10 Timeless Ideas On Life From The Yoga Master, BKS 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

Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar or BKS Iyengar was one of the greatest yoga teachers of recent times.

BKS Iyengar was also fondly known as Guruji to many people and recently passed away.

BKS Iyenyar was born in 1918 and was one of the early students of the master Krishnamacharya, known as the father of modern yoga.

BKS Iyengar was instrumental in popularizing yoga in India and in the rest of the world. He created the popular school of yoga called Iyengar Yoga.

He has written many books including the Light on Life, Light on Yoga and Light on Pranayama.

Over the years I have been practicing Iyengar Yoga along with other modalities of yoga to enrich my practice. Out of curiosity, I picked up the book Light on Life several years before.

The book contains great wisdom on yoga and life for the yoga enthusiast and the non-practitioner alike.

Here are 10 life tips from the amazing life and wisdom of BKS Iyengar.

1. The Journey Inwards

“Illuminated emancipation, freedom, unalloyed and untainted bliss await you, but you have to choose to embark on the Inward Journey to discover it.”- B.K.S. Iyengar

BKS Iyengar emphasized the importance of correct form and posture to discovering the inner self.

I love the idea that we need to change the focus of life to experience bliss and happiness.

We are sometimes conditioned by society to believe that happiness and bliss exist out there external to us.

“The beauty of a lake reflects the beauty around it. When the mind is still, the beauty of the Self is seen reflected in it.”-BKS Iyengar

A growing body of happiness and motivational science research has pointed to the importance of the inward journey.

Research points to the idea that success follows happiness and not the opposite way around. It also shows us that intrinsic motivation is more important than external rewards.

This reflects the timeless advice of the inward journey from BKS Iyengar.

“The material body has a practical reality that is accessible. It is here and now, and we can do something with it. However, we must not forget that the innermost part of our being is also trying to help us. It wants to come out to the surface and express itself,” BKS, Iyengar, Light on Life

People get worried as soon as they hear about the journey inwards.

I always hear stuff like:

But I can’t meditate.

I do not have the time to do yoga.

I think the short answer to that is: Do what works for you.

If you sit in silence for a few minutes, that is great.

If you practice an inward practice of giving love and gratitude, that is enough.

Do something. Begin the journey inwards to discover the true inner self and bliss.

“It is through your body that you realize you are a spark of divinity.”― B.K.S. Iyengar

 2. On Change

“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

I think it would be an understatement to say that BKS Iyengar welcomed all the change that happened in his own life and his practice.

I agree that one of the most fearful ideas that many run away from is the idea of change.

Lack of embracing the lessons and the light of change keeps us stuck in our current situation. This might be quite disconcerting because the world all around you is changing at a rapid clip.

Change the way you approach change and transformation. Embrace the discomfort and the uncertainty of change as a wonderful adventure and as a mission.

Instead of running away from change, jump into it with an enthusiastic and hopeful heart. As BKS Iyengar says, without change nothing will blossom and none will be what they meant to be.

Take that advice to heart and remember that change forward is part of the journey of transformation.

Much like the caterpillar that becomes the butterfly, change is constant. Even after becoming the butterfly, you will still need to fly to new lands and into new adventures.

Are you embracing change?

“Change leads to disappointment if it is not sustained. Transformation is sustained change, and it is achieved through practice.”- BKS Iyengar

 3. On The Art Of Conscious Movement

“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, Light on Life

This is wonderful advice from the great master.

I cannot agree more that there is a huge difference between busywork and conscious action and movement.

When you become aware of your actions and your movement, action becomes an art and a pleasure.

Instead of running in several directions, you are able to focus your precious time and energy into mindful and conscious movement and action.

What is conscious movement?

It is movement with mindfulness.

It is movement and action with focus.

It is action with a higher purpose.

It is slowing down and doing less but accomplishing more.

The idea that we get from BKS Iyengar is that when our actions are misaligned in life as in yoga, the results do not gather momentum.

