The Greatest Yoga Teachers in World

Read about BKS Iyengar, Yoga Guru and one of the greatest teacher in the field of Yoga. Mr. Iyengar was Internationally acclaimed Yoga Guru who founded his own style of Yoga. Learn some interesting facts about him and read his biography below.

 Short Biography & Facts About BKS Iyengar

1. Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar was born on 14 Decembers 1918 in Bellur, Karnataka. He Died on 20 August 2014 in Pune at the age of 95.

2. He was the founder of a new style of Yoga called Iyengar Yoga and was recognized worldwide for his teachings and philosophy.

3. He was born to poor family and was 11th child of his parents. During the time of his birth, the village was in the grip of the influenza pandemic, leaving him sickly and weak.

4. Throughout his childhood, he struggled with malaria, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, and general malnutrition. “My arms were thin, my legs were spindly, and my stomach protruded in an ungainly manner,” he wrote. “My head used to hang down, and I had to lift it with great effort.”

5. Later he moved to Mysore with his Brother in Law Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya who was a Yoga Teacher. Iyengar’s health improved drastically and his interest towards Yoga increased significantly. Mr. Iyengar later claimed these moments as turning point of his life.

 6. In 1937 at the age of 18 he moved to Pune to spread the knowledge of Yoga. He lived and taught Yoga in Pune until he died in 2014.

7. In 1952 He got the chance to meet famous violinist Yehudi Menuhin. Yehudi gave him 5 minutes but instead stayed with Iyengar for 3 hours. He later said that “I Believe Yoga helped me play better violin”. Later Mr. Iyengar visited Switzerland and Yehudi Menuhin introduced him as “my best violin teacher, BKS Iyengar”. This made him an Internationally acclaimed Yoga Guru.

8. He practiced Yoga until he died. At the age of 90 he used to practice asanas for 3 hours and pranayamas for an hour daily.

9. Iyengar also discovered a way to use props to help disabled people practice Yoga.

10. Iyengar Yoga Centers are spread world wide and there are hundreds of Centers in world. In China there are now over thirty thousand Iyengar yoga students in 57 cities.

6. In 1937 at the age of 18 he moved to Pune to spread the knowledge of Yoga. He lived and taught Yoga in Pune until he died in 2014.

7. In 1952 He got the chance to meet famous violinist Yehudi Menuhin. Yehudi gave him 5 minutes but instead stayed with Iyengar for 3 hours. He later said that “I Believe Yoga helped me play better violin”. Later Mr. Iyengar visited Switzerland and Yehudi Menuhin introduced him as “my best violin teacher, BKS Iyengar”. This made him an Internationally acclaimed Yoga Guru.

8. He practiced Yoga until he died. At the age of 90 he used to practice asanas for 3 hours and pranayamas for an hour daily.

9. Iyengar also discovered a way to use props to help disabled people practice Yoga.

10. Iyengar Yoga Centers are spread world wide and there are hundreds of Centers in world. In China there are now over thirty thousand Iyengar yoga students in 57 cities.

11. He taught Yoga to several notable Personalities like Jiddu Krishnamurti, Jayaprakash Narayan, Yehudi Menuhin, Elisabeth, Queen of Belgium, Aldous Huxley, the actress Annette Bening and the designer Donna Karan, as well as prominent Indian figures, including the cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and the Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor.

12. The noun “Iyengar” is defined by Oxford Dictionaries as “a type of Hatha yoga focusing on the correct alignment of the body, making use of straps, wooden blocks, and other objects as aids in achieving the correct postures.”