B. K. S. Iyengar Biography 
Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar, shortly called B. K. S. Iyengar was a prominent yoga guru from Karnataka. He was the founder of the style of yoga known as "Iyengar Yoga", a form of Hatha Yoga. Iyengar is widely regarded to be one of the foremost yoga gurus across the world, who played a magnificent role in popularizing yoga across the world.
He is a recipient of Padma Shri in 1991, the Padma Bhushan in 2002 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2014 for his priceless contributions to this field. A well-known figure in yoga around the world, his legacy is carried forward by his elder daughter, Geeta Iyengar who is currently a leading Yoga instructor. Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, his brother-in-law was also a famous yoga instructor. B. K. S. Iyengar was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2004.
He was born on 14 December 1918 in Bellur, Kolar district, Kingdom of Mysore. The place now belongs to Karnataka state. He was born into a big family of 13 siblings. The family shifted to Bangalore when he was 5 years old. His father was a teacher. He lost his father at the age of 9. At the time of his birth, his hometown was in the grip of influenza pandemic, which left him affected, sick and weak for many years till mid-teens. He was invited to Mysore by his brother-in-law Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, a leading yoga teacher and that’s how he got introduced to the world of yoga. He started with asana practice, and slowly his health started improving.
This particular incident proved to be the turning point of his life, and he was later sent to Pune by his brother-in-law at the age of eighteen to spread the teaching of yoga. He finally settled in Pune, and preached the principles of yoga worldwide. During his stay with Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, he had to face a lot of hardships. He was tasked with household chores, and given difficult yoga steps. Yet Iyengar mastered them all.
Published: July 29, 2018
Updated: July 29, 2018
