K.S. Iyengar

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

Why should you practice Yoga? To kindle the divine fire within yourself. Everyone has a dormant spark of divinity in him which has to be fanned into flame. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Yoga is the method by which the restless mind is calmed And the energy directed into constructive channels. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Asana done from the brain makes one heavy and done from the heart makes one light. — B.K.S. Iyengar

People remind me of my age, but while practicing I am beyond my body and its age. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Look after the root of the tree, and the fragrant flower and luscious fruits will grow by themselves. Look after the health of the body, and the fragrance of the mind and richness of the spirit will follow. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Classics postures, when practiced with discrimination and awareness, bring the body, mind, and consciousness into a single, harmonious whole. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Backbends are not poses meant for expressionism. Backbends are meant to understand the back parts of our bodies. The front body can be seen with the eyes, but the back body can only be felt. That's why I say these are the most advanced postures, where the mind begins to look at the back. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Do not allow past experiences to be imprinted on your mind. Perform asana each time with a fresh mind and with a fresh approach. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Do not aim low, you will miss the mark. Aim high and you will be on a threshold of bliss. — B.K.S. Iyengar

To my father, Bellur Krishnamachar, my mother, Seshamma, and my birthplace, Bellur — B.K.S. Iyengar

Many ask me whether pranayama ... postpones old age. Why worry about it? Death is certain. Let it come when it comes. Just keep working. The soul has no age. It doesn't die. Only the body decays. And yet, we must never forget the body, since it is the garden we must cherish and cultivate. — B.K.S. Iyengar

The practice of asanas purges the body of its impurities, bringing strength, firmness, calm, and clarity of mind. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Approach each asana with freshness every day. — B.K.S. Iyengar

The aim of yoga is to calm the chaos of conflicting impulses — B.K.S. Iyengar

The best way to overcome fear is to face with equanimity the situation of which one is afraid. — B.K.S. Iyengar

When every asana is multi-petaled, why do you make it single petaled? — B.K.S. Iyengar

Where there is yoga,
there is prosperity,
success, freedom and bliss. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Life means to be living.Problems will always be there. When they arise navigate through them with yoga- don't take a break. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Sirsasana the king of all asanas and the reasons are not hard to find. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Willpower is nothing but willingness to do. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Yoga is an interior penetration leading to integration of being, senses, breath, mind, intelligence, consciousness, and Self. It is definitely an inward journey, evolution through involution, toward the Soul, which in turn desires to emerge and embrace you in its glory. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Yoga takes us to an unconditioned freedom, because yoga sees even good habits as a form of conditioning or limitation. — B.K.S. Iyengar

While doing the postures, your mind should be in half-consciousn ess, which does not mean sleep. It means silence, emptiness, space, which can then be filled with an acute awareness of the sensations given by the posture. You watch yourself from inside. It is a full silence. — B.K.S. Iyengar

The art of teaching is tolerance. Humbleness is the art of learning. — B.K.S. Iyengar

I also say with backbends, you have to be cautiously bold. Not carelessly bold. You have to descend to the dictation of the spine. You cannot command from the brain to do the poses. As you play with a child, guarding the child from injuries, similarly you have to play in backbends, guarding your spine. — B.K.S. Iyengar

The sleeping tortoise takes all its limbs into its carapace. So does the yogi: going back into himself he does not see anything worldly any longer, he makes peace in himself. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Yoga is the rule book for playing the game of Life, but in this game no one needs to lose. It is tough, and you need to train hard. It requires the willingness to think for yourself, to observe and correct, and to surmount occasional setbacks. It demands honesty, sustained application, and above all love in your heart. — B.K.S. Iyengar

All of us have a dormant spark of divinity in us which has to be fanned into flame by yoga. — B.K.S. Iyengar

If everyone practiced yoga, pharmacies would have to close. — B.K.S. Iyengar

To master fear is the most important battle to win. — B.K.S. Iyengar

If the foundation is firm the building can withstand calamities. The practice of yoga is the foundation so that the self is not shaken under any circumstances. — B.K.S. Iyengar

