This website is dedicated to my guruji, Mr. Iyengar, and his family who always inspire me with the words and actions of their life.
Mr. Iyengar has opened a path for all of us to follow the sutras of Patanjali.
Thank you!
The official website of BKS Iyengar
What is "Iyengar Yoga"?
"Yoga, an ancient but perfect science, deals with the evolution of humanity. This evolution includes all aspects of one's being, from bodily health to self-realization. Yoga means union - the union of body with consciousness and consciousness with the soul. Yoga cultivates the ways of maintaining a balanced attitude in day-to-day life and endows skill in the performance of one's actions."
-- from Astadala Yogamala
"Words cannot convey the value of yoga. It has to be experienced."
-- from Yoga: The Path To Holistic Health
"The body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in."
-- from Yoga: The Path To Holistic Health
"Classics postures, when practiced with discrimination and awareness, bring the body, mind, and consciousness into a single, harmonious whole."
-- from Yoga: The Path To Holistic Health
"We can rise above our limitation, only once we recognize them."
-- from Yoga: The Path To Holistic Health
"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."
"When you inhale, you are taking the strength from God. When you exhale, it represents the service you are giving to the world."
"An action done with beauty and purity, and in complete harmony of body, mind and soul, is art."
Sage Patanjali was the first person to present the ancient tradition of yoga in a systematic way,. Thus he is considered the founder of Yoga. Patanjali lived sometime between 500 and 200 B.C. Much of what we know of the master of yoga is drawn from legends. He was author of three brilliant works. One was on Sanskrit grammar. The second was a work on ancient Indian medicine, Ayurveda. The third and the most important, was on Yoga. It is called the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. In this brief work, containing only 196 sayings, Patanjali clearly explains what Yoga is. Here he describes the way of overcoming the afflictions of the mind: the obstacles to the spiritual development. Patanjali 196 aphorisms or sutras cover all aspects of life, beginning with a prescribed code of conduct and ending with a person's vision of one's true Self.
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The invocation to Lord Patanjali is offered at the beginning of the yoga practice or class. Sometimes it's also offered at the end. The invocation is the recognition of his efforts and knowledge
and also of all the other teachers after him who pass and spread the knowledge of yoga to us.
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(in Sanskrit)
yogena cittasya padean vacam malam sarirasya ca vaidyakena yopakarottam pravaram muninam patanjalim pranjaliranato'smi
abahu purusakaram
sankha cakrasi dharinam
sahasra sirasam svetam
pranamami patanjalim
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(in English)
Let us bow before the noblest of sages Patanjali, who gave yoga for serenity and sanctity of mind, grammar for clarity and purity of speech and medicine for perfection of health. Let us prostrate
before Patanjali, and incarnation
of Adisesa, whose upper body has a human form,
whose arms hold a conch and a disc, and
who is crowned by a thousand-head cobra.
Let us prostrate before Lord Adisesa who manifested
himself on earth as Patanjali to grace the human race
with health and harmony.
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