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

Called the "Michelangelo of yoga", B.K.S. Iyengar was recognized as the world's greatest yoga teacher.

Iyengar brought yoga to the west with his pioneer teaching in the 1970s, the start of today’s explosive growth in yoga. His seminal manual, Light on Yoga, called the "Bible" of yoga has been the guide for generations of yoga students. His most recent work, Light on Life, led to a world tour of standing-room-only appearances.

His innovations in the use of props, now ubiquitous in yoga studios of all styles, reshaped the art. Blankets, belts, and other devices allow students to work safely in the yoga asanas. Iyengar also reshaped the therapeutic applications of yoga which helped validate yoga as legitimate treatment for serious medical conditions.

Perhaps the most groundbreaking aspect of Mr. Iyengar’s teaching was that through the yoga asanas and Pranayama (the control of the breath) the practitioner can explore the most advanced stages of yoga which include concentration, true meditation, and even Samadhi; the mystical union of the individual soul of the student with the universal God.

Mr. Iyengar bridged the gap between traditional distinctions between hatha yoga, at times considered merely a physical form of yoga, and yogas which focus on the intellect, devotion, and meditation. Mr. Iyengar brought the spiritual nature and healing power of yoga to hundreds of thousands of students around the world.