As long as you do not feel the serenity in the body, in each and every joint, there is no chance for emancipation. You are in bondage. So while you are sweating and aching, let your heart be light and let it fill your body with gladness. You are not only becoming free, but you are also being free. What is not to be glad about? The pain is temporary. The freedom is permanent. — B.K.S. Iyengar

You have to create love and affection for your body, for what it can do for you. Love must be incarnated in the smallest pore of the skin, the smallest cell of the body to make them intelligent so they can collaborate with all the other ones, in the big republic of the body. This love must radiate from you to others. — B.K.S. Iyengar

You must fill every inch of your body with the asana from your chest and arms and legs to the tips of your fingers and toes so that the asana radiates from the core of your body and fills the entire diameter and circumference of your limbs. You must feel your intelligence, your awareness, and your consciousness in every inch of your body. — B.K.S. Iyengar

The decision to relax rather than to grip, even in the face of impatience or fear, is a conscious and brave choice. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Asana is perfect firmness of body, steadiness of intellect, and benevolence of spirit. — B.K.S. Iyengar

To be dull is easy,
to be active requires
tremendous work. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Where does the body end and the mind begin? Where does the mind end and the spirit begin? They cannot be divided as they are inter-related and but different aspects of the same all-pervading divine consciousness. — B.K.S. Iyengar

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

The physical body is not only a temple for our soul, but the means by which we embark on the inward journey toward the core. — B.K.S. Iyengar

In backbends, one touches the body physically, mentally, intellectually, consciously and spiritually everywhere. — B.K.S. Iyengar

A yogi never forgets that health must begin with the body ... Physical health is not a commodity to be bargained for. Nor can it be swallowed in the form of drugs and pills ...
It is something that we must build up. You have to create within yourself the experience of beauty, liberation, and infinity. This is health. — B.K.S. Iyengar

As each individual is electrically alive and dynamic, so yoga is a living, dynamic force in life. In order to savor its essence, one needs a religiously attentive dynamic practice done with awareness and absorption. — B.K.S. Iyengar

The study of asana is not about mastering posture.
It's about using posture to understand and transform yourself. — B.K.S. Iyengar

As a fire blazes brightly when the covering of ash over it is scattered by the wind, the divine fire within the body shines in all its majesty when the ashes of desire are scattered by the practice of pranayama. — B.K.S. Iyengar

You exist without the feeling of existence. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Our Parusa or Universal Soul is an abiding reality. It is logical, but remains conceptual to our minds under we experience it;s realization within ourselves. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Asana has two facets, pose and repose. Pose is the artistic assumption of a position. 'Reposing in the pose' means finding the perfection of a pose and maintaining it, reflecting in it with penetration of the intelligence and with dedication. — B.K.S. Iyengar

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

Any action done with beauty and purity, and in complete harmony of body, mind and soul, is Art. — B.K.S. Iyengar

We have two physical eyes, but every pore of the body is also an eye. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Your body is the child of your soul. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Yoga is a way of life; it is an art, a science, a philosophy. — B.K.S. Iyengar

As long as you do not live totally in the body, you do not live totally in the Self. — B.K.S. Iyengar

If you practice yoga every day with perseverance, you will be able to face the turmoil of life with steadiness and maturity. — B.K.S. Iyengar

My Maman told me that only the crazy ones and the passionate ones accomplish anything in life. — B.K.S. Iyengar

You know the known, so go a little into the unknown. The mind that is caught up in the known - extended a little beyond reason. The moment you go beyond , you move in the soul. Releasing the bondage of your mind to extend further, reach the unknown a little more. The further you go, you realize that the known is limited and the unknown is vast. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Your body is the child of the soul. you must nourish and train that child. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Intensity is a mental attitude more than a physical attitude. Many people misunderstand what intensity means. They think it means straining and sweating. No! That is a wrong meaning of the word! Intensity is to get totally involved, fully immersed and absorbed in what one is doing. Intense practice means a fast and keen mode in adjusting, correcting, and progressively proceeding. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Fear and fatigue block the mind. Face both, then courage and confidence flows into you. — B.K.S. Iyengar

