Being BKS Iyengar: The enlightened yogi of yoga

THE ART OF GOOD LIVING: Iyengar says he's responsible for promoting vegetarianism in the West.

        

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Anuradha SenGupta: In order to get them to listen to what you had to say, you had to speak their language. I thought it was very clever. I read you have said somewhere that because there was such a desire at that time in these countries to enjoy life, to look for maximum pleasure that you started giving them asanas for sensory and sexual pleasure.

BKS Iyengar: I do not deny that.

Anuradha SenGupta: Strategically, that was the best thing to do.

BKS Iyengar: I thought until and unless I win them over, there won’t be any other way. But these strong people could not hold a class for even 45 minutes and I was doing six to seven hours in addition to my practices. My food was coffee, bread and fruits. They said this man is a grass-eater and has such energy. I said, live like me, practice like me, you will also have the energy. I started transforming them. Today, I can tell you that in Western countries I am responsible for the way they live. I am the example for them to turn to vegetarianism. When I met Yehudi Menuhin (the violin legend who became Iyengar’s most famous disciple and a friend for life), I told him I would be very happy to guide you. But he was not willing, probably because of shyness or whatever. Then, I asked him if he wanted to see what I do. I gave him a 45-minute demonstration. He was observing carefully. His wife was a ballerina and was not at home then. Suddenly, she came and he said, ‘Oh Darling, you missed a wonderful chance. It was just like a ballet what this man performed.’ She said she wanted to see it too. So I had to repeat the demonstration, another 45 minutes. Both of them saw. I told them I have shown you what I can do, why don’t you show me what you can do. He did the sheershasana but he was gasping for breath. So I told him to come down and then helped him with it. Adjusted his head, his shoulders and took him to sheershasana. He moment that happened, he has an exhilarating feeling. He did it for two-three minutes and then came down.

Anuradha SenGupta: I believe he called you his best violin teacher.

BKS Iyengar: Yes. Later he told me that everyone told him what to play on the violin, you the only man who taught me how to play the violin. So that made him to call me the best violin teacher. I was only 15 years old (when he went to live with my sister and brother-in-law Tirumalai Krishnacharya – also his guru). I had lost my father and we had to depend on others during those days. We had to live like slaves. He (Krishnacharya) neglected me initially. It was when he lost his pet student that he took me in and gave me attention. He was demanding and was creating fear complex in me. He told me he would not give me food if I did not do my presentations well.

Anuradha SenGupta: In the hindsight, you have taught so many people. You think that was a good way to teach?

BKS Iyengar: No I don’t think so. Though I have that quality but I don’t force because I learnt I should not give that kind of fear to my students. His actions reacted on me and made me believe that I had to react in a sympathetic manner to make yoga popular.

Anuradha SenGupta: Yet, you are also known to be a tough guy.

BKS Iyengar: I am a tough guy on my subject. I suffered and so did not want my students to suffer.