Even in simple asanas, one is experiencing the three levels of quest: the external quest, which brings firmness of the body the internal quest, which brings steadiness of intelligence and the innermost quest, which brings benevolence of spirit. 'While this is a legitimate place to begin, it is not the end. He used props like ropes, belts and bricks to help even the elderly, weak, and inflexible experience yoga's therapeutic effects.īut Iyengar says yoga goes beyond the physical motions: 'The practice of yogasana for the sake of health, to keep fit, or to maintain flexibility is the external practice of yoga,' he continues in Light on Life. Over the next seven decades, Iyengar used his own body as a living laboratory to explore how different yoga postures - called asanas - can alleviate health problems. 'Seeing that the general state of my health was so poor, my brother-in-law recommended a stiff regime of yoga practice to knock me into shape and strengthen me up to face life's trials and challenges as I approached adulthood.' 'A deep melancholy often overtook me, and at times I asked myself whether life was worth the trouble of living. 'My poor health was matched, as it often is when one is sick, by my poor mood,' he writes. In his latest book, Light on Life, he recounts how physical weaknesses led him to the ancient practice of yoga: Iyengar began life as a frail and sickly child - but now, at the ripe age of 87, the yoga master can still stand on his head and hold a conversation at the same time. He refined and perfected the technique of doing yoga poses that is most widely taught in the United States.

B.K.S Iyengar is considered the world's greatest living yoga master.

Light on life bks iyengar