The Atlanta Premier of "Iyengar: The Man, Yoga, and the Student's Journey "

Considered the Michelangelo of yoga, BKS Iyengar’s own body became the block of stone from which he created his work of art. What Michelangelo called divine perfection, could be considered the same as what BKS Iyengar called cosmic consciousness. Having the presence of mind, the determination, and courage to trust its guidance leads to the transformation of stone into art.

Anyone who is born with an affliction, endured stiffness, disease or injury, or experienced aging knows the feeling of stone within the body.

BKS Iyengar felt it early in life. On December 14, 1918, Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar came into this world and tumbled into a storm of viruses from the influenza pandemic to malaria, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, and general malnutrition. At 15 his uncle, Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya took him into his care to train him in the art, science, and philosophy of yoga. The training didn’t come consistently until BKS proved himself a worthy student. Many would consider Krishnamacharya’s tactics unsuitable for a child of Iyengar’s age. However, Mr. Iyengar says though he only trained consistently with his guru for two years, that period turned his life around.

In this writer’s mind, in those two years, Krishnamacharya’s mastery lit the internal flame within BKS Iyengar that illuminated his connection to cosmic consciousness. From that day forward, he strengthened that connection by witnessing its presence in every sinew of his being and thoroughly examining the relationship of his mind to every sheath of his body through abhyāsa, practice and vairāgya. detachment.

What BKS Iyengar created when he chiseled, carved, and hammered with the divine guidance of cosmic consciousness is the true art, science and philosophy behind Iyengar Yoga. His journey as depicted in the documentary by Jake Clennell and executive producer and senior Iyengar teacher Lindsey Clennell celebrates the expansion and extension that came from his body of work. Stillwater Yoga owner, Kathleen Pringle hosted the Atlanta Premier. The documentary offers a glimpse into infinite space BKS Iyengar dared to embark from the periphery to the core of not only his own being, but that of millions around the world. It shows how he surrendered to the task with grace and gratitude, knowing his efforts would be endless and daunting because of his indelible belief in the transformation that is available to us all. The masterpiece he created continues to evolve through his devoted students and teachers. The documentary gives us a peek into how they continue to benefit, share, and honor his work. I encourage you to attend the premier of Iyengar: The Man, Yoga, and the Student's Journey in your city, who knows it might ignite the artist in you.

Integrity & Iyengar Yoga: A place to begin.

Leaky energy leads to lack of integrity, which I believe comes from ignorance of our highest self.

We are human, but consider the idea that we have a divine spirit in the confinement of this human form that can teach us how to navigate the earth plane with more integrity. Integrity is hard to uphold regardless of spiritual path, age, gender, race or status.

Some people adhere to strict religious dogma or other rigid authority to keep them in line. But relying on someone else to tell us how to behave has its pitfalls eventually. We want to build an internal sense of integrity.

I believe Iyengar Yoga can help us with that, here’s why: The Iyengar Method teaches you to rely on your inner teacher. Imagine for a moment learning to hear a voice that is the highest part of yourself to show you how to move in the world? The Iyengar Method is a systematic and synchronistic way to connect to that divine part of yourself.

The Method follows an 8-limbed path that does have guidelines. It encourages you to study the 196 (or 197) Sutra’s written by the Sage Patañjali to ponder over and over along the way —until you have a visceral understanding of why this over-5000-year-old-proven path has the ability to expedite your evolution. Ultimately, it eliminates the need for rules because you get to a place where you see they are a part of you instead of something outside of you.

The Iyengar Method also requires that you begin your practice by taking classes with a Certified Iyengar Instructor. The Iyengar Method of teaching yoga takes you from the ‘periphery to the core’ and then ‘the core to periphery’ and back again, bringing awareness to every fiber of your being: your arms and legs, your muscles and bones, your bodily systems, your trillions of cells, your breath, and your life-force energy. 

From awareness, you move to alignment. From alignment, you move to clarity. From clarity, you move to wisdom. All along the way you refine and evolve until you get to the essence of your divinity. That’s the part of you that innately knows how to behave in the universe.

Once you get a glimpse of your highest most authentic self, you sense freedom there like you’ve never known before -freedom from your base desires and more. Eventually, you connect right action with that sense of freedom, which seals the leaks in your energy, and keeps you centered in integrity, so your evolution can accelerate forward and upward.

Namaste.

By Rhonda Geraci, Iyengar practitioner, Certified Iyengar Instructor & freelance writer