Guruji Iyengar’s 97th Birthday

Bellur Krishnamachar Iyengar, born December 14, 2015, the founder of Yoga known as “Iyengar Yoga” and internationally renowned yoga teacher, with his spiritual practices and techniques which can be used by all practitioners of Yoga. He used to answering standing on his head, which was one of the yoga asanas. He thought the pupils from all over the world who arrived at his school in Pune India, south-east of Mumbai.

He used to say “my body is my temple and asanas are my prayers”. He died aged 95, hailed from Bellur in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. Iyengar learned yoga from one of his brother-in-law, Tirumalai Kirshnamacharya, who ran a yoga school supported by the Maharaja of the southern princely state of Mysore. In 1952 when Menuhin, visited India Iyengar was asked to meet him by famous philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti in Bombay. Iyenger showed Menuhin to adopt a relaxing asana after which he fell asleep. After one hour, when Menuhin woke up and was inspired to believe that yoga improved his playing and in 1954 invited Iyengar to Switzerland. He pioneered modern therapeutic yoga. He lived a simple life and never sought publicity for his achivements although he was awarded a state honour the Padma Vibhushan. He lived with his wife Ramamani without conflict and Iyengar called his yoga school in Pune after her. His son Prashant and daughter Geeta are now principal teachers in the Pune yoga school and his grand daughter Abhijat also taught there.