B.K.S. Iyengar Quotes

Yoga is a means and an end.

As a breeze ruffles the surface of a lake and distorts the images reflected therein, so also the chitta vrtti (fluctuations of mind) disturb the peace of the mind. The still waters of a lake reflect the beauty around it. When the mind is still, the beauty of the Self is seen reflected in it.

The conjunction of effort, concentration and balance in asana forces us to live intensely in the present moment, a rare experience in modern life.

When you are practicing, do not just do that for the sake of doing. Learn to reflect while you are practising. Make your mind and brain observe and relearn what you are doing. Doing is mechanical; learning is dynamic.

Words cannot convey the value of yoga - it has to be experienced.

The body is my temple, asanas are my prayers.

The challenge of yoga is to go beyond our limits - within reason. We continually expand the frame of the mind by using the canvas of the body. It is as if you were to stretch a canvas more and create a larger surface for a painting. But we must respect the present form of our body. If you pull too much at once, we will rip the canvas. If the practice of today damages the practice of tomorrow, it is not correct practice.

Nothing is achieved by a mind that doubts

I also say with backbends, you have to be cautiously bold. Not carelessly bold. You have to descend to the dictation of the spine. You cannot command from the brain to do the poses. As you play with a child, guarding the child from injuries, similarly you have to play in backbends, guarding your spine.

Life itself seeks fulfillment as plants seek sunlight.

When your body, mind and soul are healthy and harmonious, you will bring health and harmony to the world- not by withdrawing from the world, but by being a healthy, living organ of the body of humanity.

Your body is the child of your soul.

The lotus grows in muddy waters but this flower does not show any trace of it: So we have to live in the world.

Yoga allows you to find an inner peace that is not ruffled and riled by the endless stresses and struggles of life.

There is a universal reality in ourselves that aligns us with a universal reality that is everywhere.

Yoga is as old and traditional as civilization, yet it persists in modern society as a means to achieving essential vitality. But yoga demands that we develop not only strength in body but attention and awareness in mind.The yogi knows that the physical body is not only the temple for our soul but the means by which we embark on the inward journey toward the core.

Do to your capacity. Always strive to extend your capacity. Ten minutes today, after a few days, twelve minutes. Master that, then again extend.

Not all practitioners can jump to that highest level. They have to climb, step by step from the physical sphere to reach the spiritual sphere. If it is treated as exercise it is not the fault of yoga but of the practitioners.

Yoga is an interior penetration leading to integration of being, senses, breath, mind, intelligence, consciousness, and Self. It is definitely an inward journey, evolution through involution, toward the Soul, which in turn desires to emerge and embrace you in its glory.

In forward bends, one uses the outer mind while in backbends the outer mind is silenced and the inner mind is made to work.

As we shave it happens that we cut ourself with the razor blade; this does not mean that we must not shave in the morning any longer. It is the same thing for yoga.

Penetration of our mind is our goal, but in the beginning to set things in motion, there is no substitute for sweat.

As animals, we walk the earth. As bearers of divine essence, we are among the stars. As human beings, we are caught in the middle, seeking to reconcile the paradox of how to make our way upon earth while striving for something more permanent and more profound.

There must be relaxation in full extension.

You must purge yourself before finding faults in others.

Freedom in a posture is when every joint is active.

Relaxation: In. Every. Pose. There. Should. Be. Repose.

If you have the right mind, your body can do anything.

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.

We can wash the skin of our bodies with a bath, but through asana practice we not only purify our blood and cells, we are cleansing the inner body as we practice.

It is through your body that you realize you are a spark of divinity.

The art of teaching is tolerance. Humbleness is the art of learning.

Your body is the child of the soul. you must nourish and train that child.

Give more than you receive. That is the principle I tell all my students.

Love begets courage, moderation creates abundance and humility generates power. Courage without love is brutish. Abundance without moderation leads to over-indulgence and decay. Power without humility breeds arrogance and tyranny.

Love begets courage, moderation creates abundance and humility generates power

Yoga releases the creative potential in life.

In order to find out how to reveal our innermost Being, the sages explored the various sheaths of existence, starting from body and progressing through mind and intelligence, and ultimately to the soul. The yogic journey guides us from our periphery, the body, to the center ofour being, the soul. The aim is to integrate the variouslayers so that the inner divinity shines out as through clear glass.

What I was is unimportant, what I am now is important.

The light that Yoga sheds on life is something special. It is transformative. It does not just change the way we see things; it transforms the person who sees.

Ignorance has no beginning, but it has an end. There is a beginning but no end to knowledge.

Awareness must be like the rays of the sun: extending everywhere, illuminating all.

The union of nature and soul removes the veil of ignorance that covers our intelligence.

The ultimate goal of yoga is to realize the brilliance of your soul.

The hardness of a diamond is part of its usefulness, but its true value is in the light that shines through it.

When you see a mistake in somebody else, try to find if you are making the same mistake.