It is best to allow the teacher or your natural intelligence to make subtle changes in the yoga pose to bring you back into alignment.

It is the same with life. When you feel misaligned, allow mentors and self-correction to bring you back into conscious alignment with your actions and your purpose.

“It is through the alignment of the body that I discovered the alignment of my mind, self, and intelligence.”― B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life

4. Why Compare When You Are Unique?

“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.”- BKS Iyengar

I think that this advice from BKS Iyengar is spot on for me. I used to compare myself and my accomplishments with others.

I thought:

Oh, they are better yogis.

They have more resources, more money, more….you get the idea.

And the false “they are all happy and having a great time” while I…let us not even go there.

Of course, comparison sometimes turns into full scale criticism.

They are doing it wrong or they must be greedy. To justify my comparing and criticizing mind, I externalized my conflict.

Now, I have trained my mind to think in a different way.

Instead of comparing to others, I bless others for their strengths and attempt to work on mine.

Instead of becoming envious of others who can do that difficult yoga pose or have some material accomplishment, I work on my situation.

What are your unique strengths and capacities?

Do you strive to become a better version of yourself or do you compare with others?

“One’s spiritual realization lies in none other than how one walks among and interacts with one’s fellow beings.”- BKS Iyengar

 5. The Art Of the Breath

“Breath is the king of mind.”― B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Yoga

BKS Iyengar is the guru of yoga who we remember for his emphasis on proper breathing technique and for the purity of form and posture.

Many people are shallow breathers and do not understand the importance of the breath.

The ancients knew and believed that breath was one of the most powerful gateways to the portal of consciousness and awareness.

When you are afraid or uncertain, you may have shallow and quick breaths. It is best to become aware of the breathing patterns that you have.

Taking deep breaths has the calming effect of centering you and preparing you better for the stress of life.

I have found that BKS Iyengar’s advise to be golden during yoga practice and in life.

Use deep belly breathing to increase your levels of energy and also your levels of awareness. When you feel hesitant and lack confident, center yourself by taking some deep breaths.

6. Give more Than You Can Take

“I think many of my students have followed the advice I gave years ago, to give more than you take. The commercialism may wash off sometime later.”- BKS Iyengar in an interview to the NY Times

When Guruji was asked about yoga and commercialization, he shared the nugget of wisdom above to the NY Times.

People ask me what is the measure and the definition of success? They also ask me how to cope with things and stress. A common question is “how to thrive?”

I believe that BKS Iyengar’s short but amazing response answers the above questions.

When you are genuinely interested in creating value for others and when you give more than you take, you flourish.

This is not over-giving while sacrificing the self and others close to you.

This does not include giving all the time because you do not see your own worth and have to prove something to others.

This is the realm of creating great value and uplifting as many people that you can with your thoughts, words and actions.

When you focus on others and give to uplift, your life becomes enriched.

It gets enriched by experience and it gets enriched by some the good stuff rubbing off you.

7. On Excuses And Hard Work

“I can’t say, ‘I’m old, so I don’t want to do it. The escapism of other people, I don’t want.” -BKS Iyengar in an interview to the NY Times

If there is anyone who was an example of an excuses free life, it was BKS Iyengar.

He practiced yoga and his principles well into his 90’s.

He believed that there was no substitute for hard work or sweat.

I could not agree more. I believe that society rewards and glorifies talented people. Sometimes to the point that they begin to believe that they do not need to work hard.

This is eventually damaging.

We have all heard stories of talented people not reaching their potential. We have heard how they underestimated the amount of work and overestimated their skills.

“Penetration of our mind is our goal, but in the beginning to set things in motion, there is no substitute for sweat,” BKS Iyengar, Light on Life

Whenever I feel like my work I finished and there is nothing more to learn, I am reminded of BKS Iyengar’s wise words.

I realign myself and understand that if I am good at something, I can be even better.

This is not a desire driven by perfectionism but by the sheer love of practice.

