To do is hard, but to teach is still harder. Do not teach only to teach. Teach to improve the pupil. To be a teacher requires tremendous, vigorous discipline on oneself. We are teachers because somebody demands it from us. But the teacher should first rub his own self, and teach afterwards

B.K.S. Iyengar

Categorized in : Teacher Self Discipline

Look after the root of the tree, and the fragrant flower and luscious fruits will grow by themselves. Look after the health of the body, and the fragrance of the mind and richness of the spirit will follow.

B.K.S. Iyengar

flower roots tree

The cure to combat the three Ss- stress, strain, and speed- can be found in three Ws- the work of devoted practice, the wisdom that comes of understanding the self and the world, and worship because ultimately surrendering to what we cannot control allows the ego to relax and lose the anxiety of its own infinitesimally small self in the infinitude of the divine.

B.K.S. Iyengar

stress practice self

The study of asana is not about mastering posture.

B.K.S. Iyengar

asana posture study

Yoga uses the body to discipline the mind and to reach the soul.

B.K.S. Iyengar

discipline yoga soul

Sometimes our body is willing, but our mind is weak. Sometimes our mind is willing, but our body is weak. Do not be afraid. Strive to extend your capacity but do not be disappointed with yourself. What does not challenge us, cannot change us.

B.K.S. Iyengar

challenges mind doe

Do not think of yourself as a small, compressed, suffering thing. Think of yourself as graceful and expanding, no matter how unlikely it may seem at the time.

B.K.S. Iyengar

suffering may thinking

The primary aim of yoga is to restore the mind to simplicity, peace, and poise, to free it from confusion and distress.

B.K.S. Iyengar

simplicity yoga confusion

The body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in.

B.K.S. Iyengar

wisdom spiritual success

Yes, flexibility of body and physical perfection for Yogasana is important. However more important is the state of your mind, Meditative mind. Your flexibility might be excellent but if your mind is not attentive, you are merely doing some physical exercise, not Yoga.

B.K.S. Iyengar

yoga perfection exercise

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

B.K.S. Iyengar

teaching inspiring art

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. Do not look at others' bodies with envy or with superiority. All people are born with different constitutions. Never compare with others. Each one's capacities are a function of his or her internal strength. Know your capacities and continually improve upon them.

B.K.S. Iyengar

yoga mistake people

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

B.K.S. Iyengar

rays awareness sun

Yoga is a light, which once lit, will never dim. The better your practice, the brighter the flame.

B.K.S. Iyengar

success inspiring motivational

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.

B.K.S. Iyengar

sake mind brain

Learning is as much an art as teaching

B.K.S. Iyengar

teaching art

It is not yoga that injures, but the way one does yoga that leads to injury.

B.K.S. Iyengar

yoga doe way

Yoga is like music: the rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life.

B.K.S. Iyengar

symphony yoga inspiring

Change is not something that we should fear. Rather, it is something that we should welcome. For without change, nothing in this world would ever grow or blossom, and no one in this world would ever move forward to become the person they're meant to be.

B.K.S. Iyengar

yoga inspiring moving

Regular practise of yoga can help you face the turmoil of life with steadiness and stability

B.K.S. Iyengar

yoga faces helping

He who has learnt to control his tongue has attained self-control in a great measure. When such a person speaks he will be heard with respect and attention. His words will be remembered, for they will be good and true. When one who is established in truth prays with a pure heart, then things he really needs come to him when they are really needed: he does not have to run after them. The man firmly established in truth gets the fruit of his actions without apparently doing anything. God, the source of all truth, supplies his needs and looks after his welfare.

B.K.S. Iyengar

truth heart running