The body is my temple, asanas are my prayers. — B.K.S. Iyengar

A good teacher helps you explore the maximum. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Extension brings space, space brings freedom, freedom brings precision. Precision is truth. — B.K.S. Iyengar

A scientist sets out to conquer nature through knowledge - external nature, external knowledge. By these means he may split the atom and achieve external power. A yogi sets out to explore his own internal nature, to penetrate the atom (atma) of being. He does not gain dominion over wide lands and restless seas, but over his own recalcitrant flesh and febrile mind. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Yoga is like music: the rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life. — B.K.S. Iyengar

From Freedom of the Body comes Freedom of the Mind and then Ultimate Freedom! — B.K.S. Iyengar

The whole thrust of yogic philosophical and scientific inquiry has therefore been to examine the nature of being, with a view to learning to respond to the stresses of life without so many tremors and troubles. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Undoubtedly, the mind is restless and hard to control But it can be trained by constant practice and by freedom from desire." - B.K.S. Iyengar.

Climbing is really great, we all love climbing. But what's interesting to me is what happens in my head or in my life because of it. Ultimately, I think climbing is a vehicle for exploration - of the world, of the self. — Steph Davis

When an asana is done correctly the body movements are smooth, there is lightness in the body and freedom in the mind. — B.K.S. Iyengar

The ribs are the wings of the body. Open your wings. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Happy is the man who knows how to distinguish the real from the unreal, the eternal from the transient and the good from the pleasant by his discrimination and wisdom. — B.K.S. Iyengar

The battle of yoga is with the body and with the ego. You must conquer your ego, or small self, so that you can let your soul, your big Self, be victorious. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Knowledge of yoga is no substitute for practice. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Life itself seeks fulfillment as plants seek sunlight. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Awareness must be like the rays of the sun: extending everywhere, illuminating all. — B.K.S. Iyengar

You must do the asana with your soul. How can you do an asana with your soul? We can only do it with the organ of the body that is closest to the soul - the heart. So a virtuous asana is done from the heart and not from the head. Then you are not just doing it, but you are in it. Many people try to think their way into an asana, but you must instead feel your way into it through love and devotion — B.K.S. Iyengar

The Yogi conquers the body by the practice of asanas, making the body a fit vehicle for the spirit. The Yogi knows that it is a necessary vehicle for the spirit, for a soul without a body is like a bird deprived of its power to fly. — B.K.S. Iyengar

He who has learnt to control his tongue has attained self-control in a great measure. When such a person speaks he will be heard with respect and attention. His words will be remembered, for they will be good and true. When one who is established in truth prays with a pure heart, then things he really needs come to him when they are really needed: he does not have to run after them. The man firmly established in truth gets the fruit of his actions without apparently doing anything. God, the source of all truth, supplies his needs and looks after his welfare. — B.K.S. Iyengar

It is through the alignment of the body that I discovered the alignment of my mind, self, and intelligence. — B.K.S. Iyengar

You have to get rid of borders, limits, and classifications; then light comes. We see everything on the screen of our ideas. We must get rid of that screen to be able to see what is behind. X's ideas are limited, that is why he remains on the surface. Y got rid of the limits, so she always goes to the depths. We should always meet people and new subjects with no set frame of mind. We have to live like that even after long acquaintance. We must get rid of every set idea to approach everything and everyone with love. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Regulate the breathing, and thereby control the mind. — B.K.S. Iyengar

As animals, we walk the earth. As bearers of divine essence, we are among the stars. As human beings, we are caught in the middle, seeking to reconcile the paradox of how to make our way upon earth while striving for something more permanent and more profound. — B.K.S. Iyengar

When you inhale, you are taking the strength from God. When you exhale, it represents the service you are giving to the world. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Balance in the body is the foundation for balance in life. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Yoga is firstly for individual growth, but through individual growth, society and community develop. — B.K.S. Iyengar

Change is not something that we should fear. Rather, it is something that we should welcome. For without change, nothing in this world would ever grow or blossom, and no one in this world would ever move forward to become the person they're meant to be. — B.K.S. Iyengar