“Practice is my feast,”-BKS Iyengar in an interview to the NY Times

Practice is sacred in yoga and to what BKS Iyengar taught. There is no way to intellectualize and understand action and implementation.

There is no substitute for practice and action.

It may just be that the greatest secret of success is the aligned implementation of regular practice and repeated action.

Action combined with correcting posture or improvisation and trying again lies at the core of forward motion.

“Yoga is a light, which once lit, will never dim. The better your practice, the brighter the flame.”-BKS Iyengar

Of course, you can use the same examples of action and practice in any field and not just yoga. What is your practice?

8. On Perfection

“Regarding perfection, that’s a very difficult question. I can say that I have superseded most in my sadhana [practice]. I am in it, and my mind and my intelligence gets better in my sadhana, and it reaches a certain place. When I stretch, I stretch in such a way that my awareness moves, and a gate of awareness finally opens… My body is a laboratory, you can say. I don’t stretch my body as if it is an object. I do yoga from the self towards the body, not the other way around,”- BKS Iyengar in an interview to Mint.

A great solution to perfectionism opens up and reveals itself to us in BKS Iyengar’s words.

When you commit to the sadhana or the practice, you will find a way to transcend perfectionism.

You will find a way to get beyond the fear of being correct.

You will overcome the guilt of being wrong and appearing like a failure.

You take refuge in the sadhana or the practice with the awareness of moving past the gates of limitation.

You become aware of the limitations of perfectionism and you seek to move past in in your work and in your life.

9. What is Yoga?

“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.”-BKS Iyengar

Of course, for BKS Iyengar, yoga represented not just a way of life but a philosophy and a path.

This post would not be complete without including some of the ideas and thoughts that he had directly about the practice of yoga and spirituality.

“Spirituality is not some external goal that one must seek, but a part of the divine core of each of us, which we must reveal.”― B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life

I love the idea that through dedicated practice of the awareness of yoga, the observer and the observed get transformed.

With a dedicated practice, the difficulties of life seem to be more possible to overcome.

The observers themselves become more flexible in mind, and more aware of themselves and their role in the universe.

“Yoga does not just change the way we see things, it transforms the person who sees.”― B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life

Any dedicated practice like yoga that requires dedication and concentration promotes inner peace. It is not as if there is no stress and struggles. It is just that the struggles and the stress fall away and do not stick.

While stress lingered and wreaked havoc in the past, it does not seem and feel like an impossible problem anymore.

You are able to let go of stress.

“Yoga allows you to find an inner peace that is not ruffled and riled by the endless stresses and struggles of life.” ― B.K.S. Iyengar

10. How To Create Union Between Body, Mind, Heart and Spirit

“We must create a marriage between the awareness of the body and that of the mind. When two parties do not cooperate, there is unhappiness on both sides.”― B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life

I think that the idea of creating an union between the body and the mind is a great one.

Many references in psychology literature point to the union and the consonance between the various elements of a person.

The notable ones are the rider and the elephant metaphor by Jonathan Haidt. The elephant being the subconscious mind and the rider being the conscious mind.

Another is the avoidance of cognitive dissonance or holding two or more contradictory ideas, beliefs or values.

I think that there is a disconnect and tension between the body, mind and spirit. The disconnect happens when people emphasize one over the other and dwell in one or the other for too long.

BKS Iyengar addresses this well when he says that:

“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, Light on Life

We begin to understand that we have many roles in our life and that the seamless movement and union between them is important.

When we disallow or block one or more of these roles and do not hear the whispers of the body, mind and spirit, we head into resistance and conflict.

“When I practice, I am a philosopher. When I teach, I am a scientist. When I demonstrate, I am an artist.”-B.K.S. Iyengar

I have the deepest respect for guruji and his great contribution. I salute and express my greatest gratitude and deepest namaste to this amazing man. Though he is no more, his teachings and wisdom will echo in the lives of countless people whose lives he deeply enhanced and enriched.

Now over to you!

How did this post resonate with you?

Which idea is your most favorite?

Please let me know in the comments below!